THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 28 - 31 Issue No. 1918
7 - 13 April 2022
Two new schools THE regional Education De‐ partment has confirmed that Torrevieja get will two new schools. Following a March 31 meeting with officials, Mayor Eduardo Dolon and Education councillor Ricardo Recuero announced that the Generalitat will foot the €17.5 million bill while invest‐ ing another €25.7 million in improving existing schools.
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HEROIC MARINE Turn to page 2 » RICHARD McENERY: Has led a party of heroic volunteers on an emotional journey.
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7 - 13 April 2022
from Front page » EXCLUSIVE
Hero expat Marine saves 21 Ukrainian refugees FORMER Royal Marine Commando, Richard McEnery, has led a party of heroic volunteers on an emotional journey to the Poland‐Ukraine border, safely bringing back 21 Ukrainian refugees for relocation in Spain. The team of volunteers from the or‐ ganisation Hope4U Ukraine, which was founded by Richard, his wife Lau‐ ren and the two directors of BayRadio Andrew Stammers and Daniel Sanders, set off to Krakow, Poland, on March 25 and arrived back in Spain on March 29. Kal Sutherland, one of the volun‐ teers, said: “We set off with a list of people we were going to collect, but we knew that list was fluid, that’s the nature of the situation. The take home is that 21 people are now safe and that is incredible.” When asked about his motivation to create the organisation, McEnery said: “I had considered fighting due to my former profession, but realised I could do more to assist by offering this kind of help. Our organisation is contacted by three to five families every day. The uniqueness of our charity is the ongo‐
ing support we provide, especially when it comes to accommodation. Key donations are accommodation, medi‐ cal supplies and financial support.” Daniel Sanders said: “This is some‐ thing happening close to home, people can see how their donations make a difference. “Five euros, driving someone to an appointment, anything you can do to help really makes a difference,” added Sutherland. Hope4U is in the process of obtain‐ ing the necessary licensing that will al‐ low them to relocate refugees from anywhere in the world. They are also setting up a clothing centre, a commu‐ nity centre and a youth centre in the Vall de Pop region. For those interested in housing refugees, Hope4U can provide the nec‐ essary legal contracts for a three‐ month period, as well as making sure the refugees are fully vetted. To find out more about donating or volunteering at Hope4U please visit the following website: www.bayradio. fm/donate.
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Ready for Easter ORIHUELA’s Street Cleaning and Rubbish Collection De‐ partment is currently clear‐ ing away Posidonia sea‐ weed from Orihuela Costa’s beaches. Cabo Roig needed partic‐ ular attention and heavy machinery as it had been most affected by the last spell of bad weather and rough seas that deposited large amounts of the sea‐ weed on the shore, Council‐ lor Damaso Aparicio ex‐ plained. His department began re‐
Photo credit: Orihuela town hall
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SEAWEED REMOVAL: Posidonia is left until spring to prevent erosion. moving the Posidonia after the storms abated, assisted by the company contracted to remove the seaweed and transport it to the drying and treatment, he said. “This coincided with the
end of the winter period when we leave it to regen‐ erate our excellent sands and prevent erosion. We now expect the beaches to be clear of seaweed in time for Easter Week,” he added.
Safer than ever SANTA POLA beaches will have lifesavers for 10 months of the year. The town hall has now put a €2.2 million four‐year contract out to tender, municipal sources revealed, although the new conces‐ sionary will not begin to provide the service un‐ til after Easter. This period will still be covered, as the town hall has taken out a minor contract between April 9 and 18 to ensure that life‐ guards are present on the town’s beaches at
one of the busiest times of the tourist season. The future service will be operative between March and December, Beaches councillor An‐ gel Piedecausa said. From the beginning of June until the end of the second week of Septem‐ ber, there will be lifeguards on all beaches, al‐ though during the last two weeks they will be present only at weekends. From October to December, the service will be limited to the Levante beach, Piedecausa said.
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NIBS EXTRA Fire ready ALICANTE Province’s Fire Brigades Consortium added another €5 million to its bud‐ get to improve equipment and services. Almost €2.9 million of this will be spent on acquiring five light fire en‐ gines, a heavy fire engine for fighting forest fires, four res‐ cue vans, three electric cars and two drones.
Drone invader ORIHUELA’S Local Police’s Air Resources Unit confiscat‐ ed a drone that was being used to fumigate crops. The person controlling it lacked all the necessary permits, was using banned chemical products, and operated the drone near the river Segura only 200 metres away from the city centre, police sources revealed.
Voucher fever THE €50 vouchers worth €100 in Torrevieja shops dis‐ appeared within an hour of the April 4 launch of the town hall’s €350,000 cam‐ paign to boost local com‐ merce. Most were acquired online, although shop‐own‐ ers’ association Apymeco re‐ served €150,000 for shop‐ pers to acquire in person at the Consumer’s Office.
Smoother road COX Town Hall allocated €213,000 for improvements to Avenida Pais Valenciano connecting the town centre with Callosa. Although this is not the only link between both municipalities, it is the most‐used and will also give access to the new high speed AVE railway station once it is opened.
April snow APRIL 4 dawned in Alicante Province with snow above 1,000 metres on the interi‐ or’s mountain ranges cou‐ pled with Force 7 and 8 northeast winds that whipped up five‐metre waves along the coast. Fish‐ ing fleets remained in port and huge waves broke sever‐ al of the Guardamar fish farm’s cages.
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Assisting integration TORREVIEJA volunteers and Ukrainian residents are teaching Spanish recently-arrived refugees. The lessons, which began on March 30, will help new arrivals to learn basic Spanish and assist their integration into local life, are held each Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9am and 1pm. The pupils of all ages, who are mainly women, are split into four groups of 30 and receive an hour’s tuition each day. Orihuela is also planning Spanish lessons for the municipality’s Ukrainian refugees, announced So-
Photo credit: Torrevieja town hall
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SPANISH CLASSES: Ukrainian arrivals get to grips with Spanish.
cial Welfare councillor Almudena Baldo. These will be held in the city centre and Orihuela
Plea to ‘Bin PAT’ ORIHUELA’S mayor Emilio Bascunana has opposed all as‐ pects of the regional govern‐ ment’s Vega Baja Territorial Action Plan (PAT). The Vega Baja is included in similar action plans that the Generalitat has introduced throughout the region to co‐ ordinate municipal develop‐ ment while reaching sustain‐ ability targets. “We demand the with‐ drawal of the entire PAT be‐ cause its proposals asphyxiate Orihuela and the Vega Baja, hindering growth and devel‐ opment. They are sentencing the area,” Bascunana said. The mayor complained that the PAT was prepared behind the backs of local govern‐ ments and residents of the Vega Baja despite its impact on industry, tourism, agricul‐ ture and construction. “There was practically no participation beforehand to identify and analyse the real needs of our territory,” he said. He emphasised that the Ve‐ ga Baja’s PAT particularly pun‐ ished the agri‐foods sector and would prevent it from continuing to be competitive. “Agriculture should be a driving force but they don’t
provide solutions for the wa‐ ter supply and don’t take into account the Tajo‐Segura pipeline. Neither do they mention flood‐prevention in‐ frastructure nor communica‐ tions infrastructure to im‐ prove mobility between Vega Baja municipalities,” he said. The Vega Baja plan implied “absolute inequality” with the rest of the Valencian Commu‐ nity, Bascunana maintained. “It turns us into second class citizens, because it limits our activities in Orihuela and the Vega Baja but not those that are carried out in other areas,” he added.
Costa and her department hopes to have them up and running as soon as possible, she said.
So far, Social Welfare has assisted 118 adults and 98 children from 35 Ukrainian families now living in the city centre as well as five families in outlying districts and 34 in Orihuela Costa. “We also explain the resources available to them and the procedures they need to complete. When there are children of school age, we prepare the necessary referrals. Social Welfare follows up all cases and is fully coordinated with the Red Cross, Caritas and the Vega Baja Acoge association,” Baldo said.
Another year no terrace tax ALL Redovan councillors voted in favour of suspend‐ ing the municipal terrace tax for bars and restaurants throughout 2022. This will be the third con‐ secutive year that the town has waived this tax, Finance councillor Jose Najar said af‐ ter the last plenary council meeting. “We want to support the hospitality sector, which has been one of the most‐af‐ fected by the pandemic. There is no longer as much
More places to park ELCHE City Hall has created more than 1,000 parking spaces over the past six years. It now intends to add a further 900 in the Car‐ rus and El Toscar districts to solve the lack of parking spaces in the city centre that is a recurring source of complaints from the local population and visitors. There are 157,200 vehicles in Elche according to the municipal padron, and residents have pointed out that the parking situation has deteriorated owing to more pedestrian areas as well as bus and bicycle lanes. Elche’s Mainte‐ nance Department is opting to use municipally‐owned land, principally in streets bordering the city centre, to redistribute parking, explained city hall spokesman Hector Diez. This is espe‐ cially necessary in residential areas where older apartment build‐ ings do not have underground car parks and parking spaces have been lost to providing green spaces and pedestrian areas.
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economic aid available as there was in previous years, prompting us to continue suspending the terrace tax,” he said. The move will go some way towards helping local restaurants, bars and cafes stay open and at the same time boost the local econo‐ my, he added. At the same council meeting, councillors also agreed to change of name of Calle Jose Maria Peman, owing to the late author and essayist’s links to the Franco era. The street will now be called Calle Adolfo Suarez, the first democratically‐ elected president of the transition period.
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Good result for two Steves THE CARP‐R‐US fishing club secretary, Steve Fell, began his latest report with a message that he hoped every‐ body was dry. As the Valencian Community enters April after emerging from the wettest March since records began 50 years ago, the Euro Weekly News is glad to say that ev‐ erybody has dried out and cautiously hope to remain so. Meanwhile, Steve said that after a two‐ week break owing to the bad weather, Carp‐R‐Us resumed their Winter‐Spring series at the El Bosquet complex lo‐ cated in the Hondon national park located between Elche and Crevillent. “The venue had been used for a fishing festival over the previ‐ ous two days and this, together with heavy overnight rain, led us to think fishing would be hard,” Steve said. “And so, it proved to be, except for the two Steves.” Steve Fell won the match with 22.8 kilos, narrowly beating Steve Higgins’ 19.9 ki‐ los. They were well ahead of the others, as Graham Patterson finished third with 7.4 kilos, followed by Paul Burton with 6.1 kilos.
and finally... THE Marina Bar in Torrevieja’s Calle de las Rosas is holding a charity afternoon for Ukraine on Saturday, April 9. “Funds are desperately needed to pay for fuel to deliver lor‐ ryloads of donations to the desperate people of Ukraine,” said the event organisers, David and Lorraine Whitney. It should be a fun afternoon with a raffle, stalls selling clothes, jewellery and craft items among other things. There will be bookable grazing boards and afternoon tea at €15 a head, a third of which will be donated to the cause. “Of course, any donations, be it money, toiletries, medica‐ tion, unperishable food, clothing, baby item or toys, will be very much appreciated.” Bookable on 965 705 907.
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Blown it
SAMANTHA MARKLE said Meghan and Harry will never win Brits’ affections back if they return to the UK. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as se‐ nior working royals in 2020. Samantha, Meghan’s estranged sister, said: “I can’t speak for the British people but from what I’ve heard, the pulse of the people is not like‐ ly. “Their actions against the Royal Fami‐ ly and the racial mud‐ slinging that took place in the media was so
hurtful and egregious that you can’t take back the spoken word. “There are some things that you can for‐ give, but it seems to be an ongoing thing. It’s one insult after the other and people can only take so much be‐
NEWS
Royal move Have moved to the US.
fore the impression is solidified. “You might be able to forgive but you don’t forget,” she added on April 2.
Major win DURING the weekend of April 2 and 3 , Team Boxing Quesa‐ da participated in the Federation Valencia Kickboxing cham‐ pionships and came home with a record of 11 Gold and three Silver medals. A fantastic achievement thanks to the skills of Head Coach Santiago Lopez, who himself won the Senior National Kickboxing Championships for Spain in 2021. This sport has become extremely popular for boys and girls alike and keeps them in great physical condition . For more details contact Quesada Fitness Gym, Aerop‐ uerto Road 50 D, visit www.quesadafitness.com or call 865 774 577.
Return of Easter fair THE Pets In Spain animal charity has organised an outdoor charity event for the first time in two years and is appealing to home bakers to make and donate cakes and pasties for their Easter Fair. During the lockdown and the subsequent Covid restrictions period the charity volunteers have continued to rescue, reha‐ bilitate and rehome animals despite a drastic reduction in in‐ come during the pandemic. The charity would love to see sup‐ porters, animal adopters, foster carers, and readers of this article to come along and enjoy the Easter Fair on Saturday April 16, from 11am to 2pm at the charity shop located at Francisco de Quevedo, 8, Urb La Marina (Consum square low‐ er level). There will be different types of arts and craft stalls, Tombolas, Raffle, pastries, cakes and hot coffee and everything in the charity shops will be at half the ticket price. You can call or WhatsApp Pets in Spain on 645 469 253, or email: info@petsinspain.com.
PRINCE W I L L I A M a n d Ka t e a r e c o n ‐ sidering a move to Windsor as soon as this summer to be nearer the Queen. The royal couple are said to have first looked at vari‐ ous royal mansions at Windsor, includ‐ ing Prince An‐ drew’s Royal Lodge. And, a source said on Monday April 4 that the reasons for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to move to Windsor are mounting be‐ cause Andrew “spends a lot of time with the Queen.” “There is not a man, woman or child who would not say he had ev‐ ery right to be at Philip’s thanksgiv‐ ing. But the family have been adamant there’s no way back. There are re‐ al fears that de‐ spite being ban‐ ished from The Firm in January, he is using his close‐ ness to the Queen as a springboard back into public life,” the source added. Andrew has been forced to step back from public life over his association with late pae‐ dophile Jeffrey Ep‐ s t e i n . Ea r l i e r t h i s month it was re‐ ported that the Queen had decided to make Windsor Castle her perma‐ nent home and main residence.
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New sanctions THE European Union has con‐ demned “in the strongest pos‐ sible terms” atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, and is prepar‐
ing further sanctions against Russia “as a matter of urgen‐ cy.” Josep Borrell, the EU’s for‐
Easter in Spain SPAIN is among the world’s most sought‐after destinations for tourists this Easter, according to ForwardKeys, a leading global Spanish travel analytics company. Air arrivals from abroad to Spain are expected to be only 13 per cent below Easter 2019 values, while domestic air travel is on par with pre‐pandemic values, just 1 per cent be‐ low. “Throughout the pandemic, we have seen a lot of frustrat‐ ed demand, which has translated into renewed interest from travellers whenever restrictions allowed travel again; in this new phase of the pandemic, Spain is rapidly recovering to pre‐crisis levels. This Easter we expect traditional source mar‐ kets such as the UK and Germany to exceed pre‐pandemic levels of arrivals,” said Juan A Gomez Garcia, Head of Market Intelligence at ForwardKeys on Friday April 1. “The data ahead of the summer season could not be more encouraging, with 197 per cent more bookings for interna‐ tional arrivals between June and August than at the same time last year,” he added.
eign policy chief, said: “The Eu‐ ropean Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the re‐ ported atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in a number of occupied Ukrainian towns, that have now been lib‐ erated. “Haunting images of large numbers of civilian deaths and casualties, as well as destruction of civilian infrastructures show the true face of the brutal war of aggression Russia is waging against Ukraine and its people. “The massacres in the town of Bucha and other Ukrainian towns will be inscribed in the list of atrocities committed on Eu‐ ropean soil. The Russian au‐ thorities are responsible for these atrocities, committed while they had effective control of the area. They are subject to the international law of occupa‐ tion,” he added on Monday April 4.
STATS
350
A flea can jump a distance that is 350 times longer than its own length.
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AFTER a long break due to the pandemic, Spot‐ light Productions is back up and running and is de‐ lighted to present, ‘A Time To Shine’ 2022, sponsored by the Euro Weekly News. Dance and Performing Arts schools from along the Costa Blanca and be‐ yond join together at the world‐renowned Benidorm Palace, for a dance spectacular on Sunday, April 10, 2022, a show not to be missed! This will be the ninth show at Benidorm Palace for Spotlight Productions, giving young performers their time to shine on Eu‐ rope’s largest stage. The show is always a dynamic performance, in‐ cluding classical ballet, street dance, Flamenco, high energy tap, contem‐ porary/lyrical jazz, musi‐ cal theatre and much, much more. With fabu‐ lous costumes, music and professional production, it’s an evening for all the family. Spotlight Productions, the production team be‐
Time To Shine DANCE SPECTACULAR: Including classical ballet.
hind the event, told the Euro Weekly News: “We specialise in providing young amateurs with the opportunity to perform on world class stages in a fun, non‐competitive en‐
vironment. “Our dance and musical theatre spectaculars are of the highest quality, so that performers of any ability can relish their moment in the spotlight.
YOUNG PERFORMERS: Giving their time to shine on stage.
Now more than ever, it is so important to get our youngsters back on the stage and to provide con‐ fidence and to nurture their passions and dreams.
“We know that the youngsters are so excited and will provide an elec‐ tric performance, it’s go‐ ing to be a very special night!” Lucy Glister and Aydin
Tickets available from the box office on 965 851 660. For more information, visit www.spotlightproductions.es.
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Hasirci formed the com‐ pany because they saw an opportunity to provide the realisation of a dream to those with dance and musical theatre aspira‐ tions. They knew that, far too often, children would get to adulthood without ever stepping foot on a professional stage or ex‐ periencing the marvellous reality of performing alongside accomplished and seasoned sound and light technicians and backstage staff., Sponsored by Euro Weekly News, the follow‐ ing schools will be per‐ forming: Academia de Danza Babylon, Careline Performing Arts and Dance Academy, Endan‐ za, Escuela de Danza La Nucia, Escola de Danza Lorena Moll, Footworks esquela de danza, Foot‐ Work Dance Studio, Es‐ cuela de Danza Pirouette, Star Studios Dance and Stage School. Do not miss your op‐ portunity to support young talent and experi‐ ence a night at the the‐ atre!
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SCAMMERS are contact‐ ing women who they manage to swindle by pretending to be their children asking them ur‐ gently for a sum of mon‐ ey to deal with an im‐ mediate problem, Spanish police warned on Monday April 4. To perfect the scam, the fraudsters claim that they cannot communi‐ cate directly with their usual phone due to problems with their ter‐ minal and that they are unable to receive calls. Faced with this situa‐ tion, the victims agree to make the immediate cash transfers as re‐ quested. Finally, when the transaction has been made and the victims actually manage to talk to their children, they realise that they have been victims of a scam and can no longer can‐ cel the transfer. In recent weeks, sev‐ eral scams have been detected in different parts of the country with which criminals
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Targeting mothers
PERFECT SCAM: Involving cash transfers.
have managed to de‐ fraud amounts ranging from €2,000 to €26,000. In the event of receiv‐ ing a communication of this type, the National
Police recommend re‐ maining calm and mak‐ ing sure before any pay‐ ment that the person you are contacting is re‐ ally a relative.
and finally... HEARTTHROB John Travolta wowed shoppers and punters at a bar in Norfolk when he mingled with locals days after present‐ ing at the Oscars. The 68‐year‐old Hollywood actor appeared at the Fakenham branch of the Morrisons where he was happy to pose for snaps with fans. Security guard Gary Middleton told the Eastern Daily Press: “I didn’t even go up to him. He just came up to me and shook my hand. “He looks a bit different to the way people remember him from the 1970s and 80s, or with his long, dark hair from Pulp Fiction. But you could tell who it was from the smile in his eyes. We had a really nice chat,” Gary added.
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Employment growth THE number of national insurance contributors in seasonally adjusted terms stood at 19,958,479 peo‐ ple in February, an in‐ crease of 23,998 or 0.12 per cent more compared to the previous month. This is the highest level in Spain’s historical series, after 11 consecutive months of growth. The first quarter of 2022 closed with the creation of 119,000 jobs, despite the uncertainty generated by the war in Ukraine. Com‐ pared to the previous quarter, employment has grown by more than 170,000 jobs, exceeding the growth recorded in the pre‐pandemic years. March figures exceed the 472,615 people em‐ ployed in February 2020, the month prior to the start of the Covid‐19 health crisis. Growth in employment compared to the pre‐pandemic level is widespread across sectors, with most sectors at high‐
er employment levels than in March 2020. There has been a particularly strong increase in innovative sec‐ tors such as Information and Communications with 12.4 per cent and Scientif‐ ic and Technical Activities
up by 6.8 per cent. “The first quarter of 2022 closes with signifi‐ cant employment growth, with little impact from the uncertainty of war,” the government said on Mon‐ day April 4.
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Britney’s version of life POP star Britney Spears will write a new memoir of her turbulent life, she has re‐ vealed. Writing on Instagram, she said: “I’m writing a book at the moment as it’s actually heal‐ ing and therapeutic. “It’s also hard bringing up past events in my life. I’ve nev‐ er been able to express open‐ ly.” She added on Monday April 4: “I can only imagine that I do sound childish, but I was ex‐
Britney Spears.
tremely young when those events took place and ad‐ dressing it now, I’m sure it seems irrelevant to most. I’m completely aware of that. But instead of using my heart I’m
PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez, has met with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Spain. Sanchez expressed his condolences for the loss of human lives to Ambassador Po‐ horeltsev on Tuesday April 5, as well as the horror and indignation of Spanish society at the terrible images reaching us from the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Spain is among the 40 countries that have requested an in‐ vestigation by the International Criminal Court. The President reiterated that the war
using the intellectual ap‐ proach.” Her fiance Sam Asghari, 28, commented on her post, say‐ ing he would be “buying the first copy.” Britney escaped a contro‐ versial conservatorship, which controlled many aspects of her life including her finances, last November. She was placed under the legal ar‐ rangement in 2008 amid con‐ cerns about substance abuse and her mental health.
Ambassador’s meeting crimes being committed in Ukraine cannot go unpunished and confirmed that Spain will continue to provide political support, humanitarian and financial assistance and military equipment to Ukraine. Spain has established three reception centres for Ukrainian refugees, including Malaga, Barcelona and Alicante. Millions of Ukrainians, forced to flee their homes, have entered the EU with Poland bearing most of the humanitarian load.
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Crucial parts SPARE PARTS: Are made in Ukraine factories.
RUSSIA’S war effort is be‐ ing hampered as the coun‐ try runs low on crucial spares and parts for its missiles, helicopters and tanks, because they are made in Ukraine factories no longer supplying the country.
This includes engines for helicopters, ships and cruise missiles and a sub‐ stantial portion of fighter jet engines, as well as ground‐to‐air missiles and many tank components. Estimates are that Rus‐ sia has lost more than 2,000 tanks and armoured vehicles and that the lack of parts will have affected the production of their T‐ 72 tanks, which have been at the centre of the inva‐ sion. Parts for their mis‐ siles are understood to be made in Izyum, an eastern Ukrainian city that Russian forces have failed to cap‐ ture.
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Tourism recovery IN February, Spain regained 71 per cent of the international tourists who arrived in the pre‐pandemic period prior to Febru‐ ary 2020, reaching nearly 3.2 million travellers, and the level of expenditure stood at 78 per cent, exceeding €3.7 billion. The United Kingdom is the main source market with nearly 580,000 tourists, representing 18.3 per cent of the total, while tourists from France spent more on their trip than two years ago, according to data from Frontur surveys and Egatur released on Monday April 4. “In February, the trend of recovery in international tourism has been consolidated, with growth of more than 670,000 trav‐ ellers compared to the previous month, which shows the per‐ ception of Spain as a safe destination. A trend that we expect to intensify significantly in the run‐up to the first milestone in the 2022 holiday calendar, Easter. “Our forecast is that in April we will be able to recover around 80 per cent of international tourists from before the pandemic,” said the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto.
and finally... ON Sunday, April 4, Alex Beresford was crowned the winner of the hit show All Star Musicals. Commenting on his win Alex re‐ vealed: “It felt absolutely amazing. It was surreal. We were all standing there on stage and waiting for them to call a name and when I heard Al.. I was like ‘oh my God, it’s me’ and it was just the best feeling in the world. I’ve never won anything like that before.” Alex had competed against Jacqueline Jossa, Michaela Strachan, Coronation Street’s Lisa George, Colin Salmon and rugby star Danny Care.
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Win for workers A LONG running battle to form a union within Amazon has finally re‐ sulted in a win for workers, the first time the technology giant will be compelled to recognise a trade union in the US. Workers at a New York warehouse, led by Chris Smalls, voted 55 per cent in favour of joining the Amazon Labour Union on Saturday April 2. Smalls made a name for himself during the Covid‐19 pandemic by protesting against safety conditions. Smalls’ victory is a ma‐ jor defeat for Amazon and perhaps a turning point, with the company having fought fiercely against unionisation and at times being accused of underhand tactics. Smalls told support‐ ers: “We did whatever it took to connect with these workers. I hope
AMAZON: Will be forced to recognise a trade union in the US.
that everybody’s paying attention now, because a lot of people doubted us.” Amazon said it was disappointed by the loss in New York and that it was evaluating how to proceed.
First energy independence LITHUANIA has become the first country in the EU to break free from Russian gas imports. All domestic gas consumption will be fed by imported liquefied natural gas via the terminal in Klaipeda, the gov‐ ernment announced on April 2. President Gitanas Nauseda tweeted: “From this month on ‐ no more Russian gas in Lithuania. If we can do it, the rest of Europe can do it too.” Klaipeda port was completed in 2014 to end Russian gas imports. The president at the time, Dalia Grybauskaite, called Lithuania’s dependency on Russian gas an “existen‐ tial threat”. In making the announcement, the Baltic state said it is fi‐ nally free from Moscow’s demands and threats. According to the Lithuanian Energy Ministry: “Under the circumstances, Russia’s demand to pay for the gas in rou‐ bles becomes meaningless, because Lithuania is no longer ordering gas and does not expect any further payments.”
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Opium cultivation THE Taliban banned opium cultivation with immediate effect on Sunday April 3. Afghanistan is one of the world’s biggest opium producers and is a major revenue earner for a country that is suf‐ fering from severe financial hardship. The Taliban’s Supreme Leader Haibatul‐ lah Akhundzada issued an order that said: “As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country. “If anyone violates the decree, the
AFGHANISTAN: Cultivation of the poppy is now strictly prohibited in the country.
crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to the Sharia law.” Included in the ban is the production, use or transportation of other nar‐ cotics. Afghanistan is in dire financial straits after the west implemented sanctions against the country after the Taliban’s coup last year. The Islamist group is seeking formal international recogni‐ tion, with the international community making a number of demands before agreeing to the winding back of sanc‐ tions, one which has been the control of the drug trade.
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Call in the army RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary has called on the Irish government to draft in the army to tackle lengthy security queues at Dublin Airport. Travellers at Dublin Air‐ port have been hit with massive queues and some travellers have even missed flights. The airport is hoping to hire new workers, but the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) contracts are said to be unfair and low paying. O’Leary said: “We’ve been calling on Minister Ryan, who’s the Transport Minister, firstly to direct the DAA to hire and train not 250, but 400 additional se‐ curity staff over the next six weeks.
“In the meantime, we want to see 250 army per‐ sonnel called out, just for Fridays, Saturdays and Sun‐ days, for the next eight weeks. They will help do the frisking at the security points and it will enable the airport to open all of the x‐ ray scanner machines in both Terminal 1 and Termi‐ nal 2 and keep the queues down,” he said on April 2. “We need that combina‐ tion of a dramatic recruit‐ ment drive by the DAA, we need the army in there at weekends and in reason‐ ably small numbers, 250 army personnel would al‐ low the DAA to open up all the security things,” he added.
Italian dreams A MAN who bought a house in Italy for €1 was forced to give it up. Danny McCubbin, who previously worked with Jamie Oliver, had bought the house as part of the ‘Casa 1 Euro’ campaign. Conditions on the sale meant that he had to renovate it within three years but Danny was unable to find workers and could not meet the strict deadline. When he was unable to renovate his home within the short time frame, he had to resell the house to the estate agent. Danny said: “It was very difficult to find a builder and over time the house deteriorated. “By the time I did find a building company, it was double the cost to renovate it. I decided it was not worth it for me anymore.” The Italian town only has 11,000 people living in it. Since giving up the first house Danny has bought another property that only required a little work. He is now settled in his new home and helps vulnerable families from his community kitchen. “I moved here at the end of December 2020, because I wanted to live in Italy when Brexit happened,” he added on April 3.
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Strike suspended AFTER 20 days of demon‐ strations, the Platform for the Defence of the Road Transport Sec‐
tor agreed on Saturday April 2 to “temporarily suspend” the strike action which began
ARMED FORCES: Will receive government funds.
Norway’s defence NORWAY’S Minister of Defence has said that the country will seek to strengthen its capabilities in the north after re‐ considering its situation in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The country will allocate around €210 million to the armed forces in the north of the country, with the funds to be spent on radar, artillery and infrastructure. The funds will, according to the government, help the country to defend it‐ self in the event of an attack from its eastern neighbour. Minister of Defence Odd Roger Enoksen said: “We will up‐ grade Værnes and Porsanger and strengthen the Army with more artillery. With these changes, the defence capability and especially the combat capability of the Army will in‐ crease.” The first phase of the upgrade at Værnes, which in‐ volves modernising and adapting the facilities, will be com‐ plete by 2024. The second phase at Porsangermoen is planned for completion in 2025.
on March 14. The decision was reached after consulting with around 100 transport sector work‐ ers who attended an assem‐ bly at a service station in the Madrid town of San Fernan‐ do de Henares. Manuel Hernandez, the president of the Platform had assured earlier in the day that the assembly would serve to “make the corresponding decisions.” Even though the strike has been suspended, a new one can still not be ruled out, he said. Hernandez said it is time to “be smart, and know how to manage the strength that the group has harvested in recent weeks, to strike the second blow, which is going to come. “We have to organise our‐ selves even more in the provinces and prepare our‐ selves, so that, in a short pe‐ riod of time, we can return to act with more force,” he added.
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Monkey joy BARCELONA Zoo was very proud to announce the ar‐ rival of a spider monkey on Thursday March 31, a criti‐ cally endangered species which are included on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The young monkey, who is one of only 69 in the world, is said to be in excel‐ lent health, however it has at this stage not been sexed. Its mother Perla is said to be highly protective, limiting zookeepers’ ability to check it out. Barcelona currently has a troop of nine individuals with the remaining primates spread over 16 different in‐ stitutions, 32 males, 35 fe‐ males and two that have yet to be sexed. The spider monkey is one of the largest primate species inhabiting South America and is charac‐ terised by having a prehen‐ sile tail that they use as an additional limb to move
through the treetops. Populations of the animal have been declining due to deforestation, with its usual habit having been reduced to a mere 20 per cent of its size. Hunting also remains a problem for these monkeys.
The proud arrival.
No to Charles AUSTRALIANS do not want Prince Charles as king, according to the Australian Republican Movement (ARM). ARM director Sandy Briar said: “With the Queen’s reign drawing to an end, we’re about to see some dramatic change in Australia. We’ll have Charles as King of Australia and that’s something that Aus‐ tralians clearly don’t want. We would make sure that there’s no overlap between the responsibilities of the prime minister and the head of state. “That’s quite a difference from now, where there is a tension between the governor‐general as the Queen’s representative and the prime minister, with both of them involved in the passing of laws. We should have an Australian chosen by Australians as their head of state,” she added on April 3. The Republicans believe that Australians should be able to choose their next head of state.
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Algerian threat ALGERIAN state oil com‐ pany Sonatrach promised on April 1 to maintain current gas prices for all of its clients with the ex‐ ception of Spain. The company has threatened to review the prices charged to its Spanish client, Naturgy. The move appears to be sparked by the diplomat‐ ic crisis between the two countries after Madrid changed its position on the dispute over Western Sahara. Toufik Hakkar, the ex‐ ecutive director of Sonatrach said: “Since the beginning of the cri‐ sis in Ukraine, gas and oil prices have skyrocketed. Algeria has decided to maintain relatively cor‐ rect prices for all its cus‐ tomers. “However, it is not ruled out to carry out a recalculation of prices with our Spanish client.”
Prices have skyrocketed.
The contract between Naturgy and Sonatrach is
currently undergoing an ordinary review process. Algeria is also engaged in dialogue with Italy which is highly depen‐ dent on gas from Russia but could increase the amount of gas it uses via the Transmed gas pipeline from Algeria.
Covid entry requirements THE Spanish Ministry of Health has announced an extension until April 30 of Covid‐19 entry requirements for travellers wishing to enter the country. Only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to enter Spain before April 30, or those who can produce a certificate to prove recovery from Covid‐19. Also, all arrivals from an EU or European Economic Area risk coun‐ try are officially required by the Spanish Ministry of Health to fill out the Health Control Form. “If you come from a country at risk in relation to Covid‐19, you must present a certificate or document proving vaccina‐ tion, diagnostic test for active infection, or recovery from Covid‐19,” the Ministry said. To be classed as fully vaccinated to enter Spain, travellers must have had their second jab within 270 days of arrival. If not, and the second jab was received more than 270 days ago, then travellers must show that they had a booster dose of the vaccine.
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Iberdrola cyberattacked IBERDROLA has suffered a cyberattack in which the personal information of 1.3 million customers was stolen. The attackers have gained access to data such as the ID, address, telephone number and email address, but not to “financial data (current account or credit card) or data on electricity con‐ sumption,” the company said. Iberdrola has contacted those affected and has reported the events to the Central Technological Investigation Brigade of the Police. The breach took place on March 15 at I‐DE Re‐ des Electricas In‐ teligentes, the group’s electricity distribution company. “As soon as we became aware of the attack, the necessary measures were put in place to stop it im‐ mediately and prevent its repetition,” the company
said in its statement to those affected, which has also brought the facts to the attention of the Data Protection Agency. The following day, Iber‐ drola’s systems suffered ‘massive attacks’ that
they were able to stop. The company links it to a campaign of cyberattacks that affected other com‐ panies and Spanish and European public institu‐ tions, such as the Congress of Deputies.
Microchip outrage THE sale of the UK’s largest microchip factory, New‐ port Wafer Fab in Wales, to a Chinese company has caused outrage among Conservative MPs. The factory’s sale to Nexperia, a subsidiary of Wingtech, a Chinese technology firm, was approved on Friday April 1. There is currently a worldwide shortage of mi‐ crochips, also known as semiconductors, due to the Covid‐19 pandemic. These electronic components are a vital part of smartphones and other everyday de‐ vices. The Chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Af‐ fairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said: “It’s not clear why we haven’t used our new powers under the Na‐ tional Security and Investment Act to fully review the takeover of one of our leading compound semicon‐ ductor companies. “This is an area where China is sinking billions to compete. The government has no clear strategy to protect what’s left of our semiconductor industry,” he added.
NEWS
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Beckhams burgled A MASKED burglar broke into the Beckham’s home in west London, stealing thousands of pounds worth of items. The burglar managed to force their way into a spare bedroom at the mansion in Holland Park, which is worth £40 million, and stole the valuables while David, Victoria and Harper slept. The theft, on February 28, was only noticed when Cruz, 17, returned from a night out to find the bed‐ room upturned and saw broken glass from a win‐ dow. David, 46, apparently called 999 and he and Cruz began searching the home for the perpetrator while 47‐year‐old Victoria and 10‐year‐old Harper waited for the police to arrive. Although no one was hurt, the family were said to be “shaken up” by the incident. The thief stole thousands of pounds worth of design‐
er clothes, accessories and electrical goods that were in the spare bedroom. Two other properties in the upmarket enclave were
also targeted, however, one of the houses was empty and the thief did not manage to force entry into the other.
Masks in motion A PLENARY session of the Congress of Deputies approved on Thursday, March 31, a motion asking the government to end the use of masks indoors. PSOE, Ciudadanos and Vox voted in favour of the proposal, the Partido Popular, Partido Nacionalista Vasco and the Coali‐ cion Canaria voted against, while Podemos abstained. A re‐ sult of 184 votes in favour, 91 against, and 57 abstentions was achieved. Approving this motion urges coalition partners PSOE and Podemos to eliminate the mandatory use of masks indoors “in line with scientific evidence, with the epidemiological situ‐ ation and with comparative perspective.” Being a motion, the initiative is not binding. However, Ed‐ mundo Bal, spokesman for Ciudadanos, said at a press con‐ ference after the plenary session: “The government will not want to disobey what its own parliamentary group insinu‐ ates.”
STATS
6
A stamp that you lick gives you 6 calories.
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ExoMars postponed THE European Space Agency (ESA) has sus‐ pended its scheduled September launch of the ExoMars rover as it is unable to work with its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, following the invasion of Ukraine. A new launch window is under considera‐ tion while the ExoMars’ components remain in storage in Italy. David Parker, the ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, said: “I hope that our member states decide that this is not the end of ExoMars, but the rebirth of the mis‐ sion. Perhaps it will serve as a trigger to de‐ velop greater European autonomy. “We count on brilliant teams and expertise across Europe and with international part‐
LAUNCH: New window being considered.
ners to reshape and rebuild the mission. The team is dedicated and focused on setting out the next steps to ensure we bring this incredi‐ ble rover to Mars to complete the job it was designed for,” he added on March 28.
Spanish gastronomy THE Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, has presented ‘SpainFoodNation’, a new programme to promote Spanish gastronomy around the world. “Gastronomy is a strategic priority for the government, not only for its enormous val‐ ue as a tourist attraction, but
also for its capacity to combat depopulation of the territory and the demographic chal‐ lenge, and its potential to pro‐ ject the Spain brand interna‐ tionally,” Maroto said. “Spain is a world leader in gastronomy because Spanish gastronomy is a product of the high quality of its raw ma‐ terials. It is also talent because
of the high level of training of all workers in the sector. And it is innovation, going beyond the conception of something pleasurable to be considered as an experience in connec‐ tion with culture and crafts‐ manship. ‘SpainFoodNation’ will help to reinforce this leadership,” she added on March 29.
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BRITAIN has enacted new legislation to prohibit main‐ tenance on aircraft or ships belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs or their businesses. Through these new pow‐ ers, laid in parliament through a Statutory Instru‐ ment, the UK can now pro‐ hibit sanctioned oligarchs from benefiting from the
NEWS
Luxury toys Challenge Anneka UK’s aviation and maritime industries and engineers. The new laws have been used immediately to sanc‐ tion Russian businessmen Eugene Shvidler and Oleg Tinkov.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “There is no doubt that Putin and his elite have been surprised by the strength of our sanctions. “We will continue to ramp up the pressure so long as Russian troops are in Ukraine, targeting not only the businesses of oligarchs but also their assets and in‐ ternational lifestyles. “Tough sanctions will help Ukraine get the best possi‐ ble peace settlement and ul‐ timately ensure Putin’s inva‐ sion fails. That is our focus,” she added on March 30. Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said the legislation “adds new routes at our disposal to de‐ prive oligarchs’ access to their luxury toys.” Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the UK has sanctioned banks with £500 billion of global asset value and more than £150 billion of net worth from oligarchs and their family members.
LEGENDARY television show Challenge Anneka, featuring Anneka Rice, is reportedly lined up to make a comeback. The 63‐year‐old presen‐ ter, famous for her jump‐ suits, is in talks with Chan‐ nel 5 about a reboot of the BBC 1 hit show from the 1990s. Challenge Anneka ran from September 8, 1989, through to October 15, 1995. Each programme saw her facing a series of tasks, that were usually to earn money for charity. A deadline was set for each task of between two or three days, with Anneka having no prior knowledge of the challenge in hand. The energetic presenter would then set off in search of local people and businesses who she would persuade to offer their help free of charge. An integral part of this show was Anneka’s cam‐ era team and sound guy
ANNEKA RICE: She faced a series of tasks for charity.
who would follow her in the large blue lorry. Ten‐ sion gripped each episode as viewers waited to see whether Anneka would complete the task or not, as not every challenge
was a success. “The affection for it is epic. It is overwhelming on a daily basis,” Anneka pre‐ viously said of the show in 2019, on its 30th anniver‐ sary.
STATS
42
It takes 42 facial muscles to frown.
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Spanish welcome IN just one month, Spain has welcomed more than 11,000 Ukrainian refugees, with the figure increasing each day. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration has created two new general directorates to resolve the avalanche of requests for temporary protec‐ tion for refugees who are arriving in Spain. More than 11,000 people have been assisted in approximately four weeks. The mass flight of Ukrainians to neighbouring countries began on February 24, after Russia’s decision to attack and invade Ukraine. Within days, Spain began to formalise the status of refugees. The first beneficiaries were Ukrainians who were surprised by the war on a trip or temporary stay in Spain and were unable to return to their country. In addition to welcoming Ukrainians who have fled due to the war, a wel‐ come has been extended to Ukrainians who were in Spain in an irregular situa‐ tion and nationals of third countries with temporary residence in Ukraine.
Radiation sickness DOZENS of Russian troops stationed at Chernobyl have left the nuclear plant, some suffering from “acute radiation sickness.” Yaroslav Yemelianenko, a council member of the State Agency of Ukraine for Exclusion Zone Manage‐ ment, claimed that troops were rushed across the
border to a medical facility in Belarus after exposing themselves to dangerous levels of radiation. He wrote on Facebook: “Another batch of Russian irradiated terrorists who seized the Chernobyl zone was brought to the Belaru‐ sian Radiation Medicine Center in Gomel today.
“There are rules for deal‐ ing with this area. They are mandatory because radia‐ tion is physics, it works without regard to status or shoulder straps. With mini‐ mal intelligence in com‐ mand or soldiers, these consequences could have been avoided,” he added on Wednesday March 30.
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Sanchez meets Rutte PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez has received the Prime Minis‐ ter of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, on his first trip to Spain since his re‐election in Jan‐ uary 2022. Before the meeting, Sanchez introduced Rutte, who was giving the 16th Com‐ memorative Lecture of the Carlos de Amberes Founda‐ tion, A European response to the new reality, at the Prado Museum. During the meeting in Mon‐ cloa, the leaders discussed bi‐ lateral relations, NATO, the war in Ukraine and issues on the European agenda such as strategic autonomy, climate, energy, the new Migration and Asylum Pact, fiscal rules and the rule of law. “We are increasing our bi‐ lateral contact and liaising on issues on the European agen‐ da, where we should continue to identify shared positions, as we did in the field of open strategic autonomy,” Sanchez said on Wednesday March 30. Sanchez and Rutte also dis‐ cussed the fight against cli‐
mate change and energy prices. “These months have shown that we do not have an electricity market prepared for stressful situations such as
the one we are experiencing, as it is right now damaging consumers, SMEs and the in‐ dustrial sector,” Sanchez added.
Picasso anniversary APRIL 8, 2023, will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picas‐ so, and a Spanish‐French committee will coordinate a series of events and ex‐ hibitions to commemo‐ rate it. The celebration of Picas‐ so 1973‐2023 will be struc‐ tured around some 40 ex‐ hibitions and events to be held mainly in Europe and North America. It will also be an opportunity to de‐ velop a historiographical study of approaches to Pi‐ casso’s work. “This bi‐national com‐ mittee will vindicate the figure of Picasso as a uni‐ versal and pro‐European artist, who embodies the founding principles of Eu‐
Greatest anti-war symbol of our modern history.
rope, made up of demo‐ cratic states, defenders of human rights and free‐ dom of expression,” the Spanish government said in a statement. “His work, Guernica, has become the greatest international anti‐war symbol of our modern his‐ tory. To this day, Picasso’s legacy and his commit‐ ment to the cause of peace are a great refer‐ ence point for European citizens,” it added on March 29.
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Moroccan electricity MOROCCO and Britain are involved in a project to lay a submarine cable that will provide electricity to the UK from a solar and wind farm located in the Guelmim‐ Oued Noun region of the North African country. The ambitious Xlinks pro‐ ject is already underway and a ship that will be used to lay the cables is in the process of being designed. Alan Math‐ ers, head of UK cable manu‐ facturer XLCC, said, “Our ship will be, at the time of delivery, the most sophisti‐ cated, efficient and environ‐ mentally friendly cable ship in the world. With this ca‐ pacity, we will be able to meet the growing global de‐ mand for the deployment of high current, direct current tension cables to fill a cur‐ rent and future gap in the market.” In collaboration with Salt Ship Design, the XLCC team is developing the basic de‐ sign of the ship while work‐ ing on the selection of a suit‐
able shipyard for its con‐ struction. “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project, which will bring more re‐ newable energy to the world. The design is at an ad‐
vanced stage, and we are continuing to develop the project to refine the details,” added Tor Henning Vest‐ bostad, Commercial Director of Salt Ship Design, on Friday April 1.
Step by step HEALTH Minister Carolina Darias said Spain is going “step by step” towards relaxing Covid‐19 measures. “It will be decided when the experts who advise us al‐ so propose it, we are going to go step by step, taking measures from prudence, from progressiveness and from gradualness,” she said at a meeting of European health ministers in Brussels on Tuesday March 29. She also defended the “strategic response” with which Spain has faced the pandemic, pointing to the high vaccination rate. However, she avoided offering any precise timeframe upon being asked when the government plans to lift the mandatory use of masks.
STATS
1/5
Every year, Americans create around 1/5 of the world’s rubbish.
EUROPEAN PRESS
www.euroweeklynews.com
EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Nature reserves
Over consumption
THE Danish government has decided to create a further 10 new national nature reserves in addition to the five previously announced in 2021 which between them will cover 25,000 hectares across the country at a cost of at least €12.5 million.
AS of March 28, Denmark had used its supply of naturally-produced resources for 2022, according to think-tank Global Footprint Network, which divides the world’s total output by its population to work out which countries are overconsuming and it was the 15th country in 2022 to reach that landmark.
THE NETHERLANDS High times
Tax meat
ANYONE would think that the authorities were too stoned to do anything about introducing the plan, created five years ago, to study legal production of marihuana in order to reduce the role of organised crime, especially as it has now been postponed until 2023.
DETERMINED to see the Dutch eat more healthily, a government investigation is being undertaken to discover whether it would be feasible to introduce a tax on meat and if so whether that would be likely to reduce the amount of meat consumed in the country.
BELGIUM Royal faux pas
Leaving litter
PRINCE LAURENT, brother of Belgium’s King Filip hasn’t been protected by his royal blood as he is due in court on April 22 for driving a car which had not passed the local equivalent of the MOT test and could face a fine or time in prison.
IN order to make residents realise how unpleasant it is to be faced with mountains of rubbish because people are too lazy to take it away, the council in Ghent has decided to leave litter uncollected in certain parts of Citadelpark.
GERMANY Human rights
Biogas
ON March 30, German Human Rights Watch Director Wenzel Michalski heavily criticised both the International Olympic Committee and world football's governing body FIFA over countries such as China and Qatar being allowed to host two of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.
IN order to become less dependent on gas from Russia, Green supporters are suggesting that the German government should look to cows who create abundant amounts of manure, which is already being turned into biogas by some farmers and scale this production up commercially.
FRANCE Alleged torture
Sniffer ants
FRENCH prosecutors have opened an enquiry into alleged torture and acts of barbarism supposedly committed by General Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi of the United Arab Emirates who was appointed head of Interpol last November even though these allegations were known prior to his appointment.
IN a Sorbonne University laboratory in Paris, scientists conducted experiments using more than 100 ants, who were rewarded with sugared water (when successful) to detect cancerous cells in a series of experiments which proved to be 95 per cent accurate in their first phase.
NORWAY Stoltenberg resigns
Bug news
NORWEGIAN politicians may well breathe a sigh of relief as former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has resigned from his controversial new job as Governor of Norway’s Central Bank even before he started, so that he can remain as NATO secretary general for another year.
THANKS to the introduction of new, more efficient insect traps, a two-year investigation into the insect population of Norway which used DNA findings discovered that of the 16,000 species of insects caught, 400 had never been recorded in the country before.
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FINANCE Strong words ON Tuesday March 29, Spain banned firms which get state aid to deal with the economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from firing workers over rising energy prices. Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said “When social protection mechanisms exist... we must not lay off.
Take care THE Gibraltar International Bank is warning of a Facebook page that appears to be advertising loans using images of the bank without authorisation. It says it has no affiliation with this page and advises people not to provide it with any information.
Inflation jumps PRELIMINARY figures released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on Wednesday March 30 indicate that Spanish inflation continues to rise and is up by 9.8 per cent compared to March last year, caused in part by the knock‐on effect of the invasion of Ukraine.
AENA optimistic SPANISH airport management company AENA has been working on how best to recover income following the lockdown due to the pandemic and now cancellation of flights to Russia, but says in its latest strategic plan that it is optimistic for the future.
Oil price THE cost of crude oil is likely to continue to drop over the next week and the Biden administration confirmed that it will release a significant amount of oil from its strategic reserves in order to combat the rise in price caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
STAT OF WEEK
€8 billion
is the amount that Spanish oil and gas company Cepsa plans to invest in Spain and Portugal by 2030 as part of its energy transition strategy.
Treasury sells NatWest shares Better service
THE UK Treasury has disposed of NatWest shares worth more than £1.2 billion reducing its share‐ holding to 48.1 per cent. So, for the first time since the financial crisis, NatWest Group plc (formerly Royal Bank of Scot‐ land Group plc) is no longer under majority public as the bank agreed to buy back shares for £1,212,421,779. This is the government’s fifth sale of its NatWest shareholding bringing its level of ownership down to less than 50 per cent and is considered a landmark in the government’s plan to return to private ownership the institutions brought into public ownership as a result of the 2007‐2008 financial crisis.
Credit: HM Treasury flickr
BUSINESS EXTRA
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John Glen using a NatWest cash machine.
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen MP autho‐ rised the sale of approximately 550 million shares in NatWest at 220.5p per share raising just over £1.2 billion. Commenting on the sale, John Glen said: “This sale means that the government is no longer the majority owner of NatWest Group and is therefore an impor‐
tant landmark in our plan to re‐ turn the bank to the private sec‐ tor. “We will continue to prioritise delivering value for money for the taxpayer as we take forward this plan.” At the height of the banking cri‐ sis in 2009, the Labour Govern‐ ment under Prime Minister Gor‐ don Brown owned 84 per cent of the bank’s shares and with the share price rising during 2022, the current value of the shares still owned is in excess of £12 billion. As it has returned to profit, NatWest has been paying divi‐ dends to shareholders and sub‐ ject to approval its April AGM payment for 2021 should be in the region of 10.5p per share.
Help when you need it most HAVING to think about what will happen after you die is not something many of us like to do, however Golden Leaves knows that living abroad can pre‐ sent various obstacles to your loved ones when it comes to your funeral, including dealing with a lan‐ guage barrier. A Golden Leaves funeral plan offers multiple bene‐ fits, including allowing your wishes to be set out ahead of time as well as the benefits of a Spanish‐ speaking team who will take care of all the arrange‐ ments for your family. When you have a Golden Leaves plan, all your fam‐ ily members need to do when you die is make a call to them and their team will put in place your wishes immediately, arranging exactly the service you want‐ ed. Golden Leaves have three funeral plans available, the Opal Plan, Pearl Plan, and Golden Plan.
Deficit smaller than expected FUNERAL PLANS: There are three plans available.
To make sure that your wishes are carried out as you want, and that your loved ones are not left with costly funeral expenses, contact Golden Leaves to‐ day.
Contact Golden Leaves at info@goldenleavesinternational.com 966 49 30 82 • www.goldenleavesinternational.com
IKEA store closure IKEA UK announced on March 30 that it proposed to close its Tot‐ tenham store as part of the busi‐ ness’ transformation plan for the capital. The decision came as the re‐ tailer committed to investing more than £1 billion in London over the next three years to bet‐ ter meet the needs of its cus‐ tomers. The proposal to close the Tot‐
SPANISH IT project company Sighore is working with on‐ line booking company The Fork to offer better services to the hospitality industry. The key to this strategic agreement lies in the integra‐ tion of the Sighore‐ICS POS system in The Fork Manager site which will allow partner restaurants to improve their digital functionalities. As an added bonus, it will now be possible for restau‐ rants to be able to under‐ stand the tastes and prefer‐ ences of diners based on information collected when they book. Darío Méndez of The Fork said,”as a leading technology company and online booking platform, with more than 60,000 associated restau‐ rants, our mission is to al‐ ways be at the forefront of the latest trends.”
tenham store follows an exten‐ sive assessment of IKEA’s pres‐ ence in London in line with changing shopping behaviours. Last year, online represented almost half of the retailers’ total sales and the demand for differ‐ ent services as well as conve‐ nient deliveries accelerated. This, combined with the rede‐ velopment of the area where the store is located, prompted the
retailer to assess the long‐term viability of the site. IKEA will now enter a period of collective consultation with the 450 workers affected by this pro‐ posal and is committed to retain‐ ing as many as possible. The business will create over 600 vacancies in London before the proposed store closure, which as a priority will be of‐ fered to those workers.
THE overall 2021 deficit over GDP in Spain was far better than anyone forecast at 6.7 per cent which equates to €81.5 billion ex‐ cluding Financial Aid. This reduction in the deficit was greater than that communicated by the government to the Euro‐ pean Commission in the Budget Plan (8.4 per cent). It also compares well to the estimates of all the na‐ tional and international or‐ ganisations such as the IMF (8.6 per cent), the OECD (8.1 per cent), the Commis‐ sion itself (8.1 per cent) and even the Bank of Spain (7.5 per cent). This is a reduction of 27.9 per cent when compared to 2020, so in other words, de‐ spite the fact that the health emergency due to the pandemic continued last year, the deficit de‐ creased by 3.31 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
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C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 4
COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.387,00 1.394,50 Abrdn 213,50 214,90 Admiral Group 2.550,5 2.585,5 Anglo American 4.064,5 4.106,0 Antofagasta 1.670,00 1.718,50 Ashtead Group 4.797,0 4.825,0 Associated British Foods 1.668,2 1.672,8 AstraZeneca 10.132,0 10.232,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 645,20 645,20 Avast 562,20 563,60 Aveva 2.484,0 2.487,0 Aviva 438,40 442,40 B&M European Value Retail SA550,92 551,40 BAE Systems 730,80 741,00 Bank VTB DRC 0,010 0,010 Barclays 147,12 150,04 Barratt Developments 550,20 550,60 Berkeley 3.913,0 3.921,0 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.978,00 3.008,00 BP 375,40 379,40 British American Tobacco 3.228,5 3.259,5 British Land Company 523,40 529,00 BT Group 183,00 185,00 Bunzl 3.026,0 3.028,0 Burberry Group 1.673,5 1.687,0 Carnival 1.361,5 1.381,0 Centrica 79,22 79,38 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.592,8 1.600,5 Compass 1.607,80 1.608,26 CRH 3.073,5 3.076,5 Croda Intl 7.832,5 7.986,0 DCC 5.926,0 5.990,0 Diageo 3.903,6 3.919,0 DS Smith 320,15 321,90 EasyJet 548,69 560,71 Experian 2.929,0 2.956,0 Ferguson 10.275,0 10.315,0 Flutter Entertainment 8.808,0 8.850,0 Fresnillo 757,20 761,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.655,80 1.668,20 Glencore 506,50 511,70 Halma 2.522,2 2.523,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.015,35 1.016,00 Hikma Pharma 2.085,00 2.085,00 HSBC 523,80 527,20 IAG 139,70 143,12 Imperial Brands 1.626,00 1.634,50 Informa 604,40 607,00 InterContinental 5.130,0 5.180,0
% CHG. 1.379,50 212,40 2.546,1 4.045,5 1.667,00 4.769,0 1.647,5 10.128,0 634,20 560,40 2.447,0 437,50 537,20 718,60 0,010 145,56 517,60 3.720,0 2.973,50 374,55 3.217,0 519,40 181,65 2.990,0 1.649,0 1.349,5 77,90 1.563,9 1.579,80 3.030,0 7.796,0 5.898,0 3.851,0 318,10 540,51 2.913,0 10.145,0 8.688,0 745,00 1.655,00 505,50 2.489,0 989,80 2.044,00 522,90 138,48 1.620,00 597,60 5.054,0
NET VOL 236,03K 1,08M 24,77K 641,58K 145,07K 128,67K 32,65K 242,09K 361,98K 80,82K 44,07K 2,04M 345,06K 1,77M 0 14,38M 1,34M 120,19K 693,59K 5,90M 554,20K 179,41K 2,52M 186,31K 116,99K 137,05K 3,26M 58,45K 293,41K 157,93K 74,27K 13,78K 604,58K 764,62K 505,55K 155,50K 164,05K 60,13K 174,66K 821,31K 4,96M 63,61K 205,85K 120,55K 4,23M 5,65M 208,22K 333,48K 62,97K
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
1.812,50 5.264,0 82,96 252,00 1.906,0 773,60 272,07 46,79 8.144,0 762,60 126,20 1.510,50 1.165,54 215,90 6.174,0 1,89 1.194,30 2.261,0 621,20 1.130,00 5.975,7 2.408,50 521,80 660,00 6.157,5 99,93 0,60 727,40 1.425,00 0,5000 3.219,5 1.033,92 1.349,50 3.097,0 2.108,5 1.227,12 1.441,00 12.760,0 1.735,00 1.442,00 501,00 137,54 282,25 235,42 3.525,2 1.128,50 125,12 2.856,7 1.000,00
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
1.815,50 5.274,0 83,37 253,10 1.908,0 780,00 273,30 47,71 8.142,0 771,20 126,30 1.518,00 1.174,00 217,00 6.182,0 1,89 1.201,00 2.266,0 624,40 1.133,50 6.016,0 2.408,50 526,20 660,60 6.240,0 101,84 0,60 727,80 1.428,50 0,5000 3.252,0 1.045,50 1.364,00 3.114,0 2.126,0 1.236,00 1.458,50 12.765,0 1.755,50 1.446,50 510,60 138,10 282,90 244,70 3.553,0 1.134,50 127,56 2.892,0 1.014,00
1.793,00 5.210,0 82,04 250,60 1.877,5 769,60 270,50 46,78 8.046,0 761,00 123,05 1.485,50 1.162,50 213,70 6.078,0 1,89 1.176,50 2.138,0 619,80 1.118,00 5.952,0 2.371,00 519,60 642,00 6.144,0 98,06 0,60 716,20 1.420,50 0,5000 3.200,0 1.031,50 1.348,50 3.082,0 2.102,0 1.219,00 1.431,50 12.600,0 1.732,00 1.426,00 501,00 130,80 278,00 234,60 3.514,5 1.125,00 124,84 2.826,0 987,20
17,30K 31,15K 816,56K 458,91K 96,59K 171,07K 2,48M 57,33M 54,07K 120,71K 897,23K 205,40K 832,51K 6,88M 73,92K 0 229,28K 498,92K 497,45K 841,87K 140,44K 47,10K 497,97K 463,62K 999,85K 13,79M 0 228,37K 2,52K 0 63,15K 1,39M 308,40K 86,67K 3,04M 464,19K 343,42K 14,54K 285,79K 157,50K 1,77M 12,15M 1,68M 715,35K 706,70K 170,08K 15,91M 17,97K 899,11K
1.19167
0.83938
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1008 Japan yen (JPY)......................................135.704 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0209 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4384 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................9.6168
currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 4
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 149,69 187,17 243,12 174,31 190,76 219,77 164,22 55,66 62,87 64,18 330,22 301,89 196,03 130,15 48,11 178,19 135,31 249,25 83,52 309,42 133,52 155,09 212,25 185,25 512,59 52,12 226,36 43,86 151,01 137,00
CHANGE 149,86 189,42 243,95 174,88 192,62 225,52 165,95 56,19 62,95 64,93 334,16 303,37 196,11 130,27 49,90 178,43 137,41 249,43 83,58 310,13 135,28 155,46 214,03 185,45 514,78 52,19 226,63 44,77 151,27 138,10
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 146,85 2,15M 186,28 2,64M 240,73 1,87M 171,94 75,62M 188,78 4,82M 218,16 2,61M 162,33 8,79M 54,88 16,64M 62,08 12,46M 63,44 3,31M 327,57 2,42M 298,90 5,46M 193,50 2,22M 128,06 4,00M 47,33 46,34M 175,60 6,50M 133,80 15,60M 246,18 2,02M 81,64 10,03M 305,54 25,02M 132,75 5,79M 152,06 5,70M 210,04 5,75M 182,59 1,06M 506,60 2,30M 50,81 30,34M 222,23 6,56M 43,18 14,84M 148,84 6,92M 135,53 10,08M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 4
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+61.78% +43.80% +40.40% +36.27% +33.95% +28.83% +27.22% +23.76% +23.60% +22.63% +21.44%
34.41M 2.97M 2.15M 49.28M 20.64M 21.45M 1.00M 52.10M 1.89M 14.35M 316.13K
-37.87% -36.04% -28.66% -26.95% -24.74% -20.98% -19.01% -18.66% -18.52% -18.28% -17.77%
4.44M 11.79M 3.26M 775.02K 3.67M 253.72K 179.00K 198.97K 555.54K 969.97K 178.53K
Most Advanced Takung Art Chicken Soup Manning&Napier Hudson Capital Greenidge Generation Holdings Weidai Aeroclean Technologies LLC Clovis Oric Pharma Evolve Transition Infrastructure LP Unt Leju Holdings
Most Declined Sellas Life Sciences Cyren Redwire Pulse Biosciences Digital Brands Group Shapeways Holdings Pineapple Holdings Vivos Allego US Spero Therapeutics Greenbrook TMS
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Currency outlook: Conflict in Ukraine stokes volatility in currency markets
STERLING: Took a hit in the wake of the Bank of England’s interest rate decision.
ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com
Euro EUR/GBP: Unmoved at £0.83 EUR/USD: Down from $1.13 to $1.10 The euro was infused with significant volatility through the past four weeks as the war between Ukraine and Russia rocked currency markets. EUR exchange rates are highly sensitive to the crisis in Ukraine amidst fears the Eu‐ rozone is particularly vulnerable to any eco‐ nomic fallout which could arise as a result of the war and sanctions imposed on Rus‐ sia. This lead to the single currency fluctuat‐ ing through March. Stumbling amidst re‐ ports the Russian offensive may be intensi‐ fy, and rallying on any reports of positive progress being made in peace talks. Elsewhere the European Central Bank’s (ECB) announcement it would wind down its asset purchasing programme by Q3 2022 helped to buoy EUR exchange rates, before ECB President Christine Lagarde quashed hopes the bank could raise inter‐ est rates before the end of the year. Looking ahead, it seems safe to assume the situation in Ukraine will continue to act as a major source of volatility for the euro. The longer the conflict drags on the more pain it is likely to cause the single currency. Pound GBP/EUR: Up from €1.19 to €1.20 GBP/USD: Down from $1.35 to $1.32 The increasingly risk‐sensitive pound also traded in a wide range over the past month as a result of uncertainty over the war in Ukraine. GBP investors are particularly concerned about the potential for the conflict to fan inflationary pressures in the UK, exacerbat‐ ing the current cost‐of‐living crisis.
Sterling took a notable hit in the wake of the Bank of England’s (BoE) March interest rate decision. While the BoE hiked rates to their pre‐pandemic levels as forecast, the bank’s forward guidance proved more dovish than hoped, prompting a sharp slump in GBP exchange rates. This left the pound exposed to losses in the wake of the UK’s latest consumer price index. As a sharp rise in inflation was seen as piling more pressure on UK consumers. Going forward, the pound could struggle to hold its ground as the reduced odds for more BoE rate hikes leaves the currency vulnerable to additional selling pressure. US Dollar USD/GBP: Up from £0.73 to £0.75 USD/EUR: Up from €0.88 to €0.90 The US dollar has trended broadly higher through March, with the safe‐haven cur‐ rency attracting considerable risk‐off flows as the Ukraine crisis rattled markets. The start of the war saw the US dollar strike multi‐month highs against both the euro and pound amidst concerns over how the sanctions placed on Russia could im‐ pact the global economy. While peace talk optimism has tem‐ pered some of the ‘greenback’s gains in re‐ cent weeks, the currency still remains well above the levels it was trading at prior to the war. The upside in USD exchange rates has been aided by the Federal Reserve, which delivered its first rate hike since 2018, whilst also signalling plans for up to six ad‐ ditional hikes through 2022. Looking ahead, the Fed’s aggressive monetary tightening plans and the ongoing war in Ukraine are likely to underpin de‐ mand for the US dollar in the weeks to come. Currencies Direct have helped over 325,000 cus‐ tomers save on their currency transfers since 1996. Just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more about how you can save money on your currency transfers.
Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.
7 - 13 April 2022
EWN 31
34 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
7 - 13 April 2022
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT IN these worrying times of doom and gloom I thought this week I’d just lighten it all up a bit by reiterating a true story I scribed here some years ago. Hurray! It concerned a young Irish lad, happily looking forward to his impending marriage. The night before the ceremony, his friends organised a stag night, which in true Irish fashion basically meant visiting as many Dublin pubs as physically possible. This they duly did, until finally, after making sure the future groom was ‘feeling no pain’, they all staggered back to his apartment where he promptly passed out stone cold on the settee. It was at this point the dastardly scheme, already devised by his drinking buddies, sprang into action. Two of these friends were actually male nurses at a local hospital. Naturally they were au fait with the art of administering plaster of Paris to broken bones. With all the ingredients, previously imported from the hospital, and with their ‘victim’ in a complete alcoholic stupor, they surreptitiously proceeded to plaster up one of his arms. With the operation completed, they quietly slipped away into the night. The next morning the best man was
A Joke telephoned by an absolutely panic‐stricken groom. Displaying feigned amazement as to why the poor man ‘couldn’t remember a thing’, his friend explained that he had slipped and fallen outside one of the pubs and broken his arm. They had all finished up in the hospital where the break had been fixed and plastered, after which they had simply taken him home and left him sleeping. It was around this point the best man was supposed to reveal the truth and subsequently remove the cast before continuing with the groom’s special day. Wrong! Seeking to prolong the ‘joke’ he once again neglected to reveal their devious plot. Some hours later, the congregation, bride and somewhat surprised ex stag party members, were treated to the extraordinary sight of a bemused groom arriving at the church with an awkwardly bent arm, cast in a sling where it stayed through the entire wedding ceremony and reception. By this time, the scheme had lasted for so long, the rest of the perpetrators decided that discretion was the better part
of valour and decided to leave it to the best man to reveal all when he deemed fit. He never did. The bride, with the groom ‐ still plastered up and totally unaware ‐ actually embarked on their Caribbean honeymoon. Not until their return was the whole sordid truth finally revealed. Naturally our hero was incensed, I’m surprised he didn’t commit murder, and broke off all interaction with his so‐called pals for some time. Not being of a vindictive nature however, he did finally make it up and appeared to put it all behind him. A couple of years later, lo and behold, it was the best man’s turn to enter into holy wedlock. Next week I’ll tell you about our hero’s revenge. And I can assure you ‐ ‘It’s a cracker!’ Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. Fri. 1pm till 4. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
FEATURE
TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp
Now Streaming - Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King THE fascinating Netflix docu‐ mentary Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King, delves into the baffling true story of how a cryptocurren‐ cy trader mysteriously disap‐ peared, sending millions of currency into the abyss and prompting conspiracy theo‐ ries about his supposed death. Luckily, you don’t need to know much about cryptocur‐ rency to follow Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King, which investigates the story of Gerald Cotten and the many people who ended up with empty bank accounts af‐ ter investing in his cryptocur‐ rency exchange QuadrigaCX. This documentary has a mediocre 42 per cent audi‐ ence rating on Rotten Toma‐ toes, but at just 90 minutes long, it’s worth a watch par‐ ticularly for those interested in cryptocurrency, scams and conspiracies. Simply put, Cotten’s QuadrigaCX took invest‐ ments, converted them into
Bitcoin and traded the cur‐ rency with the hope of re‐ turning a profit, taking a per‐ centage of each transaction. His business started pretty lu‐ cratively, riding off the boom of Bitcoin’s sky‐rocketing share values. At the time of Cotten’s death when he was travelling with his girlfriend in India at the age of 30, QuadrigaCX was Canada’s largest Crypto exchange and was holding over $200 million worth of clients’ money. However, nobody but Cot‐ ten could access the keys and passwords for the company’s accounts, meaning all of the money was locked away and everyone who had invested was left with an empty bank account. Investors band together via an internet forum to try and figure out what has really happened with Cotten ‐ did he fake his own death? Or is the story of him dying in India due to complications with his Crohn’s disease true?
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
7 - 13 April 2022
EWN 35
Rowling slams “cancel culture” comparison 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
YOU could be forgiven for thinking that, by now, you’d read or heard just about every possible comment, statement, explanation and wider cultural analysis of the war in Ukraine. And you’d probably be right. Ev‐ erything possible that could be thought or said about the war has now definitely been thought or said. Time and again, in fact. And then you read about Putin’s outburst that the West is trying to “cancel” Russia for its traditional views, much as it did to JK Rowling for her views on trans rights. Well, really. Putin’s comparison of criticism of the au‐ thor to the backlash against his invasion is even more pathetic than Boris’s comparison of Brexit to the Ukranian fight for freedom. I clearly missed the bit where JKR invaded a country and massacred civilians. How care‐ less of me. Voldemort Putin has lost the plot
POTTER vs PUTIN: What a feeble attempt to divert attention from his war crimes.
entirely here. No one does make‐believe, fantastical fiction quite like Vladimir Putin every time he speaks. The difference is, fundamentally, that JKR voiced an opinion. Some people don’t agree with it but she has the right to it, to publish it and speak about it. And those who don’t
agree with her have the same rights. In Rus‐ sia, we are told, if you don’t have the same opinion as Putin you risk imprisonment. So, is Putin simply trying to distract from the downscaling of his ‘special military oper‐ ation’ from regime change with this pathetic trolling, playing the victim card? Is he now
looking for sympathy from the West? Or is he preparing a scenario that the whole world is so against Russia he’s now backing down honourably, a situation he can then present to his own people? If so, what a feeble attempt to divert at‐ tention from his war crime atrocities, the gross strategic misstep of his ‘special military operation’ and malfunctioning armed forces. Vlad, if it’s any help, Tolstoy’s ‘Special Mili‐ tary Operation and Peace’ is still my favourite novel. And Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment isn’t bad either. I’m not sure you’ll ever face punishment for your many crimes though. 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 Cler‐ ambault 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 charity. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Nora Johnson’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
THURSDAY 07/04 FRIDAY 08/04
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Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport MasterChef Would I Lie to You? Have I Got News for You Not Going Out
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Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Mary Berry's Fantastic Feasts Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr
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Dusty Dusty Sounds of the Sixties TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992 BBC Four Sessions The Old Grey Whistle Test Cardiff Calling: 6 Music Festival 2022 Highlights Stewart Copeland's Adventures in Music TOTP: 1992
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Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village The Yorkshire Dales Dad's Army A Life on the Box: Arthur Lowe Gods of Snooker Donald Campbell Meet the Romans with Mary Beard Meet the Romans with Mary Beard
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FEATURE
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CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD THIS week, Louis CK was awarded the hon‐ our of best comedy al‐ bum at the Grammy music awards, despite apparently being can‐ celled four years ago due to admitted sexual misconduct forced up‐ on women he worked with or knew personal‐ ly. The album that won the award even refer‐ ences his so‐called can‐ cellation and the con‐ troversy surrounding the events that only came to light after five brave women came for‐ ward. He at first tried to di‐ minish their recollec‐ tions. Then he tried, with some success, to derail their careers. Then, finally, he admit‐ ted all he had done and apologised. He was dropped by his agent, had a film he was to star in shelved and lost a production deal with a TV channel. His fans raged against the response but they
7 - 13 April 2022
Uncancelled culture needn’t have raged long. By the next year, he was up on stage in New York once more, touring the United States the year after that, and has now reached the pinnacle of the scene by picking up his third Grammy. It seems as if cancel cul‐ ture for famous men has a shelf life, even though they are the people who decry it the most. Maybe this can be of some relief to Will Smith, who is on the receiving end of similar calls after his ill‐fated walk up the stairs of the Dolby Theatre last week, to slap Chris Rock across the face af‐ ter the latter made a crass joke about Smith’s wife. I some‐ how doubt it though, as it seems the shelf life on cancellations is only reserved for men who are violent to women. The Academy Awards have said they
do not condone vio‐ lence after last week’s events, yet abusive people such as Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski and Jared Leto are still in possession of their Oscars, even if the former two have been stripped of their Academy membership. Critics called the Smith slap “the most shocking Oscars inci‐ dent ever” while for‐ getting that John Wayne had to be held back from storming the stage to attack an In‐ digenous American ac‐ tivist named Sacheen Littlefeather who was collecting Marlon Bran‐ do’s award on his be‐ half. Littlefeather was then also mocked and belittled by Clint East‐ wood, a man who has still gone on to receive many more trophies and widespread ac‐ claim. It seems that male on male violence carries more weight than any other.
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.
Even away from Hol‐ lywood, we have Prince Andrew, fresh from paying his way out of a court case that would have seen his un‐
savoury secrets out in the open, already back on the arm of the Queen at a public func‐ tion. Mere months have gone by and we
EWN 37
are being asked to act as if nothing has hap‐ pened and accept his involvement in royal matters once more. All of this does not sit well with me, as it reeks of there being lit‐ tle consequence for large actions. That is, if you are a famous or rich man, of course.
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EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.
SADNESS IN UKRAINE From our Facebook
THINKING OF YOU: And the many other people facing the war in Ukraine.
My heart aches today And it’s just war and Sadness all day and Nobody knows it’s painful But me oh yes me And sadness in our eyes As our little children cry All through the cold, dark, lonely Night and snow is falling tonight And a bitter chill in the air And the worst pain is yet to come And I want to cry tonight but I’m holding my baby so tight And there’s no longer any more Tears to roll down my sad Lonely old face and I’m in a horrible blown up Place and it’s just war and
Destruction, disaster and hate And I’ve sat and cried and I’m Holding my baby so tight as my Loved ones died tonight And Lord Jesus Christ I want to break Free and move on But sadness lives on And we are drowning in a River of blood and we Can’t catch our breath And a lonely tear rolls down My baby’s face We are already dead In this blown up sad, lonely place.
David P Carroll
ENJOY HOLY WEEK EASTER is almost upon us and the fact that the annual parades, missing for so long, are returning to the streets is another sign that we appear to be coming out of the two-year nightmare that was the pandemic. There is no doubt that Covid-19 still exists in some form or other, but we have had time to adjust to the inconvenience and cope with what now generally amounts for most people as a slight cold or dose of the flu. For so many in Spain, the Easter activities are an important part of their life and although society is becoming much more secular, especially as more revelations emerge over the activities of priests in the past, it is true to say that there is comfort in tradition. Many still belong to local brotherhoods and are ready to join with their friends and neigh-
CORRECTIONS
OUR VIEW
bours to carry the richly decorated and very heavy statues through the streets, applauded by what are bound to be large crowds of onlookers. Even if you are not religious by nature, the sights and sounds of religious parades across the nation do show a feeling of unity, although for some, the ever-present involvement of the Guardia Civil, still part of the military, in these parades may be slightly discomforting. Perhaps the most attractive sight for many is the involvement of the very young who often embarrass their parents and delight the crowds when they don’t behave or take the ceremonies as seriously as perhaps, they should. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Holy Week and be pleased that at least it is possible to celebrate the events once again.
TORY MP: Complained about his salary - is this correct?
Christine Norton It’s not just the salaries, it’s all the extra add ons they receive, legally or otherwise.
Lyn Gaskell How many would say they don’t deserve any pay?!!
Valerie Goodey They should get a normal living wage, not the disgusting amount they are paid.
Sheila Bowman If they were paid what they’re worth, they’d all be bankrupt!
Thelma Dance The Tories shouldn’t bother to campaign at the next election, anyone who votes for them should be sectioned.
Mervyn Sanders Why isn’t an MP’s salary related to the country’s average earnings?? If they do it, they must do it for commitment not greed!
Brian Francis I vote for a pay drop, preferably to zero.
Pauline Churchard Gritt They do not deserve the salary they get as they do not do a very good job. Always slow and always blowing their own trumpet about how much money they have put into different things. What can you expect from a government that has a liar as Prime Minister?
At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK GO TO WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM FOR THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS
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CONSULAR MATTERS YOU may have heard that the Spanish consulates and Em‐ bassy in Great Britain are on strike and sadly at the time of writing there is no date for the strike to end. At Just Law Solicitors we conduct residency or residen‐ cia applications for clients looking to move to Spain in 2022. How are clients affected by the strike? First of all, if you’re applying for residency in Spain you need to obtain and submit several official documents. For example, one of the docu‐ ments you need to submit is your medical certificate which states that you don’t have a serious contagious infectious disease. This document and other documents are only valid for three months from the date of issue. Once you have the docu‐ ments; we then need to obtain
FEATURE
The Spanish Consulate strike in Great Britain matters and we will keep you updated. It’s worth remembering that prior to Brexit these con‐ sulates were doing far less work, and the third country visa requirements have been added to their duties post Brexit. This we understand is one of the reasons for the strike. Of course, we will up‐ date you once we have more information. As always this isn’t legal advice. If you’re thinking of living in Spain or buying a property in Spain, get in touch with ourselves before you sign or pay anything.
ON STRIKE: The Spanish authorities are working to resolve matters.
an appointment for our clients but due to the strike appoint‐ ments are not available and the documents will eventually
expire as they are only valid for three months from the date of issue. We are of course concerned,
and at the time of writing there is no solution. We under‐ stand that the Spanish authori‐ ties are working to resolve
To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Marisa Moreno Castillo Lawyer and Consul for Denmark. Since 1992 www.justlawsolicitors.com • Malaga - Fuengirola - Marbella & online.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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7 - 13 April 2022
Food allergies and intolerances FOOD allergies are often confused with food intoler‐ ances, but there are some clear differences. A food allergy causes a set of adverse reactions that oc‐ cur as a particularly strong re‐ sponse from the immune system when the organism perceives a normally harm‐ less food as a threat. The substances that cause aller‐ gies are not the food itself, but some of the proteins in it, called allergens, which lead the body to mistakenly produce antibodies. The main food allergens are milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy‐ beans. Food intolerances are dif‐ ferent. The adverse reaction does not usually involve the immune system. The prob‐ lem is related to digestion and is due to the lack of cer‐ tain enzymes required for metabolising and using a par‐ ticular substance in food. For example, lactose intolerance is caused by a lack of the en‐ zyme lactase.
PEANUTS: Are just one food allergen that can cause an adverse reaction.
Although allergies and in‐ tolerances may share some symptoms, allergies cause a much more immediate im‐ mune response, with symp‐ toms occurring within two hours. Digestive reactions may include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, and non‐diges‐ tive reactions may include hives, itching, respiratory problems, and, in the most severe cases, anaphylactic shock. In the case of food intoler‐ ances, reactions are usually delayed and involve only the
digestive system. Symptoms are less acute, recur fre‐ quently over time and are unlikely to cause death. Food allergies are often in‐ herited, although there are
other factors involved, such as age, the state of the in‐ testinal mucosa and the amount of food ingested. In‐ tolerances may be genetic or developed over time.
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DAVID WORBOYS WE have seen numerous cases where the perpetrator of a heinous crime against an‐ other human shows no remorse ‐ for mur‐ der, torture, life‐changing bodily harm or robbery of life savings. Are these people incapable of imagining how they would have felt if they had been the victim? What defines us as a good or bad person is determined, more than anything, by our perception of others. If we follow the sim‐ ple Christian principle of ‘love thy neigh‐ bour’, we would not inflict harm on others. If we understood that we are all connect‐ ed, how could we hurt or humiliate them? How could we fail to feel their pain and their distress as our own when they suffer? A majority of humanity is good rather than bad. The ‘good’ may be lazy, inconsid‐ erate or intolerant but, if also generous and law‐abiding, not bad people. Meanwhile, the ‘bad’ may have some virtues such as diligence, courage, and care for their fami‐ ly. But they could also be selfish, arrogant or cruel to strangers and animals and are therefore not good people. Most of us are near the dividing line, 45‐55 per cent of the extremes. On the subject of extremes, one main
FEATURE
Extremes of the human spirit
Mother Teresa and Putin are both members of the human race.
difference between the genocidal Hitler and Stalin is that Hitler destroyed and mur‐ dered beyond his national borders where‐ as victims beyond Stalin’s borders were ‘merely’ subjugated ‐ unless they rebelled. The distinction between Putin and Kim Jong‐un is also defined by national borders. The terrible crimes of Kim are, as I write, confined within his borders. On a brighter note, let’s look at Mother
Teresa, who devoted her life to helping the poor. This Albanian woman moved to In‐ dia, a totally alien environment, to care for some of the most deprived people on Earth. Risking disease in the slums of Cal‐ cutta, she comforted and provided the best she and her sisters could for thousands of desperately sick and needy people. For her it was not a sacrifice so much as a commit‐ ment. She is an extreme example of mil‐
lions who make personal sacrifices for the betterment of their fellow humans. The Europeans who welcomed refugees from Syria into their homes and are now accommodating Ukrainians are an inspira‐ tion. It is a huge commitment to share your home, your lifestyle and your assets with total strangers. Those who risk their lives for others and those who support charities with more than they can afford, often anonymously, are good people. Whoever threatened to slit the throat of Lelde Vasa, the Latvian owner of a Russian sauna in Wolverhampton, just because she has Russian clients, must be a racist looking for any excuse for violence against any‐ body not like him. It would probably be the same if Leide were Ukrainian or black. But even this cannot compare with the relent‐ less slaughter unleashed by Putin in Ukraine. Mother Teresa and Putin are extreme members of the human race. 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.
FEATURE
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Travel Feature
Visiting Zaragoza LOCATED on the banks of the River Ebro and a short distance from the incredible and imposing Pyrenees mountain range lies the beautiful municipality of Zaragoza. Zaragoza is the fifth largest city in Spain and boasts a variety of things to do for visitors and tourists - from picturesque plazas and parks to stunning cathedrals and fortresses. Perhaps the most popular places to visit in Zaragoza are the Aljaferia Palace, the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar and the Catedral del Salvador de Zaragoza, however, there is much more to Zaragoza than cathedrals and palaces. The city centre is a hub for fashion and shopping, with hundreds of high street stores and lots of little boutiques. The city comes alive at night with people of all ages and a buzzing atmosphere at the many bars and restaurants. Known for tapas, the network of alleyways that makes up El Tubo is a definite must visit. Soak up the typical Spanish atmosphere in the various tapas restaurants serving fish,
Basilica de Nuestra Señnora del Pilar.
croquettes, mushrooms cooked in different ways and, of course, a cold beer. The Green Belt of Zaragoza also puts the city on the map. The network of green spaces such as parks and woodlands are a wonderful place to explore and take some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Not a typical tourist destination, Zaragoza is a stunning city filled with culture, food, beautiful narrow streets, green spaces and plenty of shopping.
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FEATURE
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 locally means that independent businesses can support the local communi‐ ty. You may find something a euro or two cheaper on‐ line but have you consid‐ ered where your money is actually going? By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local fami‐ ly’s table and there is noth‐
ing better than giving back to the communi‐ ties that have given us so much. Local stores support charities and they BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, sponsor lo‐ independent businesses can help support cal sports the local community. teams. In many cases, they are much your support. Spending your more than just a business, money locally will make a they’re a legacy. They may real difference to the local have supported generations economy. Local businesses of the same family. Likewise, recirculate a greater share brand new local stores and of every euro they receive at bars may help the genera‐ local level. They create local‐ tions of the future fulfil their ly owned supply chains and dreams and ambitions. they invest in their employ‐ Remember, your local ees. store is going up against multinationals and chains. So remember. They can’t win that battle on When you go shopping ‐ their own. So give them go local!
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FEATURE
Advertising Feature
The LEGAL way to scrap your vehicle HAVING worked in the trade on the Costa Blanca for over 12 years, the staff at Bradley Breakers could tell a horror story or two about people who thought they had scrapped their ‘old banger’ only to find that the car was still registered many months later. There are individuals who have faced large fines after the vehicle they thought they’d seen the back of was still driving around. Unfortunately as long as your name remains on the document of ownership you are legally responsible for that vehicle. Here in Spain the system of scrapping a vehicle is far more complex than anything you are likely to face back in Ireland or the UK. You also have the added complication of the language barrier so it is imperative that when considering disposing of a vehicle, you use a company in which you have com-
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Contact Bradley Breakers Central in English on (0034) 607 848 332, Poligono I8, Calle Novelda 2b, Crevillent 03330. Drop an e-mail to bradleybreakerscatral1@outlook.com or visit Facebook Bradley Karl Thompson and check out their 5 start rating.
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Free jazz concerts THOSE who are curious about jazz will not want to miss out on Palace Fridays, a series of jazz concerts by internationally renowned artists held at the Palacio de la Música in Torrevieja. There is one concert a month from Febru‐ ary to June, and the third concert will take place at 9pm on Friday, April 22. Do you re‐ member the soundtracks from silent films? The Andrés Santos Station Band will trans‐ port you to a cinema where a silent film is being shown, in a concert where the music gives a voice to the characters. Andrés is a music teacher, clarinettist, composer and arranger who has had a long career in both classical music and jazz. He has extensive experience in orchestral con‐ ducting and the musical illustration of silent films. Tickets are free of charge and can be col‐ lected on the week of the concert from the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre.
Torrevieja book fair THE Torrevieja book fair will be held from Satur‐ day, April 9, to Monday, April 24, on the Paseo Vista Alegre. Local bookstores will have interesting offers and discounts for shoppers at several stands, and there will also be various activities for chil‐ dren and adults.
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Guys and Dolls
EWN 51
Mediterranean Flora
EXHIBITION: Takes visitors on a visual journey.
Go along and see this brillliant show.
THE latest production from Studio 32 is the well‐loved musical Guys and Dolls, set in New York. A gam‐ bler is challenged to get a cold fe‐ male missionary to go to Havana with him, all with the hidden mo‐ tive of financing an illegal game of craps, but the pair end up falling for each other. All the hot gam‐ blers are in town, and they are all depending on Nathan Detroit to set up ‘The Oldest Established Per‐ manent Floating Crap Game in New York’. The only problem is that he needs $1,000 to secure the
location. Katy Pearl plays Miss Sarah Brown, who is short on sin‐ ners at the Salvation Army mission she runs, and Rae Daniel plays Sky Masterson, who accepts Nathan’s $1,000 bet that he will not be able to get Sarah Brown to go with him to Havana. Will he succeed? The only way to find out is to go and see this brilliant show. Tickets can be booked online at studiothirtytwo.org. Any problems can be solved by emailing stu dio32shows@gmail.com or calling 679 062 272.
THE photographic exhibition Mediterranean Flora by Pilar Pequeño will be at the Museo del Mar in Santa Pola until April 30. The Mediterranean is an al‐ most completely enclosed sea of the Atlantic Ocean, surround‐ ed by Europe, Africa and Asia. The flora of the Mediterranean is extremely varied, as new species were brought by the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans, and other varieties, such as citrus fruits, also arrived from various parts of the Islamic world through the Nasrid kingdom. The images chosen by the artist to represent the flora of the Mediterranean are part of her still life series. Her work will
take visitors on a visual journey through the history of the Mediterranean, a sea that is ex‐ traordinary and unique thanks to its dimensions, the mixture of ideas and cultures brought together by its shores and the huge range of fruits and plants that come from its three conti‐ nents.
PETS
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Holidays mean more for your pet
IT’S been rather quiet for us for a year or so, but many people are beginning to make plans again for travel. Are you? If you are planning a trip later 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 stay‐ ing in their own home, so they can follow their rou‐ tines undisturbed. Let us help. Take a moment to plan
ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, whether your trips are already in the diary or a firm idea. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philos‐ ophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a Home‐ owner on HouseSitMatch. com 2. Choose a Premium account (£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 ad‐ vert stating your plans for your next holiday Covid per‐ mitting 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 an‐ nual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your ad‐ vert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members
Not all pets can come with us on holiday - find sitters with HouseSitMatch.
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 per‐ son. Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com ‐ Choose a member‐ ship plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to se‐ cure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa
Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 – an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com.
Advertising Feature
Heart diseases in dogs What causes heart disease? THERE is no a single cause. Factors that can cause it: Nutritional problems can play a major role in heart condi‐ tions. Ageing is the most common reason dogs develop heart conditions, but other factors like heartworm can also lead to heart disease. Other factors which can contribute in‐ clude: Body condition: Overweight dogs are more likely to de‐ velop heart disease. Breed: In dogs, chronic valvular disease is more common in small breeds such as Yorkshire terriers, Pomeranians, Miniature Poodles, Schnauzers, Cocker Spaniels. In large and giant dogs Myocardial disease is more common. The following symptoms may indicate a heart problem in your dog: • Shortness of breath • Tired or lack of energy • Collapsing • Frequent coughing • Refusal to exercise • Swollen abdomen • Reduced appetite and/or noticeable weight gain or loss. A proper diagnosis begins with a thorough physical exam‐ ination and history. A presumptive diagnosis of a heart disease can often be made this way, however other testing, such as an echocar‐ diogram, is required for a definitive diagnosis. In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante C/Los Arcos 23 Ciudad Quesada, Rojales. Tel: 609 779 109
FEATURE
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It couldn’t possibly happen MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man I WATCHED a film a while ago called Don’t Look Up. I thought it was a load of rubbish. It’s all about greed and how it could finish the world. Others went to lengths to explain how brilliant it was and what a great message it sent out. It was even up for an Oscar. So, I’ve come up with an idea for another film script. Here’s the storyline. It opens with a group of very rich and influential men and women sitting round a large boardroom table discussing how could they take control of all the money in the world. One comes up with the idea that if you could stop people using cash and make everything payable with digital currency and use a credit-information gathering card they could control it and everything will be controlled by apps on your phone. One of the others says that sounds like a great idea and that it will be easy to convince youngsters because they use phones and computers for everything, but how do you convince all the old, frail and disabled people that they have to use apps and
computers when they much prefer cash? There’re a few moments silence and then someone says, it’s easy, we just get rid of them. There are a few gasps but then someone looks up and asks, how? Simple, is the reply. I know a lab that has found a new virus that is particularly fatal for old and weak people but the young and fit will not be badly affected. We can introduce rules for travel so we can keep an eye on where they are all going and maybe come up with a vaccine which will help our pharmaceutical friends too. Those that have the vaccine can travel and the ones that don’t will be banned from travelling. The room goes silent again. Then William Fence, the chairman, says it’s a good idea. Governments will save billions on pensions and healthcare and we can control how and where people spend. And if that doesn’t work, we can make everything so expensive the poor and old will not be able to buy fuel or food and they will all die leaving us with a few rich old people and a world full of youngsters we can control. This, of course, is only a storyline so far and it couldn’t possibly happen in real life? Email: mikesenker@gmail..com
Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS
BUILDING SERVICES J & J PAINTERS. Inside - outside - clean fast - low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (290728) BUILDER, ARCHITECT, NEW HOUSES, EXTENSIONS, PLANNING PER MISSIONS, 697834934 (295169)
BUY & SELL PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
CARS FOR SALE
CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. Englishspeaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aa-costablanca. org (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail. com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(1000 6)
CARE HOME CARE home in Torrevieja,family run,reasonable rates. Carers available for your home. 697 834 934 (294568)
FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meetings up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477) HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organi-
If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161
CHARITY
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sation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja. com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and nonmembers on 966 723 733 (95456) INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11:00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorrevieja.org (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangelical church.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains
7 - 13 April 2022 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY
affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk. Tel:004 4 800 018 2361. (238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@ gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, h tt p : / / b ra n c h e s . b r i t i s h legion.org.uk/branches/ orihuela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl.co.uk (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.secretary@rbl. community ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details Hon Sec 692 938 664. (10004) ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455) STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support)
Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesupport group@hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesup port.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473) THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www. acacostablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465) THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461) THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458) THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information. (253807) THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar will be closed for the immediate future due to Covid-19. To join the centre on ZOOM on a Tuesday evening at 7pm
INSURANCE
download the ZOOM App. To enter use ID Number 8451471869, then Password 3uf5TE. Identification Fiscal G54713789 (95454)
CLEANING SERVICES RELIABLE, experienced home and deep cleaning service including key handovers plus many other services. Call +34 634 679 668 (292081)
ELECTRICIAN MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (287514)
FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
FUNERALS CREMATION plan. 2575 euros. One-time payment. Full paperwork. Call 697 834 934. (295351)
GOLD WANTED
HOME IMPROVEMENTS BATHROOM & KITCHEN Conversions Costa Blanca, contact 698 320 434. (289486)
CLASSIFIEDS INSURANCE FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UPTO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHATSAPP TO) OR VISIT www.sosinsuran ceinspain.com or email tracey@sosinsurance inspain.com (294938) BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@ beneficialinsuranceinspain. com or visit www.benefi cialinsuranceinspain.com for online quote. (295006) STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygateinsure.com
LAWYER/SOLICITORS SOLICITOR. CRIMINAL LAW, drug cases, Private investigations, debt collection. 30 years’ experience. Mob 697 834 934 office 865 970 169 spancrim law@outlook.com (295578)
LOCKSMITHS ALARMS TORREVIEJA, Install & Repair all types of Alarms & CCTV. Call/Whatsapp 600 933 667 www.alar mastorrevieja.com (294577)
MISCELLANEOUS GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693
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WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 952 147 834. (200726)
MOTORHOMES MOTORHOME / Campervan wanted. Left or right hand drive. Cash waiting for right van. Tlf 650 722 905
MUSIC TUITION P I A N O , Ke y b o a r d , O rgan, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (294805)
NAUTICAL INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE, VHF/ DSC-Radio or Radar Courses held in English individual or small groups starts soon. 626 245 098 (295374)
PERGOLAS TAILOR-MADE in durable canvas, pergola covers, sails, car port, umbrella, spa and CAR COVERS. Mazarron based, at Procomobel market, Guardamar 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Also Google KrugerCanopies.com. Online and mail ordering 667 879 399 krugercanopies@yahoo. co.uk (291448)
For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708) SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting rehoming. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spa ma.org and view our new blog at www.spama -safor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)
PLUMBERS M R F I X I T . For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (287514)
GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709) P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746.
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XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS F E D U P PAY I N G TO O MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN C O N TA C T T E L I T E C TO DAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO M O N T H LY F E E S , N O C O N T R A C T . WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)
SOPHIE naughty, slim, elegant, sexy French lady. 3 languages spoken. Visit all areas, also private apartment in Villamartin. 693 357 526 (291686) EXPERIENCE the best with a 1hr unique massage with Veronica. Shaving or permanent hair removal available. For appointments call 679 292 678 (294870) SPANISH lady - classic. Playa Flamenca, private house, 40 years, attractive. All erotic services, massage, sexy lingerie. From €40. Ana 657 603 495 (294854)
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TORREVIEJA CENTRE Girls big ass, tits & transvestite big cocks. Credit cards accepted. 24hr appointments 691 128 099 (293695) ATTRACTIVE, Girlfriend, Escort, Professional Masseuse. Tel: 693 357 526 (293267)
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PROPERTY FOR RENT RENT Long Term. Playa Flamenca. Ground floor with garden. 2 bedrooms. 1 bath. Comunity pool. Parking. carobrlo@yahoo.es (294118)
READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE.
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PET CHARITY EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorsecare.net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 (95706)
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SITUATIONS VACANT
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ROAD TEST by Mark Slack YOU tend to get a sense of whether a car is different from what has gone before, whether it is likely to be a game changer, whether it is a sense of the future. BMW’s not uncontroversial iX is without doubt such a car. It’s not only a statement as to the fu‐ ture direc‐ tion for the famed German car mak‐ er, but al‐ so gives a sense of what is to come as far as our personal mobility is con‐ cerned. The looks are Mar‐ mite in that people tend to either love or hate them. Whatever way your design thoughts veer there’s no doubt that the iX is a stand‐ out car. While the exterior style may polarise opinion the in‐ terior garnered almost uni‐ versal approval from those
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BMW iX - controversial, but an immensely driveable and impressive machine Facts at a Glance Model: BMW i20 iX xDrive40 M Sport Engine: Li-lon 71 kwh battery – 326PS Gears: Automatic Performance: 0-100 km/h (62 mph) 6.1 seconds/Maximum Speed 199 km/h (124 mph) Range: up to 257 miles Emissions: 0 g/km (WLTP) Price as tested: €86,076/£72,905 + options = total price €101,560/£86,020 Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets. BMW iX: Whatever your design thoughts, it’s a stand-out car.
who looked at my test car. Unsurprising since it’s a premium, clean and mod‐ ern design. I’m not a fan of the current trend for digi‐ talisation, but BMW have managed to produce one of the most useable and intu‐ itive. You still have to dive into menus to operate most functions, but it man‐ ages to make life much sim‐
p l e r than most. Seat controls are on the door panels and to open the door there’s a button rather than a tradi‐ tional handle. On the road the iX handles remarkably well considering it’s a large and heavy car, and even though my test model was the smaller battery pack it still produces impressive ac‐
celeration. It’s also a very quiet and refined car, even allowing for the fact it is electric there’s little in the way of road or wind noise. If there is a problem, it is two‐fold; range and price. The smaller battery has a quoted range of up to 257 miles, which in reality means a limited long‐dis‐ tance ability, but in larger
battery form the range is much more useable at 380 miles. Price is probably more of a factor in that the iX is very expensive before you even begin to look at options. The range starts from €82,533/£69,905 and it’s not difficult with options to tip the €118,070/£100k mark. Open the doors and the rear tailgate and you can see the carbon fibre
structure of the iX, which may go some way to ex‐ plaining that price level. Will people buy it? I think so because despite the lim‐ ited range on the entry model, and that high price tag, this is an immensely driveable, likeable and im‐ pressive machine. It will al‐ ways be a limited sight on our roads but one which will attract more admirers than detractors.
MOTORING
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Emma Raducanu is new Porsche Ambassador EMMA RADUCANU wrote tennis history at the US Open last summer when a sensational winning run in New York resulted in her becoming the first‐ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam tournament. Now, the 19‐year‐old Briton will be one of the faces of Porsche in women’s tennis, repre‐ senting the sports car man‐ ufacturer worldwide as a Brand Ambassador.
She represents a new generation of successful young players on the way to the top of women’s tennis. Emma is currently world ranked number 13. After her success at the US Open, the young lady was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by her coun‐ try ‐ the youngest woman ever to receive the honour. In April, she will make her debut at the Porsche Tennis
Grand Prix in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena. “For me to be a Brand Ambassador for Porsche means a lot,” said Raducanu. “Porsche is one of the brands I’ve always loved from a young age. “One of my first tennis coaches drove a 911. When‐ ever I would turn up to practise in the morning, I would see his Porsche, I would go ‘wow’ and I’d dream about one day sitting
EMMA RADUCANU: Represents a new generation of successful young players.
in my own. Growing up, I would go to Brands Hatch and watch the Porsche Car‐ rera Cup finals. “The adrenalin I would get from motorsports and seeing the Porsches was ac‐ tually the most fun part of
my week,” she continued. “We’re delighted to wel‐ come Emma Raducanu to the Porsche family as a Brand Ambassador,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “She embodies
not only a new generation of strong and self‐confident players but, as a personali‐ ty, is also an inspiration and role model beyond the realms of her sport for young women all over the world.”
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WEATHER TAKES ITS TOLL - AGAIN
THE inclement spring weath‐ er rained off several training sessions. Clubs were hoping to keep in trim for upcoming tournaments and League matches as the Costa Blanca Walking Football League reaches an exciting stage of the season. Esquina Park Rangers trav‐ elled to San Fulgencio for a friendly match taking two teams. The mixed Over 50s/60s teams of EPR proved too strong for the home team whose players were all over 60 years of age except for two. EPR dominated running out winners 4‐2 and 5‐0 in both games, although San Fulgen‐ cio were disappointed at some of the refereeing with more running and physical contact being allowed than would be from an experi‐ enced referee. However, both teams en‐ joyed the encounters while San Fulgencio suggested that when the teams meet again the teams should be of over 60‐year‐olds.
FRIENDLY MATCH: Esquina Park Rangers played against San Fulgencio. It gave all the players some‐ thing to talk about when they retired to the bar for the usual after match dissecting of the game and some banter thrown in for good measure. This highlights one of walk‐ ing football’s biggest prob‐ lems: getting people to be‐ come referees and be familiar with the rules which then allows games to be played with the two most im‐ portant laws of the walking football game ‐NO RUNNING,
NO PHYSICAL CONTACT. If anyone thinks their play‐ ing days are over or have ref‐ ereeing experience and would like to have a go at refereeing walking football contact www.wfai.info for more infor‐ mation or club Facebook pages. On Wednesday, April 6 Es‐ quina Park Rangers hosted a ‘mini tournament’ with For‐ mentera making up a ‘Costa Blanca Duo’ with Camposol and Fortuna ‘crossing the bor‐
der’ to represent Murcia. Full report in next week’s Euro Weekly News... Make sure you get YOUR copy! Next week also sees Hon‐ don Valley Flyers travel to For‐ mentera where they will be hoping to pick up three points against the bottom club to close the gap on League lead‐ ers Portobello. All the news, results and fix‐ tures in the Euro Weekly News who are major supporters of walking football.
FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 full draw THE much‐anticipated draw took place on Friday, April 1, for the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022. Thirty‐two teams were in‐ volved in the draw, to be placed into eight qualifying groups. This is the first time the World Cup has been played in an Arab country, and due to the high temperatures during sum‐ mer, it has been decided to play the tournament in the winter instead. Matches will begin on Monday, November 21, with hosts Qatar facing Ecuador in the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor. The tournament will terminate on Sunday, December 18, when the final will take place at the Lusail Stadium in Doha. Two teams were still unknown as the draw took place be‐ cause the war in Ukraine has affected the European section of the semi‐final play‐offs. One of Scotland, Wales, or Ukraine will eventually head to Qatar once their matches are played. Similarly, in the Intercon‐ tinental section, one of the United Arab Emirates, Australia, or Peru, will make up the final 32 teams. Here is how the eight qualifying groups: • Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands • Group B: England, Iran, USA, European play‐off winner • Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland • Group D: France, Intercontinental play‐off winner, Den‐ mark, Tunisia • Group E: Spain, Intercontinental play‐off winner, Germany, Japan • Group F: Belgium, Morocco, Croatia, Canada • Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon • Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea