Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 24 - 30 March 2022 Issue 1916

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 24 - 30 March 2022

to go forward one hour at 2am on Sunday

Helping Ukraine THE village of Santa Euge‐ nia may be small with just 1,771 registered inhabi‐ tants, but it clearly has a big heart as far as the tragedy of Ukraine is con‐ cerned.

The council there has decided to allocate €1 from its funds in respect of each resident in order to fund the purchase of med‐ ical equipment for the people of Ukraine through the NGO Levante en Marxa, as part of its pro‐ ject ‘Ukraine, you are not alone’.

The sum of €1,771 has been spent at the village pharmacy and items pur‐ chased include pain killers, medicine, baby milk, pre‐ pared baby food, nappies, sanitary towels, inconti‐ nence pads and wet wipes.

Mayor Joan Riutort Crespi said: “There is no worse scenario for a coun‐ try than a war, in which the civilian population is the most affected. With this action we want to make the small contribu‐ tion of the entire village to show our solidarity. with the people of Ukraine.”

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Credit: Balearic Government

Issue No. 1916

BACK IN SPAIN: Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells.

Nadal injury

SUMMER SEASON: President Armengol spoke to Parliament on Tuesday.

SPEAKING in the Balearic Parliament on Tuesday March 22, President Francina Ar‐ mengol said that she believed the summer tourist season would not be adversely affect‐ ed despite the huge leap in energy costs caused in part by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, the hospi‐ tality industry, as well as stores on the Islands are already worried about the Spanish lorry drivers’ strike. Although delivery across Mallorca has not been affected significantly by local

strikes, there is certain‐ ly an ongoing shortage of goods.

The problem is caused by pickets at docks on the mainland and fewer lorries are making it on to the ferries meaning that fewer supplies are arriving on the islands.

Some private drivers’ haulier organisations have indicated that the Spanish Government promise of up to €500 million in aid to reduce the cost of professional diesel is too vague and has not been made di‐ rectly to the drivers who are actually on strike.

The Balearic Govern‐

ment is to put a number of proposals to the Na‐ tional Government with‐ in the next few days as it considers that the is‐ lands are a special case and if the strike can be settled quickly then no long‐term harm is likely to have been done.

If, however, no settle‐ ment can be reached quickly, then there is the possibility that local drivers will join in the strike which has already seen fishermen staying in port for three days and things could esca ‐ late on the mainland with even greater reper‐ cussions for the islands.

AFTER losing in the final of the ATP tennis champi‐ onship in Indian Wells, Mallorca’s Rafael Nadal re‐ turned to Spain.

On Tuesday March 22, the possible reason for his loss was revealed when he issued the following tweet: “Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that I’m back in Spain and I went straight to see my medi‐ cal team for tests after the Indian Wells final, which I played in discomfort.

“I have a stress fracture in one of my ribs and I will be out for four to six weeks. It’s not good news and I didn’t expect this. I am devastated and sad because after such a good start to the season I have had.”

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24 - 30 March 2022

Credit: CC Davidvraju

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INCREASE: The Camanegre is thriving on Mallorca.

Another avian success KNOWN in Mallorca as the Camanegre, the Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover) has had a remarkable in‐ crease in its population at the s’Albufereta Nature Reserve over the past five years.

According to the management of the nature reserve, in 2020, there were 25 breeding groups compared to the usual 10 in recent years and as this bird nests on the ground of well‐preserved beaches and coastal marshes human presence can disrupt mating or hatching.

Therefore, from now, two sections of the Natural Re‐ serve beach will be closed in the areas of Es Grau and Can Cap de Bou, both of which are the most sensitive and suit‐ able for spawning grounds.

Closures will be effective until August 31, coinciding with the breeding period and signs have been erected to show the closed off areas.

Thanks to the temporary closures, carried out since 2015, and the creation of breeding islands within the Na‐ ture Reserve, it has been possible for the adult population to increase and the winter population has also improved, from an average of around 20 birds to between 50 and 90 in recent years.

NEWS

Marratxi Employment Fair HUNDREDS of jobs are on of‐ fer at the third Marratxí Em‐ ployment Fair which takes place today, Thursday March 24. So far, 23 companies will be offering just under 800 jobs at the Sa Deixalleria Hall in the Poligon de Marratxí which is open 9am to 3pm.

Companies looking for staff include Mercadona, De‐ cathlon, Abante Mallorca, Al‐ campo, Mallorca Fashion Out‐ let and Adecco and candidates are invited to take their CVs with them to leave with those

Credit: Marratxi Council

JOBS ON OFFER: Visit the third Marratxí Employment Fair.

employers they like the look of.

During the Fair, two work‐ shops will be held in two shifts each. The first will be ‘Digital Employment: Skills for the

FROM March 19, Mallorcan coun‐ cils can apply for grants of be‐ tween €1,000 and €16,000 for new signs in Catalan As part of the plan to ensure that Catalan is the primary lan‐ guage in the Balearics, the Con‐ sell de Mallorca has made €90,000 available for councils to ensure signs are accurate.

From this sum awards of be‐ tween €1,000 and €16,000 may be made for production of signs, be they newly created, replacing those not in the Catalan lan‐

SANTANYI Council is de‐ termined to expand the town’s tourism market and from March 17 to 20 attended the Destinations Nature tourism fair in Paris which is dedicated to nature and active tourism.

A team from the San‐ tanyi Tourist Information

New Times’ (presented by IB‐ Jove), which will provide tools and networks for job search and to prepare for new ways of working, virtual tools and in‐ terviews.

The second workshop will be ‘Tips for a Successful Job In‐ terview’ (presented by Probens), where participants will learn the key points to con‐ sider before a job interview, during the interview and after the job interview process.

In addition, there will be de‐ tails about the most frequently asked questions and how to overcome any ‘trick’ questions that may arise.

Find out more at www.firaocupacio.marratxi.es.

Signs in Catalan guage, are in poor condition, or contain spelling mistakes.

The signs that are eligible range from place names, to names of municipalities, popula‐ tion centres, street names and those containing tourist informa‐ tion.

This is in accordance to article 15 of the Law of linguistic nor‐ malisation of the Balearic Islands

which establishes that public sig‐ nage must be produced in Cata‐ lan, accompanied, if necessary, by graphic signs that allow non‐ Catalan speakers to understand their meaning.

There are two lines of grants, one for municipalities with popu‐ lations of less than 20,000 and another for those with more than 20,000 inhabitants.

Santanyi in Paris Office joined other mu‐ nicipalities on a joint stand promoting Mallorca as an ideal destination.

Destinations Nature, is a meeting designed to show new developments

in tourism to lovers of sports hiking, in all its variants with nature, cul‐ ture, sports and gastrono‐ my as the main themes of this fair.

This is not the first time Santanyi has travelled to Paris to promote itself and this year highlighted its strong commitment to

cycling and family cycling, with the 19 routes creat‐ ed last year with the col‐ laboration of different cy‐ cling clubs in the area.

In total there are 12 road routes and seven mountain bike routes with departure and ar‐ rival in the municipality of Santanyi.

Fishermen strike THE fishermen of the Balearic Islands began three days of strike action in protest against the uncontrolled rises in fuel prices on Monday March 21.

The president of the Balearic Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds, Domingo Bonnín, made the decision after news on Friday, March 18 that emergency measures that had been officially an‐ nounced by the governments of France, Italy and Portugal with bonuses for diesel for professional fishing ‐ which has not been the case in Spain.

Bonnín said at that time: “We received information that the French government had decided to subsidise diesel for profes‐ sional fishing with 30 cents per litre, then we received similar news from Italy and from Portugal, and that precipitated every‐ thing on Friday afternoon [ calls for a strike.]”

Reports suggest that all of Mallorca’s fishermen kept their ves‐ sels in harbour for the duration of the strike.

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NIBS EXTRA Crack down A DECISION has been made by the Balearic Gov‐ ernment to have regular checks made by Guardia Civil and Local Police offi‐ cers with the assistance of AENA at Palma Airport on a random basis this season to ensure that no unau‐ thorised drivers are acting illegally to transport pay‐ ing passengers.

Vacubús in Campos THE Vacubús de Salud will be in the Eroski car park on Carretera de Palma Campos until Sunday March 27 offering, as usu‐ al, free vaccinations with‐ out appointment for those taking their first dose or a booster. Staff will be on hand from 9am to 7.30pm.

Palma rescue ON Tuesday March 22, af‐ ter receiving an emergen‐ cy call, officers from the Palma fire brigade learned of the collapse of a handi‐ capped person in their flat who was unable to get up after falling. As the door was locked the officers en‐ tered through the balcony.

Sahrawi anger FEMINIST and other groups in Mallorca reacted on March 20 against the announcement that the Spanish Government had decided to support Mo‐ rocco’s wish to allow the Western Sahara to have autonomy under Moroc‐ can rule, claiming that it was a betrayal of the Sahrawi people especially women and children.

Coach sacked AFTER getting back into La Liga, things have gone from bad to worse for Real Mal‐ lorca and having lost their last six matches and drop‐ ping into the relegation zone, the club has sacked head coach Luis García Plaza and are anxiously searching for a replacement.

24 - 30 March 2022

Cancer Support Mallorca THE Cancer Support Group Mallorca (CSG) held their first AGM following the loss of founder and presi‐ dent Krista Hyer last Jan‐ uary.

It was a very sad mo‐ ment as it was the first to be held without the pres‐ ence of Krista but on Mon‐ day March 7, a new com‐ mittee had to be elected and it is determined to keep assisting cancer pa‐ tients and their relatives on the Island.

Members Bronwen and Rebecca have spent three weeks visiting hospitals,

Credit: Vicki Mcleod

THE AGM: A new committee was elected.

town halls, the British Con‐ sulate and other associa‐ tions to re‐establish con‐ tacts as so many things have changed during the

pandemic. One piece of good news is that they have been given the go ahead to reopen their drop‐in centres in Son Es‐

New urban art

THE Avingudes car park in Palma is the lat‐ est to be blessed with a new mural which is more than 100 metres long and is located on both sides of the exit ramp of the car park.

Produced as part of a project to integrate urban art into municipal facilities, the work by artist SOMA (Marc Peris) which pays homage to the culture, folklore, gastrono‐ my and sea of Mallorca was officially un‐ veiled on Friday March 18.

It now becomes part of the urban land‐ scape alongside the Roussillon County and Marquès de la Sénia car parks as well as other murals produced by renowned artists who add colour and help to beautify the area.

Prior to this, the Palma Council spent

Credit: Palma Council

NEWS

CAR PARK: The new artwork.

€8,000 to create 30 spaces for bicycles and to reduce the number of leaks into and around the car park.

It further plans to replace the railings on vehicle ramps and pedestrian stairs, as well as cleaning and painting the surface of the walls and ceilings.

The FSO returns

AFTER lying dormant for two years, the popular Film Symphony Orchestra (FSO) has returned with a new nation‐ wide tour aptly entitled the Phoenix Effect.

With 80 musicians and an array of costumes and lighting, their shows are invariably sold out very quickly and there are two chances to catch them in Palma with this brand‐new show.

On Friday April 4 and Saturday April 5, starting at 8.30pm, the orchestra will be playing some of the greatest tunes from top movies such as Gladia‐

tor, Matrix, West Side Story, The Da Vinci Code.

The Lord of the Rings and much more, plus some real surprises at the Palma Auditorium, with tickets costing from €35 to €65 are already selling quickly.

This is not just a two and a half hour evening of music but a phantasmagori‐ cal event with lights, costumes and fun for all of the family.

Visit https://auditoriumpalma. koobin.com/ to book your tickets on‐ line.

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pases and Son Llatzer hos‐ pitals and they are in the process of setting up a new drop‐in centre at the Man‐ acor hospital, but to do this they need to find more vol‐ unteers.

They are aiming to have a team of between 15 and 20 volunteers who can cover one shift a month, so if anyone can help out one morning a month (either Wednesday or Thursday) please get in touch by email to info@cancersup portmallorca.com or fill in the form on their website https://www.cancersupport mallorca.com.

Let’s Clean Up SCHOOLCHILDREN from La Por‐ ciúncula School were involved in a day of cleaning on Monday March 21.

It was for World Forest Day as part of the Let’s Clean Up Eu‐ rope programme and the chil‐ dren who turned up at the Por‐ ciúncula forest in Palma removed around 500 kilos of waste material.

The Director General of Waste and Environmental Edu‐ cation, Sebastià Sansó, who took part said “These activities are essential to promote envi‐ ronmental values, and the need to reduce the use of disposable plastics among the youngest.”

Let’s Clean Up Europe is a Euro‐ pean programme to promote the reduction, reuse and recy‐ cling of waste through citizen participation and volunteering.

The pupils have been involved in this project since 2007 and last year, these and other ac‐ tions saw 1,600 people remove more than five tons of waste.

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Popular film location

THE Palma Film Office received 170 requests for permission to film in 2021, 63 more than in 2020 although this may have been partly due to the pandemic.

This organisation is the municipal public service that facilitates the development of the local audio‐visual indus‐ try and speeds up the work of the productions that have Palma as a setting.

The councillor for Eco‐ nomic Promotion and Employment, Rodrigo Romero, revealed this information on Monday March 21 during the shooting in the Plaza de Cort of the Bollywood film Pathan.

Romero pointed out that providing Palma as a film set “offers general benefits because it gen‐ erates wealth for many local companies and professionals,” however some local residents who had during the week found their roads closed without prior warning were not so happy.

In 2021, almost €4 million was earned di‐ rectly by the city from film shoots with the bonus that 1,122 local professionals were hired on a short‐term basis and there were 2,074 overnight stays booked.

and finally...

OFFICERS of the National Police in Palma were alerted to the fact that a woman had climbed onto the roof of a building on Friday March 18 and was threatening to jump off.

They were first alerted by a neighbour and then the woman herself called the emergency number and spoke to officers who tried to talk her down.

At the same time other officers made their way to the roof and saw that she was balanced on the edge, so when her attention was diverted, one of the officers managed to grab her and carry her to safety before handing her over to medics.

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24 - 30 March 2022

A SENIOR official at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Develop‐ ment Office (FCDO) has become the second whistleblower to come forward over the Afghanistan evacuations. According to Josie Stewart, it was “widespread knowledge” that the decision to evacuate Pen Farthing’s animals “came from the prime minister.”

Solely on Boris’s orders Raphael Marshall previously blew the whistle on the issue and said that it was the PM who made the decision on Nowzad. Stewart now claims that the foreign affairs select committee has been lied to

by civil servants.

Stewart said on March 21: “I have tried to imagine but cannot conceive of any way this could have been an honest mistake. I feel a strong sense of moral injury for

having been part of something so badly managed and so focused on managing reputational risk and po‐ litical fallout rather than the actual crisis and associated human tragedy.

NEWS

“From what I heard and saw, Nowzad staff were included as a late addition only in response to this ‘PM decision’. This occurred against the previous judgement of officials. I do not find it credible that Philip Barton, or those who drafted his letter dated January 17, 2022, would not have been aware of this.”

Plane crash in China English screenings U-turn on electricity OCIMAX BELFAST ‐ Oscar Nominated ‐ €4 15.50h (Every day) MORBIUS. From April 1 ‐ Buy Now 15.45 18.10 20.45h (Every day) BOEING 737: Plunged to the ground.

A BOEING 737 nosedived in‐ to the ground on Monday March 21 killing all 132 people on board and, according to flight data, was travelling at 560kph when it hit the ground.

The accident, which crashed into a mountainous area in southern China, looks set to be the country’s most deadly plane crash for decades.

The plane of route from the city of Kunming to Guangzhou plunged into a thick forest of

bamboo on a hillside in Guanxi province.

Flight MU5735 left the south‐western city of Kun‐ ming at 1.11pm and had been due to land at Guanzhou at 3.05pm. According to data from FlightRadar24, the six‐ year‐old Boeing 737‐800 was last tracked at 2.22pm.

The Civil Aviation Adminis‐ tration of China (CAAC) said the aircraft, with 123 passen‐ gers and nine crew aboard, had lost contact over the city of Wuzhou.

AUGUSTA THE BATMAN 16.15 ‐ 17.45 ‐ 19.45h (Every day)

RÍVOLI DEATH ON THE NILE 16.00h (Every day)

Road to rail A NEW €120 million scheme to encourage freight traffic in Spain to shift from road to sustain‐ able rail transport has been approved.

The scheme, which will run until June 2026, aims to promote rail as a more en‐ vironmentally friendly means of transportation, as well as contributing to the greening of rail transport.

The support will take the form of direct grants to compensate freight compa‐ nies for the cost difference between road and rail

transport based on the ac‐ tual volumes of freight shifted from road to rail transport The EU’s Margrethe Vestager said on Monday March 21: “The €120 mil‐ lion scheme approved to‐ day will contribute to im‐ proving the competitiveness and green‐ ing of rail freight transport in Spain. It will also support the shift from road to rail, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, while limiting possible distortions of competition.”

A PROPOSAL to cap the cost of electricity has been scrapped by the Spanish and Portuguese Ministers of the Environment.

On Friday March 18, Teresa Ribera, the Minister of the Environ‐ ment, along with her Portuguese counterpart, Joao Matos Fer‐ nandes, announced a joint proposal aimed at capping electricity prices. Their plan was to set a limit of €180/MWh, which was to be presented to the European Commission.

The idea has now been abandoned due to a lack of support from other EU member states. It is unclear what new measures, if any, can be proposed to the EU. Aelec, the employers’ association of the large electric utilities, has demanded government intervention. “Use European funds, and avoid measures that may affect the energy that has already been purchased by consumers,” the association said on March 18.

David Searl

LEGAL EXPERT: Passed away peacefully on March 18.

FINANCE guru and legal expert David Searl has died at the age of 82. David had a regular column in the Euro Weekly News, Legally Speaking, where each week he answered readers’ enquiries on legal matters.

A US citizen, David made a life for himself on the Costa del Sol. Jesper Sander Pedersen, President of the Costa Press Club, said: “If you are not already aware, David Searl, one of the first members of the Costa Press Club, passed away peacefully on Friday March 18 at the age of 82.

“David Searl, a US citizen, settled on the Costa del Sol in the mid‐70s and was until his death one of the Costa del Sol’s most important writers of articles and books focusing on legal substance.

He was the lead writer on law for the acclaimed month‐ ly magazine, Lookout, and continued on the same track in other English‐language media,” he added.

David leaves his wife, Mary, two sons, Ben and Daniel, and three grandchildren.

NEWS

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NASA debut Becker in court

NASA has debuted its new Space Launch System with the giant rocket taken down to the pad at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to conduct a dummy count‐ down.

NASA has plans to send a test rocket around the moon later this year ahead of plans to send a manned mission within the next five to seven years.

The enormous rocket, al‐ most 100 metres tall, is de‐ signed to be much more powerful than the Apollo ve‐ hicles of the late 1960s and 1970s with the ability to travel beyond the moon as well as to carry significantly more equipment.

ROCKET: Was moved on a massive mobile launcher.

The rollout on Friday March 18 gave NASA the first oppor‐ tunity to see the rocket and all its different elements fully stacked together.

The rocket was moved on a massive mobile launcher that is over 120 metres high and weighs more than 5,000 tons.

Hocus pocus

A 71-YEAR-OLD who became the UK’s first official witch af‐ ter being given permission by Inland Revenue to use the term on her tax return, has filed her first return including income and expenses for po‐ tions and spells.

Cassandra Latham‐Jones was given what is believed to be unique approval to register as a self‐employed ‘village witch’. That registration al‐ lows her as a self‐employed ‘witch’ to write off certain tax‐ deductible expenses including ingredients for potions.

Latham‐Jones has been a witch and official wise‐wom‐ an for the village of St Buryan in Cornwall for more than 30 years. The trained nurse and

qualified counsellor offers ser‐ vices including tarot card reading, rituals, sea magic, dark arts, spells and wart charming. In addition, she car‐ ries out other duties such as counselling and community services.

She says she became a witch after meeting fellow witches and maintains she is “no different from anyone else in the service industry” but with “slightly unusual ex‐ penses.”

“They told me I needed to register with the Inland Rev‐ enue, so that’s what I did. It turns out I was a bit of a pio‐ neer because no one has done it before,” she said on Sunday March 20.

Lego Zelensky AN American company, Citizen Brick, has pro‐ duced a Volodymyr Ze‐ lensky Lego figurine that has so far raised more than €130,000 for vic‐ tims of the war in Ukraine.

The company, which overprints Lego and oth‐ er figurines, sold the miniature Zelenskys for €90 each along with Molotov cocktails in the Ukrainian colours for €9.

Funds raised were do‐ nated to Direct Relief and other charities and the toys are now sold out.

Lego, whose figurines were used and who wishes to remain apoliti‐ cal, said on Thursday March 17: “This initiative has absolutely nothing to do with the Lego Group.

It’s the work of an inde‐ pendent retailer which has no connection to the company.”

Madeleine investigation

THE 11‐year investigation by Scotland Yard into the disap‐ pearance of Madeleine Mc‐ Cann may come to an end this year.

In May 2011, four years af‐ ter she vanished, the Opera‐ tion Grange inquiry was launched. Its funding is set to run out on March 31 but the file could be re‐opened if sig‐ nificant new evidence comes to light. A request has been submitted to the Home Office by the Metropolitan Police asking for a final grant. If ap‐ proved, that would carry the

inquiry on to the end of September and bring the total expenditure on the investiga‐ tion to approximately £13 mil‐ lion. May 3 will be the 15th

anniversary of Madeleine van‐ ishing in 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve. She was just three years old at the time.

and finally...

WHEN most of us are getting shorter, one old lady has bucked the trend as the Eiffel Tower grows by six metres. On Tuesday March 15 a new digital radio antenna was attached to the top of the Paris monument, raising the height of the steel structure to 330 metres. The new antenna, a DAB+ (digital audio) was air‐ lifted onto its peak by helicopter, in a delicate operation.

TENNIS legend Boris Becker is on trial in London over charges relating to his bankruptcy. He is accused of conceal‐ ing his Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies, several properties and around £1.8 million.

The court case, which opened on March 21, is the latest twist in the former Wimbledon champion’s trou‐ bled post‐playing career that ended in bankruptcy in 2017. At the time his debts were estimated to be in the re‐ gion of £50 million.

The 54‐year‐old, a six‐time Grand Slam singles champion, faces a maxi‐ mum of seven years in prison if found guilty.

The court was told in preliminary hearings that Becker owned a flat in Chelsea, London, as well as two prop‐ erties in Germany, which were unde‐ clared between June and October 2017.

Becker is also accused of removing hundreds of thousands of pounds by transferring it to other accounts, in‐ cluding to former wife Barbara Beck‐ er and estranged wife Sharlely Beck‐ er.

The court also heard that he hid 75,000 shares in Breaking Data Corp, an artificial intelligence firm.

BECKER: Faces prison if found guilty.

Becker denies nine counts of failing to disclose his assets, seven charges of concealing property, two counts of removing property required by the receiver, five counts of failing to dis‐ close details of his estate and one count of concealing debt.

Resident in London and fluent in English, Becker apparently will use an interpreter when giving evidence in a trial expected to last three weeks.

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24 - 30 March 2022

NEWS

Platinum pub hours Hero dog at work

TO celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, pubs will be allowed to stay open an extra two hours.

The government has con‐ firmed that pubs in England and Wales will be given a two‐hour licensing extension

and boozers will be able to serve drinks until 1am during the Jubilee weekend.

The Platinum Jubilee cele‐ brations will mark 70 years on the throne for Queen Eliz‐ abeth. The extension will ap‐ ply on June 2, 3 and 4.

The opening hours have been extended to allow peo‐ ple to “celebrate the longest‐ reigning monarch in the Unit‐ ed Kingdom,” Home Office minister Kit Malthouse said on Monday March 21.

An impact assessment is being put together to go along with the extension or‐ der.

To mark the occasion, Lon‐ don will host a Platinum Ju‐ bilee Pageant. The event will feature acts from across the UK and the Commonwealth.

It is expected that more than 5,000 people will be involved in the pageant’s perfor‐ mances which will feature music, circus acts, theatre shows and street arts.

Pubs will serve for longer.

A JACK RUSSELL terrier has become a hero in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. His name is Patron and he is in charge of sniffing out and detecting mines and explosives laid by Rus‐ sian troops.

Dressed in a tiny mili‐ tary vest, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service (DSNS) have hailed him as a vital member of their team.

Patron has already helped deactivate more than 90 explosive de‐ vices, the DSNS said on Saturday March 19.

“By the way, he likes cheese a lot, so our boys are taking advantage of the occasion and are p a m p e r i n g h i m , t o l o‐ cate the mines and ex‐ plosives,” they added.

There are believed to be more than 750 dogs working in mine detec‐ tion programmes in some 23 countries.

PATRON: Has helped deactivate more than 90 explosives.

Hipra vaccine HIPRA laboratories are hoping to put the first Spanish Covid‐19 vaccine on the market in June.

Carles Fabrega, director of the company’s Human Health divi‐ sion said they hope to get the green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in May or early June.

Hipra would then enter the industrial manufacturing phase which, after months of preparing the antigen, would last just over two weeks.

According to Fabrega, researchers are currently evaluating the vaccine’s ‘safety and tolerability’ before presenting the final doc‐ umentation to EMA. Some 3,000 volunteers have worked in the Hipra laboratories in Girona and research carried out in different hospitals in Spain with some 2,500 people has already been completed.

Queen’s Guard faces jail Shane Warne funeral A 19-YEAR-OLD member of the Queen’s Guard faces prison after going AWOL to join Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

Military police arrested the young man after he re‐ turned to the UK. The Queen’s Guard had pro‐ tected the Queen at Wind‐ sor Castle before he went AWOL. According to one publi‐ cation, the Ministry of De‐ fence is “hugely relieved” the soldier has come to his senses and returned to the UK. A military source said that the soldier had seen “the error of his ways.”

The source added: “He

was in touch with his chain of command, who told him that he had to return.

“He knew he would be in trouble but was also told in no uncertain terms that it would be worse the longer he stayed out there.”

A British ex‐serviceman who had spent time with the teenager said he had just wanted to use his training. The ex‐service‐ man commented: “He said he had been to the Falk‐ lands for six months, but was bored in the UK and wanted to see some action and use his training.”

Guard went AWOL.

FAMILY and friends said good‐ bye to cricketing legend Shane Warne on Sunday, March 20 at the St Kilda Football Club in Melbourne, Australia.

Warne’s son Jackson kissed the coffin, which was covered with a St Kilda Saints scarf, as he said goodbye to his father.

Only around 80 people at‐ tended the private funeral. TV host Eddie McGuire was MC for the service. In a tribute to Warne, he said: “The reason why he was so loved is because he was fallible, he was Super‐ man. He did the things you

dreamt of doing as a kid.

“The magic part about Shane Warne was that he sprinkled his gold dust everywhere he went.”

McGuire reminisced and re‐ vealed: “He didn’t become a hermit, he brought his friends into everything in life. He would go to Michelin star restaurants and order pizza in.

“He could walk with kings but never forgot those who walked around the streets of Melbourne.”

Warne died following a heart attack in Thailand on March 4.

Sea quake RESIDENTS of Aberdeen in Scotland and Shetland were left in shock on Monday March 21 after a sea quake was felt 311 miles away from its epicentre in Norway.

The British Geological Survey revealed that the quake had registered in with a magnitude of 4.9 in the early morn‐ ing shortly after 5.30am.

One Aberdeen resident said that they felt “three waves of vibration in around three seconds,” according to the British Geological Survey.

The Norwegian Sea quake’s epicentre was 112 miles away from Shetland and 86 miles from Norway.

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24 - 30 March 2022

Caribbean tour ROYALS: On a tour to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Ukrainian drivers UKRAINIAN refugees’ driving licences will be valid in Spain for at least one year, the government announced on Tuesday, March 15.

The new measure was approved by the Director Gen‐ eral of Traffic, Pere Navarro, and is a “response to the ex‐ traordinary and exceptional nature of the situation cre‐ ated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the magnitude of the massive influx of displaced persons.”

Under the new rules Spain recognises the “validity of the Ukrainian driving licence to drive in Spain for a peri‐ od of one year after obtaining temporary protection, as long as the driving licence is valid and the holder is of the age required in Spain to obtain an equivalent Spanish li‐ cence.”

Ukrainian licence holders will also be able to swap their driving licences for a Spanish licence if they choose to.

R OY A L S W i l l i a m a n d Ka t e h a v e l a u n c h e d a Caribbean charm offen‐ sive on a tour to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed in Belize on Saturday, March 19, but the start of the trip was disrupt‐ ed by a small group of protesters.

Around 20 people at‐ tended a protest at a cacao farm. Prince William is the Patron of the Flora and Fauna In‐ ternational charity which owns the farm’s land. The protesters said the land is ances‐ tral so belongs to the public and is not “Crown land”.

The couple’s itinerary was changed as a result.

However, the rest of the tour proceeded as planned with a radiant Kate being dubbed “the belle of Belize.”

Leona Lewis pregnant SINGER Leona Lewis is expecting her first child with her husband Dennis Jauch and the couple is said to be “over the moon.”

Leona came to fame in 2006 when she won X Factor. Speaking before the couple wed Lewis revealed: “We’re so ready to do this. Dennis is the most kind, consider‐ ate person I’ve ever met. He’s been my rock through my crazy ups and downs and everything I’ve gone through in my life.”

She later described the pair’s Buddhist wedding ceremony as “just the most beautiful day, full of love.”

“It was so special to be able to bring to‐ gether everyone we love. There were a

THE annual World’s Happiest Countries sur‐ vey has ranked Finland as the world’s happiest country for the fifth year in a row Its neighbours Den‐ mark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland also score well on healthy life ex‐ pectancy, GDP per capita, social support in times of trouble, low corruption and high so‐

SINGER: Expecting her first child.

lot of tears. The room already had so much good energy and having all the love in there was really powerful,” she added.

Finnish bliss cial trust, generosity in a community where people look after each other and freedom to make key life deci‐ sions. Spain ranks 29th and the UK ranks 17th.

Both Ukraine and Russia are in the bot‐ tom half of the table

and Afghanistan takes bottom place.

Jan‐Emmanuel De Neve, the report’s edi‐ tor, said: “The rankings are a stark reminder of the material and imma‐ terial damage that war does to its many vic‐ tims.”

EWN

7

Arnie calls for peace F I L M s t a r a n d e x ‐ C a l i‐ fornia Governor, Arnold Schwarzeneg‐ ger, has taken to social media to make an im‐ passioned plea to Rus‐ sian troops in Ukraine warning them to not be like his father.

Schwarzenegger’s fa‐ ther fought for the Nazis in the Second World War leaving him broken physically and mentally, according to the Austrian‐born ac‐ tor.

In a video message posted on Thursday March 17, the 74‐year‐ old spoke of his “affec‐ tion and respect” for the Russian people ev‐ er since meeting his hero bodybuilder Yuri Petrovich Vlasov at the young age of 14.

Urging them to learn from the plight of his Austrian father, he said there are “moments like this that are so

Respect for the Russians.

wrong and then we have to speak up.”

In a direct message to Russian troops in Ukraine, he warned: “ Ev e r y b u l l e t y o u shoot, you shoot a brother or sister.”

Red Nose Day

DESPITE rising living costs and the after effects of the pandemic, the British have once again opened their wallets and purses as Red Nose Day raised £42 million (€51 million) for charity. By contrast £55 mil‐ lion (€65 million) was raised in 2021.

Some of the funds raised will benefit organisations providing aid to those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Broadcast from the BBC studios in Salford for the first time, the show included a star studded line‐up with comedy sketches by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

A number of stars had to pull out of the show due to Covid‐19 including host Zoe Ball, Kylie Minogue and Joel Dommett. Other famous faces joining the fundraising event included Tom Holland, Courteney Cox, Lulu, Paul Rudd, Chris Kamara, Vic Reeves, Jeff Goldblum, Clive Myrie, Jamie Dornan and Gordon Ramsay.

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Health help

The Queen is hiring

THE Queen is hiring for a Buckingham Palace makeover and for the right applicant £30,000 could be on offer.

Her Majesty is look‐ ing for a painter and

ON ARRIVAL: Refugees will undergo simple tests.

UKRAINIAN refugees en‐ tering Spain will not have to fill out the Spain Travel Health security document to prove that they have been vaccinated against Covid‐19, the Ministry of Health announced on Fri‐ day, March 18.

They will however have to undergo a symptom check on arrival by sea or air, and those not already jabbed will be adminis‐ tered the vaccine.

The measures were giv‐ en the green light by the Public Health Commission ‘given the exceptional situ‐

ation that Ukraine is expe‐ riencing’.

Each refugee “will be of‐ fered vaccines according to age and risk condition, and in the case of children and adolescents, vaccina‐ tion against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, and Haemophilus influenza B,” the Ministry added. Special attention will be paid to pregnant women, or people in a sit‐ uation of vulnerability.

Across Spain, 5,500 hospi‐ tal beds have been made available for refugees, of which 1,184 are paediatric.

NEWS

decorator to help com‐ plete a makeover at her iconic London ad‐ dress.

The Palace has more than 700 rooms and the decorator will be

Fur free Europe

AN initiative called Fur Free Europe, which is looking to ban fur pro‐ duction across the EU, is under consideration and can now begin collecting campaign signatures.

The initiative also asks for a ban on placing fur and products containing it on the EU market, ac‐ cording to a statement from the European Com‐ mission. The Commmi‐ sion said on March 16: “The European Citizens’ Initiative fulfils the for‐ mal conditions and as such considers that it is

legally admissible.”

Following registration, if a European Citizens’ Initiative, which was in‐ troduced with the Lisbon Treaty as an agenda‐set‐ ting tool in the hands of citizens, receives one million signatures of sup‐ port within one year ‐ from at least seven dif‐ ferent member states ‐ the Commission will have to react. The Com‐ mission can decide to take the request forward or not, but it will be re‐ quired to explain its rea‐ soning.

responsible for adding ‘decorative finishes’.

The deadline for the full‐time position is Saturday April 3. The Buckingham Palace renovation is expected to cost £369 million.

The makeover is con‐ troversial though as more than 100,000 people have signed a position saying that the Royal family should cough up the cash for the refurb.

The advert reads: “It’s adding the decora‐ tive finishes, for people to appreciate for years to come. Working in such uniquely historic environments means you’ll have the oppor‐ tunity to expand your existing skills.

“You’ll regularly han‐ dle specialist wall cov‐ erings, sign‐writing and use specialist paint fin‐ ishes, such as marbling and gilding,” it adds.

and finally...

DINO’S IN THE SAND is the new sand festival in Belgium’s Mid‐ delkerkse which will run from July 1 to September 11 this year.

In 2021, there were more than 100,000 visitors who turned up to the first festival of its kind in the town and organisers were staggered by the response. This year, it’s moving to a new loca‐ tion on the beach at the Arthur De Greefplein to try to ensure that residents are not inconvenienced by the number of peo‐ ple who turn up and with 6,000 tons of sculpting sand available there should be plenty of exhibits to be viewed.

GO LOCAL

THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support local businesses in the community by shopping locally in recent times. Now things are heading back to normal, we challenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde‐ pendent businesses in your area.

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

And they offer excellent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping local‐

ly means that independent businesses can support the local community. You may find something a euro or two cheaper on‐ line but have you considered where your money is actually going?By shopping local‐ ly you’re putting food on a local family’s table and there is nothing better than giv‐ ing back to the communities that have giv‐ en us so much. Local stores support chari‐ ties and they sponsor local sports teams. In many cases, they are much more than just a business, they’re a legacy. They may have supported generations of the same family. Likewise, brand new local stores

and bars may help the generations of the future fulfil their dreams and ambitions.

Remember, your local store is going up against multinationals and chains. They can’t win that battle on their own. So give them your support. Spending your money locally will make a real difference to the lo‐ cal economy. Local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro they receive at local level. They create locally owned sup‐ ply chains and they invest in their employ‐ ees.

So remember, buy local.

When you go shopping ‐ go local!

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NEWS

Sharon Osbourne show Historic aid allocation Teaming up with Piers.

SHARON O S B O U R N E will front her own prime time current affairs pan‐ el show, The Talk, on TalkTV. The new show will see Sharon team up with her good friend, Piers Mor‐ gan, who has his own

Lost boys found TWO young brothers who became lost in the Amazon jungle during the rainy season have been found after nearly four weeks. The indigenous boys aged six and eight, got lost trying to catch small birds on February 18.

Glauco and Gleison Ferreira were taken to hospital with malnutrition, but it is believed that they will make a full recovery.

Hundreds of residents spent weeks looking for the two boys, who disappeared at the worst possible time of year with the rains making walking and searching difficult in the muddy and murky condi‐ tions.

The search was called off on February 24 but even‐ tually a man cutting wood found them on March 18 just six kilometres from the village of Palmeira, where the boys live in the Lago Capana protected land reserve.

show, Piers Morgan Un‐ censored, on the chan‐ nel.

Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive of News UK, the company responsible for launching TalkTV, said: “Sharon has built a unique and hugely suc‐ cessful media career, combining strong views and opinion with a lot of warmth and fun. Her un‐ bounding energy will make her show com‐ pelling viewing, and we are delighted to give her a new home at TalkTV.” Sharon will welcome five famous faces onto her show for one hour each weeknight to de‐ bate topics including crime, politics, health, and entertainment.

The show will air later this spring. “I’m excited to be working with News UK, the panel, and my good friend Piers. Watch this space for some excit‐ ing and lively debates,” Sharon said on March 17.

SPAIN will allocate a total of €31 million for humanitari‐ an aid, of which €23 million will go to Ukraine and €8 million to other countries in the region through a com‐ prehensive emergency hu‐ manitarian response pack‐ age.

The allocation, the largest in Spanish history and chan‐ nelled through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, will respond to appeals from the United Nations and other international or‐ ganisations in the shape of an extraordinary call for hu‐ manitarian action grants for NGOs, as well as the provi‐ sion of an emergency hospi‐ tal for possible deployment in border countries.

After the first shipment of more than 20 tons of medicines, equipment and medical supplies to Poland on March 2, a convoy of 30 tons of humanitarian aid was sent to Moldova and a second shipment of medicines and medical sup‐

plies to Ukraine, in coordi‐ nation with the Ministry of Health, worth almost €1 million. More direct assis‐

tance is envisaged as the needs of Ukraine and neigh‐ bouring countries become clearer.

More tourism jobs THE number of affiliated workers linked to tourism activi‐ ties increased by 305,246 workers in February, reaching a total of 2,309,687, according to figures released by Tures‐ pana.

At the end of last month, those employed in tourism ac‐ counted for 11.7 per cent of the total number of employ‐ ees in the national economy and the year‐on‐year growth trend in the number of affiliates that began in June last year continued, reaching a year‐on‐year rate of 15.2 per cent.

“The good employment figures in the tourism sector show that the protection plan rolled out by the govern‐ ment to protect businesses and workers, as well as the health management of the pandemic, have proved effec‐ tive and have allowed us to maintain and also generate new jobs in a key sector of our economy,” said the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto on Thurs‐ day March 17.

STATS

1

A human loses about 1 million skin cells per day.

NEWS

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EWN 11

Take control of your finances in an uncertain world The last few years have emphasised how uncertain life can be. Brexit and the pandemic have now been followed by the worrying and upsetting events in Ukraine.

Life feels more uncertain again.

This perhaps makes it more important for us to take control where we can, particularly when it comes to our family’s long-term future and security.

So here we take a look at the key wealth management considerations we should review from time to time.

Pension planning Our pension funds are usually key to our long-term financial security, so take care to do what is right for you. The UK pension freedoms may no longer be ‘new’, but they can still cause uncertainty when deciding what to do with yours, and each option has pros and cons. You also need to establish the local tax implications and what works best for Spain residents.

Many expatriates have chosen

By Cathal Rochford, Partner, Blevins Franks

to transfer UK pensions to Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS) for the advantages they can offer. But they do not suit everyone – you may find it more beneficial to reinvest your funds into Spain-compliant investment arrangements or leave your pension in UK. Also, the UK has recently made changes which make transferring to QROPS more difficult. Take personalised, regulated pensions advice.

Your savings and investments It is impossible to control what happens in the markets, what geopolitical events may cause volatility or prices to rise; we can’t know what interest rates will be ten or twenty years from now.

But we can take steps to build an investment portfolio that: • is based around our risk profile, circumstances, time horizon and objectives; and • includes suitable asset allocation and diversification to control risk; and • is designed to provide capital growth over the longer term to beat inflation so you can maintain your spending power through retirement.

the plan can pay off.

Geopolitical events, like those we’re currently seeing, can cause unsettling market turbulence, but it’s not time for knee-jerk reactions or shortterm changes - history has shown that ‘timing’ markets is incredibly difficult. Investing is a marathon not a sprint, so being patient and sticking with

Tax planning The way you structure your assets and wealth can make a significant difference to your tax bill. You need to make sure your arrangements are structured appropriately for your life in Spain as well as your particular aims, circumstance, goals and risk appetite.

Password sharing NETFLIX is cracking down on password sharing and users could soon be charged extra for sharing passwords outside of their household.

Netflix features include sep‐ arate profiles and multiple streams on its standard and premium platforms, but some people are sharing ac‐ counts between households, to the company’s financial detriment.

Includes separate profiles.

The streaming company said in a statement on March 16: “For the last year we’ve been working on ways to en‐ able members who share out‐

side their household to do so easily and securely, while also paying a bit more.”

According to Netflix, the first option is to add an extra member at a reduced cost.

The other is to transfer a pro‐ file to a new account.

Netflix added that they will be testing out the new fea‐ tures in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru before “making changes anywhere else in the world.”

Inclusive Britain

THE British Government has published its land‐ mark Inclusive Britain strategy to tackle racial and ethnic disparities and ensure fairness across the UK. Inclusive Britain was developed in response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Dispari‐ ties’ independent report which made 24 rec‐ ommendations to tackle ethnic disparities.

Minister of State for Equalities Kemi Bade‐ noch said: “I strongly believe that Britain is the fairest and most open‐minded country in the world, but there is more we can do to foster in‐ clusion and enable everyone to reach their full potential.

“We are building trust through improving po‐ lice scrutiny, promoting fairness in the work‐ place with new evidence‐based resources that work, tackling serious youth violence which dis‐ proportionately affects certain communities, and fostering inclusion by designing a new Model History Curriculum telling the story of the making of modern Britain.

“The causes behind racial disparities are com‐ plex and often misunderstood. Our new strate‐ gy is about action, not rhetoric and will help cre‐ ate a country where a person’s race, social or ethnic background is no barrier to achieving their ambitions,” he added on March 17.

Estate planning While we cannot avoid death, with good estate planning we can control who receives our assets and when. Is your legacy on track to go to your chosen heirs according to your wishes and with minimal taxation?

Take care to understand the succession laws and inheritance tax in Spain, as well as the pros and cons of using the EU succession regulation ‘Brussels IV’ to override ‘forced heirship’ rules.

You need a strategy that achieves your wishes while making the process straightforward and tax-efficient for your heirs.

Are you taking advantage of tax-efficient structures available in Spain? Besides tax savings, these may offer additional benefits such as currency and income flexibility and estate planning advantages.

Ultimately, cross-border tax and financial planning is complex. While you can do some groundwork yourself, you will benefit from talking to a specialist adviser with in-depth knowledge of the Spanish tax regime and its interaction with UK rules. They can help you take advantage of available tax, investment, pensions, and estate planning opportunities to ensure you do what works best for you and your family, today, tomorrow and the future.

Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should seek personalised advice.

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

Increased interest rates THE Bank of England’s Mone‐ tary Policy Committee has voted in favour of increasing the interest rate from 0.5 per cent 0.75 per cent. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, fur‐ ther increases could be seen this year.

Eight members of the com‐ mittee voted in favour of the move on Thursday March 17.

Minutes from the Monetary Policy Committee meeting said: “Given the current tight‐ ness of the labour market, continuing signs of robust do‐

Bank of England decision.

mestic cost and price pres‐ sures, and the risk that those pressures would persist, most members of the Committee judged that a 0.25 percentage point increase in Bank Rate was warranted at this meet‐ ing.

“UK activity had been some‐ what stronger than had been expected at the time of the February Report and there had been indications that the cur‐ rent tightening in the labour market might not reverse di‐ rection as quickly as had been expected.

“The effects of Russia’s inva‐ sion of Ukraine would likely ac‐ centuate both the peak in in‐ flation and the adverse impact on activity by intensifying the squeeze on household in‐ comes,” the minutes added.

Improving energy efficiency THE government in Madrid has agreed to distribute €170 million to Spain’s au‐ tonomous regions to improve energy effi‐ ciency and the circular economy in compa‐ nies in the tourism sector.

The Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said on March 16 that the funds come from the Next Genera‐ tion EU programme and will contribute to reducing energy costs and the carbon foot‐ print. The government expects that this

€170 million will be able to finance more than 2,600 actions in the accommodation sector, helping to improve efficiency and re‐ duce consumption in the face of soaring electricity prices.

Minister Maroto said that the investment is in addition to the €570 million fund for im‐ proving tourism competitiveness, which will finance actions to improve energy and light‐ ing in tourist establishments, and to develop the circular economy.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS Portable battery DENMARK

Little Mermaid

No smoking

COPENHAGEN’S iconic statue of The Little Mermaid became an unexpected casualty of the Russian invasion of Ukraine when on Sunday, March 13, it was sprayed with the letter Z (currently recognised as support for Russia) followed by an equal sign and a swastika.

INTENT on eliminating the culture of smoking from Denmark, the government intends to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2010 and after, so that eventually it will become a smoke free country, although recreational cannabis smoking is illegal there but still takes place.

THE NETHERLANDS New epidemic

Blaming Russia

NOW that the country seems to have learnt how to keep Covid-19 more or less under control, Holland is now officially in the grip of a flu epidemic, with the number of people diagnosed with the disease ‘rapidly increasing’, according to national health institute RIVM.

BOTH The Netherlands and Australian governments have announced that they are taking legal action against the Russian government as they present arguments to the International Civil Aviation Organisation blaming Russia for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 caused by rebels firing a Russian supplied missile.

BELGIUM In tune

Shrimp champion

ABOUT 100 violinists, mainly children, with the youngest being four years of age, took part in a mobile concert in the streets of Antwerp to support Ukraine and to raise money for the victims of the Russian invasion on Saturday March 12.

THE Royal Order of Horse Shrimp Fishers has chosen self-styled ‘shrimp town’ Oostduinkerke as the site for the first Belgian shrimp peeling championship which is due to be held on June 26, with participants expected from across Belgium and even France where the world championship is held.

GERMANY Inaugural flight

Chip boom

FOR historical reasons, there were never many flights between Berlin and the USA due to the problems with East Germany and all flights stopped in March 2020, but on March 28 2022, United Airlines will start its first flight from Berlin BER Airport to Newark in New Jersey.

ALTHOUGH it’s not a short-term solution, US micro chip manufacturer Intel said that it is to invest €17 billion in building a new site in Magdeburg by 2027, possibly influenced by financial support as well as a huge requirement from German automobile manufacturers.

FRANCE Secrets revealed

Corsican autonomy

AS workers prepare to rebuild the spire of Notre Dame damaged in the 2019 fire, the cathedral is revealing new secrets, including several previously unknown tombs and a human shaped sarcophagus made of lead, which archaeologists believe dates back to the 14th century.

WORRIED by an insurgence of violent nationalism on the island of Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon, the French government has finally announced that it may be prepared to discuss some form of autonomy for the island in the event that it is returned to power following the upcoming elections.

NORWAY NATO chief

Bomb shelters

NATO’s popular Norwegian secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg has been the subject of some controversy as he was recruited to become Governor of the Bank of Norway, but now he is reportedly being urged to extend his stay at NATO after October 1.

A LAW requires that all Norwegian bomb shelters should be ready for use within 72 hours of an alert, but due to the end of the Cold War the majority have been used as storage and there is only space for half of the population.

A BRITISH company has launched what it believes is a world first, a portable electric vehicle battery pack that will allow drivers to recharge their car wherever they are.

Essentially a spare battery in a suitcase, the battery pack will fit in the average car’s boot for use when needed. The ZipCharge Go, which will be available for delivery early 2023, was designed like a rolling suit‐ case and is intended to provide a backup when a charging point is not available.

SPAIN has opened four re‐ ception centres for Ukraini‐ an refugees, including a centre in Alicante.

The Minister for Inclu‐ sion, Jose Luis Escriva, said the government is commit‐ ted to a “rapid deployment of Reception and Referral Centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante and Malaga to facilitate the care of displaced persons and of‐ fer emergency shelter to those who need it.

“We have strengthened our reception network, in coordination with other public administrations and third sector entities, and

SUITCASE SIZED: Will fit in the average car boot.

According to research con‐ ducted in the UK more than a third of the population would not consider an electric vehicle because of concerns about keeping it charged. The unit us‐

es state of the art bi‐directional charging that allows the battery to be fully charged within one hour providing extra mileage of roughly 32 to 65 kilometres de‐ pending on the car.

Reception centres open with a new family reception programme. Spain has been one of the fastest Eu‐ ropean countries to trans‐ pose this directive and also one of those that has adopted it most extensive‐ ly, as we have extended the subjective scope of applica‐ tion to groups that we con‐ sider should also be pro‐ tected,” he said.

The reception centres are multifunctional. “Firstly, they receive displaced per‐ sons from Ukraine and give them an initial orientation.

Secondly, they enable the

completion of work and residence permit proce‐ dures within 24 hours and finally, they decide on the referral of those in need to the most suitable places available, following in‐ depth interviews,” Escriva said.

“For this reason, the cre‐ ation of these Reception, Care and Referral Centres makes it possible to cen‐ tralise all these functions in a single place, facilitating the care of displaced per‐ sons,” he added on March 15.

Major supply crunch IN the face of the emerging global energy crisis triggered

by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, practical actions by governments and citizens could achieve significant re‐ ductions in oil demand in a matter of months, reducing the risk of a major supply crunch, according to the In‐ ternational Energy Agency (IEA).

The IEA’s 10‐point plan for achieving this includes reduc‐ ing speed limits on highways by at least 10kph, as well as introducing ‘car‐free Sundays’ in cities. They also want to promote car sharing and re‐ strict access by car to large cities based on licence plate numbers. Teleworking at least three days a week would save some 400,000 barrels, includ‐ ing the effect of reducing the impact of using car air condi‐

tioners in summer.

If all 10 measures were adopted, it would lower oil

demand by 2.7 million barrels a day within four months, the IEA said on Friday, March 18.

Green drones

THE Royal Air Force (RAF) has launched its first successful drone using an alternative to fossil fuel. Under Project Vermeer, the RAF flew a four‐metre drone with synthetic fuel. Synthetic kerosene is entirely fossil fuel‐free, made by mixing raw materi‐ als with high sugar levels, such as food waste, with bacteria to create an oil substance that is then converted into aviation fuel using chemicals and heat. Air Vice Marshal Lincoln Taylor said: “The RAF needs to ensure that we are at the forefront of tech‐ nology to safeguard our own resilience and operational capa‐ bility, whilst minimising our damage to the environment.

“Fuel scarcity and cost will only ever increase in its impact on our operations and synthetic fuels for our aircraft are one po‐ tential solution to this situation as we look to secure the objec‐ tives of the next generation RAF of tomorrow,” he added on Wednesday March 16. As the process does not require large‐ scale infrastructure, synthetic kerosene can be made any‐ where, making it an attractive option for military deployments around the world.

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Madrid investment ALLIANZ Real Estate has made its second PRS (private rental sector) investment in Spain with the ac‐ quisition of nine prime residential buildings in the Chamartín district of Madrid for €185 million, follow‐ ing its first investment in Barcelona and Madrid last year.

In administration SHIRTMAKER TM Lewin has been forced to call in UK administrators for the second time in less than two years, as more people work from home and therefore don’t need so much formal wear. Hav‐ ing closed its 150 shops, it em‐ ployed 50 staff for its online only business.

New name IN order to promote its commit‐ ment to renewable energy, Ence Energia a subsidiary of Spanish pulp producer and energy group Ence has changed its name to Magnon Green Energy, the group announced on Wednesday March 16 and will introduce a new, self‐ explanatory logo.

Chef wars TV celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo will be the avatar face of a new cooking‐themed play‐to‐earn game Big Town Chef and he is looking for investors in the game which will allow players to pro‐ duce their own fresh vegetables, trade virtual ingredients and com‐ pete in cook‐off battles.

Air Europa THE on/off sale of Air Europa to IAG is back on again as a new agree‐ ment is in place between IAG sub‐ sidiary Iberia and the airline owned

by Globalia. In return for a seven‐ year unsecured loan of €100 million to Globalia (subject to approval from its current lenders), Iberia will have the exclusive rights to negoti‐ ate an agreement to purchase dur‐ ing the coming 12 months. If at the end of the loan period, it is not re‐ paid in full then IAG will be entitled to take a 20 per cent share of Air Europa. In addition, in the event that a bid comes in from any other airline, IAG will have preference if it matches the offer.

www.euroweeklynews.com • 24 - 30 March 2022

14

STAT OF WEEK

£807 million

was the reported turnover made by UK pub chain Wetherspoons for the last six months of trading to January 31 which resulted in a £13 million loss.

P&O Ferries sack 800 staff THURSDAY March 17 was a day of turmoil at P&O Ferries after it was revealed that the company would be making major redundancies fol‐ lowed by an announcement that its 800 sailing staff would be losing their jobs with immediate effect.

Early on that day, all sailings were suspended ahead of a major an‐ nouncement from the company as rumours circulated that the compa‐ ny, which has 20 ships, would be go‐ ing into liquidation, although this was denied by the company.

According to the British press, a P&O Ferries spokesperson said: “We have made a £100 million (€119 mil‐ lion) loss year on year, which has been covered by our parent DP World. This is not sustainable. Our survival is dependent on making swift and significant changes now.

Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries.

“These circumstances have result‐ ed in a very difficult but necessary decision, which was only taken after seriously considering all the avail‐ able options.

“As part of the process we are starting today, we are providing 800 seafarers with immediate severance notices and will be compensating them for this lack of advance notice with enhanced compensation pack‐ ages.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I am very concerned about the news from P&O Ferries this morning and we will be speaking to the company today to understand the impact on workers and passen‐ gers.

“Important to note other opera‐ tors continue to run cross Channel routes, so passengers and goods can flow, but I am working with the Kent Resilience Forum to min‐

imise disruption.”

It is understood that the company will initially be using agency staff to reinstate its services within the next week or so and will be recruiting for‐ eign sailors to secure its long‐term future.

After the announcement of the redundancies, the Nautilus union chief said: “The news that P&O Fer‐ ries is sacking the crew across its en‐ tire UK fleet is a betrayal of British workers. It is nothing short of scan‐ dalous given that this Dubai owned company received millions of pounds of British taxpayer’s money during the pandemic.

“There was no consultation and no notice given by P&O. Be assured the full resources of Nautilus Inter‐ national stand ready to act in de‐ fence of our members. We believe it is in our members’ best interests to stay onboard until further notice.”

What is a Green Funeral Plan?

IF you are a lover of nature and conscious of the environ‐ ment, consider a Green Funeral Plan with Golden Leaves.

A Golden Leaves Green Funeral Plan can be paid for with a one‐off sum or in monthly instalments for a fixed term period of up to five years, making it an environmen‐ tally friendly, as well and financially friendly, option.

A Green Funeral Plan with Golden Leaves can include options for natural and biodegradable coffins made of sustainable materials including wood, willow and wool.

There is also an option for a Reflections coffin, which can be personalised with a design or image of your choosing.

There are three categories that you can choose from: the Glade, Meadow or Woodland. Each of these Green Funeral Plans differs in the level of services provided by the funeral director, the number of vehicles required and the style of coffin selected.

GREEN: Options for natural or biodegradable coffins.

To speak to the friendly team at Golden Leaves or to find out more, email enquiries@goldenleaves.com today.

A SERIES of new laws concerning road transport of goods went through the Spanish Parliament without any votes against on Thursday March 17.

This decree was first debated last year but clearly came to prominence due to the road haulier’s strike which is beginning to have some ef‐ fect and was championed by Minis‐ ter of Transport Raquel Sánchez.

Although the strike is not support‐ ed by the main driver’s unions, there are still a significant number of inde‐

Hauliers strike pendent drivers who are deter‐ mined to cause disruption so that their demand for a reduction in fuel costs is acted on.

The new laws will make it easier for lorry drivers to work in as much as they will not be required to load and unload lorries, nor will they

have to stick to agreed prices if fuel costs increase prior to the work be‐ ing undertaken.

Until such time as there is a posi‐ tive reduction in fuel prices howev‐ er it seems unlikely that the hauliers will be placated and will continue to travel in convoy to

Finnish cooperation THE Finnish Government is keep‐ ing a close watch on the Spanish recovery plan which focuses on green and digital transitions and has made it one of the biggest re‐ cipients of the EU recovery pack‐ age.

Thanks to this and the fact that Finland is heading on a similar path, the Minister for Develop‐ ment Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, accompanied by a business delegation, visited Madrid from March 20 to 23 to promote cooperation between Spain and Finland.

During the four‐day visit, he met with a number of different Spanish ministers and introduced them to the 14 Finnish companies travel‐ ling with him which have expertise in different kinds of digital solu‐ tions.

Another food concept THE successful UK arm of Dallas based Wingstop which has more than 1,700 locations worldwide, announced on Thursday March 17 that it now has its eyes set on the Spanish market.

It plans to open four ‘ghost kitchens’ in Madrid, the first two as early as March 31 to offer a de‐ livery only service in Spain’s capital city before intending to expand across the country opening restau‐ rants through a franchise model.

“We are excited to bring the flavour of Wingstop to Spain ini‐ tially, leveraging a delivery‐only method. By embracing our en‐ trepreneurial spirit, in just 12 weeks from planning to execu‐ tion, we’re getting Wingstop in front of consumers in Madrid,” said Wingstop Vice President EMEA, Lisa Paton. slow traffic generally.

After reports of intimidation of drivers who are continuing to work, the government has announced that it plans to mobilise 23,000 police offi‐ cers in order to ensure driver’s safety and to break up jams.

The matter of reviewing fuel prices for hauliers which is apparent‐ ly being considered by the govern‐ ment will be the deciding factor as to whether the strike continues for any length of time.

16 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 - 30 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 M ARCH 21

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.359,00 1.366,00 Abrdn 206,70 209,40 Admiral Group 2.594,5 2.614,0 Anglo American 3.790,5 3.804,5 Antofagasta 1.689,00 1.693,50 Ashtead Group 5.482,0 5.520,0 Associated British Foods 1.751,5 1.755,5 AstraZeneca 9.560,0 9.569,3 Auto Trader Group Plc 680,60 682,00 Avast 571,00 572,20 Aveva 2.549,0 2.611,0 Aviva 427,40 428,20 B&M European Value Retail SA582,20 583,20 BAE Systems 722,04 733,60 Bank VTB DRC 0,010 0,010 Barclays 171,10 172,18 Barratt Developments 570,00 570,20 Berkeley 4.128,0 4.145,0 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.645,67 2.651,50 BP 371,40 371,60 British American Tobacco 3.173,5 3.197,0 British Land Company 518,00 520,80 BT Group 180,05 180,20 Bunzl 2.880,0 2.885,0 Burberry Group 1.737,0 1.740,5 Carnival 1.337,8 1.347,0 Centrica 79,85 79,90 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.708,0 1.737,5 Compass 1.703,50 1.709,50 CRH 3.441,0 3.470,0 Croda Intl 7.558,0 7.594,0 DCC 5.884,0 5.892,0 Diageo 3.735,0 3.744,5 DS Smith 335,60 340,40 EasyJet 525,60 542,00 Experian 3.050,0 3.063,0 Ferguson 11.075,0 11.075,0 Flutter Entertainment 9.354,0 9.570,0 Fresnillo 732,20 745,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.609,00 1.610,91 Glencore 489,80 492,55 Halma 2.521,4 2.543,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.043,00 1.051,00 Hikma Pharma 2.066,00 2.082,00 HSBC 501,00 503,50 IAG 140,94 142,44 Imperial Brands 1.604,50 1.617,00 Informa 591,80 597,00 InterContinental 5.260,0 5.278,0

% CHG. 1.350,50 206,50 2.570,0 3.666,5 1.636,50 5.462,0 1.740,0 9.506,7 674,40 569,00 2.521,0 422,40 578,20 720,00 0,010 170,56 560,60 4.096,0 2.599,50 363,50 3.166,5 516,60 178,35 2.868,0 1.700,0 1.328,4 78,62 1.693,5 1.693,00 3.428,0 7.496,0 5.862,0 3.726,0 334,10 522,20 3.038,0 11.000,0 9.328,0 730,00 1.602,80 480,55 2.510,0 1.028,00 2.053,00 498,50 139,70 1.601,50 589,40 5.214,0

NET VOL 90,89K 394,34K 44,86K 391,74K 183,96K 50,59K 52,12K 11,52K 269,36K 101,04K 48,45K 577,18K 84,62K 1,60M 0 4,60M 502,14K 35,95K 374,85K 7,03M 352,95K 158,73K 1,35M 21,56K 116,63K 61,65K 1,74M 104,42K 229,35K 264,50K 23,24K 10,69K 263,51K 289,47K 721,37K 111,32K 20,12K 30,44K 101,39K 95,85K 4,24M 37,52K 118,95K 61,88K 3,27M 3,63M 206,73K 558,31K 30,21K

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

1.739,50 5.148,0 84,00 264,40 1.921,5 767,40 274,81 49,05 7.940,0 761,60 131,60 1.540,50 1.136,11 216,80 6.478,0 1,89 1.142,00 2.270,0 638,30 1.087,50 5.833,0 2.308,00 511,00 676,20 5.721,0 93,47 0,60 698,80 1.436,50 0,0453 3.262,0 1.013,00 1.325,50 2.961,0 1.992,8 1.257,36 1.508,50 12.815,6 1.684,50 1.474,00 508,00 145,18 278,74 236,40 3.447,9 1.088,70 128,18 2.786,0 1.079,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

1.763,00 5.168,0 85,00 265,40 1.927,0 770,60 277,60 49,53 8.100,0 765,00 133,15 1.565,00 1.138,80 218,60 6.504,0 1,89 1.198,50 2.302,0 642,00 1.107,00 5.892,0 2.314,00 512,60 679,60 5.731,0 93,95 0,60 708,00 1.440,00 0,0453 3.279,0 1.014,50 1.331,50 2.969,0 1.998,0 1.267,00 1.510,50 13.025,0 1.694,50 1.484,50 510,40 145,95 279,55 238,10 3.451,0 1.093,00 128,22 2.809,0 1.087,00

1.735,50 5.122,0 83,74 262,60 1.904,5 764,40 274,50 48,91 7.896,0 761,00 130,75 1.538,00 1.129,00 214,40 6.446,0 1,89 1.142,00 2.259,0 636,80 1.067,50 5.832,0 2.295,00 507,80 672,79 5.572,0 92,76 0,60 697,40 1.425,50 0,0453 3.245,0 1.000,00 1.321,00 2.933,0 1.954,2 1.251,50 1.494,50 12.810,0 1.678,50 1.466,00 503,60 144,30 277,60 229,80 3.404,0 1.083,00 127,10 2.779,0 1.067,00

31,47K 19,93K 1,44M 258,30K 55,88K 125,87K 1,27M 30,41M 66,66K 74,86K 907,64K 69,14K 352,12K 3,81M 19,92K 0 230,83K 123,55K 234,38K 523,35K 67,82K 420,18K 384,50K 19,98K 339,33K 7,37M 0 101,33K 3,06K 0 54,40K 905,99K 239,31K 36,78K 1,75M 200,98K 97,83K 6,11K 217,06K 108,99K 179,25K 1,23M 1,24M 1,26M 482,11K 120,95K 6,87M 31,80K 655,15K

1.18982

0.84105

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0960 Japan yen (JPY)........................................131.89 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0302 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4415 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................9.6671

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 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 148,32 190,72 236,25 163,98 192,83 220,91 161,73 55,97 60,10 62,39 345,38 340,74 194,72 128,76 47,45 174,84 140,10 238,92 79,11 300,43 131,24 150,15 218,80 180,31 506,12 50,80 219,11 47,36 145,44 140,30

CHANGE 148,45 191,00 236,40 164,48 193,38 221,70 161,73 56,42 60,30 63,43 346,77 340,74 194,92 128,93 47,60 177,00 140,85 239,19 79,74 301,00 131,46 150,87 219,58 180,48 510,68 52,29 219,26 47,45 145,57 140,73

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 145,22 7,88M 184,84 8,71M 232,75 7,62M 159,76 123,96M 190,10 12,81M 218,00 4,10M 158,78 23,18M 55,54 51,72M 59,71 30,08M 61,81 9,51M 337,30 5,74M 332,30 9,39M 189,80 8,73M 126,37 7,46M 46,35 46,13M 173,66 13,78M 138,46 23,06M 235,99 5,31M 78,63 21,04M 292,73 43,07M 126,70 10,27M 148,24 15,54M 208,30 12,17M 177,27 3,94M 501,56 5,04M 50,80 70,17M 210,29 14,57M 46,47 11,36M 144,11 10,39M 138,30 11,20M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 21

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+73.55% +59.77% +54.90% +54.21% +52.42% +50.28% +42.04% +41.40% +39.86% +38.05% +36.29%

11.09M 412.01M 34.97M 301.72K 134.69K 23.00M 70.00M 1.30M 4.80M 2.10M 2.60M

-37.75% -31.63% -28.95% -26.94% +-25.00% -22.78% -22.50% -22.32% -20.75% -20.69% -18.13%

87.80K 2.77M 4.02M 2.63M 23.37K 1.81M 5.74M 973.09K 964.77K 286.04K 656.35K

Most Advanced BEST Didi Global Zhihu Connect Biopharma Holdings Rezolute Redbox Entertainment StoneCo 36Kr Holdings Lizhi Redbox Entertainment 111 Inc

Most Declined Bt Brands Neptune Wellness Solutions Nymox Pharmaceutical Bright Scholar A Immuron Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holding Ambac BigBearai Holdings HTG Molecular Diagnostics Surrozen OpGen

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Inditex profits up again

Credit: Inditex

PROFITS INCREASE: Óscar García Maceiras and Pablo Isla revealed the figures.

THE Inditex bandwagon just keeps rolling on and 2021 final figures have re‐ turned to pre‐pandemic levels with turnover of €27.72 billion, up 35.8 per cent on the previous year.

As net profit increased by 193 per cent to €3.24 bil‐ lion, executive chairman, Pablo Isla, said on Wednes‐ day March 16 that, “after two years of pandemic, this set of results demonstrates the incredible ability to adapt to any circumstances that characterises all the people who work here, borne from their commit‐ ment and talent.”

The group’s CEO, Óscar García Maceiras, singled out “the leadership demon‐ strated by the company on the digital transformation front in recent years, this places us in an unrivalled position to offer an excep‐ tional level of engagement with our quality and sus‐ tainable fashion.”

Although the bulk of rev‐ enue is still generated in‐ store, online sales reached €7.5 billion, accounting for 25.5 per cent of total sales, reinforcing the company as a global leader in ecom‐ merce.

Despite all of its invest‐ ments in stock, stores, staff, distribution centres and on‐ line development, the group’s net cash stood at a record €9.3 billion at year‐ end, having increased by 24 per cent during the year.

The company outper‐ formed its sustainability targets for 2021, specifically for the use of renewable energy ‐ accounting for 91 per cent of total consump‐ tion.

It opened 226 stores in 40 markets during the year and on January 31, 2022, employed 165,042, up from 144,116 the previous year, with more than 80 per cent of the contracts being per‐ manent and there is no

Sales down UK grocery supplier Ocado has reported a slump in sales in the three months to the end of February 2022.

It believes that there are three main reasons, first‐ ly more people were returning to work and there‐ fore were not ordering so much for home delivery.

Secondly, ever‐increasing prices have made them consider their spend and thirdly because they were able to return to bars and restaurants as restrictions were eased, they were spending more outside of the house.

Although not dramatic, sales dropped 5.7 per cent to £574.7 million and the company is now reducing its annual growth sales forecast to around 10 per cent.

gender pay gap with three times more women than men employed.

BUSINESS EXTRA Sanctions ON March 14, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on the phone to his Spanish counter‐ part José Manuel Al‐ bares Bueno about the situation in Ukraine and made it clear that China does not support the in‐ vasion, nor should it be affected in any way by sanctions brought against Russia.

Inflation continues AT the same time as raising the base interest rate to 0.75 per cent on Thursday March 17, the Bank of England warned that due to the ongoing situation in the Ukraine and the rise in energy costs it expects inflation to jump to 8 per cent or more.

Primark online ALTHOUGH it has held out for years, the hugely popular low priced Pri‐ mark clothing store is to ‘bite the bullet’ and of‐ fer an online service due reportedly to a drop in sales during the pan‐ demic and aggressive marketing from Chinese competitor Shein.

24 - 30 March 2022

EWN 17

18 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 - 30 March 2022

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT “WHOEVER controls the media controls the mind,” observed 60s’ icon and The Doors’ front man Jim Morrison. He wasn’t alone in this observation of course.

Many, even William Shakespeare, have voiced similar sentiments. Malcom X once reflected: “The Media is the most powerful entity on earth; they can make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent ‐ that’s power.”

These realities naturally haven’t escaped the leaders of both sides of this horrendous conflict in the Ukraine. Putin’s methods are painfully obvious; shut down all the media sources that disagree with the government ‐ job done. Ukraine’s approach has been a touch more subtle.

Of course, when your country is being destroyed by a monstrous regime and the bodies of innocent civilians litter the streets, the truth is there for all to witness.

That said, President Zelensky’s showbiz acumen is standing him in good stead. His simple green t‐shirt, which he wears for all his interviews and TV appearances, is no accident and has subsequently become an iconic symbol of his country’s struggle with Russian oppression. The picture of a citizen

Media

punching the front of a tank convoy has been widely distributed around the world.

What I am not trying to do here is undermine the pure horror and horrendous criminal actions of the monster that is Putin or the tragic suffering of the Ukrainian people. What I am endeavouring to do is show how very important it is for the media to report all events in an unbiased and truthful way.

This is actually why the press hated Donald Trump. By his use of direct social media, he cut out these middle men and, to their absolute chagrin, virtually castrated their power of public manipulation in one fell swoop.

What is glaringly omitted from the reports of the West’s media are the true reasons Putin felt threatened by the Ukraine. There are in fact quite a number.

The country is highly disposed to far right extremism. Its neo‐Nazi leanings have been well chronicled and if you looked closely at a recently released picture of a female Ukrainian soldier, which was quickly taken down, you would have

clearly seen the Nazi Black Sun symbol on the front of her uniform.

Large numbers of their citizens belong to these fascist groups and they are highly trained, which is why they are doing such a remarkable job holding off the might of the Russian army. These groups pose a very real threat to all defenders of human rights, LGBT activists and left‐wing feminists. They are also anti‐sematic white supremacists. Putin is indisputably correct.

Living next door to one of Europe’s largest armies, with all its Nazi ideology, should indeed give him cause for concern, particularly if they are allowed to join NATO. His method of dealing with it is of course unacceptable.

Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com.

Expatradioscotland.com Monday‐Friday, 1pm to 4pm.

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

Bad Vegan documentary

THE four‐part documen‐ tary series Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives on Netflix follows the criminal case of Sarma Melngailis, co‐founder of celebrity‐ favourite restaurant Pure Food and Wine and the ‘it’ girl of New York’s early 2000s vegan food scene.

This series has a minus‐ cule 28 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, however, I think it deserves much higher than this.

Vegan superchef Sarma Melngailis opened her pop‐ ular NY restaurant Pure Food and Wine before meeting a man online who promised, through a bizarre sequence of gaslighting and brainwashing, to make her beloved dog Leon immor‐ tal. Very similar to Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler, Sarma and her mother end up handing over millions of dollars to Anthony Strangis, aka Shane Fox, who called himself a black ops special‐ ist.

The story is told by Sarma herself and her former

members of staff, and we hear first‐hand how Strangis made her believe he was part of some sort of alternate spiritual world where ethereal beings are watching their every move and can somehow make Sarma’s dog immortal ‐ leading to the couple disap‐ pearing on the run for months.

We find that Sarma isn’t Strangis’ only victim and that he previously attempt‐ ed to convince his ex‐wife to poison their child with salt. Told in her own words, his ex‐wife is startling proof that Sarma hadn’t gone completely mad in believing Strangis and also highlights how it can be so easy for abusers to hide their mo‐ tives and convince others.

The story is a frightening look at manipulation, brain‐ washing and psychological abuse. Sarma is a likeable person whose staff adored her until she met Stringis and lost her sense of self and ultimately her success‐ ful business.

THURSDAY 24/03 FRIDAY 25/03 SATURDAY 26/03

4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 5:15pm 5:45pm 6:30pm 7:10pm 7:20pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:45pm 9:35pm 10:15pm

MONDAY 28/03

SUNDAY 27/03

6:20pm 6:28pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm

WEDNESDAY 30/03

TUESDAY 29/03

11:30pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:35pm 10:00pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Escape to the Country The Repair Shop Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den The Apprentice

5:15pm

Escape to the Country The Repair Shop Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport MasterChef MasterChef

6:15pm 7:00pm

Garden Rescue Bridge of Lies Superman & Lois BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Celebrity Mastermind The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty Killing Eve

11:30am

BBC London News; Weather Weather Countryfile Extraordinary Portraits Antiques Roadshow Dynasties II Peaky Blinders BBC News BBC London News; Weather

12:30pm

BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Clean It, Fix It We Are England Beyond Reasonable Doubt BBC News at Ten BBC London News; Weather Weather

3:15pm 4:00pm 4:30pm

The Repair Shop Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Holby City The Bidding Room MasterChef

4:00pm 4:30pm

Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders MasterChef Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr

4:00pm 4:30pm

6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

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1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 7:45pm 8:15pm 9:00pm

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5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

The Sweet Makers: A Georgian Treat Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Great British Menu Hospital The Apprentice: You're Hired

8:00pm

Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam Canal Boat Diaries Michael Wood's Story of England Green Book Manchester by the Sea Skint: Hannah Skint: Regeneration Canal Boat Diaries Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam

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

Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning MOTDx Inside Culture with Mary Beard Gardeners' World Earth's Great Rivers II Live at the Apollo: Access All Areas Newsnight

8:00pm 8:30pm 8:55pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:25am 1:25am 2:25am 2:55am 3:25am

Dusty Dusty Pop Go the Sixties TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992 Elton John: Uncensored Amazing Grace Elton John: Electric Prom Classic Soul at the BBC TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992 Dusty

3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr Live Women's Six Nations Great British Menu Great British Menu Live Challenge Cup Rugby League Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney Dad's Army Aretha Franklin: Respect Elton John at the BBC

8:00pm 9:00pm

The Normans Arctic with Bruce Parry Hidden Photograph Wogan: The Best Of Yes, Prime Minister Keeping Up Appearances Arctic with Bruce Parry

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

Marcus Wareing's Tales from a Kitchen Garden Great British Menu Earth's Great Rivers II Figure Skating World Championships Live Challenge Cup Rugby League Saving Lives at Sea Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy The Speedshop

8:55pm

Secret Knowledge: Stradivarius and Me Max Richter's Sleep Skint: Heart of Glass Skint: The Taking of Balgrayhill Street Skint: Unicorn What Do Artists Do All Day? The Sound of TV with Neil Brand The Wonder of Animals

3:00pm 3:04pm 3:05pm 4:05pm 5:00pm 7:00pm

Street Auction The Heights The Customer is Always Right Monkey Planet Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Mastermind

8:00pm

The Heights The Customer is Always Right Monkey Planet Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Great British Menu: The Finals

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

The Heights The Customer is Always Right Monkey Planet Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Your Body Uncovered with Kate Garraway

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:00am 2:15am 2:30am 2:45am 3:15am

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:45am 1:30am 3:00am 3:30am

9:25pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:15am 1:15am

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10:00pm 11:00pm 12:15am 1:15am 1:45am

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

10:00pm 11:00pm

Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed Fame in the Family The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Perfect House, Secret Location Extraordinary Escapes First Dates

Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Grantchester ITV News at Ten and Weather

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed Fame in the Family The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Unreported World Grayson's Art Club Gogglebox The Last Leg

3:15pm

Simply Raymond Blanc ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather ITV Racing: Live from Doncaster Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals The Chase: Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather ITV News London Celebrity Catchphrase

11:25am 1:25pm

Dragonheart Couples Come Dine with Me Four in a Bed Grand Designs Location, Location, Location Matt Baker: Our Farm in the Dales Channel 4 News Chernobyl: The New Evidence

3:30pm 4:30pm

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

Channel 4 News One and Six Zeros Britain's Most Expensive Houses Edward VIII: Britain's Traitor King Falklands War: The Untold Story Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Highlights Chernobyl: The New Evidence

3:10pm 4:10pm

7:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather The Pet Show The Masked Singer US Mamma Mia! Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals ITV News and Weather ITV News London Dancing on Ice The Ipcress File ITV News and Weather

Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam Villages by the Sea Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors The Golden Age of Steam Railways Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip: An Emotional History of Britain Tails You Win: The Science of Chance

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

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FEATURE

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EWN 21

OUR PASSION FOR PETS DURING THE PANDEMIC nonverbal cues, which doesn’t indicate word recognition, let alone comprehen‐ sion. But what about guide dogs?

Guide dog assessment is first done at six or seven weeks based on character traits.

Then they go through first level training for about 15 months with a foster family before being assessed if they meet guide dog character and fitness requirements which are VERY tough. Finally, there’s a minimum of 20 standard commands they must master.

How about a dog for PM? There’s no competition from any party. They’d win best in show, paws down!

NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

AFTER another week of unremittingly grim news, here’s something a bit lighter: dogs have learnt to respond to human verbal and nonverbal cues and under‐ stand 200+ words and phrases. A fact doubtless of particular interest to all new dog owners during the pandemic.

Well, my dog has a vocabulary of 200+ words, responding to ‘walk’ ‘walk’ ‘walk’ even when said in 200 different ways each time. (There are expats who, after decades of living in their chosen country, understand fewer than 200 words of its language!). When she wouldn’t stop fol‐ lowing me around the house if she heard the word ‘walk’, I started spelling it in‐ stead. She then learnt to spell (she’s al‐ ready an expert at lip reading).

I’ve resorted to Spanish or French. But I think she cottoned on to the intonation so I now say ‘perambulation’. She hasn’t cot‐ Nora Johnson’s opinions

UNDERSTANDING: How about a dog for PM - there’s no competition from any party.

toned on to that yet...

Now, it’s all very well to talk about dogs And of course, all dogs can count. Just and intelligence, but my cat, bless him, can try taking three biscuits from the tin and understand several languages and to show only giving them two. In fact, my dog can his superiority chooses not to engage with solve quadratic equations though her any of them. But have you ever seen a cat To read more articles from our columnists spelling is admittedly poor. I blame the sniffer, cat for the blind or police cat van? and to have your say in the comments go state of our modern education system. Or Critics claim dogs are simply ‘respond‐ to www.euroweeklynews.com Brexit. ing’ to their owner’s tone of voice and are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

Travel Feature

Discover Benidorm O N C E a small fishing village, Benidorm is now one of the most popular all-year-round destinations for Spanish and foreign holidaymakers.

Benidorm has plenty of hours of daily sunshine and rainy days are few and far between, making it the perfect destination for any time of year with plenty of things to do for single people, couples, families and retirees.

Whether you are looking to get involved in the local Spanish culture, make friends with fellow expats, relax on the beautiful Mediterranean beaches or bring out your adventurous side in one of the warmest areas in Spain, there’s something for everyone!

Catch a show at Benidorm Palace, wander through the beautiful and historic E l C asco A ntiguo de Benidorm, soak up the sun on one of the stunning beaches, try the incredible variety of cuisines in Benidorm’s many restaurants or spend a hot summer’s day at Aqualandia Water Park - the list is endless.

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Be‐ trayal’, ‘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), Ap‐ ple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer chari‐ ty.

The perfect destination for any time of year.

With the huge range of accommodation and hotels in Benidorm, you are sure to find the perfect place to stay, from family orientated hotels with plenty of activities for the children, couple and adult only luxurious hotels, somewhere close to all of the local amenities and shops or an all inclusive hotel to relax by the pool with a sangria.

Benidorm is also incredibly easy to get to from the closest airport which is Alicante Airport. From there, you can catch a direct bus to the centre of Benidorm in less than an hour!

22 EWN

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NEWS

SELF-ADVANCEMENT

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD OVER the years, there have been hundreds of best‐selling publications exhorting us to discover our best po‐ tential and inner strength through self‐examination.

The influence of these classic works has resulted in an increasing recogni‐ tion of life’s opportunities and our place in the universe. Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to win Friends and influence People’ of 1936, Napoleon Hill (‘Think and Grow Rich’, 1937), Norman Vin‐ cent Peale (‘The Power of Positive Thinking’, 1952) and Eckhart Tolle (‘The Power of Now’, 1997) have all shown us the way to achieve differ‐ ent interpretations of success.

Carnegie shows us how to relate to our fellow beings for the greater good of all of us. “A stranger is a friend you have not got to know yet.” Hill focus‐ es on achieving material wealth and, along with it, a richness in character.

Whereas Peale demonstrates that the way we think and believe deter‐ mines our achievements, Tolle ex‐ plains how we miss the point of our

Have they read ‘How to win friends and influence people’?

existence (the present moment) by dwelling in excessive reflection on the past and worrying about the future.

They are all saying we can call on our minds to believe we can achieve anything. The mind controls the body and its immune system. Self‐belief enables us to overcome illnesses, set‐ backs, grief and remorse.

We are encouraged to love and believe in ourselves as we nurture our bodies, minds and spirits. But self‐

love means being grateful for who we are; it does not mean regarding ourselves as superior to other people.

We are, after all, connected to all oth‐ er beings as individual parts of the universal energy.

We are all incarnated here for a maximum of 120 years, temporary custodians of all we possess and of all our knowledge, experiences and rela‐ tionships. All this will evaporate when the Grim Reaper calls time. Eventual‐

ly, the human body (our temporary encasement), will quickly succumb to the flames or the worms and will eventually cease to exist. But energy is indestructible.

In meditation we can feel the ener‐ gy within our inner body and through it we can sense how our spirit will sur‐ vive beyond mortality. This is very comforting.

In the past I have witnessed two very odd forms of parental incentivi‐

sation. Many years ago, in a crowded shopping centre, a mother was heard screaming at her eight‐year‐old son “I told you to come here, you stupid bastard!”

What kind of a self‐image is she hoping to cultivate in this young lad?

And what does it say about her own past moral standards? More recently, I heard another woman, in a pub, conscious of her son’s need for re‐ fined table manners, advising him to “wipe your mouth, you grubby little bugger.” Hmmm!

Most of those of us who seek im‐ provement need motivation, whether through books, yoga, Tai‐ Chi, religion or role models. Children, especially, need positive guidance and encouragement to become the best they can be. The future is in their hands.

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 AS I have mentioned be‐ fore, I have a hard time understanding why a group of people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and

Change starts now push to try to make the world a better place for the people in it, are la‐ belled as overly sensi‐ tive and weak.

While I know that the

reason it is done by peo‐ ple holding the power is to keep the ones asking the questions in their place, why the ordinary person on the street parrots the same rhetoric is something I have a harder time with.

As times change and the world evolves, lots of the forward move‐ ment is for the better.

As people learn more about themselves and others, the momentum moves to create under‐ standing and empathy, but only if people let it and let down their guard.

For the large majority of our existence on this planet, ignorance of the world as a whole was in‐ evitable. There were on‐ ly so many ways that communications could

be made outside of peo‐ ple’s own small spheres, and that varied informa‐ tion could be shared be‐ tween diverse sections of humanity. As knowl‐ edge becomes more and more widely available, ignorance is increasingly a choice and it is one a lot of people make.

Instead of opening up to things that may chal‐ lenge their opinion or view of the world, peo‐ ple shy away or stay stuck repeating past mistakes. Instead of hearing out something that may make them feel uncomfortable, but that will ultimately help them grow and improve everyone’s experience, they place their heads in the sand and hide away from new things. This is cowardly snowflake be‐

haviour. Standing up, being willing to learn from others, and making your voice heard when you are fighting against a corrupt system is not.

I don’t think the new generation and the peo‐ ple who have accepted them and their causes are sensitive at all. I think they have been able to look at the infor‐ mation that is available to them, understood that this is a world and a system that is only made to benefit very few people at the cost of everyone else, and have decided that enough is enough.

A lot of what people have grown up with that has been normalised is actually toxic, trauma‐ tising, and perpetuates injustice.

The world is changing and people are pushing for a better experience.

As Wales brings in a smacking ban this week, there are already cries of “it never did me any harm” ringing through the halls. I beg to differ.

If people can in one breath condemn teach‐ ing children about their bodily autonomy and then talk about allowing people to continue physically abusing their children in the next, something has gone wrong somewhere. Just because you had to live through it doesn’t mean it should be carried on.

It should stop here be‐ cause we know better now, so we can do bet‐ ter, for all of us.

This sentiment goes for much more than just smacking.

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

Claire Gordon’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

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IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK GO TO WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM FOR THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS

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.

EVERYONE IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE WAR… Dear Editor, Readers are aware of Vladimir Putin’s satanic genocide in the Ukraine and the people there have three options: 1) Fight to the death 2) Flee if possible 3) Surrender and be carted off to death camps in Siberia Russian people watch State Television and do not know the reality of the war, plus their sons are sent to die in the Ukraine, fighting courageous men defending their own country.

We in the west are doing the best we can, but are limited due to the risk of Nuclear War! God bless the Ukraine and their families.

Yours sincerely, Brian

Such kindness This week I was introduced via a friend here in Mallorca to another aspect of this terrible war. A guy from Romania called Ovi. Ovi has a job, a home, family and is just a normal guy, like most of us, doing normal daily things, just as we do.

Ovi is proof of the flip side of this war and of the kindness of humanity at its greatest. On Saturday he borrowed a friend’s minibus at 3am and drove six hours to the Moldova/ Ukraine border to collect our family fleeing Odessa, three generations of women, children and grandparents.

Once he had the family loaded into the minibus, he drove three hours to his

THE WAR: It is not the people’s fault and they do not deserve it.

uncle’s home where he took the family in. They received food, showers and a warm, safe place to stay for two nights.

Finally Ovi drove them two hours to the nearest airport where we had arranged flights to Barcelona and onwards to Mallorca.

All he asked was money for fuel!

Ovi is a hero, he doesn’t need a gun, he helps fellow humans, neighbours, people who have lost EVERYTHING, people he doesn’t even know. A true inspiration and someone that has touched the hearts of all the refugees he is helping and all of us in Mallorca. Ovi and his family are helping lots of families every week.

Ovi is not alone of course and whilst we sit comfortably in our dwellings on our calm, safe island we should remember the world has a lot of people like Ovi and maybe, just maybe we could all strive to be more like them!

LORRY DRIVERS’ STRIKE ONE effect of any perceived crisis such as the lorry drivers’ strike is people flocking to supermarkets to stock up with what they consider to be necessities.

There have been reports in Andalucia in particular of empty shelves and a lack of some items such as fresh fruit and even toilet paper.

There seems to have been a groundswell of support on social media for those drivers who are taking action, although using your lorry to travel at slow speeds whilst using precious and expensive diesel to complain about the cost of it does seem a little counter-productive.

The Spanish government has taken note however and met with the National Committee for Road Transport (CNTC) with the intention of reaching a deal to end the strike. It appears likely that some €500 million in support by way of a

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

Can you imagine that? A world that actually cares about neighbours, friends and even strangers from another country in desperate need.

God bless our new friend Ovi and all the people caring for the refugees who don’t deserve this war.

We will take our whole family into our home now too, until a longer term solution can be found, we just need to find people like Ovi here in Mallorca willing to help resettle the refugees and make them feel safe and welcome.

This war is not their fault, they did not deserve this and neither did any of the everyday people of Europe. None of them wanted to leave their homes and lives.

I’ve never met Ovi, I hope one day I shall. But for sure, I will never forget his kindness to my family.

Sincerely, Martin

OUR VIEW

discount on diesel for ‘professional drivers’ is on the table.

The only problem is that the CNTC does not appear to have any control over the striking drivers, so a deal between a government that won’t speak to the drivers and an organisation that doesn’t represent them is somewhat suspect.

Still, we can hope that things are resolved quickly so that our friends in the hospitality industry, which is vital to the economy, don’t find themselves unable to serve hungry and thirsty customers on top of their ever-increasing costs caused by inflation.

Meanwhile, consumers continue to get the short end of the stick as diesel prices won’t be cut for them and they still have to cope with dayto-day price increases in so many areas.

REFUGEES: Should people be paid to offer them a home?

Debi Pye I do think the Ukrainians need help, it’s just terrible what is happening to them. I also think something needs to be done about the homeless in the UK. I’m currently doing 50 miles in March for Shelter. It upsets me how many people in the UK who are homeless and get no help from the government.

Thank god for homeless charities and good hearted citizens.

Lynne Hayward Unfortunately most people inc pensioners barely have enough to live on themselves.

Joanna Æ May People can’t afford to live with everything going up, of course they will need funding and £350 is not a lot really considering the amount it would cost to put them in a hotel. I do have compassion for these people as they are genuinely fleeing from war.

Beathe Olsen Wright £350/m is far more economical than scrambling to find them accommodation elsewhere. I just think that doing this should state ‘person in need’ and include any homeless/war veteran/ other refugee.

Valerie Hatcher How can you give money to them when you didn’t give it to the Veterans.

Edward Leto Is the same offered to families taking in any homeless person/ family or is the offer just for taking in Ukrainians?

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

www.euroweeklynews.com • 24 - 30 March 2022

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29

PETS

Getting out and about? Planning a trip or two?

IT’S been rather quiet for us for a year or so, but many peo‐ ple are beginning to make plans again for travel. Are you?

If you are planning a trip lat‐ er this year register now to find pet‐sitters. Even if it’s just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young and senior pets in particular benefit from staying in their own home, so they can follow their routines undis‐ turbed. Let us help.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, whether your trips are al‐ ready in the diary or a firm idea. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philoso‐ phy is that we are all in this to‐ gether. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeown‐

er 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 permitting 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 advert say‐ ing when you are going on holi‐ day. House‐sitters see your ad‐ vert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

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/ 5 Excellent rating (New 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.

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Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on sub‐ scription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa

Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 - an exclusive offer for readers.

To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com

How smart is your pet?

DOGS are much more intelligent than cats, according to a new study in the scientific journal ‘Frontiers in Neu‐ roanatomy.’

Dogs apparently have 530 million cortical neurons, the brain cells which are linked to intelligence, while cats only have 250 million.

One of the scientists who conducted the study, Dr Suzana Herculano‐Houzel, developed the method used to accurately determine the number of neurons in dif‐ ferent brains and used it to discern how smart some animals actually are.

She revealed the research suggests that dogs are able to process more complicated thought procedures and live a more varied, flexible life than cats. The study also looked at a wide range of animals such as lions, hyenas, mongooses and bears.

It was assumed that meat‐eating mammals would have more cortical neurons compared to plant‐eating mammals with the same sized brain, as hunting re‐ quires more intelligence. However, it turned out that the bigger the brain did not necessarily mean the smarter the animal as bears were revealed to have roughly the same amount of cortical neurons as cats even though they have much bigger brains.

Scientists came to the conclusion this was because brains take up a lot of energy, so brawnier animals can’t afford to expend any extra energy needed by muscles.

IF you have a cat you will know that they simply hate to be bathed. Any attempt to do so might lead to a real cat fight at home. This leads any cat owner to the ques‐ tion of how to clean your dirty muggins after a night out on the prowl.

Cats are actually very clean animals. With their rough tongue, they can

Avoiding cat fights spend up to more than four hours a day licking and preening every corner of their fur to remove dirt and entangled hair.

In addition to their person‐ al grooming, a good option is

BATH TIME: Cats are actually very clean animals.

to use dry shampoo. You simply brush the foam into the cat’s fur to give it a good clean.

Household baby wipes are another alternative. Simply rub them over your cat as

though you were stroking it.

This way, your cat can actu‐ ally come to enjoy this inter‐ action.

Don’t forget to pay atten‐ tion to your cat’s eyes, ears and mouth.

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RELAXATION

SPORT

32

24 - 30 March 2022

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

EVENTFUL F1 SEASON OPENER Footballers lose A NEW season of Formula One racing kicked off on Sun‐ day, March 20, with the Bahrain Grand Prix. Located in the heart of the Sakhir desert, the Bahrain International Cir‐ cuit certainly threw up an en‐ tertaining start to the 2022 F1 calendar.

Charles LeClerc had qualified in pole position, and after go‐ ing car‐to‐car with reigning world champion Max Verstap‐ pen’s Red Bull, the Frenchman drove his Ferrari to victory. In‐

WIN: For Charles LeClerc.

credibly, this was the Italian team’s first win since 2019.

With only three laps remain‐ ing, the Dutchman dramatical‐ ly retired from the race with a ‘reliability failure’. This allowed

the other Ferrari driver, Spain’s Carlos Sainz, to move up to second, giving the legendary Scuderia an incredible one‐two on the podium.

Drama continued into the fi‐

Spotify Camp Nou BARCELONA FC has closed a sponsorship deal with Spotify and the club’s stadium will be re‐ named Spotify Camp Nou later this year.

The four‐year deal with the music streaming service is believed to be worth €70 million annu‐ ally and was announced by the club’s president, Joan Laporta, on Tuesday March 15. It is expect‐ ed that the deal will be officially approved on April 3. Spotify succeeds Rakuten as the main sponsor of the Catalan club.

Laporta said the deal is “pioneering” and it will “allow the club to get closer to its fans and make them feel even more a part of the Barca family through unique experiences that will combine entertainment and football, making it possible for them to reach an even larger number of peo‐ ple around the world.”

As of July 1, Spotify will have its logo on the front of both the men’s and women’s first team shirts.

nal lap, as Sergio Perez spun off the circuit with Lewis Hamilton hard on his tail. This crowned an awful start for Red Bull with neither of their drivers finishing the first race of the season.

Hamilton took the third spot, but his Mercedes never looked to be in the running re‐ ally, with both cars lacking the required pace. Having said that, Mercedes’ new boy, George Russell, clinched a glo‐ rious fourth position in his de‐ but for the team.

LeClerc held his nerve to claim that elusive win for Fer‐ rari, saying after the race, “It’s incredible to be back at the top,” while his teammate Sainz added, “Ferrari is back and it’s properly back.”

There were some awesome results by various drivers and teams. Haas, last season’s slowest car, gained a fifth plac‐ ing thanks to Kevin Mag‐ nussen. Finland'’ Valtteri Bot‐ tas shone as well, bringing his Alfa Romeo home in sixth.

STARS: Invested in a firm offering luxury properties.

WAYNE ROONEY, Rio Ferdinand and other high‐profile stars have lost £25 million worth of investments after a property fraud case was dropped.

Ferdinand and Rooney had invested in the Notting‐ hamshire‐based firm Kingsbridge Asset Management. The firm ceased trading in 2010. Investments offered by the firm included luxury properties based in Marbella and Flori‐ da.

The police have now closed the case into the firm after it found insufficient evidence to prove fraud.

Gavin Tyrrell, City of London Police Director of Fraud In‐ vestigation Standards, said: “We conducted a two‐year in‐ vestigation into allegations of fraud against a number of employees of Kingsbridge Asset Management.

“There was insufficient evidence to meet the require‐ ments for a successful criminal prosecution. This view was supported by the Crown Prosecution Service,” he added on Tuesday March 15.