Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 24 February - 2 March 2022 Issue 1912

Issue No. 1912 24 Feb - 2 March 2022

THOUSANDS took to the streets of Andalu‐ cia’s eight provincial capitals on February 18, defending the pub‐ lic health system.

According to the or‐ ganisers, the Comi‐ siones Obreras and UGT unions, 2,500 people demonstrated in Almeria City al‐ though the National Police maintained that approximately 300 people set out from the Puerta de Purchena.

Numbers increased as the demonstrators progressed through the city streets, to‐ talling 800 on reaching Plaza de las Velas, po‐ lice estimated.

They, together with demonstrators throughout Andalucia, were calling for im‐ provements to the public health system, declaring that health‐ care was a right that should be financed with public funds.

“It should also be humanised, with in‐ person attention and accessible to all,” the demonstrators’ mani‐ festo declared.

ALMERIA LEADS

Photo credit: Marifran Carazo Villajonga, Twitter

Healthcare protest

COSTA DE ALMERIA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Turn to page 2 » MARIFRAN CARAZO: The Junta is committed to Almeria, she declared.

FREE • GRATIS

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24 February - 2 March 2022

NEWS

Carnival returns Province is a driving force from Front page »

THE Junta regards Almeria as a driving force for change in Andalucia and a province that wants to lead.

These were the words of Marifran Carazo Villalonga, who heads the region’s Public Works, Infrastructure and Territorial Plan‐ ning, speaking at a Desayuno‐Coloquio event organised by the Voz de Almeria newspaper and the Cadena Ser radio sta‐ tion.

“Andalucia’s regional government be‐ lieves in Almeria and is committed to assist‐ ing a flourishing province that contributes to constructing an Andalucia where it has a very important part to play,” Carazo de‐ clared.

“Almeria is a driving force in an Andalucia that should be unified,” she added, “where big municipalities and small municipalities grow in a balanced manner from north to south and from east to west.”

It was essential to join forces and work to‐ gether to consolidate the changes that An‐ dalucia required as a whole, Carazo added.

The Public Works, Infrastructure and Ter‐ ritorial Planning head stated that Almeria’s role was crucial if change was to continue in the right direction.

For this reason the Junta would continue investing in the province, introducing pro‐ jects and investments that would help An‐ dalucia to continue to grow and earn recog‐ nition “for its strength and leadership.”

Andalucia’s government was now imple‐ menting projects specifically aimed at Alme‐ ria which had been pending for years, if not decades.

Carazo said, singling out the Almanzora motorway between Albox and the Autovia del Mediterraneo.

“We are determined to finish a project that was first announced in the mid‐80s and has suffered too many delays,” Carazo said.

The Junta had spent almost €50 million on finishing what would eventually be a princi‐ pal communications corridor, linking the marble‐quarrying area with the Autovia del Mediterraneo, she pointed out.

LAST year the pandemic obliged the town hall to cancel Vera’s carnival, but this year’s will go ahead with two parades.

These will be held on March 12 and 19, ex‐ plained Vera’s mayor, Jose Carmelo Jorge Blan‐ co: “They aren’t the usual carnival dates,” he admitted.

“We had to delay them a little, as we were waiting for details of the health and safety re‐ strictions before deciding whether to hold the parades.”

The Comparsas ‐ carnival groups ‐ needed time to create their costumes Jorge Blanco pointed out. “But the important thing is that we have again recovered our magnificent car‐ nival, one of Vera’s dearest and longest‐await‐ ed traditions,” he said.

The March 12 parade begins at 5.30pm with Comparsa members in their 2020 costumes

Photo credit: Vera town hall

VERA CARNIVAL: Two parades on March 12 and March 19.

and fancy dresses, setting out from the Plaza de Toros bullring and finishing in Calle del Mar where they will be greeted by the time‐hon‐ oured figures of Don Carnal and Doña Cuares‐ ma. March 19 sees the high point of this year’s carnival, with the parade leaving the Plaza de Toros at 5.30pm and ending in Calle del Mar where there will be stands for the public.

Precious water wasted OF every 14 cubic hectome‐ tres of water supplied in the Levante and Almanzora areas, only 6.2 hectometres are ac‐ tually used. Around eight hec‐ tometres are lost owing to leaks and breakdowns in an inefficient network of water‐ pipes and obsolete water de‐ posits at a time when the province’s reservoirs are at 8 per cent capacity.

According to a report by Almeria University’s Ciambital investigation centre, this lost water would be enough to ir‐ rigate 2,000 hectares of fruit and vegetable crops.

Jose Antonio Fernandez, president of the Almeria Irri‐ gation Federation, has asked

the Diputacion provincial council to find a solution to the squandered water.

“In a province as dry as ours, immediate investment is needed to prevent water from being thrown away,” Fernandez declared.

Galasa, partly responsible for the Levante and Almanzo‐ ra water supply, has yet to make a statement, official or otherwise, regarding the amount of water that is going to waste or the €57 million it owes to Acuamed.

The Diputacion has a 51 per cent holding in Galasa, while the remainder is shared be‐ tween 23 municipalities in Levante and Almanzora.

Of these towns and villages, most water goes to waste in Somontin, where only 75 per cent of its water actually used, followed by Carboneras (72 per cent), Mojacar (63 per cent), Taberno (62 per cent) and Turre (60 per cent).

Dog beaches ANDALUCIA and the Va‐ lencian Community have more dogs‐allowed beach‐ es than any other Spanish regions. Almeria Province nevertheless lags behind with just two dog‐friendly beaches, Playa de la Rana in Adra and Playa El Bobar in Almeria City, although this summer another can be added to the list.

Cuevas del Almanzora will boast the Levante area’s first dogs‐allowed beach, announced local mayor Antonio Fernandez during a local radio inter‐ view.

It has taken a year to get this far, Fernandez re‐ vealed, as the initiative in‐ volved lengthy procedures involving considerable amounts of complex bu‐ reaucracy and red tape.

Practically all of the for‐ malities have now been completed and Cuevas del Almanzora’s La Fabrica del Duro beach should be open to dogs in time for the summer season, the mayor said.

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NIBS EXTRA New role MACAEL continues to intro‐ duce projects to establish the town as an inland tourist destination, the lat‐ est of which is to convert a series of ancient water de‐ posits into a museum thanks to a €31,387 Junta grant. Once completed, the museum will be dedicated to the town’s marble cul‐ ture.

Boar off ALMERIA City’s Andarax park had to be closed to the public on February 17 while police and staff from the Zoosanitario shelter pur‐ sued and removed two wild boar. This was a repetition of an incident in March 2021 when the 70‐hectare park was closed over an en‐ tire weekend.

Army honour ANTONIO JESUS CABRERI‐ ZO CALATRAVA, has been promoted to Major Gener‐ al. Born in Tabernas, he en‐ tered the Zaragoza Military in 1983 and has participated in Spain’s military missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Cabrerizo now takes over as director of Investigation, Doctrine, Organics and Materials (DIDOM) in Granada.

A-347 crash A MOTORCYLIST died on the A‐347 near Barranco de los Caballos in Alcolea on the morning of February 20 after he skidded on the wet road and hit the guardrail.

Alerted by the 112 Emer‐ gency Service, medics were sent to the scene although they were only able to con‐ firm his death.

Keep safe HEALTH professionals at the Poniente hospital attended a one‐course given by police and Guardia Civil experts in preventing conflictive situa‐ tions and acquiring skills needed to deal with violent behaviour and minimise its consequences. Medical staff also received instruc‐ tion on how to react when faced with a terrorist threat.

24 February - 2 March 2022

Fifty Ferraris heading for Tabernas FIFTY Ferraris will descend on Almeria in April, crossing the Mediterranean coast as they make for Tabernas.

The event is the result of collaboration between Pas‐ sione Rossa, the world’s most important Ferrari‐own‐ ers club, together with Alme‐ ria’s provincial council, the Diputacion, and Almeria City Hall.

The Ferrari Western Tour 2022 arrives in the province on April 28 and remains until May 2 in what will be the largest‐ever meeting of Fer‐ raris, revealed Passione Rossa’s president Fabio

Award for Proteccion Civil MOJACAR’S Proteccion Civil group received recognition from the Jun‐ ta for their work during the pandemic and their commitment to society.

Almeria City mayor Ra‐ mon Fernandez‐Pacheco presented Proteccion Civil volunteer Francisco Jesus Cano with a plaque at an official reception at the Villaespesa Library in Almeria City.

“This distinction is well‐deserved and justi‐ fied,” Fernandez‐Pacheco declared.

The event was held on February 11, the EU’s 112 Day which celebrates the international Emergen‐ cies phone number. This also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Almeria Province’s Emer‐ gencies Centre.

Co‐presided by Maribel Sanchez, the central gov‐ ernment’s Almeria dele‐ gate, the reception also included an award for the province’s Fire Ex‐ tinction and Rescue Ser‐ vice.

The Mojacar branch of Proteccion Civil ‐ equiva‐ lent to Civil Defence in the UK ‐ has 14 perma‐ nent members and three vehicles, coordinated by Alberto Ordoñez Mon‐ toya.

FERRARIS: Will be the largest ever meeting.

Barone during his recent visit to Almeria.

Speaking to the Spanish media, Barone revealed that the name of the Ferrari Western Tour 2022 paid homage to the Italian film in‐

dustry’s links to Almeria Province where Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone made so many movies.

“Some of the events will take place in the desert where we shall be putting on

an exhibition with one of the cars,” Barone said.

“Linking Leone’s locations and Ferrari are going to at‐ tract a great deal of attention from Italy’s national press, promoting Almeria’s name.”

Barone pointed out to his Voz de Almeria interviewer that the Ferrari Western Tour 2022 would also have an eco‐ nomic impact on the province.

“Our members and clients with high purchasing power will want to return to Alme‐ ria on holiday. This place is in‐ credibly beautiful and rela‐ tively unknown.”

Reaping the rewards CARBONERAS mayor Jose Luis Amerigo expressed ap‐ proval of regional and na‐ tional projects compensating for the Endesa power sta‐ tion’s shutdown.

“We are pleased and satis‐ fied at the advances made,” Amerigo told a local radio in‐ terviewer. “This is a step in the direction that all Carbon‐ eras residents want: employ‐ ment that generates sustain‐ able, quality employment.”

The mayor was referring to two initiatives that will bring with them 1,800 jobs and a €68 million investment.

These centre on carbon capture at the Lafarge ce‐ ment works for subsequent use as biofuel and a plant for generating, transforming,

APPROVAL: For projects compensating shutdown.

storing and distributing sus‐ tainable green hydrogen fu‐ el.

The Junta has promised to reduce some of the in‐ evitable bureaucratic and ad‐ ministrative processes, Amerigo revealed. This re‐ flected what both he and Carboneras’ Finance council‐ lor Ramon Soto requested in

First round lost ALBOX Town Hall was or‐ dered to remove large flow‐ er troughs installed in Calle Escritor Diego Granados.

An Almeria City court ruled in favour of a family who requested their re‐ moval because they pre‐ vented their vehicle from en‐ tering the street. This was essential, they explained, be‐ cause they have a child with a severe disability who need‐ ed direct access to the family home. The same court ruled that the town hall should al‐ so provide the family with a parking place. Last autumn, the town hall turned down

the family’s request for dis‐ abled parking in Calle Escritor Diego Granados, alleging that there were similar facili‐ ties in the nearby Plaza May‐ or. Local by‐laws prevented providing an exclusive park‐ ing spot for a specific resi‐ dent, the town hall argued, pointing out that the plant troughs were installed in Calle Escritor Diego Grana‐ dos precisely because this is now a pedestrian street.

The court orders were provisional measures, and Albox Town Hall is expected to lodge an appeal against the rulings.

the course of a meeting in Sevilla almost a year ago. At that time they had asked the head of the Junta’s Economy department for simplified procedures and tax breaks for companies moving to the town.

“Carboneras was gener‐ ous in allowing an installation of this size for the benefit of society,” Amerigo said, allud‐ ing to the Endesa power sta‐ tion.

“And now the time has come for Carboneras to reap the rewards of that generosi‐ ty.”

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Sale that never was LOS MOLINOS residents were shocked when the diocese apparently put a landmark building up for sale. La Casa de Don Bosco was listed with a €900,000 price tag on the Idealista website and, as sources from this Almeria City neighbourhood later explained to the Spanish media, the diocese owes around €22 million. Irate Los Molinos residents as‐ sumed that it was trying to raise money by selling the property.

The Idealista advertise‐ ment was heavily criti‐ cised, as the property was a legacy to the diocese from a woman who gave the house its original name of Doña Juana.

She stipulated that it was to be used by the young people of Los Moli‐ nos and until 2014 the diocese more or less com‐ plied with Doña Juana’s conditions, using it as an underage care home.

In fact the diocesan au‐ thorities were equally per‐ plexed by the Idealista list‐ ing. It later emerged that the Casa de Don Bosco had been rented ‐ with an option to buy ‐ to a local company who put the house on the market without first acquiring it.

Following the almost‐ scandal, the company has now waived its right to buy and the diocese an‐ nounced that Casa de Don Bosco, in accordance with Doña Juana’s wishes, will now become a youth centre.

and finally...

HOME SERVICE. Adra’s young offenders who commit minor offences will now be able to carry out community service in‐ side the town.

Prior to his recently‐signed agreement with the Junta’s Jus‐ tice department they were obliged to travel to Almeria City to comply with the sentence, explained Adra’s mayor, Manuel Cortes. Community service usually involves carrying out tasks for Adra’s different municipal departments, although Cortes stressed that these assignments were unpaid and did not en‐ tail any kind of work relationship with the town hall.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Trespassing in ‘Geode of Pulpi’ THE Guardia Civil has arrested two individuals in Almeria ac‐ cused of raiding and damag‐ ing the ‘Geode of Pulpi’ natu‐ ral monument. These arrests came after an arduous inves‐ tigation of more than a month, framed within the scope of the plan for the de‐ fence of the Historical and Natural Heritage of Almeria.

On the night of December 31, several unknown perpe‐ trators gained access to the Giant Geode of Pulpi. They al‐ legedly forced access and managed to descend 20 me‐ tres down a vertical shaft to reach the gallery where the natural monument is located.

Guardia Civil officers subse‐ quently carried out a thor‐ ough visual inspection of the Geode itself, with the advice of an expert professor from the University of Almeria.

Avian flu spreads TWO farms in Andalucia have detected four birds showing symptoms of avian flu.

According to a report on Monday, February 21, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries

Spain’s anticyclone helps GUARDIA CIVIL: Carried out a thorough investigation.

During their inspection, the officers found that the dese‐ crators were wearing boots and helmets, something very damaging to the valuable gyp‐ sum crystals that make up the Geode. In fact, the personnel specialised in its maintenance and protection always carry out their work without shoes or helmets in order to protect the crystals.

By accessing the Geode with this unsuitable material, and given the characteristics of the gypsum crystals, ir‐ reparable and incalculable damage was caused to it, al‐ though it is not specified which.

Pulpi Town Hall explained that there is damage, but that it does not affect the structure of the Geode.

NEWS

THE much reported storms that have caused devastation in the British Isles and large parts of northern Europe have not arrived as expected, as Spain’s anticyclone that has been sit‐ ting over the peninsula holds them off.

According to Spain’s weather agency AEMET, until such a time as the anticyclone starts to lose power the storms will be held at bay and the much‐needed rain won’t arrive.

Some rain is expected in the Canary Islands and later in the week throughout most of the peninsula a light sprinkling with up to five litres per square metre in the middle of Spain, and up to 20 litres per square metre in Andalucia. Weather fore‐ casters however say that the prediction could change be‐ tween now and then due to the presence of the anticyclone.

Certainly the expected rains will bring little drought relief with less than normal snowfalls and minimal rainfall.

So not good news as Spain’s anticyclone holds the storms back and the drought continues.

and Food (MAPA), Spain has now registered a total of 16 cas‐ es of avian flu in poultry farms across the country.

As a preventative health measure against the worst wave of bird flu ever recorded in Spain, an estimated 670,000 birds have already been slaugh‐ tered on farms.

Four more cases have been detected in the autonomous community of Andalucia.

They have occurred within the restriction zones marked due to the outbreaks of the pre‐ vious weeks.

Specifically, these cases are in the Sevillian municipality of Car‐ mona, and the Huelva munici‐ pality of Niebla.

In Carmona, a new farm with 195,800 laying hens is affected, the largest location to date.

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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?

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24 February - 2 March 2022

NEWS

ALMERIA WALKING FOOTBALL

L O S A M I G O S of Turre (Mojacar) welcomed WFAI newcomers Cam‐ posol WFC who ‘crossed the border’ from Murcia to play their first organised friendly. The visitors were somewhat over‐ whelmed by the pitch which was around three times bigger than their own pitch and it was a first expe‐ rience on astroturf.

This and probably their inexperience compared to the local

CAMPOSOL SQUAD: Crossed the border to play their first organised friendly. side saw them with on‐ ly one win from the six matches played, two

draws and three de‐ feats.

While the matches were close

and played in the true spirit of walk‐ ing football, the result did not re‐ ally matter as the Camposol party of 17 enjoyed the day out, the playing experi‐ ence and the hospitality of Los Amigos who were equally happy at having ‘competitive’ games, albeit friendlies, as change from training ses‐ sions.

Talks are now under‐ way between the other Almeria clubs, Lubrin and Almanzora , with regard to arranging an Inter Region Tourna‐ ment with Camposol and the other Murcia

Region club San Pedro Amigos.

This could possibly take place in April or May. The three Almeria clubs would like to have more opposition

and friendly matches.

Any teams interested and reading this con‐ tact philholme2@ gmail.com Almeria is a large re‐ gion. There must be many Over 50s out there who would like to have a game of foot‐ ball again. YOU CAN!!!

Walking football is ide‐ al for its physical and health bene‐ fits played at walking pace (no running!) with no physi‐ cal contact and clubs have a good social side to it too.

So check out Facebook for one of these clubs above or go to www.wfai.info or better still get some of your friends together and start your own club. It’s not as difficult as you think. More about that next week.

Make sure you get your copy of the Euro Weekly News who are great supporters of Walking Football... the fastest growing sport in Europe.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

NEWS

Queen suffers from Covid THE monarch tested positive for Covid on Sunday, Febru‐ ary 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,

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 admitted 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 reportedly ‘struggling to eat or sleep’. Last week he received an endoscopy which left him in a weak‐ ened 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 football fans were wor‐ ried when Pele suffered from a health scare. Luckily though he was discharged before Christmas and was able to cele‐ brate with his family.

the Queen was forced to can‐ cel all her virtual engage‐ ments 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 Cas‐ tle. She would also carry out virtual audiences while self‐ isolating.

On Tuesday morning a spokesperson for Bucking‐ ham Palace said: “As Her Majesty is still experiencing mild cold‐like symptoms she has decided not to undertake her planned virtual engage‐ ments today, but will contin‐ ue 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 sec‐ ond shot in March. It is thought that she has received her booster shot too.

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 communi‐ ties: Andalucia, Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y Leon, and Castilla‐La Mancha. Viral hemor‐ rhagic fevers give rise to diseases that can be fatal, and are caused by different viruses such as arenaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses, to‐ gaviruses and flaviviruses. Among these dis‐

eases is the one that causes Crimean‐Congo fever, until now considered an exotic disease in Spain, but which is already present in sev‐ eral areas of the country. The first case was detected in 2013, and the virus was transmit‐ ted by a tick, although other animals such as deer, wild boar or roe deer are also transmit‐ ting 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 with‐ in a week, thousands have been evacuated, millions 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 endan‐ gering 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 pow‐ er 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 ef‐ forts.

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24 February - 2 March 2022

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.

NEWS

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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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.

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

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, in‐ cluding 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 Or‐ ganisation (WHO), as the country with the sixth‐high‐ est life expectancy in the world. Although Spaniards and many foreign tourists know the great virtues of this Mediterranean city, the municipality is usually be‐ hind Barcelona or Madrid on the list of Spanish desti‐ nations.

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

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

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24 February - 2 March 2022

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‐

Harry ‘still British’ W I T H 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 of‐ fer was ‘irrelevant’ to how officials took decisions over Royal Family security.

Prince Harry’s barrister Shaheed Fatima QC con‐ firmed 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 con‐ tinue to support the charities that are so close to his heart.

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

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.

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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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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‐ 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 regu‐ late social media to Facebook.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who recently became 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, Foreign Office, and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with the probe launched last week after a Fi‐ nancial Times article on the government’s upcoming On‐ line Safety Bill. That bill aims to police social media plat‐ forms.

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 letter during a Zoom call with government officials.

NEWS

UK ‘living with Covid’

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed his ‘Living With Covid’ plan in the House of Com‐ mons on Monday, Febru‐ ary 21.

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

From today Thursday February 24, the manda‐

A ONE-YEAR-OLD girl in a critical condition after hit‐ ting her head was saved by National 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 condi‐ tion.

The incident occurred in a property located on Calle Feria. An emergency call was put out via the 091 services requesting imme‐

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 anybody who has the virus to preferably stay at home to avoid passing it on to their workmates.

The free Covid handout of £500 that was being paid to those in financial

difficulties while self‐iso‐ lating is due to be 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.

Hero cop

diate 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 breathing on her own,

with very weak vital signs and unresponsive to cogni‐ tive stimuli.

The officers immediately performed CPR on the ba‐ by and made the decision to transfer the baby and her father in the police ve‐ hicle to the hospital, where doctors were able to save her life.

Spanish eggs

TWO European agencies, the EU Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the EU Food Safety Authority (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, result‐ ing in 24 people being hospitalised and the

deaths of two men.

The report, first pub‐ lished on February 10, states that the cases have been traced back to ‘restaurants serving eggs distributed by a common supplier, Spanish Packing Centre A’, without direct‐ ly identifying the suppli‐ er.

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

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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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.

Bikini ad banned ONLINE fashion retailer Boohoo has had an ad in the UK banned for showing a model 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 neither the partial nudity nor the bikini bottoms were relevant to the product and that the images 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 suggestive”, and another emphasised the model’s exposed skin rather than the product. London‐listed Boohoo, which has sought to improve its reputation after negative publicity over supply chain failings, told ASA that the images were part of its swimwear cat‐ egory and this was why the model wearing the t‐ shirt was in a bikini.

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.

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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‐

Your Belgian estate agent at the coast!

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

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24 February - 2 March 2022

Johnny Depp honoured

DEPP: Has participated in several projects in Serbia.

Jet2 boosts capacity SINCE the Spanish government decided to relax coronavirus travel rules for children, a strong demand for flights to Tenerife has returned. Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have responded and added additional flights and holidays to the popular Spanish is‐ land. 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 ad‐ ditional 7,000 seats. Flights will be available from East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Glasgow 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 jumping at the chance to enjoy a much‐needed holiday in Tenerife, and we have seen an increase in bookings.”

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 President Aleksandar Vucic during a Statehood Day ceremony in Belgrade on February 15.

The medal is awarded for “outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially in the field of film, art and pro‐ motion of the Republic of Serbia in the world,” according to Balkan Insight. Receiving the honour Depp said: “I truly, sin‐ cerely thank you, President Vu‐ cic, 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 begin‐ ning to start here.”

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

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HIV woman cured

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

NHS therapy dog 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: “Ruby, the eight‐year‐old Briard who has worked in hospitals as a therapy dog for seven years, has been helping ease any nerves for teens in the Midlands with reg‐ ular 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 lad‐ ders while they waited for 15 minutes post‐jab.”

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

“From furry friends like Ruby, 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.”

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.

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NEWS

Step forward on 5G ‘Supersonic boom’

SPAIN has taken a step for‐ ward on rolling 5G out across the country after re‐ organising the telecommu‐ nications operators work‐ ing on a frequency band

needed for its introduction.

According to the govern‐ ment, the main objective of this reorganisation is to fa‐ cilitate more efficient pro‐ vision of 5G wireless broad‐

band services, to fully take advantage of all the possi‐ bilities provided by 5G technology and, ultimately, to reduce the costs of de‐ ploying mobile communi‐ cations networks in this band.

The high‐speed of 5G technology will improve communications across Spain and will have a direct influence on the transfor‐ mation of broad sectors of the economy such as man‐ ufacturing, natural resource management, agribusiness, health and education; and also on the mobility and lo‐ gistics sector.

LOCALS in the north west of the UK feared they had been hit by a mini earth‐ quake on the morning of Tuesday, February 15. It is believed that an anti‐sub‐ marine surveillance RAF jet caused a sonic boom.

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

“British Aerospace con‐ firmed they did have air‐

British ambassador Brexit meeting

T H E UK ambassador to Spain and the mayor of Adeje, Tenerife, met on Tuesday, February 15 to discuss Brexit and the fu‐ ture of British tourism in

the Canary Islands.

Ambassador Hugh El‐ liott, and Mayor Miguel Rodriguez Fraga also met representatives from the tourism and hotel sec‐ tors. The UK ambassador said: “The Canary Islands continues to be the favourite destination of the British tourist. Prior to the Covid pandemic, five million British visi‐ tors picked the Canaries as their holiday destina‐ tion, and we are hoping to see those numbers again as soon as possi‐ ble, and believe we will.

During 2021 the archipelago was already a destination in demand for the British holiday‐ maker.”

According to the may‐ or 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 loud blast.

craft airborne at the time and two RAF aircraft, but cannot confirm at this time if any had gone superson‐ ic.”

Flightradar24 also record‐ ed an Air Force jet in the area at the time.

Residents heard the blast at around 11am in Mersey‐

side, Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

A local told one publica‐ tion: “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.”

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.

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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 Fiona Keogh, Private Client Manager, 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?

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

AIRPORT: Woman banned from her flight.

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.

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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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.

26 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

NEWS

Amazon Visa deal Covid counting chaos A GLOBAL deal has finally been reached between online giant Amazon, and credit card company Visa with the retail‐ er now accepting credit card payments 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.

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.

CREDIT CARD: Customers had been hit with surcharges.

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 to‐ day, as well as a joint commit‐ ment to collaboration on new product and technology initia‐ tives to ensure innovative pay‐ ment experiences for our cus‐ tomers in the future,” Visa said in response.

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 caus‐ es.”

The autonomous com‐ munities have been com‐ plaining to the CCAES. It has now been acknowl‐ edged that issues have been found with counting

G I S E L L E , 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

shepherd cross was the victim of a hit‐and‐run incident last February that left her at death’s door but has now been nursed back to health thanks to a specially‐con‐ structed prosthetic leg

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 Heart-warming tale 7.5 million toothpicks can be created from a cord of wood.

and a four‐wheel cart which has helped her to walk again.

Giselle was spotted on a traffic security camera, lying at the side of the road. As a result of the accident, the unfortu‐ nate pooch had two legs and one paw amputated.

Natalia, the founder of Flori’s Friends Rescue in Kent, nursed the stricken dog back to health. Eventu‐ ally, 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 res‐ cued her spine had actu‐ ally 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.”

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 27

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

30

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.

WHEN looking at funeral plans, it can all get a little overwhelming ‐ that’s why Golden Leaves is here to help.

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.

32 EWN

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24 February - 2 March 2022

LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 21

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.316,00 Abrdn 234,30 Admiral Group 2.981,5 Anglo American 3.548,9 Antofagasta 1.390,00 Ashtead Group 4.677,0 Associated British Foods 1.931,0 AstraZeneca 8.913,2 Auto Trader Group Plc 628,96 Avast 617,80 Aveva 2.504,0 Aviva 437,60 B&M European Value Retail 588,80 BAE Systems 602,60 Bank VTB DRC 1,066 Barclays 194,94 Barratt Developments 604,54 Berkeley 3.971,0 BHP Group 2.560,50 BP 392,70 British American Tobacco 3.409,8 British Land Company 543,00 BT Group 196,35 Bunzl 2.732,0 Burberry Group 2.032,0 Carnival 1.492,7 Centrica 77,93 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.410,0 Compass 1.751,50 CRH 3.626,0 Croda Intl 6.972,0 DCC 6.184,0 Diageo 3.667,9 DS Smith 364,90 EasyJet 679,40 Experian 2.819,0 Ferguson 11.085,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.615,0 Fresnillo 679,60 GlaxoSmithKline 1.572,00 Glencore 423,70 Halma 2.266,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.282,00 Hikma Pharma 1.969,50 HSBC 553,70 IAG 164,70 Imperial Brands 1.766,50 Informa 607,80 InterContinental 4.992,0

CHANGE(P) 1.324,50 236,70 2.991,0 3.594,5 1.423,00 4.837,0 1.933,5 8.991,7 636,80 622,60 2.549,0 438,20 594,80 605,00 1,096 195,14 608,00 3.982,0 2.607,50 393,45 3.415,0 545,00 198,25 2.751,0 2.062,0 1.516,0 78,22 2.457,0 1.767,00 3.679,0 7.140,0 6.208,0 3.692,0 371,30 692,20 2.872,0 11.245,0 10.780,0 692,00 1.578,80 427,20 2.314,0 1.294,00 1.982,50 555,50 168,10 1.788,00 612,00 5.018,0

% CHG. 1.312,50 233,20 2.969,0 3.538,5 1.387,00 4.674,0 1.916,0 8.883,5 628,96 617,80 2.502,0 432,90 587,20 596,60 1,060 191,54 601,40 3.954,0 2.548,00 387,55 3.396,4 542,00 195,55 2.728,0 2.028,0 1.487,4 77,58 2.410,0 1.749,00 3.611,0 6.958,0 6.176,0 3.664,5 364,20 677,80 2.816,0 11.080,0 10.570,0 679,00 1.557,60 422,70 2.263,0 1.281,00 1.965,00 547,30 164,08 1.764,00 603,20 4.967,0

NET VOL 66,36K 293,34K 12,98K 259,54K 45,80K 92,20K 67,94K 18,25K 3,03K 93,72K 24,38K 1,07M 196,18K 353,05K 214,94K 5,36M 94,97K 8,61K 894,93K 5,41M 29,28K 154,91K 1,85M 20,59K 126,60K 68,68K 892,22K 72,95K 98,60K 106,87K 18,62K 8,64K 279,58K 130,61K 519,24K 79,63K 45,80K 47,41K 174,20K 683,13K 4,37M 38,25K 71,09K 23,11K 2,63M 5,11M 280,80K 220,43K 55,99K

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/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 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

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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 33

34 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 35

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.

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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

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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

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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

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38 EWN

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FEATURE

GO LOCAL THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support local businesses in the community by shop‐ ping locally in recent times.

Now things are heading back to normal, we chal‐ lenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent busi‐ nesses in your area.

Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities what they are. They add unique character.

They are convenient. And they offer excellent pro‐ duce from known suppli‐ ers. The joy of shopping locally means that inde‐ pendent busi‐ nesses can

BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.

support the local community.

You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually going?

By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local fami‐ ly’s table and there is noth‐ ing better than giving back to the communities that have given us so much. Local stores support charities and they sponsor local sports teams. In many cases, they are much more than just a business, they’re a legacy.

They may have supported generations of the same family. Likewise, brand new local stores and bars may help the generations of the future fulfil their dreams and ambitions.

Remember, your local store is going up against multinationals and chains.

They can’t win that battle on their own. So give them your

s u p ‐ port. Spending your money locally will make a real differ‐ ence to the local economy.

Local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro they receive at local level.

They create locally owned supply chains and they invest in their employees.

So remember.

When you go shopping ‐ go local!

To advertise here contact us on:

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EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

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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Are jade rollers worth your time?

ARE jade rollers really worth your time and money or are they just another fad to collect dust in your bathroom?

Jade rollers blew up on social media a couple of years ago (very aesthetically pleasing), and with them still appearing all over feeds and in beauty magazines it would seem they really are worth the time and money.

What is a jade roller?

A jade roller is, simply, a beauty tool made of jade or other stones that’s used to massage the face. Not just something pret‐ ty to look at, the benefit of a jade roller is the fact that it is cold to touch ‐ some people even put theirs in the fridge.

Jade rollers date back to seventh century China, and crystals have been used in skin care for thousands of years, however, it is the recent social media coverage that has seen millions of influ‐ encers and beauty bloggers raving about this tool.

Joie Tavernise, aesthetician and founder of JTAV Clinical Skin‐ care said: “It’s simple: The cold restricts blood flow to a particular area, and pressure pushes fluid, known as lymph, to the lymph nodes, which process it and filter out toxins.”

Jade rollers are known to be good for circulation, reducing puffiness and redness, a gentle (and cheaper!) facial massage and some people swear by them for relaxation and helping with headaches.

How to effectively use a jade roller Some people keep theirs in the fridge to cool it down and help with reducing puffiness, others also use them with their favourite serum.

The best way to use a jade roller is at night time, working on half of the face at a time, rolling outwards towards your hairline.

There are plenty of different brands and prices, so why not try one out?

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Top beauty tips for women over 50

IT can be difficult to decide on make‐up looks, styling, beauty products and hair styles when ageing, but that doesn’t mean you should give these things up altogeth‐ er! We have looked at the top beauty tips for women over 50 to help you out.

Massage your neck area An area often forgotten, the skin on our necks can be a big giveaway about our age and it’s important to keep this area moisturised and look after it as much as we do with the skin on our face.

Some people swear by jade rollers or sculpting wands, but massaging your favourite moisturiser onto your neck during your nightly skin rou‐ tine can work wonders!

Create a natural finish When it comes to make‐

TOP TIPS: Important to keep the neck area moisturised.

up, less is more. Creating a natural finish using a wet beauty blender will help your foundation sit better on your face, avoid it creep‐ ing into any wrinkles or dry areas and blend better into

the neck area.

Define your eyebrows As we age, eyebrow pen‐ cils are a must because of thinning hairs. Get a brow pencil that is a similar colour to your brows and define the

arch more ‐ brows frame the face and open up the eye area.

Add some colour to your cheeks No look is complete with‐ out a blush, using a bronzer and a blusher together can work wonders for making your cheekbones appear higher and defining the face more. Experts advise using bronzer on your cheeks and forehead and using a pink or peachy blusher on your cheekbones towards the temples.

Plump your lips It’s a well‐known fact the lips thin with age, however, you don’t need to go as far as getting lip fillers! There are lots of lip plumping glosses out there to give you a fuller pout.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

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.

24 February - 2 March 2022

EWN 47

48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

Property of the week

Advertising Feature VOSS HOMES

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Access to the property is via a sliding metal gate and on to an attractive im‐ pressed concrete drive for three cars with carport and block built storage shed. The rest of the gardens around the villa and apartment are landscaped and designed for low maintenance and also has a bbq area.

To the front of the main villa is a con‐ servatory which makes a lovely extra living room / dining room with views over the garden and pool. There are

RECENTLY MODERNISED: The property also includes three Florida style enclosures.

then two front entrance doors. One in to the spacious living room and the oth‐ er into the kitchen.

The living room has a log burning fireplace and double doors leading into the first Florida style enclosure and plenty of space for relaxing, dining or entertaining. Slightly separate from the living room is the dining room with a door leading in to the modern fitted kitchen with a door leading back out to

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the conservatory.

From the dining room a passageway takes you to the three double bedrooms which all have fitted wardrobes. The main bed‐ room has double doors lead‐ ing out into a second huge meshed enclosure which total‐ ly covers the pool area and con‐ nects the villa to the apartment.

The main bedroom has an en‐ suite walk in shower room. The second and third double bedrooms share a family bathroom with corner bath.

The separate apartment is at the other side of the huge meshed enclosure. This is fantastic for guests with a living room / dining room, fitted kitchen, double bed‐ room and shower room. In between the villa and apartment is the third meshed enclosure which is connected to the main enclosure. Voss Homes is a British family‐ run business with offices in the thriving, market town of Huercal‐Overa and La Al‐ foquia village.

For more information and to arrange a viewing of VH1962 please contact us on 0034 950 616 827 or email at enquiries@vosshomesspain.com

Not such a nice experience MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION

Views of a Grumpy Old Man I LIVE on the Costa del Sol and often go to the local paseo to walk the dog and have a coffee or a bit of lunch. But just lately it’s not such a pleasurable experience because there seems to be an incredible amount of homeless people sleeping in doorways. I don’t mean the odd person sitting with a couple of dogs outside the supermarket asking for some help.

I’m talking about, for example, in one closed restaurant in Los Boliches, which has a very large undercover area, at least six beds, and I mean beds, proper mattresses and people sleeping there all day. The smell, I’m told, is quite unpleasant, (I can’t tell as I have no sense of smell). It can be quite intimidating seeing the occasional punch up because unfortunately alcohol seems to be the only thing there’s plenty of.

It’s a shame that people have to live like this and if giving money would help get them off the streets I would happily donate. But in the meantime I do think the local authorities have to do something about it and I don’t mean just move them along to sleep in a different doorway. They

need proper help. Maybe redirect some of the money they spend on roundabout decorations to opening some hostels. I really don’t know, but something has to be done.

Why is Russia allowed to compete in the Olympics under any guise, winter or summer?

Technically, Russia is banned from competing in the Olympics. But like the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Russian athletes were still participating at the 2022 Winter Olympics. That’s because they are competing under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee, or ROC for short. Their doping and drug abuse for their athletes is off the scale. They should be banned full stop but because of the ridiculous corruption they still compete. I felt so sorry for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva who failed a drug test because she accidently took her grandfather’s heart medicine.

Really? What a load of codswallop. She’s just a young kid that is made to cheat because that’s what they do. What is even worse is she was still allowed to compete and if she hadn’t fallen over was pretty certain to win a medal.

Finally if they want the Brits to take these hurricane warnings seriously they have to stop giving them little boys’ and girls’ names like Debra and Eunice and now Franklin and start giving them proper scary names like Thor, Attila the Hun or Hades,who was a God of death.

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT 3 TONY NOBLE HAVE you ever noticed how quickly the shops re‐ move the Christmas stock so that they can display the Easter eggs as fast as pos‐ sible, as if we hadn’t spent enough over the Christmas period, here they are re‐ minding us that Easter is the next big event. Like Christmas, the shops are only interested in the commercial side, and yet Easter is the most holy of all Christian celebrations, it is the time that Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins, but his suffering didn’t start there, before that that He had to undergo a period of 40 days and nights of starvation and temptation.

The time of Lent is approaching and one of the ways people of faith mark this pe‐ riod is by fasting, just like Christ fasted for 40 days in the desert. Fasting involves sacrifice and normally people give up something that they really enjoy, but does it always have to be food? Perhaps we could give up other things such as bad habits. We could also give up, anger

and hatred, judging others, discourage‐ ment, complaining, resentment and bit‐ terness or spending too much money.

Giving something up helps us to gain enough control to surrender our lives to God. It makes us more aware of our sin‐ ful desires and allows us to honour Je‐ sus, not only in the desert, but in the weeks leading up to His crucifixion. It al‐ lows us to face temptations just like Christ faced, by facing these tempta‐ tions and overcoming them, we will grow stronger in faith.

Fasting and Lent provide us with a time to focus on what is always true.

God is always reaching out to enable us to change, repent, be renewed and deepen our commitment to Him and his chosen community. Repentance by it‐ self does not cause forgiveness or make us worthy to receive it. It is based on grace ‐ specifically, the knowledge that God is kind and ready to forgive.

Amen.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

Tony Noble’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

EWN 49

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50 EWN

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24 February - 2 March 2022

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD IT’S almost three years since my first thoughts appeared in Euro Weekly News in the form of an ar‐ ticle entitled UTOPIA, in which I rambled on about the good old days. Since then, my observations have appeared regularly in the Axarquia edition and occasionally in other issues as well.

If a thought comes into my head, whether amusing, trivial or earth‐shattering, I make a note of it and, maybe later, just burst into print expounding on a theme. So, here goes!

I first saw the sea just after the war when I was seven (at Bognor Regis). I didn’t set foot abroad until I was 19 (Calais). By contrast, my first granddaughter flew to Malaga before her second birthday. How the world has changed!

Childhood memories include the books of Enid Blyton, Just William, Arthur Ransome and Big‐ gles; collecting postage stamps, trainspotting and staying at Youth

FEATURE

THINKING ALOUD In retirement I am enjoying thinking aloud in Axarquia.

Hostels during cycling trips around England.

At school, I discovered the joys of Latin and Algebra before gradu‐ ating to more serious matters, such as dating girls, traditional jazz and pints of Greene King bitter.

Leaving school was celebrated

with an aborted attempt to hitch‐ hike with my soul‐mate John Prior from Calais to Zurich. As we only got one lift (20km) we gave up, backtracked, and finished up in Torquay. It’s a long story.

My career in the financial world took me to many varied parts of

the world, offering the opportunity to get to know different people, their countries and customs.

During the 60s, I lived in Barnes, southwest London before moving to Zurich for two years with Price Waterhouse. The Swiss had a high standard of living and I was able to ski at the weekends and take up photography. Life outside the of‐ fice was one big jolly and we could spend weekends in Austria, France, Germany and Italy.

In the 70s, I lived on Wimbledon Common. During the Fortnight, I would leave work early and drive the seven minutes to watch the tennis, featuring the likes of Ken Rosewall and Jimmy Connors. I re‐ call the Crooked Billet as a second home, dispensing Young’s bitter and Carlsberg Special Brew. I soon joined Avis Rent‐a‐Car and there was extensive business travel in Europe. I was also despatched to Japan, Australia and New Zealand on a special project.

The 80s saw me in Frankfurt for three years as Finance Director of Avis Car Leasing. I missed the trav‐ el, bought a property in Nerja and returned to England. The next company duties involved world‐ wide business travel, opening up new adventures and experiences.

On a trip to Sao Paulo, I met Mar‐ garete and we now have three daughters and three granddaugh‐ ters.

In the early noughties, I wrote my book ‘The Middle‐Class Code’ and, having retired, contributed a regular column on random topics for Nerja’s top magazine, ‘Market Place’.

We are now enjoying retire‐ ment in Axarquia.

Just thinking aloud!

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

David Worboys’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

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.

Unjust justice

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‐ 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.

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‐ 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.

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.

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

SPONSORED BY

51

PETS

We all need a helping hand with our pets IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sit‐ ters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets.

Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their rou‐ tines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our phi‐ losophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a home‐ owner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐

count (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permit‐ ting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2022? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your ad‐ vert saying when you are go‐ ing on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

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Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter…

HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter while we were away in Canada and we were delighted with the care and attention that HouseSit Match took in helping us find the right person.

Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join?

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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

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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24 February - 2 March 2022 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY

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54 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

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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.

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www.euroweeklynews.com

24 February - 2 March 2022

EWN 55

Where you will need DGT document fines 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.

THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has warned drivers of the mandatory documents that must be carried in their vehicle.

Failure to produce this doc‐ umentation 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.