Costa de Almeria 21 - 27 July 2022 Issue 1933

Issue No. 1933

21 - 27 July 2022

COSTA DE ALMERIA • EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Linda Hall AROUND five years ago, a group of friends in Mojacar discovered that padel‐ten‐ nis was the greatest thing ever.

“In those days we strug‐ gled to get a regular group of four people together,” Tony White told the Euro Weekly News.

“But then, talking among friends, we realised that other little groups of friends had the same prob‐ lem, so in October 2018 I started a WhatsApp group, putting people in touch with each other,” Tony said.

That was the start of the Mojacar Padel Group who meet all year round.

“We have also started a Tuesday morning begin‐ ners and improvers group, coached by our trainer and all‐round good guy Gusta‐ vo,” Tony said.

The group has around 40 members from all over Eu‐ rope.

“Some are only summer

Photo credit: Tony White

THE GREATEST THING EVER

TOURNAMENT: Competitive but everyone was smiling.

MOJACAR PADEL: Tony White (left) with friends.

visitors, but are friends nevertheless,” Tony con‐ tinued. “Ages vary from early 40s to early 80s al‐ though the majority are 58 to 65‐ish.”

Post‐Covid, they held their first get‐together at Christmas 2021 while some restrictions were still in place, but on June 25 they enjoyed what Tony called

“a full blast.”

This began with a mini in‐house tournament, and was followed by a barbe‐ cue, quiz and karaoke that had the girls travelling back to the 1980s, dancing round their handbags, ac‐ cording to Tony.

“I gladly admin the group, but it belongs to the people who use it and we

have been mostly lucky in that department,” he said.

FREE • GRATIS

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21 - 27 July 2022

Water deal dries up Linda Hall ALMANZORA VALLEY growers who need to irrigate 24,000 hectares of crops said goodbye to River Jucar water. Al‐ though the central government originally authorised the transfer from Valencia Province, Environment minister Teresa Ribera has now suspended the project.

According to reports in the provincial Spanish media, this was the result of political pressure from Valencia’s regional government, the Generalitat, and 20 environmental groups. The Aguas del Almanzora irrigation syndicate, which was prepared to pay €15 million for 50 cubic hec‐ tometres of water over the next five years, expressed their disappointment when the deal fell through.

What made the situation even worse, Aguas del Alman‐ zora sources said, was knowing that the Ministry had earli‐ er ordered the release of 73 cubic hectometres of water from the Tous reservoir in Valencia Province to prevent flooding.

Meanwhile, growers in Almeria’s Levante area, including Cuevas, Vera, Huercal‐Overa and Pulpi, will now have to look elsewhere for solutions and irrigation water.

TURRE has joined other Alme‐ ria municipalities by adopting the VioGen system for pro‐ tecting the victims of gender violence.

This brings up to 26 the number of towns and cities in Almeria Province where the Local Police join the National Police and Guardia Civil as well as other Local Police

They’ve got talent TALENTED amateurs continue to go through to the Grand Fi‐ nale of the Mojacar FaXtor competition on September 16. Kirsty Henderson, Shirley Burt and Sheryl Nicholson shared first place after they tied on equal scores in the second heat at Shea’s Restau‐ rant on July 9. Runner‐up Ana Camona Bonaque (the only Spanish competitor so far) goes on to the Semi‐final on September 9.

“The evening raised €125 for the Ukrainian Refugee Re‐ lief charity with more to fol‐ low,” organiser Carol Newton told the Euro Weekly News.

The third heat on July 14 at

Turre joins VioGen forces in protecting women who are threatened by vio‐ lent partners.

The VioGen network makes it easier to control the situations of risk that these women are exposed to and to raise the alert if these esca‐

late, providing adequate pro‐ tection and preventing fur‐ ther violence.

At present, the Guardia Civil are currently monitoring 20 cases of domestic violence that have been reported in Turre.

the Oasis Club, was won by Toni G Scott, an American la‐ dy from Cariatiz. Maureen Groome from Turre was run‐ ner‐up. “We again raised over €120, so support is truly there for this worthy charity event,” Carol said. “Just wish we had some children or teenagers entering,” she added.

The competition has al‐ ready raised more than €2,200 thanks to Carol’s head‐ shave in May, plus FaXtor en‐ try fees, donations, football

scratch cards and beer draws, without taking into account raffle ticket sales.

“A mystery virtual celebrity judge as seen on Britain’s Got Talent 2022 will be involved in the Semi‐final and Final, giving encouragement to the con‐ testants,” Carol announced.

“All will be revealed shortly!”

The next heat will be held at Mimi’s Bar on Saturday, Ju‐ ly 23 from 5pm to 9pm, with plenty of room outside for the performers.

NEWS

Photo credit: Carol Newton

MOJACAR FAXTOR: Second heat competitors, winners and runners-up.

The August 13 heat at Bar La Reva in Vera Playa will in‐ stead be hosted by Café Bar O Sole Mio in Pueblo Laguna.

Any bar wishing to take part should contact Ron Fazey (634 381 386 or email ron fazey1@msn.com).

Local swimming pools Tamsin Brown ALTHOUGH many choose to head to the coast to cool off during the summer months, inland rural tourism is becoming more and more common. Most inland municipalities in Almeria have very well‐ equipped municipal swimming pools.

This year, Huercal‐Overa has given sev‐ eral associations of people with disabilities the use of the municipal pool free of charge. The pool is accessible to all as it has special equipment which allows peo‐

ple with reduced mobility to swim. There are also a lot of daily activities such as gymnastics for the elderly.

In the municipality of Albox, the facili‐ ties of the Agua y Salud Municipal Sports Centre opened on July 2. It is open from Monday to Friday 8am to 2pm and from 3pm to 10pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm.

The municipal swimming pool in Los Gallardos also offers Aquagym classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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NIBS EXTRA Rescue help THANKS to raffles, beer draws and other initiatives at Mojacar’s Emerald Isle, €605 has been raised for Kim’s Animal Rescue Chari‐ ty. This amount, at Kim Hal‐ liwell’s request, will go to the Centro Veterinario Cos‐ ta Indalo at the Parque Commercial in Mojacar, where all her rescued ani‐ mals are treated.

Anchor returns GARRUCHA’S iconic an‐ chor, which once presided the Plaza del Ancla but was removed when this was re‐ modelled, has been resited in a prime location adjoin‐ ing the seafront. Never used as a ship’s anchor, it was originally used to at‐ tach buoys and brought to the surface in the 80s.

Ikea in Almeria CO N S T R U C T I O N of the Swedish furniture store is set to begin very soon, and is due for completion in summer 2023. The compa‐ ny is expecting that ap‐ proximately 200 people will be applying for posi‐ tions at the store, which will be around 14,000 square metres.

Home grown BBVA bank and the Roca brothers whose Celler Can Roca restaurant is rated the world’s best, announced the winners of their annual selection of Spain’s finest organic products. This year an award has gone to cour‐ gettes produced by a fami‐ ly‐owned Nijar company which works with 200 local growers.

Lady luck THE twice‐weekly Primiti‐ va lottery smiled on a La Mojonera resident who won €1 million on July 14 thanks to the El Joker (The Joker), another option for punters who pay an extra €1. The winning coupon was processed in Calle Tierno Galvan, announced the State Lotteries body, SELAE.

21 - 27 July 2022

Visiting the town’s past Linda Hall VERA Town Hall and the Diputacion provincial council have worked together on a documentary based on the town’s origins.

Entitled ‘Vera, donde mi tierra llega al mar’ (Vera, where my land reaches the sea), it tells the story of Barya, the town’s original lo‐ cation on the Cerro del Espir‐ itu Santo hill, which was de‐ stroyed by earthquake on November 8 in 1518.

The documentary pre‐ sents virtual reconstructions of the site, which alternate with dramatised sequences

Photo credit: CC/Ismael Olea

VERA: The present-day town with Cerro del Espiritu Santo in the distance

based on the documented findings of University of Granada excavations car‐

Keeping cool AS Britain swelters in record breaking heat, the coastal regions of Spain are nowhere near as hot at the moment, but it will still be very hot continuously for some time.

Whilst fans are useful, not everyone realises that although they create air flow, this could cause a false sense of comfort but don’t reduce body temperature or prevent heat‐related ill‐ nesses.

Those who have air conditioning and can af‐ ford to use it would be well advised to do so and wherever possible bring down terrace blinds and pull curtains.

Despite the fact that many elderly Mediter‐ ranean ladies wear black all year round, the current view is that you will keep cooler if you wear loose, lightweight, light‐coloured clothing and take cool showers or baths if you get too hot.

Some tips are obvious but still need to be re‐ peated so don’t leave children, the elderly or pets in a car whilst you go shopping, try not to use ovens if you can use a hob or eat a salad and always keep hydrated with plenty of water and little alcohol.

If you have to go out use sunscreen and cov‐ er your head and if you wear a mask, make sure it’s made from cotton rather than a syn‐ thetic material.

Be alert for signs of exhaustion such as soar‐ ing temperature, hot dry skin with no sweat, rapid pulse, dizziness or confusion.

If you have an animal then follow simple rules as dogs don’t sweat but pant and should never be given ice cubes as this could cause a very adverse reaction and always remember that a dog’s paws are vulnerable to hot sur‐ faces.

Plenty of water and shade will keep most an‐ imals comfortable.

ried out in 2021.

First aired in January dur‐ ing a Burgos (Castilla y Leon)

conference and later shown at the Fitur tourism trade fair held last February in Madrid, the documentary is now at the centre of a digital mar‐ keting campaign financed by the Diputacion.

Miguel Guzman, who heads the provincial coun‐ cil’s Culture and Cinema de‐ partment, congratulated Ve‐ ra Town Hall on the project.

“This demonstrates commit‐ ment to recovering, publicis‐ ing and defending the cultur‐ al and historic heritage of a very significant part of Alme‐ ria province’s past,” Guzman said.

Fine state of affairs THE Guardia Civil recently assisted and then fined a driver whose car broke down on the A‐7. They were alerted on Friday July 8 by drivers who reported seeing a woman sitting beside a car in a deckchair on the motorway’s hard shoulder. By the time the Guardia Civil officers arrived to find her sitting comfortably at the side of the road while soaking up the sun, her photo had already gone viral.

The officers warned her that she was infringing traffic regulations on several counts. As they pointed out, she had done nothing to warn other drivers that there was an obstacle ‐ her stationary car ‐ on the road. Nei‐ ther was she wearing the high visibility waistcoat required by law once she was outside her vehicle. Having made sure that all the traffic norms were complied with and that the woman was no longer a danger to her‐ self or to others, the Guardia Civil officers first contacted a breakdown lor‐ ry to remove her vehicle, and then fined her.

A Real pleasure CALLE REAL, one of Cantoria’s principal streets, has had a facelift after 20 years.

Cantoria Town Hall announced that after six months and an in‐ vestment of €250,000, work was finally completed.

Puri Sanchez, Cantoria’s mayor, pointed out that residents could fi‐ nally count on state‐of‐the‐art general services that would in‐ crease the value of their proper‐ ties and improve their quality of life.

“We have done much more than repair a street, what we have done is start afresh,” Sanchez said.

“Everything is new, cutting edge and totally finished,” the mayor continued. “Nobody will need to carry out more work in order to connect to utilities.

“We have only done what we have done in many other parts of

town, but finishing Calle Real is es‐ pecially satisfying because we are beginning to see that we are achieving everything we set out to do,” Sanchez said.

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Textiles v nudists VERA has long been a na‐ turist destination.

The town has several urbanisations where total nudity is permitted and it is also home to Spain’s on‐ ly naturist hotel.

However, according to reports in the provincial Spanish press, there has been friction over the last 10 years on the Natural World urbanisation, a complex of 495 proper‐ ties.

Approximately 80 per cent are naturists with a 20 per cent minority of textiles, who remain dressed. Matters recently came to a head when na‐ turists claimed that they were subjected to what amounted to a coup d’é‐ tat when they were obliged to leave the swim‐ ming pool.

“Several naturists pre‐ ferred to leave the pool af‐ ter several apparently hired heavies argued and grappled with the natur‐ ists’ own security guard,” Eusebia Donaire told a lo‐ cal newspaper. “I’m 60 years old and I was fright‐ ened,” he said. “We don’t want conflict and we don’t want violence.”

The naturists called the Guardia Civil who, they said afterwards, merely asked everybody to reach an agreement, Eusebio continued.

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21 - 27 July 2022

Tamsin Brown IN a recent operation titled “‘Don Juan’, the Guardia Civil Command in Almeria shut down a criminal or‐ ganisation which was dedi‐ cated to carrying out crimes of technological fraud using what are known as ‘ro‐ mance scams’.

According to the state‐ ment released on July 12, three people have been ar‐ rested and another is being investigated in Spain, while other members of the or‐ ganisation have been iden‐ tified in Italy, Poland, the

NEWS

Romance scams More bilingual schools United Kingdom and the United States.

The operation began as a result of a complaint made at the Guardia Civil offices in Almeria, when an indi‐ vidual said that they had been the victim of a scam.

The scammers had man‐ aged to get €30,000 from the victim through bank transfers to national and in‐ ternational current ac‐ counts.

The organisation created the fake profile of an Amer‐ ican soldier on social net‐ works. After gaining the vic‐ tim’s trust, they asked for various amounts of money, claiming to have ‘health problems’, or needing to send suitcases with ‘valu‐ able personal belongings’.

The Guardia Civil has warned citizens to take pre‐ cautions to avoid being vic‐ tims of these scams.

Tribute to Miguel ‘Ángel Blanco ON July 13, the province of Almeria paid tribute to Miguel Ángel Blanco, the Basque politician who was kidnapped and mur‐ dered by ETA in 1997. This year marks 25 years since his death. The Provincial Council participated in the five minutes of silence that the Spanish Federation of Municipali‐ ties and Provinces organised as a tribute to him and all the other victims of terrorism.

Members of the Corporation and work‐ ers participated in an emotional tribute that ended with more than three minutes of applause. The vice‐president of the Provincial Council, Ángel Escobar, said: “25 years have passed, but we cannot forget Miguel Ángel Blanco. We cannot erase this case and that of all the victims of ETA from our memory because we owe them the

Credit: Provincial Council of Almeria

IN MEMORY: Five minutes of silence at the Provincial Council.

conquest of our freedom as a fundamental value of the democratic society that we en‐ joy today.

“The legacy of Miguel Ángel Blanco will always dwell within us to remind us that we will always remain united in the fight against ETA and any kind of terrorism,” he added.

“THE commitment to educa‐ tion in the province of Alme‐ ria has always been a priori‐ ty for the Partido Popular,” said the deputy secretary‐ general of the Welfare Soci‐ ety of the Partido Popular (PP) in Almeria, Rocío Sánchez, on July 15. She thanked the Andalucian gov‐ ernment of Juanma Moreno (also PP) for having decided to increase the number of bilingual schools in the province, with four more for the next academic year.

The schools that will pro‐ vide bilingual education for the first time next year are the new Viator Primary School and Torreserena Sec‐ ondary School, also in Via‐ tor, Abdera Primary School in Adra and Federico García Lorca Primary School in Car‐ boneras.

Sánchez highlighted the importance of languages, which is why the Junta de Andalucia is also committed to increasing bilingualism in vocational training in order to ensure that young people are better prepared to face an increasingly competitive world of work.

Finally, she mentioned the important changes that have taken place in education

Credit: Partido Popular Almeria

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COMMITTED: Rocío Sánchez at one of the bilingual schools.

since Juanma Moreno has been president. “We now

have more resources than ever before,” she concluded.

Flights to Melilla ON July 15, Air Nostrum, Iberia’s franchise airline for regional flights, launched a promotion on flights to and from Melilla. Until July 31, the company is offer‐ ing flights starting at €29 for non‐residents and €11.86 for residents.

The flying dates available for the promotion are from September 19, 2022 to March 31, 2023. The fares have no date restrictions, so they are also valid over long weekends and at Christmas. Tickets can be purchased at www.iberia.com and at travel agencies.

The offer launched by Air Nostrum applies to travel between Melilla and Sevilla, Granada, Almeria and Malaga, with tickets starting at an average of €29 each way.

For flights connecting Melilla with Barcelona and Madrid, the promotion starts at an average of €49 each way for non‐residents. For those who are resi‐ dents of Melilla, the price drops to €16.86 for flights departing from Melilla and from €42.28 for return flights.

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21 - 27 July 2022

Happy 20th MOJACAR has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the creation of its Municipal Band with an emotional concert in which mem‐ bers past and present played to‐ gether in the town’s main square.

The musicians who are currently part of the Municipal Band were joined by many of those who were there when the adventure began. The original conductor, Diego Martinez Melgarea, was al‐ so present.

Diego Martínez led the musi‐ cians through the repertoire of the early years before the current musical director, Miguel Ángel Mi‐ randa, took the baton for some more modern pieces with newly added instruments, such as the drums and the electric bass.

The aim of the programme was to show how the band has evolved over the years, and the audience’s enthusiastic applause led to an encore.

Although the Municipal Band of Mojacar is made up of very young musicians, with an average age of 15, they have managed to become one of the best such bands in the province of Almeria and have participated in concerts and competitions all over Spain.

Boosting tourism

Tamsin Brown THE deputy of Tourism of the Provincial Council of Almeria, Fernando Giménez, and the president of the Senator Ho‐ tels & Resorts group, José María Rossell, held a meeting on Friday July 15 at the West‐ ern‐style theme park Oasys, which is owned by the hotel group. The aim was to anal‐ yse the situation in the tourism sector and establish ways of collaborating to pro‐ mote tourism.

Oasys, formerly known as Mini Hollywood, has been used as a film set for famous films such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Giménez highlighted the work that Senator Hotels & Resorts has done to benefit tourism in the province of Almeria. Speaking of Oasys, he said: “It is a must for any tourist. Here they will find a spectacular set with a fantastic film museum, a lega‐ cy of our intense cinemato‐ graphic history.”

They spoke of upcoming im‐

Credit: Provincial Council of Almeria

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THEME PARK: Fernando Giménez visited Oasys.

provements to be made to Oasys, including the installa‐ tion of a zip line to and from

the station to allow people to admire the landscape of the only desert in Europe.

Council trains carers PART of the Provincial Council of Almeria’s plan for Com‐ munity Social Services is a training course for full‐time car‐ ers who work with the elderly. The course has already been given in Alhama de Almeria, Benahadux, Berja, Alhabia, La Mojonera and Gador, and more than 100 carers have joined the programme.

Each course consists of four one‐hour sessions. Once completed, the carers have acquired new theoretical knowledge and practical skills that will allow them to carry out their work in the best way possible.

Speaking on Saturday July 16, the vice‐president and deputy for Social Welfare, Ángeles Martínez, said: “As a so‐ ciety, we owe a lot to our elderly, which is why we want to reward those who dedicate all their time to caring for de‐ pendent people.”

NEWS

Help in the heat HOSPITAL emergency services and the public health emergency service (061) in Almeria have recently seen an increase in the number of people affected by the high temperatures.

Most of these people are elderly or suffer from conditions such as cardio‐ vascular or respiratory diseases, obe‐ sity, diabetes or cognitive impair‐ ment.

Since June and as of July 12, the Andalucian Telecare Service had re‐ ceived more than 1,500 calls from people suffering from health prob‐ lems caused by the high tempera‐ tures. Although Almeria is one of the provinces of Andalucia that has had the least extreme temperatures dur‐ ing the heatwave, which is affecting almost the whole country, it is still important to take precautions to avoid problems such as heat stroke.

Heat stroke can be very serious and even fatal. It often occurs among people who work at high tempera‐ tures or those who practise sport at the hottest time of day. Fortunately, heat stroke is not frequent, and over the last few weeks of high tempera‐ tures in Almeria, the emergency ser‐ vices of Torrecárdenas have yet to deal with a single case.

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21 - 27 July 2022

Yoga for families

THE Provincial Council of Almeria continues with its programme titled ‘Recon‐ nected Families 2.0’, which is aimed at allowing families to enjoy a range of leisure activities in the 103 municipalities of the province.

One such activity is the family yoga workshops for adults and children, where participants learn relax‐ ation and breathing tech‐ niques to help them deal with the stress of every‐ day life.

Speaking on Saturday July 16, the deputy for Equality and Family, Car‐ men Belén López, high‐ lighted how the yoga workshops contribute to‐ wards improving the qual‐ ity of life of the people of Almeria, saying: “Stress is a huge problem in society and we often don’t even realise it. The yoga activi‐ ty, which began this week in Arboleas and will reach Senés on July 30 and

Fuente Victoria in Septem‐ ber, will help to improve relations between chil‐ dren and adults.”

The objectives of the yo‐ ga workshops include strengthening emotional

bonds in families; devel‐ oping respect for oneself and family members; han‐ dling emotions and know‐ ing how to express them; and improving posture and overall fitness.

Actors for a Western THE municipality of Tabernas in Almeria will be the film set of a new international Western and the casting call to find actors and actresses to be part of it has already begun. Many films have been shot in the famous Tabernas Desert since the 1950s.

The person in charge of the casting selection, Iván Armesto, made the announcement on July 15 on Twitter, saying that men and women aged be‐ tween 25 and 65 were wanted ‘urgently’ for the film. The message does not give any specific physi‐ cal characteristics that are required and gives the impression that variety is welcome, as it says ‘blon‐ des, brunettes, redheads, etc’.

Armesto said that those interested in participat‐ ing in the selection process should send their per‐ sonal details (full name, place of residence, ID number, age and telephone number), along with two recent photographs, to ivanarmestocine@gmail.com with the word ‘West‐ ern’ in the subject line.

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21 - 27 July 2022

NEWS

Almeria’s debts Tamsin Brown A TOTAL of 40 town councils in the province of Almeria are debt‐free, a number that has been rising notably over the last decade. In 2012, just 15 of them ended the year without any debt and the province’s total was three times what it is now. Accord‐ ing to the report from the Spanish Ministry of Finance and Public Function for 2021, Almeria’s total debt amounts to €365 million.

The 40 town halls that have no debts are Abrucena, Albánchez, Alboloduy, Al‐ colea, Almócita, Alsodux, Arumuña de Almanzora, Bayárcal, Bayarque, Bédar, Benahadux, Benitagla, Cas‐ tro de Filabres, Cóbdar, Cher‐ cos, Fiñana, Fondón, Gádor, Íllar, Instinción, Laroya, Líjar, Nacimiento, Phanes, Pechi‐ na, Rioja, Santa Cruz de Marchena, Santa Fe de

Luis García, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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REPORT ON DEBT: Spain’s Ministry of Finance.

Mondújar, Sierro, Somontín, Suflí, Terque, Tíjola, Turrillas, Urrácal, Velefique, Viator, Las Tres Villas and Balanegra.

On the other hand, the largest bank debts corre‐ spond to municipalities with a larger number of inhabi‐

tants, headed by El Ejido (€147 million), followed by the city of Almeria (€77 mil‐ lion), Albox (€17 million), Adra €14 million), Cuevas del Almanzora and Macael (€13 million) and Huercal‐Overa (€9.5 million).

Prices are rising THE Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 1.8 per cent in Almeria in June, ac‐ cording to data released by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) on July 13. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine is likely to prolong the rise in prices and it is expected that the high inflation will continue at an international level for some time.

The sectors with the greatest in‐ crease in prices in June were trans‐ port, housing, food and non‐alcoholic beverages, restaurants and hotels, leisure and culture and furniture and household goods.

Many households are struggling with the effects of this and have had to adapt their buying habits.

Notably, the foods with the most significant price increases are staple products, such as flour, oil, eggs and pasta, and this is having a major im‐ pact on the Spanish economy.

According to the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU), sunflow‐ er oil is now 118 per cent more ex‐ pensive than a year ago, olive oil is al‐ most 53 per cent more expensive and flour is almost 50 per cent more ex‐ pensive.

Cosentino buys Macenas THE family‐owned compa‐ ny Cosentino Group, from Almeria, announced on Ju‐ ly 14 that it will buy the Playa Macenas tourist and residential complex in the town of Mojacar. The long‐ term project will involve a total investment of almost €200 million and the cre‐ ation of more than 180 jobs on an indefinite basis.

Since 2008, the Playa Macenas complex has suf‐

fered due to the real estate crisis, with its assets falling into the hands of different entities, including the bad bank of the Spanish gov‐ ernment, Sareb.

The aim of the Cosentino Group is to turn Macenas into a sustainable tourist destination with its own personality while preserv‐ ing the cultural and natural heritage that makes it unique. The master plan

for the project will be pre‐ sented in October, and the inauguration of the social and sports club is expected for the summer of 2023, when the first homes are also expected to be ready.

With this project, the Cosentino Group wants to demonstrate, once again, its commitment to the growth and sustainable de‐ velopment of the province of Almeria.

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21 - 27 July 2022

The future is now

UNDER the slogan ‘Future is Now’, Liberty Seguros held its Annual Expatriates Con‐ vention on June 7 in Malaga, bringing together over 50 in‐ termediaries and partners.

The company wanted to give the expatriate sector its own space to share details of its strategy with interme‐ diaries‐attendees and sought to highlight the need to lead the transformation of the insurance business.

During the conference ‐ which was the first face‐to‐ face meeting following two years of the pandemic ‐ Lib‐

erty announced the compre‐ hensive and technological overhaul that it has been de‐ veloping for the past two years to completely trans‐ form its structures, process‐ es, and ways of working in order to establish a more competitive and sustainable long‐term model.

The conference was at‐ tended by Jesús Núñez, Ex‐ ecutive Sales and Distribu‐ tion Leader for Europe Markets; Daniel Moreno, Spain Distribution and WEM Partners Director, and Rafael Nadales, Director of

Expatriates of Liberty Se‐ guros. They were accompa‐ nied by additional partners and collaborators, such as Carglass, Asitur and PLC Spain.

Jesús Núñez said: “The adoption of new technolo‐ gies and the acquisition of digital competencies are key to continuing to provide val‐ ue to an increasingly de‐ manding and digital cus‐ tomer. For Liberty, it is a priority to accompany inter‐ mediaries in their transfor‐ mation and to ensure we provide them with the tools

and knowledge they need to succeed in a future that is al‐ ready here.”

Daniel Moreno under‐ lined the key role of inter‐ mediaries in insurance distri‐ bution. According to Daniel: “Intermediaries are essen‐ tial so that we can develop and offer personalised prod‐ ucts to our customers in or‐ der to ensure they only pay for what they really need.

This is a role that is even more relevant when dealing with expatriate customers with specific insurance and advice needs.”

During the meeting, Liber‐ ty also presented the ‘Pres‐ tige Award’ in the Expatri‐ ates category to the Paul Cunningham Nurses Foun‐ dation (founded and chaired

by Jenny Cunningham) for its work supporting termi‐ nally ill people with home help from both specialist nursing staff and other re‐ sources to help both pa‐ tients and their families.

NEWS

Major blaze

Credit: Angel Matt photography

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FIRE HEROES: Professionals have worked tirelessly to control the Costa del Sol’s recent fires.

THE Sierra de Mijas in the Costa del Sol suffered a large fire on Friday, July 15 which scorched more than 2,000 hectares of land and blazed for two days before finally be‐ ing declared ‘stabilised’ on Sunday, July 17.

Police are now investigating whether the fire was start‐ ed intentionally or negligently.

Starting in El Higueron, the fire rapidly spread to Alhau‐ rin de la Torre and Alhaurin el Grande.

The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucía, Car‐ men Crespo, from the Advanced Command Post, said the forest fire was not due to natural causes.

Meanwhile Junta de Andalucia president Juanma Moreno thanked the more than 400 people who worked to battle the blaze.

Spain’s current heatwave and low relative humidity have made forest fires a recurrent feature of the national news over the last week, with high wind speeds in some places also helping to spread the flames.

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21 - 27 July 2022

THE Euro Weekly News’ cam‐ paign to push the UK and Spanish governments to work together to allow British tourists and other groups to use their Blue Badges while in Spain has prompted an outpouring of personal stories from the ex‐ pat community.

Many UK expats have been in contact with EWN to share their story. Kenneth Wescott told us: “I am regis‐ tered disabled and a British Blue Badge holder. I reside in my villa in Maro for periods up to 90 days as per the Brex‐ it agreement.

“We have signed the Blue Badge = My Freedom cam‐ paign. I have regularly com‐ municated with Nerja Town Hall about this matter. Dis‐ abled parking is essential for me to provide space for my wife to assemble mobility scooters and to get out of our car.

“I have been in regular communication with the UK government (Grant Shapps ‐ Minister for Transport and Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP) regard‐ ing the EU situation regarding Blue badges. “Currently there

NEWS

A good cause

IMAGE: Sirtravelalot/Shutterstock.

12 EWN

20 EU countries who have signed an agreement for blue badge use.” Many other readers have also contacted the EWN saying that disabled friends and family members will struggle to park now that British tourists cannot use their Blue Badges in Spain without risking a fine.

Please help to push the UK and Spanish governments to work together on this impor‐ tant issue by signing our peti‐

British Blue Badges. tion at https://euroweekly news.com/2022/06/16/blue‐ badges/ or by scanning the QR code.

NEWS

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21 - 27 July 2022

Whatsapp cyber scam

THE Guardia Civil has warned of a scam that is taking place through WhatsApp that several users have denounced in

recent days. Specifically, mobile users receive a message on their phones in which they are invited to be part of a Coca‐Cola

Oldest relative AN archaeological site in the Atapuerca Moun‐ tains near the city of Burgos in northern Spain, which is known for its rich fossil record, has un‐ earthed a jawbone fossil.

The fragmented skull is believed to be the old‐ est of its kind ever found in Europe.

It includes part of the upper jawbone (maxilla) and a tooth of a hominid who lived approxi‐ mately 1.4 million years ago, according to a sci‐ ence publication on Sunday, July 17.

John Hawks, who is an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin‐Madison, in America, al‐ though not affiliated with the recent dig, said that the new discovery helps give insight into the locals previously in the area.

“We don’t know yet exactly where this piece of the upper jaw is going to fit, and it’s going to take a lot of work and comparison for that team to determine [this],” John Hawks told the publi‐ cation.

“But whatever they determine, this is tied to a site with evidence of behaviour.”

promotion in which they can receive up to €500 for their supposed 130th an‐ niversary, as reported on Saturday, July 16, by Spanish news sources.

As reported by the In‐ ternet Security Office, the user receives a message that seems to genuinely come from Coca‐Cola. It promotes gifts for the drinks company’s 130th anniversary, accompanied by a link where the gifts can supposedly be pur‐ chased.

On this website, it asks the user to answer a sur‐ vey where they can win a mini fridge. The message will always be the same: you have won a prize and in order to claim it you must send the message to 20 friends through What‐ sApp who must fill out a form with personal data.

In reality, it is a sub‐ scription to a service where the user actually agrees to pay €43.50 ev‐ ery 14 days.

EWN 13

NEWS

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

THE Rolling Stones Paint ed It Black in Brussels as the Manneken‐Pis was given a weekend make‐ over to welcome the band.

The three main mem‐ bers of the band, cele‐ brating 60 years of music, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were in the city to perform before a huge crowd on Monday July 11.

Prior to that and with the participation of the Brussels City Council, their Belgian promoters Greenhouse Talent organ‐ ised for the iconic Man‐ neken‐Pis to be dressed in a specially commis‐ sioned Rolling Stones cos‐ tume in black with the fa‐ mous lips in red and yellow to honour the Bel‐ gian flag, The costume was unveiled on the Sat‐ urday prior to the concert (the Stones’ first in Brus‐ sels for 46 years) whilst

Credit: Benoit Hellings Twitter

Paint It Black

DRESSED UP: The Manneken-Pis welcomed the Stones.

tourists and passers‐by were also able to enjoy a rendition of Paint it Black performed by a local marching band.

Sir Michael Jagger will be 79 on July 26, Keith Richards will be 79 on De‐ cember 18 and youngest

of the trio Ronnie Wood was 75 this year, so their stamina just to travel to the nine countries on their European tour must be tremendous, let alone playing in 14 concerts to sold out stadiums, which is quite amazing.

Digital ID cards FORMER Prime Minister Tony Blair has re‐ newed calls on Friday, July 15 for digital ID cards to be issued in the UK as a means to tackle illegal immigration.

The Institute for Global Change (IGC), Tony Blair’s foundation, said in a report that the weak link in the government’s plans to tackle immigration was its failure to crack down on il‐ legal employment in the UK. It said unscrupulous employers continue to give jobs to illegal migrants and the only way to deal with that was through a ‘digital identity

verification’ system. Such ID cards are already in use all over Europe, with those wishing to obtain an ID card having to prove their right to live and work in the country. Such cards allow authorities to quickly check a person’s status and track their employment. Originally pro‐ posed while Blair was in office, the plan was quickly shelved after David Cameron was vot‐ ed into power. He buckled under opposition from human rights groups, activists, and IT ex‐ perts who all spoke out against the plan de‐ spite ID cards working well elsewhere.

Public sector pay rise UK public sector workers will apparently be offered a pay rise that averages out at around 5 per cent, in one of Boris Johnson’s last acts as Prime Minister.

According to a Financial Times (FT) report late on Fri‐ day, July 15, unnamed gov‐ ernment ministers said that Johnson is planning to make the offer ahead of annual pay

reviews for more than half of the civil service.

With inflation running close to 10 per cent, the un‐ named source said that John‐ son and the government were likely to accept the rec‐ ommendations of indepen‐ dent pay reviews and award increases of around 5 per cent.

Public sector pay has

lagged behind the private sector with austerity mea‐ sures resulting in consecutive years of low increases, and last year’s 1.5 per cent falling well behind the nearly 8 per cent seen in parts of the pri‐ vate sector.

The latter has been bol‐ stered by one‐off bonuses and other enticements to at‐ tract and retain staff.

EWN 15

16 EWN

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

NEWS

THE donation of another million doses of the Covid vaccine to Bangladesh follows the four million doses sent last year.

The UK bilaterally donated one million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh. The vaccine consignment arrived in Bangladesh on February 23, 2022, the UK government confirmed on Sunday, July 17. This bilateral donation from the UK will reinforce Bangladesh’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s economic recovery. Prior to this, the UK donated over four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh in December 2021 through COVAX facilities. While welcoming the second consignment of vaccine donations from the UK, the British High

FOUR-HOUR delays were experienced at Dover on Saturday, July 16 with many customers complaining of problems on the UK side.

Ferry company DFDS issued a statement saying that ferries were being delayed up to four hours due to French passport controls.

However, the statement was disputed by passengers

Image: UK Government.

UK donates vaccine Rhod cancer treatment UK donates another million doses of Covid vaccine to Bangladesh.

Commissioner HE Robert Chatterton Dickson said “We welcome the arrival of one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK to Bangladesh. This bilateral donation adds to the four million doses that the UK donated through COVAX last year.”

Dover ferry who said the problem was in Dover where insufficient check-in booths were delaying customer processing.

In a scene reminiscent of that in airports, the Port of Dover seems to be struggling to find sufficient staff to process travellers quickly and effectively.

P & O Ferries also experienced similar delays with one customer saying they queued to catch the 4.25am and eventually were put on the 7.50am sailing after severe delays in Dover.

Others said they had sat in their cars without moving for between two and three hours, with seemingly few cars being processed.

IT was revealed on, Thursday, July 14, that top British comedian and television star Rhod Gilbert has been diagnosed with cancer. The legendary Welsh star has not disclosed which type of cancer it is, but he is undergoing treatment.

Rhod confirmed the news via his Facebook page, posting: “As a proud patron of Velindre Cancer Centre, I’ve trekked the world, hosted chaotic quizzes, and star-studded comedy nights. I’ve met and made friends with so many inspirational staff, patients and their families.

It has been a huge part of my life for the last 10 years.

“So while I never imagined that I would be a patient here, I know better than anyone that I am in the best possible hands.

The NHS care I’m receiving is incredible. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone... but who knows,

maybe I’ll come out the other end with a new stand-up show and a 40minute rant about orange squash,” the television star continued.

He concluded: “Thank you, everyone, for your

support over the last few weeks and months (and years). I’ll be disappearing for a while and won’t be commenting further, at least not for now, whilst I focus on my recovery.

Rhod x.”

Gatwick water shortage GATWICK AIRPORT, the UK’s second largest, ran out of water forcing toilets and restaurants to close during the heatwave on Thursday, July 14.

Disgruntled passengers were quick to vent their frustration on Social Media.

One tweeted: “Water shortage at Gatwick Air‐ port.

“No food service at some of the restaurants, pre‐ sumably due to the lack of water, and the terminal is packed. Oh joy.”

Gatwick Airport was quick to respond to the tweet with a post that read: “We’re really sorry that we’re experiencing an issue with the supply of water to Gatwick.

“We’re working closely with SES Water to get this resolved. Thanks.”

Another passenger said: “Gatwick Airport should‐ n’t you be warning your customers that nearly all the loos are shut!

“Watching kids and pregnant women really upset is a bad vibe.”

NEWS

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

Fans concern for Danniella

Fans show concern for Danniella Westbrook’s nosebleed.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said on Wednes‐ day, July 13: “The offer from Network Rail represents a real terms pay cut for our members and the paltry sum is conditional on RMT members agreeing to dras‐ tic changes in their working lives.

“We have made progress on compulsory redundan‐ cies, but Network Rail is still seeking to make our mem‐ bers poorer when we have won in some cases double what they are offering, with other rail operators.

“The train operating com‐

alive after everything I’ve put myself through. I’m waiting to be a nanny, hopefully.

“I’m just so happy with this chapter that I’m in.”

She added: “I’m just hap‐ py with who I am and I

needed to learn that.”

In reference to her pre‐ vious cocaine habit, Dan‐ niella confirmed: “You don’t need to go to re‐ hab. All they’re going to do is detox you, you need to get to a meeting.”

Advertising Feature

MISSING SOCKS AND INSURANCE

BBC legend dies BBC radio DJ and mastermind behind hit game show On‐ ly Connect, Chris Stuart, has sadly died after an extensive career at the network, which included providing com‐ mentary on Princess Diana’s funeral, it was confirmed on Wednesday, July 13.

Throughout his stellar career, the 72‐year‐old was coined as ‘one of the true greats’ of British broadcast‐ ing.

Fans were quick to pay tribute. One post on Twitter read: “RIP Chris Stuart. I’m so sorry to hear this news.”

“My deepest sympathies to the family & former col‐ leagues. Chris was a brilliant broadcaster & producer” “Fond memories of listening to him on Radio Wales, Radio 2 & he was the voice of solemnity covering state occasions.”

Another fan commented: “He had the perfect radio voice and was the chief inspiration for my Nostalgia In‐ terviews podcast.”

“There aren’t many of his ilk still left. RIP.”

Pay offer ‘paltry’

A 24-hour strike is planned.

panies remain stubborn and are refusing to make any new offer which deals with job security and pay.”

Image RMT strike - Image Leighton Collins/Shutterstock.com

Image: Danniella Westbrook Twitter

A P P EA R I N G on the ITV chat show This Morning Danniella Westbrook had fans concerned about a nosebleed on Wednes‐ day, July 13.

This Morning an‐ nounced the interview in a tweet that read: “Dan‐ niella Westbrook joined us for a raw and honest chat about how she’s still alive at nearly 50, in spite of all the turmoil she’s faced.”

During the interview, aside from advertising her new book, Danniella said: “I’m happy to be

EWN 17

It is understood that a 4 per cent pay rise backdated to January was offered with a further 2 per cent in‐ crease next year. In addi‐ tion, a further 2 per cent was offered conditional on the achievement of so‐ called “modernisation milestones”.

The latest 24‐hour strike will take place on Wednes‐ day July 27, the day before the Commonwealth Games begin in Birmingham.

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BEST PRICE AND BEST SERVICE Everything is in English. Our Roadside Assistance team speaks English and will quickly help your onward journey. If you urgently need a duplicate set of keys for your motorcycle, then our English-speaking customer service will sort it out. And should you require Home Assistance to set up your new Wi-Fi connection, then our English-speaking technical staff will set up a visit.

EXPAT2EXPAT Also, did you know that Línea Directa has it’s own Expat2Expat programme? Whenever an existing customer recommends a friend, then we reward the policy holder and the friend with €30 in cash. You can recommend up to 10 people and earn up to €300 in cash per year. Simply ask your friend to call 952 147 834 and quote your full name. Then once their application for car, bike or home insurance has been approved, Línea Directa will pay the reward straight into the bank account following payment of the next or first premium. See terms and conditions at lineadirecta.com.

Call their English-speaking customer service staff on 952 147 834 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com

Commons chaos BORIS JOHNSON’S penultimate PMQs didn’t go as planned and were actually delayed due to chaotic scenes as two Scottish nationalist MPs were kicked out of the House of Commons.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ordered the re‐ moval of Alba Party MPs Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill for disrupting the start of the session on Wednesday, July 13.

Mr MacAskill, the East Lothian MP, could be heard trying to raise a point of order and appeared to say “we need a referendum” be‐ fore he was drowned out by other MPs, ac‐

cording to UK press sources.

Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill were protesting about the UK government’s refusal to transfer the powers necessary to hold a sec‐ ond Scottish independence vote to the Scot‐ tish government.

The incident comes after the UK govern‐ ment claimed it would be “premature” for the Supreme Court to consider the legality of Scot‐ land’s devolved administration holding an in‐ dependence referendum without London’s permission.

BEST PRICE. BETTER COVER.

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

Trustworthy media

A EUROBAROMETER sur‐ vey published on July 12 takes an in‐depth look at EU citizens’ media habits and attitudes towards dis‐ information.

Citizens trust public broadcast and print media, including their online ver‐ sions, more than online news platforms and social media, with 49 per cent expecting public TV and ra‐ dio stations to give them truthful news. This was fol‐ lowed by the written press, with 39 per cent.

Private TV and radio sta‐ tions are cited by 27 per cent as trustworthy.

Poland was the only country where private TV and radio stations are the most trusted news source, and the most‐trusted news source in Hungary was “people, groups or friends followed on social media.”

Over a quarter (28 per cent) thought that they had been exposed to disin‐ formation often or very of‐

ten over the past week.

Respondents in Bulgaria were the most likely to say that they had (55 per cent), while respondents

Dijon mustard shortage

in the Netherlands were the least likely to say so (3 per cent said “very often” and 9 per cent said “of‐ ten”).

Unconstitutional quarantine THE Constitutional Court (TC) in Portugal ruled on Wednesday, July 13 that Covid quarantines outside the state of emergency are unconstitutional and ‘represent a deprivation of liberty and are not ad‐ missible outside periods when a state of emergency has been declared’.

The TC ruled that Covid quarantines (confine‐ ments) imposed in Portugal without a state of emergency having been decreed are unconstitu‐ tional. The news comes as a major blow to the Por‐ tuguese government which has reportedly been busy preparing a health emergency law.

Five judges ruled that the confinements outside of a state of emergency ‘represented true depriva‐ tions of liberty and not just mere restrictions on freedom of movement’. Two judges were in favour of allowing quarantines to happen outside of a state of emergency.

Councillor António José da Ascensão Ramos’ rul‐ ing stated that ‘establishing a mandatory regime of confinement in housing (confinement), constitutes a very important interference in the scope of pro‐ tection of the right to freedom’.

NEWS

Credit: Florival fr, CC BY-SA 4.0

18 EWN

Mustard is a popular condiment in France.

FRANCE is suffering from a shortage of Di‐ jon mustard. Canada, the world’s main ex‐ porter of mustard seeds, is no longer sup‐ plying enough to meet the demand. Dijon mustard is the third most popular condi‐ ment in France, being consumed with ev‐ erything from hot dogs to salads, yet the French are having to make do without it.

Canada, which supplies 80 per cent of all the mustard seeds imported into France, suffered a large heat dome last year that ruined the harvest. The economic losses to producers in the Canadian Prairies were

estimated by the government to be bil‐ lions of dollars. This has caused the aver‐ age price of Canadian mustard seed to double, reaching a record high of $1,700 per tonne.

In France, the season has not been much better. In April 2021, growers in Burgundy faced sub‐zero temperatures, and less than half of all mustard seeds could be harvested. The war in Ukraine made the situation worse, as both Ukraine and Rus‐ sia are also major exporters of mustard seed, causing the price to soar even higher.

Croatia ready to use euro THE Council of the European Union, on Tuesday July 12, adopted the final three legal acts that are required to en‐ able Croatia to introduce the euro on January 1, 2023. This completes the process which will enable Croatia to be‐ come a member of the euro area and to benefit from us‐ ing the EU’s common curren‐ cy as of next year.

Zbyněk Stanjura, the min‐ ister of Finance of Czechia, said: “I would like to congrat‐ ulate my counterpart, Zdravko Marić, and the whole of Croatia for becom‐ ing the 20th country to join the euro area. Adopting the euro is not a race, but a re‐ sponsible political decision.

Croatia has successfully com‐ pleted all the required eco‐

nomic criteria and they will pay in euros as of January 1, 2023.”

One of the three legal acts sets the conversion rate be‐ tween the euro and the Croatian kuna at 7.53450 ku‐ na per euro. This corre‐ sponds to the current central rate of the kuna in the ex‐ change rate mechanism (ERM II).

20 EWN

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

FEATURE

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

GUITARIST and songwriter Robin George spent lockdown in Periana recording and mas‐ tering no less than seven al‐ bums.

He explained that “for me it was time when I could simply wander into my home studio and get creative” and this huge body of work has now resulted in a new contract and publish‐ ing deal with Angel Air records which had previously released some of his work.

One of the albums consists of reworkings of recordings made over the years with some of rock’s greatest musi‐ cians and the album Roxstar Legends includes appearances by such luminaries as Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), John Wetton (King Crimson), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Steve Hunter (Lou Reed), Eddie Clark (Motorhead), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) and many more.

Commenting on his career, he told EWN, “I have been very lucky to have worked with so many great musicians during

Credit: Robin George

Interview with musician Robin George

NEW ALBUM: Robin on ‘Rainbow Ridge’ just outside his Periana studio.

my long career and there are still a number of unreleased recordings gathering dust with

some of the best such as Robert Plant and Phil Lynott, which I hope will see the light

of day sometime.”

Robin has had a long career playing with many well‐known bands but has now been set‐ tled in Periana in Axarquia with wife Debbie for several years and doesn’t seem to miss the slog of being on the road but enjoys his life in the sun.

Having recorded his first sin‐ gle in 1980, the musician went on to work with such diverse talents as David Byron of Uriah Heep fame, Noddy Holder and Roger Plant as well as a stint of touring with Roy Wood and Wizzard.

He and Debbie spent some time travelling through Spain, but when they arrived in the village with its 3,000 inhabi‐ tants, they knew that they had found a place to stop and en‐ joy life so after buying a prop‐ erty and more or less rebuild‐ ing it, they have become part of the Periana community.

Robin says that he can get by in Spanish but is very happy that Debbie is totally bilingual and is a registered translator

which makes life a lot easier.

Apart from Roxstar Legends, Robin has a completely new al‐ bum Dangerous Daze about to be released and for the first time, he has taken on the role of designing the cover, possi‐ bly with some advice from wife Debbie who is herself a recognised artist producing work under the name Fiona Bond.

Another venture sees a video recorded with sister‐in‐ law Vix (who used to be part of the band We’ve got a fuzzbox and we know how to use it) Summer Rocking Reggae as well as a very well‐ produced pastiche of vintage dance moves to his new track Funky Rock Groove.

With so many recordings to his name, the singer songwrit‐ er from Wolverhampton said that “royalties which are not enormous allow me to contin‐ ue to be a working musician who is living the dream.”

Find out more about Robin at http://www.robingeorge.co.uk

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

NEWS

New credit regulations New EU regulations seek to protect consumers from debt.

costs. Credit advertising should contain a clear warning that borrowing money costs mon‐ ey and it should not incite over‐indebted consumers to seek credit.

Parliament negotiators are now ready for talks with the Council and the Commission on the final rules.

Best air quality THE cleanest cities in Europe in terms of air quality during 2020 and 2021 were Umeå in Sweden and Faro and Funchal in Portugal according to the updated European city air quality data viewer published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on July 11.

Over 340 cities are ranked from the cleanest to the most polluted based on average levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The data was collected from over 400 monitoring stations across EEA member countries over the past two years.

The air quality was good in only 11 cities, meaning that lev‐ els of PM2.5 were below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) health‐based guideline for long‐term exposure.

In contrast, the European Union’s annual limit value for PM2.5 of 25 µg/m3 was only exceeded in the three most pol‐ luted cities, including Nowy Sacz, Poland, and Cremona and Padova in Italy, highlighting the difference between the WHO guideline and the EU standard.

Heartbreak in Italy Instagram Mariasofia Paparo

NEW EU rules seek to protect online consumers from credit card debt, overdrafts and loans that are unsuitable for their financial situation.

In a text adopted by the In‐ ternal Market and Consumer Protection Committee on July 12, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) say that legislation should cover credit agreements of up to €150,000, with the actual upper limit to be determined by the relevant national authorities.

MEPs introduced further re‐ quirements to assess the cred‐ itworthiness of people taking out a loan, including providing information on their current obligations or cost of living ex‐ penses. As overdraft facilities and credit overrunning are in‐ creasingly common forms of consumer credit, MEPs want to regulate them to protect consumers.

Consumers should always obtain clear information so they can compare different of‐ fers and should understand the legal and financial conse‐ quences of loans and credit

Credit: Pixabay

22 EWN

YOUNG SWIMMER: Died before her wedding day.

SHOCK waves travelled the world following the death of popular young swimmer Mariasofia Paparo, who died following a heart attack just shy of her 28th birthday and only a month after getting engaged to be married.

On Wednesday, July 13, Mariasofia Paparo was scheduled to be married. As a tribute, the community of Saint George in Cremano re‐ membered the young swim‐ mer with a prayer vigil at the church of Saint Anthony in Padova.

The Italian swimmer from the Posillipo Swimming Club died suddenly at the age of

27 after suffering a heart at‐ tack in San Giorgio a Cre‐ mano (Naples) on Monday, April 11.

Taking to social media fol‐ lowing her death, fiancé and fellow swimmer Matteo Scarpati, who had successful‐ ly proposed on March 13, paid tribute to the woman he planned to marry.

“You were an angel who changed my life by giving me the strength to do things that I never could think about do‐ ing,” he said on Facebook.

On Monday, July 11, Parthenope University held a master’s degree ceremony in her honour.

24 EWN

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

Tamsin Brown THE Mojacar Area Cancer Support Group (MACS) is a friendly group formed of cancer patients, survivors, supporters and volunteers offering support to individ‐ uals and families of all na‐ tionalities affected by can‐ cer in the Almeria region.

MACS is a registered charity and is totally de‐ pendent upon external do‐ nations and help from vol‐ unteers. The group continues to raise much‐ needed funds for the im‐ mediate and future medi‐ cal requirements of patients.

MACS needs volunteers for a wide range of roles, including working in the charity shops, driving, translating, helping with fundraising ideas and events and much more.

Volunteers come from different walks of life, have had different experiences and have different talents and abilities, which is ex‐ actly what MACS needs to provide the variety of skills

Credit: MACS

Volunteer with MACS

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The MACS charity shop in Albox.

required to offer support to anyone suffering from can‐ cer.

Volunteers form new friendships, enjoy new ac‐ tivities and even enrich their social lives if they wish to, and the rewards from doing something for others are priceless.

Those who would like to give some of their precious time and help to support MACS should ring the Gen‐ eral Enquiries line on 634 329 334 or pop into one of the charity shops in Turre, Albox, Mojacar, Las Buganvillas or Huercal‐ Overa. More information can also be found at

https://www.macscancer support.com/.

MACS holds monthly meetings for patients, sur‐ vivors and carers. These take place in Huercal‐Overa on the first Monday of the month (MACS Huercal‐ Overa shop, 10.30am); in Las Buganvillas on the first Tuesday of the month (MACS Las Buganvillas shop, 10.30am); in Mojacar on the first Wednesday of the month (MACS Mojacar Playa shop, (10.30am); and in Albox on the first Thurs‐ day of the month (MACS Albox shop, 10.30am).

There are no meetings in August.

Murder mystery

THIS murder mystery event, titled ‘Murder at the Mane At‐ traction’, is on the road and has already received five‐star reviews. This time, it will be at La Parrilla in Albox, from 7pm to 11pm on August 5.

The evening will be full of drama, and the restaurant has rooms for those who want to stay the night. The script has more twists than the road from Albox to Oria, and the clues will lead to all kinds of fun. The chair of the terribly proper English riding club, The Mane Attraction, has had a nasty accident, and the police suspect foul play.

But whilst she’s lying in the hospital, life continues. The club members need to find a new chair, and more than one person desperately wants to do it. Behind their very proper façade, almost everyone has something to hide. Will the chairwoman survive? Who will die? Is there a murderer in our midst?

Participants decide whether they want to dress up or not. They also choose and pay for their own meal.

To book, visit https://www.laughinggoat.n et/tickets/p/murder‐at‐the‐ mane‐attraction.

SOCIAL SCENE

YELMO CINES TORRECARDENAS MEMORY TUESDAY: 20.10

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER TUESDAY: 21.00

Night of Candles

ONE of Mojacar’s magical nights, the Night of Candles (Noche de las Velas), is finally here. Todat Thursday, July 21, all of the elec‐ tric lights of Mojacar will be turned off as the streets are illumi‐ nated by thousands of candles.

Residents and visitors will have the opportunity to contem‐ plate the moon and stars with telescopes from the Mirador del Castillo and spend a pleasant evening strolling through the streets of the town. There will also be live music performed by talented musicians by candlelight, from 9.15pm.

A special bus service will be available to allow people to get there easily and make sure that they do not miss anything.

ELVIS TUESDAY: 22.05

EUROPEAN PRESS

euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

FINLAND

Snus and lose

In Vino Veritas

AS many Danish smokers start using Snus, a type of snuff, according to a Danish vet in a TV interview, the number of cases of dogs experiencing nicotine poisoning has doubled between 2017 and 2021 as they eat discarded packets in the streets.

MOST shoppers in supermarkets throughout Europe can pick up a bottle of wine to go with their meals, but this is not the case in Finland.

Now a survey has found that 59 per cent of respondents don’t think wine should only be available in state-controlled outlets.

THE NETHERLANDS

IRELAND

Baggage brainwave

Very hot drink

AS chaos descends on Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam with long waits for baggage, Icelandair is sending two baggage handlers with every flight in order to ensure that they see the cases and bags unloaded from the aircraft and conveyed to the baggage hall.

AN Irish court has awarded compensation of €66,000 to a 15-year-old boy, who four years ago was travelling with Aer Lingus to Malaga.

Having been told to remove the lid of his hot chocolate drink to add milk, some spilled onto his leg causing second degree burns.

BELGIUM

ITALY

Uber questions

Pizza excess

A FORMER Belgian minister is being investigated by journalists following the recent revelations by Uber whistle blower Mark MacGann who has accused the previous management of Uber of being ’too close’ to certain European politicians including President Macron and George Osborne.

AS the Italian government carries out a wild boar cull in parts of Italy, a 57-year-old woman who was enjoying a pizza on a beach in Genoa was horrified that the aroma of her lunch attracted a large wild boar which bit her on the arm.

GERMANY

PORTUGAL

Artistic licence

Drive legally

DURING the time of Protestant Reformation in Germany a painted alter piece in Naumburg Cathedral was removed as being too extravagant. Now a controversial new piece has been installed, painted by Michael Triegel which includes a Jewish Rabbi, an Italian tramp in a red cap and his daughter.

WHILST holders of UK driving licences in Spain continue to wait for some form of agreement to allow them to drive in that country, Portugal announced on July 12 that it would recognise driver’s licences from a number of different countries, one of which is the UK.

FRANCE

UKRAINE

Tough justice

Bojo praise

TWO Belgian tourists who were on a camping trip in France fled up a tree when chased by a wild boar. Having mobile phones, they called emergency services and when officers arrived the boar had wandered off, so they were fined €270.

WHILST press around the world has been quick to suggest that Boris Johnson’s support for Ukraine was part of a ‘Winston Churchill complex’, the government there has responded quickly to thank him for all that he did to support the struggle against Russia.

NORWAY

SWEDEN

Passport control

New musical

AS there is such a huge backlog of people waiting to renew their passports which the Norwegian police can’t tackle, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Portugal and Turkey have indicated that they will, during this summer, accept expired passports so that holidaymakers can still travel.

WITH music and lyrics by Björn Ulvaeus and a contribution from former ABBA colleague Benny Andersson, a new musical Pippi at the Circus based on Sweden’s favourite children’s character Pippi Longstocking was premiered at the Cirkus venue in Stockholm on July 12.

21 - 27 July 2022

EWN 25

26 EWN

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

FEATURE

Let’s ban worthless words!

NORA JOHNSON

words routinely is in order. There must be a James Bond villain capa‐ BREAKING VIEWS ble of carrying this out. THAT would be ‘epic’.

Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

Additionally, I suggest banning the menu terms ‘pan‐fried’ and ‘oven‐ DO some overused roasted’. Pans and words annoy you? Words ovens are the normal like ‘iconic’? Followed by way to fry and roast ‘legendary’ as in the leg‐ food. If restaurants endary Elton John who, keep this up, we’ll as far as I know, is real soon have ‘waitress‐ unlike the legendary served’ and ‘somme‐ King Arthur and the lier‐poured’.

Knights of the Round Speaking of food, Table. People use these reminds me of an ad words without knowing I saw in the ‘leg‐ what they originally endary’ Exchange meant. and Mart: ‘Pure bred And let’s not forget Bulldog for sale. Will that most sacrosanct of eat anything. Ex‐ words: ‘Epic’. I thought tremely fond of chil‐ Ulysses’ Odyssey was dren’.

Nora’s latest thriller. ‘epic’, but so, too, seem‐ Nora Johnson’s ingly, was Will Smith critically acclaimed slapping Chris Rock. Yes, an epic of psychological crime thrillers two minutes is equal to The Trojan (www.nora‐johnson.net) all avail‐ War of 10 years. Time flies or, ap‐ able online including eBooks parently, does not: it stands still and (€0.99;£0.99), Apple Books, audio‐ still becomes ‘epic’. I think a mind books, paperbacks at Amazon etc. wipe of everyone who uses these Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

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

Silly season is starting MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION

Views of a Grumpy Old Man I’M so pleased Boris has been kicked out as Prime Minister. What amazes me is how he got the job in the first place. The man has cheated and lied through every single job.

He cheats on his wife, has been nicked for breaking Covid rules that he put in place the list is endless.

When I had my business and had to fire someone, it didn’t matter at what level they were in the company, they were given notice and sent home immediately. No way would they be allowed to stay in the premises for another three months. It’s crazy but that’s politics for you. It will be interesting to see who takes over. The bar has been set pretty low as far as I’m concerned.

Silly season is about to start. Already the parking has become almost impossible on the paseo; it’s hard to get tables in your favourite restaurants, the families walking four across on the pavement, the people using the swimming pool at 11 o’clock at night. A family renting in our block insist on hanging

their washing over the balcony with ample sized underwear tied to the security bars on the windows - lovely. Oh well it’s only for six weeks then back to a bit of sanity.

I’ve had a few emails asking for the story I forgot to tell the other week. Buying a stick of dowel recently reminded me of my first metalwork class at secondary school when I was 11. We had to make a name tag which consisted of cutting a bit of metal, filing it down and punching your initials on it.

I’ve never been very good at this stuff and always looked for shortcuts. In this case, instead of filing it I hit it with a hammer and made a complete mess of it. At the end of the lesson the teacher said I should go and show it to the woodwork teacher and whilst I was there ask for a stick of dowel. Me, like a mug, had no idea what it was.

The woodwork teacher just smiled and gave me this thin stick of wood. I took it back and was promptly told to bend over the anvil and then I realised what was going to happen. The first of many canings I got at school. If that was to happen today they would go to prison, but back then the sadistic b******s got away with it.

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

FEATURE

euroweeklynews.com

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I DON’T often react to mail I receive, particularly those that are non‐ constructive and often downright nasty, but I do feel a couple of recent missives merit a certain repudiation from the ol’ boy. Of course, as usual the wrong end of the stick was firmly seized by at least one of these communications.

My point about Facebook removing my posting of the naked white man being kicked and stoned to death by black youths, without intervention on an SA street, was not that it was actually taking place, but the fact that the FB site seems to allow the most horrendous acts by terrorist groups to remain, but deem it necessary to remove, and subsequently continue to sweep under the carpet, the desperate and totally unacceptable treatment of the white citizens who still live in these African countries.

Contrary to one of your letters, I do in fact know exactly what I am talking about. Not only do I receive weekly updates from friends in Africa, but I have also toured and lived for a while in both SA and Rhodesia/Zimbabwe;

21 - 27 July 2022

I rest my case

experiencing the apartheid and also their so‐called liberated eras. Well I remember, during my trip to a then fairly young Zimbabwe, having local black residents furtively sidle up and inform me how much better their lives were under Mr Smith! At least during those far off days these countries prospered. Although the blacks were disgracefully oppressed and reduced to second class citizens in their own land, they did at least reap the benefits of the hard work, efforts and expertise of the white settlers; ie roofs over their heads, food on the table and schools for their children.

Both countries have since descended into utter anarchy under the jackboots of the ANC and the deceased despot Mugabe. Whites are afraid to shop or go into many public places alone. Muggings and robbery are the norm. Abduction, rapes and murders of whites are not even reported. Johannesburg has become the most dangerous city in the world.

Those whites, who have survived, are forced to live in virtual fortresses, with high walls topped by barbed wire and compounds patrolled by dogs,

backed up by armouries of firearms.

Farms seized by the authorities, once productive and highly successful, lie barren and unattended, while the ordinary local black citizens, most living in poverty and starvation, look helplessly on as the privileged few indulge themselves in lives of luxury and decadence, far in excess of the white politicians and leaders of yore.

And the world looks on and does precisely nothing. I rest my case.

Please, if you do feel the need to communicate, either by email or online, can you first make sure you actually understand my point and not merely pluck a couple of lines or phrases out purely to be unpleasant? It really is such an utter waste of precious time and energy. Keep ‘em coming however, I do peruse them all.

Hang in there.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

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

EWN 27

FINANCE Another investment

STAT OF WEEK

€7 billion

euroweeklynews.com • 21 - 27 July 2022 is the amount that the main Spanish energy companies earn overseas so they believe that this will be protected from the new windfall tax.

“Too little, too late”

Credit: FESBAL Twitter

BUSINESS EXTRA

30

WHILST a rolling stone gathers no moss, a Spanish billionaire seems to be snapping up international real estate in the same way others buy pick n’ mix sweets. Latest news on Inditex founder Amancio Ortega says he will spend $500 million on a New York skyscraper.

Bitcoin loser

Amazon growth WITH an announcement that it plans to create a further 4,000 permanent jobs across the UK, online retail giant Amazon will move into the top 10 private sector employers in Britian as it brings its total staffing level to 75,000.

Madrid tax THOSE receiving an inheritance in the Autonomous Community of Madrid will pay less tax thanks to a decision by the local government which has extended the 25 per cent discount on inheritance tax to take into account siblings, cousins and uncles/aunts.

Canal success THE main contractor for the Panama Canal expansion works, Spanish company Sacyr, is undertaking its’ fifth contract in Colombia where it has secured a 15‐year contract to build and operate the Canal del Dique concession which is on the Rio Magdalena.

Food is still being distributed through Spanish food banks.

THE Spanish government has been accused of doing “too lit‐ tle, too late” in a critical report published by Human Rights Watch on July 13 with its re‐ sponse to the financial effect of the pandemic.

It concedes that at the start of the pandemic, the Spanish gov‐ ernment expanded existing un‐ employment support pro‐ grammes and introduced a new flagship social assistance pro‐ gramme.

It then says however, despite the government’s stated good in‐ tentions, existing weaknesses and flaws in the social security system, as well as problems in

the design of new forms of assis‐ tance, it meant that support fell short of what was needed.

Most damningly the report claims that as a result, “Spain’s government is failing its obliga‐ tions to protect and fulfil peo‐ ple’s rights to food and an ade‐ quate standard of living.

“The economic storm that came with the Covid‐19 pandem‐ ic wreaked havoc on the lives of people on low incomes in Spain, leaving households unable to af‐ ford food, even before the cur‐ rent cost‐of‐living crisis,” said Kartik Raj, Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Government efforts to supple‐

ment an inadequate social safety net have offered too little, too late, and to too few, meaning thousands of people still rely on emergency food aid and parents are skipping meals so their kids can eat,” he added.

People’s earnings dried up and they were left unable to afford food and other basic supplies.

Many faced delays receiving pan‐ demic‐linked furlough payments and responses to their social se‐ curity support applications.

There are currently 54 food banks throughout Spain coordi‐ nated by the Federación Españo‐ la de Bancos de Alimentos (FES‐ BAL)

Windfall taxes and more

ON July 12, during a ‘State of the Na‐ tion’ speech in the Cortes, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced the introduction of two temporary ‘windfall’ taxes which will hit energy companies and banks.

Intended to raise significant funds in tax years 2022 and 2023, the first tax will hit the extraordinary profits made by large electricity, gas and oil companies and is expected to amount to around €2 billion per each year.

In the case of banks, the exception‐ al additional taxation is forecast to add €1.5 billion per year to govern‐ ment coffers.

According to Sánchez, who will need to call a general election no lat‐

FINANCE

President Sánchez explained his latest plans.

er than December 10, 2023, he in‐ tends to do all he can to protect the middle and working classes.

He also announced discounts of up to 100 per cent for Renfe’s local, Ro‐ dalies and Media Distancia train tick‐ ets and promised that all Renfe mul‐

Credit: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

ONE of the big losers in the Bitcoin crash which has seen the value half since March is the government of El Salvador which unwisely decided in June 2021 that it would become legal tender in that country and now looks as if it could default on loans.

ti‐journey train tickets would be free of charge from September 1 to De‐ cember 31 this year.

The measure comes after a 50 per cent discount was approved in the last decree of anti‐crisis measures ap‐ proved by the Council of Ministers.

Another positive step for the young was the decision to create a supplementary scholarship of €100 per month for all students over 16 who already enjoy a scholarship, with the aim that no young person is forced to abandon studies out of ne‐ cessity.

Nearly a million students will re‐ ceive this extra financial support from September to December of this year.

Lazy Friday AS people became more used to working at home during the pandemic, the trend continued after the restrictions were lifted in the UK and many companies allowed their staff much more flexibility.

Lord Sugar made it clear that he opposed the con‐ cept of home working as creativity is generated by group interaction, but many companies still allowed staff to stay at home on a Friday.

One of those, Mike Ash‐ ley’s Frasers Group, has just decided that many of its staff appear to see Friday as more of a day for relaxation and posting on social media than for work and has therefore told them that they will have to all return to the office.

Guest workers L AT E S T S p a n i s h g o v e r n ‐ ment figures indicate that some 130,000 Ukrainian refugees have been wel‐ comed to the country since the Russian invasion.

With many of these new arrivals being well educat‐ ed and with a reasonable command of English, if not Spanish as yet, there was hope that many would be ideal to fill many of the roles where employers are desperate for staff.

The same figures howev‐ er reveal that only around 6.5 per cent of those who have arrived have actually found work and online site B u z z Fe e d s u g g e s t s t h a t one of the reasons is that some unscrupulous em‐ ployers are ignoring strict employment laws and of‐ fering long hours with low pay.

to read more FINANCE scan this QR Code

32 EWN

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21 - 27 July 2022

LONDON - FTSE 100

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

C LOSING P RICES J ULY 18

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.202,50 Abrdn 156,95 Admiral Group 1.730,5 Anglo American 2.632,5 Antofagasta 1.033,50 Ashtead Group 3.861,0 Associated British Foods 1.612,5 AstraZeneca 11.244,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 589,80 Avast 522,40 Aveva 2.309,0 Aviva 394,18 B&M Europ Value Retail SA 390,20 BAE Systems 804,61 Bank VTB DRC 0,612 Barclays 154,26 Barratt Developments 479,80 Berkeley 4.011,0 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.122,00 BP 383,15 British American Tobacco 3.494,2 British Land Company 459,80 BT Group 176,50 Bunzl 2.931,5 Burberry Group 1.642,5 Carnival 694,4 Centrica 88,16 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.950,0 Compass 1.837,50 CRH 2.931,5 Croda Intl 6.854,0 DCC 5.250,0 Diageo 3.686,5 DS Smith 289,20 EasyJet 379,60 Experian 2.783,0 Ferguson 9.588,0 Flutter Entertainment 7.810,0 Fresnillo 659,41 Glencore 420,00 GSK plc 1.375,80 Halma 2.113,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 836,60 Hikma Pharma 1.706,50 HSBC 522,50 IAG 112,05 Imperial Brands 1.856,50 Informa 542,00

CHANGE(P) 1.203,00 157,30 1.828,5 2.642,5 1.038,50 3.903,0 1.621,5 11.248,0 592,40 542,80 2.315,0 399,70 390,30 806,80 0,612 154,46 486,70 4.048,0 2.137,00 386,85 3.501,5 462,10 176,70 2.944,0 1.643,0 698,6 89,42 1.961,0 1.861,00 2.956,0 6.942,0 5.286,0 3.687,0 289,30 385,00 2.786,0 9.676,0 7.838,0 659,41 423,41 1.440,00 2.124,0 838,60 1.711,00 524,10 113,48 1.867,50 545,00

% CHG. 1.194,50 154,50 1.691,5 2.604,0 1.020,00 3.843,0 1.606,0 11.044,0 578,20 522,40 2.266,0 392,00 386,60 795,20 0,612 151,46 475,00 3.948,0 2.114,00 380,00 3.460,0 458,00 171,60 2.913,0 1.600,5 686,0 86,30 1.932,0 1.836,00 2.926,0 6.750,0 5.240,0 3.650,0 285,00 375,60 2.754,0 9.530,0 7.726,0 650,78 414,40 1.372,00 2.099,0 824,20 1.694,50 520,00 111,34 1.839,50 540,60

NET VOL 78,12K 866,14K 311,22K 420,95K 239,11K 39,90K 50,77K 264,33K 245,87K 51,03K 16,50K 134,26K 205,74K 1,40M 0 6,93M 293,15K 32,20K 377,76K 3,75M 244,09K 140,23K 3,77M 29,55K 130,62K 103,04K 3,20M 49,31K 175,99K 89,88K 31,86K 38,53K 169,18K 358,55K 495,89K 161,98K 25,77K 23,40K 26,40K 884,93K 1,85M 57,43K 59,18K 25,64K 5,48M 2,02M 125,68K 109,44K

ºCOMPANY

PRICE(P)

InterContinental 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 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

4.689,0 1.381,50 4.399,1 65,54 216,00 2.093,0 677,20 248,30 43,00 7.754,0 789,80 162,55 1.475,50 1.107,00 219,60 6.368,0 1,89 786,80 1.780,0 594,90 1.001,50 6.432,0 2.305,72 514,20 600,20 4.726,5 90,43 0,75 680,60 1.176,50 2.752,0 806,40 1.022,50 2.797,0 2.044,5 1.165,50 1.478,50 10.810,0 1.777,78 1.156,50 565,80 118,85 260,20 130,75 3.916,5 1.028,00 129,96 2.625,0 805,20

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

4.742,0 1.387,50 4.426,0 65,98 216,00 2.093,0 682,20 248,80 42,66 7.754,0 791,00 163,50 1.482,50 1.112,00 220,00 6.426,0 1,89 789,20 1.803,8 595,80 1.004,50 6.446,0 2.320,00 516,80 604,20 4.764,5 90,60 0,75 681,40 1.177,50 2.754,0 817,00 1.034,50 2.799,0 2.064,5 1.168,50 1.488,00 10.912,3 1.783,50 1.163,50 566,60 119,80 261,00 131,90 3.923,0 1.028,00 130,44 2.646,0 807,40

4.681,0 1.371,00 4.368,0 64,98 213,71 2.063,0 675,20 245,80 42,05 7.550,0 788,40 160,75 1.458,00 1.103,00 218,20 6.326,0 1,89 760,40 1.776,2 590,00 988,00 6.376,0 2.295,00 510,00 594,00 4.680,0 88,41 0,75 671,20 1.169,50 2.712,0 801,60 1.019,50 2.768,0 2.022,5 1.154,50 1.467,00 10.795,0 1.754,50 1.149,50 559,00 118,15 259,00 128,80 3.891,0 1.015,00 128,40 2.620,0 801,00

27,57K 26,22K 19,23K 377,66K 219,97K 31,14K 74,78K 977,45K 7,56M 33,09K 667,31K 2,11M 99,02K 317,27K 107,57K 15,42K 0 82,68K 18,79K 123,71K 438,11K 44,28K 271,24K 335,91K 200,37K 361,49K 2,57M 0 119,96K 1,72K 23,82K 609,49K 127,12K 12,44K 1,48M 195,86K 78,36K 0,45K 18,05K 80,66K 417,54K 566,47K 1,14M 539,18K 335,23K 91,27K 5,10M 22,41K 164,50K

1.17887

0.84808

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0148 Japan yen (JPY) .........................................139.9 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................0.9893 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4422 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.284

currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ULY 18

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 130,13 142,48 248,69 150,17 147,74 173,38 137,65 43,07 62,50 49,55 293,87 292,41 172,80 139,92 38,62 178,23 112,95 255,01 94,96 256,72 104,70 145,07 167,38 156,18 529,75 51,02 210,04 38,03 129,07 95,20

CHANGE +1,82 +6,00 +3,10 +1,70 +0,59 +3,44 +1,71 +0,74 +0,32 +0,65 +12,28 +2,93 +3,29 +0,86 +0,91 +2,55 +4,95 +2,41 +1,08 +2,64 +1,48 -0,20 +6,34 +0,50 +27,32 +0,53 +4,13 +1,17 +1,25 +3,36

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) +1,42% 2,64M +4,40% 3,28M +1,26% 2,80M +1,15% 75,39M +0,40% 7,90M +2,02% 2,28M +1,26% 6,92M +1,75% 19,61M +0,51% 11,35M +1,33% 4,81M +4,36% 3,40M +1,01% 2,64M +1,94% 2,19M +0,62% 4,46M +2,41% 30,16M +1,45% 5,49M +4,58% 18,48M +0,95% 2,62M +1,15% 9,62M +1,04% 29,24M +1,43% 7,63M -0,14% 6,18M +3,94% 5,83M +0,32% 1,56M +5,44% 5,65M +1,05% 12,92M +2,01% 7,21M +3,17% 7,45M +0,98% 6,99M +3,66% 14,39M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ULY 18

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+175.91% +72.41% +54.60% +40.60% +38.89% +32.23% +31.56% +30.71% +30.00% +29.41% +28.30%

104.36M 73.87M 10.56K 732.37K 9.16M 0.53K 116.68K 25.14M 1.02M 139.54K 2.99M

-44.74% -33.54% -30.04% -28.94% -27.81% -24.96% -22.37% -21.92% -21.38% -19.95% -19.87%

13.15M 504.96K 9.05M 1.84M 1.27M 19.11K 9.18M 8.31K 17.35M 78.39K 1.76M

Most Advanced United Maritime Vertical Aerospace ITHAX Acquisition ITHAX Acquisition Nymox Pharmaceutical Gold Royalty Wnt Vigil Neuroscience Cemtrex Auddia Clever Leaves Holdings Powerbridge

Most Declined Codexis Capstone Green Energy Synthetic Biologics Bimi International Medical Swvl Holdings Austerlitz Acquisition II Wnt COMSovereign Holding COMSovereign Holding Prf A First Wave BioPharma ProKidney ATI Physical Therapy

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

Inflation fears SPEAKING to radio station RNE on July 14, Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calviño admitted that the government will have to raise its inflation forecast as June results were the highest for almost 40 years although she believes that it will fall towards the end of summer.

Climate change AS part of its commitment to sustainability, the Span‐ ish government is one of the first in the world to commit money to the newly created Resilience and Sustainability Trust set up by the International Monetary Fund. A total of €1.86 billion will go to help poorer countries address climate change.

Exchange rate CAUSED mainly by energy prices and record inflation in Europe, for the first time since 2002, the euro has fallen in value against the US dollar and stands very close to a one for one level which may help exports to the USA.

CBD sweeties YEARS ago, visitors to Ams‐ terdam used to enjoy Cannabis Cookies in coffee shops, not for the medical advantages but simply to get high.

Now in the UK, subject to strict guidelines, CBD prod‐ ucts which contain signifi‐ cant volumes of CBD which it is claimed is good for your health and no THC which is what gives the cannabis high have been made legal.

Latest fashion for those who don’t just want to put oil on your tongue is CBD sweets which come in a range of sizes, colours, shapes and prices but are only supposed to be used by those over 18, even though manufacturers claim that it is impossible to overdose.

Atlético Madrid deal

WHALEFIN is the new sponsor of Atlético Madrid first team jersey in a deal between the football club and the platform of global digital asset management giant Amber Group.

Amber Group, in addi‐ tion, becomes Official Digi‐ tal Wealth and Digital Lifestyle Partner of the club within the framework of a five‐season agreement for an undisclosed sum.

As Amber Group acceler‐ ates the growth of WhaleFin, its consumer business, the company said that it will benefit from sig‐ nificant branding exposure, extending the influence of Atlético de Madrid from the stadium and into the metaverse.

Through what it calls the ‘Atletiverse’ Amber con‐ firmed that fans can expect one‐of‐a‐kind experiences for the club’s fan commu‐ nity as they will be able to engage with like‐minded fans from all over the world in the metaverse,

Credit: Atlético Madrid Twitter

BUSINESS EXTRA

NEW SPONSOR: Latest signing Axel Witsel with club president Enrique Cerezo.

and discover the utility of digital assets in both the virtual and real world.

Additionally, the Atlético de Madrid Foundation will work with the Amber Group to launch sustain‐ ability and corporate social responsibility initiatives in‐ cluding the implementa‐ tion of local campaigns for

education in sustainability and conservation.

Speaking on July 11, Michael Wu, Chief Execu‐ tive Officer of Amber Group, said: “This multi‐ year partnership is a mon‐ umental moment for Am‐ ber Group, and we are proud to be partnering with Atlético de Madrid,

one of the top football clubs in Spain and Europe.”

Miguel Ángel Gil, Chief Executive Officer of Atléti‐ co de Madrid, said: “Today is a significant day for the future of Atlético de Madrid, as we join forces with a global leading com‐ pany in the digital finance space.”

Consumer Price Increase

AS previously forecast, Spain saw a price increase of 10.2 per cent in the month of June according to a release from the National Statistics Institute on Wednesday, July 13.

Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) confirmed the price increase in June was due to sharp rises in petrol, food and electricity prices.

Accommodation and hotels were also included in the reason for the price increase, although they report‐ edly played a lesser role.

The INE validated the data that was already advanced at the end of last month, which also reflected a sharp rise in products with traditionally more stable prices (core underlying prices) of 5.5 per cent, the highest since August 1993.

According to the INE website the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a “sta‐ tistical measure of the evolution of the prices of goods and services con‐ sumed by the population residing in family dwellings in Spain.”

FINANCE

Credit: Mercadona

34 EWN

NEW DATA: Consumer spend highlights price increases.

The set of goods and services, which make up ‘the shopping bas‐ ket’, are basically obtained from household consumption, with the im‐ portance of each one of them in the calculation of the CPI being deter‐ mined by consumption.

The method of calculation was changed in 2002 and changes intro‐

duced in this system have made the CPI a more dynamic indicator, which is better adapted to market develop‐ ments, as the calculations can be up‐ dated more frequently.

In addition, new products can be included in ‘the shopping basket’ as soon as their consumption becomes significant.

FINANCE

Spanish growth POLISH company Pepco which owns Poundland in the UK has seen consider‐ able growth in the last quar‐ ter and on Thursday July 14 announced its plans for Spanish expansion.

The company said “in March 2022, we launched a trial in Spain offering the full range of Pepco clothing, Pepco GM and FMCG across selected stores.

“The trial has gone excep‐ tionally well, and we have been encouraged by the ini‐ tial response of customers with a significant increase in customer satisfaction.

“We have therefore de‐ cided that this destination format is the best way for‐ ward for our customers in the Spanish market.

“We will be converting our existing Dealz stores in Spain to Pepco stores.”

The company also looks to expand further in the growing Spanish market

Chapter 11 ON June 12, 2022, Celsius Network, an American based cryptocurrency plat‐ form which facilitated in‐ vestment and loans using different cryptocurrency announced that it would pause all withdrawals, Swap, and transfers to sta‐ bilise the business and pro‐ tect customers.

Then on July 14 it an‐ nounced that it was to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection which means that its creditors may not take action to recover debts for a period of time whilst the business at‐ tempts to restructure.

This is not an unusual ac‐ tion in the USA and many large companies including American Airlines, General Motors, Hertz, and Marvel have taken this step and then emerged stronger and able to continue to trade and satisfy cus‐ tomers and shareholders.

to read more FINANCE scan this QR Code

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21 - 27 July 2022

LIFESTYLE

Enjoy a dust free home DUST can be a dampen‐ er on our dreams of a light, airy and most of all, clean, living space!

It’s one of those things that can creep on us even despite our reli‐ gious cleaning regime because everything cre‐ ates dust, including us!

By reducing the amount of dust in your home, your air quality will improve massively, so it’s best to keep on top of it if you can!

One way of preventing dust is to get a door‐ mat. This means visi‐ tors can leave their dirt at the door. The mats should be washed regu‐ larly.

By having floorboards instead of carpets in your home it also be‐ comes easier to clean your floors and prevent the build of dust.

You may want to air out your space but, if you want less dust, keeping doors and win‐

dows closed will pre‐ vent pollen and other airborne pollutants from entering your home.

If you have pets make

sure to wash them reg‐ ularly. They can often shed fur and this, as well as their skin in general, creates a lot of dust.

Colour your home without paint!

IT’S easy to grow a little tired of the same four walls and colour schemes you have in your home.

What was once a calming, cool toned living room now just feels well… grey. Even white paint ‐ which never goes out of style ‐ can just feel a bit meh af‐ ter a while. But painting is a lot of work and maybe your property is rented so your interior design free‐ dom is limited.

Instead of applying a fresh coat of paint, why not add colour to your space by hanging colourful art‐ work? You can hang a few contrasting pieces or have a statement piece on a feature wall to pick out colourful elements of your front room.

Colourful throws and cushions can make your furniture pop. They’re also a comfy, aesthetic addi‐ tion to any drab looking furniture you may have.

Temporary wallpaper is also a thing! If you’re not allowed to paint your walls, temporary adhesive wallpaper is available in a range of fun prints and colours to liven up your living space.

21 - 27 July 2022

euroweeklynews.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

The reasoning behind sunburn

SO what was meant to be a tan has left you red and sore and hot to the touch. Sun‐ burn can be painful and creep up on you before you realise, es‐ pecially if you spend a long time in the sun. But why does sunburn happen and, more importantly, how bad is it?

When you get sunburnt, it’s your skin trying to defend itself from damaging UV light from the sun. As a result of UV exposure the molecules in your skin cells’ DNA mu‐ tate and break down. A tan is effec‐ tively our skin’s defence mechanism, as it produces melanin to block the radiation and minimise damage. Pale people tend to burn a lot quicker be‐ cause their skin produces less melanin as a protective layer.

If your skin is darker due to the sun, it’s a sign that your DNA has al‐

Image – sunburn: vchal/shutterstock.com

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SUNBURN: Can be extremely painful.

ready been damaged and the process is irreversible. However, you can pro‐ ject your skin and reduce your risk of things like skin cancer by applying sun cream regularly and covering ex‐ posed skin with clothing.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

The science behind freckles

THE cute, scattering of brown spots which can occur on your face and other parts of your body are dependent on your skin’s levels of melanin pigmentation and how much exposure to sun you get. If you are prone to freckles, the more time you spend in the sun, the more freckles you’ll probably have.

Freckles can also be due to genetics. No one is born with freckles, but they are usually most prominent during child‐ hood and more likely to fade as we get older.

The MC1R gene, which is why some people have freckles is the same gene which determines peo‐ ple’s red hair colour.

This protein sits on the outside of melanocytes where part of its job is to make sure that there is a certain balance of pigments in hair and

Image – freckles: dekazigzag/shutterstock.com

It’s summer and that means it’s freckle season!

FRECKLES: Are usually more prominent in childhood.

skin. This is why those with red hair and fair skin are amongst the most likely to develop freckles.

Freckles or no freckles, it’s still important to wear sun cream and have a good skin‐care routine.

EWN 39

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euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

Property of the week

Advertising Feature Voss Homes

Villa Jaymar near Huercal-Overa EXCLUSIVE TO VOSS HOMES ‐ A beautifully presented and maintained, light and airy, four bed, three bath, two storey villa with H&C air con throughout, 10m x 5m swim‐ ming pool, garage and amazing views on a well maintained, low maintenance garden of 744m2. Five mins drive to the village of Santa Maria village with shop, bar/restau‐ rant, doctors, chemist and school.

Twelve mins drive to the A7 motorway and market town of Huercal‐Overa twice weekly street market, parks, sporting and leisure activities. Forty mins drive to the coast at San Juan de Los Terreros, Mojacar, Garrucha and Vera.

There are three bedrooms and two bath‐ rooms downstairs (one with ensuite shower room plus family bathroom) and one bed‐ room with an ensuite bathroom upstairs.

Entry into the property is via a sliding iron gate on to the driveway which wraps around the back of the villa to the large sin‐ gle garage at the rear of the villa with elec‐ tricity and water.

Behind the villa is an embankment cov‐

VILLA JAYMAR: A beautifully presented, light and airy villa with low maintenance garden.

ered in colourful plants.Then coming back round to the front of the villa to the swim‐ ming pool, surrounding garden and stunning country views.

To the front of the villa is the fly free con‐ servatory which makes a lovely relaxing and dining area to enjoy the views over the pool and countryside.

FEATURE

Ref. VH2010

239,950 euros

The front door takes you in to the dining room which forms the centre of the villa. To the left is the fitted kitchen with marble worktops and plenty of storage space and looks out to the pool area. To the right of the dining room through an archway is the spa‐ cious living room with log fireplace and glazed doors leading back out to the conser‐ vatory.

Also from the central dining room is an archway leading to a downstairs main bed‐ room with ensuite shower room, built in wardrobes and glazed patio doors leading out to the side garden. There are also two more double bedrooms and a family bath‐ room. One of the bedrooms has built in wardrobes. The other bedroom has a door leading out to the side garden and garage.

This bedroom is currently used as a study.

Going back into the dining room is the at‐ tractive, wide, wooden spiral staircase lead‐ ing up to the large bedroom no 4 with en‐ suite bathroom and glazed patio doors leading out to a balcony with stunning coun‐ try views.

YOU might love sleeping under‐ fee will conjure up images of neath the stars, but if you wake up golden Californian sunshine every day craving your daily on your first sip and Mt Ha‐ cup’o’Joe, you might be a little gen is reasonably priced worried about how easy it will be and so worth a try for to get your caffeine hit out in na‐ caffeine craving ture without a Starbucks in sight. campers!

Instant coffee is going to be your best friend. I know you might be thinking ‘don’t be ridiculous, that instant rubbish has nothing on my caramel Frappuccino or chai latte’ and you’d be forgiven for your scepticism. Instant coffee can be very hit and miss.

However, innovation in the world of instant coffee recently means there are loads more options for your daily caffeine hit… which are actually nice!

Brands like Alpine Start, created by a climber and foodie offers Dirty Chai Latte and Coffee with Creamer op‐ tions.

Gourmet coffee company Voila In‐ stant coffee partner with local coffee roasters to match that authentic coffee flavour.

INSTANT COFFEE: Can be very hit and miss.

Verve instant cof‐

Subbotina Anna/shutterstock.com

Perfect campsite coffee

Camp cooking YOU’VE found the perfect spot to pitch your tent, and you’re looking forward to relaxing under the stars or in the glow of the late afternoon summer sun.

The last thing you want is to spend ages cooking an elaborate meal when you’re starving and don’t have the resources to whip up a multi‐course feast. Instead, try these quick and easy camping meal ideas.

A great option is nachos, especially if you’re sharing with a bunch of hungry campers! People can even switch up the topping to suit their tastes.

Pad‐thai is another flavourful option.

For ease make the sauce at home before‐ hand, then all you need to do is mix the

CAMP FOOD: Try something different.

sauce with your choice of meat and veg in a pan and serve with noodles cooked in the sauce.

For something you can just throw in the camping fire, try foil wrapped sweet potatoes served with chilli and herbs for a delicious and pretty hands‐off camping meal!

Camping El Pino, Malaga IF you fancy camping in sunny southern Spain, there are a range of great campsights to choose from. One of the nicest is Camping El Pino in Torrox‐ Costa, and surrounded by avocado groves, perfect for all those hipster trav‐ ellers!

The site is old but well maintained and is sur‐ rounded by gorgeous

views of the countryside.

With 290 pitches, you won’t have to worry too much about getting a spot but it’s still a good idea to book up early. If a tent isn’t really your vibe, there are also 57 mobile homes and chalets to choose from.

The site is open all year round, so it’s a good idea to go off‐season to secure your place. It’s Andalucia,

so no need to worry about it not being sunny, even if it’s not the summer sea‐ son!

The campsite also has facilities on site such as a bar, a swimming pool (per‐ fect for the children), a table tennis and free wifi and electrical points throughout.

Contact: +34 953 530 006

Image – Camp Cooking: Monkey Business Images/shutterstock.com

Voss Homes is a British family-run business with offices in the nearby thriving, market town of Huercal-Overa and La Alfoquia village. We specialise in selling properties around Huercal-Overa, Zurgena, La Alfoquia & Taberno. For more information and to arrange a viewing of VH2010 Villa Jaynar please contact Voss Homes on 0034 950 616 827 or email us on enquiries@vosshomesspain.com.

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

Building an outdoor bar OUTDOOR bars are per‐ fect for summer and a lovely way to chill out with friends in the hot summer. Here are some ways you can have your very own in your gar‐ den at home.

Liven up your porch!

If you have a wide porch on your house, it can be easily turned in‐ to an outdoor bar and place to enjoy a sum‐

mer barbecue. Fit a bench for drinks along one side and arrange enough chairs for ev‐ eryone.

The roof cover is also ideal for shade throughout the day.

If you don’t have so much space, a DIY swing door bar is also a great option. If your hanging cabinet bar has shelves, this is also an

ideal place to store ex‐ tra glasses and spirits.

If you’d like some‐ thing more temporary, you could pitch up a garden bar using a canopy and tent poles.

Complete your bar with a small table and your guests’ favourite drinks. The canopy has an extra bonus of pro‐ viding shade from the scorching sun.

Self-seeding plants for summer LAVISHING love and attention on your garden can be a laborious and expen‐ sive process, especially when a luscious garden takes up valuable time.

Instead, fill your garden with self‐ seeding plants which require minimal effort and knowledge from you. You can even swap seeds with other gar‐ deners to create a gorgeous garden without breaking the bank.

Here are some self‐seeding plant rec‐ ommendations to get you started.

Hollyhocks (Alcea Rose). These tall spires of flowers come in pinks, whites, yellows and maroons. You’ll often find

them blossoming in early summer and well into autumn.

Aquilegia vulgaris. Also known as granny’s bonnet, these flowers grow well in the shade.

Eryngium Bees ‐ love these herba‐ ceous perennials, also known as sea holly, which love to bask in direct sun light. Coming in shades of blues and purples, they’ll look gorgeous in gravel gardens.

Forget‐me‐nots. How could we forget these indigenous flowers, which come in pink, mauve or white and grow well in June weather.

FEATURE

New life for furniture UPCYCLING is all about get‐ ting thrifty and doing some‐ thing hands‐on, either as a way to save money or as a form of artistic therapy. In these days of rising costs, it’s becoming necessary to re‐use and recycle, before spending your hard earned cash.

It may sound like a daunt‐ ing word to some, but it cov‐ ers all manner of projects; from simply painting a pic‐ ture frame, to reupholstering an armchair.

If you don’t already have a favourite piece at home to use, check out local charity shops and car boot sales to find a project to work on.

Choose the correct grain of sandpaper depending on your surface ‐ a fine grain will be suitable for a quick rub down, but you may need a medium or very abrasive grain if old paintwork needs to be removed.

Primer can be coated over most surfaces to give it a smooth finish that paint will adhere to evenly. Furniture

Credit: Robert Kneschke/shutterstock

42 EWN

UPCYCLING FURNITURE: The fun way to save money.

or chalk paints are perfect for adding colour to your piece.

To add decorative touches to your piece, consider using stencils to apply a pattern or motif. Look out for vintage or quirky handles for dressing tables and wardrobe doors, to change the look.

Have fun giving new life to old pieces.

Building a happy home MANY people do not think that their home serves their mental and well‐being needs. To clear your mind, it is rec‐ ommended that you clear your space. Banish clutter and throw out anything which is broken, unloved, saved just in case or which we feel obliged to keep because it was a gift.

This process may be difficult, but once done you will feel the benefits.

Start by clearing your wardrobe, and giving anything you haven’t worn, for six months or more, to the local charity shop.

Take four boxes, and label them: rubbish; donate; keep; relocate. Then go through each room, placing everything in the room in one of the boxes. Allocate five minutes each day to go through areas that are the most cluttered, and get rid of unused or unnecessary items.

Finally, take a photo of your room before, and after you have decluttered. Once you see the difference in one ‐ you will want to continue organising the whole house.

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21 - 27 July 2022

Advertising Feature Next House Almeria

Property of the week

Country house for sale in Cantoria EXCLUSIVE for NEXT HOUSE ALME‐ RIA! We are proud to present this immaculate four/five bed country house, full of charm, with private pool, self‐contained annex and stun‐ ning views perfect for B & B business opportunity, located for sale in the peaceful and picturesque hamlet of Arroyo Albanchez situated between the villages of Cantoria and Alman‐ zora in Almeria Province.

This charming property has lots of possibilities, it’s ideal as a holiday home due to its easily maintained garden and quiet and safe location, as a permanent family home for those who are looking for tranquil living, or even as an investment , the separate self‐contained annex could be rented out to guests who would enjoy this beautiful valley, ideal for walking, hik‐ ing, cycling or relaxing by the pool.

The property has a large outside area, which includes an 8x4m swim‐ ming pool, a variety of seating and re‐ laxing terraces, parking space for sev‐ eral cars, and is all walled and gated.

The property has fantastic views to the countryside around the house.

Entry to the property is over a large ancient threshing circle surrounded by mature plants and shrubs with a storage shed on the left and the an‐ nex with private terrace on the right.

A wooden door opens onto the pool area which is tiled and has raised colourful flower beds. At one end is a secluded terrace with table and chairs overlooking the mountains and pool, on the other side is a sitting area ideal for sunbathing or where you can hide from the sun beneath the shade of the big old olive tree. From here is ac‐ cess to another terrace in front of the main entrance door to the house.

Entering the house there is a good‐ sized hall, to the left is a door that gives access to the lounge and a few steps go to a very rustic double bed‐ room with fitted wardrobes and wooden beams, stairs continue up to the next floor where you find a hall that gives access to a further two bed‐ rooms, first is a good sized single, next

FEATURE

Ref. NHA571

265,000 euros

A house so full of charm and character with many rustic features.

is the family shower room and next is the master bedroom with stunning views to the mountains.

Back to the entrance hallway a door opens into the main lounge area with log burner, from here is access to the large country kitchen and to a covered fly free zone ideal for alfresco dining, this gives access to the annex and also the outside area where there is another bathroom with shower that you can use for the pool.

Entering the annex there is large lounge area, with a hall that has the

main entrance door with private pa‐ tio area, and on the left is a double bedroom and to the right a bath‐ room with corner bath with shower over, stairs leading to the upper floor with an American kitchen and door to a large private terrace with stun‐ ning 360º views of the surrounding area and mountains. From the ter‐ race, stairs go back to the pool area.

Contact us now to book your visit to this amazing property! We have your Next House in the sunny Almeria!

If your desire is to find an original property to make it your own, then contact us now and book your visit! We have your Next House in sunny Almería!

C/. Salvador Madariaga, 1. 04800, Albox - Tel.: +34 645 066 139 / +34 950 500 060 - info@nexthousealmeria.com - www.nexthousealmeria.com

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21 - 27 July 2022

FEATURE

GO LOCAL

THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support lo‐ cal businesses in the community by shop‐ ping locally in recent times. Now things are heading back to nor‐ mal, we challenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonder‐ fully quirky indepen‐

dent businesses in your area.

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

They are convenient.

And they offer excel‐ lent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping locally means that indepen‐ dent businesses can support the local com‐ munity. You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually going?

By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local family’s table and there is nothing better than giving back to the communities that have given us so

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

much. Local stores sup‐ port charities and they sponsor local sports teams. In many cases, they are much more than just a business, they’re a legacy.

They may have sup‐ ported generations of the same family.

Likewise, brand new local stores and bars may help the genera‐ tions of the future ful‐ fil their dreams and ambitions.

Remember, your lo‐ cal store is going up against multinationals and chains. They can’t win that battle on their own. So give them your support.

Spending your money

locally will make a real difference to the local economy.

Local businesses recir‐ culate a greater share of every euro they re‐ ceive at local level.

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

So remember.

When you go shop‐ ping ‐ go local!

LETTERS

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

EWN 47

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.

AMAZING DIATRIBE I HAVE just read the col‐ umn penned by Mr Lee in your newspaper (30.06.22) and was amazed at the diatribe this individual had written. He is however a clever man and wrote it in such a way as to give him plausible deniability should any group or individual take offence, all we know is that some ‘UK left wing’ is considered by him as be‐ yond the pale.

He hints at the possibili‐ ty he is talking of the Labour party although he does not say so outright nor mention the election. except to say the elec‐ torate which is anyone over the age of 18 who is a UK citizen. He then casti‐ gates the media, specifi‐ cally television presum‐ ably for showing what is actually happening and not toeing the ‘Brexit is Best’ line. I can only as‐ sume from his comments in the third paragraph that he is happy with the lead‐ er of the British govern‐ ment lying to the house.

Then comes the mo‐ ment we all were expect‐ ing, he mentions the two world wars and the deaths of his UK ancestors seem‐ ingly having forgotten that many more people of oth‐ er nations died for his right to say whatever he likes.

Final comment. If you are proud of the welfare state that Britain has and of the National Health Ser‐ vice and membership of NATO, then thank the Labour government of Clement Attlee who, while they were in power from

1945 to 1951, set these up and much more for the benefit of the British peo‐ ple.

G Harley

George Peretz’, opinions are on the current shambles six years on.

Laurence Patterson.

Cortijo de Raton

View on Brexit

Thank you

I have come across an arti‐ cle from your edition dated March 24 to 30, 2016 entitled Brexit, a view from a QC spe‐ cialising in EU law. In view of the absolute mess Brexit has made to people and busi‐ nesses, both here in Spain and the UK, I was wondering what your correspondent,

Hello again. I don’t sup‐ pose for one minute my let‐ ter had any influence on you but thank you SO MUCH for bringing back the crossword after a gap of many weeks.

I was thrilled to see it pub‐ lished once again this week.

Thank you again Lyn Ferris, Vera Playa

OUR VIEW ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM NOW that the bullfighting season in Andalucia has returned again, with fights in Estepona and La Linea de la Frontera already having taken place it is probably time to consider whether this is a barbaric spectacle or is part of Spain’s Heritage.

It was in 2013 that bullfighting was officially declared as being an important part of the country’s heritage by the then ruling Partido Popular and perhaps surprisingly after declaring that most animals are sentient beings with rights, the current coalition government has done nothing to reverse the official support of bullfighting.

Some autonomous communities have chosen to ban bullfighting completely and some bullrings, such as one in Marbella have been recommissioned as places for entertainment but during the summer, Andalucia, Almeria, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca and many other regions will see bullfights taking place as part of annual fiestas.

This whole matter is controversial and many supporters say that those who have settled in the country or are holidaymakers don’t actually have the right to criticise how Spain is run and just don’t understand the importance it has to the Spanish psyche.

Opponents respond that this is more like the days of the Roman Empire where defenceless Christians were slaughtered in front of baying crowds and to gain pleasure from watching a bull being tormented and then killed is not a spectacle to be allowed.

It does seem, however, that at present bullfighting will keep going for some time.

EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

CALL OUR MULTILINGUAL TEAM FOR AN INFORMAL CHAT ABOUT A VERY PERSONAL TOPIC. 966 493 082

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

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50 EWN

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21 - 27 July 2022

PETS

The domestication of dogs DOGS are an animal that have lived with hu‐ mans for thousands of years. Whilst there are many different breeds and types of dog, all of them belong to the same species. Numer‐ ous genetic studies lo‐ cate the origin of the domestication of dogs in south‐east Asia around 33,000 years ago. Through thousands of years of evolution in this part of Asia, a sub‐ group of dogs migrated towards the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

DOGS: Have been around for years.

The domestication of this species has always been presented as a

two‐stage process.

First, the primitive dogs were domesticated

from their wild ances‐ tor, the wolf, with which dogs share 98 per cent of their genome.

They belong to a group of carnivores di‐ vided into 38 species, which includes wolves, dogs, and jackals, amongst others.

In the second stage, these dogs were bred to form different breeds with specific abilities and morpholo‐ gy to become the household pets we know and love today.

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21 - 27 July 2022 • www.euroweeklynews.com

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

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21 - 27 July 2022 NEITHER inflation nor the continued rise in fuel prices are stopping Spaniards from travelling by car. The Direc‐ torate General of Traffic (DGT) expects 44 million journeys to be made in the month of July alone. This shows that the pri‐ vate car is the preferred means of transport for Spaniards in summer.

To ensure that this large flow of vehicles on the roads and streets of the main cities ‐ both inland and on the coast ‐ does not turn into traffic jams and parking difficulties, the EasyPark parking app suggests some recommendations to help drivers make the most of their holidays.

Checking the condition of your vehicle is a key aspect be‐ fore setting off on your jour‐ ney, to avoid any possible problems that could spoil your days off.

Plan your route: if you are clear about the places you most want to visit, you will be able to organise your trip bet‐ ter and make the most of your time.

Applications such as Easy‐ Park, with which you can pay for parking in more than 70 Spanish cities, are very

MOTORING

Plan ahead, save fuel

Credit: SCK_Photo/Shutterstock.com

52 EWN

Vehicles parked up in Gibraltar.

useful for getting around new cities with unfamiliar traffic regulations.

If you don’t want to give up parking in the shade, this app gives you the option of reserv‐ ing a parking space in the car park of your choice through its website. If you are not lucky enough to park in the shade, use a sunshade to protect your steering wheel from the sun.

This will prevent you from get‐

ting burnt when you get back into the car.

And above all, enjoy every minute of it, including journeys within the city or to the beach, and even finding parking.

You’ve been looking forward to your days off for a long time and you deserve to make the most of them.

For more information, visit: http://www.easyparkgroup.co m.

MOTORING

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

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Audi A1 - an accomplished and entertaining drive ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack WHEN you think of Audi its SUVs, sports cars and luxury saloons spring to mind.

However, the renowned German car maker does produce a small hatchback that is arguably a forgotten member of the Audi sales brochures.

The A1 is a five‐door hatchback with just two en‐ gine options in three power outputs and four trim lev‐ els. The model nomencla‐ ture of Audi is without doubt one of the most con‐ fusing and bears no resem‐ blance to the engine size.

My test model was a 30 TF‐ Si which actually translates into a 1.0‐litre, three‐cylin‐ der petrol turbocharged unit.

This 1.0‐litre unit forms the bulk of the A1 power units and comes in various

power outputs and there is also a 1.5‐litre four‐cylinder unit developing 150PS. There are five and six‐speed manual gearboxes plus a seven‐speed S‐Tronic auto‐ matic.

Standard fare on the lead‐in model is good with all the essentials provided and priced from €24,582/£20,840 with equipment such as LED lights, powered heated and folding door mirrors, light and rain sensors, air condi‐ tioning and smartphone connectivity.

My test model was the Black Edition with 110PS 1.0‐litre power unit mated to the S‐Tronic automatic.

With optional paintwork and extra cost option packs the price of my test car rises from €31,294/£26,530 to €36,800/£31,195.

Inside the A1 has all the usual Audi qualities with a premium feel, nice finishes

MOTORING

on the dashboard and de‐ spite some hard plastics at lower levels you just know this is no bargain basement model. Buttons rather than digitisation makes a wel‐ come change inside the A1, and another bonus is the ease with which you can switch off the overly inter‐ ventionist lane‐keep and other supposed driver assis‐ tance features.

On the road the A1 is an accomplished drive with particularly sharp steering so twisting roads can be very enjoyable. In automat‐ ic form the performance is adequate rather than excit‐ ing, the manual gearbox of‐ fers a slightly more sparkling performance.

That said the automatic is still very entertaining and takes the strain from urban traffic commutes. Rough roads show up the firmness of the suspension but the handling does add to the

entertainment on cross country drives.

Overall, this is a really nice, driveable and largely practical, given its size, car.

Unsurprisingly, given we’re talking Audi, there’s a pre‐ mium feel and everything just works.

Competitors arguably of‐

fer better value on price point versus equipment but those four rings on the grille signify this isn’t just another small hatchback.

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SPORT

euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 July 2022

NEWS broke over the weekend that top French cyclist Alexis Re‐ nard is due to undergo heart surgery in August following the premature end of his season.

Alexis Renard, the 23‐ year‐old cyclist from the Cofidis team, is set to have surgery at the Nantes University on Wednesday, August 3, after the sudden onset of a heart rhythm disor‐ der.

“During exercise, I have a heart rate that increases like everyone else,” Renard said.

“But when I stop cy‐ cling, the intensity is al‐ ways the same.”

Following tests from the CHU in Nantes, su‐ pervised by the Cofidis team, it was revealed that Renard needed an atrium removed.

Image: Facebook Alexis Renard

Undergoing surgery

ALEXIS RENARD: Confirmed to undergo heart surgery.

“This feeling of ar‐ rhythmia is not compati‐ ble with the practice of high‐level sport. I don’t want to take the place of a teammate if I’m not operational,” he said.

The seriousness of Re‐ nard’s situation has prompted the Cofidis team to move his surgery forward from October.

The young French cy‐ clist had three top 10

SPORT

finishes this season (on stages of the Saudi Tour, the Circuit de la Sarthe and the 4 Jours de Dunkerque) before his season was brought to a premature end.

Following the surgery, Renard’s recovery will take a total of three months and the team hope to have him back for next season.

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FC Barcelona Lewandowski deal IT was reported on Friday, July 15, that Polish international striker Robert Lewandowski is to sign for Spanish gi‐ ants FC Barcelona. According to media and numerous reliable Twitter sources, the player will leave the Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and he had a medical in Spain on Saturday, July 16.

The Spanish club will pay €50 million (£42.5 million) for the prolific goalscor‐ er, who it is believed will sign a three‐ year contract, subject to his passing a medical. An option of a further 12 months is said to be included in the deal.

German champions Bayern had con‐ tinually denied Lewandowski was for sale, but his departure can now finance their desired purchase of Juventus cen‐ tre‐back Matthijs de Ligt. According to Italian press, the club’s sporting direc‐ tor Hasan Salihamidzic was in Turin on Monday, July 11, negotiating a deal for the Dutch international.

It is thought that De Ligt will cost in the region of €80m (£67.7m) plus add‐ ons. He has apparently already in‐ formed the Serie A giants that he wish‐ es to leave, even though he still has two years of his contract remaining.

Piquet court appearance

BRAZILIAN Formula One legend Nelson Piquet has been ordered to appear in court in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Felipe Costa da Fonseca Gomes of the Distrito Federal court has initiated an investigation into the three‐time world champion.

This comes after the 69‐year‐old was heard using Brazilian‐Portuguese racist lan‐ guage as well as a homophobic slur while talking in a documentary about British F1

driver, Lewis Hamilton. Piquet originally appeared in the podcast last November, where he used the N‐word in reference to Hamilton.

Piquet apologised for his use of the racist slur, attempting to validate that it had been mistranslated and was a word used regularly in his country that did not have any racial connotations. His com‐ ments upset a human rights group which

subsequently pressed charges against him.

They claimed he had caused moral dam‐ age to black and LGBTQ+ people.

The incident in question came while Pi‐ quet was talking about a crash which oc‐ curred in last year’s British Grand Prix at Sil‐ verstone. It involved Hamilton and the Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who has been dating the Brazilian’s daugh‐ ter for the last few years.

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