THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 34 - 37 Issue No. 1911 17 - 23 February 2022
CHARITY SAT Animal Rescue is seeking animal fans to provide forever homes to vulnerable dogs at its Charity Dog Walk on Sunday, February 20. With all proceeds going to the charity, the walk will start at El Rancho, Avda. La Marquesa km2 CV‐943, Los Montesinos, and take place from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Entry costs €5.
HITTING THE MARK
Photo credit: Marion Smith
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Turn to page 2 » FUN EVENING: Quiz master Christine at the dartboard and Sue Wilson.
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‘Different’ quiz raised funds HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE COSTA BLANCA hosted their long‐awaited ‘Quiz with a dif‐ ference’ at Imanyo’s Bar in Daya Nueva last week. The quiz, originally planned for last year, had to be cancelled twice owing to the pandemic, explained Marion Smith, presi‐ dent of the registered charity that supports Costa Blanca residents not only with Hunt‐ ington’s disease, but also Ataxia, Motor Neuron Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s. With its effective fundraising pro‐ gramme, the association also helps to pro‐ vide respite care for sole carers. “The ‘Question of Arrows’ quiz was de‐ vised by Martin and. Christine Watkins while living on Ascension Island, 40 years
ago,” Marion said. “It certainly is a quiz with a twist.” In each round every team must select a darts player who then has to hit either the treble, double or single of two nominated numbers. The treble gives three points and the double earns two, with the single scor‐ ing one possible point. “That’s assuming they get the question right,” Marion said. “If not, it passes to the next team for a bonus point.” The evening, which raised €195 for the association, was full of laughter and in‐ trigue, as for some players it was the first time they had thrown a dart while others admitted that they were a little rusty. The Mutz Nutz team were the victors, winning by three points.
Chain reaction A MOTORIST wrote off one car and damaged others while driving the wrong way along Torrevieja’s Calle Apolo on Sunday February 13. He first crashed into a parked car, setting off the
chain reaction which in‐ volved several others at around 8am, presumably after leaving the Poligono nightlife area. The driver, who was ac‐ companied by two other people, immediately sped
off but was later intercept‐ ed by the Guardia Civil and Local Police in the La Punta area near the scene of the accident. All were aged be‐ tween 19 and 21 and the driver was found not to be the owner of the vehicle.
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NIBS EXTRA Coffee break ELCHE’S High Court con‐ firmed the €90 fine for a lawyer who spoke sharply to a Clerk of the Court. A Torrevieja judge originally fined him for reproaching the official for a delay relat‐ ing to one of his cases, main‐ taining that she should “work more and have fewer coffees.”
Green clash TORREVIEJA’S Los Verdes (Green) party maintained that despite a council vote on December 30 last year approving plans for two 82‐ metre apartment blocks ad‐ joining the Doña Sinforosa park, the development is “possibly illegal.” The party intends to inform coastal authority of flaws in the pro‐ cess, a spokesman said.
Fire scare FIREFIGHTERS from the Cre‐ villente and Elche brigades were called out to put out a blaze that had spread from an Albatera industrial unit used by a firm which pro‐ duces religious items. Near‐ by palm‐trees and bushes were affected by the fire but despite considerable materi‐ al damage, no‐one was in‐ jured.
Second homes MADRID buyers acquired 2,097 second‐residence properties in Alicante Province between January and September last year, which accounted for half of all those that were sold to out‐of‐province purchasers. This was 50 per cent up on the same period in 2020 and 20 per cent more than in 2019.
Clean buses BY next autumn, half of Elche’s buses will be hybrids, with the arrival in Septem‐ ber of 17 vehicles costing more than €5.9 million. These buses will switch to electric mode before and af‐ ter stops, which is when they make more noise, con‐ sume more fuel and pro‐ duce more emissions.
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New bishop enters city JOSE IGNACIO MUNILLA, Orihuela-Alicante diocese’s new bishop, entered the city riding a white mule as tradition demands. Just after 3.30pm on February 12, the bishop arrived at the San Anton chapel where councillors Sabina Goretti Gallindo, Damaso Aparicio, Victor Valverde and Mariola Rocamora awaited him. After stopping to pray at the chapel, in keeping with the centuries-
Photo credit: Orihuela city hall
ORIHUELA TRADITION: Jose Ignacio Munilla entered the city riding a white mule.
old custom, the councillors escorted Munilla to Orihuela’s
historic Olma entrance, where hundreds looked on as a bea-
dle from the bishop’s retinue knocked at the city gates. “Who goes there?” asked Orihuela’s mayor Emilio Bascuñana, whereupon the beadle replied, “The bishop, who enters Orihuela,” following which the gates opened to applause and cheers from onlookers. From here Munilla continued through the city to the cathedral where he was formally installed as bishop of Orihuela.
Town hall gets sums right More charging stations ELCHE Town Hall has mod‐ ified its fiscal by‐law relat‐ ing to Capital Gains (Plus‐ valia). Last November Spain’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some aspects of the municipal Capital Gains Tax were unconsti‐ tutional, declaring the ex‐ isting legislation null and void. The central government has since unveiled a new law, giving town and city halls six months to adapt to the new ruling. Town hall spokesman
Hector Diaz explained that although Elche would or‐ dinarily have calculated a Plusvalia income of €4.7 million, the 2022 Budget allowed for only €1.5 mil‐ lion. Its new regulations have now reduced the Plusvalia tax by 50 per cent, Diaz announced. “In other words, this means that our 2022 esti‐ mates will not be affected by the change in the law as we were realistic in pre‐ dicting how much we could bring in,” he added.
Sellers’ dilemma RESIDENTS in a14‐property Guardamar luxury develop‐ ment built in 2009 discov‐ ered nine years later that their communal areas were illegal. In 2018 the town hall in‐ formed the Marina Real Habitat property owners that the gardens, swimming pool, garages, television an‐ tenna and the liquid gas de‐ posit for central heating all lacked planning permission. It was their responsibility, they were told, to remedy the situation. The property‐owners in‐ sist that the deposit, telecommunications and ventilation towers were al‐ ready present when the
town hall gave the go‐ ahead to occupy the €500,000 properties. The owners argue that the administration was re‐ miss when carrying out its inspections, although the town hall maintains that there was no evidence of the illegal additions when granting the occupancy per‐ mits. “The real offenders are the developers, who have now disappeared from Guardamar,” pointed out the property owners, many of who wish to sell but can‐ not do so because the origi‐ nal project does not corre‐ spond to the finished complex.
ORIHUELA now has 21 charging stations for electric vehicles, more than any other municipality in the Valencian Community. The new stations are located in Hurchillo and Campoamor as well as Avenida Teodomiro and the Huertos Ecologicos Urbanos allotments. The €35,031 installation costs have received an 80 per cent subsidy of €23,160 from the Valencian Institute of Business Competitivity (IVACE), revealed Orihuela’s Environment councillor Damaso Aparicio. “With charging points located throughout the municipality we are continuing to encourage the use of electric vehicles, in line with our objectives of having a more sustainable and environmentally‐ friendly city,” Aparicio said. City hall is also helping to reduce fossil‐ fuel consumption by promoting electric vehicles with a 25 per cent reduction on the IVTM car tax for hybrid vehicles, and 75 per cent for those that are all‐electric.
Club wants to stay SANTA POLA’S Club Nautico hopes to extend its concession to use the port for another 15 years. Like all Valencian Communi‐ ty ports, this is controlled by the regional government and the Club Nautico and the Gen‐ eralitat are at present in nego‐ tiation. In 11 years’ time, in 2033, the yacht club’s permit expires. It now hopes to call on a clause in the Ley de Puertos (Ports Law) that allows a con‐ cessionary who invests in the installation during the last third of the agreed period to remain a further 10 or 15 years. This would coincide with early 2023, said the club’s pres‐ ident Pascual Orts. He explained that the Club Nautico has still to produce a fi‐ nancial document setting out the improvements that it would be prepared to make if
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allowed to continue occupying its present site in Santa Pola’s port. The president did, how‐ ever, reveal that the club was considering a cash injection of more than €4 million to re‐ model the quays and improve energy‐efficiency. When the quays were built decades ago, they were ac‐ ceptable, Orts said: “Now they are obsolete and the pillars providing water and electricity are not cost‐effective.”
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Something brewing for Torrevieja TORREVIEJA U3A are now looking forward to resuming their normal busy calendar. Details of all their up‐ coming events can be found on torrevieja u3a.org or, for existing members, their Face‐ book page. The association’s next monthly meeting will be held on February 25 at the Los Angeles bar in Torrevieja. The meeting starts at 10.30am and all the usual facilities will be available. Guest speaker Lau‐ rence from Another Planet Brewery in Torre Pacheco brings his wealth of knowledge in brewing ales and there will also samples to try. “A presentation not to be missed!” ex‐ claimed Torrevieja U3A’s press officer Barry Weston. This will be fol‐ lowed with entertain‐ ment from the accom‐ plished vocalist and musician, U3A member Ian Smith. Dawn and Tracey will be handling member‐ ship renewals, assisted by Naomi and Yvonne advising and assisting applicants wishing to join the association. The membership team is also present at the coffee mornings held on the second Thursday of each month at Rocky’s in Playa Fla‐ menca between 10.30am and 12 noon.
and finally... TORREVIEJA’S 2022 Gastronomic Calendar began on St Valen‐ tine’s Day, February 14, and continues until February 20. Rosario Martinez, Commerce and Hospitality councillor, and Jose Ignacio Pastor, president of the AEHTC association repre‐ senting the hospitality sector, explained that this first event cen‐ tres on Torrevieja’s cafes and restaurants. Eleven establishments are taking part in the Pastel y Café ‐ La Semana Mas Dulce (Coffee and Cake ‐ the Sweetest Week) ini‐ tiative which offers coffee or an infusion plus cake at prices ranging from €3.50 to €6. The councillor and the AEHTC president stressed that the of‐ fer is available throughout the day.
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Hugely successful CRUZ AZUL MURCIA’S recent event at Le Petit Bistrot in Los Alcazares raised an amazing €784. “We are overwhelmed by the gen‐ erosity of local businesses and the public, during what are still tough times for ev‐ eryone,” Cruz Azul President, Lyn Baines said. Back in May 2013 when Spain was in the midst of a financial crisis, Lyn Baines and Sue Thomason created Cruz Azul Murcia, helping pet‐owners on low in‐ comes with vet fees so they could con‐ tinue to care for their animals. Cruz Azul has since expanded into oth‐ er areas, managing cat colonies and pro‐ viding emergency treatment for injured and abandoned animals. They also work closely with a Torre Pacheco cat colony and another in Sucina. Both are doing
Photo credit: Ryan Read
CHEQUE PRESENTATION: €784 to Help Cruz Azul Murcia in their work.
some remarkable work and the Sucina project proves that trapping, neutering and returning the cats does work. They started seven years ago, against considerable opposition, but their perse‐ verance has really paid off. With no new kittens or cats for 18 months, everyone
in the village is now on board with the scheme. Cruz Azul opened their donation cen‐ tre in San Javier to help raise funds to support their work and they are ever‐ grateful to the small band of volunteers, headed up by Lesley Taylor, who work tirelessly to ensure a pleasant shopping experience for their customers and to everyone who donates goods to sell. Cruz Azul is planning another fundrais‐ er ‐ Quiz and Curry ‐ at the Tataki Restau‐ rant in Los Alcázares on March 28 from 2.30pm. Places are limited, so email in fo@cruzazulmurcia.com to reserve tick‐ ets. To assist someone who needs help, or to volunteer or donate, please call 693 017 616 or visit the www.cruzazulmur cia.com website.
UK petrol at record high THE AA has said that the average petrol prices in the UK have surpassed 148p/litre for the first time, rising above the previous record high of 147.72p/litre on November 21 last year. The new high piles further pressure on al‐ ready stretched motorists who have faced a string of price rises over the last few months, both in the UK and elsewhere. Spanish petrol prices reached a record high of €1.538/litre on February 3. Expectations are that prices will continue to
rise in the short term as the world returns to normal and demand rises. That coupled with the ongoing tensions in the Ukraine will contin‐ ue to drive prices up as investors look to take profits and countries concerned about supply look to stock up. Efforts earlier this year by the USA and others to encourage OPEC to increase output has done little to slow down the rise in prices, that despite countries like the USA re‐ leasing some of its stores to try and deal with some of the demand.
Crash at Heathrow Airport A FIRE engine crashed at Heathrow Airport on Mon‐ day, February 14, leaving its driver rushed to hospital. The incident at 9.40am involved a private airport fire engine. Social media users shared footage of the crash where
the engine was seen lying on its side. Emergency vehicles could be seen surrounding the vehicle. Despite the crash, Heathrow Airport was able to carry on as normal. Officers from the Metropolitan Police attended the accident and
confirmed that the driver had been taken to hospital. A Metropolitan police spokesperson commented: “At around 9:40am on Febru‐ ary 14 a fire engine over‐ turned on the airfield at Heathrow Airport. “The driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution. No reports of any other in‐ juries. No arrests were made.” A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport explained: “Our teams responded to a traffic incident involving one of our airside fire engines. No passengers have been injured and the airport continues to operate normally.”
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A COUPLE claim Ryanair flew them 1,200 km from their intended destina‐ tion. The couple from the UK had a massive sur‐ prise on their romantic getaway when they land‐ ed in the wrong country. Simon Forster and Em‐ ma Schofield from the UK had been heading to Copenhagen from Manch‐ ester Airport and have demanded an apology from Ryanair after land‐ ing in Paris. The couple claim that when they reached
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Ryanair mishap FLIGHT: Landed in Paris rather than Copenhagen.
Manchester Airport they were hit with terrible queues but say that their
passports and boarding passes were checked at the departure gate by
EU parcel problems EXPATS across Europe have been com‐ plaining of issues receiving their parcels following Brexit. One expat in Spain told one publication: “For Christmas my mum sent me a couple of books and some cards with a declared value of about £35, on top of which I then had to pay the post office €20.” They added: “The breakdown on the re‐ ceipt said half of it was from customs fees with VAT added and the other half was just listed as additional.” Another person shared a similar story
from Italy and said: “I live in Italy and I have been charged every time something from the UK arrives. “If you don’t have the cash there and then to give the delivery driver you are then given a form to head to the post of‐ fice, which, as you can imagine, is never a joy. “A birthday card sent on October 11, 2021 from the UK arrived this week ... I have stopped buying things from the UK and have asked friends and family to stop sending parcels.”
Ryanair crew and they were allowed to board. The UK couple told one publication how they boarded “the only waiting plane on the runway.” Simon explained that on boarding cabin crew told them “Oh don’t wor‐ ry about it” when they tried to show their board‐ ing passes. The pair were rather surprised when they touched down and at passport control were greeted with “bonjour.” The couple’s romantic getaway to Copenhagen ended up with them land‐ ing in Beauvais in France. Ryanair commented: “It is each passenger’s re‐ sponsibility to ensure they board the correct aircraft. “There are several touchpoints throughout the passenger journey which inform passengers of the aircraft’s destina‐ tion.”
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£109,915,000 EuroMillions win AN eye‐watering £109,915,000 EuroMillions jackpot was paid out to a UK winner on Valentine’s Day. One lucky person in the UK walked away with the 10th biggest National Lottery win in history. According to Camelot, the person would have to decide to go public for their identity to be released. At the moment the person has decided to stay anonymous. The National Lottery’s Senior Winners’ Advisor Andy Carter revealed: “We’re absolutely delighted that the winner of this amazing EuroMillions jackpot prize has come forward and we hope that they will enjoy their win. He went on to add: “What an incredible moment for this lucky ticket‐holder and it’s safe to say that it’s likely to have been the best Valentine’s Day ever for them!” The highest ever EuroMillions jackpot came in at £170 mil‐ lion. The draw was held on October 18, 2019, and the winner then also wished to remain anonymous.
and finally... GARETH HUGHES was due payment for Storm Arwen‐re‐ lated damages, but never expected it would be for a mon‐ strous £2,324,252,080,110. The accountant from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire took to Twitter to jokingly thank the provider for his cheque. He posted an image of the cheque made out in his name, showing the obviously ridiculous numerical error. As soon as the clerical error was identified, the cheque was stopped so it could not be cashed.
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THE city council of Madrid has revealed that nearly 10,000 residents will lose their parking spaces in municipal car parks due to fraudulent use. The council revealed the ini‐ tial conclusions from its large‐ scale inspection plan that is being carried out with the ob‐ jective of detecting irregular and possibly unauthorised us‐
Parking fraud es of designated parking spaces. The inspections began in 2020 in response to the long list of residents waiting for des‐ ignated parking spaces. Over the last two years, 55,187 spaces have been inspected,
of which 40,738 were found to have unresolved irregularities. Although 60 per cent of those with irregularities could be solved, 41 per cent (9,763) were completely fraudulent because they had been re‐let out to someone else or the person no longer had the cor‐ rect documentation. These people will lose their places, which will be made available to the 10,966 Madrid resi‐ dents who are on the waiting list. There may be even more such cases, as the city council still has to inspect another 41,826 parking spaces in 297 municipal car parks.
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Electronic nose SCIENTISTS in Spain have cre‐ ated pioneering new technol‐ ogy that allows respiratory in‐ fections to be detected via breath analysis. Infections are usually diag‐ nosed by a lengthy procedure in which sputum is collected and analysed in a laboratory to identify which microorgan‐ ism is causing the problem suffered by the patient. This may have changed thanks to researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, who have managed to create a type of
A FLIGHT from Glasgow to London’s Stansted on Sunday, February 13 was disturbed after passengers behaved ‘dis‐ ruptively on board’. easyJet said that the passengers were behaving in a way which they ‘do not tolerate’. When the plane set down at Stansted airport the police were ready to escort the passengers away after they had re‐ portedly been disruptive over a row to do with wearing masks on board. The Essex police force confirmed that a ‘mask wearing’ incident had resulted in
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Infections detected via breath analysis.
technology that can analyse patients’ breath and give a very quick and effective diag‐ nosis of lung infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
a type of bacteria that is resis‐ tant to many drugs. The scientists involved have created an automatic ‘elec‐ tronic nose’ (e‐nose) with sen‐ sors that can quickly and non‐ invasively diagnose bacterial lung infections. The e‐nose analyse volatile organic com‐ pounds (VOCs) in the pa‐ tient’s exhaled breath. Breath sampling had previ‐ ously been used to detect asthma, sucrose intolerance and abnormal bacterial growth in the small intestine, but has never been able to detect lung diseases.
easyJet ‘mask row’ them being called out. Speaking to Glasgow Live, a spokesperson for easyJet explained the passengers were “behaving disruptively on board.” The spokesperson went on to add that the airline does: “not toler‐ ate abusive behaviour on board.” The easyJet spokesperson explained: “easy‐ Jet can confirm that flight EZY216 from
Glasgow to Stansted yesterday evening was met by police on arrival in Stansted due to two passengers behaving disrup‐ tively on board. “While such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and do not tol‐ erate abusive behaviour on board. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.”
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Multilingual plan THE Spanish Government has revealed plans to trans‐ late the Official State Gazette (BOE) into multiple languages using Artificial Intelligence. The government is cur‐ rently working on a pilot project to automatically translate certain texts into Spain’s various official lan‐ guages following a row over the use of regional languages. Viçenc Vidal, a member of the political coalition Mes per Mallorca, com‐ plained that the govern‐ ment had stopped translat‐ ing legislative texts into Catalan in May 2021. The Balearic senator stat‐ ed that the BOE, the official statements over law made by the government, had been translated into Cata‐ lan from 1998 until October 2020, when the agreement between the State and the Catalan Generalitat was terminated, and then con‐ tinued with funding from
only the Catalan regional government until May 2021. “This interruption has been caused by administra‐ tive obstacles that it should be possible to resolve, as they are not too costly by any means and are a fla‐
grant breach of the Euro‐ pean Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. Does the state intend to re‐ solve this issue, which un‐ dermines the linguistic rights of the Catalan‐speak‐ ing community?” asked Vi‐ dal.
Travel rules changed THE Spanish government has dropped the travel require‐ ment for children over the age of 12 from Monday, February 14, following complaints from the tourism and hospitality sec‐ tors. The announcement follows reports that many Brits have cancelled their holidays to Spain or looked elsewhere as a re‐ sult of the requirement for children from non‐EU countries over the age of 12 to be fully vaccinated. The change, at the start of the half‐term, will see children older than 12 from non‐EU countries requiring a recent nega‐ tive Covid test rather than a vaccination certificate to enter the country. The vaccination requirement was widely criticised by the media and the tourism sector in Spain and in particular the Canary Islands. The struggling sector is keen to make up for the lost trade over the last two years and had seen the half‐term as the start of a return to normality.
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Cave paintings vandalised SEPRONA, the Nature Protection Ser‐ vice of the Guardia Civil, is investigat‐ ing who may have vandalised a set of 6,000‐year‐old cave paintings in Spain. The paintings, considered to be of historical importance, are located on the Peñón del Muerto, in Solana del Pino, between Ciudad Real and Jaen. According to Seprona, vandals paint‐ ed a large Spanish flag over the paint‐ ings that are visible from the passing road that connects the area with An‐
dujar (Jaen). The mayor of Solana del Pino said that this is not the first time the paint‐ ings have been targeted, “15 years ago some interested party already took a piece of stone with some very unique paintings.” Continuing, the mayor explained that she hopes the investigation can find who undertook this “unfortunate cul‐ tural attack” that has been carried out with “premeditation and cruelty.”
Barrister removed from BA flight in row POLICE have confirmed that a leading barrister and his family were removed from a BA flight after a row broke out when crew refused to let their nanny sit with them in business class. Charles Banner QC, 41, paid for business class but their nanny’s seat had been down‐ graded because BA had oversold the seats, sparking an argument. Mr Banner told one publication he was “upset” when the row broke out, which eventually led to the pilot turning the plan round on the tarmac and re‐ fusing to fly unless the family were removed.
He said: “If BA had told me that the nanny could not sit with us in business then we would not have travelled and could have got a later flight. But they only told us that when we got to the boarding gate.” He added: “The police escorted our family back through immigration. They made clear that this was just standard protocol and that no offence had been alleged or committed.” A spokesman for BA said: “We do not tolerate disruptive behaviour and the safety of our cus‐ tomers and crew is our top priority.”
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20M Jubilee flowers THE Tower of London is going to be complete‐ ly covered with around 20 million flowers to commemorate the Queen’s platinum jubilee, as she becomes the first royal to achieve 70 years of service. To show their and the public’s appreciation, the moat will be planted with flowers that will bloom from late spring through to the end of summer, fading in the autumn only to return the following year. Urban horticulture experts at Sheffield Uni‐ versity have picked 29 different species that will bloom at different times providing a kalei‐ doscope of colours in a project called Su‐ perbloom. Tom O’Leary, HRP’s director of public en‐ gagement, told one publication “We’re aiming
DISPLAY: This one will keep changing.
to plant by the end of March and then boom! It all comes into flower in time for the Jubilee weekend in June. “But unlike most displays, this one will keep changing over the summer months. It’s push‐ ing the boundaries.”
EE glitch charges woman £25,000 EE customers have been warned to check their bills after a glitch charged a woman £25,000. Multiple customers have been af‐ fected by the overcharging glitch after travel‐ ling in America, Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The issue began when data passes pur‐ chased for roaming when abroad were not activated. One EE customer took to social me‐ dia to complain about the staggering charges. They said: “I have incorrectly had over £1,000
of roaming data added to my bill and my ac‐ count suspended. I keep trying to contact EE via phone and it keeps getting cut off.” Another customer told one publication how they had spent a month in the US and been hit with an eye watering charge of £25,000. EE are aware of the issue and will be contacting customers. The company com‐ mented: “We are contacting affected cus‐ tomers to reassure them that they won’t have to pay for these incorrect charges.”
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Misleading adverts MULTINATIONAL Shell has once again run into trouble with the authorities in the Netherlands, this time being censured for misleading ads that claim green credentials for its hydrogen sold at petrol stations. This is the second time the company has been warned by the Dutch advertising stan‐ dards authority RCC, for its misleading advertising claims in six months. The Shell advert claimed that “we make millions of kilo‐ metres cleaner” by providing green hydrogen to power bus‐ es, lorries and cars. The RCC however have a number of issues with the claim, firstly the term “green hydrogen” as it is a by‐product from the production of chlo‐ rine and although it is certified green, most would not consid‐ er the manufacturing process to be. Secondly the claim of mil‐ lions is misleading as Shell have no figures to back it up, the commission saying their fig‐ ures “suggests a significant
contribution… but this is cur‐ rently modest when com‐ pared with the total number of kilometres travelled.” Shell said it would study the
verdict before responding, adding that “we are changing into one of the biggest drivers of the energy transition in the Netherlands.”
Illegal ‘party bus’ AN illegal party bus complete with a discotheque has been busted in Barcelona. The driver had been taking drugs. Officers from the Guardia Urbana in Barcelona in‐ tercepted the vehicle in the Ciutat Vella district with an illegal discotheque and 71 passengers on board. The bus operator had not been discreet, and the sides of the bus were covered in signs saying ‘party bus.’ The Guardia Urbana took to Twitter and shared a photo of the vehicle. The driver had tested positive for both THC and cocaine. The bus had also failed its ITV. According to reports, the bus had been operat‐ ing without any of the required authorisations. The officers filed complaints about various infrac‐ tions against the vehicle under Law 11/2009 of Reg‐ ulation of Public Entertainment and Recreational Activities.
STATS
25%
25% of bones in human adults are located on their feet
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Beagle testing AN online petition against the use of beagles in experimen‐ tation by the Vivotecnia labo‐ ratories commissioned by the University of Barcelona (UB) has collected around 1,300,000 signatures. This initiative began a month ago as the idea of Ruben Garcia, and Cristina Es‐ pinach, who together, on Thursday, February 10, sym‐ bolically ‘delivered’ the results of their change.org campaign to the facilities at Barcelona Science Park. It was a ‘symbol‐ ic’ act in that no one from the laboratories, or the UB wanted to receive them.
BEAGLES:Being used for research.
Next March, the project will be carried out at the Vivotec‐ nia headquarters in Madrid, and in the first part of the study, the drug will be adminis‐ tered to six dogs, which the UB has agreed to put up for adop‐ tion when the study ends.
However, in the second part of the study ‘it will be impera‐ tive to carry out a study of the tissues of 32 dogs, by means of post‐mortem’. “Currently there is no known alternative method to the use of these animals that can replace the methodology of this type of research,” point‐ ed out scientists from both the Park and the university. They highlighted that the Confederation of Scientific So‐ cieties of Spain recognises that the use of animals is ‘a neces‐ sary practice to advance the study of treatments, surgical techniques or vaccines.’
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Confidential docs flushed EX-PRESIDENT Donald Trump has been accused of compromising national se‐ curity by flushing official documents down the toilet and unlawfully taking 15 boxes of White House files to his Palm Beach residence at the end of his term in of‐ fice. According to one publica‐ tion, the documents that the former president has had to return include several files that were classified as ‘top secret’ and duly identified with a corresponding seal. Only a few authorised in‐ dividuals have access to such files. By taking these docu‐ ments to his Mar‐a‐Lago res‐
TRUMP: Violated the Presidential Records Act.
idence, Trump would have exposed them to prying eyes. Therefore, he violated the Presidential Records Act. The matter has been transferred from the Depart‐ ment of Justice to the FBI for investigation. According to the journalist
Maggie Haberman in her book Confidence Man, White House officials fre‐ quently had to unclog the pipes of the presidential resi‐ dence, as they were clogged with leftover documents which the president had flushed down the toilet.
Spain donates over 300,000 vaccines OLGA CABARGA, the Spanish ambassador to Senegal, deliv‐ ered 302,400 doses of coronavirus vaccine from Spain to the government of the African country on Thursday, February 10. They were received in a delivery ceremony in the capital, Dakar, by Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, the Senegalese Minister of Health. “Spain has opted for a multilateral approach to over‐ come the Covid‐19 pandemic, as evidenced by the donation of 302,400 vaccines made today to Senegal as well as our support for the COVAX initiative,” said Cabarga. “We have donated more than 50 million vaccines through COVAX, of which at least 20 million vaccines will go to the African continent. Senegal is a priority country and a strategic partner for the government of Spain,” the Spanish ambas‐ sador added. Mr Cabarga stressed that this delivery “reflects Spain’s international solidarity with its partners, and the strong conviction that the vaccine is a global public good.” COVAX is a mechanism promoted by the World Health Or‐ ganisation (WHO), among others, so that low‐income coun‐ tries can access coronavirus vaccines.
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Free UK holidays MORE than 800 UK families having difficulties with money, illness, loneliness or bereave‐ ment will be offered holidays and trips over the next few months thanks to the govern‐ ment’s new ‘England for Everyone’ fund of £600,000. The government said: “The fund will support parents, carers, and young people experiencing difficult times to get away, relax and enjoy themselves on a weekend break in England. “Families who may never have had a holiday can be referred to the charity for a weekend trip and will have a choice of where they will vis‐ it. From campsites to chalets and caravans to lodges across the country, children could dis‐ cover new creatures in rock pools, fly kites for the first time or build sandcastles on the beach.
A STUDY has revealed that side effects from the Pfizer vaccine occur in almost twice as many females as males. The School of Public Health in the University of Haifa, in Israel, found the proportion of women who reported side effects after re‐ ceiving their first, second, or third dose of the Pfizer vac‐ cine, is almost double (1.9 times) that of men.
FAMILIES: Will be offered holidays.
“Referees could include people such as social workers and teachers, and holiday vouchers would be provided to help cover transport, ac‐ commodation and food. VisitEngland is also working closely with holiday parks to include free onsite activities.”
Men less affected by jab “We don’t know what mechanism is involved, but it may be related to differ‐ ences between the sexes in the immune system, or in the perception of side ef‐ fects,” said Professor Man‐ fred Green, principal investi‐ gator of the study. The professor explained that one possibility is that
women’s immune systems “respond more strongly than men’s to foreign antigens.” Vaccination is sometimes accompanied by side effects, manifested, for example, in pain at the site of vaccina‐ tion, or in the entire arm, fever, weakness, fatigue, and paresthesias in various parts of the body.
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South terminal reopens A F T E R being closed for almost two years, Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal is to reopen in March as travel restric‐ tions due to Covid are lifted. The announcement was made on Friday, February 11, the day on which travel restrictions for those arriving in the UK have been relaxed significantly, as fully vaccinated passengers no longer need to pro‐ vide negative Covid tests. Gatwick Airport said: “Flights have been oper‐ ating solely from the air‐ port’s North Terminal since June 15, 2020 to save on costs, but activi‐ ty will return to the South Terminal from Sunday, March 27, as Gatwick enters what it expects to be a busy summer season.” British Airways has al‐ ready announced it will reopen its short‐haul
services from Gatwick from March 29, with 35 new European routes added. BA’s low‐cost sis‐ ter airline, Vueling, will also be expanding its operations, adding five new short‐haul routes
and basing three aircraft at Gatwick. easyJet, Gatwick’s biggest airline, has also taken up more slots and plan to fly their busiest flying schedule ever from the airport.
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Royal pay rise THE salaries of King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia will rise by 2 per cent this year, according to the General State Budget. This means that Felipe VI will receive around €259,000 and Queen Letizia just over €142,000. Queen Sofia will receive €116,525 in 2022, some €2,000 more than last year. The Royal Household’s budget for 2022 is published on their official website. The General State Budget for 2022 includes a current transfer to the King ‘for the support of his family and the Royal Household’ amounting to €8,431,150, the allocation of which is decided by King Fe‐ lipe. Unlike last year, when the Royal Household decided not to apply the 0.9 per cent salary increase to civil ser‐ vants, they have applied the 2 per cent increase to all salaries provided for by the General State Budget.
Media Markt slashes prices E L E C T R O N I C S retail company Media Markt accidentally cut the prices of all its comput‐ er games to under €1 in a computer glitch on February 10. It is not known why the website had the problem, but Media Markt may end up can‐ celling the orders. Despite this, some users took advantage of the glitch to buy video games at a price of one cent, including all shipping and han‐ dling. The brand will proba‐ bly cancel the items purchased during the few minutes that the incident lasted. However, there have been similar cases with other companies where sellers have had to deliver their dis‐ counted products due to similar problems. An example of this was the case of the
COMPUTER GLITCH: Some users took advantage to buy cheap video games. French chain Fnac in October 2019, which listed a Huawei P30 at
€139.90 when its retail price was €699.90. Dur‐ ing the time that the
CONCERNS have been raised by two US Senators who believe the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is spying on Americans, carrying out unwarranted surveillance on unwitting people. The accusation was made by Senators Ron Wyden and Martin Heinrich in a letter to intelligence officials and the two Democrats called for declassifying details of the clandestine programme. Government data collection has been the subject of much controversy in the US, although domestic spying is prohibited by the CIA’s 1947 char‐
accidental offer lasted, 13,000 orders were made for the product.
CIA spy claims ter. Officially the organisation and National Security Agency (NSA) have a foreign surveil‐ lance mission. But in 2013, a programme of data collection using extensive internet and phone surveillance by American intelligence was disclosed to the public by Edward Snow‐ den, a CIA contractor‐turned whistle‐blower. An analysis of the leak found some 90 per cent of those being monitored were ordi‐ nary Americans.
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1st Beijing Games medal SPANISH athlete Queralt Castellet is thrilled to have brought home the first medal for Spain at the Bei‐ jing 2022 Winter Olympics. Castellet from Barcelona walked away with the silver medal in the snowboard halfpipe test. Castellet was “excited” and “very happy” to finish in second place. She was beat‐ en by the favourite to win, the American Chloe Kim. Via the Royal Spanish Win‐ ter Sports Federation (RFEDI) Castellet told one publica‐ tion: “I am excited, I am very happy; it has been an incred‐ ible day, I have won the medal! It has been incredi‐ ble, I started a little bit bad and then all the nerves came, but I was able to get the round I wanted, in the second round; a round I have been working towards for a long, long time. Many years. I’m very happy.” This is the fifth games for the 32‐ year‐old from Sabadell.
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Drought affects electric bills THE current drought in Spain resulting from the prolonged lack of rainfall is affecting electricity bills. Reservoirs are at around 45 per cent of their capacity and the drought which is empty‐ ing reservoirs, causing the desertification of soil and spoiling crops, is also in‐ creasing bills. The less hydropower there is, the more it costs to produce electricity. This combined with the cold winter temperatures, more time spent working from home and the few hours of daylight, indicate that electricity bills are likely to continue to be particularly high in 2022. The Spanish govern‐ ment, led by the Minister for the Ecological Transi‐ tion, Teresa Ribera, has long been committed to renewable energy. De‐ spite this, renewable en‐ ergy sources, for the mo‐ ment, cannot tackle the
problem. “Using hydraulic re‐ serves with the reservoirs in this situation is sui‐ cide,” argued Ignacio Durán Escribano, profes‐ sor of Atomic and Nuclear Physics at the University
of Santiago. “We will never know how much rain will fall in spring, now that we have just come from an anticy‐ clonic spell and the reser‐ voirs have been emp‐ tied,” he added.
Covid support grants THE UK government has reminded businesses that a sig‐ nificant amount of funding, £850 million, is still available to help them recover from the effects of the pandemic. Business Minister Paul Scully encouraged business owners to apply for the remaining Covid support grants via their local councils. The councils have been asked to provide the eligible businesses with the grants as quickly as possible. Mr Scully said: “We’re working to get our economy running on all cylinders again so we can focus on making the UK the best place in the world to work and do busi‐ ness, creating jobs along the way. “Eligible businesses should apply as soon as possible for the grants available to help them put the pandemic behind them and get on a sounder footing to achieve success.”
STATS
366
There are 366 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
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OTC DRUGS: Are subject to very strict controls.
SCIENTISTS have discovered a previously‐unknown side effect of common painkillers such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and as‐ pirin. Although over‐the‐counter medicines are almost always safe and are subject to very strict controls, there is always a small risk of side effects. Scien‐ tists have recently discovered a new adverse effect that could affect those who regularly use a
Painkiller side effect common type of OTC drug. The medicines in question are acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), paracetamol and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. The potential side ef‐ fect that they may cause is tinni‐ tus, which causes irritating nois‐ es in the ear. The noises may be constant or intermittent. Tinni‐
Pensioner ‘thrown in air’ A PENSIONER who was thrown in the air during Ryanair flight ‘turbulence’ has settled a court action. Australian pensioner Lynette Peucker, 72, from Gisborne, South Victoria had been heading from Italy to Belgium on a flight in September 2015 when the Ryanair flight was hit by turbulence, she fell and fractured her ankle. The pensioner alleged that the airline failed to warn her of the impending turbulence. She claimed that passengers had been walking freely in the plane and that the seatbelt sign was turned off. Due to the incident, Lynette has said that she suf‐ fered from an extreme and immediate psychological reaction. She is now afraid of flying. Ryanair had disputed the claims and said that if the accident took place it was not due to an act of negligence on behalf of the airline. Ryanair also said the pas‐ senger had flown many times and should have been aware of the possibility of encountering turbulence.
tus may cause ringing, buzzing, high‐pitched or low‐pitched noises, tingling or throbbing, and may be temporary or chronic. Its exact cause is some‐ what uncertain and possibly varied (some think it may be
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caused by muscle contractions, others by signals generated by nerve cells in the ear). At pre‐ sent, there is no really effective way to treat it and it may be de‐ bilitating. Now, research pub‐ lished in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has conclud‐ ed that frequent use of these drugs can cause chronic tinnitus.
€4bn grants
A STUDY has revealed that despite not paying taxes in most countries including Spain, Amazon has received more than €4 billion in public subsidies since 2012. The e‐commerce giant, which achieved record sales in Eu‐ rope in 2020 of €44 billion, has been identified as having re‐ ceived grants and allowances from 13 countries to build warehouses, data centres and even in one case audio visual production units. Large companies like Amazon are well known for their tendency to seek the most advantageous tax situations, of‐ ten at the expense of traditional businesses like Zara’s par‐ ent company Iniditex that paid five times as much tax as Amazon did in 2020. Many are already unhappy that the likes of Amazon were favoured during the pandemic, but this news will do little to appease them. Amongst those is the international trade union UNI Global Union and the American pro‐transparency organisation Good Jobs First, who conducted the investigation. They were able to detect 407 Amazon facilities in 13 countries that have been subsidised with public money.
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Jab less effective A STUDY performed in the United States has revealed that the Pfizer and Moderna booster jabs against Covid become less effective after four months. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the effec‐ tiveness of the antigens pro‐ vided by the booster in pre‐ venting hospital admission is 91 per cent for the first two months after it has been giv‐ en. However, it drops to 78 per cent after four months. According to the study, it is predicted that the level of protection will drop to 33 per cent by the fifth month, although it is still too early to know the exact percentage, as not all the results have been obtained.The CDC rec‐ ommends, for now, that ev‐ eryone over the age of 12 re‐ ceive a booster dose five months after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
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An eye on the money
ROYAL COUPLE: Are more welcome in the USA.
MEGHAN and Harry have their ‘eye on the money like pal James Corden’, accord‐ ing to a royal expert. Since moving to America, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have grabbed lucra‐ tive deals with Netflix and Spotify, with one epxert say‐ ing that the pair are “very driven by money.” Journalist Richard Min‐ eards writes for The Mon‐ tecito Journal, which is Harry
and Meghan’s local paper. The former royal corre‐ spondent told one publica‐ tion: “They’ve obviously got their eye on the money like their good friend James Cor‐ den, who now earns some‐ thing like $12 million per sea‐ son of The Late Late Show. “I think they’d like to get on that sort of level where hopefully they can earn lots of money and get their views across, but also do
good things with The Archewell foundation as well.” The expert believes that Meghan and Harry will stay in the US long‐term. He commented: “I don’t think they’ll move back to the UK at all. “The British people see [Meghan] as the Wallis Simpson stealing the golden prince. They are much more welcome on this side of the Atlantic.”
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‘New way to be in love’ GOOD MORNING BRITAIN host Kate Garraway has re‐ vealed she’s found a ‘new way to be in love’ with hus‐ band Derek who spent more than a year in hospital after he was hit with Covid. Kate said that a “new path is emerging” for the pair. She explained: “I’m not sure that we’ve ever fallen out of love, but I think a new path is emerging, a new way to be in love. He puts huge trust in me. “He just says, ‘Whatever you think’, which is wonder‐ ful, but I do get quite tearful about it. I think, ‘God, I hope
A new path is emerging.
I’m worthy of that trust’.” Kate shared details about the pair’s relationship and said: “I’ve got his back. That is a relationship in itself, isn’t it? How many times do couples have doubts about each oth‐ er? That’s a positive thing to come out of this, to have that certainty of each other. He and I are very close.”
and finally... A TOURIST playing a slot machine in Las Vegas has been tracked down after he hit the jackpot of $230,000 (€203,000) but a malfunction meant he wasn’t notified that he was a winner. After a long search the Nevada Gaming Control Board have tracked down the winner, Robert Taylor from Ari‐ zona. Taylor is understood to be delighted with the news of his winnings, and was amazed to find that the gaming board had tracked him down to tell of the machine’s mal‐ functions.
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Nuclear experiments
How to stop future pandemics BILL GATES, Microsoft co‐ founder, says in his new book that he knows how to stop future pandemics. The billionaire, who fore‐ cast the next pandemic some years back, has been the subject of many conspiracy theories as a result of his views and knowledge on the subject. His new book ‘How to Prevent the Next Pan‐ demic,’ claims that by in‐ vesting in healthcare, vac‐ cines, and ‘global pathogen surveillance,’ another pandemic like Covid‐19 can be prevent‐ ed. Due for release in May, Gates announced in a blog post that the book will outline “the specific steps we can take to not only stop future pan‐ demics but, in the pro‐ cess, provide better health care for everyone around the world.”
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TRAPPED: The crocodile was seen regularly.
Rescuers free croc from tyre A 4.5-METRE saltwater fe‐ male crocodile had become an icon in Palu, Indonesia where the croc was regular‐ ly seen with a tyre around its neck for six years. Resi‐ dents were becoming in‐ creasingly concerned for the reptile with the tyre getting tighter and running the risk of choking her. In early January, 35‐year‐ old bird catcher and trader Tili was determined to res‐ cue the reptile after he saw her frequently sunbathing at a nearby estuary. “I have experiences and skills in catching animals, not
only birds, but farm animals that are released from the cage,” he said, “I believe I can rescue the crocodile with my skills.” Tili devised a trap using ropes of various sizes tied to a tree near the river. He laid chickens down as bait and after three weeks of waiting and several failed attempts he finally trapped the croc. With the help of two of his friends, Tili pulled the trapped crocodile ashore and sawed through the tyre, which was 50 centimetres in diameter.
THE Joint European Torus (JET) experimental fu‐ sion machine based near Abingdon in Oxford‐ shire has enabled scientists to generate energy that releases heat 10 times hotter than the sun. A new record for generating energy from nucle‐ ar fusion, the same process that powers our Sun is seen as a potential future source of near limitless power. The experiment generated around 59 megajoules, or 11 Megawatts of energy in a five second burst, enough to power around 10,000
A PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE report has said that the only detectable impact of Brexit so far, has been that it de‐ livers an increased burden on business with added paper‐ work, costs and delays and that it fails to deliver opportunities. The committee stated that much more work was needed by government to ease the ad‐ ministrative and cost burden of business, warning of lengthy border delays and lorry queues once passenger numbers re‐ turn to normal. The committee also called for an end to “overpromising” from the UK Government, dis‐ missing the Government’s aim to create the “most effective
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homes. Still in its infancy the amount of energy needed to conduct the experiment was more than what was produced, however it represents a major step forward in fusion reaction. “These landmark results have taken us a huge step closer to conquering one of the biggest sci‐ entific and engineering challenges of them all,” said Professor Ian Chapman, Chief Executive of the UK Atomic Energy Agency that co‐funds and operates JET.
Brexit failed border in the world” by 2025 as being “optimistic, given where things stand today.” Dame Meg Hillier, Chair of the Public Accounts Commit‐ tee, said: “One of the great promises of Brexit was freeing
British businesses to give them the headroom to maximise their productivity and contribu‐ tion to the economy, even more desperately needed now on the long road to recovery from the pandemic.
and finally... THE body of 70‐year‐old Marinella Beretta was discovered by police in the district of Prestino in north‐western Italy. She had been sitting at her kitchen table for over two years. Mummifi‐ cation only happens in rare circumstances, so it is not yet clear how the body came to be in this state.
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Compulsory black box for cars ALL new cars in Spain will have to include a black box from July 6. The boxes will record relevant infor‐ mation if an accident oc‐ curs. The black box also known as EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) could potentially impact in‐ surance prices, according to insurance comparator Acierto.com. This will de‐ pend on what data insur‐ ance companies have ac‐ cess to though. In the event of an acci‐ dent, the black box will store the data which was recorded within the 30 sec‐ onds before the accident took place. The box will al‐ so store five seconds worth of data from after the acci‐ dent. The data will then be available for relevant au‐ thorities to help determine the cause of an accident. Reportedly all this infor‐ mation will only be made available anonymously. No personal data such as gender, age or name of the driver is expected to
Information on accidents.
be recorded. Details such as vehicle
speed, engine revolutions and whether the brakes were applied will be recorded. Other informa‐ tion such as the position of the accelerator, frontal and side‐impact forces and any steering movements will be recorded too.
Allergy sufferers multiplying WHEN thinking about al‐ lergy season, many peo‐ ple associate it with spring and flowers. How‐ ever, itching and inflam‐ mation is becoming in‐ creasingly common in winter thanks to climate change and droughts. Dr Ana Perez Montero, head of the Allergology Service of the Quiron‐ salud Madrid University Hospital said: “Most peo‐ ple know spring plants, but in winter there are others such as Cupres‐
saceae (Arizona and Cy‐ presses belong to them) that pollinate in winter.” According to research published in 2021, pollen seasons now start 20 days earlier, are 10 days longer and have 21 per cent more pollen than in 1990, meaning more days of trouble for aller‐ gy sufferers with itching, sneezing and a runny nose, according to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Suicide prevention hotline THE Ministry of Health is set to launch a new suicide prevention hotline (024) in Spain within the next few months. The toll‐free hotline 024 will provide help and sup‐ port to anyone at risk of suicide. The line will operate na‐ tionwide and is anony‐ mous, accessible and confi‐ dential. It was set up on December 20 last year and will become available in May. In 2020, around 3,941 people decided to end their lives, making it the year with the highest number of suicides in Spain since 1906. The launch of the new suicide prevention hotline is part of the Ministry of Health’s 2021‐2024 Action Plan for Mental Health and Covid, which aims to cen‐ tralise support for people who are at risk of suicide and to provide them with information so that they can access specialised help. The 024 hotline will be
free of charge, available to all citizens and implement‐ ed on a permanent basis. The needs of users with
hearing or speech disabili‐ ties will also be considered so that they can also re‐ ceive the service they need.
Weapons gang unearthed A SPANISH parcel that contained deactivated weapons discovered at Birmingham airport has led to an organised crime gang being imprisoned for more than 30 years. The suspicious parcel was intercepted by UK border Force agents in November 2019. Sent by a Spanish retailer, the parcel sparked a police in‐ vestigation with police discovering an organised crime group who had been buying, converting and selling firearms in the UK. Greater Manchester police tracked down the gang who have now pleaded guilty to firearm of‐ fences. Martin Joyce, Joseph Hodskinson, Mark Crolla and Dannell Jammeh have now been imprisoned for more than 30 years in total. Greater Manchester Police’s Detec‐ tive Sergeant Damian Reed commented: “This group posed a significant threat to the public being in possession of such weapons and it’s a relief that they are now going to spend the foreseeable future behind bars. “The firearms trade funds serious criminality, which can lead to people losing their lives as well as destroying local communities.”
STATS
56
The most leaves ever found on a clover is 56.
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Koala endangered species THE once thriving marsupi‐ al, the koala, has been list‐ ed as an endangered species as numbers drop drastically all along the country’s eastern seaboard. The decline is ac‐ cording to authorities a re‐ sult of land clearing, bush‐ fires, drought, disease and a number of other threats. The listing by the federal government covers Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), with many believing that the authority is doing too little to protect the species from diminishing habitats and the effects of climate change. Proof of that claim comes as the species has gone from being listed as ‘vulnerable’ to endangered within 10 years According to Environ‐ ment Minister Susan Ley: “This listing adds priority when it comes to the con‐ servation of the koala,” however she has been ac‐ cused of dithering when it
The koala once thrived.
comes to protecting the animal. She said officials were designing a recovery plan, and land development ap‐ plications would now be assessed for impacts on the species.
Reduced reliance THE European Union (EU) has announced a €42 billion plan to reduce the bloc’s reliance on China for microchips used in motorcars and other electronic devices. Known as the ‘Chips Act’, the plan is to build Europe in‐ to a major semiconductor producer and in the process remove its reliance on the Far East. Semiconductor chips are used in almost everything from powering cars to hospital ventilators to phones to game consoles. Chips have however been in short supply since the start of the pandemic, holding back the eco‐ nomic recovery in many areas and of many companies. The current issues around supply as well as the natural gas shortages, have highlighted the EU’s reliance on the Far East and Russia. With the political risks rising the union has acted to boost its economic independence in the critical semiconductor sector.
STATS
3
Only 3 mammals experience the menopause.
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French cave housed Neanderthals A PAPER published in the journal Science Advances says that fos‐ silised remains found in a French cave showed that Neanderthals and early humans were in the area long before they were thought to have been. The researchers described finding fossilised homo sapiens remains and tools sandwiched between those of Neanderthals in the Mandrin Grotto, named after an 18th‐century French folk hero. The hillside dwelling overlooks the picturesque Rhone Valley in southern France, which re‐ searchers say: “The findings pro‐ vide archaeological evidence that these hominine cousins may have coexisted in the same re‐ gion of Europe during the same time period.” With new techniques available to date remains, the researchers put those found at around 54,000 years ago, almost 10,000 years earlier than previous finds in Europe, with one exception in Greece.
Sweden’s pandemic over SWEDEN has scrapped almost all of its pan‐ demic restrictions and has stopped most testing for Covid‐19 with the health minister claiming that the pandemic is over. The statement from Minister of Health Lena Hallengren comes despite pressure on the healthcare systems remaining high and some scientists begged for more patience in fighting the disease. Sweden’s government, which has opted against lockdowns in favour of a voluntary approach throughout the pandemic, an‐ nounced it will scrap the remaining restric‐ tions as vaccines and the less severe Omi‐ cron variant have cushioned severe cases and deaths. “As we know this pandemic, I would say it’s over,” Minister of Health Lena Hallen‐ gren told Dagens Nyheter. “It’s not over, but as we know it in terms of quick changes and restrictions it is,” she said, adding that Covid‐ 19 would no longer be classified as a danger to society. As of Wednesday February 9, bars and restaurants will be allowed to stay open af‐ ter 11pm again, and with no limits on the number of guests. Attendance limits for larg‐ er indoor venues were also lifted, as was the use of vaccine passes.
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Sting sells music rights IN the latest such move by a top musician, Sting has re‐ portedly sold his entire music catalogue to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). Sting’s whole musical back‐ catalogue includes his solo work, plus everything written and recorded with his hugely successful band The Police. The deal is believed to include both Sting’s music publishing and recorded music cata‐ logues, although no financial details were divulged. In a statement, Sting said, “It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work has a home where it is valued and respected. Not only to connect with long‐time fans in new ways, but also to intro‐ duce my songs to new audi‐ ences, musicians and genera‐ tions.” “Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and suc‐ cessful relationship with UMG as my label partner, so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”
MUSIC CATALOGUE: Includes his solo work as well as from the band.
Mount Etna erupts again MOUNT ETNA volcano, on the Italian island of Sicily, erupted again early on the morning of February 10. Ac‐ cording to the Italian Nation‐ al Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the eruption occurred inside the southeast crater area, caus‐ ing a slight and discontinu‐ ous ash shower. The recorded tremors came from a depth of around 3,000 metres above sea level, reaching average values. A forecast model pre‐ dicted the volcanic plume would travel in a south‐ westerly direction.
Vincenzo Bellini airport in Catania remained fully oper‐ ational. Since 1980, the northeast crater of Etna, at 3,324 me‐ tres, was considered the highest of the Sicilian vol‐ cano. Before its edges gradu‐ ally eroded, the crater actu‐ ally reached a maximum height of 3,350 metres in 1981. Over a six‐month period in 2021, it erupted so much vol‐ canic material that its height increased by approximately 100 feet, making the south‐ eastern crater now the tallest part of the volcano.
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FEATURE
Electric Palace WHEN you walk into Costa Blanca’s hottest venue, Benidorm Palace, there is an instant ‘WOW factor’; from the entrance down to the décor, from the tabletop lighting to the amazing LED screens, the place looks wonderful. And on Sunday, February 13 at 8.30pm the place wasn’t just wonderful, it was electric! E LO A g a i n ‐ a n E l e c t r i c Light Orchestra tribute act from the UK who are in their 10th year ‐ graced the stage at the Palace in front of a sold‐out crowd. In fact, tick‐ ets sold at record‐breaking speed and for good reason. I t w a s E LO A g a i n ’ s f i r s t time at the Palace and the venue had a brilliant buzz about it on the night before Valentine’s Day. Ahead of the event, lead singer Colin Smith, who per‐ forms as the legendary band’s frontman Jeff Lynne, t o l d Eu r o W e e k l y N e w s : “We’ve performed across Eu‐ rope in Germany and Poland and I’d heard about the Benidorm Palace from other great acts who had per‐ formed there before, who said what an amazing place it is.” He was not wrong! Alongside Colin, the band ‐ dressed in white ‐ was formed of violinist Ruth, cel‐ list Izzy and pianist Pete, with Andy on strings, Steve on bass and joining them for the first time, 24‐year‐old Joe on drums. The band ded‐ icated their performance to Lou Clark from the original ELO. It was a year ago to the day that Clark sadly passed away. As Andy told EWN be‐ fore the show, Lou Clark was so special to the band be‐ cause he wrote all of the string parts, giving ELO that unique sound fans still love to this day.
BENIDORM PALACE: The venue had a brilliant buzz about it on the night before Valentine’s Day.
ELO AGAIN: The band received a standing ovation at the end of their spectacular show.
As the band rocked the Palace, the crowd sang all the songs and danced along as the band made their way through their hits including Don’t Bring Me Down, Tele‐ phone Line and Last Train to London. All to the backdrop of the breathtaking visuals displayed on the spectacular
LED panels. In fact, the LED panels be‐ hind drummer Joe and to ei‐ ther side of the stage were m a d e f o r a n E LO t r i b u t e show. As Colin told EWN: “We put on a big production with lighting and screens. It’s a very exciting and energetic show.” And he was right,
their stellar performance was definitely enhanced by the Palace’s high‐tech pan‐ elling system. Andy even said that the E LO A g a i n l o g o h a d n e v e r looked so good! But it wasn’t just the video panels that stood out. One star of the group shone
brightly. Ruth, the talented violinist, was extremely impressive with her performance. She oozed confidence as she commanded the stage and when she sang, the packed Palace lit up. After a quick break, the band re‐emerged wearing darker colours, which was in stark contrast to their light upbeat songs. And as the hits kept rolling in, the crowd started rocking out. Fans danced in the aisles and clapped their hands to the songs, and when Colin called upon them to sing, the Palace crowd duly obliged. A beautiful tribute to Ian Forrest from Benidorm Dog Homing charity, who sadly passed away on January 15, led to a huge round of ap‐ plause. Benidorm Palace has hosted many Save My Life fundraiser events for the charity, which help abused, abandoned and sick dogs, and Ian was due to be in at‐ tendance among a table of 1 0 f o r t h e E LO A g a i n c o n ‐ cert. Benidorm Palace owner Christine Climent spoke high‐ ly of Ian and the band heart‐ warmingly dedicated their hit song, Mr Blue Sky, to the much‐loved man. As Mr Blue Sky played, Christine grinned from ear to ear as she surveyed the hap‐ py crowd. A wonderful sight to see. The band received a stand‐ ing ovation as they closed out a spectacular show in the seaside resort. Those in attendance praised the show, calling it “fantastic”, “brilliant” and “superb”. Overall, it was an electric night of music and entertain‐ ment. ELO Again rocked and the brilliant Benidorm Palace bounced once again.
www.benidormpalace.com
NEWS
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17 - 23 February 2022
EWN 29
30 EWN
17 - 23 February 2022
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EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Rocky start
Top 10
JUST a month after the first spade moved earth to mark construction of the artificial island in Copenhagen harbour, it has been revealed that the first phase alone is going to overshoot the budget by some 66 per cent, an additional cost equivalent to €27 million.
THE Danes seem to relish international polls which show them to be in the top 10 and this time it’s the 2021 Democracy Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit where Denmark ranks six, although it was beaten by neighbours Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland.
THE NETHERLANDS Janssen vaccine
Blind eye
AFRICAN countries are worried that a decision by Johnson & Johnson to temporarily stop production of the Janssen vaccine and switch to production of a more lucrative vaccine in Holland will mean that they will not receive the number of doses ordered, but Janssen say they have large stocks.
FOUR Dutch police unions who are campaigning for a new pay and conditions agreement have urged their members not to issue fines to clubs and cafes which opened late on Saturday February 12 in defiance of the coronavirus rules.
BELGIUM Top dogs
Beer money
THE most popular names for dogs registered in the Belgian province of Flanders were Max for males and Luna for females, although with a total of 113,000 canines added to the 2021 database Dog ID, the number of different names was enormous.
BELGIUM is famous for the number of beers it produces, but there is bad news for lovers of the hop as prices are rising steeply due to a surge in the wholesale cost of aluminium which has rebounded to 2008 levels, so canned beer is rising also.
GERMANY Child abuse
Charging points
WHILST not accepting personal blame, frail former Pope Benedict has admitted in a letter issued by lawyers that errors occurred in handling sexual abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich, adding that he felt profound shame, deep sorrow and sought forgiveness.
ACCORDING to the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA) the country is likely to be way behind its target of installing one million charging points for electric cars by 2030, as it needs to fit 2,000 each week, but currently manages just 250.
FRANCE Freedom convoy
Les Hijabeuses
APPARENTLY inspired by the Canadian freedom convoy, some 200 vehicles are setting off from Nice en route to Paris and then Brussels in order to protest about the imposition of the need to show Covid passports to enter premises, whilst more set out from Perpignan.
A GROUP of 100 women planned to play a game of football outside the National Assembly building in Paris wearing hijabs, to show their disagreement with a proposed law which would ban wearing the covering whilst playing sport, but the protest was itself banned.
NORWAY Bank row
Unmasked
IT was assumed that NATO would ask current chief Jens Stoltenberg to extend his role due to the Ukraine crisis, thus diverting controversy over being appointed Head of the Norwegian Central Bank, this was not to be and questions about his new job are being asked.
THE Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that as all members of crew and passengers on its vessels have to be double vaccinated, it will, from next month no-longer require passengers to wear face masks on board, although they may do so if they wish.
EUROPEAN PRESS
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EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND
Retirement age
Dark supermarket
PENSIONERS in the UK will be jealous of the fact that the average age of retirement in 2021 was 62.4 years and that is an increase of six months over 2020, because for some reason, significantly fewer people took disability retirement.
CONSUMERS who were required to stay at home during the pandemic lockdown have become used to ordering groceries online which has been good for the main Finnish supermarkets but now, Norwegian delivery company Oda has entered the market delivering from a central warehouse direct to homes.
IRELAND Let’s go Lego
Child care
DUBLIN will be the site of the first Irish Lego store which is due to open this summer. According to the company it will feature the ‘Retailtainment’ concept which blends physical and digital experiences that allow shoppers to enjoy the bricks and create personalised products.
AN unexpected problem in the child care sector has been caused by the ongoing return to work of parents who have been working from home and caring for youngsters, as there is now a critical shortage of spaces in creches and nurseries.
ITALY Curling triumph
Michelangelo first
MUCH to the surprise of many who follow international curling and perhaps even to the Italian mixed doubles pair of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, the couple won Italy’s first ever Winter Olympics Gold medal in Beijing, whilst the GB team could only finish fourth.
FOR the first time, three Pietà sculptures by Michelangelo will be displayed together in an exhibition at the Museo Opera del Duomo in Florence, from February 24 until August 1, 2022. Included will be the Bandini Pietà, from Florence's cathedral museum, with casts from two in the Vatican.
PORTUGAL Housing shortage
Record cod
DUE to an acute shortage of residential property for rent, the Portuguese Government announced that it would, under certain defined circumstances, purchase private houses in selected areas of the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto which it will then rent out at affordable prices.
AN unusual ceremony took place in Lisbon when a representative of Guinness World Records presented Norwegian cod producer Jangaard with a certificate confirming it had produced the largest ever Bacalhau (salted cod) ever. Portugal is one of the largest producers and consumers of this delicacy in the world.
RUSSIA Minecraft terrorists
Monkey business
THREE Siberian teenagers who were 14 at the time they were arrested have been sentenced to prison by a Russian court for terrorist activity, which included a plot to blow up a virtual Federal Security Services building in the popular online game Minecraft.
WHAT started out as a vote to choose a new mascot for Novosibirsk Zoo deteriorated into a farce, as a supporter of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny chose Batu the orangutang as the candidate most suited, but after alleged rigged voting for a snow leopard the competition was scrapped.
SWEDEN Google scrap
Sick list
SWEDISH price comparison firm PriceRunner is suing Google for an estimated €2.1 billion claiming it is promoting its own shopping comparisons in search results contrary to a 2017 EU ruling. Google will contest arguing that as the company doesn’t advertise with them it will drop down the list.
IT has been revealed by Swedish Radio News that with a quarter of the team running the Rix payment system at the Bank of Sweden absent due to sickness or quarantine, the system which covers all non-cash transactions between banks was at risk of being hacked.
17 - 23 February 2022
EWN 31
FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Foreign relations LATEST foreign dignitary to be wel‐ comed to Spain by President Sanchez was Chairman of the Pres‐ idency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic on February 9 to dis‐ cuss their economic relationship as well as potential membership of the European Union in the future.
UK economy DESPITE gloomy predictions, the UK economy bounced back in 2021 with growth of 7.5 per cent even though December saw a slight reduction caused by Omi‐ cron. This is the best growth rate since 1941, although it still hasn’t got back to 2019 figures.
Easy export A UKRAINIAN based company No‐ va Poshta Global, is encouraging residents there to visit its website to order goods from Spain which it will then deliver. It appears that there is a better choice of goods at cheaper prices than can be ob‐ tained in Ukrainian shops.
Vodafone bid AS Vodafone UK, one of the coun‐ try’s major suppliers of mobile phone technology, looks to merge with other European suppliers, it has just rejected an €11.4 billion takeover bid from an Italian con‐ sortium as not being in sharehold‐ ers’ best financial interests.
Organic takeover ALVINESA NATURAL INGREDI‐ ENTS, an industry leader in its pro‐ duction process based on circular economy principles, has an‐ nounced the acquisition of Cades Penedes. Based in Penedes, one of the most renowned wine‐producing regions in Spain it is the leading Catalan manufacturer of sustain‐ able ingredients. Alvinesa markets a wide range of natural ingredients made from grape pomace (skin and pips) for use in the food, beverage, nutri‐ tion, animal feed and oenology in‐ dustries, so the acquisition of Cades Penedes provides Alvinesa with access to a source of raw ma‐ terials from high‐quality organically produced grapes.
34
www.euroweeklynews.com • 17 - 23 February 2022
STAT OF WEEK
€40 billion
is the current value of energy supplier Naturgy, which plans to recreate itself as two separate companies on the Spanish stock exchange.
I’m old not stupid petition ‘I’M old not stupid’ is the headline of a petition by Spanish pensioner Car‐ los San Juan, a 78‐year‐old man who is asking for more humane treatment in bank branches. The retired Valencian doctor sim‐ ply explained on change.org “I am al‐ most 80 years old and it makes me very sad to see that banks have for‐ gotten older people like me. “Now almost everything is online... and not all of us understand ma‐ chines. We do not deserve this exclu‐ sion. That is why I am calling for more humane treatment at bank branch‐ es.”
He went on to complain that more and more bank branches were being closed and it was becoming increas‐ ingly necessary to use difficult to un‐ derstand cash machines to do more than simply withdraw cash. Perhaps unexpectedly, he was in‐ vited to visit the Ministry of Finance in Madrid to discuss the matter and he arrived to much excitement from the press on Tuesday February 8 ac‐ companied by 610,000 signatures. Following this he was surprised and delighted that Minister Nadia Calviño came to talk to him and she promised that something would be
LEGALLY SPEAKING
done and even gave an undertaking that this would happen by the end of February. Next on the agenda was a walk past a number of Spanish banks fol‐ lowed by the press, a call to the Bank of Spain and then a meeting with the three banking associations who also promised to take action to review the situation. This seems to have had some im‐ mediate success as already San‐ tander has announced that it would extend personal appointments from 10am to 1pm, so for once, people power seems to be working.
Where there’s a will…
Can he stop drain? We live in a rented ground floor apartment and we have a neighbour who lives above us who al‐ so rents their apartment. When they water the plants on their balcony the dirty water pours onto our patio from the drain hole. I have spoken with them on several occasions but they just ig‐ nore this. I have contacted the rental agent and the Man‐ agement company of the apartment block. They have written to the owner of the apartment above but the situ‐ ation still exists. What should I do to stop the dirty water from falling on to our patio? I attach emails from the Man‐ agement company. This will be the third time they said they would contact the owner. G H (Costa Blanca) You seem DAVID SEARL to be un‐ aware that you live YOU AND THE LAW in a registered Com‐ IN SPAIN munity of Property Owners. This community is regulated by Spain’s Law of Horizontal Property. Its chief officer is the president elected by vote at the Annual General Meeting. Your owner is a member. Your way forward is to contact your owner and explain the problem. Perhaps the president can help. The drain is supposed to connect directly to the main downpipe, not flood onto the terrace below. The owner of the flat above may be held responsible. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
IT is expected that on February 22 the Spanish cabinet will approve an in‐ crease in the minimum wage back‐ dated to January 1. Newspaper reports concerning the actual amount involved have been confusing with some stating the amount will be €1,000 per month and others €1,167, but surprisingly both figures are correct depending on how many months there are in a year.
Contact Golden Leaves today.
WHILE planning for the good things in life may be easier to face, it’s important to put plans in place for the bad times too and that’s where Golden Leaves can help you and your loved ones. Golden Leaves have made it their mission to relieve those abroad of the burden and distress of trying to organ‐ ise a funeral in another country in a different language ‐ making them the perfect place for expats to get advice and set up their pre‐paid funeral plan. Their friendly team will help you every step of the way in planning your funeral ‐ from expert advice, transparent pre‐paid plans, knowledge on the different types of funer‐ als and even song choices ‐ giving you and those closest to you peace of mind. To find the right pre‐paid funeral plan for you and to help your family when the time comes, contact Golden Leaves today. For more information, visit their website: www.goldenleavesinternational.com, send an email to info@goldenleavesinternational.com, or call for free on 800 098 309.
Minimum wage explained The actual annual amount is to be €14,000 which if divided by 12 con‐ verts to the higher figure, but many companies and organisations in Spain work on a 14 month year as they give bonuses in summer and at Christmas. Taking the latter calculation, the in‐ crease is €35 per month when com‐
pared to the 2021 figure and is actual‐ ly €4 a month more than originally anticipated in order for the govern‐ ment to meet the unions’ demands of €1,000. When the government came into power in 2018, it stated its intention to increase the minimum wage to be 60 per cent of the average annual
Poundland grows ALTHOUGH at one time ap‐ pearing to be suffering finan‐ cially, Poundland (which now sells some goods at more than one pound) has bounced back and has just opened a new flagship store in Nottingham. It’s three times bigger than the average Poundland store at 18,000 square feet and will employ some 75 new mem‐ bers of staff whilst stocking the shop with a large range of frozen food as well as a num‐ ber of new ranges only avail‐ able there. If successful the plan is to open more larger outlets across the country and as in this case, taking over proper‐ ties previously run by now defunct companies such as Arcadia.
Mental health AROUND one in four workers in Spain (27 per cent) are con‐ sidering leaving their job this year, mainly due to mental health reasons or economic conditions. This percentage is higher than the 23 per cent recorded in 2021, according to an Info‐ Jobs survey. For workers thinking of quitting, the main reasons for leaving their jobs are mental health (32 per cent), econom‐ ic conditions (27 per cent), the desire to do something different (26 per cent) and work‐life balance (24 per cent). Mental and physical health become the main reasons for leaving the workplace among older employees. wage in the country and although it has upped the minimum annually from an original starting base of €735 it still has a long way to go. Not unsurprisingly, the employers’ associations opposed the increase ar‐ guing that the economy would not be able to support this additional cost which will benefit nearly two million workers, but will have to comply with the decision.
36 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
17 - 23 February 2022
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C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 14
COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.309,50 1.356,00 Abrdn 236,90 241,40 Admiral Group 3.027,5 3.033,0 Anglo American 3.500,0 3.560,5 Antofagasta 1.342,00 1.369,50 Ashtead Group 4.832,0 4.891,0 Associated British Foods 1.862,5 1.882,0 AstraZeneca 8.335,0 8.467,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 634,20 641,60 Avast 624,80 625,20 Aveva 2.640,0 2.693,0 Aviva 433,35 437,80 B&M European Value Retail SA575,60 576,40 BAE Systems 601,00 606,20 Bank VTB DRC 1,026 1,072 Barclays 196,92 199,60 Barratt Developments 610,80 617,80 Berkeley 4.063,0 4.070,0 BHP Group 2.520,00 2.537,50 BP 405,10 417,15 British American Tobacco 3.420,0 3.430,0 British Land Company 537,60 538,60 BT Group 194,05 197,20 Bunzl 2.649,0 2.685,0 Burberry Group 1.942,5 1.968,0 Carnival 1.472,2 1.492,2 Centrica 77,78 78,56 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.405,0 2.469,0 Compass 1.771,50 1.784,00 CRH 3.652,0 3.703,0 Croda Intl 7.262,0 7.300,0 DCC 6.336,0 6.388,0 Diageo 3.644,8 3.681,2 DS Smith 368,10 374,40 EasyJet 682,23 685,40 Experian 2.829,0 2.879,0 Ferguson 10.835,0 10.975,0 Flutter Entertainment 11.020,0 11.160,0 Fresnillo 644,28 648,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.611,60 1.620,20 Glencore 411,55 417,15 Halma 2.333,0 2.350,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.317,50 1.329,00 Hikma Pharma 1.950,50 1.966,00 HSBC 556,50 559,90 IAG 163,63 164,60 Imperial Brands 1.799,29 1.819,00 Informa 604,00 605,00 InterContinental 4.999,0 5.024,0
% CHG. 1.305,50 235,20 3.003,5 3.484,5 1.332,50 4.790,0 1.849,5 8.287,0 628,20 616,60 2.614,0 430,50 566,80 595,20 1,012 194,50 605,80 4.021,0 2.509,00 403,65 3.370,0 532,00 192,15 2.644,0 1.921,5 1.450,8 77,40 2.390,0 1.747,00 3.631,0 7.186,0 6.304,0 3.623,2 365,80 663,40 2.818,0 10.770,0 10.860,0 616,00 1.602,80 408,45 2.313,0 1.308,50 1.935,50 552,40 159,44 1.778,00 592,60 4.950,0
NET VOL 131,31K 763,80K 6,10K 51,63K 126,13K 114,93K 298,55K 495,02K 260,44K 812,35K 73,50K 1,53M 377,48K 1,32M 404,82K 11,61M 451,91K 30,75K 899,78K 3,35M 1,11M 153,20K 3,33M 41,90K 138,50K 559,39K 5,33M 144,10K 343,92K 169,35K 23,75K 14,08K 46,97K 291,14K 1,53M 293,83K 103,23K 55,87K 415,03K 1,18M 4,29M 100,95K 233,15K 52,85K 5,28M 10,97M 469,82K 507,47K 54,59K
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 Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Shell 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
1.776,50 5.110,0 121,00 277,90 1.721,5 784,60 275,80 52,12 6.836,0 746,40 153,85 1.856,00 1.084,60 243,00 7.134,0 28,44 1.257,00 2.411,6 656,46 1.176,50 5.890,0 2.239,00 493,30 624,40 5.681,0 116,20 7,36 671,20 1.525,00 13,19 3.251,0 1.035,50 1.219,00 2.838,0 2.012,0 1.205,50 1.522,00 11.980,0 1.521,50 1.497,00 536,40 151,00 296,60 268,90 3.853,5 1.051,50 135,84 3.140,6 1.189,50
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
1.794,00 5.166,0 122,35 281,10 1.762,0 786,20 278,30 52,92 6.962,0 747,18 155,70 1.902,50 1.096,20 248,20 7.154,0 28,44 1.290,50 2.426,3 663,60 1.202,00 5.906,0 2.269,00 501,60 632,60 5.749,0 117,70 7,55 679,60 1.536,00 13,51 3.291,0 1.062,50 1.233,00 2.859,0 2.045,0 1.206,00 1.524,50 12.085,0 1.535,00 1.519,50 544,60 151,10 297,60 278,10 3.897,5 1.062,50 137,72 3.176,0 1.194,00
1.757,49 5.090,0 120,30 276,60 1.702,0 776,00 271,70 51,41 6.830,0 737,62 151,50 1.842,50 1.083,40 240,40 7.074,0 27,97 1.249,50 2.388,4 652,60 1.156,50 5.836,0 2.236,00 490,50 620,40 5.641,0 113,64 7,20 669,40 1.514,50 13,08 3.226,0 1.028,30 1.218,00 2.835,0 1.999,0 1.191,00 1.506,00 11.900,0 1.517,50 1.489,00 532,00 148,65 295,20 263,20 3.834,0 1.051,50 135,40 3.112,9 1.181,00
8,34K 17,38K 1,75M 330,57K 103,98K 249,96K 4,04M 60,19M 37,43K 4,17K 862,74K 216,61K 488,70K 5,24M 37,34K 374,82K 187,00K 75,38K 275,60K 914,79K 173,88K 564,25K 781,00K 187,71K 506,32K 11,91M 423,44K 252,82K 5,38K 2,28M 37,24K 736,38K 236,62K 29,25K 2,79M 258,02K 78,91K 10,30K 305,51K 4,27K 1,33M 1,21M 1,64M 3,54M 790,43K 168,88K 13,47M 13,59K 383,75K
1.19395
0.83751
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1315 Japan yen (JPY)........................................130.36 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0461 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4401 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.075
currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
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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 159,54 191,81 228,20 168,64 212,30 201,24 138,81 53,90 60,29 61,09 363,06 350,29 186,99 132,69 47,63 167,71 153,92 255,16 76,64 295,04 140,18 156,29 207,90 171,76 478,13 53,32 224,69 48,70 135,33 149,47
CHANGE 161,60 197,20 231,47 173,08 221,42 204,65 139,44 55,09 61,98 61,91 374,90 357,34 192,89 134,71 49,11 170,15 158,19 258,76 77,90 304,29 145,05 158,58 219,93 173,95 490,43 53,46 229,10 49,98 137,18 154,69
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 158,80 3,59M 190,45 4,59M 228,15 3,54M 168,04 93,13M 210,27 11,37M 200,13 3,80M 136,28 12,69M 53,77 19,83M 60,15 19,42M 60,35 6,02M 360,77 3,06M 348,56 3,24M 186,55 5,30M 132,38 4,08M 47,50 36,97M 167,54 13,10M 152,97 15,47M 254,73 3,58M 76,17 9,06M 294,22 38,87M 139,56 6,42M 155,58 8,47M 206,11 8,03M 170,89 1,45M 476,44 2,48M 52,70 18,82M 223,54 7,52M 48,41 7,90M 134,16 7,88M 148,56 17,68M M - MILLION DOLLARS
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COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+62.06% +25.95% +23.26% +23.08% +21.84% +21.24% +21.08% +20.06% +19.23% +18.85% +18.70%
2.55M 12.29M 2.24M 131.65M 270.02K 329.74K 3.67M 77.67K 4.17M 1.92M 16.69K
-75.35% -50.12% -49.03% -45.57% -45.45% -41.36% -34.24% -33.70% -27.54% -27.44% -27.27%
35.54M 2.90M 18.70M 34.53M 2.85M 1.25M 1.14M 105.39M 1.32M 56.47M 1.36M
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Watching over you
Credit: Mike Mackenzie flickr
TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT: Al will be used to track assets.
BIG BROTHER will be watch‐ ing you through the Spanish Tax Agency as the Ministry of Finance unveiled its Annual Tax and Customs Control Plan. Basically, having been slapped on the wrist by the European Court of Justice over disproportionate fines for not declaring overseas as‐ sets and with the likelihood of having to amend the legis‐ lation, the left‐leaning gov‐ ernment has come up with a new plan. Still determined to crack down on the hiding of assets abroad, the government in‐ tends to invest in expanding the technological strength of the Tax Agency in order to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to try to detect attempts to either defraud or avoid pay‐ ing tax. In theory, this is aimed at wealthy Spanish individuals and companies who use tax havens and other financial loopholes to either avoid tax
or to hide their overseas as‐ sets, many of which are be‐ lieved to currently be based in Andorra or Portugal which are more generous as far as taxation is concerned. It won’t just be traditional assets that will be on the Tax Agency radar as it expects and intends to track holdings of cryptocurrency which is why new technology has to be introduced (as are laws concerning companies trad‐ ing in these ‘currencies’ in Spain) as many holders are protected by the complexity surrounding their undeclared assets. It looks as if expatriates who formed a significant number of people penalised by Modelo 720 fines will not in the first instance be under the Tax Agency microscope unless they have significant holdings overseas, but once the AI is working efficiently (and this could take some time) then who knows what could follow.
Amazon grocery arm AS the grocery arm of Amazon in the UK continues to grow, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) there has decided that the company as well as any subsidiaries must now comply with the Gro‐ ceries Supply Code of Practice. This requirement which applies to all grocery re‐ tailers with an annual turnover in excess of £1 bil‐ lion must be fair to their suppliers and must not try to change contracts at unreasonably short no‐ tice. In addition, they are required to explain the rea‐ son for dropping any supplier and give them suffi‐ cient advance notice of their intention to terminate thus allowing the supplier to find other outlets.
BUSINESS EXTRA Greater control SPAIN, in the form of Economy Minister Nadia Calviño, wants more con‐ trol over setting its own fiscal targets rather than having the eurozone dic‐ tate goals on borrowing in order to protect the value of the euro, espe‐ cially now with so much post pandemic debt.
Russian imports DESPITE the tension be‐ tween Russia and Spain caused by the Ukraine sit‐ uation, there is still a huge amount of business between the two coun‐ tries especially to the benefit of the Spanish economy according to Ambassador Marcos Gomez Martinez with ris‐ ing exports of wine, olive oil and industrial equip‐ ment.
Looking good DUTCH Bank ING sees strong signs of growth for the Spanish economy in the second quarter of 2022 despite the fact that Omicron stifled tourism in the first quarter but with more visitors mean‐ ing more jobs and greater public investment, the only foreseeable down‐ side is rising inflation.
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LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT OF one thing we can all be assured ‐ none of us will emerge unscathed from the life altering events of the last couple of years! It truly is akin to slowly emerging from some kind of surreal nightmare. How easily we came to accept stipulations and rulings that a few short months earlier would have been confined to the fictional script of a Stephen King horror movie. Can you recall that first lockdown in Wuhan; with masked inhabitants and the Chinese police enforcing the curfew and manning barriers to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the town? I remember turning to a friend and derisively observing that it would be interesting to see the reaction if they dared to try anything like that over here! Just how wrong can you be? Within weeks, following horror stories of Chinese bodies piling up in the streets and rumours of an unknown killer virus on the rampage, we almost incredulously began to witness similar scenarios evolving in the West. One particular series of occurrences was the most traumatising of all ‐ people had actually begun to die! Hospitals
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Lest we forget! quickly began to overflow. Images of ambulance medics and hospital staff clad in suits only previously observed after nuclear radiation leaks began to appear in the media. Fear, particularly of the unknown, motivated a rapidly growing terrified public to passively comply with a whole host of rules and regulations. Dissenters who insisted that their human rights were being violated were quickly brought into line by new emergency rules and threats of serious punishment for non‐ compliance. Confusion reigned. Toilet rolls were at a premium! Even world leaders were at odds with each other’s opinions as to the seriousness of the situation. Conspiracy theorists abounded. We then became a part of the most extraordinary surreal event of all ‐ a scenario only previously envisaged in the writings of science fiction ‐ total lockdown. And it truly did appear to be the end of society as we knew it. The most vulnerable cowered behind closed doors, while young volunteers and members of their families ventured out for supplies, many of which were then
carefully bleached before being stored away. For families living in confined home facilities, particularly those with children, it became a living nightmare. Personally I was one of the ‘privileged,’ able to walk a short distance with the dog. Those daily outings were rather like furtively slinking through an eerie twilight zone; somewhat comparable to a deserted film set. On one of my excursions I was in fact pulled up by the police, who sternly requested my ID and address. I meekly obliged, but when you consider I was simply walking my dog, you get some idea of just how subservient and acquiescent to the authorities we had actually become. As we slowly and hopefully emerge from this horrifying pandemic, one thing has been made abundantly clear; when push comes to shove, the authorities have many vays and means of controlling us all! Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com. 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.
FEATURE
TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp
Inventing Anna : Fake heiress cons NY’s elite INVENTING ANNA follows the true story of a fake heiress who conned her way into the lives, and the parties, of New York’s elite. Inventing Anna tells the sto‐ ry of how Anna Sorokin (better known as her fake name, An‐ na Delvey) pretended to be a German heiress to defraud hundreds of thousands of dol‐ lars from banks, hotels and wealthy friends. This nine‐part drama has a critic rating of 58 per cent and an audience rating of 28 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and, I have to say, I expected more from this Netflix series. Anna Delvey’s story went under the radar in New York at first, be‐ fore her antics were covered by journalist Vivian Kent (based on the real journalist who picked up the story, Jessi‐ ca Pressler) at ‘Manhattan Magazine’ (New York Maga‐ zine). Vivian secretly visits Anna at Rikers Island where she is be‐ ing held until her trial, and the
story begins. I remember being enthralled when I first read about Anna Delvey running around in the circles of Man‐ hattan’s super‐rich and jump‐ ing from hotel to hotel without paying the huge bills she had accumulated living her fake lavish lifestyle. I read the Vani‐ ty Fair article written by one of Anna’s former friends Rachel Deloache Williams and I would say I found reading about An‐ na slightly more riveting than this long‐winded drama. I felt the series focused too much on Vivian Kent rather than Anna herself, as she was clearly an intriguing person. Vi‐ vian is still an interesting char‐ acter, however, and her band of colleagues assisting her on the case are a humourous touch. Inventing Anna is still worthy of a watch if you want something to binge over a weekend (be warned, the episodes are around an hour‐ long), but this series fell short of the mark for me. Released on February 11.
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Heir Hunters Back in Time for... Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Yorkshire Firefighters Mastermind University Challenge Rise of the Nazis: Dictators at War
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Glacier Mountain Goats Lost Cities of the Ancients Around the World in Eighty Days The Promise The Promise Parkinson: The Interviews Young Ahmed Yes, Prime Minister
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The Birth of British Music Dance Passion 2022 Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra Dance: BBC Introducing Arts For Folks Sake! Morris Dancing and Me Inside America's Treasure House: The Met
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My Husband's Secret Life Celebrity 5 Go Barging 5 News at 5 Neighbours Celebrity Eggheads Digging Up Britain's Past 5 News Update The Queen's Guards: On Her Majesty's Service
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The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.
FEATURE
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CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD I AM all about showing up for things that you think are important. It is, in fact, why I write this column. I sit and I write what I feel so that other people can engage with those musings and hopefully connect in some way with them, whether they agree with me or not. I do it more for the people who will find something they will agree with though, be‐ cause I want to let those people know they aren’t alone in thinking or exist‐ ing in the world in the way that they do. When facism is on the rise again in almost every country in the world, is rife in media, and the same rhetoric is rehashed time and time again in the name of ‘free speech’, it is important for people to know they are not alone. That it isn’t everybody who wants to repeal rights and take things back to ‘the good old days’ of
17 - 23 February 2022
Showing up overt racism, sexism and hostility, and it isn’t ev‐ eryone that wants to kill the planet in the name of profit. It is also important to share your ethics and views because it is exact‐ ly what the people up‐ holding the status quo don’t want you to do. They don’t want people talking openly about their thoughts, experi‐ ences and visions for a better world because the more connections people make with each other over shared goals, the stronger those people be‐ come and the more tangi‐ ble the goals get. They don’t want people exist‐ ing openly in ways that deviate from the stan‐ dard, in case it inspires more people to be their individual selves and not hide away quietly. Like bosses who don’t want employees dis‐ cussing salaries, less they figure out they are worth
more, people with privi‐ lege don’t want anyone being open about any‐ thing that is different from the ‘norm’, in case they recruit more person‐ nel to the cause. Whether the people with the upper hand do this through blatant silencing of minorities, or more the more subtle “do what you wish, just don’t shove it in people’s faces,” it has the same aim. Don’t let people know there is another way that varies from the one we tell them about, because once that knowl‐ edge is out, it’s very hard to hide or back away. People being unapolo‐ getically themselves, when who they are and how they think is railed against, is a brave and revolutionary act. How many stories of radical change start with some variation of “I saw some‐ one who was like me standing up for them‐
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.
selves, and realised I could do it too?” And how many times have you heard those that
would rather people don’t stand up for them‐ selves, say “kids don’t need to learn about
EWN 41
that”, “that’s in the past and we should move on”, or “stop pushing your agenda at me?” These are all common phrases used to squash the sharing of informa‐ tion and the inspiration behind being different, make no mistake. Keep watch for them, and keep being different!
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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.
FIFTY BEDS AT Christmas Lesley Boreham started a fundraiser on Facebook called ‘A bed for Christmas’, for the dogs at Finca la Castellana Animal Welfare Centre, her target was 50 beds or €1,000. With lots of work and effort Lesley managed to raise €456 towards the cause, purchasing approximately 25 beds for some of the dogs currently living at the rescue centre. These beds are raised on legs, avoiding the cold coming through the beds and helping to keep the dogs extra cosy. Despite Lesley’s immense efforts, she did not manage to raise the full amount for 50 beds, the €1,000 target she had aimed for originally. Husband Richard, of Autolease Renting & Autocarga in Benijófar, stepped in and offered to match the amount already raised to make the €1,000 needed for the 50 beds! An amazing and generous gesture which we here at Finca la Castellana are extremely grateful for. Thank you to Lesley and Richard, and to all the people who either donated or bought these fantastic beds for all our dogs. Regards, Beccie.
Different rules Dear Euro Weekly,
KURT ZOUMA: Should he have been banned from playing?
Ian Kemp He should have been suspended, prosecuted and made to do community service... an example to young people people that animal abuse is totally unacceptable.
COSY BEDS: Raised on legs to avoid the cold.
Can someone please tell me why the Spanish are only targeting British people regarding the 90-day ruling when visiting Spain? This ruling has always been in place but never really been enforced, so why are the Germans, Southern Irish, French, Italians etc allowed to stay longer?
ONE STEP FORWARD AS more autonomous communities scrap the need to show a Covid passport to enter hospitality areas it seems that slowly but surely, we are coming to terms with the fact that whilst the coronavirus is here to stay, we have to learn to live with it rather than tr y to fight it tooth and nail. Perhaps the time has come to spend the next few weeks studying the effects in the UK and Sweden where effectively all restrictions have been removed, to see whether there is any significant rise in fatalities caused by the Omicron variant. So many people suffered when the most virulent variants arrived, but there is little doubt that many of the restrictions will have helped save lives even though the cost in mental health, economy and freedom were significant.
CORRECTIONS
From our Facebook
This is discrimination. I know of many people that have overstayed in Spain for many months from these countries. How can this be investigated, I would like some answers, but where from? Regards, Lesley
OUR VIEW
More and more people across the world are actively protesting about the restrictions that still exist and unless one believes that there is a global conspiracy to keep citizens under control, it seems sensible now to try to return to a type of pre-pandemic normality. If there is going to be a further wave of a new variant of the virus, it’s going to happen regardless and with all of the information gathered over the last two years, it shouldn’t be difficult to respond quickly and reintroduce safety measures if necessary. In the meantime, however, everyone and every business needs to be able to plan ahead so that we can all recover from the effects of the past two years and whilst things will never be completely normal, accept the virus in the same way that we accept flu and deal with it accordingly.
Sandra Park I detest what he did. He has been fined. He now knows that he is hated for it. He has to live with that. It won’t be easy. He should go and help at a rescue centre. Then he really will understand why the public have reacted so strongly. Then let him get on with his life.
Alison Kemp Animal cruelty is intolerable. Dreadful thing to do. He will have to live with what he has done and face the consequences.
Laura Margaret He should definitely be banned, animal cruelty has no place in the world and young people look up to footballers.
Janine Turner Go to West Ham page and kick up about this and message the club. Shocking.
Jo Ripley Should have been suspended for a lot longer without pay, which should have been donated to animal charities.
Garry Glennie How funny would it be if Leicester supporters threw soft toy cats onto the park during the game.
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
HEALTH & BEAUTY A STUDY from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Soci‐ ety discovered that older adults who participate in ex‐ ercises which engage the mind and body can show improvements in several im‐ portant characteristics of brain function including memory, learning and ver‐ bal affluence. Clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychi‐ atry and behavioural sci‐ ences, Neda Gould Phd, said of the findings: “A novel as‐ pect of this study is the way it combined several thera‐ pies that incorporate both the mind and the body.” Researchers found that tai chi, pilates and different forms of dance engage both the mind and body, keeping people healthy and improv‐ ing cognitive function. Researcher at the Univer‐ sity of Chinese Medicine in Guangzhou, Chunzhi Tang, said: “We found out that mind‐body exercises, espe‐ cially tai chi and dance, are beneficial for improving global cognition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, verbal fluency, and learning in cognitively intact or im‐
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The 3 exercises that benefit older brains paired older adults. “Moderate intensity is recommended as the opti‐ mal dose for older adults.” Moderate intensity is de‐ fined as 60 to 120 minutes of mind‐body exercise each week. Researchers noted that “Good executive function can help older adults make appropriate decisions, focus on important details, store information in working memory, and shift tasks.” These mind‐body exercis‐ es improve cognitive flexibil‐ ity ‐ one of the brain’s main functions ‐ defined as the brain multi‐tasking and thinking of multiple con‐ cepts at one time. Another is task shifting, which is being able to un‐ consciously shift our atten‐ tion from one task to anoth‐ er. These types of exercise can also help with balance
and body strength. For anyone who is looking to try new forms of exer‐ cise that help the mind, as well as the body, tai chi, pilates and dance have all proven to be the su‐ perior options for older brains.
Better options for older brains.
17 - 23 February 2022
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FEATURE
PARDON, WHAT A TURN UP FOR THE BOOKS! codswallop! But maybe another at‐ tempt to obliterate our cultural her‐ itage and replace it with woke interna‐ tionalist gibberish. ‘All things considered’, I think I use pretty much all of the above. However, I do find myself these days using other ‘endangered’ words and simple terms, such as: ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘male’, ‘fe‐ male’, ‘normal’, ‘commonsense’ etc. Maybe I’m just flogging a dead horse that I’m still using such terms? Just sayin’.
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
ACCORDING to a recent survey, tradi‐ tional phrases such as “know your onions” and “pearls before swine” are among those barely used by modern speakers and risk being sent to the, err, “knacker’s yard”. How I remember being drilled at pri‐ mary school in idioms like “too many cooks spoil the broth”, “a rolling stone gathers no moss” plus ‘“look before you leap” versus “he who hesitates is lost” ‐ which is more helpful? Discuss’, because part of the 11‐plus exam re‐ quired you to complete such sayings. Though I’m pretty sure “you can’t have your (Birthday) cake and eat it” will forever have a special meaning now for Boris… But the naval ones are the best. I re‐ member an aunt throwing open the curtains every winter morning, reveal‐ Nora Johnson’s opinions
TRADITIONAL PHRASES: Are hardly used these days by modern speakers.
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.
ing the Jack Frost on the windows and block”, “push the boat out”… saying, “Show a leg!” And, while you All so neat and economical, nothing were slumped in your chair day‐dream‐ wasted, like life on board, these phras‐ ing, teachers saying: “Look lively!” or es were passed from sailors to their “Jump to it!” families, their local areas and spread Later at work, you’d hear “nail your across the nation. And though they colours to the mast”, “showing your took on meanings beyond the sea, the true colours”, a “shot across their original ones remained at their core. bows”. Not to mention: “cut and run”, How on earth do people make them‐ To read more articles from our columnists “broad in the beam”, “touch and go”, selves understood nowadays without and to have your say in the comments go “by and large”, “sailing close to the this fantastic short‐hand? to www.euroweeklynews.com wind”, “copper‐bottomed”, “chock‐a‐ It’s such a huge loss and a load of are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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 maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, green‐ grocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent businesses in your area. Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities what they are. They add unique character. They are convenient. And they offer excellent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping lo‐
cally means that independent businesses can support the local community. You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually going? By shopping locally 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 generations 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 locally will make a real dif‐ ference to the local economy. Local busi‐ nesses recirculate a greater share of ev‐ ery euro they receive at local level. They create locally owned supply chains and they invest in their employees. So remember. When you go shopping ‐ go local!
SOCIAL SCENE
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Creative journalling class
17 - 23 February 2022
Fridays at the Palace THE ‘Joaquin Chapaprieta’ Municipal Institute of Cul‐ ture presents the third edi‐ tion of the Fridays at the Palace Jazz Season at the Palacio de la Musica in Tor‐ revieja. From February until June, Fridays will be a day to en‐ joy a variety of styles and exceptional performers from the fabulous world of Jazz. The concerts begin at 9pm, are all free of charge and tickets can be collected on the week of the perfor‐ mance from the Centro Cul‐ tural Virgen del Carmen.
GET CREATIVE: Make a unique keepsake or snippets to use as decorations.
ON Thursday, March 10, Elipacrafts will be holding a class on the ways you can create a beautiful journal. The event will be held at Elipacrafts on Calle Los Arcos in Rojales at 2pm until 4pm. The class will cost €15.00 per person and includes all materials to learn a vari‐ ety of different ways to get creative with your journalling such as how to scrapbook, make lists, keep your mem‐
ories and create personal ephemera. You will make a unique keepsake for journalling or storing photos alongside making snippets to use as decorations or pockets. If you would like to book places for the class you can call 865 756 320 or WhatsApp 688 795 187. All of the event information is also on the Elipacrafts Facebook page.
EWN 51
The programme is as fol‐ lows: February 18: Randy Greer Sings Nat King Cole. March 4: O’Sister. April 22: Andres Santos Stationband/Why Worry?
May 13: Four In Orbit. June 17: Oliver Franc Plays Sidney Bechet. These concerts will satis‐ fy both the most knowl‐ edgeable audience and the casual listener.
PETS Care for pets at home is easy if you plan ahead 52
IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sit‐ ters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in par‐ ticular may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐ sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get
www.euroweeklynews.com • 17 - 23 February 2022
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ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a home‐ owner on HouseSit Match. com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help on‐ line when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit ad‐ vert stating your plans for your next holiday Covid permitting Do you need a pet‐sit‐ ter in 2022? Then get
started right now. How does it work? HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sit‐ ters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimoni‐ als ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sit‐ ter… HouseSitMatch found
us a perfect house‐sitter while we were away in Canada and we were de‐ lighted with the care and attention that HouseSit‐ Match took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.co m ‐ Choose a member‐ ship plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with sup‐ port at each step) = £89 pa
Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com.
Advertising Feature
Early diagnosis of cancer in pets CANCER is a disease that tends to have a better progno‐ sis the earlier it is diagnosed. It is important for pet own‐ ers to know the signs. Signs of cancer in cats and dogs include: • Persistent or abnormal swelling. • Non healing wounds. • Loss of weight and/or loss of appetite. • Bleeding or abnormal discharge from any body opening. • Difficulty eating or swallowing. • Lethargy or weakness. • Persistent lameness or stiffness. • Coughing or difficulty breathing • Changes in bathroom habits, difficulty urinating or defecating. • Evidence of pain. • If you see any of these signs, you should go to the vet. A physical exam, blood tests, X‐rays, CT and MRI will be necessary. Once diagnosed, it is important to resort to advanced diagnostic techniques, whether they are specific analyses and advanced imaging techniques. For example, one of the most common are breast tumours. Before surgery, it is convenient to rule out metastasis. These tend to occur more frequently in the lungs. Many times a simple x‐ray is not enough. To detect a metasta‐ sis by radiography, it must be at least half a centimetre. In contrast, a CT scan can detect metastases as small as a millimetre. This is important for the prognosis. In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante C/Los Arcos 23 Ciudad Quesada, Rojales. Tel: 609 779 109
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EWN 59
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INSURANCE
CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS
BUILDING SERVICES J & J PAINTERS. Inside outside - clean - fast low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (290728) BUILDER, ARCHITECT, NEW HOUSES, EXTENSIONS, PLANNING PERMISSIONS, 697834934 (295169)
BUY & SELL PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
CARS FOR SALE
South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www. aa-costablanca.org (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com. (10006) FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meetings up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477) HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegaba ja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emer-
CARS WANTED CARE HOME CARE home in Torrevieja, family run, reasonable rates. Carers available for your home. 697834934 (294568)
CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca
CHARITY
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gency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456) INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11:00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorre vieja.org (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasies taevangelicalchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk. Tel:0044 800 018 2361. (238593)
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ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishle gion.org.uk/branches/ori huela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.ori huelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granala cant.secretary@rbl.commu nity
THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465) THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461) THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458)
THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar will be closed for the immediate future due to Covid-19. To join the centre on ZOOM on a Tuesday evening at 7pm download the ZOOM App. To enter use ID Number 8451471869, then Password 3uf5TE. Identification Fiscal G54713789 (95454)
INSURANCE
ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455)
If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161
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THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information. (253807)
ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details Hon Sec 692 938 664. (10004)
STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesupportgroup@hot mail.com, website: torrevie jastrokesupport.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)
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PET CHARITY CARS WANTED Quality LHD & RHD Vehicles bought & sold. All paperwork undertaken quickly & professionally. Immediate payment for all purchases. Mobile / WhatsApp +34 600 726 221 Office +34 965 687 976 www.fwreuro cars.com info@fwreurocars .com (294576)
FOR SALE WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)
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P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708) SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting re-homing. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spama-safor. blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)
SPAS & JACUZZI XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.
MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (287514)
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GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)
LOCAL Financial Adviser in Benijofar are looking for an admin assistant. The position is part time 10am until 2pm, three days a week. The applicant must be computer literate. Please apply to Con tact@SeagateWealth.es (295356)
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SPANISH LESSONS LEARN SPANISH. Group lessons or one to one. Also available online. learnspanish inenglish@gmail.com (294492)
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62 EWN
17 - 23 February 2022
www.euroweeklynews.com
MOTORING
No ITVs in force
A C C O R D I N G to data from the General Direc‐ torate of Traffic (DGT), two out of 10 cars in‐ volved in accidents with victims in 2020 did not have a valid ITV in force. This represents an in‐
crease of seven percent‐ age points compared to the 10 per cent recorded in 2019. Also, 15 per cent of motorcycles involved in road accidents with in‐ juries or victims during 2020 did not have the ITV in order, compared to 12 per cent recorded in 2019. In the case of industrial vehicles of up to 3,500kg, almost 33 per cent of the units that were involved in accidents with victims did not have the ITV in force, a figure that is dou‐ ble the 15 per cent regis‐ tered the previous year. Spain’s vehicles have a reported average age of over 13 years, making it one of the oldest in Eu‐ rope, with one year above the average. These are figures that, according to the Spanish Associa‐ tion of Collaborating Enti‐ ties of the Administration in the Technical Inspec‐ tion of Vehicles AECA‐ITV,
“should concern us”. This association points out that in recent months absenteeism in the ITV has increased by up to 40 per cent. For this reason, AECA‐ITV has highlighted the ‘fundamental’ impor‐ tance of checking cars, to reduce or avoid risks on the road. Guillermo Magaz, the managing director of AE‐ CA‐ITV, indicated that ve‐ hicles begin to have de‐ fects over time, so that, regardless of proper maintenance, controls at ITV stations are “neces‐ sary” to detect faults, and be able to correct them. AECA‐ITV has also em‐ phasised the relationship between the age of the vehicle involved in an ac‐ cident, and the state of its technical inspection. Thus, the older there is, the higher the percent‐ age of vehicles with the ITV expired at the time of the road accident.
MOTORING ROAD TEST by Mark Slack
www.euroweeklynews.com
17 - 23 February 2022
Renault Arkana
ITS looks more coupe crossover, think slimmed down BMW X6, and Re‐ nault’s new Arkana certainly adds a dash of style with my igation. My test model was test model looking particu‐ the S‐Edition starting at larly stylish thanks to its €33,817/£28,590, including splendid Zanzibar Blue paint adaptive cruise control, high finish. beam assist, LED lights, key‐ Prices start at less entry and start, plus a €31,093/£26,290 for the host of safety and other kit. lead‐in Iconic model, with Oddly there’s no rear wiper, two further trim levels and although it doesn’t seem to two engines, offering mild obstruct vision in wet weath‐ hybrid and full hybrid power‐ er but still a strange omis‐ trains. The 1.3‐litre turbo‐ sion. charged petrol unit develops 138hp and has a seven‐ speed dual clutch auto‐ matic, while the more powerful 1.6‐litre petrol offers full hybrid and a six‐speed clutch‐ less automatic. Standard equip‐ ment is good with all models having automatic lights and wipers, cli‐ mate control, cruise, front and rear parking sensors, rear A feeling of quality. view camera and nav‐
a dash of style with this new coupe crossover The Arkana’s full hybrid system allows the car to sort out when to go electric, petrol or both, and to manu‐ ally select pure electric for short distances. It makes for a very easy drive with smooth transitions between electric and combustion power. This smooth and re‐ fined drive is audibly inter‐ rupted if you opt for sudden,
hard acceleration, as the en‐ gine revs rise and wait for ev‐ erything else to catch up. It’s a trait that isn’t unique to Re‐ nault transmissions of this type, and to be fair this is one of the better systems in this regard. Go for smooth, pro‐ gressive acceleration and the Arkana will power itself away with a delightfully unruffled air. With a 107 mph top speed and 62 mph passed in 10.8 seconds it’s by no means pedestrian. D e ‐
spite a taller stance it handles well and rough roads did not upset the Arkana’s comfort. Inside there’s a nicely laid out, modern looking dash with buttons (hurrah!) and sensible touchscreen opera‐ tions. The central touch‐ screen is portrait orientated, rather than the more usual landscape, and works better for it in my view.
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The Arkana’s style won’t be to everyone’s taste but it has real presence without the compromised looks of similar coupe crossovers. There’s a feel of quality along with decent levels of interior space. It’s definitely one that should be high on the hit list for those seeking something a little different to the con‐ ventional norm.
SPORT
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17 - 23 February 2022
to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com
ESQUINA PARK RANGERS BACK IN ACTION IN their first competitive match since November last year, EPR played a friendly against a team new to us, The Red Lions of Fortuna. A team south of Quesada in the Murcia Region they are becoming well‐known and looking for more friendly matches. For EPR it was a warm up for their forthcoming tourna‐ ment at Torrox on Saturday, February 26 and they used it well coming out on top by 8‐ 3. Scorers for Rangers were Andrew W with four, Paul with three, and Graham and Darren one each. A special mention for Bish who also got on the score sheet, unfortunately into his own goal!!! Portobello began ‘catch up’ with a game against League leaders Hondon Valley Flyers on Tuesday, February 15 in which they knew a win, and following it up with another three points in their fixture against Moraira next Tuesday,
EPR (top) played new team, The Red Lions of Fortuna. February 22 with a 12.15 kick off, would put them top of the Costa Blanca Walking Football League. Moraira will have their own
agenda, as a win would put them level with Portobello (if they beat Hondon) meaning these two would only be one point behind Hondon.
The League is beginning to hot up now the matches are coming thick and fast. Talks have already begun for next season’s League which promises to be bigger and better with more teams from all over the Costa Blanca taking part. While distance is a prob‐ lem, the possibility of the three Almeria teams joining the CBL is being discussed. The Walking Football Asso‐ ciation of Iberia recently wel‐ comed Camposol and San Pe‐ dro Amigos of Pinatar as new members and look forward to them participating in forth‐ coming events. You might be reading this and thinking “this sounds quite good, didn’t think I could play football again at my age.” But you can!! Get yourself along to one of these clubs and take part in Europe’s fastest growing sport. Great exercise with mini‐ mum effort, no running, no tackling. And a bit of banter socialising afterwards.
Djokovic: I’d rather give up Grand Slams TENNIS ace Novak Djokovic in his first major interview since being booted out of Australia revealed that he would give up on Grand Slams rather than get vaccinated against Covid. There was much controversy earlier this year after Djokovic was deported from Australia. Speaking to the BBC the tennis player explained that he believes individuals have the right to choose and that he is not in general an anti‐vaxxer. He was quizzed over whether he would happily miss Wimbledon and the French Open due to his lack of being jabbed. He replied: “That is the price I’m willing to pay. “The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else, I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.” Djokovic revealed that he has: “always been a great stu‐ dent of wellness, well‐being, health, nu‐ trition. “I was never against vaccination. I understand that, globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into han‐ dling this virus and seeing, hopeful‐ ly, an end soon to it.” Djokovic is still open to the possibil‐ ity of being vaccinated against Covid in the future. Was deported from Australia.