Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 24 February - 2 March 2022 Issue 1912

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 32 - 35 Issue No. 1912 24 Feb - 2 March 2022

WITH a ‘normal’ summer looking increasingly likely, Benidorm’s hospitality in‐ dustry is already begin‐ ning to look for waiters.

Cafes, bars and restau‐ rants will require approxi‐ mately 4,000 new staff, some of whom will be needed in April as closed businesses reopen for Easter, revealed Alex Frati‐ ni, spokesman for the Abreca association which represents the hospitality sector.

There will be a June start for others as tourists begin to arrive in numbers that are expected to re‐ turn to pre‐pandemic lev‐ els.

“At the height of the summer, we could need even more because so many businesses have been operating with fewer personnel,” Fratini said.

“Others closed and will have to engage many members of staff.”

THE LIONS SHARE Photo credit: Teulada-Moraira Lions

Situations vacant

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Turn to page 2 » TEULADA-MORAIRA LIONS: Thanks from Caritas for their continuing help.

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More Covid restrictions lifted COVID passports are no longer necessary.

The regional government’s latest inter‐department meeting agreed to phase them out from February 22, Generalitat president Ximo Puig announced on Monday February 21.

The 1.5‐metre separation is no longer needed between restaurant tables and the 10‐per‐table restriction has also been lifted, although the ban on smoking on outside ter‐ races remains.

Face masks are still required in all interiors and wherev‐ er social distancing cannot be maintained out of doors, the Generalitat president said.

“The pandemic is not over, but tomorrow is the start of a new chapter,” Puig declared. “This is the moment for economic, social and emotional recovery.”

The passports are necessary until February 28 in care homes for the elderly as well as senior citizens’ social cen‐ tres, the regional president clarified.

After this date, the Generalitat will apply to the Valen‐ cian Community’s Upper Court of Justice for an exten‐ sion, Puig added. “Vaccination, masks and common sense will be our best defences in this new cycle which still cannot be regarded as normality,” the president em‐ phasised.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

NEWS

Town hall feels the pinch FINESTRAT Town Hall has spent €4,500 on renovating 12 solar panels that provide it with electricity.

Now 15 years old, the small plant was practically obsolete and its output had diminished considerably, explained

Finestrat’s mayor Juanfran Perez Llor‐ ca.

“Just like families, the town hall is suffering from the increase in our elec‐ tricity bills and we have had to look for alternatives, like solar energy.”

from Front page »

Lions work with Caritas

TEULADA‐MORAIRA LIONS raise money throughout the year through their charity shop and organising events.

In turn, this allows them to support local individuals and charities as and when the need arises. Throughout the pandemic, they have been particularly concerned for those whose income has been impacted by lockdown, enforced closure or loss of trade.

The Lions also work regularly with their local branch of Caritas in Moraira.

“The Caritas organisation says that they like to think the world is a town inhabited by more than seven billion neighbours who know and help each other,” explained the Lions’ press officer Helen Chapman. “What a lovely idea!”

One of the ways in which they do this is by providing food for families in need.

Although Caritas have their own donors

and largely supply those in need them‐ selves, from time to time issues arise for one reason or another.

“Teulada‐Moraira Lions are always ready to help out whenever we can,” Helen said.

In recognition of the Lions’ support, Cari‐ tas organised a presentation outside the Li‐ ons’ Den Charity Shop.

“Representatives from other local Caritas groups were also there and we hope to ex‐ tend the support we give to this excellent charity to some of the neighbouring branch‐ es in our area, Benitachell for example,” He‐ len said. To learn more about the Teulada‐ Moraira Lions and what they do, visit their www.tmlions.com website, or pop into the Lions Den Charity shop a couple of doors away from Letters‐R‐Us in the Centro Com‐ ercial, Moraira, just past the fountain round‐ about on the Moraira‐Teulada road.

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NIBS EXTRA Sea fever JAVEA Town Hall’s Tourism department is promoting its fishing sector and marine environment via a social media campaign. With co‐ operation from the local fishing guild and residents linked to the sea, Javea is emphasising how this tradi‐ tional activity has forged Javea’s cultural identity and influenced the area’s gas‐ tronomy.

Bin standoff THE Guardia Civil and Local Police were present as un‐ derground refuse containers were installed in Teulada by the town hall’s Rubbish Col‐ lection department. The be‐ low‐ground bins are located at the entrance to Teulada’s Old Town, adjoining a house whose owner opposed the bins so close to her home.

Good payers VALENCIA’S regional gov‐ ernment is Spain’s fourth‐ promptest payer of suppli‐ ers’ bills after the Murcia, Galicia and Extremadura au‐ tonomies. The Generalitat has settled all bills within the stipulated 30 days for 17 consecutive months and in December 2021 had paid all its suppliers within a record average of 17.67 days.

Beach ready DENIA Town Hall has put out to tender a two‐year €1.3 million contract for the summer’s lifesaving service on municipal beaches be‐ tween June 1 and Septem‐ ber 30. In June and Septem‐ ber they will be present from 11am until 7pm, in‐ creasing to 10.30am to 8pm in July and August.

Second chance TEN of the bicycles from Campello’s discontinued Bike Hire scheme that have been stored in the Social Centre’s basement since 2013, have been repaired and given to San Juan’s El Somni special needs school.

The remainder will be do‐ nated to charity once they are in good working order.

CAMPELLO Town Hall has invested €130,000 in a network of 50 CCTV cameras.

They are now in‐ stalled strategically throughout the town from Muchavista, to the town centre and Campello’s northern area, Traffic and Pub‐ lic Safety councillor Rafa Galvañ an‐ nounced.

Not only do the Lo‐ cal Police have a com‐ prehensive picture of Campello’s roads but they can also spot traffic infringements

24 February - 2 March 2022

No place to hide Photo credit: Campello town hall

NEWS

CCTV CAMERAS: Campello’s Local Police have a clear view of all that goes on.

and will be able to act rapidly when accidents occur.

“ T h i s i m p r o v e s p u b‐ lic safety in its widest sense,” Galvañ said.

The CCTV cam‐

eras, repeatedly re‐ quested by Campello’s Residents’ Associa‐ tions, are all operative with the exception of the two allocated to the dogs‐allowed beaches.

These will soon be in place, the councillor said, bearing in mind that they are much‐needed there, following several poi‐ soning episodes last summer.

Flamenco fundraiser Buoys are the answer

ALFAZ’S Rotary Club is organising a Flamenco night at 7pm on Sat‐ urday February 26 to raise funds for Corazon Expres.

The concert features Rocio Montoya, accompanied by musicians Esteban Davila and Elias Madrigal, with a repertoire of ballads, rum‐ bas and boleros as well as popular classics by Julio Iglesias and the Mexican singer‐composer Armando Manzanero.

Rocio Montoya, who has now been performing for 30 years, be‐ gan singing when she was six in the Evangelical Church. She record‐ ed her first disc at 15 and by the age of 21 was composing her own material. To reserve tickets, €15, email the rotaryalfaz@gmail.com address. Alfaz’s Rotary Club has organised the concert, with collabo‐ ration from the town hall, to raise funds for Corazon Expres, which links resources with needs, connecting the vulnerable with charita‐ ble associations and organisations. The group collaborates with the Social Services departments in several Marina Baja town halls and also provides economic aid in emergency situations.

Compensation payments REPRESENTATIVES from the town halls of Marina Alta munici‐ palities affected by Xylella Fastidiosa met recently in Teulada‐ Moraira. Officials from Benigembla, Jalon, Benissa, Ondara, Beni‐ tachell, Alcalali and Javea ‐ all of which have lost almond trees to the disease ‐ received details of the regional and EU grants that are available to landowners. These will go some way towards compensating for losing trees and to cover the cost of replanting.

The deadly air‐borne bacterium, which was first detected in Alicante Province in 2017, has attacked almond trees in the Ma‐ rina Alta and Marina Baja where thousands of trees have been uprooted and destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease for which there is no known remedy.

JAVEA’S mayor Jose Chulvi met directors of local banks to put across local discontent with the absence of personal attention.

Chulvi wanted to know what, if anything, the banks were planning to do to remedy a situation that was having a significant impact on those with little technological knowledge.

This particularly affected the elderly, Chul‐ vi pointed out, as well as those without com‐ puters, smart phones or an internet connec‐ tion who were expected to cope with a

A NEW regional law will bar boats from anchoring above underwater mead‐ ows of Posidonia Oceani‐ ca.

The seagrass is vitally important to marine bio‐ diversity, and the legisla‐ tion due to be introduced before the summer will require pleasure craft to anchor over sand or moor to ecological buoys.

This, and the Javea‐ based Special Posidonia Vigilance Service, will in‐ evitably have a direct im‐ pact on the Costa Blanca’s nautical tourism. The Ma‐ rina Alta Nautical Tourism Association (ATNMA) is setting up a working com‐ mittee with representa‐ tives from Marina Alta town halls, the Generali‐ tat’s Tourism and Environ‐ ment departments and the Ports Authority.

“The committee will seek solutions for the Posidonia Law’s effect on

Banking on it banking system that was almost entirely digi‐ tised. It was essential to make it easier for clients to receive in‐person attention without having to overcome technological hurdles.

Chulvi also sounded out the managers on the banks’ readiness to offer basic instruction on tackling online banking at local senior citi‐ zens’ associations.

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the strategic nautical tourism sector,” said ATN‐ MA’s president Ricardo Burriel. He recently met Benitachell’s mayor Miguel Angel Garcia and Tourism councillor Victor Bisquert to put them in the picture regarding the working committee.

“We asked for Beni‐ tachell’s help and they ex‐ pressed willingness to find solutions via this commit‐ tee,” Burriel announced.

“Benitachell has several kilometres of coastline with a high Posidonia den‐ sity and we explained that ecological buoy stations offer the best protection,” the ATNMA president said.

“The more buoys, and the more widely‐distribut‐ ed, the easier it will be to protect the Posidonia and avoid overcrowding for pleasure craft. Following the ATNMA’s Benitachell meeting, the association will now go on to the Teu‐ lada‐Moraira, Benissa and Calpe town halls.

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Ready for the worst BENIDORM now has a Municipal Action Plan (PAM) for dealing with floods. Its principal objec‐ tive is to provide maxi‐ mum protection for peo‐ ple, the environment and resources in the event of the flooding that can result from torrential down‐ pours, announced Benidorm’s mayor Toni Perez. The PAM establish‐ es a structured and opera‐ tional chain of command for the municipality’s means and resources, both public and private, in a flood situation.

“This will allow us to re‐ act in situations of risk or a serious emergency,” Perez said.

Benidorm’s PAM also identifies vulnerable points inside its boundaries, defining the different areas where intervention is likely to be needed during flood conditions. The document, which covers procedures for passing on information and alerting the local pop‐ ulation, will be updated on a permanent basis.

The PAM was put to‐ gether by Hidraqua, the company responsible for Benidorm’s domestic wa‐ ter supply and main drainage following a re‐ quest from the town hall’s Water department.

“The plan establishes clearly and transparently how to react during episodes of heavy rain or flooding in order to guar‐ antee the quality of life, safety and well‐being of the local population,” Perez added.

and finally...

BENIDORM Town Hall is intensifying efforts to keep the mu‐ nicipality clear of dog poo.

“There are dog faeces on too many streets and pave‐ ments,” complained Street Cleaning councillor Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate. “The Local Police are now controlling this problem caused by antisocial people,” the councillor warned.

They are doing so with fines ranging from €100 to €200, an‐ nounced De Zarate, revealing that between February 10 and 16 nine people have had to pay up for not clearing up after their pets.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Last match of winter WEDNESDAY February 16 saw the last match of Teu‐ lada‐Moraira Fishing Club’s winter league.

There were just six mem‐ bers fishing this match but they included the two who were vying for top spot in the winter league.

Ray Turvey was off to a flying start with five fish in the first two hours whilst everyone else was waiting for their first bite and strug‐ gling with ‘snaggy’ swims.

Things slowed for Ray in the afternoon but although others began to land the occasional fish, no‐one managed to catch him. He finished with seven carp, including the best fish of the day at four kilos and a total weight of 13.2 kilos.

Frank Povey (8.6 kilos)

Winter league is over.

was second, with Jacques Janssen (8.3 kilos) in third place. A total of 17 carp were landed for 34.8 kilos.

Despite only landing two carp on the day, Graham Sewell won the winter league, with Ray Turvey a close second.

The club will now have a month’s break before be‐ ginning their summer league.

For further information contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or email frank povey1@gmail.com.

NEWS

Barbarians Marina Alta Rugby

A GOOD weekend for the Barbarians, winning two matches and going very close in the third.

First game up was in Valencia where the Barbarian Under 16s took on Abelles, Valencia’s premiership club, who beat the BaBas 48‐5 in the first meeting at the start of the season.

However, with the improvement throughout the team over the last four months, the Barbarians went on to win a very tough match 10‐7 against the backdrop of stunned supporters.

They couldn’t understand how a team that were beaten easily at home, came and won away, again with a team that included six young ladies and three under 14s. A truly well fought display by the young BaBas. In the afternoon the Seniors enter‐ tained AKRA of Alicante in tough cold and windy conditions. The home team

UNDER 16s: Won a very tough match against Abelles at the weekend.

got on the score sheet very early and from then on completely dominated the game running out winners 44‐0.

Next week is the top of the table clash away to Castellon in what will be a tough encounter and may well decide the title race.

The last game of the weekend saw our young Under 14s lose at home to Alicante RC 31‐28 in a match that swung backwards and forwards for

A R E C E N T study by In‐ vattur has found that the price of scheduled flights to Alicante‐Elche had risen for the re‐ maining weeks of February as interna‐ tional demand had in‐ creased.

The analysis, which was undertaken prior

the full 60 minutes.

A great weekend for the club and a credit to all the players.

The Barbarians run Academy teams from under 14s to 16s to 18s and through to seniors and welcomes ev‐ eryone to come and train and join the club. Free qualified coaching is avail‐ able at all levels. Please call Santi (Span‐ ish) on 676 612 357 or Mac (English) on 609 646 349 for more information.

Flights up to the change in the vaccination require‐ ment for children trav‐ elling from the UK, showed that the price of flights had increased

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for all destinations bar the UK. According to sources from Hosbec, Visit Benidorm and Invattur the increase in prices was relative to the number of travellers, as the demand goes up so does the interest in travelling.

The research found that in some cases prices had more than doubled with Norway at €200 and Belgium at €184 being the most ex‐ pensive.

Conversely prices for the UK had dropped at the time of the analy‐ sis, but are known to be rising since the regu‐ lations were changed.

Hosbec initially recorded many UK can‐ cellations, but it is be‐ lieved that the corner has been turned since the government relaxed the vaccination require‐ ment for minors.

NEWS

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AN Arts Society Marina Alta Lecture

by David Rohl is being held on Thursday, March 3 at 11.00am at Salones Canor, Cami del Assagador de Canor, 03725 Teulada.

Visitors’ tickets cost €15, including complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks.

This lecture is focused on the de‐ velopment of Egyptian art from be‐ fore the birth of pharaonic civilisa‐ tion to the death of Cleopatra.

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MARINA ALTA’S INDIANA JONES Ancient Egyptian art reached con‐ siderable sophistication in painting and sculpture and was highly stylised and symbolic.

David Michael Rohl is a British Egyptologist and former director of the Institute for the study of Inter‐ disciplinary Science. The British

press has quoted that “when it comes to exploring, David Rohl makes Indiana Jones look like an under‐achiever.”

David is not only a bestselling writer but also an explorer, TV pre‐ senter, renowned public lecturer, composer, musician, record pro‐

FOR THE LOVE OF JAGUARS

OUR St Valentine’s celebration was held on Monday February 14 at the hotel Meridional in Guardamar del Seguro where 22 rooms were occupied by our Jaguar Enthusiasts club mem‐ bers.

The evening started at 6pm with drinks on the hotel’s roof terrace at the Sky bar, to allow SPECIAL TIME: For the Jaguar club members. everyone to meet and greet while enjoying the wonderful front line sea views. which brought a hilarious end to a fabulous Organised for 8pm was the Gala dinner night, with our lovely friendly waiter at the in the events room, where a duo of vocal‐ end of the conga line, as we weaved ists had been hired for the entertainment. around the room having fun and laughter The two ladies played background music until the stroke of midnight, when the par‐ while members were dining, then eventu‐ ty came to an end! ally they turned it up and went into their A wonderful event was enjoyed by all full act, with beautiful singing voices and who attended having spent special time music for dancing which created a fantastic with the loves of their life, their Jaguar big atmosphere that encouraged everyone to cats, partners and wives . keep the dance floor full of dancers.

If you are interested in the club contact The last dance of the night was the conga President Mike Brook on +34 640 866 711.

CHICAS AMIGAS IN ATTICO

CHICAS AMIGAS group of Moraira visited Attico restaurant in Javea for their February get together, on the top floor of Javea Hotel, with magnificent views

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down the coast and to the harbour. The food was deli‐ cious and very plentiful, and Luz the owner and her staff really looked after everyone very well.

It was great to catch up with friends and acquain‐ tances again. Thanks once again to Lynn and her helpers for keeping the group flourishing.

ducer and photographer.

For more information on The Arts Society Marina Alta, to in‐ clude the lecture programme for 2022, events and trips, visit their website: www.marinaal taarts.com or email: cm.mari naalta@theartssociety.

Ancient Egyptian art.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Queen suffers from Covid T H E monarch tested positive for Covid on Sunday, February 20.

According to one palace source, multiple cases of Covid have broken out at Windsor Castle. The Queen has been self‐isolating at Windsor since she tested positive for Covid at the weekend.

On Tuesday, February 22, the

Has mild cold-like symptoms.

Pele struggling after chemotherapy BRAZILIAN football legend Pele is ‘struggling to eat or sleep’ after chemotherapy. He is still in hospital and is suffering from a urinary tract infection. The 81‐year‐old was ad‐ mitted to the hospital on February 13 for a chemotherapy session for his colon tumour. Due to a urinary tract infection though he has had to remain in hospital. Heis said to be in a stable condition though reported‐ ly ‘struggling to eat or sleep’. Last week he received an endoscopy

which left him in a weakened state.

Pele is battling tumours in his lung, liver and intestine. It is hoped that in the next few days he will be able to head home. No date for his hospital discharge has been set yet though.

Back in December last year foot‐ ball fans were worried when Pele suffered from a health scare. Luckily though he was discharged before Christmas and was able to celebrate with his family.

Queen was forced to cancel all her virtual engagements for the day. The Queen is said to be suffering from mild cold‐like symptoms.

Buckingham Palace an‐ nounced on Sunday that the Queen had tested positive. The Palace revealed that the monarch would carry on light duties while at Windsor Castle.

She would also carry out virtual audiences while self‐isolating.

On Tuesday morning a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “As Her Majesty is still experiencing mild cold‐like symptoms she has decided not to undertake her planned virtu‐ al engagements today, but will continue with light duties.”

It is possible that engage‐ ments that are set to take place in the next few days could also be cancelled.

According to reports, the Queen is triple jabbed. Her ini‐ tial vaccination was in January 2021. She received her second shot in March. It is thought that she has received her booster shot too.

NEWS

Haemorrhagic virus THE haemorrhagic virus that causes Crimean‐Congo fever has been found in some areas of Spain.

A study published by the National Centre for Microbiology confirms that the virus has been detected in five autonomous communities: An‐ dalucia, Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y Leon, and Castilla‐La Mancha.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers give rise to diseases that can be fatal, and are caused by different viruses such as arenaviruses, filoviruses, bun‐ yaviruses, togaviruses and flaviviruses. Among these diseases is the one that causes Crimean‐Congo fever, until now considered an exotic disease in Spain, but which is already present in several areas of the country. The first case was detected in 2013, and the virus was trans‐ mitted by a tick, although other animals such as deer, wild boar or roe deer are also transmitting agents.

Among the most frequent symptoms caused by this disease are fever, muscle pain, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, lumbago, headache, eye irritation and photophobia.

Flooding and more rain THE Environment Agency issued more warnings for flooding in the north of England and parts of the West Midlands earlier in the week, saying that more rain is likely to hamper recovery efforts. With three storms having passed over the UK within a week, thousands have been evacuated, mil‐ lions left without power and at least three people have died.

There were around 90 flood warnings in place including two “severe warnings” for the River Severn, possibly endangering life, with some homes already having been evacuated as the water levels rise.

Clean ups began across the country including in Matlock, Derbyshire, where the town’s high street was submerged, the third time it has been hit by devastating floods in three years.

Efforts to restore power continued throughout the country.

More flooding was forecast as the waters made their way down the rivers and more rain falls, which will continue to hamper recovery efforts.

NEWS

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Priceless art find

A DRAWING bought at a yard sale for around €26 in 2017 has been valued at in excess of €9 million accord‐ ing to Agnews Gallery ‐ the London auction house in possession of the artwork.

Boston‐based art collec‐ tor Clifford Schorer, who is a consultant to the gallery, told one media outlet that he came across the rare art‐ work, thought to have been completed in 1503, by chance on the way to a par‐ ty in Massachusetts in 2019.

He had forgotten to bring a gift to the party and so took a detour to a book‐ store, which sold col‐ lectable volumes, en route.

The artwork had been purchased at a yard sale at the home of an architect who had been gifted the piece from his art dealer fa‐ ther.

The 16th century draw‐ ing by Albrecht Dürer, who died in 1528, is re‐

A ONE-YEAR-OLD girl in a critical condition after hitting her head was saved by Na‐ tional Police officers in Sevilla on Friday, February 18.

The infant had fallen at home and struck the back of her head on the floor, and was in a critical condition.

The incident occurred in a property located on Calle Feria. An emergency call

garded as both the great‐ est German artist of his time and as one of the most important artists and intellectuals of the Eu‐ ropean Renaissance.

DRAWING: Rare artwork is thought to be from 1503.

Facebook spies

ACCORDING to one publication, the UK government has launched an internal enquiry to identify ‘Facebook spies’ that may have leaked secret details about its plans to regulate social media to Facebook.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who recently be‐ came Meta’s new president of Global Affairs, is reported to have been fed sensitive information that will affect the company and its dominance in the market.

It is understood that the search will cover the Treasury, For‐ eign Office, and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with the probe launched last week after a Financial Times article on the government’s upcoming Online Safety Bill. That bill aims to police social media platforms.

An unnamed source has told the publication that fears about a potential leak had been raised as early as June 2020, when Clegg apparently cited classified information from one such let‐ ter during a Zoom call with government officials.

Hero cop

was put out via the 091 ser‐ vices requesting immediate assistance from any patrols in the vicinity.

A National Police patrol that was in the area re‐

sponded to the location, where they found the fa‐ ther holding his motionless daughter in his arms. They verified that the child was having serious difficulties

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UK ‘living with Covid’

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed his ‘Living With Covid’ plan in the House of Commons on Monday, February 21.

This news finally puts England on a path to‐ wards normality, with the last remaining lock‐ down restrictions set to be axed in the next few days.

From today Thursday February 24, the manda‐ tory self‐isolation period of five days will be re‐ moved, allowing people to stay at work without having to quarantine.

Even so, the government advice is still for any‐ body who has the virus to preferably stay at home to avoid passing it on to their workmates.

The free Covid hand‐ out of £500 that was be‐ ing paid to those in fi‐ nancial difficulties while self‐isolating is due to be

breathing on her own, with very weak vital signs and unresponsive to cognitive stimuli.

The officers immediately performed CPR on the baby and made the decision to transfer the baby and her father in the police vehicle to the hospital, where doc‐ tors were able to save her life.

scrapped on March 24.

Free coronavirus tests will be gradually phased out from April 1, but will still be available to those in the most vulnerable of

health positions, or age groups. The emergency rule allowing local coun‐ cils to make decisions in response to outbreaks will also be removed.

and finally...

HUNDREDS of people have jumped at the chance to spend a night in a new jail in Zurich, where volunteers have been given the opportunity to try the facility out before it starts accepting its first inmates.

Zurich authorities are still working out the details of the test run which is due to take place on March 24 to 27, with over 800 applications having already been re‐ ceived for the as‐yet undisclosed number of ‘vacan‐ cies’.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

The myth of middle age WITH science evolving, meaning people are living longer, when exactly is middle age and have the goalposts changed?

Britannica states: “mid‐ dle age, period of human adulthood that immedi‐ ately precedes the onset of old age.”

But this also begs the question ‐ When does middle age end and old age being?

Old age used to mean somewhere around 60, however many in their 60s and 70s now enjoy a quality of life to rival those in their 20s, thanks to improvements in healthcare technology, and let’s face it some im‐ pressive saving over a life‐ time of work giving them better funding in later life than previous genera‐ tions.

But not only are older people now enjoying in‐ creased quality of life, our mind set around ageing has also changed.

MIDDLE AGE: People are living longer thanks to improvements in healthcare technology.

Cast your mind back to your teens and remember thinking middle age was around 30 years old ‐ meaning we would all be dead by 60 if that was the case.

Anyone in their 30s was considered a ‘proper adult’, yet now vast swathes of millenials still live at home, are yet to buy their home, or have any of the other traits tra‐ ditionally seen as ‘adult’.

If you factor in rising life expectancies in much of the world, slower maturi‐ ty rates amongst young adults, and those in their 60s and 70s now enjoying a better quality of life, does this mean middle aged has suddenly been moved back by 20 years?

What do you think? Are you prepared to yet be la‐ belled old age, or do you still consider yourself mid‐ dle aged?

NEWS

Replacing Piers Morgan ACCORDING to reports, bosses at Good Morning Britain are set to give up on replacing host Piers Morgan on a permanent basis.

The ITV show uses a roster of guest hosts at the moment.

Morgan made his controver‐ sial exit from the show after arguing with weatherman Alex Beresford over Meghan Markle and her mental health. Piers stormed off the show and is said to have turned down many jobs since then. When he signed a deal with The Sun, Piers revealed that he was “coming home”.

GMB has been working with guest hosts such as Richard Madeley, Adil Ray, Martin Lewis, and Ed Balls since Piers left.

Speaking to one publica‐ tion, a source stated: “Replac‐ ing Piers was always going to be tough, but no one thought that almost a year on they still wouldn’t have found anyone.

“It is one of the biggest shows on TV, so it really shouldn’t have been this hard.”

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Secret coronation plans BUCKINGHAM PALACE has reportedly started drawing up plans in secret for Prince Charles and Camilla’s corona‐ tion following the Queen’s stated wish that the latter be named as Queen Consort when Charles succeeds her.

Insiders suggest the plans dubbed Operation Gold Orb include a ceremony that will be significantly less lavish than the Queen’s, which reported‐ ly cost £1.5 million, roughly the equivalent of £46 million in today’s money. Charles is to be crowned King alongside Queen Camilla and it is thought that he is hoping for a ‘shorter’ and ‘far cheaper’ cer‐ emony than that of his moth‐ er's, which took place in 1953.

Reports also suggest that the number of guests attend‐ ing the event will be slashed by three‐quarters, with one royal insider saying that Harry and Meghan may not even join Charles on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the historic event.

Healthiest city

VALENCIA: Spain’s third largest city.

A STUDY by a British magazine has voted Valencia to be the healthiest city in the world Spain’s third‐largest city by population was chosen from a long list of cities located around the world. The publication produced an extensive report to choose the 20 cities where the health of citizens is paramount.

Their study analysed multiple factors in each city, including life expectancy, the cost of being healthy, air quality, obesity rates, city safety, and the number of hours of sunlight per year in each city.

Spain has been recognised by the World Health Organisa‐ tion (WHO), as the country with the sixth‐highest life ex‐ pectancy in the world. Although Spaniards and many foreign tourists know the great virtues of this Mediterranean city, the municipality is usually behind Barcelona or Madrid on the list of Spanish destinations.

The study highlighted that Valencia was in third place in the life expectancy index of the 20 cities analysed. According to the report, this is mainly due to the Mediterranean lifestyle of its inhabitants, which favours greater longevity.

A LEAK revealed on Sun‐ day, February 20, by me‐ dia outlets around the world has exposed the accounts of 30,000 clients of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse with money from questionable operations owned by personalities from around the world.

One of the most promi‐ nent names included in the list is that of the Philippine dictator Ferdi‐ nand Marcos, and his wife Imelda Marcos. They are estimated to have

THE women’s curling team led by Eve Muirhead crushed Japan in the finals held on Sunday, February 20.

Team GB can hold their head high and will leave the Olympics with two medals. The men’s curling team won a silver medal.

It was Muirhead’s fourth Olympics. Teammates Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, and Hailey Duff walked away with a gold medal on their first endeavour.

An emotional Muirhead cried on the podium.

NEWS

Black money

stolen $10 billion during the three terms that Mar‐ cos was in charge of the country, until 1986.

Among the politicians included is Pavlo Lazarenko, Ukraine’s prime minister from 1997 to 1998. A month after resigning, he opened the first of two Credit Suisse accounts with almost eight million Swiss francs.

GB gold Speaking to the media she commented: “It’s a dream come true.

Transparency Interna‐ tional estimates that Lazarenko stole $200 mil‐ lion, collecting half of his profits from businessmen in the country. He was convicted in Switzerland for money laundering in 2000 and subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison for corruption in the United States in 2006.

“That was my third semi‐ final, and the two I lost were hard but I bounced back and here we are. We are Olympic champions. It’s such a special moment.”

and finally...

LOCAL POLICE in Valencia fined a man €800 after he went to report that a prostitute had not completed her services. When he went to make his complaint the ‘John’ was informed that the local ordinance re‐ quired that he be fined for soliciting the services of a prostitute.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Public debt up

AS with most nations affect‐ ed by the pandemic, public debt in Spain continued to skyrocket during 2020, but at a rate lower than the gov‐ ernment expected. Accord‐ ing to the Bank of Spain, the country’s debts amounted to €1.427 trillion in Decem‐ ber last year, €81.98 billion above the figure with which it concluded 2020 (€1.346 trillion).

As is to be expected the bulk of the debt, €1.245 tril‐ lion, is owed by the State.

Spain’s national debt level does appear to have peaked, even though it in‐ creased to an all‐time high in 2021. Debt fell in the final quarter of the year by €4.5 trillion, the first drop since the start of the pandemic.

Debt owed by the au‐ tonomous communities rose to €313 billion and that of local authorities by €220 billion. Of most concern is the €99 billion debt owed

by Social Security with the remaining government or‐ ganisations owing €55 bil‐ lion.

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Children offered vaccine Gambling ban FOLLOWING the announcements that Wales and Scotland will be offering the coronavirus vaccine to children aged five to 11, it is now confirmed that England and Northern Ireland will be doing the same.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that the UK government’s vaccine advisory body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Im‐ munisation (JCVI), had advised that the roll‐ out be extended to ensure everyone in the age group is eligible for the jab. Ministers he said have taken on board this recommenda‐ tion.

He added that the NHS in England will “prepare to extend this non‐urgent offer to all children during April.”

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s health min‐ ister Robin Swann announced that the coun‐

VACCINE: Will be given to children.

try would be carrying out the same move.

Mr Javid said: “I have accepted the advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to make a non‐urgent offer of Covid‐19 vac‐ cines to all children aged five to 11 in Eng‐ land.”

Spanish actress investigated

AN award‐winning Spanish actress is be‐ ing investigated for allegedly buying a fraudulent Covid pass. Other big names have been implicated in the scandal too.

Officers from the National Police are in‐ vestigating actress Veronica Echegui after she reportedly bought the fake Covid pass from a criminal organisation that was busted last month in Madrid.

The gang reportedly infiltrated Spain’s National Health System and

used an ‘insider’ nurse.

The nurse had allegedly entered data on the Spanish National Health System to enable certificates to be issued that were ‘real’ but had not involved an actual vacci‐ nation taking place.

Echegui is not the only name to have been implicated in the scandal. Ana Ca‐ meno and Omar Montes have also re‐ portedly been linked to the fake Covid passes.

NHS England has announced that it will from April 1 no longer take money from the gambling industry to fund specialised addiction ser‐ vices, instead the organisa‐ tion will fund these from its own resources.

This as the organisation faces record demand for its specialist support.

The health service’s Na‐ tional Mental Health Direc‐ tor, Claire Murdoch, has writ‐ ten to the grant‐making charity GambleAware to say the NHS will be fully funding its own gambling services across England.

The decision she said was

“heavily influenced” by pa‐ tients who were uncomfort‐ able about using services paid for by the industry.

She added: “Additionally, our clinicians feel there are conflicts of interest in their clinics being part‐funded by resources from the gambling industry.”

Accounts for GambleAware show that it collected £16 mil‐ lion (€19 million) between April and December last year from voluntary donations by the gambling industry to fund treatments, including £1.2 million (€1.44 million) which was given to NHS specialist clinics.

and finally...

EPIC FAIL: A woman tried to make a ‘skylight’ party entrance in Alicante. The woman ended up falling 15 metres. She broke her leg and possibly her hip too in the fall. The rescuers used ropes to climb down to the injured woman.

Fortunately, the rescue mission was completed in the space of a few hours and the woman was rushed to hospital where she received medical attention.

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Dog owner changes THE Government Coun‐ cil of Ministers has ap‐ proved an amendment to a bill that sees the sale of pets in stores banned, and prison sen‐

tences up to two years for animal abuse.

I m p o r t a n t l y t h e r e‐ vised amendments to the bill extends cover‐ age to include wild ani‐

mals who until now were not covered, the law in the past having dealt with domestic ani‐ mal abuse only.

It also lists distribut‐ ing animal abuse videos or images online as an aggravating circum‐ stance, with previous atrocities including ‘drowning a baby wild boar’ or ‘burning a fox alive’ and then upload‐ ing it to social networks.

In what is a significant step forward, the law adopts a zero sacrifice approach prohibiting the sale of pets in stores, wild animals in circuses, eliminates the list of potentially dan‐ gerous dogs, penalises leaving a dog unattend‐ ed for more than 24 hours, commits to pro‐ fessional breeding and includes sterilisation in case of not being able to keep males and females separated.

NEWS

Sandy Hook compensation IN a landmark case, the oldest gunsmith in the USA has reached a settlement to compensate the relatives of those victims who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook massacre.

The nine families reached a historic $73 mil‐ lion settlement in their lawsuit against Reming‐ ton, the maker of the AR‐15‐style gun the gun‐ man used in the shooting.

That type of rifle, designed for military as‐ sault operations in the Vietnam War, is the same firearm that was used against civilians in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, in San Bernardino, California, and at the Parkland High School (Florida). The settlement, reached with the families of five of the chil‐ dren and four of the adults slain, is the largest of its kind involving a weapons manufacturer

A JUDGE has ordered Don‐ ald Trump and his two eldest children to testify in the New York fraud inquiry that is looking into his affairs.

The former president is however expected to appeal the court ruling, which he’s branded a “continuation of the greatest witch‐hunt in history.”

The ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent busi‐ ness practices by State Attor‐

MASSACRE: Victims who lost their lives.

and relatives of mass shooting victims.

The agreement is seen as a major setback for the firearms industry, with lawyers for the liti‐ gants basing their strategy on the advertising they made of the gun in order to circumvent the strict federal law that protects these com‐ panies from these litigations.

Trump ordered to testify ney General Letitia James has received support from New York judge Arthur En‐ goron who directed Mr Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr and daughter Ivan‐ ka to give evidence within 21 days to her civil inquiry.

Judge Engoron said Ms James had “the clear right” to issue her subpoenas and question the Trumps after

having uncovered “copious evidence of possible financial fraud.”

He wrote that failing to is‐ sue subpoenas “would have been a blatant dereliction of duty.”

Ms James is investigating whether Mr Trump inaccu‐ rately represented his finan‐ cial circumstances to secure loans.

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THE Law 8/2021 reforming civil and procedural legisla‐ tion to support people with disabilities in the exercise of their legal capacity has intro‐ duced many changes regard‐ ing disability in Spain and its legal treatment.

This law changes the previ‐ ous model that existed in Spain. Previously, the deci‐ sion‐making of persons de‐

Disability in Spain. Legal news and change in the law.

Procedure for adopting support measures. Legal advice.

clared incapable was substi‐ tuted by the decisions made by their guardians or curators.

Now, the person with a dis‐ ability makes his or her own decisions, and his or her will and preferences are consid‐ ered.

This is a very important and beneficial change, as it is a step towards respecting the right of equality of all persons in the exercise of their legal capacity.

1. Then and now: differ‐ ences between processes with people with disabilities One of the major legal nov‐ elties of disability in Spain is the disappearance of incapac‐ ity and incapacitation. In the current system, the person cannot be incapacitated, as was previously the case, but what is promoted are a series of supports and aids so that they can develop their lives.

This support conceived in the law is a broad term. It en‐ compasses different actions that the person may need: technical help in the commu‐ nication of declarations, friendly accompaniment, ad‐ vice, etc.

2. How to initiate the procedure The procedure is part of the so‐called Voluntary Jurisdic‐

tion procedures ‐Jurisdicción Voluntaria. At present, there‐ fore, it is necessary to apply for stable legal support mea‐ sures at the Court of First In‐ stance ‐ Juzgado de primera instancia ‐ of the place of resi‐ dence of the person with a disability for whom we want to apply for these measures.

In this document, the pathologies of the person for whom the measures are re‐ quested and which make sup‐ port necessary must be indi‐ cated. It may also include the person’s behaviour that justi‐ fies the need for support, for example by indicating that the disabled person: ‐ habitually creates situa‐ tions of conflict between the closest relatives. ‐ is the owner of significant assets which, given his or her

characteristics, are complex to manage. ‐ is uncontrollably and ha‐ bitually incurs large, inappro‐ priate, uncontrollable and/or harmful expenses. ‐ lack of capacity to under‐ stand or express a wish.

The Court, once it has inter‐ viewed the person with a dis‐ ability, has made expert opin‐ ions in the social and/or health field and has heard the next of kin, should adopt only those measures that are strictly necessary given the circumstances of the specific case.

Any person who requires such measures may obtain them, irrespective of whether administrative recognition of his disability has been ob‐ tained.

3. Most important fig‐ ures: curator (Spanish cu‐ rador) The most important figure in this law is the curator or deputy (Spanish curador). The purpose of the curator is to

FEATURE

provide support, assistance and help in the exercise of le‐ gal capacity. An attempt will be made to exclude, as far as possible, representing the dis‐ abled person.

The new law eliminates guardianship (Spanish tutela), extended parental authority and rehabilitated parental au‐ thority. These concepts are not very flexible and prevent‐ ed the autonomy of adults with disabilities from being expressed.

Conclusion: The supports designated for each person with disabili‐ ties in Spain will have the function of ensuring that their will, wishes and preferences are respected.

The supports will not only refer to matters of a property nature, but also to the per‐ sonal aspects of the disabled person's daily life: health, usu‐ al communications, home and any others that may be requested.

Contact us If you want more informa‐ tion about the compensation to the guardian, or related matters, contact us.

Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 • info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2022 - All Rights Reserved.

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NEWS

Prince Andrew snubbed COUNCILLORS in York in the north of England have announced that they are taking steps to remove the Freedom of the City honour awarded to Prince Andrew in 1987, in what is further

humiliation for the disgraced son of the queen.

The Liberal Democrats who are the largest party on the City of York Council have said they will submit a mo‐ tion to begin the process at the next full council meeting on March 24, a motion that will also call for Andrew to give up his title of the Duke of York.

The move comes amid widespread calls for the se‐ nior royal to give up his dukedom, one of the last ti‐ tles he holds having been stripped of all his military honours. He already is un‐ able to use the HRH (His

STRIPPED: Of all his military honours.

Royal Highness) title follow‐ ing the affair and court case with Virginia Guiffre.

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, has made repeated calls for

the prince to give up his dukedom saying that his continued use of the title the Duke of York caused ‘deep hurt and embarrassment’ to the people who live there.

Harry ‘still British’ Spanish eggs WITH the row continuing over police protection for Prince Harry and his family when in the UK, the royal has said the country will always be his home, even though he now lives in the USA. Lawyers told the High Court in the first hearing of his action against the Home Secretary, that Prince Harry did not feel safe visiting his home country under current arrangements and that he wanted to pay the police for their protection.

Government lawyers have however said his offer was ‘irrelevant’ to how officials took deci‐ sions over Royal Family security.

Prince Harry’s barrister Shaheed Fatima QC confirmed that his ties to the UK remained strong saying: “It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart.

“Most of all, this is and always will be his home.”

TWO European agencies, the EU Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the EU Food Safety Authori‐ ty (EFSA), have announced that they are investigating an outbreak of salmonella linked to Spanish eggs.

The outbreak has so far affected 272 people in six countries since it was first identified in September 2021, resulting in 24 people being hospitalised and the deaths of two men.

The report, first published on Febru‐ ary 10, states that the cases have been traced back to ‘restaurants serving eggs distributed by a common supplier, Spanish Packing Centre A’, without di‐ rectly identifying the supplier.

The report said the eggs originated “from three Spanish farms, with one testing positive for the outbreak strain.”

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Trapped passenger blasts Ryanair

Problems out of its control.

ONE Ryanair passenger has blasted the company after she was charged for water after being trapped on‐ board.

The flight had been head‐ ing from Cork to London but due to Storm Eunice, it was diverted to Edinburgh.

The passenger told one publication: “They gave us two options when we land‐ ed in Edinburgh, they said that we could get off the plane and find our own transport out of our own pockets, or stay on the plane and wait.

“About nine people got off the plane. We landed in Scotland at 2pm and left at about 5pm. We were just sit‐ ting there for three hours, they wouldn’t let us off.

“They had the front door open for air but they were still charging people for wa‐ ter and food.

“When it had tried to land in London earlier people were getting sick, they ran out of sick bags and even then people needed water and they were charging for it.

Ryanair claimed that the problems were out of its control and reportedly emailed passengers and said it had: “made all reasonable efforts to prevent and re‐ duce the flight delay, and un‐ derstand the inconvenience it may have caused.”

NEWS

Poland loses EU funding

THE European Court of Jus‐ tice on February 16 ruled against Hungary and Poland, who effectively lost their court challenge to an EU rule that allows billions of euros of funding to be conditional on democratic standards.

In its judgement the Court said that complying with rule of law was a con‐ dition of enjoying mem‐ bership of the EU, dealing a blow to the govern‐ ments in Hungary and Poland who have been widely accused of back‐ sliding on standards in re‐ cent years.

Hungary’s governing party condemned the rul‐ ing as a political decision, arguing against the court ruling that “sound finan‐ cial management of the EU’s budget” could be se‐ riously compromised by breaches of rule of law.

They added that EU member states signed up to common values such as rule of law and solidarity

and the EU “must be able to defend those values.”

Both countries have been investigated for un‐ dermining the indepen‐

dence of courts, media and non‐governmental or‐ ganisations and both are key recipients of EU fund‐ ing.

Met Officers charged

THE CPS in the UK has confirmed that two serving Met Police Officers and one former officer are being charged with sharing ‘racist and misogynistic mes‐ sages’ via WhatsApp with Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens.

The charges follow an investigation by the Indepen‐ dent Officer for Police Conduct with all three accused of sending grossly offensive messages on a public com‐ munications network contrary to section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

The three are due to appear at Westminster Magis‐ trates’ Court on March 16. The CPS said it cannot con‐ firm the names of the officers for operational reasons.

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS special crime divi‐ sion, said: “Following a referral of evidence by the In‐ dependent Office for Police Conduct, the CPS has au‐ thorised charges against two serving Metropolitan Police officers and one former officer.”

STATS

799

The Vatican is the country with the smallest population: 799.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

Cancer research

EL CORTE INGLES has donated €279,258 to cancer research in Spain and is holding a commemorative exhibition in Madrid. This money comes from the proceeds of a campaign organised by El Corte Ingles last autumn, to mark the occasion of World Breast Cancer Day, which is celebrated every October 19.

The company and the association have also inaugurated an exhibition at El Corte Ingles in Sanchinarro, Madrid, to mark the Association’s 50th anniversary of cancer research.

El Corte Ingles has been working closely with the Spanish Association Against Cancer for many years, the result of which is their joint project in favour of research into breast cancer.

The initiative has progressed very positively and has so far funded four projects at various Spanish research centres. The current project, which has

ONLINE fashion retailer Boohoo has had an ad in the UK banned for showing a mod‐ el wearing thong‐style bikini bottoms by Britain’s advertising regulator for objectifying and sexualising women.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause serious offence, noting that nei‐ ther the partial nudity nor the

PROCEEDS: Donated by El Corte Ingles.

an estimated duration of five years, focuses on personalised immunotherapy and involves a multidisciplinary team from the hospitals Clinic de Barcelona, Doce de Octubre (Madrid), Vall d’Hebron (Barcelona) and the University of Navarra, under the direction of doctor Aleix Prat.

Bikini ad banned bikini bottoms were relevant to the product and that the im‐ ages did not show the product as it would usually be worn.

A statement issued by the watchdog said a series of poses in the listing were “sexually sug‐ gestive”, and another empha‐ sised the model’s exposed skin

rather than the product. Lon‐ don‐listed Boohoo, which has sought to improve its reputa‐ tion after negative publicity over supply chain failings, told ASA that the images were part of its swimwear category and this was why the model wear‐ ing the t‐shirt was in a bikini.

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NEWS

Thai prison teen warning

A FACEBOOK page has been set up to raise aware‐ ness of the plight of Ashley Oosthuizen, a young South African student facing a death sentence in a Thai prison and as a warning for travelling students.

The 22‐year‐old from George in the Western Cape of South Africa had no criminal record when she finished school in 2018 and moved to the island of Koh Samui.

After meeting a man who ran a drug dealing business, Ashley became embroiled in an MDMA dealing scan‐ dal when she unwittingly signed for a package con‐ taining the drugs while working at his restaurant.

Police were following the trail and she was immedi‐ ately detained and sen‐ tenced to death. That was later reduced to life impris‐ onment.

A website and Facebook page have now been set up with Ashley’s case serving as a warning for travelling students.

ASHLEY: Serving as a warning to travelling students.

Mask removal

THE Spanish Society of Gen‐ eral and Family Physicians (SEMG) have called on the government to maintain the usage of the mask in‐ doors until the cumulative incidence drops below 50, with the government cur‐ rently considering a propos‐ al from paediatricians to eliminate the usage in schools from the end of February.

Quique Bassat, ISGlobal Epidemiologist, Paediatri‐ cian and Coordinator of the Working Group of the Span‐ ish Association of Paedi‐ atrics (AEP) for the Reopen‐

ing of Schooling, said that it is ideal to eliminate mask usage when the au‐ tonomous communities have a cumulative incidence (AI) as low as possible.

However he continued saying: “For the general population, I would not ad‐ vance ‐ to this extent ‐ until we have an incidence be‐ low 50 cases per 100,000 in‐ habitants at 14 days.

“So it is foreseeable that it will be around Easter: If we continue at this rate, at least we will be close, but it is dif‐ ficult to hone in on the pre‐ diction.”

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN actor Johnny Depp was pre‐ sented the state medal of hon‐ our for promoting the country in his films by Serbian Presi‐ dent Aleksandar Vucic during a Statehood Day ceremony in Belgrade on Tuesday, February 15.

The medal is awarded for “outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially

24 February - 2 March 2022

Johnny Depp honoured

in the field of film, art and pro‐ motion of the Republic of Ser‐ bia in the world,” according to Balkan Insight.

Receiving the honour Depp said: “I truly, sincerely thank you, President Vucic, and this medal of merit, if I am given the

honour to walk away with this, I thank you for being kind enough to bestow it upon me.”

He added: “I’m right now on the verge of a new life and I like it, I like a re‐beginning. And I would love for that beginning to start here.”

Player of the Year

SPANIARD Jon Rahm, the world’s number one golf player, has been voted

EWN 21

the 2021 Player of the Year for the second time in three years by profes‐

Google privacy improved

THE recently announced plans to limit data tracking on Google’s Chrome browser, making it more private, is to be extended to cover apps on its Android based smartphones in a boost for consumer privacy rights.

The so‐called Privacy Sandbox project aims to curb the amount of user data that advertisers can gather, in a move that will please many users and brings the company more in line with Apple.

Apple has for some time forced app developers to ask per‐ mission from users before tracking them and their usage.

While the move will be welcomed by users and privacy promoters, the news will be a big blow to firms like Meta, who rely on putting their code on apps to track consumer be‐ haviour.

Meta said this month that Apple’s changes would cost it $10 billion (£7.3 billion) this year, however the loss is to be substantially more as Google’s Android operating system is used by about 85 per cent of smartphone owners worldwide.

Google have said that third‐party cookies, which use peo‐ ple’s browsing history to target adverts, will be phased out on their Chrome browser by 2023, but no date has been giv‐ en for smartphones.

sionals on the DP World Tour, picking up the Seve Ballesteros Award named after his fellow Spaniard, organisers said on Wednesday February 16.

The 27‐year‐old fin‐ ished as Europe’s leading points scorer at the 2021 Ryder Cup, with 3.5 points from his five matches, and has spent an overall of 27 weeks as world number one.

The acknowledgement of Rahm’s contribution to the game comes in the year that he secured his first major at the US Open, becoming the first champion from Spain and just the fourth Spaniard to win any major.

The Player of the Year award is named after the late five‐times major champion Ballesteros, and, for the first time this year, incorporates the former Golfer of the Year award into one singular award, voted for by play‐ ers.

Depp has participated in sev‐ eral projects connected to Ser‐ bia in recent years, having shot scenes in Belgrade for ‘Minima‐ ta’ and voicing a lead character in the animated series ‘Puffins’, which is produced in the coun‐ try.

DEPP: Has participated in several projects in Serbia.

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HIV woman cured

Putin’s Valencia connection FAMOUS TABLE: Was designed by a resident of Valencia.

VLADIMIR PUTIN’S now‐fa‐ mous six‐metre‐long (20ft) white table, at which several world leaders have been pic‐ tured sitting in recent weeks, was manufactured by a com‐ pany in the city of Valencia.

This enormous piece of fur‐ niture has become famous in its own right after images and memes flooded social media.

It played a central role in im‐ ages of the Russian leader’s meetings with the likes of French Prime Minister, Em‐ manuel Macron, and, more re‐ cently, Olaf Scholz, the Ger‐ man Chancellor.

The splendid table was de‐ signed by Vicente, a resident of the Valencian town of Alcass‐ er. “Until I saw her packed and loaded, I did not rest. You can‐ not imagine the suffering that table was for me,” the furni‐ ture manufacturer assured one publication.

Scholz and Putin sat at this very table in Moscow on Tues‐ day, February 15, to talk about the crisis in Ukraine, in an at‐ tempt to avoid any military es‐ calation in the region.

NEWS

AN American leukaemia pa‐ tient has become the first woman ever, and only the third person to date, to be cured of the AIDS‐causing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS). According to researchers, the 64‐year‐ old woman received a bone marrow transplant from a naturally resistant donor.

Her treatment is the first to involve umbilical cord blood, a newer approach that may make treatment more acces‐ sible, and available for more people.

Since receiving blood from the umbilical cord to treat her acute myeloid leukaemia ‐ a cancer that begins in the blood‐producing cells in the bone marrow ‐ the woman has shown remission to the virus. She has reportedly re‐ mained virus‐free for 14 months, without the need for

any anti‐HIV drugs treat‐ ment, known as antiretroviral therapy.

The two previous cases of recovery had occurred in

men, one white, and one Latino, who had both re‐ ceived adult stem cells, which are most often used in bone marrow transplants.

Second Brexit referendum A PROPOSAL for a second Brexit referendum has been put forward by the European Parliament in a report. The report looked at Article 50 and how member states leave the block. It claims that Brits were not given all the essential information before the referendum was held in 2016 and MEPs have suggested that a second referen‐ dum would be a “demographic safeguard” now that all the facts are known. The report said: “[The Committee] believes that, given the nature of the decision to leave the Union and its fundamental impacts on citizens of the departing Member State, the holding of a referendum to confirm the final decision to leave can be an impor‐ tant democratic safeguard.

“It considers that the confirmation of this final choice by its citizens is also crucial in case negotiations of a with‐ drawal agreement fail to conclude, provoking a no‐deal scenario.”

STATS

$1.3 million

The most money ever paid for a cow in an auction was $1.3 million.

FEATURE

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24 February - 2 March 2022

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European court rules against Spain’s Modelo 720 penalty regime Since 2013, residents of Spain have been obliged to submit an annual declaration reporting the assets they own outside Spain – Modelo 720 (Form 720). To discourage people from non-compliance, the regulation imposes very high penalties for failing to file Modelo, filing it late, or including false or inaccurate data.

After several complaints were submitted, the European Commission reviewed its legality and opened an infringement procedure against Spain in 2015. After this was ignored, the Commission issued another notice in 2017. Now the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Spain infringed the European principle of free movement of capital, and Spain will be changing its regulations.

Note that this ruling is just against 720’s penalty regime, not against Modelo 720 itself.

and disproportionally high when compared to those applied for failing to report Spanish domestic assets and income. In many cases the penalties and fines amounted to more than 100% of the value of the assets in question.

The Spanish authorities will now change their penalty regime to make it more proportionate and less severe.

By Brett Hanson, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks

Yes. The obligation to declare your offshore assets and what you need to report was never called into question. If you are a resident of Spain and own assets abroad, it remains compulsory to accurately submit your Modelo 720 each year, if you meet the criteria. There is no sign that this will change in future.

What has changed?

Do I still need to submit Modelo 720 each year?

The ECJ ruled that the penalties were extremely repressive

The ECJ also ruled that the absence of application of the statute of limitation to the tax obligations derived from Modelo 720 infringes the European law principles. From now on, the statute of limitation will be applicable to those tax obligations derived from Modelo 720. Taxpayers will be able to rely in the principle of legal certainty and if four years elapses since they failed to submit, or incorrectly submitted, Modelo 720, the Spanish tax authorities will have lost their right to tax audit the taxpayer and impose penalties.

Will previous penalties be refunded?

If you were fined in the past for submitting your Modelo 720 late or failing to submit one, you may be able to claim some of the penalty back. This is not automatic; refunds will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Talk to a Spanish tax lawyer.

Who needs to submit Modelo 720 and when?

Modelo 720 is not a tax return as such, but simply an annual requirement to report information about assets. It’s compulsory for those who meet the criteria to be resident in Spain for tax purposes.

It is due by 31st March each year, declaring the offshore assets you owned outside Spain at the end of the previous year.

You have to report all assets in a particular category if the value of your total assets in that category amounts to over €50,000.

The three reporting categories are: 1. Accounts held with financial institutions (banks)

2. Investments 3. Immovable property If you have already submitted Modelo 720 in recent years, you only need to report again if: • The value of an existing asset grew by more than €20,000, or • You sold an asset/closed an account, or • You obtained new assets.

It’s worth noting that Spain can be a more tax-efficient country to live in than many people realise, particularly for your investment capital and income.

Ask a financial adviser to review your assets to make sure they are held in the most tax-efficient, compliant arrangements for Spain. This could reduce your tax liability and provide peace of mind that your tax planning is legitimate in Spain and that submitting Modelo 720 is nothing to fear.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com

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24 February - 2 March 2022

LOCALS in the north west of the UK feared they had been hit by a mini earthquake on the morning of Tuesday, February 15. It is be‐ lieved that an anti‐submarine surveillance RAF jet caused a sonic boom.

According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), no tremors had been recorded but they had recorded signals consistent with an aircraft going supersonic. The BGS commented: “We do have signals that may be consistent with an event of a sonic origin.

“British Aerospace confirmed they did have

NEWS

‘Supersonic boom’ aircraft airborne at the time and two RAF air‐ craft, but cannot confirm at this time if any had gone supersonic.”

Flightradar24 also recorded an Air Force jet in the area at the time.

Residents heard the blast at around 11am in Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and

Greater Manchester.

A local told one publication: “There was a loud bang and the whole house violently shook.

“We went upstairs to see if a wardrobe or something had fallen but couldn’t see anything out of place.”

British ambassador meeting THE UK ambassador to Spain and the mayor of Adeje, Tenerife, met on Tuesday, February 15 to discuss Brexit and the future of British tourism in the Canary Islands.

Ambassador Hugh Elliott, and Mayor Miguel Rodriguez Fraga also met representatives from the tourism and hotel sectors. The UK ambassador said: “The Canary Islands con‐ tinues to be the favourite des‐ tination of the British tourist.

Prior to the Covid pandemic, five million British visitors picked the Canaries as their holiday destination, and we are hoping to see those num‐ bers again as soon as possible, and believe we will. During 2021 the archipelago was al‐ ready a destination in demand for the British holidaymaker.”

According to the mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, “Adeje and the UK have a long history from a tourist, a residential and economic point of view.”

RAF JET: Residents heard a blast.

Robinho extradition PROSECUTORS in Italy’s Milan have requested an arrest warrant and the extradition of the former Brazilian foot‐ baller Robson de Souza ‘Robinho.’ The Italian Supreme Court has sentenced Robinho to nine years in prison for rape. He was convicted of raping a 23‐year‐old girl in a Milan night‐ club in 2013 with a friend and other men.

The requests have been submitted to the Italian Justice Ministry by the prosecutors for both Robinho and his friend Riccardo Falco. Notifications will be sent to the Brazilian au‐ thorities. However, it is believed that Brazil will not agree to the extraditions. According to local media reports, the Brazil‐ ian constitution will not allow for citizens to be extradited.

Once the international arrest warrant has been granted the former Manchester City and Real Madrid player could be detained if he leaves Brazil and enters another country that has an extradition agreement with Italy.

and finally...

COCA-COLA, who has not been very successful in introducing new flavours, is experimenting again. This time with the launch of a completely new and different flavoured drink known as Starlight. Starlight is the first beverage from Coca‐ Cola Creations, a new innovation platform, that has not yet said what the new limited edition tastes like, other than to say it will be available in regular and sugar free versions.

The launch of the new line, expected this month, has got everyone guessing as to what the galaxy inspired drink may taste like.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

NHS therapy dog RUBY: Works in hospitals.

AN NHS therapy dog called Ruby and a mini toy town were just some of the ways the NHS encouraged children to keep calm while they were vaccinated at half term.

According to the NHS: “Ru‐ by, the eight‐year‐old Briard who has worked in hospitals

Jet2 boosts capacity

SINCE the Spanish government decided to relax coronavirus travel rules for children, a strong demand for flights to Tener‐ ife has returned. Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have responded and added additional flights and holidays to the popular Spanish island. Since February 14, children aged between 12 and 17 years old no longer need to be fully vaccinated to be able to fly into Spain. Between late February and late May, Jet2 will offer an additional 7,000 seats. Flights will be avail‐ able from East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Glas‐ gow and Manchester airports. The chief executive of Jet2 Steve Heapy revealed: “With Spain scrapping vaccination certification rules for 12 to 17‐year‐olds and international travel starting to return to normal, families are really jump‐ ing at the chance to enjoy a much‐needed holiday in Tener‐ ife, and we have seen an increase in bookings.”

as a therapy dog for seven years, has been helping ease any nerves for teens in the Midlands with regular clinics in Nottingham.

“Meanwhile in the Black Country, the local trust ran a ‘mini toy town, where at‐risk five to 11‐year‐olds could take part in a range of fun games on their way to getting jabbed, including hop‐scotch and a treasure hunt, with a game of snakes and ladders while they waited for 15 min‐ utes post‐jab.”

GP and Deputy Lead of the NHS Vaccination Programme, Dr Nikki Kanani, said: “The half‐term offered the perfect opportunity to get your child protected, with a range of ini‐ tiatives up and down the country, that helped children feel at ease when getting their vaccine.

“From furry friends like Ru‐ by, the much‐loved therapy dog, the sheep at a pop‐up petting zoo and a mini toy town ‐ the NHS did everything it could to get your loved ones protected.”

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NEWS

Banned airline passenger BODYCAM footage by the Orlando Police De‐ partment has shown a 32‐year‐old woman on a motorised suitcase leading police on an air‐ port chase.

Chelsea Alston appeared to be drunk and had been banned from boarding a flight to New York.

Footage showed how Orlando police officer Andrew Mamone got involved and tried to re‐ solve the situation after Alston became argu‐ mentative.

Alston then used her electric suitcase to speed away through the airport. Officer Ma‐ mone was surprised at the speed the mo‐ torised suitcase had and jumped on his bike and a chase began.

The officer commented: “We’re going to have a bike pursuing a suitcase in a minute

AIRPORT: Woman banned from her flight.

“Oh man, that thing kind of goes fast.”

On the video footage laughing could be heard from other people in the airport as the chase ensued.

Alston was finally caught by the police and taken away in handcuffs. She became violent and according to reports was charged with bat‐ tery of a police officer.

UK cyber security sector THE UK’s cyber security sec‐ tor generated £10.1 billion in revenue in the last financial year, having reached record levels of investment.

New government data has revealed that companies in the cyber security sector in‐ creased their revenue by 14 per cent from the year before.

The government said: “Employment across the in‐ dustry rose by 13 per cent, with more than 6,000 new jobs created, opening up new opportunities for peo‐ ple up and down the UK to join the sector and share its wealth. This brings the to‐ tal number of people work‐

ing in cyber in the UK to 52,700.”

Cyber security has become an increasingly pressing issue for governments and com‐ panies across the world fol‐ lowing a series of high‐pro‐ file cyber attacks against bodies including the NHS in the UK.

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A GLOBAL deal has finally been reached between online giant Amazon, and credit card company Visa with the retailer now accepting credit card pay‐ ments from Visa card users.

Last year, due to the fees that Visa was charging to pro‐ cess credit card payments for online purchases, Amazon had threatened to stop accepting their cards.

Amazon Visa deal Customers in Australia and Singapore had also been hit with surcharges when using Visa to pay for goods on Ama‐ zon. From Thursday, February 17, Visa removed this sur‐ charge in those countries.

While negotiations were on‐ going, Amazon had already lift‐ ed the ban on using Visa cards from the UK for payment.

“We’ve recently reached a global agreement with Visa that allows all customers to

continue using their Visa credit cards in our stores,” said a statement from Amazon.

“This agreement includes the acceptance of Visa at all Amazon stores and sites today, as well as a joint commitment

NEWS CREDIT CARD: Customers had been hit with surcharges.

to collaboration on new prod‐ uct and technology initiatives to ensure innovative payment

experiences for our customers in the future,” Visa said in re‐ sponse.

Covid counting chaos A PUBLICATION in Spain is alleging that some regions across the country have been miscalculating the number of Covid deaths they report.

At least eight regions across Spain are thought to have inflated their Covid death figures by up to 20 per cent, with some com‐ munities accused of adding deaths for people who died from other causes, but had given a positive test result for Covid.

The Centre for the Coor‐ dination of Alerts and Health Emergencies (CCAES) was reportedly not even aware of the chaos and did not know that the different autonomous com‐ munities were counting Covid deaths in different ways.

A source in the CCAES re‐ vealed: “We have always understood that the ACs only counted deaths due to Covid, not Covid and deaths due to other causes.”

The autonomous com‐

munities have been com‐ plaining to the CCAES. It has now been acknowledged that issues have been found with counting methods.

Not only are different au‐ tonomous communities us‐ ing different criteria but there is also a delay in shar‐ ing data with the Ministry.

Flight attendant goes potty A FLIGHT attendant allegedly hit an unruly passenger with a coffee pot aboard a flight to Washington DC after they re‐ portedly tried to enter the cockpit.

The American Airlines Flight 1775 had been heading to the capital when an ‘unruly passenger’ caused chaos, forcing the plane to be diverted to Kansas City. According to the airline crew members and passengers were involved in subduing the passenger.

Passenger Mouaz Moustafa took to Twitter and shared videos of the incident and claimed that the passenger had tried to gain access to the cockpit and also open another door. He also revealed that a flight attendant had hit the un‐ ruly passenger with a coffee pot.

Moustafa took to Twitter and alongside one video he com‐ mented: “More FBI agents in the plane speaking to passen‐ gers, you can see the flight attendant cleaning up the scene.

“The individual who caused the incident was bleeding as the plane made the emergency landing. #AA1775 from #LA to #DC is currently still on tarmac in Kansas City #Missouri.”

STATS

7.5

7.5 million toothpicks can be created from a cord of wood.

NEWS

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Heart-warming tale GISELLE, a one‐legged disabled dog has been given a new lease of life in Kent thanks to Natalia George, the woman who saved her life as an 11‐month‐old puppy.

The incredible German shep‐ herd cross was the victim of a hit‐and‐run incident last Febru‐ ary that left her at death’s door but has now been nursed back to health thanks to a specially‐ constructed prosthetic leg and a four‐wheel cart which has

GISELLE: Given a new lease of life.

helped her to walk again.

Giselle was spotted on a traffic security camera, lying at the side

Step forward on 5G SPAIN has taken a step forward on rolling 5G out across the country after reorganising the telecommunications opera‐ tors working on a frequency band needed for its introduc‐ tion. According to the government, the main objective of this reorganisation is to facilitate more efficient provision of 5G wireless broadband services, to fully take advantage of all the possibilities provided by 5G technology and, ultimate‐ ly, to reduce the costs of deploying mobile communications networks in this band.

The high‐speed of 5G technology will improve communi‐ cations across Spain and will have a direct influence on the transformation of broad sectors of the economy such as manufacturing, natural resource management, agribusiness, health and education; and also on the mobility and logistics sector.

of the road. As a result of the ac‐ cident, the unfortunate pooch had two legs and one paw am‐ putated.

Natalia, the founder of Flori’s Friends Rescue in Kent, nursed the stricken dog back to health.

Eventually, after 10 hard months, she couldn’t bear to be separated from her, so she adopted Giselle. “The amount of blood, sweat, and tears we went through meant everything,” said the new owner.

When Giselle was rescued her spine had actually been broken and fused together. It seemed an impossible task for Natalia’s charity to save the dog’s mobili‐ ty, and she became known as “the charity’s hardest challenge to date.”

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Catching up

Near beer

ACCORDING to Danmarks Statistik, men are living longer on average than they used to at 79.6 years whilst for women, their lifespan has dropped slightly to 83.4 years.

In the past 30 years, the difference between men and women has fallen from 5.4 to 3.8 years.

RESEARCHERS from the University of Copenhagen say that they have worked out how to infuse the smell of hops into nonalcoholic beer so that it actually tastes like beer. Not only does it taste better but it is greener as hops aren’t transported to the brewery.

THE NETHERLANDS Treasure trove

Brexit boom

THERE was an amazing find by amateur archaeologists who were digging around the Springendal country estate in Twente when they discovered a hoard of gold and silver coins dating back to the 6th century as well as jewellery which may have been buried at a religious site.

THE Dutch foreign investment agency NFIA assisted almost 500 foreign companies to set up offices in Holland in 2021 and believes that part of the reason is thanks to their fear of basing themselves in the UK now that it is no longer part of the European Union.

BELGIUM Good Move

Naked cyclops

AS part of a green programme called Good Move, the Brussels Council has decided that with effect from August 16, 2022 that it will be impossible for traffic to cross the city centre although residents will have camera recognised number plate access.

THE 8.5-metre naked Cyclops who had been amusing drivers for several years has found a new home after being sold for €30,000 by his current owner who is moving to Portugal. He will now stand proud outside a kitchen factory just down the road in Flanders.

GERMANY Golden Bear

Cold bus

THIS year, in a reduced ceremony due to the pandemic, the Golden Bear Award for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival was given to a Catalan film director Carla Simon for Alcarras which tells the story of peach farmers threatened with eviction.

BERLIN can be particularly cold during the winter and a group of volunteers nightly man their Cold Bus which drives around the city offering blankets and hot food to those most in need and even a seat on the bus to allow them to ‘thaw out’.

FRANCE Looted artwork

Mali withdrawal

AS part of the French Government’s programme to return looted art to its rightful owners, it has instructed art galleries such as the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay to return 15 pieces of art including a Gustave Klimt painting to descendants of owners of art stolen by the Nazis.

DESPITE opposition from African leaders, President Macron announced on Thursday February 17 that he planned to withdraw French troops from the former colony of Mali which had been propping up the country against incursions by Islamic jihadists as he no longer supports the government there.

NORWAY Nursing shortage

Holiday fears

ALTHOUGH Norway is anxious to increase the number of new nurses entering the health service, a recent call for young people to fill 500 study places, rather than being oversubscribed, saw just 361 places being taken up, fewer than ever before.

A SURVEY of 230,000 Norwegians undertaken for insurance company Fremtind showed that due to fears of the pandemic and restrictions on ease of travel, just 15 per cent of those responding planned to take an overseas winter holiday whilst the balance were content to remain in Norway.

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND

Damp squib

Unexpected shot

THE city of Tampere has announced that it will no longer use fireworks in council sponsored celebrations such as Independence or New Year’s Days in order to try to help the environment. Instead, it is investigating use of light and music shows to mark special occasions.

FINNISH skier Jon Sallinen surprised himself and an official photographer whilst competing in the Winter Olympics half-pipe skiing qualifiers as during an attempted backflip he veered off course and knocked the camera from the photographer’s hands, although neither was reported to have been injured.

IRELAND More flights

Pride Rainbow

CORK airport will be the base for a third Ryanair aircraft this summer as the airline looks to increase the number of flights operated, resulting in 120 flights per week to 25 destinations including seven new ones as it believes there is an increased desire to travel.

WITH the intention of promoting the city as an inclusive destination for work and vacation, the Limerick City Council has installed its first Pride Rainbow Street crossing alongside a somewhat faded zebra crossing as part of its expanding cycle route.

ITALY Pot luck

Novak welcomed

ON Wednesday February 16, Italy's constitutional court said that it could not allow a referendum concerning legalisation of cannabis as a change in the law would be in breach of existing international agreements despite the fact that 630,000 had signed the petition calling for a public vote.

ITALIAN sports minister Valentina Vezzali has said that controversial tennis star Novak Djokovic who will not be vaccinated even if he has to miss tournaments will be welcome to take part in Rome’s Internazionali d'Italia, although under current regulations he would be banned from hotels and restaurants.

PORTUGAL Get the picture

Chicken Kiev

A PORTUGUESE judge in charge of a case against 89 international Hell’s Angels has demanded that their lawyers supply photographs of all of their tattoos (except those on their private parts) for identification purposes, five months into their trial for allegedly planning to ambush a rival biker.

A PLANE which took off from Funchal in Madeira on February 13 en route for the city of Borispyil in the Ukraine carrying 175 passengers was diverted by its owners at the last minute and landed in Moldovan capital Chisinau and the journey carried on by road.

RUSSIA Strange find

Golden visa

A LOCAL resident of the Libyan coastal town of in Al-Marj was surprised to discover a total of 323 blocks of hashish each bearing the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin washed up on the beach. Police assume that they were from a sunken vessel.

A BBC report suggests that due to the Ukraine crisis and fears of Russian arrivals, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is planning to scrap the so called ‘golden visa’ plan that allows foreign passport holders to reside in the UK provided they invest £2 million in the country.

SWEDEN Metal minister

Daesh disclosure

SPEAKING to Swedish radio station, Bandit Rock, the country’s first female Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson revealed that she is a huge fan of American heavy metal band System of a Down and plays their music regularly at home as well as when she holds parties.

HAVING kept the results of a 2019 internal enquiry quiet until now, Borje Ekholm the CEO of Swedish telecom giant Ericsson admitted on February 15 that it may have paid money through intermediaries to Daesh (ISIS) in order to gain access to the market in parts of Iraq.

24 February - 2 March 2022

EWN 31

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Cash machines THE Catalan government wants to see a law introduced whereby banks are required to install cash machines in every municipality as more and more branches are closed and there are 10,000 fewer machines across the country than there were before the financial cri‐ sis.

Super bonus HAVING deferred bonuses for five years (2016 to 2020), the main di‐ rectors of Santander Bank have been granted a special package which includes an additional 2021 bonus of 2.86 million shares, val‐ ued on February 15, (the day it was agreed) at more than €10 million.

Ulster Bank THE decision by NatWest to close its Ulster Bank subsidiary in the Re‐ public of Ireland is expected to cost £900 million due to the cost of withdrawal and losses on loans but it will release much needed capital to inject back into the Group.

Bounce back IT would appear that the hit that UK retail took from Omicron in De‐ cember was short lived and after a 4 per cent drop in sales prior to Christmas, the retail sector bounced back with a better‐than‐ expected jump of 1.9 per cent in January 2022.

Inditex tests Bizum AS an initial experiment, fashion group Inditex has confirmed to the Spanish Press that it will accept payment via Bizum from cus‐ tomers purchasing online from their Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti and Oysho brands. Bizum is a speedy online payment system owned by 23 Spanish banks which is attracting large numbers of new users within Spain.

It seems to be a natural step for the Spanish fashion giant as other major shopping outlets such as El Corte Inglés already accept this op‐ tion and assuming the trail is suc‐ cessful then expect the option to roll out to the Zara stores.

www.euroweeklynews.com • 24 Feb - 2 March 2022

32

STAT OF WEEK

€2.5 billion

is the record profit reported by Spain’s leading oil company Repsol for 2021 which will allow it to substantially increase shareholder dividends.

Passengers won’t pay THE International Air Transport As‐ sociation (IATA) believes that a pro‐ posal from Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA), to recov‐ er their €2.3 billion losses by raising airport charges was not in the best long‐term interest of the travel in‐ dustry.

IATA considered that while Covid‐ 19 had a catastrophic impact on travel, it did not have a substantial impact on the financial viability of AENA, as reflected by their 2020 fi‐ nancial statements and their results for the first nine months of 2021.

With the AENA forecast of cash

and credit availability for the coming years, airlines believed that their re‐ quest was not only unjustified but also irresponsible.

“We welcome that the DGAC and the Ministry of Transport have re‐ jected an unjustified request for a cost increase that would have put the recovery of air travel at risk.

“This is a logical decision based on solid financial evidence and it sends a strong message to other airports and air navigation service providers tempted to follow a similar ap‐ proach, that such monopolistic be‐ haviour will not be accepted.

LEGALLY SPEAKING

“Passing on the burden of finan‐ cial recovery to your customers, is not the way to incentivise travel, re‐ establish air connectivity and start putting the Covid‐19 crisis behind us once and for all,” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe.

Spain’s framework for air travel, so important to the hospitality in‐ dustry, includes the freezing of charges for the next five years, but still guarantees the future develop‐ ment needs and investments in sus‐ tainable aviation infrastructure in Spain.

The Opal funeral plan

Can she get permission?

I am not resident in Spain but I have visited my flat in Mallorca twice a year since 1981. When I bought the flat, the seller informed me that he paid com‐ munity fees for one and a half apartments. This was due to an earlier error of measurement that was never for‐ mally rectified. I have continued to pay fees at this rate since 1981. Later I realised that I actually had more square metres which I wanted to register with the catas‐ tral office of the town hall and include a new‐build studio apartment as well. The town hall said I needed approval from the community first. The community wants me to pay for two flats, to pay them €15,000, and cover all ex‐ penses for changing every owner’s property share. Can you clarify?

C S (Baleares) You need DAVID SEARL the commu‐ nity’s permission to YOU AND THE LAW register your new‐ IN SPAIN build studio. Their price for this seems rather high and I don’t know how they get a figure of €15,000. It seems to me that your best course of action is to give up your plan for a new stu‐ dio and wait. You are now paying community fees for less property than you actually own. At some point in the future all of these non‐regulation patches will have to be cleared up.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

DURING the pandemic generally and the lockdown specifically, exercise brand Peloton simply couldn’t keep up with orders for its static bikes and running machines, as consumers all over the world including the UK wanted to keep fit.

But now with gyms opening and many finding other options for spend‐ ing their money rather than on the four figure Peloton machines, income

Golden Leaves takes away the pressure.

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It’s not something any of us like to think about but it is es‐ sential to plan ahead to alleviate some of the stress for loved ones.

Particularly for those living abroad, a Golden Leaves fu‐ neral plan takes away the pressure of having to arrange a funeral in a different country and a different language.

The Pearl Funeral Plan from Golden Leaves is designed for those who just want a simple cremation service, is suit‐ able for single people, couples, or small family units and can be completed within 72 hours.

This plan covers the essential items, including the re‐ moval and disposal of the deceased, translating the death certificate into English and the certificate to allow ashes to be taken on board an aircraft.

To find out more about Golden Leaves and how they can meet your needs, visit their website or contact them at in fo@goldenleavesinternational.com.

For more information, visit their website: www.goldenleavesinternational.com, send an email to info@goldenleavesinternational.com, or call for free on 800 098 309.

Let’s go Peloton has dropped dramatically for both hardware and enrolment in the exer‐ cise classes.

Once valued at around $50 billion on the US stock exchange, it dropped to $10 billion as share prices were slashed, although there has been a slight rally following the announce‐

ment that John Foley, co‐founder chief executive of the firm will step down.

Corporate shareholders are said to be very unhappy in the way that Fo‐ ley managed the company and some appear to want to see it either put up for sale or receive a takeover bid, with

Lack of skill ALTHOUGH Spain is second only to Italy in receiving the most post pandemic financial support from the European Union, it is now facing a prob‐ lem of lack of skilled workers.

There are still significant numbers of unemployed but one industry that suffered dramatically following the 2008 financial crisis was that of commercial building with many workers moving to oth‐ er jobs and not being re‐ placed. Now as large new building projects are being considered, many companies find themselves in the unenvi‐ able position of being unable to bid for work as they simply don’t have a sufficient num‐ ber of trained workers capa‐ ble of taking on the increasing number of new projects.

Mango commits SPANISH fashion brand Man‐ go has taken one step further in its journey towards envi‐ ronmental and social sustain‐ ability. The company, one of the leading groups in the Eu‐ ropean fashion industry, has reviewed the targets set in early 2020 as part of its sus‐ tainability strategic plan and has decided to bring them for‐ ward and now intends that 100 per cent of the polyester used will be recycled by 2025.

Similarly, the firm also plans that by 2025, 100 per cent of cellulose fibres used will be of controlled origin and trace‐ able, bringing forward its orig‐ inal commitment by five years whilst cotton will be only ob‐ tained from sustainable sources. speculation that the company would be an ideal acquisition for Apple, al‐ though other names to be linked in‐ clude Amazon, Nike and Disney.

The other problem is that whilst the concept was fresh, sales were al‐ most guaranteed but there are now other competitors in the market who were able to learn from Peloton’s mistakes and offer possibly slicker and cheaper alternatives.

34 EWN

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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

1.730,50 5.180,0 116,99 277,60 1.787,5 801,00 275,10 51,77 6.640,0 746,20 153,95 1.935,50 1.087,86 240,10 6.834,0 27,27 1.299,00 2.423,2 649,40 1.179,00 6.342,0 2.234,00 488,20 610,74 5.681,0 118,28 6,68 668,80 1.546,50 12,49 3.249,0 989,82 1.259,00 2.856,0 1.966,8 1.192,50 1.511,00 11.520,0 1.615,50 1.534,00 587,80 149,29 295,50 270,80 3.868,5 1.065,50 137,82 3.126,6 1.191,50

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

1.758,50 5.206,0 118,20 278,60 1.804,0 808,20 276,20 51,88 6.686,0 747,00 156,00 1.953,00 1.090,60 240,30 6.908,0 28,13 1.309,50 2.449,3 652,00 1.186,00 6.355,0 2.265,00 494,60 618,20 5.768,0 119,40 6,93 671,80 1.559,50 12,84 3.263,0 1.019,00 1.275,00 2.861,0 1.972,0 1.211,00 1.523,00 11.785,0 1.622,50 1.538,50 590,00 150,30 295,70 278,30 3.874,0 1.066,00 138,00 3.150,0 1.196,50

1.725,00 5.178,7 116,70 276,60 1.784,0 800,80 273,80 51,28 6.634,0 745,00 153,75 1.928,00 1.084,00 233,60 6.820,0 27,14 1.292,50 2.416,2 648,40 1.163,50 6.250,0 2.233,00 487,90 609,20 5.669,0 117,67 6,59 666,80 1.543,50 12,27 3.241,0 987,60 1.253,00 2.844,0 1.952,6 1.192,50 1.508,50 11.505,0 1.612,00 1.526,50 581,60 149,05 294,35 269,80 3.847,0 1.057,50 137,08 3.119,4 1.190,00

22,69K 0,53K 382,61K 137,17K 47,02K 69,70K 734,58K 16,71M 36,55K 39,67K 628,85K 132,20K 418,06K 4,71M 15,73K 207,42K 115,25K 20,43K 132,47K 298,47K 106,94K 277,52K 173,60K 81,48K 583,87K 903,76K 451,79K 117,72K 5,15K 2,23M 5,24K 982,14K 301,09K 13,45K 1,63M 127,96K 58,15K 5,98K 185,18K 49,33K 1,38M 398,28K 779,83K 2,00M 21,42K 56,18K 4,72M 5,11K 138,43K

1.19956

0.83346

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1362 Japan yen (JPY)........................................130.55 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0442 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4398 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.187

currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 21

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 147,62 194,88 220,77 167,30 209,03 191,95 133,42 57,21 62,54 60,59 346,04 346,87 182,13 124,35 45,04 163,36 152,14 250,60 76,37 287,93 142,95 159,90 196,84 170,63 467,81 53,83 222,69 46,61 137,99 151,36

CHANGE 149,71 197,75 223,98 170,54 214,73 195,62 133,91 57,69 62,82 61,32 350,00 350,60 185,06 125,44 46,21 165,36 154,14 252,29 76,86 293,86 143,94 161,06 202,60 172,01 474,92 53,96 225,74 47,37 139,59 153,68

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 147,24 5,01M 194,20 2,77M 219,79 2,79M 166,19 81,01M 208,60 6,92M 191,18 4,38M 132,05 10,59M 55,38 35,25M 61,99 21,90M 60,19 5,04M 343,37 2,87M 344,10 5,44M 181,39 4,50M 123,61 4,54M 44,51 75,49M 162,94 6,26M 151,13 11,55M 250,01 2,81M 75,89 8,65M 286,30 33,96M 141,81 5,13M 158,82 8,00M 195,79 6,54M 169,45 1,16M 466,83 2,96M 53,28 20,25M 221,84 8,08M 46,24 4,59M 137,16 10,33M 150,05 10,66M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 21

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

537.78% +48.38% +39.71% +24.00% +23.81% +22.54% +20.82% +20.74% +19.83% +19.21% +17.05%

132.00K 19.69M 6.45M 68.70M 277.44K 827.76K 15.29M 15.67M 17.71M 1.68M 1.51M

-57.14% -50.35% -45.73% -43.42% -32.09% -29.97% -29.31% -28.70% -27.17% -23.62% -22.29%

991.53K 2.07M 37.71M 4.03M 1.19M 8.66M 3.75M 1.31M 5.61M 60.84K 66.59M

Most Advanced Blue Water Vaccines Sky Harbour RISE Education Cayman Hookipa Pharma Universal Security Instruments Cyngn Amplitude Maris Tech Karyopharm vTv Therapeutics Inc Datasea

Most Declined Cepton Inspirato Guardion Health Anghami De QualTek Services Doma Holdings Guardforce AI Backblaze Smart for Life China Natural Resources Roku

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

World Trade Center Gibraltar

Credit: World Trade Center Gibraltar

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY: Scene from the opening ceremony in 2017.

THE World Trade Center Gibraltar celebrated its fifth anniversary on Tuesday February 15 in a slightly less exuberant manner than in 2017.

At that time, there was no inkling of coronavirus and the brand‐new lobby was crowd‐ ed with people pleased to see the arrival of this new office facility on the Rock.

Within just one month of that ceremony, the building was 98.5 per cent occupied, with nearly 48 per cent of those occupants being new investors to Gibraltar.

Five years on and despite a global pandemic, the building is 100 per cent occupied and is home to a wide array of busi‐ nesses, ranging from estab‐ lished gaming companies with leading global brands and reputations to fast growth start‐ups and trailblaz‐ ers to the new industries that Gibraltar is welcoming.

World Trade Center Gibral‐

tar has also delivered signifi‐ cant benefits to the local com‐ munity, generating an annual sum of £65 million to the Gibraltar.

Throughout these first five years, World Trade Center Gibraltar has been involved in raising £152,590 for several charitable causes and has fielded teams in several sport‐ ing initiatives, from golf to paddle to beach volleyball, all in the name of charity.

Internationally, at the end of 2021, World Trade Center Gibraltar was involved in funding Operation Magic Car‐ pet, a humanitarian rescue of 92 people from Kabul, in Afghanistan and 78 remain in rental accommodation in Is‐ lamabad, Pakistan.

Most of those remaining are women and young chil‐ dren ‐ donations are still sought via the Operation Magic Carpet page on the Go‐ FundMe website https://go fund.me/a8655716.

Scam warning BANKING App Revolut has sent a message to customers warning that criminals are targeting victims by pretend‐ ing to be from Revolut.

These scams often involve fraudsters telling you to move money into a new account due to a fraud or secu‐ rity issue. They usually make it sound urgent to pressure you.

They can also change their phone numbers to make it look like you’re getting a call from a genuine company, so you need to stay vigilant.

Revolut will never contact you over the phone without verifying ourselves first by sending you a message via your Revolut app.

If someone calls you claiming to be from Revolut, hang up immediately then contact their in‐app chat.

BUSINESS EXTRA Brexit result A REPORT by Reuters suggests that the fallout from Brexit has not ad‐ versely affected the Spanish economy with exports to the UK down slightly, but imports down by a significant 26 per cent in 2021 and this is likely to remain the case without an EU trade deal.

ECB support REVIEWING the situation of the Spanish economy at the height of the pan‐ demic, BBVA Bank re‐ search suggests that al‐ though the country suffered the eurozone’s worst slump it was kept solvent thanks to the Eu‐ ropean Central Bank (ECB) support of buying bonds and helping with liquidity.

Clegg promoted FORMER Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, Sir Nick Clegg, has done well since being voted out of the UK Parliament as he has just been made pres‐ ident of global affairs at Meta, the newly named group that owns Face‐ book.

24 February - 2 March 2022

EWN 35

36 EWN

24 February - 2 March 2022

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT BY the time you read this, the attack by Russian forces on the Ukraine will probably have already taken place.

The observation, paraphrased by Winston Churchill, that those who ignore the lessons of history are bound to repeat them, has never before rung so true.

If you compare the actions of Adolph Hitler to the activities of Russian president Putin, the parallels are unrelenting.

Hitler built up his forces and developed a dictatorship with absolute control over his citizens. Hitler assured European leaders he had no intention of invading Poland. Hitler falsely accused neighbouring countries of aggressive acts, including the persecution of German immigrants as an excuse for retaliation.

Hitler arrogantly ignored all threats of far‐reaching sanctions and retribution ‐ and more importantly Hitler believed he was absolutely correct in his view that fascism and dictatorship was the only answer.

To me one of the most disturbing events over the last few weeks was the meeting with Putin and China’s president Xi Jinping. Many years ago, in this very

www.euroweeklynews.com

I told you so

column, I warned that if Russia ever aligned with China, the World could be in serious trouble.

In the usual way of course the cynics dismissed this as another ‘Leapy rant’.

Well I hate to say I told you so, but I truly believe that China is in full accord with the actions of Russia and the only concession they asked for at their recent meeting was that he wait until the Chinese Olympics were over before launching an attack .

Another factor that Western leaders don’t seem to take on board is that threats of sanctions cut no ice whatsoever. Russia is completely self‐ sufficient, as is China. Between them they have vast reserves of oil, gas, coal and minerals and you only have to walk around a Chinese shop to see they can manufacture just about every commodity under the sun.

They both also produce enough foodstuffs to feed the whole sum of their citizens and can access enough brainwashed and slave workers to grow and produce it. They are both nuclear countries and probably control more warheads than the whole of NATO

members combined.

Well here is my own prophesy ‐ hopefully wrong. Russia will attack. The scale will be disastrous for the whole of the Ukraine. Casualties will be catastrophic. The West will not dare to intervene. Russia will subsequently install its own puppet government.

A dangerous cold war will then prevail, which could last for years. All we can hope is that this is as far as it goes.

If one nuclear weapon is utilised, it could be the end of the civilised world as we know it. Will they be mad enough to do it? I think they possibly could be. They are powerful arrogant fanatics who are convinced democracy is not the answer.

If they are also confident they could actually win such a devastating conflict, we can all put our heads between our legs and kiss our existence goodbye. All this woke and PC nonsense rather pales by comparison, don’t you think!?

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

Series review: Holiday turns into nightmare for Sheridan Smith in No Return A FAMILY holiday takes a turn for the worst in ITV’s four‐part drama series No Return, which is set in Turkey but filmed in locations on the Cos‐ ta del Sol including Nerja, Malaga and Benalmadena.

This series scored a 6.4 out of 10 on IMDB and is definitely worth a watch.

This story of a parent’s worst nightmare is another powerful ITV drama, starring the faultless Sheridan Smith (The Royle Family) as the mother, Kathy, the premise follows the battle between a British family and the Turkish legal system.

Parents Kathy and Martin, played by Michael Jibson (Les Miserables), take their teenage children on an all‐in‐ clusive holiday to Turkey ‐ their big yearly getaway ‐ when their dream holiday plunges into a nightmare as 16‐year‐ old son Noah is dragged away

in handcuffs after being ac‐ cused of sexual assault against another young boy.

The shots of the idyllic beaches and streets filled with flowers make a stark contrast to the narrative of the series as tension is built ahead of Noah’s trial and Kathy and Martin scramble to find a lawyer to help.

Smith’s performance is as powerful as ever, with the typ‐ ical scenes of her puffing away on her cigarette (this time she’s moved onto e‐cigarettes) that we have come to know and love. This dramatic series with a few twists and turns, an unexpected affair and some humour thrown in is a horrify‐ ing but plausible look at legal systems in foreign countries and how one decision can change your life.

The full series of No Return is available to stream on the ITV Hub.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS

EWN 37

A FEW MORE TV IRRITATIONS

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

EVERY new crime drama these days seems to take place in designer houses with bi‐fold doors and fitted kitchens.

Have 1960s kitchen sink dramas been re‐ placed by millennium kitchen island ones now?

Dramas set in schools, hospitals, church‐ es and other places of specialist activity are always found wanting by teachers, nurses/doctors, clergy and receive com‐ plaints about the lack of accuracy. If you really want to know what life is like in, say, a submarine (as in the TV show ‘Vigil’) and what it looks like inside, there are many avenues open to you. If you want to watch a crime drama, never mind where it’s set, enjoy the plot, the characters and the tension ‐ and work out whodunnit.

Having said that, the number of pro‐ grammes of this nature, women getting beaten up, kidnapped, traumatised, mur‐ dered etc seems to be the go‐to theme for lazy programming. Tasteless thrillers re‐ volving around women being attacked by serial killers? There’s just so much of it.

Nora Johnson’s opinions

24 February - 2 March 2022

soaps (love or hate the concept, they’re mostly great actors). But come the ‘9 o'‐ clock’ dramas, we increasingly get tight‐ mouthed, rapid mumbling. It’s starting to sound like bad ventriloquism.

Maybe it’s trendy in drama schools not to project your voice. Maybe many actors going straight into TV or movies haven’t the onstage experience of having to clear‐ ly project their voices to an audience, whatever the dramatic situation. Bottom line: we, the viewers, end up resorting to subtitles.

OK. Rant over. Next scandal, please!

CRIME DRAMAS: Have the writers run out of creative ideas?

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‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, pa‐ perback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

Have writers or the people commissioning nonentities making fools of themselves. programming run out of creative ideas? Have they no self respect or is the remu‐ Can’t they think of something uplifting to neration too good to resist? show us? I could go on... and on.

I can’t understand either why we can To read more articles from our columnists Steer clear, too, of any programme with hear every word in news bulletins, every and to have your say in the comments go the word ‘celebrity’ in the title. This seems word in adverts (they’re trying to sell you to www.euroweeklynews.com to be the last resting place of out‐of‐work something), every word in the various are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

38 EWN

24 February - 2 March 2022

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

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THURSDAY 24/02 FRIDAY 25/02 SATURDAY 26/02

4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 7:15pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 7:35pm 8:05pm 8:50pm 9:40pm 10:20pm 11:00pm

SUNDAY 27/02

3:25pm 5:05pm 6:05pm 6:20pm 6:25pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

TUESDAY 01/03

MONDAY 28/02

9:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:10pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

WEDNESDAY 02/03

11:00pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm

Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Party Political Broadcast The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den

4:00pm 4:30pm 5:15pm

Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport Would I Lie to You? EastEnders Death in Paradise

4:35pm 5:20pm

Final Score Superman & Lois BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Celebrity Mastermind The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty Casualty BBC News

4:00pm 5:30pm 6:15pm

Muppets Most Wanted The Green Planet BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Countryfile Extraordinary Portraits Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History Antiques Roadshow

1:15pm

Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Panorama EastEnders Holby City This is Going to Hurt

3:15pm

Escape to the Country Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Match of the Day Live: The FA Cup BBC News at Ten

3:15pm

Escape to the Country Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Match of the Day Live: The FA Cup The Repair Shop BBC News at Ten

3:15pm

6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

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4:00pm 4:30pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

4:00pm 4:30pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

The Heights Heir Hunters Further Back in Time for Dinner Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Yorkshire Firefighters Great British Menu We are Black and British

8:00pm

Heir Hunters Further Back in Time for Dinner Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great Coastal Railway Journeys Saving Lives at Sea Inside Culture with Mary Beard Your Garden Made Perfect

8:00pm

To be Announced Flog It! Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney Kelvin's Big Farming Adventure Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby The Perfect Morecambe & Wise TOTP2 - Bruce Springsteen Special

8:00pm

Live Women's FA Cup Football Around the World in 80 Days Flog It! Six Nations Rugby Special Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy Wonders of the Celtic Deep Chris Packham: The Walk that Made Me

8:00pm

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is The Heights Murder, Mystery and My Family Further Back in Time for Dinner Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Marcus Wareing's Tales from a Kitchen Garden

8:00pm

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is The Heights Murder, Mystery and My Family Alaska - Earth's Frozen Kingdom Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Marcus Wareing's Tales from a Kitchen Garden

8:00pm

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is The Heights Murder, Mystery and My Family Alaska - Earth's Frozen Kingdom Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Marcus Wareing's Tales from a Kitchen Garden

8:00pm

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:40pm 11:00pm 12:55am 2:10am

9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am 1:45am 2:15am

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Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain The Third Man Coast I, Tonya Storyville: Price of Gold Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure

3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

9:00pm

Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Political Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Losing Your Home - The True Cost: Tonight Emmerdale

An Evening with Sammy Davis Jr TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992 St David's Day at the BBC Tom Jones at 80 Manic Street Preachers: Radio 2 Live BBC One Session: Duffy TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992

3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 11:20pm

Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

Lost Cities of the Ancients Arctic with Bruce Parry The Promise The Promise Wogan: The Best Of Yes, Prime Minister Keeping Up Appearances A Garden in Snowdonia Arctic with Bruce Parry Lost Cities of the Ancients

12:40pm 1:40pm 1:59pm 2:00pm

Simply Raymond Blanc ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather ITV Racing: Live from Kempton Six Nations Live Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away Starstruck Paul Sinha's TV Showdown ITV News and Weather

2:30pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 6:35pm

The Birth of British Music Winter Journey: Schubert's Winterreise Jonas Kaufmann: Tenor for the Ages Arena - Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes Inside America's Treasure House: The Met

1:04pm 1:05pm 3:15pm 6:30pm

2:00pm 2:30pm 4:30pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 6:45pm 7:45pm

10:00pm 11:00pm

ITV London Weather Marley and Me Six Nations Live Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals ITV News and Weather ITV News London Dancing on Ice The Good Karma Hospital Trigger Point ITV News and Weather

Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure Cornwall's Red River Thomas Chatterton: The Myth of the Doomed Poet The Romantics and Us with Simon Schama Desperate Romantics Desperate Romantics

1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Loose Women ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street

4:00pm 5:00pm

Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure Hidden Wales with Will Millard Patagonia with Huw Edwards Bridging the Gap: How the Severn Bridge Was Built Cornwall's Red River

2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:45pm 10:35pm

ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Live FA Cup Football Britain's Busiest Airport Heathrow

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure Great Barrier Reef Digging for Britain Writing with Fire: Storyville The Secret History of Writing Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain

2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:30pm

ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Live FA Cup Football ITV News

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

5:00pm 8:00pm 9:30pm 10:40pm 11:25pm

7:00pm 7:15pm 7:30pm 9:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

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FEATURE

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CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD “IF the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law on‐ ly exists for the poor” is a phrase that I have repeat‐ edly thought about while reading this week’s news.

It is something I have al‐ ways thought true, but that has taken on extra meaning as we have watched various versions of this so‐called deterrent play out across different scenarios.

Kurt Zouma has been fined €250,000 for abus‐ ing his cat, but not once has been taken out of contention for West Ham’s starting XI. He is still getting paid his wages and he is still play‐ ing football in front of thousands of people ev‐ ery week.

His cats have been tak‐ en from him, but I can’t believe he really cared for them, so I very much doubt that he is both‐ ered. The amount he has been penalised equals two weeks wages. It has‐ n’t broken his bank and other than this small fi‐

24 February - 2 March 2022

Unjust justice nancial blip, his life has carried on as normal. So has the punishment acted as a deterrent for him, or indeed put off others with his level of funds? I wouldn’t think so.

Fines and fees are in‐ herently unjust in that the effect they have on people’s lives is com‐ pletely unbalanced de‐ pendent on how much money they have. Charg‐ ing everyone the same price for any infraction seems fair on the surface, but when you look closer at the consequences up‐ on the life of the person paying, the difference is clear.

Fines threaten poor people with financial ruin while letting rich people break the law without meaningful repercus‐ sions. Equity requires punishment that is equal‐ ly felt by all offenders.

Fines also fail to meet basic goals of punish‐ ment, like retribution and

deterrence. Punishment is partly an expression of a society’s desire to inflict a relative level of discom‐ fort on those who break the law.

But giving wealthy of‐ fenders a slap on the wrist makes a mockery of that objective and while any punishment is sup‐ posed to prevent undesir‐ able conduct from hap‐ pening in the first place, fines deter the wealthy less than everyone else.

The step beyond this is when the wealthy can take an offence that shouldn’t be able to be resolved with a payout and turn it into one, as seems to be the case with Prince Andrew and his out‐of‐court settle‐ ment.

The claims brought against him are serious and should be assessed fully but, instead, he has been able to dispense money and avoid his mis‐ deeds being exposed.

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.

Before we even get into where the money he has used has come from, we should be outraged that

the suggestion of crimes of such magnitude can be washed away with a stream of cash. Settle‐

EWN 41

ments, when they deal with issues of public in‐ terest, mean the public never knows about it.

They also mean that for those who can afford to pay out, a crime has no real dissuasion either and while this is the case, there is no real barrier to the rich doing whatever they please.

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.

HEART-WARMING LITTLE STORY? A FRIEND, John, has a Dog Rescue at his home, currently with 53 dogs, all having been abandoned. Last week one of them, Betsy, was found to have large cancerous tumours, which needed immediate chemotherapy if there was to be any chance of saving her life. To raise funds to pay for this treatment, John and my son, Joseph, volunteered to do a 24-hour, non-stop, cycle ride. It was all live-streamed, through which viewers sent many messages of support and encouragement, which were very helpful in maintaining spirits, especially in the early hours of the morning! I think this is a fantastic achievement, for which they raised over €3,000!

Kendall

Electricity prices Re your article on the huge rise in electricity prices in Spain.

Spain is a country of blue skies and bright sunshine for most of the year, so I’m constantly amazed how few people and organisations use solar panels to generate electricity and solar heat exchangers to produce hot water.

RESCUE DOGS: Many messages of support were received.

In countries with a similar climate, such as Israel, these systems are seen everywhere and save bill payers a huge amount as well as reducing the need for electricity generation provision. So why not Spain? All very strange!

Alan

Schengen rules Dear Editor, In reply to your reader Lesley regarding Brits and Schengen rules, I would like to say that all countries in the Schengen area have the right to travel for unlimited time between the Schen-

HOPE FOR PEACE AT t h e t i m e o f w r i t i n g t h i s , i t h a s j u s t b e e n confirmed that Russian troops have entered the two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognising them as independent states.

In retaliation, the UK has declared that it will impose sanctions on Russia which was to be followed by similar actions by the EU and USA. Time will tell whether this will escalate into a more violent conflict, but surely after all that has happened to the world in the last two years of the pandemic, this really isn’t the time to be considering invasion and potential mayhem?

Clearly President Putin sees that now is the time to take advantage of a situation whereby he can move to recover land that once belonged to the USSR and his actions place the

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

gen countries and Britain has never been part of this union.

Although being in the EU has facilitated travel within the union, Britain no longer wants to be part of it.

As there are no border checks between EU countries, even those with British passports, my husband for example, legally resident in an EU country could travel for over three months anywhere in the EU. We never get checked travelling between France and Spain where I do a monthly shop and where we spend a few weeks in winter.

Kind regards Rose

OUR VIEW

West in a very difficult situation.

Should it sit back and hope that economic restrictions on a huge country which has enormous reser ves of gas and oil and ready markets in countries like China actually make Russia take a step back?

The bleak alternatives in the event that sanctions don’t work is to do nothing and allow the Russian Bear to gobble up everything that it sets its mind on or alternatively throw NATO troops into a war against the invaders in order to protect democracy.

H o p e f u l l y, t h e r e i s a n e l e m e n t o f b l u f f o n P u t i n ’s p a r t a n d t h a t h e w a n t s t o m e e t w i t h President Biden from a position of power so that he can pull back after gaining internationa l k u d o s a n d m a k i n g s u r e t h a t N AT O d o e s n ’ t accept any new members.

DOG OWNERS: May now have to take a course before ownership.

Frances Duncan I’m happy to read about sterilisation having to be implemented. But I do hope that rescue centres get support ie with financing, from local authorities as I think there will be a rise in animals being abandoned until these reforms settle into being the norm.

Edith Farminer Wonder what will happen with hunting dogs. Lots kept locked up together continuously all the time. Will that be illegal?

Keith Boyce It’s a good start, but will need reinforcing ASAP to protect the animals already being discarded around the country. Owners must be held responsible for the well-being of animals in their care.

Tim McMahon When I went to Jersey with our dogs, residents kept taking pictures of them. An elderly lady asked me if I was a rich person or a tourist and obviously it was the tourist answer, certainly not a rich person. She then told me that only rich people living there can afford a dog or cat as it took years of trying with official laws if you wanted a pet.

Graham Edward Ingledow Good!!!

Paula Reich Great idea.

At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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FEATURE

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24 February - 2 March 2022

EWN 47

Advertising Feature

Neater Heater. A style to suit everybody NEATER HEATERS have been warming Spanish homes for over a decade. In that time, they have made great improvements in design, diversity and technology, while still keeping the original simplicity that has given them the edge over their rivals in both economy and ef‐ ficiency. Using the conductive effi‐ ciency of extruded aluminium, their cleverly designed elements make Neater Heaters among the most ef‐ ficient wall, or floor mounted elec‐ tric convection radiators on the market.

Recognising the varied needs of their customers, particularly when it comes to controls, Neater Heater of‐ fer a wide range of operating systems that should suit everybody from the world’s most devout technophobe to the most up to date techno‐wizz. All Neater Heaters can just be plugged in and turned on with a light indicating that they are working, and the

Find out which model is best suited to your lifestyle.

desired thermostatically controlled temper‐ ature being set manually with either press buttons or a dial. However, on many of our newer models the manual settings can be over‐ridden with either an inter‐ nal digital timer, or with Wi‐Fi connectivi‐ ty that allows you to control your heaters remotely via an App on your smart phone.

Neater Heaters are slim, discrete and silent, and some models come with a choice of colour. To find out which model would be most suitable for your lifestyle and whether there is a Neater Heater agent in your area, visit our website www.neaterheater.es. Here you will also be able to find answers to our customers’ most Frequently Asked Questions, as well as being able to purchase heaters directly through our online shop with free delivery to your home. We usually have good stocks of our most popular models, with deliveries regularly arriving from the manufacturers.

NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA NORTH MORAIRA: S&W, The Tool Bar. Tel. 965 745 805 ALTEA: Leo’s Superstore. Tel. 965 844 848 Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery. WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171 (WhatsApp available)

48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

By Clinica Britannia

By Clinica Britannia

Confidently show your smile WHEN looking for a Den‐ tist there are many things to take into consideration.

Firstly, choose one that ac‐ tively listens to you, as let’s face it: most people don’t enjoy going to the dentist.

It is their role to make you feel comfortable and at ease, fully explaining the best treatment option for you. They should offer an outstanding quality of work at an affordable price, steer away from dentists that offer a cheap fix as this usually works out more expensive in the long run.

As the mouth is a rela‐ tively small space to work in, your dentist should be very detail oriented. Having fine motor skills and the ability to manipulate tools accurately with an ex‐ tremely steady hand. Good

HEALTH & BEAUTY

YOUR DENTIST: Aftercare is also very important.

dentists should also have outstanding artistic abilities that allow them to restore a patient’s teeth, giving them a brilliant smile that

they can confidently show off to others.

Aftercare is also very im‐ portant as some dental procedures can be long and arduous, leaving you feeling out of sorts for a few hours afterward.

A great dentist will check how you are feeling after a long or complicated proce‐ dure to make sure you are improving as expected and answering any questions you have.

Check when choosing your dentist that they offer a 24-hour Emergency Service as you never know when you might need them.

Obesity is a medical disease I AM a morbidly obese male in my early 40s who has tried every diet avail‐ able, failing miserably. I now need to take a more drastic approach; can you give some advice?

Obesity is not just a cos‐ metic weight problem; it is a medical disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. This extra fat that is carried in the body in‐ creases the risk of other dis‐ eases, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers and in extreme cases caus‐ es death.

There are various types of surgeries available to help combat obesity includ‐ ing minimally invasive gas‐ tric banding (Bariatric surgery), a gastric bypass,

EXCESS WEIGHT: Can cause other diseases.

or an Endosleeve gastrecto‐ my, all which are per‐ formed under general anaesthetic to decrease the size of the stomach.

Having a smaller stom‐ ach pouch reduces the amount of food that the stomach can hold at any one time. The result is an increased feeling of fullness after eating a smaller amount of food, which in turn, reduces hunger, help‐

ing to lower the overall food intake.

Post‐surgery it is impor‐ tant to seek advice from a Nutritionist. They can per‐ sonalise a diet plan for you, explaining fully what type of food and quantities you should be eating for the op‐ timum results to be reached.

Contact your doctor who can assess which procedure would be suitable for you.

Appointments Landline: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851 • 24H/365D Emergency Number: (+34) 607 255 755 • Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 9:00am / 5:00pm

Clinica Britannia Calpe Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe

Help to stop snoring SNORING can be an un‐ pleasant problem for both the person who suffers from it and anyone they share a room with ‐ read on for some tips to help you stop.

When we are asleep, all the muscles in our body become more relaxed, in‐ cluding the muscles of the throat and windpipe. Snor‐ ing occurs because the air is forced to pass through a narrower opening and this leads to vibration of the soft structures of the mouth and throat.

There are many reasons why a person may snore.

One of the most common causes of snoring is exces‐ sive consumption of to‐ bacco or alcohol, as these substances cause the mus‐ cles in the throat to relax faster.

Other possible causes in‐ clude obesity, pregnancy, allergies, colds or the spe‐ cific anatomy of your mouth and sinuses.

RELAXING SLEEP: Try lying on your side.

In some cases, there may be more serious prob‐ lems in the respiratory tract, mouth or throat, and this requires medical inter‐ vention as soon as possi‐ ble.

Tips to help you stop snoring If you do not suffer from any underlying illness, there are some tips and tricks that you can try: ‐ Avoid consuming al‐ cohol or muscle relaxants at night to stop the mus‐ cles in the throat from be‐ coming excessively re‐ laxed.

‐ Lose weight if you are overweight. If you are at an ideal weight, losing weight will not make any difference and the prob‐ lem probably lies else‐ where. ‐ Try sleeping on your side or keeping your head elevated during sleep.

Consult your doctor If none of these tips helps to alleviate the prob‐ lem, the best thing to do is to see your family doctor.

It is important to rule out any other condition or ill‐ ness, and you may need to take medication.

50 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

The Wonder Years exhibit TAKE a trip to the past with María Ferrer’s exhibition The Wonder Years (Aquellos Maravillosos Años), which is open to the public at the Collectibles Museum in Calpe at Plaza de la Villa, 15 until April 30. Visitors can see a collection of nostalgia‐ inducing objects from the 1960s and 70s, including books, toys, cassette tapes and records.

Visitors can make the most of their time in the fascinating museum to also explore its permanent collection of publicly and privately donated objects.

Third Concert of Women Composers THE Professional Conser‐ vatory of Javea is proud to be hosting the third Con‐ cert of Women Com‐ posers, an event organised in collaboration with the Department of Equality to make women in the field of musical composition more visible.

The concert, which will be held on Sunday, March 13, at 5pm in the church of San Bartolomé, will be dedicated to Valencian women composers such as Sara Galiana and María José Belenguer Dolz. It will be performed by the Con‐

servatory’s Wind Orches‐ tra and conducted by their teacher, Pau Climent Mon‐ taner. Montaner selected the repertoire and invited the composers themselves to attend both the recital and a colloquium, to take place on the same day at noon.

At the talk, Galiana and Belenguer will speak about what it means to be a woman in the world of music, and they will also discuss their work in depth.

The event is free of charge.

New Denia tapas route THE popular Denia tapas route is back with its 19th edition and is on until March 13. Participants are given a ‘passport’ that will be stamped at each of the 33 participating bars along the tapas route around Denia, and they will be able to enjoy each tapa plus beer, wine or vermouth for up to €4.

The establishments partici‐ pating in this year’s new tapas route are: Bar Bonan‐ za, Bavaria Braü, Bocafí, Bo‐ nanotte, Ca Tona, Canela Cafetería, Casa Benjamín, Cata’s Bar, Doa, Ecomo‐ ments, El Baret de Robert, El Cantó, El Convent, El Greco Bistrot, El Mosset, El Racó de Pou, El Redolí, Entre Aromas, La Cambra del Senyoret, La Cova Tallà, La Cuarentena, La Glorieta, La Luna, Les Mon‐ ges de Magazinos, Lizarrán, No Ni Poc, Qmcomo Cro‐ quetería, Tasca Eulalia, Tasca les Monges, Tempura Bar, The Speak, Toma Jamón and Txoko Bar. Passports with a minimum of 15 stamps will allow partici‐

TAPAS ROUTE: Collect your passport now.

pants to enter a raffle which offers exciting prizes including tapas dinners for two people, a night in a hotel with dinner and breakfast, a €500 gift

card and a gourmet basket with products from the re‐ gion.

More information can be found on www.denia.com.

SOCIAL SCENE

Javea handmade craft fair EVERYTHING sold at this small craft fair is hand‐ made by the artists with skill, patience and love.

Shoppers can purchase all sorts of handmade goods, including watercolour paintings, wooden toys, decorative tiles, macramé items, ceramics, jewellery, papier‐mâché figures, mandalas, natural soaps and much more, all while taking a stroll by the sea.

Those who are unable to attend the craft fair in person can meet the artists at www.puebloarte sano.es, the Virtual Artisan Village that was created to allow people to watch the artists at work in their workshops, visit the virtual shops and fairs and partici‐ pate in tutorials.

The fair is held on the seaside boulevard in Javea (Paseo del Puerto) from 11.00am to 2pm every Sunday until March 28.

SOCIAL SCENE

www.eu-

24 February - 2 March 2022

Abba Tribute European Tour 2022 GET ready to enjoy classic favourites such as Danc‐ ing Queen and Mamma Mia as the best Abba trib‐ ute band in Europe is set to come to Javea on March 1 at 8.30pm.

The much‐loved suc‐ cessful show captures the

iconic essence of Ab‐ ba’s music, style and personality and is sure to be a great time. It has already been seen by more than 100,000 people in the UK and Ireland. Tickets cost €27.95 and can be re‐

Much-loved band.

served online on the Eventbrite website or on 665 111 426.

International Organ Festival BENIDORM’S prestigious 10th Interna‐ tional Organ Festival, which consists of a series of concerts spread throughout the year, is a must for lovers of classical music.

To mark the occasion of the festival’s 10th anniversary, there will be almost twice as many concerts this year as the previous year, with a total of seven musical events from February to mid‐December.

This year’s festival kicks off on February 25 with a concert by the renowned Catalan organist Jordi Vergés i Riart, who is the titu‐

lar organist at Tarragona Cathedral and has been described as ‘one of the most out‐ standing performers in Spain.’ The concert will take place at the Sant Jaume i Santa Ann Church at 8pm.

Entrance is free of charge, although places are limited. Music‐lovers should also make a note of the dates of the future con‐ certs to be held this year, as the organ is to be used in some particularly innovative and creative ways to mark the festival’s 10th anniversary.

EWN 51

52 EWN

24 February - 2 March 2022

It’s About Words and Music THE sculpture exhibition It’s about Words and Music by the internationally‐renowned German artist Hans Some, who is a resident of Alicante, is open to the public at the cultural hall La Ñ in Dénia until March 5.

Hans Some is an experienced artist who has participat‐ ed in a large number of exhibitions in Germany and Spain.

His metal sculptures have won many awards and are currently on display in public and private collections in both countries.

In this exhibition, the artist appears to make the impos‐ sible become possible.

He presents us with a series of curious and captivating sculptures made of iron, steel and bronze that seem to de‐ fy gravity and move in the air thanks to the clever juxtapo‐ sition of their different structures.

The public can visit the exhibition from Thursday to Sat‐ urday from 11.00am to 1.00pm and from 5.00pm to 8.00pm.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Marina Alta Floral Club THE Marina Alta Costa Blanca Floral Club is joined by special guest demonstrator Nicky Heal today, Thursday February 24, who is back for what will be his third visit to share his spectacular skills of leaf ma‐ nipulation and weaving. Nicky, from Som‐ erset, has an incredible ability to weave willow into all sorts of shapes that is not to be missed.

The Floral Club’s flowers are provided

by PAICHI Garden Centre and the exhibits are raffled off at the end of the after‐ noon. The Floral Club will meet at the Sa‐ lon de Actos, La Senieta, Moraira, and the doors open at 3.05pm. Guests are kindly asked to be seated by 3.30pm and follow all Covid rules.

Entrance to the event costs €5 for members and €8 for visitors.

For more information, go to www.marinaaltafloralclub.com, visit

NICKY HEAL: Sharing his skills.

their Facebook page or ring Tina on 671 115 372.

SOCIAL SCENE

The Lost Daughter at Cine Jayan THE well‐loved Cine Jayan in Javea is known for show‐ ing both films in their origi‐ nal language as well as the version dubbed in Spanish and for favouring cinéma d’auteur over commercial films. They are currently showing Maggie Gyllen‐ haal’s psychological drama The Lost Daughter, based on the best‐selling novel by one of Italy’s top novelists, Elena Ferrante.

The film tells the story of Leda, a university professor on holiday in Greece who becomes enthralled by a young mother and her small daughter. Seeing their struggles leads her to reflect on her own confus‐ ing and challenging experi‐ ence of motherhood, shown in a series of flash‐ backs.

The film will be shown in English tonight, February 24 at 8.30pm. Tickets cost just €6 and can be reserved at www.cinejayan.com.

PETS

54

www.euroweeklynews.com • 24 Feb - 2 March 2022

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Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on sub‐ scription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support 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.

FEATURE

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Advertising Feature

Shockwaves used in human physiotherapy are now used also in dogs

ESWT: Helps with tendon pain and other conditions.

SHOCKWAVE THERAPY or extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is an innovative, evidence‐based treat‐ ment for tendon pain and other conditions throughout the body.

Shockwaves are acoustic waves which carries high energy to painful spots and myoskeletal tissues with subacute, subchronic and chronic conditions. The ener‐ gy promotes regeneration and reparative processes of the bones, tendons and other soft tissues.

Shockwave is beneficial in the following applications in dogs: • Osteoarthritis • Joint injuries ‐ hips, elbows, knee and shoulder • Chronic back pain, lumbosacral disease • Non‐union or delayed union fractures • Ligament and tendon injuries • Chronic soft tissue wounds In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarinabaixa.com

Rescue pets FOR years it has been medically documented that companion animals, like dogs, cats, rabbits and birds, help people live longer and healthier lives.

Being responsible for caring for an animal often gives new meaning to someone who is living alone or who is far from loved ones. Pets can help elderly people keep an ac‐ tive lifestyle and may help fill a void left by living alone.

For working families tak‐ ing on a rescue pet should take into consideration that they have time for a new family pet. Children should be encouraged to help and go to dog training classes which are educa‐ tional, social and a lot of fun.

Seniors may want to consider adopting an older adult animal instead of a puppy or kitten or ram‐ bunctious ‘teenage’ pet.

Older pets are more likely

Taking in a stray ONE of the many things British people in Spain will automatically apprehend is that stray cats and dogs seem to be more of a nor‐ mal sight. The problem is of course intensified by the lack of services and finan‐ cial support available to the dedicated shelters across Spain which pre‐ vents early neutering and excessive breeding of more feral felines.

The belief seems to be a stray cat will undoubtedly be feral and therefore im‐ possible to tame. This is not strictly the case. Stray cats can make wonderful pets and even with a ten‐ dency towards more ‘wild’ behaviours, there are solu‐ tions.

Taming a more feral stray cat is no easy feat and patience is required.

After making sure the physical needs are dealt with (vaccinations, regis‐ tration, chipping and neu‐ tering), the next stage is

STRAY CATS: Can make wonderful pets.

developing trust. Gloves may be an essential at first as stray cats can be fearful and bite or scratch in self‐ defence.

To create security for the cat, the house should be‐ come its home little by lit‐ tle by designating areas to it and giving it its own cor‐ ner, bed or feeding space.

Don’t worry if the cat de‐ cides to hide frequently or doesn’t always show great

24 February - 2 March 2022

affection. This will come with time. Food and treats will help the cat trust its new owner and see them as a friend instead of a threat and consistency here is truly the key.

To prevent further stray‐ ing, keep the cat inside for a longer period and make sure it knows where its best interests are by offer‐ ing it a good life and loving environment.

to be calm, already house trained and less suscepti‐ ble to unpredictable be‐ haviour. Animal shelter staff can help potential adopters find the most suitable animal.

Seniors should not be encouraged to take on a large dog, many seniors take on a dog far too pow‐ erful for them. In an apart‐ ment just have a small dog.

Dog’s lives evolve around odour. Take your new pet for a walk around the area of your home as soon as you are able. This allows your new pet to learn the new smells of the area.

Ensure all doors, gates etc to the home are secure and that you have a mi‐ crochip or tab on the col‐ lar with your phone num‐ ber.

Try not to smother the dog and keep in mind that now is the time to set the rules of your home.

OLDER PETS: Are more likely to be calm.

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AIR CONDITIONING

CONSTRUCTION

AIR CONDITIONING

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

ELECTRICAL

INSURANCE

PLUMBERS

SERVICES

SERVICES

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24 February - 2 March 2022 REMOVALS & STORAGE

PLUMBERS

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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58 EWN

24 February - 2 March 2022

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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SERVICES

SERVICES

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24 February - 2 March 2022

REMOVALS / STORAGE

TV & SATELLITE

SOLAR ENERGY

WINDOWS

EWN 59

CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS

APPLIANCE REP. WASHING MACHINE BROKEN? Call Bluesky Repairs for ALL your domestic appliance repairs.

626 430 671 (Whatsapp) (292063)

BUILDER 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) I BUY RECORDS 50’s to the 90’s. Best prices for good records. Tel: 622 750 117 / 962 851 809 (293823)

CHARITY EL CAMPELLO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY - Life and Family Sunday Service in English at 10.00 a.m. and a Spanish Service at 11.45am. C / San Bartolomé 35 bajo, No.6 campellocc@gmail.com www.elcampellochristian community.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop 610 63 94 26 (English)

THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service.

Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome. Come as you are!

For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzimmerer@hotmail.com, w w w. c e n t r o s a r o n . c o m (10008)

www.helpbenidorm.org a n d o n Fa c e b o o k V O LUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners.

Te l P r e s i d e n t 6 0 7 3 8 7 0 4 0 , We l f a r e 6 0 7 3 8 6 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 4 9 5 3 9 6 . We a r e a n English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for memb e r s . We m e e t e v e r y Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n.

Benidorm. It is opposite t h e Fo i e t e s C a r Pa r k where there is a We d n e s d a y market.

Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan o u t m o b i l i ty a n d m e d ical equipment including oxygen concentrators o n a s h o r t- t e r m b a s i s .

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GARDEN MAINTENANCE

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686 912 307 (285241) If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161

INSURANCE

KITCHENS CLEANING SERVICES COSTA BLANCA AREA. EXPERIENCED & RELIABLE CLEANERS. WEEKLY & DEEP CLEANS, KEY HANDOVER, LAUNDRY SERVICES. 634 176 318 (292066)

COMPUTERS COMPUTER REPAIRS – Laptops/PCs Qualified Technician –648 065 224 No Call Out Charge No Fix No Fee andy@wiz ard-computers.biz (290467)

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CAMPING

60

ELECTRICIAN MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www. mbelectrics.es (291516)

FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

THE Stonehouse Kitchen Company High Quality imported Kitchens at LOW PRICES www.stonehouse kitchenco.com Or call Steve: 683 31 77 65 (292079)

INSURANCE

WIGS WWW.WIGS-R— US.ES Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. Monday-Satu r d a y 1 0 - 3 . We a l s o have Scrunchies, Extensions, Ponytails. Catalogue orders. Private appointments after 3pm.

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CLASSIFIEDS INSURANCE FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UPTO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHATSAPP TOO) OR VISIT www.sos insuranceinspain.com or email tracey@sos insuranceinspain.com (294938) BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com for online quote. (295006)

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MISCELLANEOUS GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

METALWORK

24 February - 2 March 2022 MOTORING

PETS NEED YOUR PETS TAKEN CARE OF ? Not kennels, just a friendly home.

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RETIRED couple looking for long term rental in La Marina Baixa – prefer two beds. Needed urgently – call Janice on 0044 7736 251 800 (279523)

MOTORS FOR SALE RETURNING to UK? Need a van? Peug e o t B o x e r Dec 2016 335 L3H2 Blue hdi, RHD, 83,000 miles. Exc e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n . R h in o r o o f ra c k . € 1 5 , 0 0 0 (or equivalent GBP) PX Spanish considered.

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ESTIMATES FREE. Call William on 609 691 776 or 966 490 602 (294549) SOC PINTURA. House painter and decorator.

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WE have buyers for Villas in Denia. Contact André on 629 185 343 Stirling Ackroyd (295312)

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24 February - 2 March 2022

ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack WHEN it comes to cars not everyone is after a sleek, sporty or uber‐luxurious model designed for the fashion‐conscious motorist.

Some people just want a nice car, decent amounts of standard equipment and the space to carry the family, and capa‐ ble for runs to the garden centre and maybe a bit of work‐related travel in there as well. With those thoughts in mind, I have been driving a per‐ fect candidate for the role.

Suzuki’s relatively new Swace is a comfortable and very well‐equipped estate that looks smart and comes with more than a degree of practicality. Based on Toy‐ ota’s Corolla Touring the Suzuki incarnation has some subtle styling tweaks and a straightforward range of two trim levels, one engine

Suzuki Swace

a likeable, comfortable and practical choice

a little dated and some of the accompanying buttons are a tad fiddly. However, the good news is there are buttons, as opposed to a touchscreen for everything, and those on the touch‐ screen apart they are clear and well laid out.

Prices for the Swace start at €32,753/£27,499 and for the level of standard equip‐ ment and space represents particularly good value. It’s a very likeable, comfortable and practical choice that doesn’t stint on features and doesn’t bewilder with numerous options, largely because of the high levels of standard equipment. It makes a compelling case as a first‐class family holdall.

Facts at a Glance

A first-class family holdall.

choice and few options.

Standard fare on the lead‐ in version includes climate, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, main beam assist, auto lights, keyless start, Apple Car Play and An‐ droid Auto, intelligent cruise control and rear parking camera. There’s no built‐in

the forward motion takes a second or two to catch up, but otherwise it’s a very smooth and efficient sys‐ tem.

As one might expect from Suzuki the build quality is good and there’s a general premium feel throughout, along with particularly com‐ fortable seats. It’s fair to say that the graphics on the touchscreen do look

MOTORING

navi‐ gation, but you can use the maps app on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

The 1.8‐litre petrol engine is mated to a self‐charging system for the on‐board battery to provide a hybrid drive that ensures low Co2 emissions, great fuel econo‐

my and three drive modes. The Swace is no performance machine, it isn’t meant to be, but has no problem nip‐ ping past slower traffic. The CVT automatic transmission occasionally becomes rather audible, it’s a trait of these systems that on hard accel‐ eration the revs rise while

Model: Suzuki Swace SZ5 Engine: 1.8-litre self-charging petrol/electric hybrid Gears: CVT Automatic Performance: 0-100 km/h (62 mph) 11.1 seconds/Maximum Speed 180 km/h (112 mph) Economy: 4.4l/100km (64.2 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP) Emissions: 99 g/km (WLTP) Price: €34,926/ £29,299 Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

Where you will need to pay your toll fee SPAIN will from 2024 rein‐ troduce a network of toll roads but unlike those of the past, you will need to pay your toll fee before‐ hand. The reintroduction of tolls comes as part of the agreement with the EU who have provided funds to help the country recover from the Covid‐19 pandemic.

Although no specific plan has been agreed, there is a model that the government is likely to follow with the Provincial Council of Guipúzcoa having launched an electronic toll system without booths on the sec‐ tion of the A‐636 between Beasain and Bergara.

The system known as ‘Free Flow’ was introduced a month ago and is based on those in use elsewhere, with countries as diverse as Portugal, South Africa and the United States using the prinicipal.

The system uses an elec‐

FREE FLOW: The arches will be equipped with cameras.

tronic toll gate to detect whether drivers have paid the cost of the journey or not.

So instead of toll booths the road now has arches equipped with electronic toll cameras that detect the number plates of the vehi‐ cles in real time and check with the database of the Guipuzcoan Infrastructure Agency if they are regis‐ tered.

All drivers who are going to drive on this section of

motorway must previously request the Abiatu device, which the Guipuzcoan In‐ frastructure Agency makes available to all registered drivers in Guipúzcoa. It is very similar to the Via‐T sys‐ tem, and can also be used in the rest of Spain, as well as in France and Portugal.

If you are looking to travel around Spain and will be us‐ ing toll roads it’s best to check beforehand whether you will need to pre‐register or to pay in advance.

MOTORING

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24 February - 2 March 2022

DGT document fines

THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has warned drivers of the mandatory documents that must be carried in their vehicle. Fail‐ ure to produce this docu‐ mentation when stopped by traffic cops can lead to fines of more than €3,000.

As explained by the DGT in its official magazine, these documents ‘consti‐ tute the guarantee that we comply with the law, and the necessary regulations to circulate safely, and will be the first thing that an of‐ ficer will ask if they stop you, or you are involved in an accident.’

Article 59.2 of the Law on Traffic, Circulation of Motor Vehicles and Road Safety states the following, “The driver of a motor vehicle or moped is obliged to be in possession of, and carry, his valid driving permit or li‐ cence, as well as the vehicle circulation permit and the technical inspection card,

and must display them be‐ fore the officers of the law in charge of traffic surveil‐ lance, who request it.”

The papers that must be carried in your vehicle are: • Driving licence: either the full one or the provi‐ sional authorisation issued by the Traffic Headquarters.

• Vehicle circulation per‐ mit, which contains the technical data of the vehi‐ cle, and the data of its own‐ er.

• Vehicle technical in‐ spection card, with the lat‐ est ITV report, and the cor‐ responding sticker on the windscreen.

Not carrying one of these documents is minor and is punishable by a fine of up to €100.

Regulations require the vehicle’s owner to carry compulsory civil liability in‐ surance. Since 2008 it is not mandatory to carry the in‐ surance policy, or receipt in the car, because officers

can check on the spot if the vehicle is insured. However, the DGT recommends car‐ rying them anyway.

The DGT reminds drivers that these obligations are

equally valid for rental vehi‐ cles, so before starting to circulate it must be verified that the vehicle includes the necessary documenta‐ tion.

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