Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 12 - 18 May 2022 Issue 1923 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

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55 different types.

Beer festival RINCON DE LA VICT O R I A will be cele‐ brating the Birra & Art Craft Beer Festi‐ val in the Plaza Al Ándalus from Friday May 13 to 15, said the councillor for Tourism, Antonio José Martín. The festival will offer as many as 55 different types of beer from 10 nation‐ al breweries: Blanca Verde, La Sagra, Do‐ mus, La Quince, Sch‐ er Hof, DouGall’s, Segral, Birra manial, La Cibeles, and The One. There will also be 24 stands with inter‐ national cuisine, ranging from Ger‐ man sausages to Ar‐ gentinian barbe‐ cues, as well as handicrafts for sale and free concerts. The mayor of Rin‐ con, Francisco Sala‐ do, said: “The event is a commitment to the craft beer sec‐ tor. You can learn about the culture of beer, experience new flavours, and go with your family.” Prices start at €3. The festival opens to the public on Fri‐ day, May 13 at 12pm. It will be open from 12pm to 1am on Saturday and from 12pm to 7pm on Sunday.

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12 - 18 May 2022

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Spring sprung A L M U Ñ EC A R’S Spring Festival attracted more than 1,000 people to El Majuelo Park. Councillor for Culture and Festivities Alberto García Gilabert said good weather and impressive musical performances helped to fill the event on Saturday, May 7. One of the artists who performed at the event was Camin. It was the first time he had given a concert in his native Almuñecar, and he was evi‐ dently moved by the warm welcome he was giv‐ en. García Gilabert said: “I want to highlight the emotion I felt when I saw Camin. I know the ef‐ fort he has made to achieve his dream and to see him get excited and give it his all in his home‐ town, to see how the public embraced him and love him, made us proud of him.” The objective of the Spring Festival, free of charge, was to bring together young people and promote local artists who are making waves on the current music scene.

STRENGTHENING TIES: The students from Germany are taking part in an exchange programme.

K N OW N for its close connections to the Ger‐ man community, Tor‐ rox is strengthening ties by welcoming 23 students from Ger‐ many, who are taking part in an exchange programme. ‘Promoting a healthy lifestyle and a Euro‐ pean spirit through sport and languages’ is the name of the pro‐ ject that is being car‐ ried out at the Jorge Guillén Secondary School in Torrox through the Erasmus+ programme. On Monday, May 9, the mayor of Torrox, Óscar Medina, together with the councillor for Education, María de los Ángeles Ruiz, and the coordinator of the Ger‐ man bilingual project

at the Jorge Guillén Secondary School, Juan Antonio Lobato, wel‐ comed the students who are in Torrox this week. The pupils are accompanied by two teachers, Annika Keller and Sebastian Amend. Medina stressed the importance of the ini‐ tiative in Torrox, which has had a long‐stand‐ ing tradition of German tourism since the 70s and also has a large community of German residents. “The Germans who are here for the next few days will fall in love with Torrox and will want to come back to visit us with their family and friends,” concluded the mayor. Juan Antonio Lobato explained that the stu‐

dents will stay with families in order to try the local cuisine and to l e a r n a b o u t t h e b e n e‐ fits of a healthy Mediterranean diet. The students from the Hittorf‐Gymnasium in the region of Reck‐ linghausen, Rhineland‐ Westphalia, in the Ruhr area of northern Germany, arrived on Sunday May 8 and will stay until May 16. From May 23 to 31, the students from Torrox will be in Germany.

SPRING FESTIVAL: Camin performed at the event.

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THE Department of Environ‐ mental Sustainability of the Rincon de la Victoria Town Council has highlighted the great interest that there has been in the municipal school gardens project, with the par‐ ticipation of more than 2,000 students since it began last November.

School gardens project

On May 3, the councillor for the area, Borja Ortiz, reported that this is the second edition of this educational programme, which consists of creating school gardens “as a platform

to promote environmental con‐ servation and to improve child nutrition and the social welfare of the educational community.” “The children are involved in the whole process, from

preparing the land to providing soil, fertiliser and irrigation sys‐ tems,” said Ortiz. The school garden project aims to teach children about the world of plants, healthy

eating and the importance of caring for the environment, as well as encouraging coopera‐ tive work and creating a space for sharing experiences. All the schools in the munici‐ pality take part. The Montes de Rincón Association is in charge of coordinating and executing the school gardens project.

Fibre optics for Cajiz THE first deputy mayor of Velez‐Malaga, Jesús Pérez Atencia, and the councillor for New Technology, Juan Carlos Muñoz, visited the vil‐ lage of Cajiz on May 5. From now on, the village will have

fibre optics for its businesses and private homes. Also present were Sergio López Jané, from the company Jet‐ net and Juan Carlos Merino Mejías, a resident of Cajiz. Pérez Atencia said: “We

have important news for the residents of Cajiz, where there have been nu‐ merous problems over the past few years in accessing a quality and stable inter‐ net network. “This government team, through the area of New Technology, has managed to reach an agreement with a company that will bring a fibre optic line to the village of Cajiz to put

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Tourism visit

FIBRE OPTIC: Providing a stable internet service.

an end to the connection problems in this area of the municipality of Velez‐Mala‐ ga,” he added. Finally, he said: “The resi‐ dents of Cajiz will be able to

have a quality and stable line in their homes and busi‐ nesses, something that is now essential for profes‐ sional work, communication and leisure activities.’

Resident warning

NERJA Council is warning residents that they only have until Wednesday, May 18 to pay their road tax. The council said: “Owners of a car or a motorbike are liable to pay road tax up to May 18. “We advise to have a bank order so the bank pays automatically all local tax‐ es. “If you haven’t got a bank order, take the invoice you have received by post

to your bank. “If you haven’t received the invoice, make an appointment at Nerja tax of‐ fice, Patronato de Recaudacion, in Calle Axarquia 3, near the Carrefour super‐ market roundabout, get the invoice and go to your bank to pay it.” The council also warned that British non‐resident property owners in the area are liable for 24 per cent property tax.

SEVERAL dozen Traveltino travel agents from different au‐ tonomous communities saw what Almuñecar and La Her‐ radura have to offer as tourist destinations through a famil‐ iarisation trip jointly organised by the tour operator Traveltino and the Municipal Board of Tourism. The announcement was made by the councillor for Tourism and Beaches, Daniel Barbero, on Monday May 9. “The agents, from Castilla La Mancha, Madrid, Murcia and Andalucia itself, among others, have spent three days thor‐ oughly exploring the possibili‐ ties that the destination has to offer their customers,” said Barbero. They saw first‐hand the infrastructures, companies and tourist services of the mu‐ nicipality, including the hotels, gastronomy, water activities, the rich monumental heritage and nature. Traveltino is a global online tour operator, which is part of the Logitravel Group, which in turn has recently merged with Viajes El Corte Inglés to form one of the leading tourism dis‐ tribution groups in the country.

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NIBS EXTRA Stop Bullying THE Velez‐Malaga councillor for Youth, J Hipólito Gómez, and councillor for Education, Lola Gámez, have named José Miguel Palacios, vice‐ president of the Francisco Castejón Football School, as the winner of the Stop Bully‐ ing 2022 contest. His video had the most votes on social networks. He won supplies for the school worth €1,000.

Art exhibition THE Madrid painter Esther Martínez Recuero is show‐ casing her colourful paintings in the exhibition Oleadas (‘waves’) at the exhibition hall of the Casa de la Cultura in Almuñecar. The exhibition can be visited until May 15 from 11.30am to 1.30pm and from 6pm to 8.30pm.

Tourism boost RINCON DE LA VICTORIA was present with promo‐ tional tourism campaigns at the Expovacaciones Fair in Bilbao from May 6 to 8. The event brings together a large number of companies, public institutions and profession‐ als, with exhibitions dedicat‐ ed to all types of tourism, in‐ cluding weekend getaways, nature tourism and adven‐ ture holidays.

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National dance championships

THE Sports department of the Rincon de la Victoria Town Hall, the school Gym Victory, the Spanish Federation of D ancesport and FEDA Spain are jointly holding new editions of the 11th National Fit-Kid Dance Championship and the ninth National Spanish Dance C ompetition. T he announcement was made on Tuesday May 3 by the councillor of the area, Antonio José Martín. On June 25 and 26, the events will bring together about 1,000 participants, some of whom are as young as three years old, who will travel from participating clubs from A ndalucia, M urcia, Barcelona, Madrid, the Canary Islands and other areas.

TV stars ALMUÑECAR-La Herradura will intensify its tourism cam‐ paigns over the next few months on the TV channels TV5 and Cuatro, part of the Mediaset group, thanks to the agreement reached be‐ tween the Tourist Board of Almuñecar and the internet travel agency Destinia. The campaign will run from May 29 for a month and a half.

4th Solidarity Race held

SCHOOL STUDENTS: From all classes took part.

JOINT EVENT: Area councillor made the announcement.

M artín said: “ T he event promotes an interest in sport from a very early age through highlycompetitive championships organised by one of our most important schools, Gym V ictory, which wins a significant number of trophies and prizes for its young athletes each year.”

T he ninth N ational Spanish Dance Competition in freestyle includes the disciplines of flamenco, classical and folklore. The National Fit-KidDance Championship will involve choreographies performed by groups, couples, trios and individuals, with cash prizes worth €6,000.

Civil Protection Volunteers

Job guidance THE Algarrobo Town Hall, in collaboration with the organ‐ isation INCIDE and the An‐ dalucian Employment Ser‐ vice, is now offering residents an employment guidance service. Those interested can make an appointment at the Town Hall Registry (952 552 430) or at te Algarrobo‐Costa Mayor’s Office (952 511 167).

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THE Virgen de la Antigua School in Almuñecar has had a hugely successful fourth edition of its Soli‐ darity Race, which is held for ALOJHA, a local as‐ sociation for people with special needs. The an‐ nouncement was made on Monday May 9 by the school’s headteacher, Jesús Carretero. The day, which took place on Friday, May 6, be‐ gan with breakfast shared by students and mem‐ bers of ALOJHA. This was followed by the fourth Solidarity Race, in which students from all classes took part. After registering and donating, the stu‐ dents ran around the circuit in the playground. The number of laps was determined by their age. Several members of ALOJHA also took part. The proceeds will be announced next week, and there will be an additional €200 from the parents’ association, an amount raised from the sale of t‐ shirts. Prior to the race, the students of the Virgen de la Antigua School had already participated in vari‐ ous activities in order to learn about people with disabilities and gain awareness and empathy.

and finally... VOLUNTEERS: Were congratulated for all their efforts during the Covid-19 crisis.

THE mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, and the councillor for Safety and Trans‐ port, Francisco Arce, have congratulated the local group of Civil Protection Volun‐ teers for the Gold Medal of Merit they were awarded by the Junta de Andalucia for all their efforts during the Covid‐19 crisis. Speaking on Saturday May 7, Armijo said: “The volunteers have played a fun‐ damental role in caring for the residents and supporting the town hall, the Local Police and the Guardia Civil, doing a dis‐

creet but very effective job.” The town hall also has the intention of providing the Civil Protection Volunteers with a new base to replace the current facilities, which are located in the multi‐ purpose building Clara Campoamor, on Calle Carabeo. “Our objective is to continue support‐ ing Civil Protection so that it has more and better resources. That is why we are going to promote this project so that it will soon become a reality,” concluded the mayor.

WORLD HAND HYGIENE DAY. The Health Management Area of East Malaga‐Axarquia took part in the WHO’s World Hand Hygiene Day, which was Thursday, May 5. The Junta de An‐ dalucia launched a special awareness‐raising campaign for the occasion to highlight the importance of hand‐washing to pre‐ vent the transmission of microorganisms. The Preventive Medicine Service of the Malaga‐Axarquia Health Area set up an information table at one of the main doors of the Axarquia Hospital, giving advice and practical demonstrations on the importance of hand hygiene. Hands act as a vehicle for the spread of microorganisms. Therefore, regular and correct hand hygiene can reduce health‐ care‐associated infections (HAIs) at healthcare centres by up to 70 per cent. In addition to preventing the spread of Covid‐19, hand wash‐ ing also helps to reduce the transmission of diseases such as common colds, influenza, hepatitis A, some types of gastroen‐ teritis, infections caused by antibiotic‐resistant and non‐antibi‐ otic‐resistant microorganisms and herpes.

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Only men penalised A BAR in Girona, Catalonia, has been criti‐ cised by the mayor and others on social me‐ dia for charging only men an entrance fee. The Guardia Urbana fined a bar in the Plaça del Sol for charging men an entrance fee of €10, which included a drink, while let‐ ting women in for free. The move was interpreted as discrimina‐ tion on the grounds of sex. The complaint against the venue was filed on May 7 and the difference in price for men and women was widely discussed on social networks. The mayor of Figueres, Agnés Lladó, post‐ ed on her Twitter account: “When we don’t pay for the product, we become the prod‐ uct.” She continued: “We want to put an end to all sexist discrimination so that no girl thinks that her body is what gets her into any place.” The Guardia Urbana reported the venue for sex discrimination under the decree on recreational activities and events, a very seri‐ ous offence which carries fines of between €15,000 and €50,000.

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Son’s UK-Spain fundraiser A TRAFFORD dad‐of‐two will take on a non‐stop 1,600 mile cy‐ cle to Aguilas, Murcia, in honour of his mum who tragically died of organ failure. Jonathan Mawby, 44, will be‐ gin his three‐week ride on Friday, May 13, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, to raise money for Myeloma UK after his mother had been diagnosed

with the blood cancer in 2018. Jonathan, who owns a garage in Knutsford, Cheshire, has spent time holidaying in Aguilas and is a keen amateur cyclist. His massive cycle will see him climb the equivalent of twice the height of Mount Everest. Support vehicles will see him joined by his sister Sally Silver and dad Mike.

THE European Commission announced a new aid package of €200 million to support dis‐ placed people in Ukraine, on Thursday, May 5. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We came together with a clear purpose: to support the brave people of Ukraine, who fight the aggressor and stand up for their freedom. “We are now in the 10th week of Russia’s brutal invasion. Ten weeks during which the

Jonathan Mawby said: “I’ll be cycling around 80 miles a day. It’s going to be tough. “I’m raising money for Myelo‐ ma UK in memory of my lovely mum, Lee, who died on October 5, 2020. “She had been diag‐ nosed with myeloma in Decem‐ ber 2018. “Myeloma is currently incurable. “Treatments can be effective

at controlling the disease but as I know from Mum’s experience, they don’t work for all patients. “My hope is to raise much needed funds to find kinder, less intrusive treatments and ulti‐ mately to find a cure.” You can donate to Jonathan’s fundraiser at www.justgiving.com/fundrais ing/altrinchamtoaguilas

€200m for Ukraine refugees European Union stood firmly by Ukraine. “The European Union answered the call, once more, to support Ukraine. On behalf of the European Commission, I pledged €200 mil‐ lion for Ukraine. “And last month, during a pledging event, €9.1 billion was raised for Ukrainians inside and

outside Ukraine.” Close to eight million people, two‐third of whom are children, have been internally dis‐ placed since the beginning of Putin’s war in Ukraine. More than 5.3 million have left Ukraine to seek shelter in the EU and neigh‐ bouring countries.

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Italy donates fire engines THE European Commission an‐ nounced on Thursday, May 5 that Italy has donated much‐needed fire engines to Ukraine, as the country battles to deal with fires caused by Russian missiles. In total 45 modern fire engines have been donated. The news comes amid claims by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia has de‐ stroyed over 400 clinics and hos‐ pitals in seemingly indiscriminate attacks. Experts have suggested however that these attacks are designed to pummel the Ukraini‐ an people into submission as its

THE Tory Police Commissioner for Nottinghamshire police who had promised to crack down on speeding has pled guilty to breaking the limit five times in less than three months. Caroline Henry, admitted to breaking the 30 mph speed lim‐ it, including being caught on two consecutive days. Magistrates were told by her defence solicitor, Noel Philo, that she had written a letter to the court saying she was “very

MUCH-NEEDED: Modern vehicles.

Speeding hypocrite sorry, embarrassed and ashamed.” Henry, who is the wife of Broxtowe MP Darren Henry, apparently wrote the letter after taking the advice of her solicitor. Henry is expected when they

initial strategy fails. Non‐military donations have been an essential part of efforts to help Ukraine deal with the fallout of war, with now close to six mil‐ lion having fled the country. Many of these refugees have lost every‐ thing, with the invading forces hav‐ ing destroyed their homes. It is understood that further non‐ military aid, like the fire engines which were donated by Italy, is un‐ der consideration by the European Commission and member countries as Ukraine looks to try and rebuild in those areas it has recaptured.

return to court on July 19, to argue two of the five offences were due to ‘emergencies’, with one being when she was “very concerned for one of her children.” Her official website lists one of her priorities as ensuring an ‘effective and efficient’ police response to speeding. In her election campaign she used the slogan "’Make Notts Safe’ promising to “reduce crime with action, not words.”

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EU residency rules THE European Commission has said that it wants to deal with a skills shortage by making the bloc more attractive to non‐Europeans. Under discussion are proposals that will change the rules on work and residence permits, with the commission saying that there are skills shortages in as many as 28 professions. Industries that are affected by structural shortages include tourism, hospitality, IT, health and logistics. Central to the proposals are changes to the current rules that allow for non‐EU citizens who have lived and worked in the EU for several years to apply for long‐term residence in the country where they live. Becoming a long‐term resident will require the person to live ‘legally’ in an EU country for five years, as well as not being away for more than six consecutive months and 10 months in the entire period. They also need to have sufficient economic resources and health insurance, whilst some countries also require the applicant to meet ‘integration condi‐ tions’ such as passing a language test.

Labour’s huge gains LABOUR took control of three previously Conservative‐led boroughs in a swing towards the left‐wing party in local elections last Thursday, May 5. Wandsworth, Barnet and Westminster boroughs all went red follow‐ ing the elections, while elsewhere in England, Labour also saw modest gains. Many pundits believe the swing away from the Conservatives was in response to the allegations of sleaze and lockdown parties, as well as the state of the economy following Brexit. Although Labour had its strongest showing in several elections, its leader Keir Starmer is under pressure as the party faithful and political analysts believe he has not managed to take full advantage of the poor showing by the Tories. The surprise of the night was the revival of the Liberal Democrats, who picked up nearly one in five votes.

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New Dr Who DR WHO: Is known worldwide.

SEX EDUCATION actor Ncuti Gatwa has been revealed by the BBC as the new ‘Doctor Who’, replacing Jodie Whit‐ taker on Sunday, May 8. Last July, the current Time Lord, actress Jodie Whittaker, sensationally announced her

‘Minder’ star dies DENNIS WATERMAN, star of Minder, The Sweeney, and New Tricks passed away aged 74 at his home in Spain on Sunday, May 8. His death was confirmed in a statement from his family. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Dennis passed away very peacefully at his home in Spain, on Saturday evening, with Pam by his side. The family kind‐ ly ask that our privacy is respected at this very difficult time,” it said. Born in Clapham, South London, although famous for gracing our television screens in iconic cop dramas, his in‐ credible career spanned six decades. At the age of 13, he was a child actor, and played numerous roles in theatre pro‐ ductions. Undoubtedly it was his role in the 1970s as DS George Carter in the epic police drama, The Sweeney, that really brought Dennis to the attention of British television view‐ ers.

departure from the long‐run‐ ning sci‐fi series. Rwanda‐born 29‐year‐old Scottish actor Gatwa will take control of ‘that blue phone box show’, the Tardis. He will undoubtedly embark on grip‐ ping travels through time and space when he becomes the 14th Time Lord to re‐gener‐ ate. Gatwa will work with scripts by Russel T Davies, who the BBC revealed will re‐ turn as showrunner. Davies previously worked on the show from 2005 to 2009. “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply hon‐ oured, beyond excited and of course, a little bit scared,” Gat‐ wa said of his new job. He added, “This role and show mean so much to so many around the world, in‐ cluding myself, and each one of my incredibly talented pre‐ decessors has handled that unique responsibility and priv‐ ilege with the utmost care.”

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Long Covid ‘ageing’ A NEW study says that cognitive impairment due to long Covid is equivalent to ageing by 20 years or losing 10 IQ points. Long Covid researchers from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London examined 46 patients admitted to a UK hospital from March to July 2020. The study, published last week in the journal eClini‐ calMedicine, part of The Lancet, discovered severe illness creates Covid brain

Suffering from brain fog?

fog, even six months after infection. Of the 46 patients, 16 were placed on mechanical ventilation during their time in hospital. The pa‐

tients were compared to a control group. Six months after their stay in hospital, the re‐ searchers asked the pa‐ tients and the control group to undergo a com‐ puterised test to measure their memory, attention and reasoning. The researchers found that compared to the con‐ trol group, those who had been hospitalised were less accurate and displayed slower response times in the test.

Shell’s highest profits ENERGY giant Shell reported its highest ever quarterly profits on Thursday, May 5, as oil and gas prices surge around the world. Adjusted earnings at Europe’s largest oil company stand at $9.1 billion in the first three months of the year, which is almost triple the $3.2 billion it recorded a year earlier. Shell’s shares jumped more than 3 per cent in early trading last Thursday. Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, Ben van Beurden, said: “The war in Ukraine is first and foremost a human tragedy, but it has also caused significant disruption to global energy markets and has shown that secure, reliable and affordable energy simply cannot be taken for granted. “The impacts of this uncertainty and the higher cost that comes with it are being felt far and wide.”

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Personality disorders

THE much publicised court‐ room that has seen Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trade accusations, was told on Friday, May 6 that Heard suffers from attention seek‐ ing personality disorders. Officially recognised by the American Psychiatric As‐ sociation’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, attention seeking or histrionic person‐ ality are according to some mental‐health professionals outdated, sexist, and stig‐

HEARD: Attention seeking.

matising. For her part, Heard’s psy‐ chologist has dismissed the claims, saying that she is suf‐

fering from the mental stress of Depp’s alleged abuse. According to the American Psychiatric Association, histri‐ onic personality disorder is a narcissistic and antisocial per‐ sonality disorder, often char‐ acterised by dramatic, ex‐ citable, erratic, or volatile behaviours. In particular, those who suffer from the affliction, show exaggerated emotions and attention‐seeking be‐ haviours.

Roman treasure found

THREE metal detectorist friends have uncovered a treasure trove of 161 Roman coins in Wiltshire. Their discovery, made in a field near the ancient village of Pewsey, is estimated to be worth tens of thousands of pounds. After finishing his breakfast one morning, 53‐year‐old Robert Abbott, a computer shop owner from Essex, de‐

cided to switch his metal de‐ tector on and do some searching. Mr Abbott soon came across a Roman siliqua coin. This valuable discovery could be as much as 1,600 years old, and is valuable. As soon as his friends ‐ 63‐ year‐old Mick Rae, and David Allen aged 59 ‐ realised what he had found, they joined in. Their weekend tally eventual‐ ly totalled 161 coins, with

some dating back to AD 340‐ 402. These included silver sili‐ qua and miliarense coins. “Having finished breakfast first, I turned on my machine ‐ a Minelab Equinox 800 ‐ and having walked around six paces from the tent, I found several tent pegs, and, just under the surface, a late Ro‐ man silver siliqua in pristine condition,” explained Mr Ab‐ bott.

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NEWS

Russia’s warning Untrained pilot chaos

RUSSIAN filmmaker Shakhnazarov has blasted critics of President Vladimir Putin, saying that there will be “no mercy” for them. Speaking on Russian TV Shakhnazarov said: “The opponents of letter Z must understand that if they are counting on mercy, no. “There will be no mercy for them. “It all became very serious, in this case, it means concentration camps, re‐education, sterilisation. “This is very serious.” Speculation started on Wednesday, May 4, that Putin could soon declare war against Ukraine and mobilise troops nationally on May 9. Russia’s onslaught against Ukraine so far has been called a ‘special military operation’ rather than war by THE Ministry of Health an‐ nounced on Thursday, May 5 that they had discovered a new coronavirus variant in Spain. In its latest report, the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emer‐ gencies highlighted that some sequences corre‐ sponding to the new BA.5 mutation of Covid‐19 have been detected in recent weeks. A warning has already been issued by the World Health Organisation regard‐

NO MERCY: The situation is now serious.

Russia. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin commented on the speculation about a national mobilisation and said: “There is no chance of that. It’s nonsense.” He went on to add: “It is not true. It is non‐ sense.”

New Covid strain

ing the ‘transmission poten‐ tial of this variant,’ and the risk of it being immune to the current vaccines avail‐ able. In its epidemiological re‐ port, the Ministry of Health explained that “the first stud‐ ies indicate that previous in‐ fection by the BA.1 variant of Omicron could offer a minor degree of protection against the new strain that is already

circulating in our country.” Tedros Adhanom Ghe‐ breyesus, the director‐gener‐ al of the WHO, warned this week that the scientists who identified Omicron at the end of last year have now warned that the two sub‐ variants that have been de‐ tected in Spain, the BA.4 and BA.5, could be responsible for the increase in coron‐ avirus cases in South Africa.

BRITISH holidaymakers on a flight from Heathrow to New York were left terrified as their pilot was forced to turn back because he was still in training. The Virgin Atlantic flight had been in the air for 40 minutes when the first offi‐ cer piped up to say that he had not completed his final flight test. One holidaymak‐ er commented on the amazing mishap and said: “You could have cut the tension in the cockpit with a knife.” After returning to Heathrow the Virgin At‐ lantic Airbus A330 had to wait for a more experi‐ enced replacement co‐pilot. Commenting on the inci‐ dent, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson stated: “Due to a rostering error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York‐JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday May 2 shortly af‐ ter take‐off. “The qualified first officer, who was flying alongside an

experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantic’s training protocols, which exceed in‐ dustry standards.

“We apologise for any in‐ convenience caused to our customers who arrived two hours, 40 minutes later than scheduled as a result of the crew change.”

UK pension increase UK pensions could be set to rise by more than 10 per cent in 2023 after Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said that he would reintroduce the pension triple lock. The move will see pensions go up in line with an infla‐ tion rate that is currently running above 10 per cent. With the Bank of England forecasting inflation to rise above 10.25 per cent in the fourth quarter, any reintro‐ duction of the triple lock would see record rises in the state pension. The triple lock introduced by David Cameron guarantees to increase the state pension by 2.5 per cent or the rate of inflation, whichever is higher. Sunak suspended the triple lock, with the UK’s debt having increased enormously as the country struggled to cope with the pandemic.

The advert works really great. I’ve tried most of the other papers and the little local directories and it is only the EWN that I use because it works. In actual fact it brings in around 30 per cent of my work.” Julian, Grill Us Julian

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HEADACHES BY THE NUMBER DAVID WORBOYS I’LL start with a question. A diary and a pencil purchased separately cost €11. The diary costs €10 more than the pencil. How much is the pencil? Easy. Answer at the end. The money required to buy a house for €2,000,000 in cash would require 25 kilometres of €10 notes laid out, end‐to‐end, along the mo‐ torway ‐ from Nerja to Velez‐Mala‐ ga or from Puerto Banus to Es‐ tepona. The notes would weigh 220 kilos ‐ twice the weight of Lennox Lewis in his prime. No number contains an ‘L’ in its spelling in English until we reach one million. There is no ‘B’ until one billion. In rugby union the only impossible points score‐lines are 1, 2 and 4. There are 2,755 (dollar) billion‐ aires in the world today ‐ roughly one in every 2,867,500 people. A single billion is an enormous num‐ ber. One billion seconds ago the

USSR was still in existence (it was 1991). A billion minutes ago the Mayan civilisation was at its peak. A billion hours ago we were emerg‐ ing from the stone age (112,000 BC). Elon Musk is worth $282 billion. To go back in time by one second for every dollar of Elon Musk’s worth, we would go back 8,773 years The speed of light is 300,000 km per second. The distance of one light day is 26 billion km; one light year is 9.5 trillion km. Earth’s Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years in diameter. Trying to define the en‐ tire universe in numbers, with its estimated 140 billion galaxies, would give me a headache. Finally, Spain’s greatest literature figure died on April 22, 1616. The following day England’s died too. Ah! The pencil costs 50 centimes (and the diary €10.50).

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FINLAND

Wailing Day

Chewie, we’re home

WEDNESDAY May 4 was designated Big Wailing Day in Denmark as it was time to perform the annual test of 1,078 sirens situated around the country, which was first started in 1994 and takes place the day before National Day on May 5.

FOR the first time, the largest Star Wars private collections in the world visits Finland this year as the Unofficial Galaxies summer exhibition is due to open in the Tampere Hall on July 1 and visitors will be invited to dress as their favourite character

IRELAND

THE NETHERLANDS Liberation Day

Mixed blessing

CHELSEA Pensioner, 96-year-old Harry Rawlings (one of 20 Second World War veterans who travelled to Holland for the event) lit the Freedom Flame at midnight on Thursday May 5 in Wageningen to mark Liberation Day which is a public holiday in The Netherlands

IRELAND has been particularly successful in attracting international companies such as Facebook and Google to set up data centres thanks in part to the beneficial tax rules, but it now appears that these centres account for 14 per cent of all electricity used in the Republic.

BELGIUM

ITALY

Ruffled feathers

Oops

WHEN police stopped a British number plated car on the Brussels orbital road on May 1, they were surprised on looking inside that it was full of exotic birds such as canaries, parrots and parakeets as well as some pigeons, an astonishing 415 in total.

AN elderly female tourist appeared to have either fainted or tripped over a low barrier at the Galleria Borghese in Rome on May 4 and managed to damage a 17th century painting of St Francis by Guido Reni, which will now have to be removed and restored.

GERMANY

PORTUGAL

Condom conundrum

COTEC meeting

MAKING history in Germany, a court has ruled that a woman who damaged her reluctant partner’s condoms in a bid to become pregnant was guilty of ‘stealthing’ which normally occurs when a man secretly removes his condom during sexual intercourse, unbeknownst to his partner.

TRAVELLING to Oporto, King Felipe arrived on May 3 to take part in the annual COTEC meeting where representatives of Italy, Portugal and Spain meet to discuss innovation and international cooperation. From Oporto, he travelled to Braga where the actual meeting took place.

FRANCE

UKRAINE

Electric fires

Decathlon returns

AFTER the second of Paris’s 149 electric buses caught fire for no apparent reason, the decision was made to take them all out of service temporarily so that the Bollore Bluebus 5SE could be checked for inherent faults, although no-one has been injured by the fires.

AFTER closing its four stores in Ukraine, French chain Decathlon has announced that it has reopened its shop in the Petrivka Retail Park in Kyiv and has also gone back online to supply goods to other parts of the country wherever delivery is possible.

NORWAY

SWEDEN

Record number

NATO doubts

IN 2021, some 41,100 people were granted Norwegian citizenship, the largest number ever with Swedes topping the statistics due to the fact that dual nationality is now allowed. Perhaps unexpectedly British, Danish and Polish applicants beat non-European refugees in gaining Norwegian passports.

THE potential application by Sweden and Finland to join NATO could be stymied if the Croatian President Zoran Milanović is able to veto any deal at the upcoming Madrid summit. He is at odds with the Croatian Parliament, but the vote may be for ambassadors only.

FEATURE

euroweeklynews.com

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT HAVING just (about) recovered from a second bout of the dreaded Covid contagion, it did cross my mind just how quiet all the Covid deniers have become. At one time the social media was awash with individuals scoffing and decrying the very existence of this very real and potentially devastating disease. The conspiracy theorists were rampant, not only denying the disease actually existed, but a large number blaming it all on a devious plot to bring the whole of mankind to its knees and totally reset the world as we knew it! I can only assume that as time went on and more and more of these people actually contracted the disease themselves, or were confronted with friends and relatives that fell victim, even the bloodiest minded of them finally had to accept the truth. None will ever admit it of course. That is the problem with conspiracy theorists, they are generally sufferers of rampant insecurity or inferiority complexes and to bolster their own frailties try to convince others they are more aware of situations and events in the world

12 - 18 May 2022

Covid deniers than the majority. People who suffer from this malady will find conspiracies in just about everything; it constantly boosts their fragile egos by making them appear (and feel) important. Well I find them very dangerous indeed. I also think they owe an apology to all the medical staff, doctors, nurses and laboratory workers who spent their time, and on many occasions actually laid down their lives in the fight to combat this devastating disease. They should also apologise to all who have lost loved ones and those still fighting the effects of the dreaded Long Covid, which has also been proven to be very real and utterly debilitating to so many ‐ they won’t of course, they never do. Many of these conspiracy theorists are also deniers of historical events. Large numbers maintain that man has never walked on the moon or even actually travelled in space. Try telling that to the parents and loved ones of the tragic crew of the ill fated Challenger, or of the seven that died when the Columbia shuttle disintegrated on reentry in 1973. To be honest if we listened to the conspiracy theorists, mankind would probably not exist at all. Mind you

sometimes I do actually think myself that we could all be figments of our own imagination. Ah well. My second ‘Ah well’ of the week occurred the other night. After appearing at a prestigious beach front nightspot on Mallorca, I was approached by a beautiful young woman that appeared to have been enjoying my spot with some gusto. Probably in her early 20s, she laid a hand gently on my arm and, gazing up adoringly, told me she was Swedish and had truly enjoyed my music. ‘You brought back so many wonderful memories’ she crooned seductively. ‘Oh really’ I stuttered, preening slightly but somewhat taken aback. ‘Yes’, she went on, ‘you reminded me so much of my late grandfather’‐ Ah Well! Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. Fri. 1pm till 4.

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EWN 11

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Crypto crackdown

euroweeklynews.com • 12 - 18 May 2022

STAT OF WEEK

$100,000

a night is the cost of enjoying the top suite in the world’s most expensive hotel, the Palms Casino Resort Hotel in Las Vegas.

Diesel costs spiral Credit: Alex Holyoake flickr

ONLINE cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase are either having to suspend services in Spainorarehavingdifficultyinreceiving approval to start them in a toughening of oversight by both the Bank of Spain and watchdog CNMV.

Visit Rwanda ACCORDING to the UK press, the British government plans to spend £100,000 on running a foreign language social media campaign targeting countries with the greatest number of potential economic migrants, saying that “Britain is closed for business” so they could end up in Rwanda instead.

British tourists WITH Schengen requirements very much in the mind of British holiday‐ makers, the National Statistics Institute (INE) confirmed that of four million international tourists visiting Spain in March, 18.3 per cent or 826,399 were British nationals who were able to cope with the post‐Brexit entry require‐ ments.

Cake Face AN amateur baker in Norwich has taken the plunge and set up her own home delivery business offering a combination of sweet treats and a large helping of mindfulness. Cake Face not only delivers cakes, but also inspiringwordsandalinktoanuplifting song.

Industrial output decline LATESTnewsfromtheSpanishNational Statistics Institute (INE) released on May 6 revealed that industrial output had dropped in March after getting slightly stronger in February. Although the percentages are relatively small in number terms, the drop of 1.8 per cent following a 0.9 per cent growth the previousmonthtranslatestomillionsof euros of lost production. In real terms over a 12‐month basis, production has grown by just 0.1 per cent and appears to have been held back firstly by Covid restrictions during 2021 and now by a combination of higher costs of raw material and supply‐chain delays.

Nearly 60 per cent of Spanish vehicles use diesel.

FUEL costs in Spain are giving the con‐ sumer no respite at the moment. The 20 cents per litre discount that the government introduced on April 1 has relieved the situation slightly, but the cost of petrol and diesel just keeps increasing, with Economy Min‐ ister Nadia Calviño warning retailers that she may withdraw the discount if it is not passed on to consumers. According to data from the EU Oil Bulletin published on Thursday May 5, diesel has broken a record in Spain by reaching an average cost of €1.872/litre which means that it ex‐

THE UK government has de‐ manded fair play for all and will target large tech firms who take advantage of consumers as well as small businesses. Although no implementation date has been confirmed, the De‐ partment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) an‐ nounced on Friday May 6 that it planned to launch a new digital watchdog with statutory powers. The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be created in order to enforce pro‐competition rules and rebalance the relationship tech giants have with consumers and businesses, so they are bet‐ ter protected from unfair prac‐ tices. Plans will be turned into reality

FINANCE

ceeded the price of petrol for the fifth consecutive week. Data from the Geoportal of gas sta‐ tions of the Spanish Ministry for the Environment show that in 1,288 petrol stations, its cost is already above or close to €2/litre. That is equivalent to 11.3 per cent of the forecourt pumps in the country. Specifically, in 780 stations it has al‐ ready hit that cost, while in the rest it is at €1.999/litre. In another 6,000, its cost exceeds €1.90/litre, slightly above the €1.872/litre average. Despite diesel cars being doomed

to disappear in the future, a report from the We Are Safe disclosure ini‐ tiative, promoted by the employers of Unespa insurance companies, said that 14.6 million of the 24.6 million cars on the road in Spain are still de‐ pendent on diesel. Even with these reported increas‐ es, fuel costs in Spain are still lower than the average of the European Union, and the eurozone. In these two zones, the average cost of petrol stands at €1.870, and €1.882, while diesel is at €1.939, and €1.921 respec‐ tively.

Fair play for all as fines up to 10 per cent of glob‐ al turnover will be implemented for breaches and senior tech bosses will face tough penalties if firms fail to comply with the rules The DCMS said that the majori‐ ty of UK companies now rely on powerful tech firms to ensure customers find their business on‐ line. International firms control key online gateways for millions of internet users and give prefer‐ ence to their own apps and browsers. They are also able to set their own prices for the on‐

line services they provide busi‐ nesses without challenge, which can be passed on to consumers. The impact of weakened com‐ petition is stark ‐ the Competi‐ tion and Markets Authority esti‐ mates that Google and Facebook made excess UK profits of £2.4 billion in 2018 alone ‐ harming consumers through higher prices. Smartphone users could get more choice of which search en‐ gines they have access to more choice of social media platforms as new entrants enter the mar‐ ket and more control over how their data is used by companies.

Iberdrola investment FOLLOWING the news that Volkswagen/SEAT planned to spend €10 billion on the elec‐ tric vehicle business in Spain and is starting with a huge new building in Valencia, it has to be remembered that going electric, requires a lot of electricity. Spanish utility company Iberdrola has jumped in quickly and announced that it plans to invest €500 million in the construction of a 250‐ hectare solar farm not far from the gigafactory’s loca‐ tion in the area of Sagunto. The plan is to ensure that all of the electricity used by the factory is supplied by Iberdrola which will, through its investment, ensure that the manufacture of the VW batteries is possible using on‐ ly renewable energy.

Funding a green future THE Spanish Venture Capital fund behind Glovo and Spotify is going green as Seaya Ventures partners with Iberdrola and Nortia. Hoping to raise €300 million and become the largest Venture Capital fund focused on sustain‐ ability in southern Europe, Seaya Andromeda has already attract‐ ed investments of €130 million. The fund will invest in technol‐ ogy‐driven companies focusing on GreenTech, Circular Economy, Agritech and Sustainable Food Value Chain and will be promot‐ ing a sustainable and healthy so‐ ciety by reducing waste and pol‐ lution, through investments in top European tech‐driven com‐ panies. As the fund endorses EU and Spanish aims to help provide a greener future, it anticipates fi‐ nancial support from the Spanish government.

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14 EWN

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12 - 18 May 2022

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES M AY 9

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.316,50 1.344,00 Abrdn 187,30 193,25 Admiral Group 2.349,9 2.409,0 Anglo American 3.599,0 3.723,5 Antofagasta 1.504,00 1.572,50 Ashtead Group 4.142,0 4.264,0 Associated British Foods 1.592,0 1.640,0 AstraZeneca 10.568,0 10.632,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 622,80 638,80 Avast 525,00 540,40 Aveva 2.284,0 2.309,0 Aviva 427,70 451,00 B&M European Value Retail SA490,40 498,70 BAE Systems 763,80 766,40 Bank VTB DRC 1,000 1,000 Barclays 150,34 154,44 Barratt Developments 488,70 498,30 Berkeley 4.135,0 4.204,0 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.696,50 2.749,50 BP 423,94 427,30 British American Tobacco 3.363,5 3.370,5 British Land Company 502,80 507,00 BT Group 183,85 188,85 Bunzl 3.134,0 3.142,0 Burberry Group 1.560,5 1.613,5 Carnival 1.240,0 1.287,5 Centrica 80,00 80,95 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.610,0 1.645,5 Compass 1.696,00 1.739,50 CRH 3.216,5 3.282,5 Croda Intl 7.566,0 7.698,0 DCC 6.286,0 6.348,0 Diageo 3.964,0 3.996,0 DS Smith 333,30 338,60 EasyJet 526,20 558,00 Experian 2.776,0 2.813,0 Ferguson 9.860,0 10.045,0 Flutter Entertainment 8.600,0 9.016,0 Fresnillo 780,40 800,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.785,20 1.793,40 Glencore 495,30 502,50 Halma 2.452,0 2.481,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 891,20 916,20 Hikma Pharma 1.700,50 1.734,50 HSBC 510,50 523,00 IAG 145,62 151,50 Imperial Brands 1.682,53 1.685,95 Informa 569,40 581,20 InterContinental 5.082,0 5.262,0

% CHG. 1.316,50 186,95 2.347,0 3.587,0 1.504,00 4.136,0 1.587,0 10.486,0 622,80 502,40 2.242,0 427,60 490,10 747,00 1,000 149,92 488,70 4.098,0 2.675,00 416,75 3.303,0 495,00 181,80 3.097,0 1.559,0 1.238,5 78,86 1.609,0 1.695,50 3.204,0 7.536,0 6.254,0 3.950,5 332,70 522,60 2.755,0 9.856,0 8.592,0 777,40 1.767,80 489,55 2.433,0 890,40 1.657,50 509,80 145,56 1.663,00 569,40 5.078,0

NET VOL 601,98K 2,47M 370,64K 1,65M 403,56K 518,11K 951,60K 841,22K 691,98K 2,76M 278,53K 4,03M 3,30M 3,59M 0 40,66M 1,25M 102,71K 1,88M 4,32M 1,79M 1,19M 5,50M 284,30K 116,83K 613,77K 1,28M 287,37K 1,29M 477,88K 123,73K 145,80K 1,55M 1,12M 3,22M 476,25K 438,66K 269,18K 598,58K 3,31M 18,47M 195,59K 545,38K 983,45K 13,43M 19,50M 81,71K 1,40M 283,80K

ºCOMPANY

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

1.469,00 5.184,0 72,16 232,60 2.302,0 739,43 248,95 44,28 7.512,0 772,80 116,55 1.591,50 1.204,50 212,70 6.030,0 1,89 852,20 2.101,4 592,40 966,60 6.398,0 2.398,00 547,40 608,60 5.580,0 82,66 0,60 719,00 1.325,50 0,0453 2.896,0 886,98 1.195,50 3.103,0 2.306,5 1.326,00 1.531,50 11.650,0 1.872,00 1.286,50 570,00 127,15 272,70 232,20 3.647,0 1.134,50 124,20 2.784,0 1.018,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

1.521,50 5.220,0 76,86 235,50 2.369,0 747,00 255,50 46,72 7.660,0 774,00 121,35 1.632,00 1.210,50 223,70 6.282,0 1,89 931,00 2.143,0 606,80 1.017,00 6.452,0 2.414,00 553,00 627,00 5.686,0 86,22 0,60 731,60 1.360,50 0,0453 2.960,0 920,00 1.208,50 3.118,0 2.325,0 1.338,50 1.539,50 11.890,0 1.890,00 1.317,00 584,00 130,00 274,30 242,10 3.671,0 1.140,50 124,74 2.917,0 1.037,50

1.469,00 5.152,0 72,10 231,10 2.294,0 729,60 249,00 43,98 7.494,0 770,00 116,50 1.568,50 1.183,00 209,70 6.016,0 1,89 853,00 2.100,0 592,40 965,00 6.370,0 2.361,00 543,20 608,60 5.556,0 82,64 0,60 717,40 1.321,50 0,0453 2.894,0 885,80 1.166,50 3.049,0 2.252,0 1.313,50 1.512,50 11.650,0 1.845,00 1.286,50 569,00 127,10 270,50 231,40 3.611,5 1.108,00 122,54 2.782,0 1.015,50

376,43K 206,50K 11,58M 2,63M 351,11K 1,12M 7,26M 50,01M 199,06K 325,70K 16,13M 1,32M 2,03M 19,44M 205,84K 0 985,70K 310,84K 1,06M 1,78M 501,77K 2,06M 2,46M 789,39K 1,25M 14,35M 0 475,84K 9,10K 0 340,11K 2,13M 2,80M 504,29K 8,65M 1,49M 329,82K 67,73K 812,74K 415,63K 8,35M 5,69M 11,75M 1,86M 1,84M 2,20M 23,36M 282,88K 1,13M

1.17254

0.85245

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0544 Japan yen (JPY)........................................137.23 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0385 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4400 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................9.9424

currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M AY 9

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 151,59 174,80 237,50 160,80 154,25 220,06 168,24 50,63 64,82 69,40 317,29 304,64 202,27 136,57 45,46 177,52 124,81 251,68 88,20 279,43 121,17 156,05 176,73 174,16 500,50 47,98 210,41 43,84 153,03 113,67

CHANGE 153,65 176,74 237,93 164,07 157,98 223,10 169,45 51,20 64,96 70,36 320,56 311,36 204,67 137,26 45,91 179,69 126,10 254,49 88,49 286,35 124,75 157,29 182,10 175,27 510,67 48,33 214,58 44,35 153,83 115,27

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 151,26 433,10K 174,13 282,96K 234,88 395,88K 160,59 19,83M 153,65 1,82M 218,48 490,19K 167,15 1,95M 50,52 2,32M 64,48 1,90M 68,98 1,12M 316,39 289,20K 303,94 692,01K 201,85 654,15K 136,02 933,50K 45,25 5,72M 177,23 902,68K 124,42 2,29M 251,07 416,91K 87,90 1,22M 278,90 6,98M 120,96 1,03M 155,73 1,37M 176,39 1,23M 173,13 140,75K 499,23 439,21K 47,84 3,24M 209,67 1,04M 43,72 920,93K 152,37 954,93K 113,26 1,98M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M AY 9

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+406.11% +61.14% +31.80% +23.82% +28.01% +23.61% +20.82% +18.23% +17.75% +16.19% +16.08%

132.81K 100.21K 34.85M 114.96K 3.97M 13.47M 748.00K 0.43K 2.40M 764.97K 27.28M

-32.35% -29.17% -26.54% -24.31% -24.18% -22.39% -22.46% -19.52% -19.20% -19.20% -18.39%

86.26K 436.04K 1.18M 2.63M 932.46K 3.31M 5.29M 864.08K 4.86M 2.74M 133.36K

Most Advanced Immuron Metromile Better Therapeutics Kiromic Hudson Cyngn Axogen Inc Silver Spike Investment Silicon Motion Bon Natural Life Sonim Technologies

Most Declined Nephros Bioatla Singularity Future Tech Alkaline Water Inseego Aikido Pharma Inc Sprouts Farmers CoreCivic Evofem Biosciences DigitalOcean Holdings Baudax Bio

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12 - 18 May 2022

BUSINESS EXTRA ECB interest THE European Central Bank (ECB), having stood firm against increased interest rates now believes it will have to happen, but over a period of time with con‐ trolled hikes which will take interest rates from negative to positive, with one board member sug‐ gesting a July start.

Pizza the action DOMINO’S, imported from America but one of Britain’s most successful takeaway suppliers has recorded a drop in sales as prices for its hot pizzas in‐ creased due to the return to pre‐pandemic rates of VAT. This may then benefit supermarkets where un‐ cooked pizzas are VAT free.

VW factory SPANISH President Pedro Sánchez attended the for‐ mal presentation of the Volkswagen gigabattery factory in the Valencian town of Sagunto on Thurs‐ day May 5, where compa‐ ny chairman Herbert Diess confirmed that it planned to spend €10 billion on electric car production.

Innovative travelling VEHICLE manufacturers have been concentrating on the production of electric buses, cars and delivery ve‐ hicles, but there is a new Spanish company offering something more affordable. Unlike electric bicycles and e‐scooters, Malaga based Urbet, having toyed with small electric bikes from Chi‐ na sees a market for the equivalent of a 125cc motor bike which is electrically powered. Styled to look like vintage bikes, prices range from €2,000 to €9,000 and with a range of up to 350 kilometres and almost negli‐ gible running costs, this start‐up which currently has two showrooms could be a company to watch.

Oil fuels inflation THE British economy con‐ tinues to face ever rising inflation, forcing the Bank of England to raise inter‐ est rates to their highest level since 2009 and to warn of a possible reces‐ sion. One of the main rea‐ sons for this huge spike in inflation is the cost of oil and gas prices which were spiralling towards the end of 2021, but have shot up further with Russia’s inva‐ sion of Ukraine. Despite claiming to have lost £3.1 billion by cancelling deals involved with Russian gas and oil, energy giant Shell has re‐ ported profits of £7.3 bil‐ lion in the first quarter of 2022, more than double the profits it made in the previous year. Similar increases in profits have been con‐ firmed by other compa‐ nies such as BP and Nor‐ wegian company Equinor which supplies Britain with 25 per cent of its nat‐

PROFITS UP: The Chancellor is handy with a petrol pump.

ural gas has also reported record profits. Many politicians argue that Chancellor Rishi Sunak should introduce some form of ‘windfall’ tax on the companies benefiting from these enormous hikes in profits but, until now, he has ap‐ peared opposed to this concept.

The concept of such a temporary tax is not to penalise the companies by taxing all of their prof‐ its but by taking a per‐ centage of the unexpect‐ ed additional profits, the UK economy would bene‐ fit and this would release funds to help those most hit by inflation such as pensioners and the low‐

est paid. The latest ‘gaff’ by Prime Minister Boris John‐ son who, when told that a pensioner was riding bus‐ es most days purely to keep warm, wrongly claimed that it was thanks to him that she has a free bus pass, probably didn’t go down well with voters in the May local elections.

Fighting dangerous apps MALICIOUS apps unknowingly down‐ loaded by hundreds of thousands of users put people’s data and money at risk, according to a new report. The UK hopes to boost security stan‐ dards in a bid to better protect people from hackers when they download apps to their phones, TVs and games consoles. The app market in the UK is said to be worth nearly £19 billion as people use apps to carry out everyday tasks such as shopping, banking and making video calls. On May 4, the UK government re‐ vealed that: “There are few rules gov‐ erning the security of the technology or the online stores where they are sold. “A new report on the threats in app stores published today by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) shows people’s data and money are at risk because of fraudulent apps containing malicious malware created by cyber criminals or poorly developed apps which can be compromised by hackers

FINANCE

EVERYDAY TASKS: Everyone uses apps nowadays.

exploiting weaknesses in software.” The government hopes to increase security for users under new proposals for a code of practice for app stores. Cyber Security Minister Julia Lopez said: “Apps on our smartphones and tablets have improved our lives im‐ mensely ‐ making it easier to bank and

FINANCE

Lingua Franca Credit: HM Treasury flickr

16 EWN

shop online and stay connected with friends. “But no app should put our money and data at risk. That’s why the gov‐ ernment is taking action to ensure app stores and developers raise their secu‐ rity standards and better protect UK consumers in the digital age.”

WITH Spain embarking on its massive press to be‐ come the technology hub of Europe, not only will its next generation of IT creators need to under‐ stand what they are do‐ ing, but will also have to be fluent in English. This is because the ma‐ jority of programming de‐ velopment and training is undertaken in such a way that English is the domi‐ nant language. When one considers the huge potential labour force in Latin and South America, it is clear that a large number of people will be unable to cope with the language prob‐ lem, so Mexican program‐ mer Primitivo Román Montero created Lengua‐ je Latino, a Spanish open‐ source programming lan‐ guage to help those entering the profession to cope.

Energy tussle AS Spain looks to place a cap on the price of natural gas used for power gener‐ ation, it is being criticised by energy companies al‐ though the plan, agreed jointly with Portugal, has been approved in princi‐ ple by the European Union. Inflation is a major problem for the country and accurate forecasts through the National Statistics Agency (INE) are crucial, but according to Economy Minister Nadia Calviño, one large un‐ named utility company is causing a major problem. In a radio interview on Thursday May 5, she claimed that this company has been ignoring several requests for information from INE which hinders the ability of the agency to prepare precise figures.

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LETTERS

EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: 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.

A MIXED BAG

UK TV: Mixed-race actors currently appear regularly in commercials. Hi, I’m in total agreement with Leapy Lee and previous letter writers, highlighting the highly disproportionate number of mixed‐race actors currently ap‐ pearing in UK TV commercials. I’m all for the proportional in‐ clusivity on TV of all races, where historically correct how‐ ever, having watched the latest film version of David Copper‐ field, where the titular character is black, as is the wife of Bob Cratchit in the festive BBC pro‐ duction of A Christmas Carol, I have to ask the question, “WHAT THE DICKENS?” Terry PS. I also went to see the Manfreds at Benidorm Palace. Great show

Your say Just a quickie ‐ love the ‘Break‐ ing Views’ column that really makes me and my friends smile in these trying times, Nora’s sense of humour matches ours perfectly. Thank you Nora and ‘Euro Weekly News’! Karen

New website I wanted to let you know about your new website and I must say I like it a lot more. It’s easy to navigate and much more clear than your old one. The arti‐

cles on there are a little longer than in the paper in case I want to read a little more about an ar‐

ticle which is great. Keep up the great work! Jane

OUR VIEW CELEBRATING EUROPE DAY EUROPE DAY was marked on Monday May 9 across the 27 member states of the European Union. The day marks the anniversary of the historic declaration of French foreign minister Robert Schuman in 1950, envisaging a Europe free from war and founded on the ideals of cooperation and sharing resources. So, this is a day to honour peace and unity throughout Europe and of course during the 72 years since the declaration there has sadly been some form of physical aggression somewhere in Europe ranging from coups in Cyprus, Greece and Portugal to cross border fighting as Yugoslavia broke up. The fall of the Berlin Wall as well as the dissolution of the USSR did see a modicum of democratic change, but since then there has been the internal conflict (fired by external elements) in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Kosovo. Then as the Russian Bear came out of hibernation, there has been conflict in many parts of the old Soviet Union culminating in the invasion of the Ukraine. In the meantime, as new members joined the European Union, there was just one ‘dog in the manger’, that wanted all of the benefits but none of the commitments which saw Britain voting to leave and even six years after the decision, the UK is still in dispute with the EU over the terms of the divorce. Here in Spain, although individuals with British passports may have seen some restrictions on their lifestyles, it appears that the country as a whole has and is continuing to see real financial benefits from its membership of the ‘club’ and long may this last.

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DOGS, cats, rabbits, rodents and other small mammals don’t deal with the heat like humans do and, as the tem‐ perature starts to rise and heat waves increase, veteri‐ narians have called for vigi‐ lance. Many pet owners judge

Keep pets cool

the heat by how they feel

but there are many things we should consider as re‐ sponsible animal owners. For example, lots of dog owners don’t realise how hot the pavement gets

when under the heat of the sun ‐ something that can burn dogs’ paws and cause painful blisters and wounds. Humans regulate their body heat through sweating,

however, dogs and cats only sweat through their paws and noses, while rabbits and birds don’t sweat at all. Dogs rely on panting as their way to cool down, allowing wa‐

KEEPING COOL: Dogs rely on panting as their way of cooling down.

PETS PAGE

PETS

ter to evaporate across their lungs, tongues, and moist surfaces of the mouth. Cats will usually groom their fur to keep cool, with the saliva evaporating off their fur. To stop your pet from overheating, here are some tips from veterinarians: Keep pets out of the heat and sun ‐ especially those that live in cages or terrari‐ ums like reptiles, rodents, and birds. Never leave your pet in a hot environment, such as a car, and walk dogs in the early morning or at night ‐ checking the temperature of the pavement to make sure it isn’t too hot for their paws. Make sure your pet has lots of fresh water and you can also leave ice packs and frozen water bottles around the house for dogs, cats and small mammals to lie against. For rabbits, dampen their ears with a cold washcloth (never bathe a rabbit, this can lead to shock which can be fatal).

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