Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 26 May - 1 June 2022 Issue 1925 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

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26 May - 1 June 2022

AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

FREE • GRATIS Image: Almuñecar Town Hall

CHARITY TEE-OFF Tamsin Brown V E L E Z - M A L A G A is set to host the second edi‐ tion of Axarquia’s Golf Tournament Against Cancer, which will raise money for the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). The event will take place on Saturday, June 18, at the Baviera Golf course in Caleta de Velez. At t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n of the event, the may‐ or of Velez‐Malaga, An‐ tonio Moreno Ferrer, highlighted how the Costa del Sol has be‐ come an international benchmark for golf, saying: “Our climate and our landscapes, both inland and on the beach, make this an ideal place for practis‐ ing this sport.” All players will re‐ ceive a welcome pack with gifts and products that are typical of Axarquia. The trophies will be

Kenny Garrett will headline this year’s festival. Image: Velez-Malaga Town Hall

CHARITY EVENT: Registration for the Golf Tournament Against Cancer is now open.

awarded on June 18 at 8pm and there will then be a prize draw offering the chance to win dinners at top restaurants, sports equipment, nights at hotels and much more. Registration for par‐ ticipation is open until June 16 and can be done via email at reser vas@bavieragolf.com. For more information,

call 952 555 015. Baviera Golf was de‐ signed by José María Cañizares, one of the world’s best golfers, whose records include five European Tour tournaments and two World Championships, as well as several par‐ ticipations in the Ryder Cup. It is a flat course characterised by wide

greens, a diversity of obstacles that offer a variety of strokes and an ideal design for all types of handicap. The variety of the holes and the unbeat‐ able views of both the Mediterranean and the mountains that protect i t , m a k e t h i s a n i n t e r‐ esting course to spend a charity tournament at.

High standards THE municipal cleaning service in Torrox has re‐ ceived the international Silver Broom Award (Pre‐ mio Escoba de Plata) for the town’s cleanliness. This was announced by the mayor of Torrox, Os‐ car Medina, on Monday, May 23. He expressed his satisfaction with “a job well done” and highlight‐ ed “the commitment of this government team to make Torrox one of the

cleanest cities in Spain”. At the beginning of 2022, Torrox fully mod‐ ernised its cleaning ser‐ vice. Not only did it intro‐ duce 40 new energy‐ efficient cleaning vehi‐ cles, but it also became the first municipality in Andalucia to implement Spain’s new Waste Law, which requires the sepa‐ ration of organic waste from other types of waste into different con‐

tainers. At the presentation of the new machinery, Fran‐ cisco Cifuentes, the terri‐ torial delegate in Andalu‐ cia for FCC, the company that holds the concession for the cleaning service in Torrox, stated that it is “the best machinery cur‐ rently available on the market”. The Broom Awards are given to the institutions and organisations that

stand out for their work done to protect the envi‐ ronment in Spain, Mexi‐ co, Chile, Argentina, Pe‐ ru, Portugal and Andorra.

Almuñecar International Jazz on the Coast Festival TICKETS for the 35th Jazz on the Coast Festival, or‐ ganised by the Granada Provincial Council and the Almuñecar Town Hall, will be available for purchase from June 1. The event will take place from July 19 to 24 in Almuñecar’s El Majuelo Park. A benchmark in southern Europe and a pioneer in combining culture and tourism, Jazz on the Coast is an internationally renowned event and one of the few festivals to be given the European Union’s seal of quality. The event will be headlined by the American musi‐ cian Kenny Garrett, a Grammy Award winner whose collaborations with Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny and a long career have es‐ tablished him as one of the most important saxo‐ phonists in modern jazz. For more information, visit www.jazzgranada.es.

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26 May - 1 June 2022

Research team explores Cueva de la Victoria Tamsin Brown A N international team of re‐ searchers is currently carrying out some exciting scientific investiga‐ tions in Cueva de la Victoria. This work is expected to place the Cueva de la Victoria, and therefore Rincon de la Victoria, on the scientific map of the world. The work will consist of trying to obtain precise information on the origin of the prehistoric rock art in the cave. The non‐naturalistic repre‐ sentations suggest that they may have been made more than 30,000 years ago. The results of these anal‐ yses will form part of a wider inter‐ national investigation that includes a group of Spanish caves in Cantabria, Asturias, Caceres and Malaga. “We are fully committed to con‐ tinuing researching and getting to know all that the Cueva de la Victo‐ ria has to offer in detail. We are bringing this cave into the 21st cen‐

Image: Rincon Town Hall

Red Cross helps families ON May 19, the Nerja councillor for Social Services, Daniel Rivas, reported that the Spanish Red Cross has given prepaid cash cards to 11 vulnerable families in Nerja and Maro so that they can meet basic needs for food, hygiene and cleaning. Once delivered, the prepaid cash card can be used for one month and will be recharged for a maximum of three months. The amount granted will be pro‐ portional to the number of people in the

family (€150 for one person, €200 for two or three people and €250 for four or more people). Applications can be made at the Town Hall’s Registry Office. Once the assess‐ ment has been completed by the Com‐ munity Social Services Centre, the Red Cross will issue the prepaid cash card. Those interested can visit the Red Cross headquarters on the ground floor of the town hall for more information.

Solidarity Gala Laura Kemp

An international research team is studying Rincon’s Cueva de la Victoria.

tury and the research team assures us that we will make it one of the most important caves in the Mediterranean,” said the mayor of Rincon, Francisco Salado, speaking on May 16.

NEWS

ON Friday, May 20, Almuñecar Town Hall announced the Red Cross Charity Gala, to be held in the auditori‐ um of the Casa de la Cultura, on Sunday May 29. The gala will start at 7pm and tickets cost €5. Tickets can be purchased at the Casa de la Cultura, Viajes Eroski, Empanada Sexi and Farmacia Margarita. Antonio Rodriguez of the Red Cross said: “There will be performances by Khaterina Cordero, Marina Shanzi and the sisters, Cristina and Victoria Hong Wu. Pianist Paloma Herrero will also perform.” “Laura Lopez Zarraga will offer a poetry recital, while Rosa Ortiz will perform songs. The trio formed by Juanma Alaminos, Sole Aguado and Ian Arthur, will provide classic pop and rock and roll rhythms.” “The gala will be rounded off by the Coro Ciudad de Almuñecar, under the direction of Eusebio Pita Vene‐ gas, with a popular repertoire.”

Organic products Tamsin Brown A NEW shop selling organic prod‐ ucts, La Boutique Bío de Axelle, re‐ ceived a visit from Almuñecar’s councillor for Commerce, Francisco Robles on Wednesday, May 18. Owner Cecile Chaisy, who is of French origin and has lived in Al‐ muñecar for 25 years, had the idea for the shop during the pandemic. She wishes to encourage people to consume products that are healthi‐ er, tastier and better for the environ‐ ment. The new establishment offers or‐ ganic fruit and vegetables and also sells other products, including nuts, cosmetics, beer, wine and cleaning products. La Boutique Bío de Axelle is in the central Plaza de la Constitución.

Daniel Torres Trio

THE next concert to be hosted by the Ventana Abierta Jazz Club at the Hotel Plaza Caravana in Nerja will be the Daniel Torres Trio on Saturday,

May 28, at 8.30pm. This trio of magnificent musicians will be offering a repertoire of pieces that are strongly rooted in tradition‐ al jazz, as well as some origi‐

nal songs with a more con‐ temporary feel. The trio, consisting of Daniel Torres on the tenor saxophone, Hendrick Müller on the double bass and Ser‐ gio Díaz on the drums, per‐ forms without accompani‐ ment from a harmonic instrument and therefore has great freedom to enjoy as much pure interaction and spontaneous creation as possible. Tickets cost €14 or €18 and can be booked by phone on 690 073 871, by email at ventana.abierta. acp@gmail.com or on the website www.ventana‐ abierta.es. Following the Daniel Tor‐ res Trio, the next group to perform at the Ventana Abierta Jazz Club will be the Rajiv Jayaweera Trio on June 10, with Rajiv Jayaweera on the drums, Carl Morgan on the guitar and Steinar Nickelsen on the organ.

NEWS

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NIBS EXTRA Swimming courses THE Almuñecar Municipal Swimming Pool has opened its booking period for the intensive swimming courses that will take place from July 4 to 15 and from July 18 to 29, from 10am to 1pm. For more informa‐ tion, ask at the pool or call 958 635 926.

New app THE El Ingenio Shopping Centre in Velez‐Malaga has launched a new mobile app that is available for down‐ load on IOS and Android platforms. The app will give customers access to Club Vip El Ingenio, a loyalty club with advantages including discounts, raffles, events and services.

Dance performance AT 8pm on June 4 at the Centro Cultural Villa de Ner‐ ja, there will be a perfor‐ mance by Mariana Collado and Lucio Baglivo, two high‐ ly experienced dancers. Through contemporary dance, flamenco, theatre and acrobatics, the project explores the intimacy of an encounter between two people who just want to share a dance together.

Paying tribute THE exhibition ‘Feminine Universe in Francisco Her‐ nandez’ at the San Francisco Convent in Velez‐Malaga pays tribute to the great Malaga‐born artist on the 10th anniversary of his death. The exhibition con‐ sists of a collection of 24 works made with different techniques and can be visit‐ ed until June 25.

Work complete THE Department of Social Welfare and the Elderly of the Rincon de la Victoria Town Hall has completed work to replace a part of the roof of the Torre de Bena‐ galbón Home for the Elder‐ ly, with a municipal invest‐ ment of €6,700.

26 May - 1 June 2022

Priego de Cordoba Image: Lux Mundi

Tamsin Brown

Spanish Athletics Championships Image: Nerja Town Hall

THE beautiful town of Priego de Cordoba was the destination for Lux Mundi Ecumenical Centre’s April day trip, and a large group of friends from both centres, in Torre del Mar and Fuengirola, took part. Everyone enjoyed the glorious weather as they walked through the Barrio de la Villa, the old town, and strolled along the Balcony of the Adarve while admiring the beautiful view across the countryside. Many visited the Castle of Priego and the Royal Slaughterhouse/Meat Market. Everywhere there were parks with fountains, the most impressive of which was the Fuente del Rey, with more than 100 water spouts. They visited the Iglesia de la Aurora, a small church full of sculptures, paintings, and altarpieces from the late 18th century, and a short stop was made at Mueloliva to buy some of their prize-winning

The Lux Mundi trip to Priego de Cordoba was enjoyed by all.

olive oil. A great day was had by all. Lux Mundi would like to thank all who supported this excursion, which enables them to continue their charitable work, and they hope to see everyone again at future events.

Miss Spain beauty pageant T H E 52 contestants who will be taking part in the national Miss Spain beauty pageant have arrived in Torrox, where they will be staying at the Santa Rosa hotel in El Morche. Winners of Miss Spain are selected to represent the country at the international competitions Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss International. The contestants have filmed a promotional video for the pageant around Torrox, includ‐ ing the Plaza de la Hoya, Jardines Picasso,

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Image: Torrox Town Hall

The Miss Spain contestants are staying at the Santa Rosa hotel in Torrox.

Convento de las Nieves, El Peñoncillo, Jardines de Conejito, the Senda Litoral and the beaches. Torrox is already be‐ coming a trending topic on social networks, where the 52 candi‐ dates have more than 500,000 followers. Due to the limited ca‐

pacity of the theatre where the final will be held on Saturday, May 28, there will be a pre‐ gala so all the locals can enjoy the spectacu‐ lar event. From 7pm to‐ day Thursday, May 26, they will do a fashion show in eveningwear in the Plaza de la Consti‐ tución in Torrox.

Iconic hotel reopens for summer THE hotel Sol Los Fenicios in La Herradura, Granada, reopened for the summer season on Friday, May 20, with a high occupancy rate over its first weekend. It will remain open un‐ til October. Before the reopening, the hotel underwent extensive work to remove the traces of the Saharan dust from its white façade, and other improvements were made. The establishment, located on the seafront of La Herradura beach, has been open for three decades now and was the first four‐star

hotel in both the municipality of Almuñecar and on the Costa Tropical. It has 43 rooms, an interior patio‐garden, a swimming pool‐solarium, a TV lounge and reading room, a dining room, a terrace bar, an entrance hall and a car park. In August of 1993, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain stayed at the Sol Los Fenicios hotel during their visit to the Costa Tropical on the occasion of the death of King Baudouin of Belgium.

Nerja is making improvements to the Enrique Lopez Cuenca sports complex.

NERJA Town Hall, through the Department of Sports, is going to make a series of improve‐ ments worth €300,000 to the Enrique Lopez Cuenca sports complex in preparation for the Spanish Athletics Championships, to be held on June 24, 25 and 26. On May 18, the mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, highlighted the efforts being made by the town hall to ensure that the municipal sports fa‐ cilities are in the best possible condition to make the competition “a great sporting success”. “Given the lighting requirements of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation for the broadcasting of the Championships by RTVE, we are going to renovate the stadium’s lighting with an invest‐ ment of approximately €250,000, financed by the Provincial Council,” said the mayor councillor. This will involve completely replacing the current lighting with better‐quality and more efficient LED technology. The ‘Foto Finish’ module, where the champi‐ onship judges will be, and the area designated for press coverage will also be enlarged with a budget of €50,000, which is financed by munici‐ pal resources.

and finally... THE Costa Animal Society (CAS) is always in need of more volunteer helpers in a number of areas so if you have spare time to fill, please make contact. In particular, they are currently seeking someone or several people who can help with fundraising and so‐ cial media promotion. In addition, fosterers are always required to take short‐term care of animals until a permanent home can be found. CAS will provide fosterers with all they need: food, medicine, bedding, leads, etc, as well as advice at any time. Even if you are only here for a few months a year, CAS would appreciate your help. For general enquiries and a no‐obligation chat, feel free to contact Mae on 601 629 938. You can also go to the shop or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/casnerja/. They are also now on Instagram (cats_dogs29780) and can be found on Twitter by searching for Costa Animal Soci‐ ety Nerja.

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26 May - 1 June 2022

Laura Kemp R I O G O R D O will cele‐ brate its traditional Snail Day on Sunday, May 29, an event which has been declared a Unique Tourist Attraction and will be its 21st edition. This year, approximately 500 kilos of its typical snail stew will be dis‐ tributed for visitors to enjoy. The event will start at 12pm at the Municipal Swimming Pool with a parade and a perfor‐

Day of the Snail mance by the Riogordo Municipal Band. From 2pm, following the local and provincial ‘Caracol de Oro’ awards, the typical dish of snails in Riogordo broth served with olives and local wines will be tasted. Musical performances by ‘Los Electroduentes’ and the flamenco group

‘Los Sureños’ will round off the event. Provincial deputy Fran‐ cisco Oblare has encour‐ aged lovers of the province’s gastronomy

to attend this festival, which is expected to bring together thousands of visitors to taste a typi‐ cal dish from this village.

The event is expected to bring together thousands of visitors.

NEWS

Torrox water

ON May 25, the mayor of Torrox, Oscar Medina, high‐ lighted the work carried out by the Junta de Andalucia at the Waste Water Treatment Plant of the Manzano stream in El Morche and the Rio Torrox. Medina said: “The deposit of this WWTP is two mil‐ lion litres, and thanks to the impetus of the Junta de Andalucia and Juanma Moreno, soon our farmers will be able to use this water to irrigate our avocados and greenhouses and that is very good news for our land.” Medina said that the Junta has made an investment of €1.8 million in this initiative “and I know that some irrigation communities are already preparing the pipes so that the water, if it was already clean, now with filters it will be even purer, responding to what our farmers demanded.”

The new system is good news for farmers in Torrox.

NEWS

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26 May - 1 June 2022

World Environment Day Laura Kemp

NERJA will join in commem‐ orating World Environment Day, which is celebrated ev‐ ery June 5, with a day of cleaning up plastics and waste on Playa El Playazo. The event will take place on Saturday, May 28, from 10am. During the event, guide‐ lines will be given on cleaning and the necessary materials (gloves, bags and tweezers) will be delivered. The dura‐ tion will be about two hours, and it is recommended to bring water, a hat and sun‐ screen. To attend, please register at www.vivirsinplastico.com/ma res00/ as there is a maximum of 60 participants. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The councillor for the Envi‐ ronment Javier Rodriguez said: “This initiative is intend‐ ed to raise awareness among citizens, especially young people, about the problem of waste in our environment,

CLEANING UP: Waste on Playa El Playazo. and the importance of keep‐ ing it clean as a mechanism

for protecting species of our ecosystem.”

New coastal path RINCON DE LA VICTORIA Town Hall has awarded the contract for the construction of a section of the coastal path in the Torre de Benagalbon area, be‐ tween Los Rubios beach and the Santillan stream. The works will have a budget of €376,318.09 and a completion period of three months. The new path will start at the end of the prome‐ nade in Torre de Benagalbon and will connect with the wooden footbridge over the Santillan stream, which joins the municipalities of Rincon de la Vic‐ toria and Velez‐Malaga. The mayor said: “The aim of the project is to give continuity to the ecological promenade at Los Ru‐ bios beach in Rincon de la Victoria, which currently does not reach the end of the municipality.” It will be exclusively for pedestrian use, so vehi‐ cles will be prohibited in general, and the existing accesses to the beach will be respected.

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NEWS

Monkeypox cases Russia expels higher than thought Spanish diplomats FERNANDO SIMON, direc‐ tor of the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), admitted on Sat‐ urday, May 21, “the transmission of monkey‐ pox between humans was higher than expect‐ ed.” Speaking in Zaragoza, he confirmed the detec‐ tion of 30 positive cases of the disease in Spain. With more suspected cas‐ es under investigation, Mr Simon conveyed a message of calm to citi‐ zens. “Caution must always exist, but right now we must not give a feeling of excessive anguish, since it is a disease with partic‐ ular characteristics, and against which the small‐ pox vaccine for those

THE Russian government has ordered the expulsion of 27 Spanish diplomats, in a tit‐ for‐tat move. According to a press re‐ port, Spain’s Ambassador, Marcos Gómez, was called to

the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was told that Spain must remove the 27 diplo‐ mats. According to the re‐ port, the expulsion is a direct ‘protest’ by Russian Presi‐ dent Vladimir Putin at the

Border reopens

Fernando Simon, director of the CCAES.

born before 1977 pro‐ tects to a certain extent,” he explained. He assured: “In gener‐ al, it is not one of the most serious or the most frequent conditions. Now there is not enough infor‐ mation to assess every‐ thing, and we have to be careful about declaring a

risky situation that may change completely in a few days. That does not mean that we profession‐ als do not have to be very attentive though, and it implies importance in terms of health.” Monkeypox is transmit‐ ted by prolonged and close respiratory contact.

THE first 12 hours of operation of the Beni‐Enzar post be‐ tween Spain and Morocco in Melilla, after its reopening at 12am on Tuesday, May, 17, saw 1,656 people and 530 ve‐ hicles cross from one side to the other. The first morning of border activity resulted in the transit of 904 people and 255 vehicles in both directions and the early hours of Tuesday saw an even higher figure when 752 people and 275 vehicles were counted from 12am to 7am, as reported by the Spanish press. According to official figures from the Spanish govern‐ ment, 662 people entered Melilla from Morocco on foot. In the opposite direction, from Melilla to Morocco, 562 peo‐ ple crossed the border on foot in the early hours of Tues‐ day and 432 in the morning. As for vehicles, 163 entered from Morocco to Melilla in the early hours of Tuesday and 127 in the morning, while 92 left Melilla for Morocco be‐ tween midnight and 7am and 148 from 7am to 12 noon.

expulsion of the same num‐ ber of Russian diplomats ear‐ lier this year. The Russian government were by all accounts clear that this was a simple recip‐ rocal response to the expul‐ sion of diplomats from the Russian embassy in Madrid. Sergei Lavrov’s depart‐ ment declared the 27 diplo‐ mats persona non grata and gave them seven days to leave Russia once formal no‐ tification is received. It is understood that both France and Italy were also summoned to the Foreign Ministry where they were told that 34 and 24 diplo‐ mats would be expelled, each being given seven days to leave. Spain does not see the ex‐ pulsion of 27 diplomats as justified, with the Spanish team in Moscow of no threat to Russia or its security.

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NEWS

Joshua Manning PETA supporters staged a pet funeral at Spain’s Grand Prix on Sunday, May 22 in protest against Formula One’s sponsorship of a con‐ traversial dog sled race. Supporters from Spanish animal rights party PACMA also attended, holding signs proclaiming: “150 dogs have

died in the Iditarod.” The demonstration was the latest in PETA’s campaign to stop F1 owner Liberty Media, through the company’s Alas‐ ka‐based subsidiary GCI, from sponsoring the controversial dog sled race that has killed more than 150 dogs since its inception, often from aspira‐ tion pneumonia (caused by inhaling their own vomit), as

reported by PETA. “No rep‐ utable company would sup‐ port an event that forces dogs to cross more than 1,600 kilometres of ice and wind, leading to their death,” said PETA Vice President Mi‐ mi Bekhechi. “PETA is urging Formula 1 to stay away from this death race, as Coca‐Cola, ExxonMobil, and other past sponsors have done.”

Vaccine success Chris King

DR Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Direc‐ tor‐General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) congratulated Spain for its ‘excellent’ vaccination coverage on Saturday, May 21. He was attending a bilateral meeting in Geneva with Carolina Darias, Spain’s Minister of Health. He also thanked Spain for its support in the fight against Covid‐19 with initiatives such as the release of the patent for the Covid‐19

serological antibody test developed by the CISC, the first to be carried out under the C‐ TAP initiative. Among other issues discussed in their meeting, were the key points of the Covid‐19 vaccination campaign in Spain, and the donation of more than 70 million doses to third countries . This meeting formed part of the parallel agenda of the 75th World Health Assembly being held in Geneva from May 22 to 28. This is an assembly that revolves around the concept of ‘Health for peace, Peace for health’.

THE government of Spain has granted more than 100,000 temporary protection permits to people displaced by the war in Ukraine since the conflict be‐ gan, according to recent data. As of Tuesday, May 17, a to‐ tal of 102,732 temporary pro‐ tection permits have been is‐ sued to Ukrainian citizens and to date, a total of 24,983 identi‐ ty cards have been issued to the refugees. The Director General of the Police, Francisco Pardo, report‐ ed that more than 2,500 refugees are currently being at‐ tended to in police stations ‘daily’ at the four centres set up in Madrid, Alicante, Barcelona and Malaga. On Wednesday, April 20, the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, visited the Ukrainian refugee centre in Malaga before flying out to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelen‐ skyy. The visit to the centre in Malaga concluded Sánchez’s tour of the four centres set up in Spain which aim to provide

@sanchezcastejon

F1 animal rights Help for refugees Ukrainians with a temporary protection permit, valid for one year, allowing them to live

SANCHEZ: Visited the refugee centre in Malaga.

and work in Spain together with temporary accommoda‐ tion.

No Covid passport

THE requirement for travellers from non‐EU countries to pre‐ sent a Covid passport to enter Spain is to be scrapped. Reyes Maroto, Spain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, announced on Thursday, May 19, that “in a matter of days” Spain will stop requiring tourists from out‐ side the EU to have a Covid vaccination certificate to enter Spanish territory. The move will see Spain begin to dispense with the EU’s Covid Digital Certificate. This requirement came into force in July last year to try to make travel safe, ini‐ tially between member states. It was later extended to pas‐ sengers from third countries, who currently present their own vaccination certificates. The Covid passport will not be necessary, but it is believed travellers might still be obliged to present a certificate that shows that they have recovered from the virus within the last 180 days or show a negative diagnostic test, PCR or anti‐ gen test, performed 24 hours before travelling.

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26 May - 1 June 2022

Elizabeth line opens

Peter McLaren‐Kennedy

AFTER nearly four years of delays, London’s Elizabeth I line has finally opened to the city’s commuters. Massively over budget and well past the pro‐ posed completion date, the £18.9 billion (€22.25 billion) Crossrail project is expected to give the city a massive boost as it cuts travel times from the east to the west. Stretching from Reading in Berkshire and Heathrow Airport in the west to Abbey Wood in the southeast and on to Shenfield in Essex, travel‐ ling times will be more than halved. But for now the train will only operate as three separate sec‐ tions, with end to end trains only expected to begin operating after summer. The delay in operating the end to end service will mean longer travel times and the need to change

trains, however it is still expected to save a signifi‐

cant amount of travel time.

Death Star designer dies THE designer of the Death Star and the X‐ Wing made famous in the Star Wars series, has died, aged 90. Although not a household name, Colin Cantwell was a man who left his mark on the world for his sci‐fi designs that appeared in many of the best‐selling movies of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Cantwell died at his Colorado home on Sat‐ urday, May 21. Born in 1932 in San Francisco, he studied animation at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he also attended Frank Lloyd Wright’s renowned School of Architec‐ ture. Besides working in film, Cantwell had a long career working with NASA, creating educa‐ tional programmes for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the 1960s. In addition to help‐ ing people better understand space flight, he also acted as a go‐between giving live updates to US newsreader Walter Cronkite during his famous moon landing broadcast in 1969. An author of two science fiction books, Cantwell worked as a computer graphics con‐ sultant on many films, including the 1983 film War Games.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Are such signs the result of daring humour or unbelievable negligence?

STRANGE SIGNS AND SMALL PRINT DAVID WORBOYS

THINKING ALOUD LAST week there was a large sign in the window of a restaurant in Marbella ‘Eat as much as you like.’ Instead of an actual price there was an almost impercepti‐ ble addendum underneath ‐ ‘for a price’. This reminded me of the ploy in certain supermarkets of appearing to offer a product nor‐ mally costing, for example, €5.45 for €3.25. When you scrutinise the tiny, virtually invisible print in the corner of the price label, you only qualify for the €3.25 price if you buy the first one at the full price of €5.45. As we all know, the price that catches the eye can be very misleading. It’s the same with the small print on insurance exclusions, banks’ conditions, rental con‐ tracts, estate agents’ fees and numerous other potential pitfalls in the business world. This can be much more serious for those whose homes have been bull‐ dozed, owing to the oversight of an obscure clause in small print invalidating the escritura signed on purchase ‐ and hence the le‐ gitimacy of ownership. I have seen many amusing signs, especially when corners have been cut in translation. We all know the Spanish word for

wine ‐ ‘vino’, but fewer of us are familiar with ‘vino’, meaning he or she came. The first photo shows what was included in the menu of the day in a Nerja restaurant. Some years ago, I was delighted to find a publican with a wonder‐ ful sense of humour. Not only did he tell a good story (and pull a good pint), but he rebelled against the mundane names of most of our pubs. As a variation on the ubiquitous ‘Coach and Horses’, his pub proudly boasted the sign: ‘The ‘Orse and Cart’. The most outrageous example of apparently lax thinking was by the UK’s beloved NHS, as shown in the second photo. But surely this must have been intentional! In this case I hope the authorities cherished the humour and spared the ‘b****r’ who organised it. A long time ago there was a sign at the entrance to a swim‐ ming pool in Bedfordshire: ‘no animals allowed in the pool area’. A family party, when challenged for having brought in a spaniel, pointed out that the sign preclud‐ ed just animals. “It doesn’t say ‘no dogs’; it says ‘no animals’.” The wonderful response of the security officer was: “It doesn’t actually say ‘no giraffes’, but they would not be allowed in.”

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

FINLAND

Top scoff

Historic signature

A SURVEY of the world’s most popular sandwiches undertaken by CNN has included the Danish smørrebrød, the open rye bread which can be topped with almost anything and says that it is even more important to Danes than smorgasbord is to the Swedish.

A FINNISH journalist Jari Hanska lent Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto an €8 pen purchased from Stockmann's online store, so it would stand out as he signed Finland's NATO application letter on May 17. Since then, stocks of the pen have sold out to souvenir hunters.

THE NETHERLANDS

IRELAND

Double Dutch

Outdoor drinking

DUTCH Jews who were sent to concentration camps and returned home at the end of the Second World War often found that their houses had been allocated to local officials who refused to move out. Thousands of surviving relatives are still fighting for compensation.

ALTHOUGH the Republic is known for having plenty of bars, it is thanks to Covid-19 that it will still be possible to drink alcohol in adjacent approved outdoor seating areas on public land until 11pm as the government extends the legislation for another six months.

BELGIUM

ITALY

Historic experience

Howling wolf

BELGIAN radio station VTR interviewed rock journalist Jean-Noël Coghe who revealed that he picked up a beer mat from Brussels bar Le Coq in 1967 but only recently realised that on the back was ‘Are You Experienced’ doodled by Jimi Hendrix months before his debut album was released.

THANKS to the legend of Romulus and Remus, Italy is very fond of wolves although farmers may not be so pleased to learn that according to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research there are now some 3,300 wild wolves in the country.

GERMANY

PORTUGAL

Thirsty summer

UFO investigation

OKTOBER FEST could be in trouble this year as according to media site DW, Germany's brewers have warned that there might not be enough beer bottles for this coming summer season due to rising production costs and logistical issues which will affect smaller breweries in particular.

NOT claiming to be convinced that there are aliens among us, a group of researchers including lawyers, former police officers and engineers have created the Centre for Investigation of Aerospace Phenomena in Porto, with the intention of studying what they refer to as ‘extraordinary phenomena.

FRANCE

UKRAINE

To little girls

Real thing

FRANCE’S first female prime minister for more than 30 years, Elisabeth Borne, was formally welcomed by President Macron on May 16 and in her inaugural speech, said "I want to dedicate my nomination to all little girls and tell them to go all the way pursuing your dreams."

LATEST company to restart production in the Ukraine is Coca-Cola as its plant in Kyiv Oblast has reopened after closing in February following the Russian invasion according to Forbes. Although not in full swing it is gearing up to supply drinks locally and resume exports to Moldova.

NORWAY

SWEDEN

a-ha

LGBTQI inclusivity

NOTHING to do with ABBA and Alan Partridge, a-ha The Movie is a full-length documentary, released this May, dealing with the rise of Norwegian band a-ha who although they only had one hit in the USA, managed to sell 55 million records worldwide.

AS Sweden and Finland upset Russia over their application to join NATO, they also managed to upset another country as they both flew the rainbow flags on May 17 over their Embassy buildings in Lusaka, Zambia where homosexuality is against the law.

FINANCE Investment banker SWISS bank Credit Suisse has reportedly persuaded the head of investment banking at Barclays in Spain, Nacho Moreno to become head of investment banking and capital markets for Spain and Portugal as it replaces senior executives who have moved on to other companies.

STAT OF WEEK

£3 billion

is the amount that the Hinkley Point C, nuclear power station being built in Somerset is over budget which was originally set at £23 billion.

Growth drops Credit: Bank of Spain

BUSINESS EXTRA

euroweeklynews.com • 26 May - 1 June 2022

Little luxuries

Amazon Spain TO celebrate the Day of Cultural Diversity on May 21, Amazon Spain revealed that it employs staff from more than 100 different countries across five continents in its different Spanish operations and apart from Spain, there are many staff of European Union nationality as well as Latin America.

Senior discount THE Iceland chain of supermarkets is to offer a 10 per cent discount to its UK customers aged over 60 every Tuesday in an effort to help them cope with the dramatic rise in the cost of living as supermarkets battle for custom.

Green Product VALENCIA based Recover, a leading materials science company and global producer of low‐impact, high‐ quality recycled cotton fibre and cotton fibre blends, has won the Green Product Award 2022 in the Fashion category. Announced on May 18, the company was recognised for its innovative, environmentally friendly products, which are created in partnership with the supply chain, offering an end‐to‐ end sustainable solution for major brands and retailers. Over 1,500 participants from 52 countries applied for this year’s awards, before Recover was chosen as a winner.

Bank of Spain Governor Pablo Hernandez de Cos.

THE Bank of Spain has published its Annual Report for 2021 which also looks forward to 2022. Released on May 18 with a fore‐ word by Bank Governor Pablo Hernandez de Cos, it outlines the situation which saw the country recover from the pandemic and obtain significant financial support from the European Union. Rather than concentrate on what has been, it is important to look at the future and the Bank now concurs with the recent ob‐ servations from the European Commission that the economy will grow more slowly than ex‐

pected. Originally forecasting a growth of 7 per cent, the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has helped to add to the dramatic rise in energy costs has seen inflation rocket which in turn meant that in April the government reduced growth forecast to around 4.5 per cent. In his review however de Cos has admitted that even this may be optimistic and that he wouldn’t be surprised if it dropped further to 4 per cent. This is born out by a statement in the report which said “in the absence of any additional consid‐

erations, this would lead to a me‐ chanical downgrading of about half a percentage point in the av‐ erage GDP growth rate in 2022.” Currently, it is very difficult to make accurate forecasts due to the Russian government whose actions are not predictable and current belligerence towards NA‐ TO members and those wishing to join could easily affect the econo‐ my during the second half of 2022. With constantly increasing infla‐ tion, the rest of the year could be difficult for the whole of Europe although the capping of electricity prices may benefit Spain.

New investment from Qatar A STATE VISIT by the Emir of Qatar saw promise of huge investment in Spain prior to the controversial FIFA World Cup finals later this year. In his first official visit to the country, Sheikh Tamin Bin Hamad Al Thani met with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia before spending much of Wednesday May 18 in Madrid with President Pe‐ dro Sánchez. The visit, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is part of a European tour which will take in Germany, Slovenia and the UK. Spain and Qatar have agreed to up‐ grade their bilateral relations to a

FINANCE

Credit: La Moncloa

FIGURES for UK April spend announced by the Office for National Statistics saw an unexpected jump of 1.4 per cent. Overall, however, this jump is put down to increased sales of alcohol and tobacco, suggesting consumers are staying at home to save money.

The Emir of Qatar with Pedro Sánchez.

strategic partnership, deepening eco‐ nomic and political ties between the two countries and the Emir confirmed that his country would invest almost €5 billion into the Spanish economy in the near future. A total of 12 agreements and mem‐ oranda of understanding (MoU) have

been signed, covering economic, trade, education, military and judicial cooperation, health, science and inno‐ vation. Apart from the fact Qatar is one of the top 10 investors in Spain and it is still a long way behind leaders Switzer‐ land and the USA, it is also an impor‐ tant producer of natural gas, having the third largest reserves in the world. As the European Union looks to be increasingly less reliant on Russia for energy resources and Algeria dis‐ tances itself from Spain due to its sup‐ port of Morocco’s claims on the West‐ ern Sahara, Qatar which is already said the be a major supplier of gas to Spain, becomes increasingly more attractive.

Surprise speech

PERHAPS somewhat unwise‐ ly, a senior HSBC banking offi‐ cial Stuart Kirk accepted an invitation to speak at a Finan‐ cial Times Moral Money Sum‐ mit. As global head of responsi‐ ble investing at the bank’s as‐ set management division, Mr Kirk was happy to talk about financial risks of climate change but his comments which included the statement “There’s always some nut job telling me about the end of the world” came as some‐ thing of a surprise to listen‐ ers. Now, the Financial Times has reported that despite the fact that it claims his speech was vetted and approved, he has apparently been sus‐ pended and HSBC directors are publicly distancing them‐ selves from his opinions on the over exaggeration of cli‐ mate change.

Victims of lockdown success ALTHOUGH not quite ‘easy come, easy go’ certain online companies which saw huge growth in the UK during lock‐ down have seen their busi‐ nesses shrink as Britain and the world went back to work. At one time, fitness brand Peleton couldn’t put a foot wrong and even had to ration sales of its static bikes due to the demand but that is a thing of the past and with its share price dropping significantly it saw its founder leaving and could now be up for sale. Another victim has been Netflix as fewer people sign up to the online channel and it has even had to sack 150 staff who are mainly em‐ ployed in the USA to save money.

to read more FINANCE scan this QR Code

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C LOSING P RICES M AY 23

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.240,00 Abrdn 187,35 Admiral Group 2.203,0 Anglo American 3.601,0 Antofagasta 1.432,00 Ashtead Group 3.884,0 Associated British Foods 1.599,0 AstraZeneca 10.511,8 Auto Trader Group Plc 557,00 Avast 484,20 Aveva 2.207,4 Aviva 419,70 B&M European Value Retail 418,13 BAE Systems 759,78 Bank VTB DRC 1,000 Barclays 153,72 Barratt Developments 494,16 Berkeley 4.157,6 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.705,50 BP 425,00 British American Tobacco 3.442,0 British Land Company 525,24 BT Group 185,40 Bunzl 2.818,0 Burberry Group 1.605,0 Carnival 974,6 Centrica 88,32 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.693,0 Compass 1.711,50 CRH 3.160,0 Croda Intl 6.890,0 DCC 5.812,0 Diageo 3.616,0 DS Smith 297,00 EasyJet 523,70 Experian 2.569,0 Ferguson 9.400,0 Flutter Entertainment 9.352,0 Fresnillo 794,40 Glencore 505,20 GSK plc 1.765,97 Halma 2.167,2 Hargreaves Lansdown 867,40 Hikma Pharma 1.744,50 HSBC 492,70 IAG 127,58 Imperial Brands 1.777,00 Informa 552,00 InterContinental 4.752,4

CHANGE(P) 1.241,00 189,30 2.224,0 3.623,0 1.450,00 3.952,0 1.622,0 10.582,0 563,60 486,40 2.241,0 421,00 426,90 761,40 1,000 155,62 496,85 4.178,0 2.735,50 426,65 3.466,5 527,05 187,30 2.845,0 1.614,5 995,8 88,43 1.731,5 1.736,00 3.200,0 6.890,0 5.898,0 3.651,0 302,70 529,00 2.600,0 9.548,0 9.488,0 799,00 508,70 1.785,40 2.202,0 873,60 1.754,50 494,00 128,50 1.806,00 558,40 4.784,5

% CHG. 1.233,61 186,70 2.188,0 3.557,5 1.426,50 3.875,0 1.599,0 10.454,0 555,80 480,90 2.201,0 407,10 417,70 748,40 1,000 153,42 492,30 4.125,0 2.700,00 422,80 3.423,0 523,00 184,85 2.807,0 1.595,5 969,8 87,56 1.690,5 1.711,50 3.152,0 6.776,0 5.800,0 3.614,0 296,30 519,87 2.557,0 9.380,0 9.250,0 780,00 497,45 1.764,00 2.166,0 861,80 1.737,00 490,85 126,58 1.776,00 551,00 4.752,0

NET VOL 48,46K 711,65K 70,44K 388,79K 68,88K 93,61K 11,10K 189,54K 239,22K 68,73K 24,63K 3,94M 395,42K 125,66K 0 4,05M 41,07K 16,42K 438,12K 7,20M 331,01K 43,47K 1,91M 53,92K 214,25K 196,19K 748,51K 34,61K 315,15K 142,56K 30,84K 24,40K 335,35K 339,58K 226,63K 219,38K 54,61K 184,23K 163,37K 3,17M 636,67K 11,76K 54,24K 59,56K 2,70M 4,18M 383,59K 496,41K 4,85K

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

1.425,50 4.657,5 71,54 229,98 2.353,9 755,00 254,58 43,91 7.302,0 777,20 119,05 1.469,50 1.214,50 212,92 6.134,0 1,89 760,60 2.140,0 630,00 1.002,50 6.194,0 2.279,00 495,10 564,20 5.506,0 83,09 0,60 670,20 1.334,50 0,0453 2.848,0 733,44 1.108,50 3.123,0 2.381,5 1.269,50 1.529,50 10.460,0 1.919,50 1.241,00 590,60 128,20 259,20 201,00 3.493,5 1.136,00 123,10 2.670,0 949,40

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

1.443,50 4.880,0 71,94 234,40 2.394,0 755,00 256,80 44,20 7.416,0 777,40 121,55 1.501,50 1.223,00 213,70 6.242,0 1,89 774,60 2.159,4 635,00 1.024,00 6.356,0 2.295,00 497,10 570,00 5.587,0 84,81 0,60 681,80 1.340,50 0,0453 2.880,0 756,60 1.129,50 3.134,0 2.384,0 1.294,00 1.544,00 10.580,0 1.933,00 1.264,00 595,00 129,24 264,30 207,20 3.535,0 1.138,00 123,64 2.710,0 956,00

1.413,50 4.658,0 71,22 230,00 2.350,0 746,60 253,80 43,67 7.274,0 771,00 118,65 1.463,00 1.208,50 212,30 6.132,0 1,89 756,80 2.129,7 628,20 999,80 6.190,0 2.278,00 490,10 560,80 5.500,0 82,84 0,60 669,20 1.332,00 0,0453 2.838,0 733,07 1.107,50 3.115,0 2.348,5 1.268,50 1.528,00 10.440,0 1.908,00 1.238,00 588,60 127,80 259,10 200,60 3.493,0 1.132,50 122,34 2.666,0 945,00

82,97K 38,87K 1,16M 1,02M 42,66K 121,94K 1,46M 8,65M 46,87K 71,15K 624,86K 126,46K 692,52K 1,63M 32,29K 0 664,79K 50,95K 118,40K 452,56K 118,66K 258,23K 736,47K 242,08K 309,47K 4,65M 0 218,37K 1,79K 0 38,29K 588,08K 483,47K 33,62K 3,25M 221,60K 77,38K 10,73K 163,26K 85,71K 788,04K 448,79K 3,27M 1,86M 207,08K 21,23K 7,89M 65,70K 880,38K

1.18378

0.84738

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0658 Japan yen (JPY)......................................135.929 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0320 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4414 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.261

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 23

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 143,83 153,24 247,50 137,59 120,70 197,82 167,82 42,94 60,98 68,11 306,80 287,19 189,75 128,48 41,65 176,98 117,34 233,91 93,55 252,56 108,00 141,79 159,65 168,24 485,73 49,53 199,03 40,96 119,20 102,42

CHANGE 147,94 154,80 247,66 140,70 128,85 206,63 171,04 43,00 61,24 69,73 312,59 290,50 194,21 130,37 42,29 177,16 119,67 234,06 94,08 258,54 109,69 142,45 160,73 170,34 487,47 49,60 201,66 41,04 120,84 104,80

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) -2,13% 4,19M -0,49% 2,97M +1,12% 3,86M +0,17% 135,43M -5,07% 18,75M -4,32% 5,36M +0,58% 9,60M +2,92% 45,91M +1,63% 28,39M -0,95% 5,18M -0,45% 2,18M -0,20% 5,57M -1,51% 3,88M -0,91% 6,87M -0,86% 44,63M +1,75% 7,46M -0,82% 13,02M +2,14% 3,17M +1,59% 11,48M -0,23% 38,90M +1,47% 7,58M +0,06% 7,76M +2,60% 8,87M -0,63% 1,94M +1,50% 2,99M +0,88% 24,12M +0,84% 6,93M +0,86% 7,36M +0,11% 16,39M -0,70% 14,53M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M AY 23

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+90.18% +63.56% +53.38% +43.35% +40.54% +40.00% +36.56% +33.68% +33.67% +30.06% +26.77%

35.21M 2.13M 1.51M 75.10M 1.27M 41.46M 22.13M 352.52K 2.51K 111.65M 4.01M

-65.54% -63.17% -51.81% -33.33% -28.34% -27.87% -26.08% -24.93% -23.32% -22.86% -22.47%

45.02M 21.11M 0.21K 2.76M 2.96M 3.07M 28.80K 64.98M 406.25K 3.43M 34.52M

Most Advanced GeoVax Labs Redbox Entertainment Leju Holdings SIGA Tech NanoViricides Inc Redbox Entertainment TherapeuticsMD Ebet Inc Insu Acquisition Immix Biopharma Beachbody

Most Declined Athersys Evofem Biosciences Lixiang Education Creative Medical Tech Holdings Bright Green Visionary Education Technology Immuron Molecular Data Millicom BEST Ross Stores

16 EWN

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26 May - 1 June 2022

NEWS

Advertising Feature

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No Penny Black IN 1840, it was possible to pre‐pay for the delivery of a letter almost anywhere in the UK for one old penny, now the privatised Royal Mail says it needs more money to cover costs and is considering increasing a first‐class stamp to 95p.

On your bike USING some €500 million from the EU Recovery Fund, Spain intends to pro‐ mote the safe use of bicy‐ cles for travel and to create 1,000 kilometres of new bi‐ cycle lanes and 4,100 park‐ ing spaces in 30 cities.

Gender divide A REVIEW by Sky News of data from the UK Office for National Statistics reveals that over the past five years whilst the price of clothing and toiletries has escalated, women have been the worst hit.

Spanish fishing industry SPAIN is the largest employer in the fishing sector in the EU with an estimated 38,000 workers. It is also a major importer of seafood generally and prior to Brexit was one of the countries purchasing fishing licences from UK based fleets. Nowadays, there is an ever‐in‐ creasing emphasis on sustainabil‐ ity, catch traceability and regula‐ tory compliance and this is one of the major talking points due to be aired at the Navalia fair to be held in Vigo which runs from May 24 to 26 with some 500 ex‐ hibitors from 90 countries taking part. Vigo which sits in Galicia is cur‐ rently home to 357 fishing com‐ panies which generate more than €3 billion in turnover annually and whilst the exhibition covers many different aspects of ship‐ building and naval trade, the fishing industry will be particu‐ larly interested in various devel‐ opments that will benefit their businesses. Communications are an impor‐ tant part of the fishing puzzle as with fuel for these vessels sky‐

Credit: Evgeniy Isaev flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

FISHING SECTOR: Spain is a massive consumer of fish.

rocketing from 40c to €1.20 per litre it is imperative that owners are able to be kept completely up to date with weather forecasts and also underwater movements of shoals of fish so that no fuel is wasted. Spain has a fleet of some 8,000 commercial vessels, with the vast

majority being used for fishing, from tiny boats seen off the shore of coastal towns to mas‐ sive trawlers and all need to en‐ sure that they are managed effi‐ ciently and cost effectively in order to continue to supply the consumer demand at home and abroad.

More foreign workers THE number of registered foreign workers in Spain has risen to 2,343,637 people ac‐ cording to a report by SchengenVisaInfo.com. The number of foreign workers has been increasing over the past 11 months but interestingly only just over one third are from member states of the European Union with the balance coming from far and wide. The gender balance is sim‐ ilar although males account for 56 per cent of all those registered and the three largest foreign groups come from Romania, Morocco and China, although follow‐ ing the Russian invasion, the number of Ukrainians work‐ ing in Spain is rapidly in‐ creasing. The number in January 2022 was 139,755 more than January 2020 prior to the arrival of the pandemic.

FEATURE

euroweeklynews.com

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT LAST week’s ‘conspiracy’ piece seems to have caused quite a furore. Contrary to a number of reader’s opinions, including the correspondent published on the Letters page, I was not stating that all the conspiracy theorists were talking insecure rubbish. My views were directed more at those that appear to find a conspiracy in almost every major and often minor event that ensues. I do actually believe in a number of conspiracies. For example, I think it highly possible that Kennedy was taken out by the mob. I consider Marilyn Monroe was murdered, as was Steven Ward and I’m convinced the tragic Dr David Kelly was ‘removed’ before he could reveal the truth about the so‐called weapons of mass destruction preceding Blair’s Iraq war fiasco. So ya see the ol’ boy is not averse to the occasional conspiracy theory, just those that are besotted by them. At this stage I would like to warn everyone that watching too many BBC news programmes is highly likely to make you lose the will to live. Every single bulletin contains so much doom and gloom, I’m surprised British institutions aren’t

26 May - 1 June 2022

Naughty boy

completely over‐ flowing with cases of depressive mania. There is of course method in their cheerless and miserable attitude. Most of their news reports blame the government for just about every UK malady under the sun. If they can manage to turn the whole country into one great big lump of human misery, they may just get the voters opting for a change in the next election ‐ if only to cheer them up! Don’t laugh (whatever you do!) their dejection and misery methods were highly successful in the local elections. Coupled with a relentless, never ending rake up of ‘birthday‐gate’ (and their utter lack of enthusiasm for Starmer’s ‘beer‐ gate’) including the attitudes of every carefully selected interviewee ‐ who almost without exception were predominately left wing, government accusing moaners ‐ they managed to overturn 500 conservative council seats without any new Labour policy declarations or ideas whatsoever! How quickly they have also managed to cause people to forget the billions the Conservative government handed out to people and businesses in their efforts to help them survive and get through the

Covid pandemic. As for the rising cost of living, plus threats of a possible recession; most of the world’s major countries, après pandemic, are in exactly the same position. It’s not the British government’s fault. Don’t look to Starmer’s bunch for answers; outside of an energy company ‘windfall tax’ ‐ which would actually be akin to putting a sticking plaster on an amputation ‐ their precious Labour government actually have no ideas whatsoever on how to solve the problems. I know who I would rather trust to bring the country out the other end of this global nightmare and it aint the likes of Starmer, Angela Rayner or Diana Abbott. Let old Boris have his cake and eat it I say. I’m sure he won’t be such a naughty boy again’. Keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com. Mon. and Fri. 1pm till 4

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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.

SAME PROBLEMS Dear Editor, Reading Rita’s letter, I had the same problem I contact‐ ed the DVLA and waited over four months. I think they were Shirking From Home. The answer finally came too late to do anything and despite my driving for 55 years in many countries, Spain were saying British people should take a new test, in Spanish that even many Spanish people fail, and the queue meant it could be in 10 months’ time or more. Meanwhile Spanish people driving in Britain have no problems. Michael Hill Benidorm

Left stranded Peter McLaren‐Kennedy writes: “Despite adequate notice from the Spain gov‐ ernment and significant warnings from the British Embassy in Madrid and oth‐ ers, many British people resi‐ dent in Spain have failed to swap their licences. That has left some stranded without transport.” I’m sorry to say, I did not ‘fail’ to swap my licence. I ar‐ rived in the country in Octo‐ ber 2020 and applied for res‐ idency before December 31, 2020. When attempting to register to exchange my li‐ cence in the dying days of 2020, the Spanish authori‐ ties turned me away ‐ telling me I wasn’t a resident. I’m well aware many didn’t even attempt to ex‐ change their licences. To claim I failed, when I was ac‐ tually prevented from swap‐ ping my licence by the local authorities, is not only hurt‐ ful: it demonstrates a lack of understanding of the com‐ plex issues at hand. Benoit Simoneau

CHANGING LICENCES: People are waiting months.

OUR VIEW DISABLED DISCRIMINATION IN Animal Farm George Orwell wrote ‘All animals are created equal but some are more equal than others’ which could actually apply equally to British holders of blue disabled badges. The European Union boasts about equality and inclusion for the disabled and Spain has even passed a law declaring pets as sentient beings (although hunting and bull fighting will still be allowed). Following Brexit however it appears that some Spanish authorities have decided that UK holders of disabled blue badges are no longer equal to disabled people from the European Union as there are reports of people being fined for using their UK blue badges to park in disabled spaces. According to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the member states of the International Transport Forum (ITF): EU and EEA, along with USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Korea, have agreed in principle to reciprocity for each other’s disabled citizens: “To provide people with reduced mobility with a document (Parking Card / Permit) _ _ _ and to give the same parking facilities to holders of this document coming from another member or associated member country as they do to their own nationals.” So, in theory, a protocol exists that should allow any non-EU passport holder with a blue badge issued by their country to park in a disabled space in Spain but the UK government says on its section concerning Blue Badges that Spain, amongst other countries is undecided with regards to usage and the matter continues to be negotiated. Many councils around Spain appear quite happy to let British badge holders park in their disabled spaces, but there is an element of trial and error, so be careful and hope for the best.

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euroweeklynews.com

26 May - 1 June 2022

Laura Kemp WITH thousands of aban‐ doned animals in rescue centres all across Spain, there is a desperate need for people to give loving homes. Adopting a pet is a wonderful and

Adoption tips rewarding decision, so, we have taken a look at

some top tips to consid‐ er when you adopt a new dog. Which dog is the best fit for me?

From health history to behavioural needs, it is important to ask why the dog is in a rescue shelter ‐ was it abandoned, a

So many rescue animals need loving homes

stray or rescued from an abusive home? This will help you understand the potential needs required of you. Where was the dog found and in what condi‐ tion? A dog who was surren‐ dered by an owner may be in a different physical condition then a stray

PETS

found on the street. Un‐ derstanding where a dog has been helping you to be the best owner that you can be! Has this dog been adopted before? It helps to know if there have been unsuc‐ cessful adoption at‐ tempts in the past and whether the dog has had issues living with young children or other ani‐ mals. Is this dog housebro‐ ken and/or leash trained? Do you have the time to housetrain and/or leash train a dog? Under‐ stand your abilities as a new owner before falling in love with an untrained pup! Other things to consid‐ er are the size of the dog and your home, medical conditions, the activity levels of the dog, the age of the dog and the physi‐ cal maintenance such as the type of fur the dog has.

REMAKES, REBOOTS & REVIVALS version will always be better than copies or dubbed versions. ‘House of Cards’? The UK version was BREAKING VIEWS typically British and concise, dark humour Nora is the author of popular psychological throughout with one of the most terrifying suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. final episodes ever. The US version, for ‘TEN PERCENT’, the re‐ many a typical soap opera make of a popular French of politics, ended up being a TV series, recently opened vast multi‐season vehicle to mixed reviews in Britain for an actor who shall not which makes you wonder be named. Both produc‐ if you view a show differ‐ tions had their merits but ently depending on the differences are typical whether you’ve seen the of UK/US cross pollination. original or not. Series like Now you might think ‘The Killing’ and ‘The that too, but as crime writer Bridge’ were such quality I couldn’t possibly com‐ shows which many didn’t ment... think could be bettered so Nora Johnson’s critically I wasn’t interested in acclaimed psychological watching the remakes, but crime thrillers (www.nora‐ maybe they were highly johnson.net) all available enjoyable for those who online including audio‐ missed out on the origi‐ books. Profits to Cudeca Nora’s latest thriller. nals. cancer charity. Similarly, I haven’t seen the US version of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ since For more from our having read the book and enjoyed the orig‐ columnists please inal film, it would have been serious, um, overkill. scan this Watching any series or film in its original QR Code

NORA JOHNSON

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

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26 May - 1 June 2022 • euroweeklynews.com