THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 12 - 15 Issue No. 1909
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Holiday top spot ACCORDING to the Hotel Occupancy Survey pub‐ lished by the National In‐ stitute of Statistics (INE), Calvia had the highest av‐ erage rate of tourist occu‐ pancy by overnight stays in Spain during 2021, with 57.4 per cent. The council and the hos‐ pitality industry were pleased to view this data which the council says highlights the recovery ex‐ perienced by the tourism sector, placing the munici‐ pality of Calvia at the head, in terms of occupan‐ cy, of all the tourist spots in Spain. In addition to the aver‐ age occupancy rate, Calvia also recorded good figures regarding the total num‐ ber of overnight stays in 2021 which, although still far less than pre‐pandemic years, placed the destina‐ tion in sixth place com‐ pared to other destina‐ tions, with 3,579,785 overnight stays. Other data highlighted by the INE report noted that the average length of stay of tourists, 5.76 days, saw the destination amongst the top 10 holi‐ day spots and was well above the national aver‐ age that stood at 2.85 days. A total of 621,718 visi‐ tors stayed in the munici‐ pality of which 86.42 per cent were foreigners, and the rest were Spanish resi‐ dents.
MALLORCA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
CALLING OUT FOR FUNDS
Credit: Balearic Government
NEW PROPOSAL: Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs, Rosario Sánchez.
ON Monday January 31, the Balearic Min‐ istry of Finance and Foreign Affairs published a 58‐page document making recommenda‐ tions concerning the way in which funding is allocated by the National Government. There are a number of criteria, based on area and size of population, but according to this document the Balearics should be treat‐ ed differently to mainland Autonomous Communities due to the extra cost of main‐ taining facilities across the four main islands. The fact that the islands are relatively close to each other does not mean that transports costs are accordingly low and the government also has to subsidise the move‐ ment of passengers between the islands. Perhaps most important however is the fact that there is a huge transient population which whilst bringing prosperity to some sections of industry when tourism is in ‘full swing’, it also causes a major drain on facili‐ ties such as health, water, refuse disposal and policing which has to be born by the en‐ tire population, not just those who benefit from tourism.
To this end therefore and with the knowl‐ edge of the municipalities and the various political parties across the islands, the min‐ istry urges the National Government to agree to create a formula whereby an aver‐ age transient population figure is recognised and included in the population count. Referring back decades to a previously re‐ jected request, this document suggests that when calculating the area of the Balearics for financial support calculations, it would be ap‐ propriate to include the area of sea sur‐ rounding and between each island. In the case of Autonomous Communities completely on land, the area is measured and funding is based on that area occupied by the community, but for those who are resident there, movement is relatively easy and inexpensive when compared to costs facing those in the Balearics. Whilst this latter option may not be ac‐ ceptable to the National Government, it is hoped that an element of forgiveness of public debt will also be agreed in light of the information contained in the proposal.
FREE • GRATIS
LGTBQ+ TOURISM MALLORCA sets its cap at the LGTBQ+ tourist mar‐ ket which is expected to see around 180 million travellers annually by 2030 according to the World Tourism Organisation. Realistically, there are many countries throughout the world who still don’t welcome Rainbow trav‐ ellers so many destinations are anxious to ensure that they are able to offer a safe and welcoming en‐ vironment. The Department of Transition, Tourism and Sports of the Consell de Mallorca has started a project to develop a strategy to promote the island and has appointed the company Queer Destinations, experts in consulting, marketing and training, to promote a tourism product focused on this community. In the meantime, the Consell de Mallorca has re‐ inforced its commitment to defending the rights of the LGTBQ+ community by doubling the hours of face‐to‐face care of the Comprehensive Care Service for the LGTBQ+ community (SAI). In Palma, Inca and Manacor, it will now more than double the hours of attention going from 16 hours a week to 37 hours.
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Illegal rubbish dump
ILLICIT dumping of waste is a health and environmen‐ tal problem and spokeswoman for Ciu‐ dadanos in Palma Council, Eva Pomar says enough is enough. She visited an illegal dump in Son Güells togeth‐ er with Councillor Alejan‐ dro Escriche and Roxana Bustamante, president of the local Residents Associa‐ tion to view the site. Their visit was prompted by a recent fire in the area which had to be extin‐ guished by the Palma Fire Brigade and will be at con‐ stant risk until something is done about it. The waste dump has been there for some time and back in June 2021, a group of people were ar‐ rested by officers from the Seprona branch of the Guardia Civil, but although the Palma Council initially intended to clear the area, this was delayed by the ap‐ parent existence of as‐ bestos. Bearing in mind that there is a school, sports fa‐ cility, supermarket and res‐ idences in the vicinity, Po‐ mar publicly called for the Palma Council to work with the government to clear the area immediately.
Cycling master plan THE Marratxí Council through its department of sustainable mobility, has an‐ nounced the launch of the first master plan for cycling in Mallorca. The aim is to encourage pedal power throughout the municipality by making it easier and safer to travel by bicycle. The mayor of Marratxí, Miquel Cabot, explained that this master plan is part of the government team’s commit‐ ment to the environment and sustainable and healthy mobility. In a first phase, a review will be made of the situation for cyclists in the municipali‐ ty, of the existing and planned roads and cycle lanes and the integration of the bicycle in urban environ‐ ments.
Credit: Marratxi Council
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PEDAL POWER: Councillors announced the plan.
The diagnosis will be com‐ plemented by citizen partici‐ pation surveys and sectoral meetings to find out the pro‐ files and needs of users and the most common mobility habits among residents. The aim is to encourage the use of bicycles by road users as a means of daily transport and to encourage
bicycle mobility to schools, sports centres, work and shops. This plan will be developed in collaboration with Mobili‐ ty by Cycling Friendly, a com‐ pany specialising in the de‐ velopment of sustainable mobility plans and mobility solutions for institutions and companies.
Shared experience
A LARGE number of members of the As‐ sociation of Industrialists of Mallorca (ASIMA) Youth section, attended a net‐ working meeting on Friday January 28 with veteran businessmen Francisco Vi‐ dal, from AutoVidal, and Miguel Bordoy, from Trablisa. During the event held at the Nivia Born Boutique Hotel in Palma, the guests shared their long history and experi‐ ences with the new generations of busi‐ nessmen from Son Castello and Can Valero.
For more than two hours, both busi‐ nessmen related relevant experiences from their careers of almost 50 years, in which they have met ‘all kinds of situa‐ tions’, including two ‘very hard’ econom‐ ic crises such as those of 1998 and 2008. Both Bordoy and Vidal encouraged the young entrepreneurs, many of them sec‐ ond, third or fourth generations of busi‐ ness families ‘to work and transform themselves day by day because today the competition in all sectors is tougher than before.’
NEWS
Covid officers THE Santanyi Council has appointed two new Covid officers on initial three‐month contracts to assist the Local Police force. They will be under the direction of the Chief of the Santanyi Local Police to un‐ dertake whatever actions may be consid‐ ered necessary in order to ensure that res‐ idents comply with existing regulations aimed at combatting the transmission of the virus. The mayor, Maria Pons, welcomed them to work on Saturday January 29 and wished them good luck saying: “we are pleased to have more help for our Local Police, as everyone knows, the Local Po‐ lice in the municipalities of Mallorca, right now, have a significant shortage of staff. So, incorporating people who can give as‐ sistance is always good news.” The recruitment of these officers was made possible after the Balearic Govern‐ ment approved the hiring by local munici‐ palities of 132 candidates.
Caterpillar culling THE ever‐present annual invasion of procession‐ ary pine caterpillars is due and Soller Council is tak‐ ing steps to eradicate infestations in public areas. In many cases residents are able to manually cut away the tent‐like cocoons containing the caterpillars on private land, but sometimes the co‐ coons are placed too high to reach. During the month of February those who are properly licensed to hold a gun of any type may apply to shoot them down on private land, but approval must be obtained in advance from the Environmental Department. Information required includes place, person shooting, details of weapon, proposed time and date (at least four days after presenting the appli‐ cation). If approved the activity can only take place un‐ der the supervision of the Local Police.
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NIBS EXTRA Firefighter jobs NOW recruiting to fill 32 new posts in the Mallorca Fire Brigade, the most in 15 years, the Consell de Mallorca has confirmed that 212 candidates passed the physical exam‐ ination of which five were female. Next and last step is the psychological as‐ sessment.
Swimming pool THE old Aigua Dolça building was a benchmark for swimming in Palma and now at a cost in ex‐ cess of €9.5 million it is to be resurrected to include an indoor swimming pool, a gym, multipur‐ pose spaces and a car park when completed in 2023.
Nadal triumph FANS of Mallorcan local hero Rafa Nadal were dis‐ appointed to discover that the Spanish State television service RTVE chose not (or couldn’t af‐ ford) to transmit the Aus‐ tralian Open men’s sin‐ gles finals on Sunday January 30 so had to search cable channels to see their idol win.
Covid passport THERE is some disquiet in Mallorca as there is still a requirement to present a Covid passport to enter bars, restaurants and gyms, yet the European Union approved digital document starts to ex‐ pire for people who re‐ ceived their second injec‐ tion nine months previously.
Statue removed A STATUE dedicated to Franco’s rule in the plaça de la Mediterrania was removed by the Inca Council on Monday Jan‐ uary 31. The stones will be reused at a local school and a symbolic tree planted in its place.
3 - 9 February 2022
Palma Jazz Festival
THE 2022 Palma Jazz Festival will kick off tomorrow, Fri‐ day February 4 featuring Gi‐ anluca Petrella and Pasquale Mirra accompanied by the Malian percussionist Kalifa Kone, as Israeli saxophonist Eli Degibri who was originally supposed to open the festi‐ val had to cancel due to Covid‐19. This third Palma Jazz Festi‐ val, will feature some of the leading figures in national, in‐ ternational and island jazz with the aim to return the name of Palma to the jazz scene. There will be parallel activi‐ ties and small concerts in dif‐ ferent parts of the city over the weekends but the main
JAZZ SCENE: National, international and island jazz.
concerts, all of which take place at the Xesc Forteza The‐ atre, except for the tribute to Chick Corea are: Friday 4, 8pm: Gianluca Pe‐ trella and Pasquale Mirra,
‘Correspondence’. Saturday 5, 8pm: Moisés P Sánchez Project, ‘There’s Al‐ ways Madness’. Sunday 6, 7pm: Maria Toro, ‘Fume’.
Monday 7, 8pm: Joan Bar‐ bé Group, ‘Quorum’. Tuesday 8, 8pm: Tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini, ‘Le Nuvole di Pier Paolo’. Xesc Forteza. Wednesday 9, 8pm: Irene Reig Trio, ‘Mira’. Thursday 10, 8pm: Tribute concert: ‘SPAIN a symphonic tribute to Chick Corea’. Pala‐ cio de Congresos. Friday 11, 8pm: Ariel Brínguez and Iván ‘Melon’ Lewis, ‘Alma en Cuba’. Saturday 12, 8pm: Marco Mezquida, ‘Piano solo’. Sunday 13, 7pm: Gonzalo del Val Trio, ‘Cancionero’. Tickets for the Festival can be purchased in advance on the website www.palmacul tura.cat.
New homes for five families
FIVE families have been handed over the keys to new public housing units in the historic centre of Palma by the President of the Balearic Government on Monday January 31 Those lucky enough to have been selected are four single‐parent fami‐ lies, all women with one or two daughters and one family comprising an el‐ derly couple and their daughter who has a dis‐ ability. Each family will pay a rent appropriate to their
Credit: Balearic Government
SELECTED FAMILIES: Handing over the keys.
financial situation in amounts ranging from €129 to €364 with the
amounts adjusted to their actual income so that no‐ one will pay more than 30
Warning to Brit holidaymakers BUDGET airline easyJet has issued a warning for British holidaymakers planning trips to some Spanish Is‐ lands this year. Tourists from the UK usu‐ ally flock to places such as Ibiza and Mallorca to find some sun and have earned a reputation as partygoers from the locals who live there. Now that restrictions are
being lifted and testing up‐ on return to England has been scrapped, bookings from the beer‐loving Brits are soaring. However, those travel‐ ling to these Spanish islands have been issued a warning by easyJet. Anyone at‐ tempting to book an all‐in‐ clusive stay in these desti‐ nations via the budget airline is given the following
message: “Due to a change in Spanish law which affects certain resorts in the Balearic Islands, alcoholic drinks are now limited to three per person at lunch and dinner as part of the all‐ inclusive basis.” The change on some Spanish Islands came into effect in 2020, to limit ex‐ treme drunken behaviour that affects residents.
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per cent of their income in rent. During the keynote cer‐ emony, the president em‐ phasised that days like this “are moments that justify a whole political task” and that, although “we are aware that many people are left without access to housing and we will con‐ tinue to work hard for them,” the Government “has been working for more than six years for a housing policy that makes it possible for the right to housing recognised by the Constitution to be a reality and not just a statement.” Francina Armengol also thanked the Palma Council for the transfer of the plot where this development was built.
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Red Kite released Credit: Twitter
RESCUED: Nursing the bird back to health.
AN injured Red Kite (mil‐ vus Milvus) known locally as a milana was rescued by the Balearic Islands Wildlife Recovery Consor‐ tium (COFIB) when it was discovered that for some reason it could not fly. Eventually, having recu‐ perated, and fitted with a tracking device it was re‐ leased back into the wild in Caubet, Bunyola. Considered for some time to be threatened and near endangered, Red Kites in Mallorca have made a remarkable come‐ back and the most recent census which took place between 2019 and 2021 of local population confirmed that numbers continue to grow. Having dropped to an estimated maximum num‐ ber of six breeding pairs in 1999, there now appear to be up to 184 breeding pairs. “Birds of prey are an in‐ dicator of the state of health of the biodiversity of a territory and it should be noted that the recovery of the milana in Mallorca has been spectacular in re‐ cent years,” said Minister for the Environment and Territory, Miquel Mir.
and finally...
THE Son Dureta vaccination centre in Mallorca has opened and has eight new inoculation lines which means that it has 16 lines in total, able to vaccinate around 5,000 people a day, Monday to Friday from 8am to 9pm. A new team consisting of a health worker and an Army nurse reported for duty at the centre on February 1, joining the seven teams already undertaking vacci‐ nations which had been supplied by the Ministry of Defence. Since January 17, the service for vaccination (BitCita) has been open for the population over 18 years of age and through the page www.ibsalut.es/es/cita‐para‐la‐vacunacion‐contra‐la‐ covid‐19 appointments are provided for the entire population of legal age wanting the booster dose.
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Heart shaped diamond
Jewel of the month.
UK Jewellers Hancocks have an‐ nounced their Jewel of the Month for Valentine’s is the beautiful Edwardian era Tiffany & Co. diamond heart pen‐ dant. With its elegant domed and round‐ ed form, this stunning diamond is a substantial one inch wide and tall. It is fully pavé set with sparkling an‐ tique European brilliant cut diamonds set in platinum and backed with 18ct gold suspended from a detachable di‐ amond set loop. The diamonds are estimated to weigh around 3.8cts in total. The heart motif has been used in jew‐ ellery since the Middle Ages, gaining popularity during the era of courtly love. It is perhaps the most popular and enduring of symbols and each era has found new ways to depict it and embellish it.
NEWS
A moment to reflect........
FO R reasons that I’ll maybe go into later, I’ve recently had cause to do some deep reflection. On one of the grey days so typical over the month of January, I found myself looking deep into the purpose and enjoyment of our lives. Maybe it’s a bi‐product of the pan‐ demic times we’ve been living through recently. Maybe it’s having time to think about what really mat‐ ters. As publisher of Euro Weekly for almost a quarter of a century, it feels like now is as good a time as any to take an unbiased view of what we hope we achieve, and what we mean to you, and all the other hundreds of thousands of people who read their copy of Euro
Weekly every week. We consistently question our value to our readers. We challenge our‐ selves every day to be relevant, to be in touch, to matter, and to im‐ prove in many different ways the lives of every one of those hundreds of thousands of people who spend minutes and hours connecting with their local community through our pages, both online and in print. Taking this altruistic view made me think. How often do we remind ourselves of the very reasons we exist? How often do we take the time to tell the people around us just how much we care for them and appreci‐ ate the massive contribution they make to Euro Weekly, and the com‐
munities we publish in? It takes the combined talents of over 60 people to bring each copy of Euro Weekly alive. And life is what we’re all about. Helping you make choices, giving you options and in‐ formation and being ‘The Pulse of your Community’. So call us old‐fashioned, but the 300 words you’ve just read are ded‐ icated to the Euro Weekly team, their wonderful efforts and hard work and the result of the love we all share for our newspaper Euro Weekly which we hope continues to be a small but significant part of your life in Spain, in good times and challenging times! Michel Euesden C.E.O. & Founder
Expats and Modelo 720 ruling JUDGING by recent news reports, you could be for‐ given for thinking that Spain’s egregious Modelo 720 Worldwide Asset Dec‐ laration reporting require‐ ment is already dead and
buried since the European C o u r t o f J u s t i c e ( EC J ) d e ‐ clared aspects of it illegal on Thursday January 27. The bad news is the Modelo 720 will almost certainly live on in one
form or another. The good news is, it will be a milder financial threat to expats living in Spain. The Spanish press re‐ ported it as a “severe blow” to the 720 form, and attention has immediately switched to how people can claw back the fines they have suffered at the hands of the Modelo 720 since it was introduced by the Partido Pop‐ ular (PP) finance minister Cristóbal Montoro back in 2013. Realistically, the Modelo 720 tax declaration form isn’t going any‐ where. It will just be tweaked to get around the ECJ’s objections and car‐ ry on being a headache for ex‐ pats in Spain with assets of €50,000
or more (per asset class) abroad. The good news is the fines and penalties for falling foul of the Modelo 720 are expected to be much lighter, so it won’t be such a big risk for ex‐ pats living in Spain. The Modelo 720 was in‐ troduced in 2013 ostensi‐ bly to clamp down on tax evasion and corruption and as the PP party at the time stank of corruption, the law was introduced w i t h a n a m n e s t y t h a t b a‐ sically allowed bent politi‐ cians and their cronies to legalise wealth with just a slap on the wrist, whilst expats with legitimate wealth outside of Spain were put in a risky situa‐ tion. If you didn’t know about the new law, or made any mistake in your declara‐ tion, you could be ruined by huge fines, so let’s now hope for the best rather than the worst as amend‐ ments take place.
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Top anti-ageing Costa del Soul Poll doctor in Europe By Ross Williams
DR VICENTE MERA of Clinica Britannia in Calpe has won an award at the European awards in medicine 2021 in recognition of his innovative work in anti‐ageing medicine. With a devotion to cutting edge tech‐ niques and therapies, Dr Mera has been propelled to the forefront of internal and anti‐ageing medicine. He has 25 years of international experi‐ ence in multiple basic areas of ageing, in‐ cluding genomics, nutrition, gut microbio‐ ta, immunity, detoxification, physical preparation, stress management, tobacco cessation, sleep, hormone substitution and nutritional supplements. In the field of regenerative medicine and ageing, Dr Vicente Mera has also in‐ corporated new areas of knowledge such as bio‐identical hormonal therapeutics, genetic and genomic counselling, the telomeric evaluation and obtaining of mesenchymal stem cells and the storage of them for future practical applications. Dr Mera studied in Sevilla, and then specialised in Internal Medicine in one of
DR MERA: In recognition of his work.
the most reputable departments in Spain, the Puerta de Hierro Clinic in Madrid, where he served as chief resident for six years. He went on to work in different hospi‐ tals in Sevilla, Cordoba and Alicante, be‐ fore finally settling on the Costa Blanca, where he was hired as head of the inter‐ nal medicine service of the HCB hospital and now heads up his own health centre, Clinica Britannia in Calpe.
LIKE many of us living in this country we happily call home, the last two years have been extremely tax‐ ing. To be clear, I’m not re‐ ferring to the recent fiasco of the overseas declaration taxes. The ‘taxing’ I mean is the way in which things that are both physically and mentally challenging are becoming part of our everyday lives. There’s probably no bet‐ ter example of this than the myriad of conflicting rules and regulations gov‐ erning international border controls and travel laws in‐ tended to keep us safe from the impact of Covid‐ 19 and Omicron viruses. I experienced a real humdinger of misinforma‐ tion recently when I tried to attend an industry con‐ ference in Australia; just type in ‘Australian Entry Rules for non‐Australians’
into your preferred search engine and scan the mix of advice. It’s a nightmare. As a result, I’ve decided to avoid travelling for a while and instead explore and take advantage of the many pleasures of life clos‐ er to home. In my opinion, we are in‐ credibly fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful and exciting places on earth. I’ve started by identify‐ ing 10 destinations that I have neglected in the past
few years. I plan to visit or reacquaint myself, and my family, with each one over the next few months. I’m going to write about each of them, and I’d also like to hear from you about the areas you feel have soul and are eminently worth visiting or revisiting. I’m calling it the ‘Costa del Soul’ poll, and you can share in celebrating Span‐ ish destinations with a lot of soul by emailing your favourites to me at soul@euroweeklynews.com
and finally... RUSSIAN YouTuber, Alex Burkan, has entered the Guinness Book of World Records because he has cre‐ ated the world’s first retractable lightsaber. This home‐made device is very similar to the fa‐ mous sabers used in fight sequences in the Star Wars films. In addition, it has the ability to produce a me‐ tre‐long plasma blade when turned on, burning at an intensity of 2,800 degrees, it can even cut through steel.
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Partygate fallout TORY MP Angela Richardson has resigned as ministerial aide in Boris Johnson’s government citing ‘deep disappointment’ over the handling of the
lockdown parties at Downing Street. Ms Richardson, Conservative MP for Guildford, had been working for Michael Gove, but re-
signed last week, on the day the Sue Gray report was published. The report, she said, “clearly states there were failings at Number Ten Downing Street that let us all down. “I share the deep disappointment that it has taken so long to get to this stage when there could have been an early acknowledgment and apology.” Ms Richardson explained that ‘moving sto-
ries’ about her constituents’ experiences during Covid lockdowns influenced her decision to quit. Adding, “Any request for a sense of perspective from those around Number Ten” had rung hollow with an ITU nurse she had met: “Frontline N H S workers like her had also been working hard through the pandemic putting their health and lives on the line to save others.”
Human chain rescue ON the morning of Friday, Jan‐ uary 28 a two lane bridge col‐ lapsed in Pittsburgh (USA) prompting people to form a human chain to help rescue those trapped in a bus dan‐ gling over the edge. The res‐ cuers formed a chain nearly 46 metres long to reach the bus. Only minor injuries were re‐
ported with no fatalities, ac‐ cording to authorities, who al‐ so said they were flying drones to make sure no one was un‐ der any collapsed sections. Po‐ lice reported the span, on Forbes Avenue over Fern Hol‐ low Creek in Frick Park, came down just before 7am. Darryl Jones, Pittsburgh Bu‐ reau of Fire Chief, said that three or four vehicles were in‐ volved in the collapse and there were 10 minor injuries with three taken to the hospi‐ tal. None of the injuries were life‐threatening, Jones con‐ firmed.
Brave mum THERE was tragedy in Ceuta as a mother saved her son in a road accident, but died as a result. The incident occurred at around 6pm on Saturday, January 22, in the Reina Re‐ gente neighbourhood of the autonomous city. According to witnesses, the young boy ran towards the road and the brave mum went after him. The boy escaped without harm, but the car was unable to avoid the mother. She re‐ ceived treatment in the In‐ tensive Care Unit of Melilla Regional Hospital, but has since died of her injuries. Eduardo de Castro, respon‐ sible for public safety in the city, says that, tragically, nothing can be done to stop these incidents from occur‐ ring. He added that for the town this is the first road traf‐ fic accident death so far this year.
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Group arrested
DETAINED: For inciting hatred and violence on social media.
THE National Police has ar‐ rested seven people ‐ four in Barcelona, one in the Madrid municipality of Tor‐ rejon de Ardoz, and two in the Alicante Province towns of Alcoy, and Onte‐ niente in Valencia. They were detained for their part in a radical far‐right group that was found to be incit‐ ing hatred and violence on social media networks. According to the General Directorate of the Police, the investigation began in the first quarter of 2020, af‐ ter the force received an anonymous complaint through the citizen collabo‐ ration web portal. The
anonymous caller alerted them to the creation of an online forum with a radical and violent extreme right‐ wing ideology. This was something that was corrob‐ orated by the investigators, who detected forums and instant messaging applica‐ tions from where the ar‐ rested sent direct and fil‐ tered messages to subjects, with a profile according to their postulates and radical ideologies. They were be‐ lieved to be attracting and indoctrinating other sub‐ jects in order to commit vi‐ olent actions aimed at sub‐ verting the constitutional order.
Bookings up JET2 has reported a 30 per cent surge in bookings for Spain, Italy and Portugal. The Spanish islands and mainland Spain will benefit massively from the changes in coronavirus testing rules set to come into place on Friday February 11. According to Jet2’s Chief Executive Steve Heapy, the company is already noticing a “notable increase in de‐ mand for holidays and flights” since the Covid testing rule changes were announced in the UK. He revealed: “Before yesterday’s announcement de‐ mand was already strong, however bookings have jumped by another 30 per cent when compared with the previous week, demonstrating just how much of a game‐changer the removal of all testing is for fully vac‐ cinated holidaymakers. “With international travel starting to look like it did before the pandemic, customers are jumping at the chance to book their flights and holidays.”
and finally... RUSSIAN YouTuber, Alex Burkan, has entered the Guinness Book of World Records because he has cre‐ ated the world’s first retractable lightsaber. This home‐made device is very similar to the fa‐ mous sabers used in fight sequences in the Star Wars films. In addition, it has the ability to produce a me‐ tre‐long plasma blade when turned on, burning at an intensity of 2,800 degrees, it can even cut through steel.
NEWS
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Masks here to stay
A small price to pay.
RYANAIR’S finance chief has warned that masks are here to stay. He has said that they are a “small price to pay” for being able to travel around the world during the pandemic and avoid travel restrictions re‐ turning. Neil Sorahan explained: “Masks will be something that will be with us for a while longer to come. If that is the price we have to pay for the next few months, into summer ‐ it’s a small price to pay. “It’s a bit like after 9/11, we ended up with our toi‐ letries in plastic bags, maybe we’ll have to live with masks for a while longer.”
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Airline compensation
PROPOSALS announced on Monday, Jan‐ uary 31 promise fairer and simpler com‐ pensation rules for UK domestic passen‐ gers, which could see claims for delays of more than an hour. The proposals are intended to replace EU rules that require compensation to be paid for flights delayed by more than three hours. Currently, domestic passen‐ gers on flights shorter than 1,500 kilome‐ tres (932 miles) can claim £220 for delays of more than three hours, but nothing for shorter waits. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the proposals “aim to bolster airline con‐ sumer protections and rights.” Under the new plan, which is under consultation, passengers would be entitled to 25 per
FAKE money scams are noth‐ ing new. Printing paper bills is relatively simple, but mak‐ ing coins from a material sim‐ ilar to the real thing is more complex. This makes fraud‐ sters resort to real foreign coins, passing them off as eu‐ ro coins ‐ although logically they are not legal tender in Spain and their value is also much lower. The Guardia Civil has
NEW RULES: Promise fairer rights.
cent of the ticket price for a delay of more than one hour but less than two hours, 50 per cent of the ticket price for a delay of more than two hours but less than three hours, and 100 per cent of the ticket price for a delay of more than three hours.
Fake euro coin scam
warned of these scams on its social media pages. The coins, very similar to the Eu‐ ropean ones, come from Ar‐ gentina, Venezuela, the Do‐ minican Republic and Jamaica. The value of these coins
‘Brexit freedoms bill’
THE under fire prime minister has come out fighting promising a ‘Brexit Freedoms Bill’ to unleash the benefits of Brexit, however the an‐ nouncement has result‐ ed in criticism from the devolved nations who say the government is undermining their agree‐ ment. Johnson has promised to remove more than £1 billion worth of red tape for British businesses as he fights to keep himself in the job. The proposed bill would apparently allow ministers to remove EU laws that were retained as part of the divorce from the EU. It is believed that ‘Op‐ eration Red Meat’ is seen by Mr Johnson and Whitehall as a way of shoring up support from Conservative MPs with a flurry of attractive‐look‐ ing policies for tradition‐ al Tory voters.
No 10 has promised to bring the bill forward in the months ahead, which when passed would make it easier for ministers to remove or amend laws retained
from the UK’s 47‐year membership of the EU. The idea of this bill has been criticised before with many MPs believ‐ ing it will allow ministers to bypass parliament.
can be less than a cent, and the most expensive ‐ Ja‐ maican dollars ‐ barely reach €0.11. Some characteristics that make them very similar to the euro are the gold rim of the coin, the silver interior and symbols such as the Venezuelan stars ‐ which are reminiscent of those of the European Union and can lead to error.
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Supporting Amazon NEIL YOUNG has decided to ramp up his new‐found dislike of Spotify, by offer‐ ing his fans a free four‐ month subscription to Amazon’s streaming ser‐ vice. The folk‐rock legend posted a message pro‐ moting Amazon on his of‐ ficial Twitter account to his 76,000 followers on Sunday, January 30. He also pushed the of‐ fer on his website, where it said, “Amazon has been leading the pack in bring‐ ing hi‐res audio to the masses, and it’s a great place to enjoy my entire
catalogue, in the highest quality available.” This all comes as the re‐ sult of Young’s protest against Spotify and its continued broadcasting of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He has removed all his music, and is boy‐ cotting the platform, in‐ sisting that its controver‐ sial anti‐vaccine podcaster Rogan is pushing disinfor‐ mation about the vac‐ cines. Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren have both sided with Young in removing their music from Spotify.
and finally... FRITZ SCHALL, an Austrian man who now lives with his family in Colombia, South America, decided he would build a house. Not just any house, he built one that was upside down! Located in the town of Guatavita, ‘Casa‐Loca’ has turned into a massive tourist attraction, and captured the imagination of those who visit. Inside the home, in the upside‐down world, you can walk on the ceilings instead of the floor, and the furniture is under‐ neath you.
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Elon Musk’s student offer T H E multimillionaire Elon Musk offered $5,000 to a student from the University of Central Florida (UCF) if he closed his Twitter account dedi‐ cated to tracking the movements of Musk’s private jet. Jack Sweeney, a 19‐ year‐old student in his first year at the UCF, said that he was surprised when the founder of Tesla and the aerospace
MUSK: Has a private jet.
company SpaceX sent him a message with a
strange request: that he delete his Twitter ac‐ count due to security concerns. Musk offered $5,000 for the favour. However, in one of the messages exchanged, the teenager asked for $50,000 to cover the cost of tuition, although Musk has not yet agreed to that. Sweeney is the person behind the username @ElonJet, an account
that reveals very specific data about the location of Musk’s private jet. The teenager explained that he created an algo‐ rithm to track the plane using data from compa‐ nies that record flight data through a transponder. The information pro‐ vided by Sweeney on his Twitter account has at‐ tracted more than 100,000 followers.
NEWS
New HIV trials to begin ON January 27, the scientific research organisation IAVI and the pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that they had teamed up to launch the first phase of clinical trials on experi‐ mental vaccines against HIV using mRNA technology. The trial is designed to test the hypothesis that the sequential administering of HIV immunogens via messenger RNA can trig‐ ger specific types of responses from B cells, leading to the gener‐ ation of broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs). The generation of bNAbs is one of the objectives of vaccina‐ tion against HIV, and this is the first step in the process. The im‐ munogens that are being tested in the trials were developed by scientific teams from IAVI and Scripps Research and will be given via mRNA technology from Moderna. The study will be carried out at four centres in the United States. The centres will enrol 56 HIV‐negative adult volunteers, of whom 48 will receive one or two doses of mRNA‐1644 and 32 will receive the mRNA‐1644v2‐Core booster. Another eight vol‐ unteers will only receive the booster immunogen.
Minority refuse third vaccine and finally...
A B O U T 9 per cent of Spaniards are refusing to get the third vac‐ cine against coronavirus, as changing recommendations do not inspire confidence. More than 20 million Spaniards have received the third vaccine against coronavirus, but a minori‐ ty is reluctant. According to the latest research by the Spanish Centre of Sociological Research (CIS), around 84.5 per cent of
those who have received at least one dose are willing to get the third jab, but 9 per cent are un‐ willing and 4 per cent are unsure. There are many factors behind the uncertainty: fear, scepticism, doubts about its protection, or simply confusion due to contra‐ dictory messages from the health authorities. “To all those having doubts, I tell them to trust sci‐ ence,” stated Isabel Jimeno, from
the Spanish Society of General and Family Doctors (SEMG). According to data from the Min‐ istry of Health, on January 26, the number of people who had re‐ ceived at least one dose of the vaccine was 39,080,436 (92 per cent of over‐12s) and the number of those with two doses was 38,264,820 (90.7 per cent). A total of 20,289,629 people had received the third dose.
THE Italian Ministry of Work has opened an investigation into a job advertisement for a receptionist position which asked for a photo of the candidate ‘in a bathing suit or something similar.’ The company also requested that the candidates were wom‐ en under 30 with a ‘cheerful character and an attractive appear‐ ance.’ The company, which has a branch in the commercial cen‐ tre of Naples, offered an income of €500 a month for 24 hours a week. The advertisement, which was posted on various job portals, has been met by fierce criticism and called ‘sexist.’
GO LOCAL
THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support local businesses in the community by shopping locally in recent times. Now things are heading back to normal, we challenge you to main‐ tain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent busi‐ nesses in your area. Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities what they are. They add unique character. They are convenient. And they offer ex‐ cellent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping locally means that independent businesses can support the local communi‐ ty. You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually going?By shopping lo‐ cally you’re putting food on a local family’s table and there is nothing
better than giving back to the communities that have given us so much. Local stores support charities and they sponsor local sports teams. In many cases, they are much more than just a business, they’re a legacy. They may have supported generations of the same family. Likewise, brand new local stores and bars may help the gener‐ ations of the future fulfil their dreams and ambitions. Remember, your local store is going up against multinationals and chains. They can’t win that battle on their own. So give them your support. Spending your money local‐ ly will make a real difference to the local economy. Local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro they receive at local level. They create locally owned supply chains and they invest in their employees. So remember, buy local. When you go shop‐ ping ‐ go local!
BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.
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www.euroweeklynews.com
EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Insurance failure
Words removed
ALWAYS read the small print is a maxim when taking out insurance, but 14 Danish insurances companies have been hit with fines for discrimination against female clients who became pregnant. Eight companies have accepted the fines and the others have until February 1 or could be prosecuted.
SCRABBLE is becoming increasingly more difficult in Denmark as it has been reported by the Danish Language Board, that some 3,581 words were removed from the Danish Spelling Dictionary between 1986 and 2012 as they were considered obsolete or replaced by English words.
THE NETHERLANDS Racial profiling
Mortgage help
THE Dutch Tax Office, having been brought to task over wrongly accusing parents of fraud, is back in the spotlight after an independent review found that in 11 per cent of cases it viewed, people were being highlighted as potential fraudsters on the basis of their appearance and nationality.
WITH rental properties becoming increasingly expensive, the National Mortgage Guarantee agency, supported by a number of commercial banks, is to help renters who pay more than a mortgage would cost but have been turned down by lenders to get their feet on the property ladder.
BELGIUM Holocaust research
Unclaimed money
DURING the Second World War, the Belgian railway company NMBS was responsible for the deportation of more than 25,000 Jews and Roma to death camps. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the Belgian Government has commissioned research into the role of the company and who made the decisions.
THIS is not an email scam but a genuine fact according to the Belga News Agency as it revealed that Belgian customers had around €575 million sitting unclaimed in dormant bank accounts at the end of 2021, up €7 million from the previous year.
GERMANY Telegram ban
Snap resignation
THE German Government is reportedly considering banning the encrypted messaging app Telegram which it contends is being used by different groups to promote hate speech and conspiracy theories. Its complaints have been made to the creators of the app, but these have apparently been ignored.
VICE-ADMIRAL Kay-Achim Schönbach who was head of the German navy has tendered his resignation after making a number of comments during a visit to India about the Ukraine and Russia which has caused the German government some embarrassment especially as he said that Vladimir Putin deserved “respect”.
FRANCE Child victims
Bizarre artwork
CATHOLIC dioceses throughout France have raised €20 million to compensate up to 330,000 victims of historical child sexual abuse by clergy over seven decades according to the president of the Selam fund. The French Catholic Church has confirmed that it will also contribute its own funds.
IT has been discovered that a senior French surgeon has offered to sell as a piece of art for €2,500, without permission, an X-ray of the arm of a concert goer, shot during the 2015 Bataclan attack, which shows a bullet still lodged in the forearm.
NORWAY Spoilt for choice
Future Queen
THE Norwegian Finance Ministry may be breathing a sigh of relief after controversially inviting former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to apply to head the Bank of Norway as it seems possible that due to the Ukraine problem he will be asked to remain as head of NATO.
THE first woman born to be Queen of Norway officially came of age on Friday January 21 when she celebrated her 18th birthday. Flags flew and cannons fired in honour of Princess Ingrid Alexandra, daughter of Crown Prince Haakon, heir apparent to the Norwegian throne.
FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Record job creation FIGURES for 2021 show that the Spanish labour market recovered strongly following the 2020 drop due to the pandemic with 615,900 fewer people unemployed which represents the largest annual re‐ duction since 2015, while employ‐ ment grew by 840,700 jobs, the highest number since 2005.
Camp Nou Spotify ONCE mega‐wealthy Barcelona FC is looking to cut wages of its players and obtain as much long‐term sponsorship as possible. According to Football España, it is in negotia‐ tion with Spotify to take over the main shirt spot and may rename its stadium Camp Nou Spotify.
GDP bounce ALTHOUGH there had been a number of negative reports about the growth of the Spanish econo‐ my for the fourth quarter of 2021, the growth of GDP by 2 per cent was well above the somewhat gloomy forecast of 1.4 per cent thanks in part to export demand.
Fewer cars UK car production fell to its lowest level in 65 years in 2021, according to figures released on January 27 by the Society of Motor Manufac‐ turers and Traders. The number of vehicles produced was 859,575, the lowest number since 1956 and the Suez Crisis.
Spain Shynes THE recently unveiled SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network) pro‐ ject, the largest renewable hydro‐ gen consortium in Spain is made up of 33 entities from different sec‐ tors comprising 22 companies and 11 associations, technology cen‐ tres, and universities under the leadership of Repsol with the aim of promoting renewable hydrogen projects in all areas of the econo‐ my. The projects in SHYNE will in‐ volve an accumulated investment of €3.23 billion and this will enable the implementation of different initiatives for the production, distri‐ bution, and use of renewable hy‐ drogen in the industrial sector, in transport and other outlets creat‐ ing an estimated 13,000 new jobs.
12
www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 February 2021
STAT OF WEEK
$7 million
(€6.3 million) is the price expected when the world’s largest black diamond, the Enigma weighing more than 550 carats, goes to auction in London in February.
Spanish legislation contrary to EU law IN a bid to ensure that Spanish tax resi‐ dents declare all of their financial in‐ vestments and sources of income re‐ gardless of where they may be derived from, the Spanish Government intro‐ duced penalties for those who did not make accurate declarations. On February 15, 2017 the European Commission issued a reasoned opinion in which it found that certain aspects of the requirement for Spanish tax resi‐ dents to declare overseas assets or rights by means of a form entitled ‘Form 720’ were incompatible with EU law. The Commission referred the matter to the European Court of Jus‐
tice which on January 27, 2022 issued its findings in the matter and the fol‐ lowing is a brief interpretation of the findings. Whilst in principle the concept of trying to stop tax residents from evading their obligations is acceptable, the Court has found that the legislation goes beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives. In the first place, the Court considers that Spain has failed to fulfil its obliga‐ tions under the free movement of cap‐ ital within the European Union. Then by imposing very high penal‐ ties for failure to declare overseas hold‐ ings, the tax authority may be de‐
manding payment in excess of 100 per cent of the value of the assets held which constitutes a disproportionate interference with the free movement of capital. Finally, the fact that the penalties for those ‘hiding’ overseas assets are stricter than internal evasion also im‐ pinges on free movement of capital. This doesn’t mean at this stage that there can be queues for refunds from those fined but ‘If the Court of Justice finds that there has been a failure to fulfil obligations, the Member State concerned must comply with the Court’s judgement without delay’.
Manage rising costs Do they need executor? with a pre-paid plan LEGALLY SPEAKING
I recently did my Spanish Will. The lawyer draw‐ ing up the Will appointed himself as the executor of the Will, giving him a maximum of five years to execute the Will. Is this clause normal? 1. What would happen if the solicitor pre‐deceased me? 2. Why can’t I appoint my wife and children to be execu‐ tors of the Will? 3. Can I amend the Will by taking it to another notary and attaching a codicil appointing my wife and children as the executors or should I do a new Will? 4. If the solicitor did execute the Will is there a govern‐ ment set fee or can he charge whatever he wants? T K (Costa del Sol) Spanish DAVID SEARL law does not require that a YOU AND THE LAW testament have an IN SPAIN executor. You can‐ not name your wife and children as executors be‐ cause they are inheritors and the law says you can‐ not be named as executor if you are an inheritor. If your executor dies before you do, his appointment dies with him. There is no set official fee for an ex‐ ecutor. His charges should be agreed beforehand. If you are unhappy it seems that your best bet is to get a new lawyer and make a new Will. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
SPAIN ranked 34 out of 180 in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) produced annually by Transparen‐ cy International. The CPI ranks 180 countries around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corrup‐ tion and the results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). While corruption takes vastly differ‐ ent forms from country to country, this year’s scores reveal that all regions of
A S funeral prices contin‐ ue to soar, purchasing a Golden Leaves pre‐paid plan gives you the security and reassurance you and your Tailored to your needs. family need for when the time comes. With a wealth of expertise, Golden Leaves can aid you in finding the right pre‐paid funeral plan. Tailored to your needs, wishes, and budget, they assist you in planning every aspect of your service. Golden Leaves is the only funeral planning busi‐ ness to offer repatriation plans to British expats living overseas as well as foreign expats living in the UK. For expats living abroad, Golden Leaves believe it’s essential to have a pre‐paid funeral plan in place. Strict regulations, bureaucratic red tape, and a potential language barrier can cause your family distress at an already difficult time. For more information, visit their website: www.goldenleavesinternational.com, send an email to info@goldenleavesinternational.com, or call for free on 800 098 309.
Public sector corruption the globe are at a standstill when it comes to fighting public sector corrup‐ tion. At the top of the CPI, countries in Western Europe and the European Union continue to wrestle with trans‐ parency and accountability in their re‐ sponse to Covid‐19, threatening the re‐ gion’s clean image.
The global Covid‐19 pandemic has according to the report been used in many countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and side‐step impor‐ tant checks and balances. Topping the list as being the least corrupt countries and with similar scores are Denmark, Finland and New
Digital pickpockets WHILST the increase in lim‐ its when using contactless debit cards is welcomed by many, there is a potential problem. Investigations by media outlets in both Belgium and Germany have shown that it is possible to obtain a card terminal online for as little as €14.99 and then by simply walking up to peo‐ ple in crowds and placing the terminal near to their pockets or bags it is possi‐ ble to ‘harvest’ their cards. In the long term, this form of digital pickpocket‐ ing would be uncovered as the identity of the scam‐ mer would be known to banks, but in the short term, there is money to be made.
Not making money DE LA RUE, the company that makes money finds itself unable to make as much money as forecast due to the pandemic and supply chain issues. One of the significant costs of producing notes for some 140 countries is the secure shipping of vast amounts of heavy paper which meant that it has set up production centres around the world with main printing taking place in the UK, Malta and Sri Lanka. Due to rising energy prices as well as higher costs of raw materials and microchips for pass‐ ports, it has had to re‐ duce its profit forecast from £45 million to around £40 million. Zealand with Norway and Sweden in the top 10. The UK is 11th but dropping to 34th place is Spain behind such countries as Qatar, Chile and Taiwan. At the bottom of the list are a num‐ ber of countries which have been in‐ volved in armed conflict and revolution such as South Sudan, Yemen and Syria although poverty‐stricken Venezuela clocks in at number 177.
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LONDON - FTSE 100
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on previous page
C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 31
COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.333,00 Abrdn 243,20 Admiral Group 3.160,0 Anglo American 3.251,0 Antofagasta 1.339,00 Ashtead Group 5.244,0 Associated British Foods 1.929,5 AstraZeneca 8.640,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 659,00 Avast 606,40 Aveva 2.876,0 Aviva 433,50 B&M European Value Retail 562,40 BAE Systems 590,80 Bank VTB DRC 1,118 Barclays 195,82 Barratt Developments 609,40 Berkeley 4.170,0 BHP Group 2.361,00 BP 385,67 British American Tobacco 3.145,0 British Land Company 541,20 BT Group 190,35 Bunzl 2.797,0 Burberry Group 1.848,0 Carnival 1.280,0 Centrica 73,02 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.439,0 Compass 1.644,00 CRH 3.709,0 Croda Intl 7.810,0 DCC 6.230,0 Diageo 3.715,0 DS Smith 374,50 EasyJet 612,40 Experian 3.035,0 Ferguson 11.580,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.870,0 Fresnillo 618,60 GlaxoSmithKline 1.654,60 Glencore 389,50 Halma 2.445,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.326,00 Hikma Pharma 2.056,00 HSBC 526,20 IAG 155,18 Imperial Brands 1.743,50 Informa 546,80 InterContinental 4.747,0
CHANGE(P) +23,50 +1,70 -6,0 -67,5 +9,00 +72,0 -29,5 -109,0 +11,60 +0,20 +42,0 +1,30 -2,20 +0,40 +0,026 -0,50 +4,80 +65,0 -15,00 +2,30 +4,5 -5,00 -2,50 +34,0 +20,0 +21,0 +2,16 +28,0 -5,50 +54,0 +134,0 +56,0 +39,5 +2,80 -5,60 +61,0 +145,0 -20,0 -10,20 -3,20 -2,75 +37,0 +10,00 -12,00 +1,50 +1,12 -9,50 +2,20 +39,0
% CHG. +1,77% +0,70% -0,19% -2,03% +0,67% +1,37% -1,51% -1,24% +1,77% +0,03% +1,47% +0,30% -0,39% +0,07% +2,36% -0,25% +0,79% +1,58% -0,63% +0,60% +0,14% -0,92% -1,27% +1,22% +1,08% +1,65% +3,00% +1,16% -0,33% +1,47% +1,72% +0,90% +1,07% +0,75% -0,91% +2,02% +1,26% -0,18% -1,61% -0,19% -0,70% +1,52% +0,76% -0,58% +0,28% +0,73% -0,54% +0,40% +0,82%
NET VOL 100,41K 421,38K 38,37K 631,31K 102,53K 87,83K 127,44K 153,07K 168,09K 74,90K 31,38K 648,26K 263,56K 553,13K 23,26K 3,78M 345,66K 28,78K 762,63K 954,99K 265,79K 42,49K 5,11M 59,41K 72,43K 120,26K 4,84M 44,62K 346,68K 110,94K 22,32K 20,03K 278,49K 162,59K 196,07K 142,04K 39,37K 46,50K 364,31K 597,62K 3,83M 84,16K 96,50K 17,13K 4,33M 2,83M 175,03K 242,04K 115,15K
COMPANY
PRICE(P)
Intermediate Capital Intertek ITV J Sainsbury Johnson Matthey Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Banking London Stock Exchange Meggitt Melrose Industries Mondi National Grid NatWest Group Next Norilskiy Nikel ADR Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentokil Rightmove Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Rosneft DRC Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell B Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Smith & Nephew Smiths Group Spirax-Sarco Engineering SSE St. James’s Place Standard Chartered Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP
1.874,00 5.294,0 111,45 291,80 1.896,0 784,40 283,80 51,19 6.936,0 738,20 150,70 1.840,50 1.091,60 242,60 7.486,0 28,48 1.455,00 2.381,0 661,40 1.226,00 5.972,0 2.235,00 511,00 631,40 5.267,6 113,76 7,35 1.877,6 1.878,2 711,40 1.524,00 13,63 3.318,0 1.047,00 1.285,00 2.883,0 1.242,50 1.545,00 12.900,0 1.570,50 1.482,00 532,00 148,22 295,85 246,00 3.783,5 1.071,00 130,50 2.952,0 1.149,50
CHANGE(P) +20,50 +22,0 +0,35 -6,30 +5,0 -1,40 +2,60 +0,06 +18,0 +5,60 +1,80 +27,50 +4,00 +1,10 -74,0 +0,42 +28,50 +28,0 -0,80 +3,50 -62,0 +21,00 +2,80 +6,40 -116,0 +1,60 +0,14 0,0 0,0 +4,40 +30,50 +0,63 +31,0 +36,50 +12,50 +3,0 +10,50 +9,50 +300,0 +3,50 +20,50 +1,40 +0,45 -6,60 -4,60 +19,5 +0,87 +5,20 -19,0 +8,00
% CHG.
NET VOL
+1,10% +0,41% +0,31% -2,11% +0,26% -0,18% +0,92% +0,12% +0,26% +0,76% +1,20% +1,51% +0,37% +0,45% -0,98% +1,49% +1,98% +1,19% -0,12% +0,28% -1,03% +0,94% +0,55% +1,01% -2,15% +1,42% +1,98% 0,00% 0,00% +0,62% +2,03% +4,77% +0,94% +3,55% +0,98% +0,10% +0,85% +0,62% +2,35% +0,22% +1,39% +0,26% +0,30% -2,17% -1,83% +0,52% +0,08% +4,08% -0,64% +0,70%
44,45K 14,69K 732,66K 518,26K 28,47K 129,22K 966,44K 26,65M 78,25K 52,49K 263,22K 85,07K 342,32K 1,90M 25,98K 101,23K 164,86K 134,25K 231,66K 402,12K 103,92K 252,86K 207,77K 240,43K 37,79K 3,67M 233,18K 0 0 267,87K 1,47K 1,03M 13,43K 789,71K 141,39K 29,38K 119,61K 37,29K 7,95K 155,26K 7,39K 508,18K 314,36K 2,29M 955,77K 505,59K 12,09K 41,29M 92,78K 392,40K
1.20257
0.83115
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1169 Japan yen (JPY)........................................128.93 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0406 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4430 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.010
currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 31
COMPANY 3M American Express Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Dow Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com The Travelers UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walgreens Boots Walmart Walt Disney
PRICE 160,54 169,77 222,25 162,80 183,77 196,80 128,07 53,44 58,94 59,07 333,45 352,84 196,05 131,79 46,30 169,30 142,17 247,16 79,18 294,45 140,61 157,32 210,88 163,42 455,08 51,19 216,10 49,32 133,95 133,56
CHANGE -7,06 +5,16 +5,14 +11,11 +0,82 -11,01 -4,76 +0,99 +1,19 -0,14 +5,98 +10,11 +1,34 +1,98 -0,32 +1,20 +1,30 +7,35 +0,32 +8,42 +1,27 +1,37 +9,39 +1,16 +4,46 +1,71 +21,85 +0,46 +1,68 +3,21
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) -4,15% 6,20M +3,00% 4,24M +2,29% 2,44M +6,98% 174,88M +0,43% 10,81M -5,19% 10,51M -3,52% 24,57M +1,81% 30,84M +2,00% 18,93M -0,23% 6,91M +1,75% 3,63M +2,84% 4,49M +0,67% 3,35M +1,49% 5,41M -0,67% 61,21M +0,70% 9,71M +0,89% 14,03M +2,95% 3,83M +0,40% 13,76M +2,81% 49,42M +0,88% 6,09M +0,86% 9,36M +4,41% 8,18M +0,70% 1,23M +0,97% 3,35M +3,34% 28,66M +10,60% 26,31M +0,92% 5,42M +1,24% 7,95M +2,37% 9,81M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 31
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+175.63% +87.93% +33.33% +24.13% +23.67% +23.50% +22.35% +21.69% +21.54% +21.02% +19.79%
28.91M 105.19M 25.44M 353.40K 3.93M 4.78M 12.08M 32.19K 66.34K 1.47M 698.08K
-31.37% -22.58% -21.16% -20.45% -19.05% -15.83% -15.77% -15.50% -14.96% -14.55% -13.28%
1.90M 20.26K 1.76M 3.14M 8.09M 81.68K 384.25K 6.42K 27.20K 19.09M 82.11K
Most Advanced Knightscope Imperial Petroleum Yoshitsu ADR Mawson Infrastructure Group Dave Inc Vaccinex Provention Bio Regencell Bioscience Holdings Rallybio Applied Genetic Clearfield
Most Declined Williams Industrial ECP Environmental Growth Opportunities Volcon InVivo Therapeutics DouYu MDJM Xos Warrants Qurate Retail B Pennsylvania REIT Pref C Qurate Retail A Fusion Fuel Green
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Currency outlook: Pound bolstered by Covid optimism, Euro undermined by ECB’s dovish bias
EUROZONE: Economic activity is likely to have weakened in the last quarter of 2021.
ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday
Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com
Euro EUR/GBP: Down from £0.85 to £0.83 EUR/USD: Unchanged at $1.13 The euro trended broadly lower over the past four weeks, mostly as a result of the per‐ ceived policy divergence between the Euro‐ pean Central Bank (ECB) and other major cen‐ tral banks, with the ECB’s dovish bias undermining the single currency. Whilst its peers look ready to embark on a new tightening cycle, the ECB remains com‐ mitted to maintaining its ultra‐loose policy as it continues to dismiss inflationary pressures in the Eurozone as ‘transitory’. Recent Eurozone data releases have also acted as a headwind for the single currency in recent weeks as they indicate economic activi‐ ty is likely to have weakened in the last quarter of 2021. Meanwhile the euro has also been pres‐ sured by Europe’s ongoing Covid woes, with many countries within the Eurozone reporting record increases in daily cases, raising addition‐ al concerns over the bloc’s economic recovery. Looking ahead, the contrast in monetary policy between the ECB and other major cen‐ tral banks may become an increasing liability for the euro over the coming month, while the threat of a potential conflict in neighbouring Ukraine may also supress EUR sentiment. Pound GBP/EUR: Up from €1.17 to €1.19 GBP/USD: Up from $1.32 to $1.35 The pound enjoyed a strong start to 2022, with the currency carrying over the positive momentum it saw at the end of 2021 A key factor underpinning Sterling senti‐ ment over the past month was the UK gov‐ ernment’s decision not to impose stricter Covid restrictions in England and to instead ‘ride out’ Omicron. Further buoying GBP exchange rates were considerable bets the Bank of England (BoE) will hike interest rates again at its first policy
meeting of 2022. However the pound’s ascent hasn’t been completely frictionless, with the currency be‐ ing shaken by political jitters in recent weeks as Boris Johnson faces a potential leadership challenge after the Prime Minister admitted he attended a ‘bring your own booze’ party in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown in May 2020. It seems safe to assume that the BoE’s February policy meeting will be the primary fo‐ cus for GBP investors in the coming month. With a February interest rate hike already largely priced in by markets the focus will in‐ stead be on the bank’s forward guidance. If the BoE signals plans for the current tight‐ ening cycle to accelerate then the pound is likely to maintain its positive trajectory. US Dollar USD/GBP: Down from £0.75 to £0.73 USD/EUR: Up from €0.87 to €0.88 The US dollar stumbled over the finish line in 2021, with easing fears over the Omicron Covid variant resulting in demand for the safe‐ haven currency waning. However the US dollar didn’t stay on the defensive for long, with the currency catching fresh bids in January amidst growing specula‐ tion the Federal Reserve could begin hiking in‐ terest rates earlier than previously thought. Bets the Fed could start raising rates from March ‐ once it finishes tapering its stimulus programme ‐ helped to drive US Treasury yields higher, which also helped to underpin USD exchange rates in recent weeks. Elsewhere, elevated geopolitical uncertainty also lent strength to the ‘greenback’, with ten‐ sions between the West and Russia and China spooking investors. Acting as a headwind for the US dollar how‐ ever has been the continued disappointment in US employment data, with the US economy adding fewer than half the number of jobs ex‐ pected in December. The Fed’s first policy meeting of the year could act as a key catalyst for the US dollar going forward. Analysts are currently predicting the Fed will deliver up to four rate hikes in 2022 and any signals from the bank confirming this are likely to bolster USD exchange rates.
Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.
3 - 9 February 2022
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16 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
FEATURE
Vaccinations in Spain:
THE question ‘to jab or not to get jabbed’ seems to be on everyone’s lips, with the vaccine continuing programme, while others are adamant in opting not to get the jab due to concerns about its effecti and where do you stand? Here the Euro Weekly News is delving into both sides of the argument to
After a slow start, vaccination rates in Spain have shot up. According to Statista, as of January 20, 2022, over 88 million vaccine doses have been administered in Spain.
The stats Andalucia has the highest rate of dosage, with around 16 million doses administered and the autonomous city of Melilla is the re‐ gion with the lowest vaccination uptake. While other European countries have had to resort to mandated vaccines, Spain has avoid‐ ed this thanks to its high vaccination rates, and more than 71 per cent of Spain’s population is fully vaccinated, making it one of the highest vaccinated countries in Europe. Spain’s health minister, Carolina Darias re‐ cently said: “Compared to the other four most populated countries in the EU, Spain holds the first place in all the indicators, also placing us in the first position of G20 countries both in first‐ doses injections and in full vaccination.”
The law
‘National pride’ So, why has the vaccination programme in Spain been so successful? According to Dr Vi‐ cente Soriano, professor of infectious diseases director of the UNIR Medical Centre in Madrid, it’s a matter of national pride. For Soriano, the vaccination programme for nursing homes and vulnerable people was the big turning point. More than 95 per cent of the elderly have been vaccinated which, according to Soriano, made a huge impact: “we didn’t have any more admissions from nursing home residents.” Another reason behind Spain’s vaccination success is “solidarity values,” said Josep Lobera, a sociology professor at the Autonomous Uni‐ versity of Madrid. And he might be on to some‐ thing. With such a high number of Spaniards in their late 20s still living at home with their par‐ ents, young people have shown great willing‐ ness to get the vaccine and protect older family members. In June 2021, the Imperial College London shared results from a study that showed 79 per cent of Spanish people trust the vaccine. When
COVID VACCINE: More than 71 per cent of Spain’s population is fully vaccinated.
we consider Spain’s history (Spain notoriously delayed Polio vaccination by close to a decade, resulting in a large number of deaths and grave disabilities), this makes a lot of sense.
The science So let’s look at the science. The Covid‐19 vaccine was created in record time. This mon‐ umentally quick turnaround raised a few con‐ cerns, however, scientists and doctors around the world assure us that the vaccine is perfect‐ ly safe. The WHO commented: “Like all vaccines, Covid‐19 vaccines go through a rigorous, multi‐
stage testing process, including large clinical tri‐ als that involve tens of thousands of people. These trials are specifically designed to identify any safety concerns.” Several Covid‐19 vaccinations were devel‐ oped using mRNA technology. This technology has been studied in labs for over a decade and has been used to develop other vaccines such as the flu and rabies vaccine. Again, the WHO issues that they are per‐ fectly safe: “These mRNA vaccines have been rigorously assessed for safety, and clinical tri‐ als have shown that they provide a long‐last‐ ing immune response. mRNA vaccines are not live virus vaccines and do not interfere with human DNA.”
There is currently no statutory obligation to get a Covid‐19 vaccine in Spain, however, new rules for visitors will come into effect from February 1, 2022. According to Spain’s official tourism website, as of 1 February 2022, “all travellers to Spain must have a vaccination certificate and the cer‐ tificate must have been issued by the compe‐ tent authorities of the country of origin at least 14 days after the date of administration of the last dose of the full course of vaccination, as long as the final dose of that course of vaccina‐ tion was no more than 270 days ago. From that time, the certificate must show the administra‐ tion of a booster vaccination.” For those over the age of six, face coverings remain obligatory on public transport and oth‐ er indoor and outdoor public areas. Social dis‐ tancing of 1.5 metres also continues. Rules vary slightly from autonomous region to au‐ tonomous region. Children between the ages of three and five are also encouraged to wear masks, although this remains a recommendation. Those who aren’t able to wear a mask due to health issues are also exempt. As the situation continues to evolve, Spain has recently taken the decision to reduce the isolation period for positive cases from 10 days to seven days, provided the person isolating doesn’t have any symptoms on day seven. Spain is the first country in Europe to reduce the isolation period. In response to this decision, President Pedro Sanchez stated: “We need to find a balance be‐ tween public health, mental health and the economy.”
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
EWN 17
The great debate
g to divide the population. Some are vocally championing the vaccine and the success of the vaccine iveness and the consequences of mandatory vaccines. But what are the arguments on both sides, see how Spanish locals feel about the vaccine. On the other hand, according to research almost one out of every 10 Spaniards are refusing to get the third vaccine, with the recommendations changing constantly causing a drop in confidence around how effective the vaccine really is. This is, however, still a small minority, with latest research by the Spanish Centre of Sociological Research (CIS) showing that around 84.5 per cent of those who have received at least one dose are willing to get the third jab. Still, 9 per cent are unwilling and 4 per cent are unsure.
Mistrust There are many factors behind the uncertainty ‐ fear, scepticism, doubts about its protection, or simply confu‐ sion due to contradictory messages from the health authorities. Isabel Jimeno, from the Spanish Soci‐ ety of General and Family Doctors (SEMG) stated: “To all those having doubts, I tell them to trust science,” with the third dose proven to provide significant protection. Included in those not wanting to get the vaccine are people who are con‐ cerned about the side‐effects and be‐ coming unwell after the jab. Hopkins Medicine has addressed this worry, however, with its website stating: “The vaccines do not contain live coron‐ avirus, and you cannot and will not get Covid‐19 from getting vaccinated. “After the shots, you might experience a sore arm, a mild fever or body aches, but this doesn’t mean you have Covid‐ 19. These symptoms, if they happen at all, are temporary, usually lasting only a day or two. They signal a natural re‐ sponse as your body’s immune system learns to recognise and fight the coron‐ avirus.” Getting the vaccine will not make you seriously unwell, getting Covid‐19, how‐ ever, can.
Effectiveness Some have questioned how the vac‐ cine is effective if we still have the need for booster doses, and how many booster doses will be required
normalised and often shared amongst like‐ minded people ‐ fuelling their beliefs. Medical News Today writes that “an‐ ti‐vaxxers are people who believe that vaccines are unsafe and infringe on their human rights. They typically deny the existence or validity of the science supporting their use in the general population.” The violation of human rights has been called into question in many European countries enforcing mandatory vaccination, with Germany, Denmark and Austria enforcing the mandate.
The debate
MISTRUST: Some have questioned how the vaccine is effective if we still need boosters.
to top‐up the vaccine’s effectiveness. Health officials have stated that Covid will eventually be treated like the flu, with those most vulnerable needing a jab each year. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) states that if we “want to move towards a scenario of endemicity, then such boosters should be synchronised with the arrival of the cold season.”
Vaccine hesitancy Differing from those people who call themselves vaccine‐hesitant, ‘anti‐
vaxxers’ usually use aggressive meth‐ ods to push others not to get certain jabs that are designed to help prevent disease. It is interesting to note that new research has found that two‐ thirds of the propaganda posted on‐ line and on social media about the vaccine is created by just 12 so‐called influencers. Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the CCDH, told Sky News that social media giants “bear none of the cost for the content” they host, and that the people spreading this content are skilled in marketing and social media, meaning that these views are more
The pandemic has not only had a huge effect on the public, but many businesses have been forced to close due to the enforcement of the Covid passport in the hospitality sector. With regards to Spain, areas that rely heavily on tourism such as the Costa del Sol and Benidorm have been hit hard, even so, Andalucia decided to ex‐ tend its use just a few days ago be‐ cause of high infection rates. Many businesses are losing millions and have called into question whether the mandatory passport should be dropped in a bid to recover the economy. There are still unknowns with re‐ gards to mutations and variants of the virus and the real long‐term effects of receiving the vaccine, however, with the world taken over by this pandemic, has Covid now taught us a lesson on preparedness?
18 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
3 - 9 February 2022
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT ONE of the dilemmas in these days of our glorious woke society is how we are able to describe ourselves without actually offending someone! I can’t declare I’m a male in case it distresses the Trans‐genders. I can’t state I’m able bodied for fear of upsetting those not so fortunate. I can’t say I’m elderly, as I could be accused of insulting other elderly people! And I most certainly can’t proclaim I’m white, as I would undoubtedly be labelled a racist! ‘Neopronouns’ don’t help. The idea of referring to myself as an ‘it’ ’fayer’ ‘ey’ or ‘them’ is so ridiculous I’m convinced that colleagues would probably consider bundling me off to the nearest institution ‐ assuming they knew who I was of course! Did you ever hear such a load of old cobblers in your life? People, or probably ‘persons,’ actually sit around discussing these matters, and are no doubt being paid handsomely for it. Why can’t I find a job like that? Is anyone who reads this column employed in these areas? Probably not. Just for once, wouldn’t it be nice to
Sweet irony
witness some of these shadowy wokers publicly interrogated, even if it were merely to explain to us how they reach some of their asinine directives. Unfortunately that will never happen, purely because any open discussion of that ilk would undoubtedly lead to accusations of racism or some bigotry or another. At a recent function I sat opposite a lady from the UK who was visiting Mallorca. She reads the EWN online and told me that people in Britain have actually become afraid to openly discuss problems that are considered non‐PC. She also revealed that a number of her normally moderate friends were not at all happy with the situation. It appears the media’s almost fanatical endeavours to hoodwink and gaslight the British public is not actually working at all ‐ it is in fact having the reverse effect. By insulting the intelligence of the majority and suppressing the airing of their views and opinions under the Damocles sword of possible legal action or accusations of bigotry, they are creating a culture of
simmering frustration which is actually obstructing diversity. This extremely eloquent and well educated lady praised the efforts of the EWN in its promotion of the freedom of speech and wished they were ‘allowed to do the same’! How sad ‐ and how alarming is that? I don’t of course know at the time of writing the outcome of the Downing Street ‘party’ affair. However, I couldn’t help a chuckle on hearing that the Police Investigation the lefties were initially salivating over, could in fact actually prevent the publishing of the Sue Gray report Labour and its media cronies have been harping on about for weeks. Oh the sweet irony of it all! Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@hotmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Friday. 1pm till 4 To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
CONSULAR MATTERS REGULAR readers will know that I have a rescue galgo and podenco so this particular post is close to my heart. We have had some good news re‐ garding how pets are treated according to the law here in Spain. Now the law has recognised what we knew all along that pets have feelings which is a step forward so they cannot be mistreated or abandoned. Al‐ so, pets are part of the family in case of a divorce, so the de‐ cision of the Court has to take into account the custody of the pet and consider what is best for them. You can also leave instructions in your will as to what happens to your pet after you pass away. Also, if you find a lost pet you are legally obliged to look after it for their owner, with the only exception being if you have evidence of the pet
FEATURE
TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp
On now: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window A BEREAVED mother watch‐ es the world go by with a glass of wine (or a few bot‐ tles) from her living room window ‐ until she witnesses a brutal murder... or did she? Do not be fooled into thinking this is your classic mystery series, this is a satiri‐ cal and dark take on mystery dramas such as The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and Hitchcock’s Rear Window ‐ I mean, just look at that huge title. Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) plays a heartbroken bereaved mother, Anna. When new neighbour and widow Neil moves in across the street with his daughter Emma, An‐ na quickly becomes ob‐ sessed and offers to make them a casserole for dinner. After finding out Neil has a girlfriend, Anna becomes ab‐ sorbed in washing down sleeping pills with red wine
while watching the seeming‐ ly happy family from her window ‐ until she witnesses the murder of Neil’s girl‐ friend, Lisa... or did she? Anna’s imagination goes into overdrive ‐ queue break‐ins, stalking, police vis‐ its and a ventriloquist dum‐ my. This short series has the typical mystery formula. There are twists and turns in every episode to keep you guessing before it all comes together at the end. The series was well done and cleverly poked fun at the genre ‐ something that isn’t done often. It is worth a binge‐watch one evening and for the dark humour amongst sometime ridicu‐ lous scenes. The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window began streaming on Netflix on Fri‐ day January 28.
Pets and the law in 2022
PET TREATMENT: A step forward so they cannot be mistreated.
being mistreated. As I have said at the start of the article I am particularly concerned as to what happens
regarding hunting dogs. We will have to wait until February 2, 2022 for the government’s decision regarding these dogs
(not known at the time of go‐ ing to press). Further in 2022 a new law is planned which will state that pets in Spain will have to have an identity document to stop them being abandoned. Span‐ ish pets will have an Animal DNI for 2022. This animal iden‐ tity document will be compati‐ ble with the microchip, there will be basic information such as the name of the pet, the date of birth, the vaccines it has and all the owner’s infor‐ mation. In this way, the owner of the animal can be easily lo‐ cated in case of abandonment. The bill also includes other measures in favour of animal rights. It is envisaged that peo‐ ple who want to have a dog as a companion animal must take a training course which will al‐ low them to have an animal in their care. In addition, there is a network of domestic vio‐ lence shelters that will wel‐
come the animals of female victims of domestic violence so that abused women can main‐ tain their bond with their pet. At the time of writing I don’t know the cost of the training course for people living in Spain who wish to adopt an animal. I also do not know if the course will be done in English like say the driving theory test. I will of course publish this information once I find out. The maximum number of an‐ imals in a house will be five, al‐ though it will not be a retroac‐ tive measure. Therefore, when this rule comes into force, peo‐ ple who have more than five animals will be able to contin‐ ue with them, although they will not be able to acquire more. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Marisa Moreno Castillo Consul for Denmark and Senior Lawyer at Just Law Solicitors . www.justlawsolicitors.com • contact@justlawsolicitors.com
THURSDAY 03/02
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FEATURE
HOW TO STOP THINKING - THE NEW SCIENCE OF A LOST ART TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA
#TheWomanBeyond I’M all for rediscovering the ancient tools that can help us to be our optimal best. This one is brilliantly simple. How do we master the lost art of how to stop thinking? Patrick McKeown is one of the world’s leading experts on optimal breathing, in his book The Oxygen Advan‐ tage, he presents a simple yet revolutionary approach to improving your body’s oxygen use, increasing your health, weight loss, and sports performance ‐ whether you’re a re‐ covering couch potato or an Ironman triathlon champion. Patrick makes a remarkably interesting point, he says that we spend all our time in school learning how to think but that we’re never taught how to STOP thinking. Fact is, most of our ‘thinking’ isn’t thinking at all. We’re simply looping the same unpro‐ ductive thought over and over again.
Get this: According to a study done at USC, the average person has 70,000 thoughts per day. And, according to some experts, most of our thoughts are useless, 70 per cent are negative and 80‐90 per cent of them are the same thoughts we had yester‐ day, and the day before and the day before and before... You get it, that’s crazy. (Literally.) I get it, if I allow myself, my mind is full of useless nega‐ tive, ‘I’m not good enough’ chatter and filled with ruminations of how things are going to spiral out of control. This is really enervating. We waste a tonne of energy spinning our mental wheels ‐ creating more stress and anxiety and fa‐ tigue while diminishing our performance and well‐being. (Not a winning combina‐ tion.) So, learning how to STOP thinking is an es‐ pecially important skill. Patrick’s #1 tip on how to master the art of not thinking. Breathe. Simple eh!! But believe me it is SOOO powerful. Specifically, breathe through your nose. Deeply (but lightly!) into your diaphragm.
(One of Patrick’s Big Ideas I’ll share more in another column, is the fact that we all breathe way too much ‐ which, paradoxical‐ ly, decreases the amount of oxygen released into our cells.) For now: Breathe through your nose. Deeply. Yet lightly. And ahhhhh… Our mind has slowed down. All that wast‐ ed energy is recouped. Bonus tips!! Here’s two other ways to stop that mental chatter: #2 Put your attention on your body. And a final tip, #3 Take time to be present, immerse yourself in the present moment. Let’s think productively when we need to do so, and then get really good at turning the brain off. Give it a try, I promise you will reap the benefits. Let me know how you get on. Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment. Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #TheWoman‐ Beyond. Ignite Your Passion, Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Greatness!
A wonderful way to stay present is to practise some self‐care, put you at the top of your priority list!!! I’ve made this super easy for you with my 10 Day Self‐Care Challenge FREE E‐ Book, so why not join me and my team and loads of our clients for our 10 Day Self‐Care Challenge. I challenge you to try a new self‐ care activity for 10 days straight. I’ll provide you with easy self‐care strategies to try from day one through 10, all suitable for a busy lifestyle ‐ like yours. For more info and to receive your FREE copy straight to your in‐box, head on over to: https://quantumvantage.co.uk/ 10dayselfcarechallenge Don’t hold back another moment. You could be just one step away…
To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Please do get in touch if you have any questions. Follow me, chat and share your thoughts and network with other fabulous women in my Visionary Women Facebook Group.
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CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD “WE must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” This quote by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel plays in my head on a regular basis as I navigate the world as it stands. We cannot sit in silence as people spout racist rhetoric and harmful generalisations about minority groups as all of these words add up to something much more harmful in the long run. People tend to tap out of difficult conversations because it “isn’t them saying it” as if this is a full absolution of doing any harm. It isn’t. If a person stands by and does nothing while someone else is causing damage, they are complicit in that action. Platforming hate runs along those same lines. While free speech should absolutely be defended as an inalienable right, that doesn’t mean you have to give room to people’s prejudice on a mass scale. Making space for unfounded and unresearched bias to be replicated and reinforced across a large area
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Silence with no kind of rebuttal is endorsing those ideas, whether the people doing it think so or not. When corporations do this under the guise of balance, it legitimises and endorses dangerous ideas to their audience. It is one thing to look at issues from both sides and make sure there is a balanced view, it is quite another to let people unleash baseless and unsubstantiated bile with an aim to stir up division. There should be an onus on both sides of the fence to have to back up their words with facts. Usually, it is on the person challenging the right-wing status quo to ensure they have perfect knowledge of an issue, inside and out, with examples and statistics galore. The person upholding the broken system is allowed to blunder and blether through rants with no substance, sometimes not even any truth at all, with impunity. Social media is a big problem when it comes to this kind of hands-off approach to hate speech. After the Christchurch shootings, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ar-
den said: “We cannot simply sit back and accept that these platforms just exist and that what is said on them is not the responsibility of the place where they are published. They are the publisher. Not just the postman. There cannot be a case of all profit, no responsibility.” Their silence on the issue is complicity. People’s silence down the pub when someone tells a racist joke is complicity. Silence and removing yourself from a situation in which someone is causing harm to another is complicity. If you are not challenging it, you are ratifying it. It is time for people to start standing up and being vocal, as the idea that not getting involved is the same as doing no harm is dangerous. It also allows others to silently support the overtly hateful people and keep them going under the veil of fairness when it is anything but. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Claire Gordon’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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FEATURE
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EWN 27
LEGAL OR LUDICROUS? LAWS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE BREAKING the streets of London. But a pregnant woman is legally entitled to relieve herself anywhere she wants! Finally, it’s illegal not to tell the tax man anything you don’t want him to know, but it’s perfectly legal not to give him information you don’t mind him knowing (umm, yeah. I think I’ve got that). Legal or ludicrous? Makes you won‐ der why all these daft obsolete laws haven’t been repealed. But then, the UK Government’s far too busy dealing with all the endless ‘partygate’ shenanigans.
NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson
DID you know Prince Charles couldn’t be charged for setting off a nuclear bomb? Well, according to a recent study, he’s exempt from sanction over a range of laws ‐ and also has special rights over certain ‘crown roads’. Problem is, nobody knows where those roads are! It’s all down, apparently, to the ar‐ cane constitutional position of the Duchy of Cornwall. This 700‐year‐old landowning estate, which provides the heir to the throne with an income, can’t be made criminally liable for con‐ traventions of certain laws which in‐ clude the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Nuclear Explosions (Prohibition & Inspections) Act 1998. Well, this started me thinking about ancient UK laws that have never been repealed (even though statutes may have rendered some obsolete). Among Nora Johnson’s opinions
OBSOLETE LAWS: Why have they not been repealed?
Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora‐john son.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paper‐ back and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.
the weirdest are the ones banning you low profile MPs broke this particular from eating mince pies on Christmas law. It’s illegal too to enter the Houses Day. Guilty as charged, m’lud! But if of Parliament wearing a suit of armour you lock me up, you’d have to imprison (and if you then sit down and die, at least half the UK population too... you’ve REALLY blown it.) Did you also know it’s illegal to die Other bizarre laws still in existence To read more articles from our columnists while in the Houses of Parliament? include a ban on firing a cannon close and to have your say in the comments go Which prompts the question: ‘How to a house, the use of any slide upon to www.euroweeklynews.com would they tell?’ if certain excessively ice or snow, or driving cattle through are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.
THE JOURNEY OF MY LOST PURSE IN MORAIRA There are really great people in this world and on this occasion it’s someone in the Moraira area. Almost three months ago I mislaid my small black purse, it only had €20 in it. However, I was still very upset I had lost it because it had my driving licence, my EHIC card, my NI details and my personal medical card that I have to carry with me after a recent illness. The address on the card was my address in Scotland. I am presently in Scotland and today I received a parcel from Spain, sadly no name or contact number. It was my little black purse and everything inside was intact. Just amazing and so much appreciated. I will be back in Moraira mid February and want to thank the person who very kindly took the time to send my purse and all it’s contents to me here in Scotland. It was a lovely surprise and I am so grateful. Thank you so much. Margaret
Brexit conundrum I get a pension from my work in UK Local Government, which is taxed at source. I declare this to Hacienda, who tell me that the tax should be reclaimed from UK and paid to them. HM Revenue & Customs inform me that with the current Double Ta-
From our Facebook
THANK YOU: What a lovely surprise and so much appreciated.
xation Treaty, this is not the case, and no refund will be made by them. I wonder if any of your other readers have encountered this problem, and come to a satisfactory conclusion, or am I just another Brexit case! Hugh
Parking problems? I fail to agree with the comments re ‘parking improvements in Torre
del Mar. How can the ‘new’ parking area between Calles Cipriano Maldonado and Acequia ‘ease’ the congestion and parking problems which are never-ending in the town when the very convenient Plaza Axarquia has been ‘demolished’ and is, apparently, to become a ‘pleasure park’? I assume those who make these decisions have personal ‘parking space’ elsewhere. Yours sincerely, Mrs P H
BORIS JOHNSON: Is he trying to save his job?
John Sidman No. Brilliant PM, envied by Europe, who are now trying so pitifully to oust him over a party and piece of cake. No wonder we came out of Europe and now let them fester.
Brenda Jones Of course the greased piglet is trying to save his job... The Guardian call him that and what a wonderful name. He slips out of any mess and most voters still think he’s doing a great job. They just refuse to see that he and his cronies are just sticking fingers up at all the gullibles. The rich are getting richer as usual.
Murray Wasik
70 YEARS OF SERVICE IT will be just a few days following the publication of this edition of Euro Weekly News that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of her Accession to the Throne of the United Kingdom. She automatically became Britain’s Monarch the moment her father King George VI died in the early morning of February 6, 1952 and she has reigned for 70 years through good times and bad. Not only is she the world’s longest reigning monarch, she is the fifth of all time and there is ever y chance that she will beat King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and Johann II of Liechtenstein, both of whom also reigned for 70 years. It would however be a miracle if she managed to beat the record of King Sobhuza II who acceded to the throne of Swaziland (now renamed Eswatini) aged just four months and remained in place for an
CORRECTIONS
OUR VIEW
astounding 82 years. So much has changed since Princess Elizabeth was born in 1926 and the now 95-year-old must look back in wonder at what has happened during her time. Who would have thought that three out of her four children would be estranged from their first spouses when George VI only became king when his brother Edward decided to marry a divorced woman? Morals and expectations have changed so much over the years that she must be amazed at the fact that even her own Prime Minister is accused of ignoring her government’s own rules whilst she had to attend Prince Philip’s funeral more or less alone. Hopefully the celebrations expected around the UK will help to cheer her up even as she waits to see if her second son, Andrew, is branded a paedophile in court.
Of course he welcomes the Met and probably suggested the enquiry, knowing that any criminal investigative information will be withheld from the public.
Alison Steele Absolutely he is.
Paul Skirrow Well done Boris more important things than a couple of wines.
Murray Wasik Johnson... the compulsive stranger to the truth will use every tool in his darker side of politic’s box to keep his job as PM.
David Walsh It’s delayed because Boris hasn’t finished writing it yet.
At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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ROAD TEST by Mark Slack IF you have a limited bud‐ get yet want an ‘interest‐ ing’ car, what do you choose? There are many excellent superminis on the market, but arguably many are transport rather than something to raise a smile. Well, Hyundai may have the an‐ swer with the i20N. The N range is Hyundai’s sporting line up and as my previous test of the i30 N proved they are incredibly quick, well handling cars, yet retain the practicality needed for workaday us‐ age. Hyundai’s i20 prices start from €19,706/ £16,500 but the N, it’s a single model, with its 204PS, 1.6‐litre tur‐ bocharged petrol engine costs €30,120/£25,220. This pocket rocket will reach 62 mph in 6.2 sec‐ onds and is mated to a
3 - 9 February 2022
Hyundai i20N a ‘pocket rocket’ setting the benchmark
A most enjoyable and memorable car.
Facts at a Glance Model: Hyundai i20N Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol Gears: 6-Speed manual Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 6.2 seconds/Maximum Speed 230 kph (143 mph) Economy: 7.0l/100km (40.4 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP) Emissions: 158 g/km (WLTP) Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.
six‐speed manual gearbox. No automatic option here. There’s real sporting pedigree to Hyundai’s N range and the i20 makes for a highly entertaining drive. It’s a properly grown‐up perfor‐ mance hatchback. Launch control enables you to set up for the quickest standing start
possible, it’s fun but in re‐ ality not really of practical use on the road. Enter some track days, which you could with the i20N, and it po‐ tentially becomes a much more use‐ able feature. A more on‐road per‐ formance feature is Rev Matching, which is effectively double de‐clutching, that makes smoother, more sporting gear changes. There’s a limited slip differential to aid quicker cornering, slightly lower ride height and an excel‐ lent power to weight ra‐ tio. However, even in ‘econ’ drive mode the ride is pretty firm, but you know what you’re buying into with this kind of car.
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This is not only one of the most entertaining cars for the money, but one of the quickest cross country hatches money can buy. Yet unlike many cars of this ilk it’s perfectly com‐ fortable on the motorway and longer journeys. It feels very grown up inside and doesn’t show any sign of budget cuts to fund its performance. There are some hard and scratchy plastics but it’s a much nicer interior than Ford’s Fiesta ST. Standard equipment on the i20N includes keyless entry and go, heated front seats, high beam assist, auto dipping rear view mirror, heated steering wheel, powered and heat‐ ed door mirrors, air condi‐ tioning, the list is lengthy and comprehensive. I am fortunate to drive many different cars but this little Hyundai is with‐ out doubt one of the most enjoyable and mem‐ orable. In terms of equip‐ ment, performance and fun for your money it’s pretty much unbeatable.
SPORT
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New Watford manager W AT F O R D Football Club an‐ nounced on Tuesday January 25 that 74‐year‐old Roy Hodgson has been appointed as their new man‐ ager. He replaced Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked after only 112 days in charge at Vicarage Road. Italian coach Ranieri had been on a two‐year deal with the Hornets, but a 3‐0 home defeat last week‐ end by Norwich City brought his tenure to a premature end. “Watford FC is delighted to con‐
firm the appointment of Roy Hodg‐ son as the club’s manager. The ex‐ England national team boss is joined by his trusted assistant Ray Lewington, who managed the Hor‐ nets so admirably from 2002 until 2005,” said an official statement from the club. They added, “Hodgson and Lew‐ ington begin preparations immedi‐ ately for Watford’s next Premier League fixture; away to Burnley on HODGSON: Lots of experience. Saturday, February 5. Welcome to Watford, Roy. And wel‐ come back, Ray!” Hodgson has stacks of Premier League experi‐ them to the divisional round game. After ence having previously being drafted to the NFL in 2000, Brady bossed Liverpool, West played for New England Patriots for 20 sea‐ Brom, Fulham, Blackburn, sons. In this period, he amassed six Super and more recently Crystal Bowl wins, and set many all‐time records. Palace. He holds the record of 624 touchdown pass‐ In 2001, he managed es and 84,250 passing yards. Italian club Udinese, He has recorded 243 regular‐season wins, owned by Watford owner played in 316 games, and has never had a Giampaolo Pozzo’s father. losing season. Brady is also the only NFL The Hertfordshire club player to win a Super Bowl in three different have appointed seven decades. managers since 2017.
Tom Brady to retire from NFL ACCORDING to reports, the legendary NFL quarterback, Tom Brady, is set to retire from the game after a career spanning 22 years. Widely considered one of the greatest quar‐ terbacks of all time, Brady is now 44 years of age, and in 2021 led his new team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to victory in the Super Bowl. It marked his seventh Super Bowl win, something no other player in NFL history has achieved. On January 23, the Bucs lost to the Los Angeles Rams, after he had taken
Updated rules AT the start of each F1 season, rules are updated. Yet, 2022 is different, as the rule book has been completely re‐ vamped. Mercedes Technical Director James Allison said that he believes some teams will have “painful seasons” as they struggle to adapt to overhauled regulations. Rules are changed each year to make the sport more competitive and exciting, but also safer. This year, there are major changes to the car’s mechanics and aerodynam‐ ics that will force some teams to completely redesign their vehicles. The scale of the changes is what Allison fears may have wrong‐stepped some teams, who may have got their preparations for the new season “badly wrong.” He said: “The rule set is not only enormous, the regula‐ tions are about twice the size of what’s preceded them, but they’re all almost entirely different from what came before them. That has meant we’ve had to redesign the car from tip to toe.” The German team added an eighth consecutive Constructors’ Championship in 2021, a period of unprecedented success since the last major changes to car design in 2014.
F1 RULES: Have been given a complete overhaul.