Mallorca 13 - 19 October 2022 Issue 1945

STAR’S HIDEAWAY

ACTRESS Amber Heard has been confirmed as having moved to a small village in Mallorca following the loss of her court case involving her former husband Johnny Depp.

A report by a Spanish news site on Saturday, Oc tober 8 said that the actress who had been seen out and about on the island had moved to the small town of Costitx.

She is allegedly living among the 1,300 inhabi tants, under an assumed name, Martha Jane Can nary, taken from the name of the American heroine and explorer Calamity Jane.

Confirmation by a Span

ish news outlet said that she had rented a large home from the family of María Antonia Munar, for mer president of the Con sell de Mallorca.

Heard is believed to be living with her daughter Oonagh Paige and her part

ner, the director of photog raphy Bianca Butti. The pair have been together since 2020.

Locals have said that the actress is leading a very normal life in the village, being able to go unnoticed in visits to the park and lo

cal stores and restaurants. They say that she has not attempted to hide from them.

The actress has not pro vided local media with any interviews or updates on her plans, preferring rather to keep a low profile.

Ban on hiking route

BALEARIC Ornithology and Nature Defence Environmentalist Group (GOB) have announced plans to submit a denounce ment to the proposed new lighthouse hiking route.

The route follows the coast from Cala Ratjada to Puerto Andratx and GOB is insisting the Council of Mallorca drops the promotion of the hike as it will lead to “a very significant increase in human pressure on the coast and will intensify the touristification of natural spaces.”

GOB confirmed: “The project does not present any approx imation of the number of expected users or the capacity of the different sections and areas along which the route runs.

“It is clear, that the creation and promotion of a leisure of fer of this type will generate a significant increase in the num ber of people who will use the area.”

Source Gage Skidmore from Peoria

Actress, Amber Heard. ISLAND HIDEAWAY: The actress is staying in a small town.

Shutterstock.com/elvirkins

Summer season ends

Betty Henderson

A TOP Mallorca music venue closed its summer season with a spectacular show on October 1. House of Son Amar ended the summer season with a per formance with its EXHIBIT 2.0 show which has en joyed success since open ing in May of this year.

Throughout the summer EXHIBIT 2.0 attracted locals and tourists alike for ex travagant nights of music, dancing, acrobatics and aerial choreography.

The show consisted of 30 international perform ers who brought their tal ent to the stage in House

of Son Amar.

House of Son Amar is a popular music venue locat ed in Palmanyola that reg ularly attracts top perform ers for its unique shows.

With the end of the sum mer season, comes a brand new programme of events. Oktoberfest celebrations are currently underway at the venue, running until October 16, before a Hal loween party by Danzú on October 31 featuring top DJs.

The venue will continue events throughout the win ter including a Christmas Wonderland in December before a huge New Year’s Eve Party.

Improvement project

PALMA City Council started a road mainte nance project on Monday October 10 aiming to improve accessibility in the Son Dameto neighbourhood. The council is acting in re sponse to long‐standing concerns of local res idents.

The Department for Infrastructure began a new project to construct a new pavement on Carrer de Pasqual Ribot.

The addition of a new stretch of pavement aims to address road safety concerns and to connect the existing pavement with a bus stop.

The project will last for three weeks with 100 metres of pavement being installed. The roadworks have a budget of around €50,000 as part of the Neighbourhood Plan which aims to improve accessibility for pedestrians particularly at crossings and dangerous sec tions of road.

The road improvements will respond to

concerns expressed by the Residents’ Associ ation in San Dometo who have been asking for a new pavement to connect Carrer de Pasqual Ribot with Carrer de Jaume Lladó i Ferragut. The move will improve pedestrian safety, as people no longer need to walk around the roundabout.

Family financial aid

Eco-friendly taxi cabs

PALMA taxi drivers can now apply for a subsidy to help in buying electric vehi cles. Applications for the subsidy opened on Monday October 10 and will remain open until November 10.

Taxi drivers who have bought an elec tric vehicle during 2022 are eligible for a grant of up to €8,500 to help ease the financial burden of the large pur chase. This forms part of the council’s sustainability policy which includes in centivising the use of electric vehicles and sustainable methods of transport.

The council has a budget of €1 million for this project which aims to support a transition of the city’s taxi fleet away from fossil fuels to wards clean energy.

The Sustainable Mo bility Project also in cludes the installa tion of car charging points around the city.

Coordinator for Social Welfare, Catalina Trobat met with councillor for Culture and Social Welfare, Antoni Noguera to dis cuss the council’s budget for financial aid. They explained that most of the €5 million budget for 2022 had been spent on basic needs, which includes hygiene items, food and clothing as well as housing aid which covers outstanding rent, bills and prevent ing eviction.

The council spent around €2.5 million on providing basic ne cessities to vulnerable families and around €1.5 million on hous ing aid for families and people at risk of social exclusion. The re maining €1 million was spent on measures including grants for at‐risk children and employment schemes.

The figures showed a reduction in families requesting finan cial help, which soared to 6,500 in 2021 during the pandemic.

Although the situation has improved, Noguera added “coun cil social security services are ready to take on the next crisis due to the increasing cost of living, just as we did with Covid‐19.”

Palma City Council made the current subsidy agreement with city taxi drivers in response to the current global energy crisis and spiralling fuel prices.

Only 100 per cent electric vehicles are eligible for the sub sidy in compliance with targets for low emission zones in Palma and electric vehicle targets.

ROADWORKS: Will last for three weeks to install the new pavement.

Photo credit: Ajuntament de Palma

MALLORCA’S Social Security services have provided help to al most 4,000 families in Palma de Mallorca this year. Members of the council presented data on financial aid during a meeting on Monday October 10.

Palma City Council reaffirm their commitment to helping vulnerable families in Mallorca

Photo

credit: Ajuntament de Palma

Mallorca Cancer Support Group

Healthy Lifestyle dayNew game

CONGRATULATORY mes sages and flowers have flood ed in for tennis great, Rafael Nadal who welcomed his first child with his partner of 17 years, Mery Perelló on Octo ber 8. The baby was born in a private clinic in Palma de Mal lorca at 37 weeks after a tur bulent pregnancy.

Holiday fraud

LOCAL councils in Mallorca have found evidence of 158 il legal holiday rental properties between January and September 2022. Fines were handed out in 499 of the cas es reported as authorities in Mallorca try to prevent fraud ulent and unregulated prac tices. Holiday rental compa nies such as Airbnb are also cracking down on illegal rental properties.

Weather warnings

MALLORCA weather agency Aemet issued more amber weather warnings during last week. Thunderstorms have caused power outages and flooding in many places across the island, including incidents in Alcudia where residents had to be evacuated due to extreme weather.

Busy off-season

MALLORCA’S economy may receive a boost this winter as Spanish tourism industry fig ures launch ‘thermal tourism’. Tourism operators are aiming to incentivise tourism to Spain in response to steep energy costs in many countries. The plan could offer special deals for long-term tourists who could save on heating their homes.

Studying success

THE Instituto a Distancia de Balears distance learning school has taken on a new academic year of more than 2,400 students. The education centre also has new courses for this year including an artifi cial intelligence and big data course.

MALLORCA Cancer Support Group announced an up date on its fundraising activi ties and services on October 4. The group also shared the tragic loss of its founder and President, Krista Hyer.

The group has resumed its drop in centres which are now held every Monday at the group’s centre in Portals Nous, every Wednesday in Son Llatzer outside the Hos pital de Día, every Thursday in Son Espases and every other Friday in Manacor hospital. Visitors can book an appointment online be fore attending, to guarantee adequate time at the ap

THERE were smiles all round at Calvia’s circus fun day on Sunday October 9. ‘Dia de Nassos’ fun day took place from 10am to 6pm with ac tivities for all of the family to get involved in, in aid of Son risa Médica children’s charity.

The fun day was held at the Molí de Santa Ponsa fair ground and was well attend ed by members of the com munity who showed their support for the medical chari ty. Activities included circus skills workshops, fairground rides, a mobile library story telling, painting bouncy cas tles, an electric motorcycle

pointment. The group also offers counselling services.

The group also organises

an Art Class on Monday evenings and a Knitting Class on Wednesday

Circus fun day

evenings at the group’s cen tre in Portals Nous.

The Tramuntathlon is a charity sporting event where participants run or walk up to 100 kilometres to raise money for a range of causes, including Mallorca Cancer Support Group.

Participants will walk or run laps of 9.5 kilometres ac cording to their own goals, starting and finishing when they like.

The group is also looking for more volunteers. Find out more information about the group online at: https://www.cancersupport mallorca.com/

works to entertain children during hospital stays. With the motto ‘Laughter is the best medicine’, clowns and other volunteers put on shows for sick children in six hospitals in Mallorca.

ALCUDIA will celebrate its first Healthy Lifestyle day on Saturday October 15. Events to promote healthy living will take place throughout the day.

At the event launch on October 6, members of the local community gath ered with the mayor, Domingo Bonnín and lo cal councillor for Health, Agüi Lobo to discuss the programme for the day. IBSALUT local health or ganisation representative, Sílvia Vallcaneras also at tended the event launch.

circuit, magic shows, and much more.

Clowns from Sonrisa Médi ca also performed through out the day and held special events to raise money for their work, including a scratch card lottery.

Cancer awareness

OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness month and World Breast Cancer Day is on Wednesday October 19, an international campaign to raise awareness for the detection and treatment of breast cancer, raise funds for research, treatment and survival. To mark the occasion, we found some facts and figures about breast cancer in Spain and the UK.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in wom en in both Spain and the UK. In Spain, there are 35,000 new cases of breast cancer a year, in the UK the figure stands at around 55,000. Breast cancer rates have risen by around 18 per cent since the ear ly 1990s.

However, breast cancer has higher overall survival rates than some other cancers. In Spain 87 per cent of women survive breast cancer for more than five years after diagnosis, in the UK 88 per cent of wom en survive for five years.

Breast cancer can also be prevented, in up to 23 per cent of cases in the UK. Breast Cancer Aware ness month is crucial in raising awareness about early detection.

Sonrisa Médica is a local charity organisation that

Calvia local council gave their backing for the event and the department for Youth Engagement took an active role in planning the event.

Calvia International Chess Festival

CHESS whizzes are gathering in Calvia for the Calvia Interna tional Chess Festival which got underway on October 7. Three hundred chess enthusi asts from 28 countries gath ered in Sala Palmanova to put their skills to the test.

The biggest competition of the festival is the 19th Ama teur Open which offers a total of €6,000 in prize money. Competitors will duel from 8pm each evening between October 8 and 16 in competi tions to be livestreamed on the largest chess online sites.

The tournament has been inclusive to all ages and will hold an event to celebrate women in chess featuring cur rent Spanish number one, Ana Matnadze, and seven­time national champion, Mónica Calzetta. Both women will face 30 rivals in a competition

on Saturday October 15.

The closing ceremony of the tournament will be held on October 16 as the festival cele brates nearly 20 years of events in Calvia. It is organised by Mallorca Isolani Chess Club.

Euro

Activities will take place at the Port de Alcudia in cluding sport games and competitions and a health fair of local organisations in the health sector. Other events will include a spe cial radio programme which will be live broad casted on Alcúdia Ràdio during the morning.

Healthy Lifestyle day is organised by Alcudia Council and IBSALUT with partners including Es Safrà Health Centre, the Associ ation of Senior Citizens of Alcudia, Alcudia schools, the Spanish Association against Cancer, the Red Cross, and the Depart ment for Health of the Government of the Balearic Islands.

The event will highlight health initiatives already taking place in the area.

FUNDRAISING: The group holds a range of events to support cancer sufferers and their families.

Photo credit: Mallorca Cancer Support Group

Sonrisa Médica raised money to put smiles on sick children’s faces.

Photo credit: Ajuntament de Calvia

Social Inclusion Festival Art competition announced

A LONG-RUNNING art competition will return this year for its 53rd edition. Pol lensa Council announced the return of Certamen Bi ennial d’art de Pollença art competition on October 11.

The established art com petition runs every year in February and is open to all artists over the age of 18 from all over the world, ex cept for previous competi tion winners.

Artists must submit two pieces of work which have not been judged in previous competitions and must pro vide proof of authenticity of pieces submitted. Works can be of any artistic style and technique.

All artwork must be sub

mitted before midnight on February 15, 2023 before judging concludes on March 10, 2023. The work will be judged by an experienced panel.

The event forms part of the local council’s festival, Biennial Mallorca 2023 which is a cultural festival consisting of artisanry, cui sine, music, environmental, fashion, art, film, video and

cultural projects. The official festival is running from Oc tober 2023 to March 2024, but events have already be gun in the run­up to the fes tival.

Those interested in partic ipating can download a signup sheet online from: https://www.ajpollenca.net /ca/noticies/53e­certamenbiennal­dart­de­pollenca2023.

New health centre

MANACOR residents will soon receive a new state-of-theart health centre. Manacor Town Council approved the plans for a health centre on Tuesday October 11.

The council approved the transfer of a 4,278m2 plot of land to Mallorca Health Department, who will use it for a new health centre. The new centre will serve a large portion of the Manacor community in an area in the east of the town outlined as the ‘Zona Bàsica de Salut Na Camel·la - Mana cor’.

The development aims to respond to demographic changes in the area, including a population increase of more than 14,000 since 1990. The current Centre Salut de Sa Torre does not adequately serve the needs of the population.

The plans were voted through by local governing parties MÉS-Esquerra, PSIB-PSOE i Podem as well as El Pi and AIPC-SYS. The PP abstained from voting on the matter.

The council approved the land transfer on the condition that any construction work takes place as far away as possi ble from nearby historical listed buildings.

Authorities also gave the go-ahead for plans to expand the CEIP Sa Torre primary school.

A SPECIAL pro gramme of events will promote social inclusion in Pollensa between October 14 and 16. Pollensa Council has arranged the initiative under the slogan of ‘Work ing with the people, for the people’.

Events include three theatre shows on Saturday October 15. The shows Capí tol 1, Blues, Browns and Grays and Abril will take place during the evening and have an entry fee of €3 each. Tickets can be purchased from the box office at the Claustre de Sant Domingo or by tele phone from 971 531 430.

Other events with a social focus include a female health class on Friday, musical therapy workshop for children and an oral healthcare talk on the Saturday. Guest organisations includ ing CARITAS will partner with the council to give talks including about de cent employment conditions and about community volun teering.

Another exciting event is a ‘showcooking’ masterclass where chef Nico from Respira restaurant will give a demon stration at 12pm on Sunday October 16.

This event will fol low performances by a local dance school, a marching band per formance and the in auguration of a new social rights charter by the local council.

Fishy fair weekend

ON Tuesday, October 11, the Capdepera Town Hall thanked everyone who vis ited the municipality over the weekend to celebrate their Fish Fair ‘The Fair of

the Llampuga’. The event is known as an enjoyable weekend of fresh fish which is one of the most beloved products of Mallorcan gastronomy.

Challenge Peguera Triathlon

A KEY date on the international triathlon circuit is back on Saturday October 15. The Challenge Peguera Mallorca will see professional and amateur triathlon athletes from across the world battle it out for top place.

Organisers are offering three different disciplines in the event this Saturday. The Media Distancia circuit is for adult competitors with a nearly two kilometre swim followed by a 90­kilometre bike ride and a 21­kilometre run to fin ish off. Competitors can compete as individuals or in team efforts.

The triathlon follows scenic coastal routes that will al low competitors to take in Mallorca’s beauty while com peting.

The Challenge Women event will take place simultane ously with a 4.3­kilometre run through Peguera. There will also be a Challenge Junior with different running distances for different age groups and a Junior Duathlon on the Sun day, combining swimming and running races.

Other events are scheduled for the weekend to involve spectators in festivities. Events include a pasta party, a tra ditional ‘Dimonis’ parade and a Zumba masterclass.

More information about the events can be found online at: https://challenge­mallorca.com/?lang=es

Over the weekend a total of 1,600 kilogrammes of llampuga fish was used in different recipes. The event which has been increasing in popularity over the years had more than 8,000 peo ple attend this year and more than 15,000 portions of gastronomic delight were dished up.

The councillor of Fires and Festivals and Citizen Se curity, Carmen Corraliza, confirmed that she was very satisfied with the re sponse received to the event and grateful to every one involved in making it the success it was.

The Fair which had been postponed for two years due to the Covid­19 pan demic was back with a bang. The programme in cluded numerous activities, with a focus on local pro duce.

To close the 19th edition of the event, an incredible firework display made sure the event went out with a bang.

Drone pest control

PALMA City Council takes a leap into the fu ture with the introduction of new technolo gy for council pest control workers. The council announced it will incorporate drones into its new pest control strategy on Tuesday October 11.

The council announced a budget increase of 20 per cent for pest control to nearly €700,000, with a new team made up of 17 workers. The budget increase pays for an in crease in staff wages and for new technolo gies.

The futuristic move will help the council respond to complaints of bug infestations, particularly against mosquitoes. The pest

control service will have the option to de ploy drones to reach infestations in inacces sible spaces, but will only use the drones in particularly drastic cases.

The new strategy will also include a citi zen’s advice service which aims to reduce the number of call­outs of the pest control team. Residents can also seek advice on pre venting the return of pests in their homes.

The council will also invest in scientific re search into effective pest control. Recent de velopments include a custom paint that eradicates bed bugs.

The new measures aim to streamline the council’s pest control services.

Drones will fight infestations in inaccessible places in Palma from this month.

Photo credit: Ajuntament de Palma

Help for Ukraine

SPAIN’S Defence Ministry is sending a new convoy to Ukraine with light all‐ter rain vehicles, ambulances and medical equipment.

The shipment will cover logistical and medical needs

of the highest priority for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.

A further 12 heavy vehi cles will be shipped by sea in the coming days.

The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, attended the departure from Alcala de Henares on Thursday, October 6, of a land convoy transporting eight light ve hicles, two ambulances and five tonnes of various medi cal equipment to Poland.

The vehicles and medical equipment were provided by the Army, the Navy and

the Spanish Emergency Mil itary Unit and were pre pared for transport by the Projection Support Group (GAPRO), a unit that pro vides logistical support for operations and exercises both on national territory and in operations abroad.

Robles explained that “these are the priorities that Ukraine has at the mo ment and this is what they are asking us for, the war is being very cruel, there are many wounded people and they urgently need medical material.”

Higher education

ON Wednesday, October 5, Spain and Germany signed an agreement to intensify re lations in higher education.

The Minister for Universi ties, Joan Subirats, met with his counterpart, the Minister for Education and Research of the Federal Government of Germany, Bettina Stark‐Watzinger, during the Ger man‐Spanish Summit.

During the meeting, the two ministers agreed to sign a Declaration to raise the pro file of the commitment to strengthen ties in the field of higher education, recognising training as a basic pillar for the advancement of both countries. Joan Subirats con firmed: “We welcome the fact that the Declaration of In tent we are signing today will allow us to learn in situ about Germany’s policies, pro grammes and actions on common challenges.”

Germany has extensive ex perience and a proven track record in areas that are of great interest to Spain.

Repsol promotion

AN offer to get one gas cylinder free was announced on Tuesday, October 4 by Repsol and is available to anyone who buys at least 10 units (12.5 kgs) using the company’s website or mobile application.

The offer is limited to one per person and is valid on the mainland and in the Balearics until the end of the year. Respol currently offers an additional discount to anyone who buys petrol through its mobile payment app, which also needs to be used to get the benefit of the gas cylinder offer.

Once the order is placed, the cylinder will be made available.

In addition, anyone who purchases more than 10 cylin ders will receive a coupon that is valid in‐store for three months.

The offer comes ahead of winter and at a time when gas prices have fallen from their earlier highs this year of €19.95.

Although the free butane gas cylinders offer can be seen as a gimmick, for those hard‐pressed to pay for gas sup plies the offer does have value.

Margarita Robles and the departure of logistical vehicles.

Image: Spanish Government/Ministry of Defence

Tragedy on stage

THE singer of the Antihéroes

Rock Band Andres Pancho, 50, died after he suffered a fatal heart attack on stage on Sunday, October 3.

The band were perform ing at the Velá de San Miguel in Sevilla at a ‘private event’ organised by the neighbourhood association when he suffered the heart attack at around 11:20pm.

Emergency services were called to the scene however Andres Pancho died later in hospital. Antonio Conde, the mayor of Mairena del Aljarafe has sent condo lences as have many of those who attended the event.

Conde said that he feels infinite pain saying: “In this dark moment, there is some light: the affection of so many, so many people who love you, in whose memory you will always be. DEP and with Rock & Roll, friend.”

Others have taken to so cial networks to express their heartfelt condolences.

No more details have been provided including whether Conde leaves any family, other than those in the band. It is understood the rest of the event was cancelled after the singer died.

Protest at crash trial

Betty Henderson

THE trial of two men accused of caus ing a major train crash in 2013 de scended into chaos on October 5 as one of the defendants was punched outside the courtroom. Court proceed ings are underway in Madrid to inves tigate the 2013 derailment of a train in Santiago de Compostela which killed 80 people and injured 145.

A protestor punched Andrés Cortabitarte, one of the defendants in the case, as he left the courtroom. Sur vivors and families of victims of the train crash gathered outside to protest the lack of justice. Cortabitarte entered the courtroom by a back entrance to avoid protestors and the press, but was confronted by a grieving father as he left.

Cortabitarte, a former rail network

employee, and train driver, Francisco José Garzón, are facing trial for their role in the crash and could face up to four years in prison on counts of pro fessional negligence.

The high speed train was travelling

at almost 100kph over the speed limit when all 13 carriages derailed and three were set on fire. More than 700 witnesses will take to the stand during the case which will last several months.

Support for Ukraine

THE Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, visited the Air De ployment Support Squadron (EADA) at the Zaragoza Air Base, where 19 Ukrainian military personnel are receiving training as part of the Ministry of Defence’s sustained support com mitment to Ukraine.

Whilst in Zaragoza, Robles reiterated her firm support for Ukraine, the Spanish government confirmed on Friday, Octo ber 7.

The Ukrainian military is being instructed by EADA person nel on the use of the anti­aircraft system, which will allow them to operate autonomously in the area of operations.

The training has been divided into two parts, one for sys tem operators and one for maintenance personnel (armour ers, mechanics and electronics).

Robles confirmed: “Beyond the training that you are learn ing here, I wanted to convey to you the support, affection and

recognition of the whole of Spain for Ukraine.”

Robles added: “Spain feels very close to Ukraine, and we are going to support them until Ukraine wins this war com pletely. We are very pleased to be able to help them. Ukraine is setting an example to the world, it is an example for all citi zens and also for the Spanish military.”

Spending by tourists

THE Spanish government has confirmed that spending by international tourists in Spain in August was close to the pre­pandemic level.

With data accumulated in the first eight months of the year, the arrival of interna tional tourists to Spain ex ceeded 48 million (83 per cent of the same period prepandemic) and spending reached €63,898 million (92 per cent of the same period in 2019).

The minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, confirmed: “The ex pectations we had of recover ing nine out of 10 pre­pan demic international tourists in the central months of the summer, July and August, have been fulfilled.

“Spain has experienced an extraordinarily high tourist season and, for the moment, we are facing the autumn without inflation and the un certainty caused by the war hindering this tourist reactiva tion.”

The minister added: “The recovery of 93 per cent of the seats scheduled by airlines to fly to our country during the month of October is an ex ample of this.”

By source country, the UK was the main source market, with 1.8 million tourists, fol lowed by France with 1.6 mil lion and Germany with 1.1 million.

COURT CASE: The trial into a 2013 train crash in Santiago de Compostela has now reached court.

Photo credit: Manuel Esteban / shutterstock.com

Margarita Robles, during her visit to the Air Deployment Support Squadron (EADA) at the Zaragoza Air Base.

Image: Spanish Government/Ministry of Defence

MORE than 8,000 trees are to be planted around Barcelona’s city dis tricts between now and the end of 2023.

The planting campaign began on Thursday, October 6, with teams from Parks and Gardens to get support as part of the city’s maintenance plan Cuidem Barcelona.

The campaign comes in addition to an ex ercise to plant over 55,000 plants and flow

Trees in Barcelona

ers in the spring earlier in the year.

Citywide checks were carried out in the last quarter of 2021 with a view to reducing the number of empty tree beds. The exer cise counted 8,911 empty beds, 465 of which will be paved over due to services

running underneath them or other impedi ments making it unfeasible to plant trees in them. Planting campaigns are organised ac cording to the time of year and type of tree and factor in the removal, replanting and availability of specific trees.

Sophisticated fakes

ON September 21, Europol lead a joint operation with the Spanish National Police and the Catalonian Mossos d’Esquadra to dismantle an organised crime group in volved in printing and dis tributing counterfeit €500 notes.

During the operation a clandestine print shop was dismantled and 12 people were arrested. Nine loca tions were searched in Ali

BUSINESSES and schools closed in order to join in the celebrations for Spain’s National Day on Wednesday October 12.

Spain’s National Day commemorates the ar rival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas and is also sometimes known as Dia de la His panidad (Hispanic Day).

Italian‐born Christopher Columbus set off from Pa los de la Frontera in south west Spain in 1492 on Au

cante, Barcelona, Malaga and Valencia. €4.3 million in fake €500 banknotes were seized and a large amount of equipment (several printing presses, an insulation ma chine, a hot stamping ma chine, a paper guillotine and raw materials).

Investigators identified the main suspect behind the print shop as an individual already known by authori ties detained for similar

criminal activities in 2009. These counterfeits were of better quality but had simi larities to the 2009 counter feits, which lead to the same suspect. The investigators estimate that in as little as three months, the criminal network printed more than €8 million.

The fake money was used for different criminal activi ties including drug traffick ing.

Spain’s National Day

gust 3. Just over two months later he arrived in the ‘New World’.

Columbus, who was sponsored by the Spanish monarch, Ferdinand of Aragon, was actually look ing for a western route to India, but instead stum bled upon the Americas, a continent that had been largely unknown to Euro peans.

The discovery led to a period of rapid explo ration of the continent.

Día de la Hispanidad was first celebrated in Madrid in 1935 and was made an official public holiday in 1981. In 1987, its name was changed to Fiesta Nacional (Spain’s National Day), removing any reference to Spanish colonialism.

GO LOCAL

WHEN YOU GO SHOPPING GO LOCAL!

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

PLANTING: Around the city’s streets.

Council/Parks

Gallery night Inca’s Dijous Bo

WITH only four editions, the art festival of San tanyí has become one of the most important cul tural events in Mallorca. Canal’Art is bigger with more than 80 participating artists and 30 exhibi tion points spread throughout the town this year.

In 2017 Canal’Art and the Santanyí Town Hall were awarded the Onda Cero Mallorca Culture Award for their promotion of culture and subse quent editions have not disappointed.

Art galleries, bars and all kinds of businesses be come a showcase for the works of these artists whose disciplines include painting, design, decora tion, photography, audiovisual, jewellery, ceram ics, sculpture, clothing, and more. All are located in the centre of town and perfectly marked with an itinerary, map and the list of artists.

Other activities are held throughout the night with family show, Live‐Malerei with Pato Conde with audience participation, painting a live mural.

(From 6.00pm to 10.00pm. Plaça Major.)

The mayor of Santanyí, Maria Pons, said “The objective of the Santanyí Town Council has always been to keep the town as a benchmark in the world of culture in Mallorca, and for one night turn it into a great showcase where you can see everything that moves in the island’s culture. We will not get tired of thanking merchants, neigh bours and everyone who participates for the ef fort they make.”

Friday October 14 from 6pm.

Full programme and locations can be found at: https://www.ajsantanyi.net/ca/noticies/

THE biggest agricultural fair in Mallorca is coming soon.

The event involves markets, artisans, funfairs, animals, agri culture, music and dancing.

The Dijous Bo fair will take place in Inca on Thursday, November 17, and comes complete with live music, a pa rade, a ‘correfoc’ or fire run, a car show, a giants’ parade, and a traditional market.

It originated as an agricul tural fair celebrating the har vest and has since grown to include a range of sporting

and cultural entertainments.

Dijous Bo is Catalan for ‘Good Thursday’, but the event actually kicks off on the weekend previous, with par ties and a ‘fire run’, and the reading of the proclamation.

Festivities start with a bang on the Wednesday evening with the annual Mallorcan black pig contest and auction followed by the official open ing of the farmers market by the town mayor.

Art exhibitions, bird shows, and live music are among the

entertainments, and the par ties being held in many of In ca’s bars and restaurants last all night.

A special train timetable which runs through the night is operated to help visitors travel easily to the event.

The main fair is on Thursday, November 17, with the farm ers’ market in full swing, along with the usual market stalls of handicrafts and locally made leather goods. There is plenty to browse through the streets of Inca.

Drive-in cinema

ENJOY the cinema from the comfort of your own car at Port Adriano.

As part of the ‘Evolution Mallorca Interna tional Film Festival’, Port Adriano will collab orate with four movie screenings in a very special way on Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24.

You only need to come with your car, tune in to the indicated radio channel and

enjoy the movie as never before!

Screenings will take place at the main square of Port Adriano. Space is limited to 50 cars and the maximum allowed car height is 1.5m.

They recommend two persons per car since the back seats do not have good visi bility, but up to four people can come in one car.

International record fair in Palma

THE International Record Fair comes to the Palma Arena (Velòdrom Illes Balears) Palma on October 20, 21 and 22 . The fair is made up of approximate ly 40 stands from around Eu rope and the US (Spain, Eng land, Holland, USA, Germany).

For sale are CDs, LPs, singles (novelties, and collections), all types of ‘memorabilia’, books, posters and more.

A collection of record labels, publishers and specialists in disc and vinyl will also be attending. There is a stage with live perfor mances for your entertainment too.

On consecutive weekends, in Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao and Mallorca you can visit a mega‐store with an important variety of music, for a few days. There are collectors of all types of mu sic genres including heavy met al and electronic music.

For more information visit: http://firadeldisc.org/Edi ciones‐Pasadas/

The Mallorca Golf Open

THE best international golf re turns to the Balearic Islands, with this new tournament that is part of the European Tour.

In mid‐October, the stars of the DP World Tour golf circuit return to the island for the eighth time. The premiere in 1988 was won by none other than the legendary Spaniard Severiano Ballesteros and at last year’s Mallorca Golf Open Dane Jeff Winther celebrated

his first and emotional victory on the DP World Tour, with his family in attendance.

The Mallorca Golf Open is part of the DP World Tour, with three events in a row in the Iberian Peninsula from October 20 to 23. A lineup of top players is expected as the DP World Tour heads into the final stretch towards the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The Son Muntaner golf club

is part of the Arabella golf courses and was designed by Kurt Rossknecht in 2000, 6,305 metres of spectacular course, with an extraordinary design and greens that offer constant challenges and careful mainte nance. It is the only golf course in the Balearics that is featured on the prestigious network of European Tour Destinations. www.ticket‐onlineshop.com/ ols/mallorca‐golf‐open/

Evolution! Film Festival Weekly markets

THIS year’s 10th anniversary of the Evolution Mallorca Interna tional Film Festival, returns from October 27 to November 2.

The festival, a magnet for movie‐makers, cinema buffs and culture lovers, will present celebrated German filmmaker Wim Wenders with its highest honour, the Evolution Honorary Award. Benito Zambrano’s (‘So las’) ‘Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake’, set on Mallorca, will kick off this year’s festivities as the opening film.

Screenings will be available in eight different locations, includ ing Palma’s Teatre Principal.

There’ll be a chance to have drinks and mingle at Rialto Liv ing too, where audiences will be able to chat with professionals from the film industry. The Por tixol Hotel, is the official festival hotel this year. There will also be workshops available.

THE island of Mallorca pre serves the traditions deeply rooted in agricultural work and the different seasons of the year.

Before tourists started vis iting, the market was not on ly a place where farm work ers could meet, but also the local point of sale for their produce including seasonal fruit and vegetables and oth er local products.

The resort of Cala Millor is located in the north‐eastern part of the island. The area has weekly markets in Sant Llorenç des Cardas sar, Son Servera and Son Carrió, as well as seasonal markets in the coastal re sorts of Cala Millor, Sa Co ma and S’Illot.

A good starting place is the traditional weekly market of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar which has

become a gastronomic and socio‐cultural event in Mal lorca. It is held every Thurs day in Plaça de l’Església and Carrer Major, with street music to liven up the atmo sphere and activities such as concerts in different venues and guided tours of the town’s monuments.

Thursdays from 8am to 1.30pm.

https://visitcalamillor.co m/en/weekly‐market‐in‐sant‐llorenc‐des‐cardassar/

Advertising Feature

Antojo’s Bar: Sweet and savoury treats in Palmanova

IF you are craving creamy ice‐cream, sweet treats, savoury snacks or coffee at a great price, head to Antojo’s Bar in Palmanova, owned by Jessica! Take a seat on the sunny terrace and enjoy watching the world go by while enjoying the many food options offered by the friendly staff.

After working at Antojo’s Bar, Jessica took over this small and cosy ice‐cream and coffee shop four years ago, with her husband also owning the typical Spanish bar Chips Madrid in Palmanova. Now known for serving one of the best breakfasts in the area, as well as a huge range of ice‐cream flavours, mouth‐watering cheesecakes and sweet pies, and freshly made smoothies, Antojo’s Bar is a firm favourite amongst tourists and locals alike! You can also order freshly made American‐style pancakes or waffles with their ice‐creams or savoury op tions like bacon and scrambled eggs, or choose from their range of fresh smoothies and milk shakes including the popular Kinder Bueno. If you are looking for something savoury, Anto

SWEET

jo’s Bar serves a range of tostadas with popular toppings including bacon, avocado, ham, tomato, salmon and cheese, as well as English breakfasts, gluten‐free and vegetarian options.

Open all‐year‐round, you can also order from Antojo’s Bar on the Glovo app or website ‐ so you don’t even need to leave your house to enjoy their amazing food and sweet treats!

Halloween Car Run

MALLORCA Classic Car Club will hold its monthly car run on Sunday October 30 with a spooky twist.

The ‘Trick or Treat’ October car run will feature some Hal loween themed questions dur ing the route before a meal at Mallorca Country Club.

Drivers will meet at Café Pal manova, Amadip Esment at 10.30am before taking on a scenic route around locations including Calvia, and Es Capdel la. There will be a small Hal loween themed competition for any drivers that are inter ested.

Drivers will then enjoy a meal at the Mallorca Country Club in Santa Ponsa. The meal

options include a salmon teriyaki dish with a vegetable wok, a chicken dish with mushroom risotto, and a vege tarian wok.

The meal costs €40 for members and €45 for non‐members and includes half a

bottle of wine, water and cof fee for each guest.

Register at the following link to attend the car run: https://ccc‐mallorca.com/ events/halloween‐trick‐or‐treat‐car‐run/ or send an email to: info@ccc‐mallorca.com

All-day go-karting

A LOCAL charity is hosting an all‐day go‐karting ex travaganza on Sunday October 16 at the Karting Ma galuf Circuit. Eighteen teams with six drivers will hit the track with the goal of being crowned winners. All proceeds raised during the event will go to Joy Ron Foundation.

Racing will take place between 10am and 5.30pm with the final race scheduled for 4.15pm. A total of 108 drivers will battle for the top spot throughout the day. Spectators are invited to come and join in the race atmosphere, free of charge.

There will be a bar serving drinks all day long, two different food bars, and music throughout the day. There will also be go‐karts for children aged two to eight to keep the little ones entertained. Guests can enter and leave whenever they like. Joy Ron Founda tion helps children in need in the Balearic Islands, all donations will go towards their vital work.

The charity is also holding a Halloween Party Night and Charity Dinner on October 29 in Palma.

The Night of Art event

ON Saturday October 15, at Plaça de la Vila, 17, Porreres will hold the ‘The Night of Art’ organ ised by the town council of Porreres. The event combines art in its differ ent forms and the world that surrounds wine, the ideal partnership.

This combination makes the latest edition of TASTART a unique event with all the ingredi ents for an innovative night. In addition to sam pling excellent wines, you can see exhibitions of painting, sculpture, ur ban art, comics, prints, photography, installa tions, video art and video performance. There will also be music, with con certs in different areas of Porreres.

Among the many ex hibitions are one pre sented by the local artist and photographer @mi adelsphotos, who will show the city of New York during the Covid‐19 pandemic; Jaume Mole ta will create a mural in spired by Porreres; and Jaume Gavi presents La Mossegada, a work made using the tradition al photographic process of the 19th century.

For information visit: www.instagram.com/ta startporreres/

TRICK OR TREAT: The luxurious Mallorca Country Club will be the setting for lunch at the October classic car run.

Photo credit: Mallorca Classic Car Club

Bill Diamond’s first novel

AUTHOR, Bill Diamond, left school at 15 with little formal education and served a full ap prenticeship as a bricklayer. Af ter educating himself he learned most facets of the building industry and property development. He started a property management compa ny in 1979 which is still going strong.

During the early months of Covid, with no golf to occupy him, Bill started to write his first novel on an iPhone as he had no laptop or tablet to use.

He lives in Javea, Costa Blanca and has had a long­time love af fair with Spain and lived in De nia for many years before mov ing to an apartment on the Arenal in Javea four years ago.

His writing is carried out in Javea on the balcony of his apartment overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and it is the sound of the waves and the

beautiful ambience of Javea which gives him so much inspi ration for his books.

Bill has a passion for horses and has ridden the Badminton and Gatcombe Park courses on his competition horses, many of whom he bred himself.

Bill also has a passion for golf and through practice and dedi cation has managed to achieve a single figure handicap.

Recently he had the privilege of flying in a Spitfire over the white cliffs of Dover which re mains one of his most memo rable experiences.

As an avid reader of spy/ thriller novels, Bill has often criticised books that have too much “padding out,” even though the storyline may be strong and entertaining so with this in mind Bill has created a gripping novel packed with ad venture, intrigue, danger and romance on every page.

His first novel due to be re leased shortly, Max Catt ­ The Beginning, is the first in a hoped series. The novel follows MaxCatt who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but broke away from the easy life of the landed gentry.

He became a one­man killing machine whose skills and rouge modus operandi attracted MI5, the anti­terrorist unit and MI6 who all wanted to recruit Max, but it was the SAS that he chose.

An expert with a sniper rifle coupled with his animal in stinct, he caused havoc within terrorist groups so much so that a huge bounty was put on his head by the newly formed and dangerous Islamic Republican Front

From a young age danger and death have followed Max from a family hostage crisis to black mail and murder!

Author, Bill Diamond.

Image: Bill Diamond

Face-to-face banking

A MEETING between the First Vice‐President of the government, Nadia Calvi no, and the banking associ ations was held on Friday, October 7, in which a roadmap was agreed up

on. The roadmap comes with the aim of ensuring that credit institutions guarantee access to face‐to‐face financial services for all citizens of Spain. This commitment comes

New historical memory law

Betty Henderson

THE Spanish government approved another landmark historic memory law on Wednesday October 5. The legislation builds on laws originally created from 2007 and aim to bring justice for the victims of the Spanish Civil War and subsequent dictatorship under Franco.

Measures contained in the law include a national DNA bank and a purpose‐made census to facilitate easier location and identifica tion of victims’ remains. The ‘Valley of the Fallen’ area where Fran co’s body lay for 44 years prior to its exhumation in 2019 will also be ‘redefined’ to provide a more comprehensive historical account of the Civil War and dictatorship. The law also bans any glorifica tion of the Franco regime or the dictator himself.

President, Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE, who praised the move on Twitter saying, “we have taken another step towards justice, repa ration and dignity for all the victims.” The Spanish Civil War and its commemoration remains a polarising topic in Spain due to differ ing accounts of historical memory and political opinion.

in the hope that it will favour the fight against de population and contribute to an appropriate territori al structuring.

The agreement estab lishes a framework for ac tion that will be articulated with full respect for com petition regulations to guarantee at least one point of access to face‐to‐face banking services through different modali ties for the more than 660,000 people residing in the 3,230 municipalities that do not have this ser vice. Measures are also in cluded to ensure the main tenance of face‐to‐face banking services in those municipalities that current ly have only one access point.

The associated entities will have a period of six months, extendable by a further six months, to en sure the implementation of at least one access point.

Top retirement destination

Betty Henderson

SPAIN ranked in the top 10 best countries to retire in 2022 in a report released by a lifestyle magazine this October. The report ranked Spain at number nine globally due to its warm climate, high level of security and beautiful coastal regions.

Retirement is a universally popular concept, but that doesn’t mean everywhere is an ideal retirement destination. The report used a ‘glob al retirement index’ to rank countries, consider ing aspects of quality of life thought to be key to retirement living.

Other countries in the top 10 included Pana ma at number one, Portugal at number four and France at number seven.

Spain ranked as number nine on the list due to its 300‐plus days of sunshine annually, af

fordability of property, excellent healthcare fa cilities and healthy Mediterranean eating op tions. The report also cited historical and cultur al heritage throughout the country as a factor in its high ranking. Other services that con tributed to the top 10 ranking include reliable and affordable public transportation options, internet stability, having potable tap water, de cent electricity and good council services.

Sports budget increase

THE government will allocate €1,804 million to Culture and Sports policies in 2023, the Spanish government confirmed on Friday, October 7.

This allocation compared to the budget for 2022, is an in crease of 13.5 per cent. The Minister of Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta, who presented

the accounts at a press confer ence confirmed that “these are budgets designed to strengthen the cultural industries.

“They are designed to con tribute to the creation of new audiences and to protect the workers in the cultural sector. This is in line with the aim of this government to protect the so

cial majority in the face of the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.”

Iceta said “the budgets ear marked for Culture and Sports are, for the first time, consid ered to be public goods of a preferential nature, due to their nature as the backbone of soci ety, as Health and Education.”

Spanish inflation controlled

Rare literature auction

A RARE collection of 17th century work by Spanish liter ary great, Miguel de Cervantes will go to auction later this year where stories could fetch more than €900,000 com bined. The collector’s edition books will go to the auction hall in December in Paris, 400 years after being printed.

A unique third edition of literature classic, Don Quixote, is set to fetch an impressive €500,000‐ €600,000. It is made particularly unusual due to manuscript‐style notes made by Cervantes as he revised tales from the first and second editions of the book.

Another item by Cervantes up for auction is a first edi tion collection of stories, Novelas ejemplares, also from the 17th century.

The books also have a fascinating story of their own, having been sought out by Bolivian diplomat, Jorge Ortiz Linares in the 1930s. One antique book dealer described it as the “rarest and best example to have reached the mar ket in decades” and a “miracle find.”

Cervantes’ classical works have inspired generations of Spanish literature lovers. And for collectors, the works are priceless.

NEW figures have revealed that inflation in Spain slowed during September to 9 per cent. This follows August’s inflation rate of 10.5 per cent and inflation increases for four succes sive months. Statistics re leased by the INE at the end of September were confirmed last week.

The September figure is the lowest inflation rate since May this year, infla tion in the country had reached double‐digit fig ures not seen since the 1980s in June.

The fall in inflation is be ing attributed to falls in electricity, gas and trans port prices, some of it due to government subsidies.

Core inflation also fell slightly to 6.4 per cent, a decrease of 0.2 per cent, notable due to previous 14 month consecutive increas es in the indicator, since June 2021.

News of falling inflation rates comes as a relief for consumers, particularly as we head towards winter.

SPAIN: One of the world’s top destinations for retirees.

Photo credit: Daniel Myjones / shutterstock.com

The Spanish government has introduced measures to combat spiralling inflation.

Photo credit: rnl / shutterstock.com

A DESPERATE DAN has tak en to advertising on a mo torway billboard in an effort to get himself his first date after all previous attempts didn’t work out.

According to a news out let, Ed Chapman, 23, from Leeds, West Yorks, has been single all his life. Having failed to secure himself any dates by traditional meth ods or from dating apps he decided to step outside of the box and try something different in his bid to find love.

The plan has apparently worked for Chapman who has received an influx of messages from people aged between 18 and 48. He is now busy arranging his first‐ever date, which he hopes will go to plan.

He said: “I had tried some dating apps, but it didn’t go well for me at all, so I decid ed I needed to try some thing different and thought having my own billboard would be a good way of meeting people.”

Chapman designed the billboard and it can be seen on the M621 on the way in to Leeds.

Dating apps didn’t work.

Billboard dating More costs

REBEKAH VARDY has received another blow as she was or dered to pay Coleen Rooney’s legal costs which could amount to as much as £1.5 million (€1.722 million).

The order handed down on Tuesday, October 4 follows the court’s finding that she had ‘deliberately deleted or destroyed evidence’.

Judge Justice Steyn said Vardy must pay 90 per cent of Rooney’s costs, adding that a down payment of £800,000 (€918,000) must be paid by 4pm on November 15.

Vardy has also been ordered to pay a portion of the costs of seven journalists. They were potential witnesses but did not ac tually give evidence.

The affair in which Rooney posted claims on social media that Vardy was leaking stories to the press about her, led to the court case and the judge ruling in her favour. Vardy’s evidence was la belled ‘manifestly inconsistent... evasive or implausible’.

PRESSEUROPEAN

DENMARK

Bargain capital

ACCORDING to a survey carried out by UK price comparison site Confused.com, Copenhagen is the best city in Europe for those seeking bargains, be they antiques, collector’s items, food or clothes from street and flea markets, as well as antique and specialist shops.

THE NETHERLANDS

Stowaway

A WOMAN, said to be Russian, outwitted security controls at Rotterdam airport and managed to board a Transavia flight headed for Malaga as a stowaway, although when flight crew discovered her presence, the plane was diverted to Madrid where she was removed and arrested.

BELGIUM

Short temper

A COACH for Futsal team Herental, is in trouble with the Belgian Football Association when, in a fit of temper over decisions made by the referee he pulled the ref’s shorts down, resulting in the game being abandoned and his team losing.

GERMANY

Dreary Munich

DESPITE the fact that it was cancelled for two years due to the pandemic, Munich’s Oktoberfest (which actually runs for two weeks in September) didn’t attract the expected high numbers with a reported 5.7 million people downing just 5.6 million litres of beer due to bad weather.

FRANCE

Football protest

THE City Fathers in Paris have decided they will not allow the broadcasting of World Cup matches on giant public screens due to perceived violations of foreign workers’ rights in Qatar and as a protest about the environmental impact of the tournament with air-conditioned stadiums.

NORWAY

Bhangra style

A NORWEGIAN dance group Quick Style has taken the internet by storm as a video of the members dancing to a 2018 Bollywood hit song Kala Chashma at a wedding has received millions of views and spawned numerous versions by dance groups around the world.

FINLAND

Lenin removed

FOLLOWING the Russian invasion of Ukraine, local residents in the city of Kotka called for a statue of Vladimir Lenin (the last on public display in Finland) to be removed and on Tuesday October 4, it was taken to a warehouse.

IRELAND

Epic voyage

FORMER rugby player Damian Browne became the first Irishman to row from New York to Galway, but after 112 days at sea and just short of his final destination, he ran aground on some rocks just outside of the port and was helped ashore.

ITALY

Iran protests

TWO art institutions based in Milan and Rome have invited visitors to cut off and tie up a small lock of hair to place in containers as a symbolic mark of respect following the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini and the demonstrations in Tehran.

PORTUGAL

Motor homes

AS more people take advantage of vehicle tax reductions on gas guzzling motor homes, the Portuguese government has proposed that the 30 per cent reduction on new vehicles and the zero rate on those built before 1970 should be scrapped from January 1, 2023.

UKRAINE

Gift for Putin

SET up in the Czech Republic, a website called 'A Gift for Putin' has reportedly raised more than $1.2 million through crowd funding which will allow it to purchase for Ukraine a number of upgraded T-72 battle tanks originally supplied by the Russians to the Czech Army.

SWEDEN

IKEA House

SUPERGROUP, the Swedish House Mafia have worked with designers at IKEA to create and market OBEGRÄNSAD, a limited edition of furniture designed to appeal to and help inspire those starting off in music and digital arts, allowing them to build the perfect home studio on a budget.

More money

THE Spanish government’s 2023 budget looks to in crease the amount spent on the Tax Agency to €1.4 billion which is an overall growth in funding of 15.2 per cent when compared to the 2021 figures and takes into ac count cost of collecting the temporary wealth tax.

Mortgages up

THE cost‐of‐living crisis in Spain is now hitting mort gages and although Euribor rates (to which three quar ters of Spanish mortgagees are linked) are comparatively low when compared to the UK, it will now rise from 2.363 per cent to 2.47 per cent.

Pension fragility

THE Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Sir Jon Cun liffe has told Parliament that without the Bank stepping in to buy long term bonds fol lowing the mini‐budget it is perfectly likely that a number of Britain’s pension funds could have gone under.

Building woes

DESPITE protestations that they were unable to obtain sufficient numbers of skilled workers to meet the demand in the UK and with excep tional order books, the over all feeling from Britain’s con struction sector according to a report by S&P is that reces sion is just around the cor ner.

Most customers

NOW that the merger be tween CaixaBank and Bankia has been completed it can claim to have almost five mil lion more customers than nearest rival Santander de spite the fact that it may have lost as many as one mil lion accounts who banked with both organisations

2.33 billion

the forecast profit to be made by Spanish Government owned organisations such as the State Lotteries in 2023.

Musk moves FINANCE

Fishing restrictions

THE ‘will he, won’t he’ conundrum over Tesla Boss Elon Musk and his takeover of Twitter for $44 billion has taken a new turn as after back ing out and being hit with a $1 bil lion lawsuit he has now confirmed that he wants to go ahead at the original price.

Twitter shares jumped some 25 per cent on the US stock exchange and at the same time, the billion aire has been dumping Bitcoin (al though a single piece is still valued at around $20,000 compared to its record high of $68,000).

He is now supporting crypto cur rency newcomer Marscoin which has been issued to help fund a mis sion to Mars and currently a single piece is valued at around 5c.

Shoppers down

FISHING is an important aspect of the Spanish economy as well as play ing a part in the menu of the average household.

For this reason, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas confirmed on October 5 that Spain will appeal to the European Court of Justice over new restrictions concerning fishing rights.

The European Commission has put a stop to fishing in 87 areas con sidered vulnerable marine ecosys tems, which the minister says “is ab solutely disproportionate and unfair” as he believes that data used

in making the decision is out of date and the decision should comply with economic, social and environmental points of view.

No sooner had he had made this announcement but he returned the following day, Thursday October 6, to confirm that following discussions with the European Commission, Spanish fishermen were to be per mitted continued access to 41 of the 87 fishing areas in question.

The minister said “this is good news,” although he made it clear that Spain will still go ahead with the presentation of the appeal to the Eu

ropean Court of Justice concerning the entire edict as previously an nounced.

Commenting on the way forward, he added “The government under stands that we all must protect the seas and oceans, but we have to do it in such a way that fishing activity can continue to be carried out, re spectfully and selectively.”

He also announced that at the be ginning of July 2023, the Spanish Presidency of the European Union will organise an informal Fisheries Council in Vigo to promote the coun try’s leadership role in fishing.

Reason for financial turmoil

UNDER‐FIRE Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng blamed the Queen’s death for the bud get shambles as he tried to shift the blame for the finan cial turmoil.

PM Truss has signalled she still wants to scrap the higher rate, while rumours continue to circle that she intends to cut benefits and pensions by extending the retirement age.

Explaining the run‐up to his September 23 statement, Mr Kwarteng claimed: “It was a very quick time that we did it, and you have got to remember the context.

“What was extraordinary about that month was that

we had a new government and also we had the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, so we had a nation in mourning

and then literally four days, I think, after the funeral, we had the mini‐budget.

“It was a high‐speed, high‐pressure environment.”

So, for the time being, the decision to reverse the cut of the top level of income tax in the UK from 45p to 40p has been reversed, although time will tell whether the Conservative government manages to slip it in to the next financial statement due on November 23 (or possibly earlier as he tries to save face).

There was little mention of the economic problems triggered by the mini‐budget during the recent Conserva tive Party Conference but Liz Truss, slipping into Tony Blair language said that her target was “Growth, growth, growth.”

UK shops continue to see a reduc tion in footfall with September fig ures just 6.8 per cent up on the same month in 2021, but this has been dropping since July blamed mainly on the cost‐of‐living crisis.

These figures were released by retail analysts Springboard who note that up to 50 per cent of em ployees still work from home at least part of the time, so that they are not then commuting or visiting shops during lunch hours or after work.

Even though Christmas buying should act as a fillip to the econo my, it is feared that continued in flation, higher interest rates as well as energy costs will mean less visits to high streets and a subsequent reduction in spending.

AMERICAN Fintech company Square which has had some suc cess in Spain with its easy to access payment systems and credit card readers is using its Spanish experi ence to target Hispanic businesses and consumers in the USA.

Last month it bit the bullet and translated all of its documentation and websites into Spanish to offer a seamless and understandable service within Iberia and has now transferred all that information to its targeted marketing campaign.

Para Tu Proximo Paso (For your next step) is being run on TV, YouTube and social media in Dal las, Houston and Miami and if suc cessful will be rolled out further.

MINI-BUDGET: PM Truss and Chancellor Kwarteng finalised their plans on September 22.

PROMOTING

Minister Planas at Conxemar

Vigo.

3I Group 1.129,00 1.147,50 1.128,50 1,72M

Abrdn 136,55 138,45 135,75 1,48M

Admiral Group 2.011,0 2.039,0 1.999,0 106,50K

Anglo American 2.763,0 2.880,0 2.752,0 786,26K

Antofagasta 1.117,75 1.157,00 1.115,50 757,05K

Ashtead Group 4.378,0 4.417,0 4.340,0 531,51K

Associated British Foods 1.266,0 1.298,0 1.263,5 217,84K

AstraZeneca 9.802,0 10.000,0 9.789,0 585,71K

Auto Trader Group Plc 541,00 549,60 539,40 824,99K

Aveva 3.160,0 3.171,0 3.148,0 255,51K

Aviva 404,20 409,50 403,00 2,01M

B&M European Value Retail SA316,00 323,66 314,30 88,23K

BAE Systems 820,00 830,60 816,40 4,70M

Barclays 144,80 149,20 144,54 12,47M

Barratt Developments 352,67 360,90 350,75 527,87K

Berkeley 3.391,0 3.436,0 3.361,0 391,82K

BHP Group Ltd 2.303,04 2.340,00 2.298,00 220,26K

BP 452,10 460,80 450,57 14,43M

British American Tobacco 3.260,0 3.333,0 3.262,6 1,38M

British Land Company 341,90 347,00 338,90 764,99K

BT Group 125,78 127,47 125,15 751,68K

Bunzl 2.751,0 2.812,0 2.748,0 177,63K

Burberry Group 1.906,5 1.940,0 1.906,0 372,15K

Carnival 567,2 573,6 553,4 527,21K

Centrica 68,91 71,28 68,82 8,44M

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.912,5 1.931,5 1.900,0 27,24K

Compass 1.818,00 1.848,50 1.816,00 1,95M

CRH 2.977,0 3.060,0 2.977,0 457,92K

Croda Intl 6.720,0 6.776,0 6.694,0 62,92K

DCC 4.773,0 4.827,0 4.773,0 46,54K

Diageo 3.747,9 3.817,0 3.746,7 107,93K

DS Smith 249,00 251,70 246,90 1,87M

EasyJet 295,00 298,40 289,30 1,63M

Experian 2.745,0 2.779,0 2.742,0 2,28M

Ferguson 9.994,0 10.095,0 9.914,0 274,52K

Flutter Entertainment 10.520,0 10.602,2 10.459,0 7,76K

Fresnillo 815,80 829,00 808,80 144,68K

Glencore 490,72 506,70 487,95 17,32M

GSK plc 1.317,40 1.335,80 1.316,00 4,69M

Halma 2.152,0 2.174,0 2.150,0 107,02K

Hargreaves Lansdown 899,20 925,20 897,40 407,85K

Hikma Pharma 1.275,50 1.311,50 1.273,00 200,13K

HSBC 469,95 478,45 469,75 25,88M

IAG 99,91 102,20 99,64 1,29M

Imperial Brands 1.938,00 1.987,00 1.930,50 883,43K

Informa 541,40 544,20 532,60 1,27M

InterContinental 4.459,0 4.527,0 4.459,0 345,10K

Intermediate Capital 1.085,50 1.097,50 1.067,00 679,18K

Intertek 3.791,0 3.817,0 3.790,0 104,46K

ITV 58,80 59,44 58,42 2,00M

J Sainsbury 170,90 174,90 170,70 2,10M

Johnson Matthey 1.898,0 1.922,5 1.887,5 61,89K

Land Securities 514,00 518,80 510,60 702,55K

Legal & General 225,50 229,80 224,30 9,17M

Lloyds Banking 42,40 43,54 42,37 60,64M

London Stock Exchange 7.710,0 7.850,0 7.706,0 340,75K

Melrose Industries 102,45 105,20 102,45 6,18M

Mondi 1.374,50 1.395,50 1.373,50 259,67K

National Grid 919,00 927,37 917,73 239,21K

NatWest Group 228,40 231,50 227,70 4,09M

Next 4.712,0 4.867,0 4.709,0 101,54K

Norilskiy Nikel ADR 9,10 9,10 9,10 0

Ocado 457,90 471,70 456,70 814,51K

Persimmon 1.261,0 1.296,0 1.251,5 534,08K

Phoenix 536,20 548,60 536,20 3,17M

Prudential 945,00 952,40 929,65 209,13K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.932,0 6.032,0 5.914,0 796,81K

Relx 2.268,40 2.305,00 2.268,00 1,14M

Rentokil 492,80 501,80 492,20 31,49M

Rightmove 483,00 489,65 481,15 47,11K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.026,0 5.145,0 5.016,0 955,72K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 71,49 75,23 71,44 2,85M

Rosneft DRC 0,20 0,20 0,20 0

Sage 719,40 724,00 716,20 325,94K

Samsung Electronics DRC 995,20 1.005,00 990,20 4,20K

Schroders 388,5 397,2 388,5 674,55K

Scottish Mortgage 788,19 793,60 784,80 506,91K

Segro 745,60 751,20 731,80 4,44M

Severn Trent 2.357,0 2.394,0 2.354,0 105,06K

Shell 2.270,0 2.323,0 2.259,0 8,19M

Smith & Nephew 1.043,00 1.049,50 1.033,50 652,94K

Smiths Group 1.552,50 1.579,50 1.551,50 371,79K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 10.830,0 10.935,0 10.760,0 161,57K

SSE 1.513,00 1.545,00 1.511,50 699,24K

St. James’s Place 1.008,00 1.040,00 1.004,00 418,60K

Standard Chartered 570,60 591,80 570,40 3,79M

Taylor Wimpey 93,22 95,00 92,26 5,12M

Tesco 200,30 205,10 200,20 5,90M

Tui 113,10 116,75 110,70 2,01M

Unilever 3.932,0 3.989,5 3.929,5 685,69K

United Utilities 875,00 889,20 874,40 303,11K

Vodafone Group PLC 102,28 102,78 101,46 46,62M

Whitbread 2.501,0 2.534,0 2.474,0 467,70K

WPP 776,80 782,60 774,00 725,11K

DOW JONES

3M 114,58 114,92 138,95K

American Express 144,33 145,04 142,40 149,83K

Amgen 232,64 233,14 231,24 82,37K

Apple 147,08 147,36 145,81 6,92M

Boeing 132,49 133,30 130,66 509,20K

Caterpillar 179,75 180,98 176,89 248,01K

Chevron 160,22 161,12 157,28 961,47K

Cisco 41,97 42,06 41,58 1,03M

Coca-Cola 55,86 56,10 55,84 916,40K

Dow 45,86 46,10 45,58 255,33K

Goldman Sachs 307,48 309,08 305,47 80,82K

Home Depot 289,15 289,97 287,85 191,20K

Honeywell 176,43 177,69 176,29 155,23K

IBM 124,98 125,25 124,55 308,04K

Intel 27,59 27,76 27,29 2,69M

J&J 163,63 165,00 163,63 358,16K

JPMorgan 109,24 110,19 108,96 787,83K

McDonald’s 238,76 239,88 238,15 139,37K

Merck&Co 87,69 87,94 87,49 499,84K

Microsoft 249,40 250,34 247,99 1,95M

Nike 91,75 92,62 90,58 1,11M

Procter&Gamble 128,29 129,06 127,97 306,60K

Salesforce Inc 156,85 158,23 155,60 507,12K

The Travelers 159,48 159,84 158,73 42,28K

UnitedHealth 526,62 528,33 523,90 107,07K

Verizon 39,36 39,66 39,15 4,02M

Visa A 187,38 188,05 186,51 391,27K

Walgreens Boots 33,20 33,25 32,93 354,54K

Walmart 134,31 134,46 133,14 418,09K

Walt Disney 101,08 101,45 100,14 465,93K

Most Advanced

Code Chain New Continent Ltd +119.45% 32.36M

Statera Biopharma +106.78% 33.06M

Motus GI Holdings +44.18% 4.38M

Pineapple Holdings +37.68% 26.41M

Revelation Biosciences +31.72% 4.36M

Heartbeam +31.02% 19.35M

Provention Bio +28.48% 3.15M

Green Giant +27.78% 2.87M

Healthcare Triangle +16.67% 31.23K

Wisekey International Holding AG +19.11% 3.52M

Clever Leaves Holdings +22.39% 0.13K

Most Declined

Avanti Acquisition -85.00% 480.75K

Cyclerion Therapeutics -32.68% 415.40K

Chardan Nextech Acquisition 2 -29.63% 157.13K

UWM Holdings -22.53% 1.37K

Top Ships -21.26% 1.52M

Crown Electrokinetics -21.05% 1.19M

FingerMotion -17.74% 1.43M

Applied Therapeutics -17.81% 205.95K

Chardan Nextech Acquisition 2 -16.15% 0.49K

Gold Royalty -15.55% 639.48K

Gold Royalty Wnt -14.73% 2.70K

2023 budget

ADDRESSING the House of Deputies on October 5, Spanish President Pe dro Sánchez explained that the 2023 budget in creases social spending by 35 per cent compared to 2018, reinforces the sustainability of the pub lic pension system and raises regional financing to an all‐time high.

Best bars

THIS year’s World’s 50 Best Bars list was an nounced at a live awards ceremony held in Barcelona on October 5 with the host city not only winning Europe’s best bar and coming first with Par adiso, but had two more bars placed in the top 10.

Libyan problems

THE Governor of the Cen tral Bank of Libya, Al Sidiq Omar Al Kabir, for mally received the Am bassador of Spain to Libya, Javier Qarsa Larac ci to discuss a number of matters including the dif ficulties facing Spanish companies who want to resume their operations in Libya.

Deliveroo HOP

FOOD delivery company

Deliveroo seems to have turned the tables upon it self by opening a store in partnership with Morrisons situated in London’s New Oxford Street.

Although it will employ some 19 staff dedicated to preparing groceries to be delivered, it will also wel come members of the pub lic to browse its shelves but on Monday October 3, just two people were waiting for the Deliveroo HOP store to open its doors for the first time.

Deliveroo say that situat ed where it is, those visiting other nearby shops and de partment stores will be able to pop in and pick up groceries to go.

Bad debt provisions

BANK OF SPAIN Governor encour ages new bad debt provisions by commercial banks in order to en sure that they are not caught out if economy falters.

Although not quite as dramatic as the apparent rift between the Bank of England and the UK Gov ernment, there appear to be signs of disagreement between Spain’s economy minister Nadia Calviño and Bank of Spain Gover nor Pablo Hernandez de Cos.

He delivered a long speech at the El Economista Forum on Tues day October 4 in which he warned banks against the possi bility of defaulting loans due to high energy costs and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On the same day Minister Calviño suggested that there were currently no signs of an eco nomic slowdown even though on

the previous day, the forecast for 2023 growth had been reduced from 2.7 per cent to 2.1 per cent.

One of the highlights of the

Governor’s speech was this state ment “We find ourselves in a highly complex macro‐financial situation, characterised by high

Greenwashing in the UK

inflation, tightening of financial conditions, and increased uncer tainty, which has already led to a slowdown of economic activity.”

He highlighted the fact that there would be a downturn in economic growth, later forecast ing a 2023 growth of just 1.4 per cent due to the cost‐of‐living cri sis and the unresolved situation with Russia and Ukraine.

Although he accepted that the current debt situation in Spain is good, he anticipates the situation deteriorating should there be higher inflation, as well as soaring interest rates since the majority of mortgages are at variable rates.

Some Spanish banks have strengthened through mergers, but could still be vulnerable to in creasing bad debts and significant increases in operating costs.

Dearer fuel

AS the world economy enjoyed some respite from the rising cost of living thanks to a drop in the price of crude oil, members of the main oil producing nations group OPEC+, which includes Russia, have announced that they will reduce production.

With two million less barrels being produced each day, this decision has been made in order to push the price back up again and is of course of spe cial interest to the Russian Govern ment.

This is the largest cut in production since 2020 and comes despite the knowledge that most of the world is facing economic crisis fuelled in part by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

GREENWASHING is a viable mar keting plan for businesses who want to persuade the public that their product is environmentally friendly.

As consumers become more alert to the need to preserve the environment, many companies have come up with PR strategies which range from ‘varnishing the truth’ to simple fabrication and this process is known as green washing.

In late September 2022, Envi ronmental Social and Governance (ESG) communications agency, Clearly PR polled 1,500 senior UK executives asking whether they

understood their sustainability aims and whether they were achieving them.

Astonishingly almost half (44 per cent) of these UK businesses admitted that they are failing to deliver on their sustainable com mitments, with nearly one in five (18 per cent) admitting to publicly exaggerating their green creden tials.

A further one in four (24 per cent) admit they do not know if their sustainability efforts are making any positive difference at all, and 20 per cent were even un aware as to whether their busi ness had any system in place to

measure the effectiveness of their environmental initiatives in the first place.

To put this into perspective, just 19 per cent of respondents be lieved that their business was making genuine progress on its sustainable initiatives.

The findings of the poll could suggest that the rise in businesses guilty of greenwashing may partly be the result of a lack of under standing among businesses of how to measure the impact of their sustainability initiatives in the first place but equally a good num ber cynically distort the truth in or der to benefit their companies.

Tesco figures

BRITAIN’S largest supermarket chain Tesco has seen an increase in turnover, but a significant drop in profit in the first half of 2022.

It has announced that profit before tax plummeted by 64 per cent to £413 million during that period, but still ex pects to hit the low end of forecast for the year at around £2.4 billion thanks to recent innovations.

In addition, it is to increase staff hourly rates for the second time this year from November to help staff cope with the rising cost of living, bringing their annual pay rise to 8 per cent and increasing club card discounts.

GOVERNOR PABLO HERNANDEZ DE COS.

GREENWASH DEMONSTRATION: Many companies fabricate the truth.

MANY moons ago, when I began writ ing for this wholly unique, free think ing publication, I often wrote of the impending national disaster should the UK continue to allow immigra tion, particularly from countries out side of Europe, to continue virtually unchecked. This resulted in the emer gence of the phrase ‘Another Leapy Rant,’ which became one of the most oft uttered observations in a whole multitude of derisory mail that subse quently found its way into the EWN postbag.

Although many agreed with my sentiments, laughter and derision was, at that time, very much the or der of the day. Well, they’re not laughing now are they? I can quite categorically state that Great Britain as we knew it has changed ‐ forever. Sure, the country areas are, for the time being, reminiscent of our great culture and heritage, but in the cities, particularly parts of London, British values are virtually non‐existent.

Don’t take my word for it. These are a few observations from an article recently published by a female jour

Prophecies proved right

nalist who has, for 17 years lived in Acton Vale, London, one of the areas most affected by immigration.

She writes. “So many Muslims in the area insist on their separateness there are not even any attempts to in tegrate into British society.” She goes on to say that her neighbours ‘flap by’ in full niqab, so heavily veiled she can’t see their eyes. When she smiles and tries to communicate, they won’t even look her in the eye.

She claims most of the shops have been taken over by Muslims and even her fish and chip shop has become Halal. A nearby shop, which advertis es ‘no alcohol’, has recently added that alcohol is also banned in streets near the shop!

Muslim patrols are also allegedly in creasing, with white ‘normally clad’ Western girls, being admonished for ‘exposing themselves’ near a mosque. The members of these ‘patrols’ have also been heard shouting ‘this is a Muslim area’ at other white Britons. Openly gay men have reportedly been attacked on the streets. The list simply goes on and on.

So, despite wishful thinking from multi culturists, wilful segregation has

Good times run dry on avocado plantations

crative’ fruit.

resulted in, among other unaccept able practices, the term ‘White Flight’. Nearly two million white Britons have left London over the last 10 years.

Furthermore, police have apparent ly been ordered not to enter certain areas in uniform and advised it is also considered unwise to wear any part of their uniform (ie blue trousers) anywhere at all when off duty.

Most of the old Leaper’s ‘rantings’ have been realised. So, all you snowflakes out there, despite your well‐intentioned, but unbelievably naïve aspirations for us all to all live side by side as one big happy family, the unforgivable fault is mass uncon trolled, alien immigration. An error of judgement that unfortunately is mak ing reluctant cynics of just about ev eryone.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy leapyee2002 @ gmail.com

A SPANISH Stonehenge has been discov ered in Andalucia on farmland near the border with Portugal after the owners presented plans to convert potentially one of the largest me galithic sites in Europe in to an avocado plantation.

The site, dating back at least 7,000 years, contains more than 500 standing stones and two stone cir cles similar to the one on Salisbury Plain. Nonethe less, should Spain allow these avocado plantations given that every kilo of av ocado fruit requires 2,000+ litres of water?

With avocados viewed as ‘green gold’, farmers in Andalucia and many oth er parts of Spain will be sorely tempted to rip out orange trees to plant this ‘lu

But with water shortages exacerbated by drought, it’s no stretch of the imagina tion to foresee they’ll soon be fighting, lit erally, over water supplies.

Orange trees have already been ripped out in Valencia, replaced by pomegranate trees. Now farmers there want avocados, too, but are currently being refused, pre sumably because of water usage costs.

A final thought: if you look at what’s happening in Australia due to over production, prices have crashed. Maybe that’ll happen here, too. And they’ll start putting all those traditional, less‐thirsty orange trees back. Result!

Nora Johnson’s critical ly acclaimed psychologi cal crime thrillers (www.nora‐johnson.net) all available online in cluding eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, au diobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

Nora’s

Holidays for eco-tourists

Camping for a special occasion

IF you are looking for a unique way to celebrate a special occasion, why not try camping? What better way to spend a birthday or occa sion like a wedding anniver sary than connecting with nature, while surrounded by friends and family.

activities such as white water rafting and watersports on Spain’s Atlantic coast, cliff jumping in Malaga Province and mountaineering along the Costa Blanca. Adventur ers will relish the opportunity to wake up in a cave.

Lots of campsites through

out Spain are also in prime locations to be able to visit beaches, mountains and new cities. Many campsites also offer special experiences like vineyard tours and wine tasting so you can enjoy your occasion in style.

Happy camping!

WITH the rise of ‘ecotourism’, holidaymak ers are increasingly seeking out sustainable accommodation options, like camping. Eco tourists aim to support wildlife and conser vation efforts and reduce the damaging ef fects of traditional tourism on the environment.

Spain is rapidly becoming one of Europe’s top ecotourism destinations due to its envi ronmental diversity, from the oceanic cli mate in Galicia to the extensive Mediter ranean coast in the east to the sub‐alpine climate in the Sierra Nevada.

Sustainable campsites appeal to eco tourists, particularly sites which offer facili ties like toilets and showers that use recycled rainwater, green power, solar water heaters or recycling points for campers. Other sites

offer special sustainable practices and ser vices such as natural mountain spring water on a site in Asturias, homegrown produce on sites in the countryside or site‐provided communal transport on a site in Girona.

Activity options for tourists in Spain are just as diverse as the climate and terrain. Tourists interested in wildlife can observe impressive bird species like in Matarranya on the Ebro River, or a nature walk discover ing wild mushrooms and edible plants in Alá jar in Huelva. Tourists can also enjoy sustain able activities such as hiking in many regions across the whole country or outdoor activi ties like kayaking.

With the climate crisis becoming increas ingly pressing, eco‐tourism is only growing in popularity.

Spending time outdoors without the distractions and hustle and bustle of every day life can be the perfect way to reconnect with peo ple that mean the most to you.

With more and more luxu rious ‘glamping’ experiences available, you don’t have to cut corners on comfort on camping anymore either.

You can use specialist websites including glamping search engines to find the perfect getaway for your oc casion. Glamping sites often equipped with luxurious fa cilities including hot tubs, comfortable bedding and kitchenettes.

Camping is the perfect way to spend a special occa sion for adventurers who can enjoy adrenaline boosting

Four essentials to take

IF you’re thinking of going camping, the equipment you take is fundamental to your experience. Pleasant tempera tures in Spain mean camping is still an enjoyable break dur ing autumn. Some simple additions can be a game‐changer to your whole camping experience.

A warm sleeping bag

Autumn brings cooler temperatures. Stay warm with a thicker sleeping bag than you normally camp with during the summer.

A flask

With a flask, you can stay warm with minimal effort. Bring a hot drink or snack in a flask to stay warm while cooking dinner, or setting up your camping area.

A rechargeable lamp

With shorter days and longer nights setting in during Oc tober, a lamp is a practical addition that can improve any autumn camping experience. Modern rechargeable LED lights can provide more than 48 hours of light.

A comfortable camping chair

Take advantage of pleasant October weather by sitting outdoors while camping. Investing in a good‐quality camp ing chair can make all the difference to a camping trip.

NOTICING a gap in the market in Mallorca, Maria Antonia decided to create her own natural, aloe and gluten‐free shop, stocking all kinds of beauty, health and food products to help people feel and look their best. With an on‐site nutritionist and masseuse avail able on request, Biocorpus is the best place to get all of the advice you need on natural health and beauty!

After an operation, Maria be came tired of taking and relying on medications provided by chemists and decided to do her own investigations into natural products that better serve our health. Discovering the presti gious German brand, Vegas, who also have a plantation in Malaga, Maria noticed a huge improve ment in her health and well‐being using natural products ‐ resulting in her partnership with the brand

to distribute these life‐changing products.

Continually training and always testing her own products, Maria opened her physical store three months ago following a success ful two years of selling products from her home. Maria now sells an exclusive collection of skin care, make‐up and fragrance products of the best quality, as well as food supplements based on natural components to help you live a healthy and balanced life and natural sleep aids to pro mote rest.

Over the last few years, the health and beauty industry has seen an increase in people pur chasing natural products that are more beneficial for the skin and hair, moving away from man‐made products produced in mass amounts. Maria provides her cus tomers with a huge range of safe

and natural products such as mousturisers, make‐up, perfumes and facial treatments derived from aloe vera. The benefits of using aloe vera are endless, in cluding regenerating, moisturis ing and anti‐inflammatory prop erties, the prevention of pimples and the healing of burns and scars.

Many people are unaware of the link between gut health and happiness ‐ a troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just

as a troubled brain can send sig nals to the gut. Therefore, a per son’s stomach or intestinal dis tress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or de pression. Maria understands this relationship between food and mental health and, with family members that have an intoler ance to gluten and a shortage of products available in the area, she decided to combine natural health and aesthetic with gluten‐free products. She now provides

everything from bread, pizza, pas ta and flour, to cookies, ice cream, and everything else you can imagine for a gluten‐free diet.

If you are tired of using harsh, synthetic cleaning products in your home, Maria also sells natu ral and safe cleaning products, washing machine powder, air fresheners and car detergents so that you can be sure you and your loved ones are not breathing in any harmful chemicals.

Feel and look your best with a range of products that are natu ral, safe and of the best quality ‐take a look at the incredible natu ral products on the website or pop into the store where you will receive all of the advice you need on starting your journey to using products derived from nature!

New trend, eco-tourism and camping go hand in hand.

Photo credit: Jesus Paluzo

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.

CLOCKS CHANGE

WE will soon have to turn the clocks back an hour, on October 29/30.

It is time to say enough is enough and say “No more changing of our clocks.”

Let us at least have one thing in this troubled world stay as it was meant to be .

I don’t know who con trols these clocks, but we should let them know that there are many out here who do not agree with them.

Inga Mojacar

Thank you

Hello, yet again EWN we would like to thank you for getting the FULL answers to the Nonogram into your solutions page. I know we’ve been asking for a while and you have always told us that you’d try and you have eventually man aged to do it.

Many thanks from us (and maybe a ‘few’ others that may have wanted the same).

It’s nice to know that you do actually take notice of your reader’s comments and also take action when you can.

Again, many thanks for providing that extra bit of information. We obviously will continue to collect and enjoy your paper each week, as we have done for many years.

J & S & Friends

UK’s choice

I still find it difficult to

comprehend why some people still don’t under stand Brexit, Susan Han nah’s letter complaining about the ridiculous 90 ‐day rule.

I wholeheartedly agree with her except one thing, it was the UK that insisted

and introduced it not Spain, we are a third country now totally our choice, maybe English ex ceptionalism is still alive and kicking.

Alan Robinson Moraira

OUR VIEW

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

ALTHOUGH there was some talk of cancelling this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Awards, due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and other smaller yet still deadly conflicts taking place, this was soon discounted.

The actual shortlist for those nominated is a closely kept secret which is not revealed until 50 years after the event but perhaps unsurprisingly, the 2022 Awards are associat ed with the Ukraine but not as directly as might have been expected.

One of the three recipients is the Ukrainian Centre for Civil Liberties which was established in 2007 to promote human rights values and has played an important part in trying to gather support for Ukraine and the rights of its citi zens following the invasion.

As an interesting side line, the team governing the or ganisation is almost exclusively made up of women, although this may be because so many male members have been conscripted or volunteered to fight.

Next on the list of recipients is a Russian organisation Memorial also dedicated to the support of human rights which was founded some 30 years ago in memory of the millions of Russians who suffered during the Soviet era.

Last of the Peace Prize winners is Ales Bialiatski, a hu man rights advocate from Belarus, an outspoken supporter of democracy and was for many years associated with the now banned Minsk based Viasna Human Rights Cen tre.

Bialiatski has been in jail since July 2021 having been found guilty of ‘tax evasion’.

Hopefully by the time next year’s Peace Prize is awarded the Ukrainian situation will be resolved and the current winners will have a greater measure of freedom.

ALOUD

“ONE of the things that made this coun try great is our freedom to go around killing each other. We can thank the Gun Lobby; thank Republicans; thank Texas.” A perhaps not unreasonable as sessment of his country by a disillu sioned American Democrat?

I don’t know whether it’s possible to teach a penguin to play the piano, but I imagine it would be extremely difficult. It would surely be incapable of tackling the final movement of Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto. But probably not as hard as trying to persuade certain Re publican congressmen and Trump fanat ics that global warming is a human‐cre ated threat, that immigrants have human rights, there needs to be gun control and their idol is unfit to be Presi dent. That really is impossible. It’s more like trying to teach a lawn mower to play the banjo.

The ‘Grand Old Party’ formed 62 years after the Democrats, was the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Eisenhow er and Reagan. Look at it now!

Under Trump, the United States gov ernment was hardly a true democracy

The grand old party

Gandhi, declared: “We have 90 million Americans infected! We can get all Americans vaccinated.” On another theme: “We will get every American out of Afghanistan.” “It is so that all Ameri cans may benefit.” “American families have suffered enough already.” And so it goes on.

any more than Russia. It was saved by the Speaker and the intervention of common sense among a narrow majori ty of the electorate. But the danger has not gone away. Even today there is the vague possibility of a mentally unfit, dis honest egoist running again for office. A proven liar who allegedly incited a re bellion against Capitol Hill and removed official state documents, many classified as top secret, to his private home.

How could this happen? Even if 10 million Americans vote for Trump, it suggests a serious malaise in the coun try. In any Western European country,

he would be at least on trial by now and probably in jail.

The problem with racism must lie in the inherent nationalist nature of indi vidual Americans, including many Democrats. This is borne out in media reporting and interviews which suggest that, despite the presence of 23 million non‐Americans resident in the country, only Americans matter. For example, CNN announced: “Almost a million Americans have died of CV.” What of the non‐Americans living in the USA who have died? Are foreigners not hu mans? Chief Medical Officer, Dr Pritesh

I met one American who said “English has always been the international lan guage. If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.” It’s a mystery to me that a country that has achieved so much and produced so many wise, talented and successful people should harbour so much ignorance among its voters.

To persuade millions of diehard Re publicans to look at alternatives to Trump would be like trying to beat Us ain Bolt while wearing Wellingtons.

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

Animal Rights Law in Spain 2022

CONSULAR MATTERS

REGULAR readers will know that I have two res cue dogs, Tara the Galga (greyhound) and Troya the Podenco (Spanish hunting dog) and animal welfare is something that is close to my heart. I am not alone as here in Spain as eight out of 10 homes in Spain have a pet

The Animal Rights Law tries to put an end to the mistreatment, abandonment and sacrifice of animals and introduces one of the biggest changes in this legislation: preventing pet animals from being put down or sacrificed except for sani tary and euthanasia reasons.

The law toughens the penalties for animal abuse that includes all vertebrate animals. In cases of mistreatment with the death of the animal, the sentence can be up to 36 months, with prison sentences and fines that can reach €200,000, in addition to being disqualified for possession and for activities related to animals (breeding, market ing, veterinary assistance, etc) between five and 10 years if the infraction is very serious.

The law changes and considers that no animal is automatically dangerous because of its breed, so dogs must be assessed individually. For this rea son, the list of dangerous dogs, which until now existed, is eliminated, but specific training could

be required after a study of the sociability of each pet if it shows signs of aggressive behaviour.

Those who wish to adopt or acquire a pet must first undergo training that guarantees the welfare of the animal. The law also provides that the ac commodation must meet the conditions so that they can adequately develop their needs accord ing to their nature.

All pets must be identified, and the breeding of animals can only be done by registered breeders. The transfer of animals between individuals must be, in any case, free and be reflected by contract.

Circuses with wild animals and participating in horseback riding or on stage are prohibited. Dogs, cats, and ferrets are also prohibited from being sold in pet stores, displayed, and exposed to the public for commercial purposes.

Zoos and dolphinariums will be converted into centres for the recovery of native species, and the use of animals in activities and shows in which they may suffer harm or death will be prohibited.

The new law has caused some contradictions since hunting dogs have not been included in this law, and because bullfights are not covered by this law.

‘Working’ dogs, such as guide or police dogs, will be regulated separately.

The existence of feline colonies is recognised. Also, the responsibility of caring for community cats, whose ‘ethical’ management is under the ju risdiction of the municipalities.

Marisa Moreno Castillo Consul for Denmark and Senior Lawyer at Just Law Solicitors. www.justlawsolicitors.com

contact@justlawsolicitors.com

Republican voters idolise Trump while their congressmen defer to the NRA.

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

Photo credits: celebrityinsider.org and www.gulftoday.ae

Personalised products and great offers to meet customers’ real needs!

WHEN it comes to choosing an insurance policy, price will (of course) be a significant factor, but you really need to consider what you’re going to get for your money.

Are you paying for what you actually need? Will you have the backing of a reputable company that really understands your re quirements ‐ and can they offer the right advice on the right product(s) for you?

The insurance market is now more competitive than ever be fore, so it’s not surprising that consumers are increasingly look ing for more competitive pack ages that can be tailored to their own circumstances. Liberty Se guros understands this, which is why it continues to innovate its range to be able to offer prod

ucts that can be personalised to suit customers’ real needs.

Furthermore, it regularly offers fantastic deals not only to new customers, but also existing cus tomers to reward their continual loyalty.

For example, from now up un

til November 24, 2022, Liberty Seguros existing clients will re ceive €60 Cashback on each new policy that they take out.

New clients can make great savings too, with €30 Cashback on their first Life, Home or Car policies and €60 Cashback on

subsequent new policies there after*.

Best of all though, their com petitive products now come with more benefits and advantages than ever before!

As an example, all your car’s extras are covered as standard,

for free, if they have been fitted by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

When it comes to Home poli cies, for example, you can get compensation for additional wa ter costs due to a broken pipe up to the value of €1,000; and up to €600 per claim/year to help with the unblocking of pipes.

With regard to Life policies, you have the option of taking out Level Term Life Insurance with no premium increase for 10 years, guaranteeing the same death benefit and the same level of payments for the full length of the term.

Liberty Seguros really does have you covered and always has your real needs in mind, so it’s not surprising that it is still the expat’s preferred insurer in Spain.

LIBERTY SEGUROS: The expat’s preferred insurer in Spain.

How to welcome a rescue pet How to check your pet for lumps and bumps

HEART-BREAKING figures released this summer re vealed that Spain has the most abandoned pets in Eu rope, at nearly 300,000. As shelters encourage people in Spain to rescue a pet rather than buying a new one, we share three top tips on how to welcome a res cue animal into your home.

1. Prepare in advance If you are prepared for your new pet, this can avoid issues if anything un expected comes up later. Decide where your pet will be sleeping, eating and playing and prepare these areas ahead of time. Stock up on food only once you know what your pet likes to eat.

2. Be patient Rescue animals often have experienced lots in their lives, including trau ma, and it can take them

RESCUE CENTRES: Are asking people to take care when adopting pets.

time to adjust to a new home. Introduce friends and family slowly, to avoid overwhelming your pet.

3. Prioritise exercise

It can be difficult to recognise signs of anxiety or depression in pets, but ensuring they get enough

exercise can help them to let off steam. If you are adopting a dog, consult your vet to find out how much to walk it, if you choose a cat, make sure it has access to an outdoor space or somewhere to ex ercise.

How does microchipping work: a guide to put your mind at ease

THE Spanish government an nounced legislation to make pet microchipping a legal re quirement, but many people still have questions about how the process works. Here we explain the process to ease any anxieties or doubts for pet owners.

Microchipping has multi ple benefits, namely to in crease the likelihood of be ing reunited if your pet gets lost, but also to help vets keep up‐to‐date with your pets’ details and vaccina tions.

But what actually happens during the process?

Pets can only be mi crochipped by a trained pro fessional, so speak to your vet to book an appointment to ensure that the chip will

be officially registered. Pets need to be older than four months old in Spain to be microchipped. You will need to take your pet’s health record (cartilla sanitaria) with you and proof of rabies vaccination.

At your pet’s microchip appointment, the vet will use a special implanter to place a tiny chip under your pet’s skin with a needle.

Chips contain a unique 15 digit number that can be identified by vets when scanned. The procedure may be uncomfortable for your pet, but doesn’t last long.

In most cases, your pet won’t need to recover after the appointment, but con tact a vet immediately if you believe your pet is having an allergic reaction to the chip.

EMERGENCY

IT is possible for pets to get tumours, particularly as they age, so it’s impor tant for pet parents to know how to identify lumps and bumps and what to do should you find one.

Monthly checks

Each month, feel around your pet’s entire body for any new lumps. Run your fingers through their fur and check their whole body.

Don’t forget their mouth!

Although this may be a difficult task for some, animals can get growths in their oral cavity. If you can’t manage to look inside, watch out for signs such as your pet not want ing to eat or bad breath.

What if I find a lump?

If you find a new lump or bump then it is extremely im portant to schedule an appointment with the vet. There, the veterinarian can take cells from the lump and check whether your pet needs surgery or not and any further ac tion that may be needed.

Microchipping your pet is now a legal requirement in Spain. Photo credit: Evgeniy Kalinovskiy / shutterstock.com

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Subaru Outback - the thinking drivers’ choice

lead‐in model more than ac ceptable.

byMarkSlack

SUBARU have not had much luck with sales of late despite arguably having one of the most interesting range of cars. Having reinvented them selves as an SUV brand their sales have improved consider ably with new dealers also added to the network.

In addition to a new all‐EV shortly, Subaru have two well established self‐charging hy brids with XV and Forester.

My particular focus is on the Outback that is essentially a large estate car with raised ride height and all‐wheel‐drive. Even the lead‐in model of the three trims on offer is loaded with standard equip ment and prices start from €41,037/£35,995.

Power comes from a 2.5‐litre, four‐cylinder petrol box er engine that is a well‐known Subaru powertrain

and delivers good perfor mance via a CVT automatic transmission. While, as with all CVT gearboxes, the char acteristic high revs while the gearbox and speed catch up is present, the Subaru box is one of the best of this type that I have driven.

The Outback’s premium

build quality means you are well insulated from the out side world but nonetheless the CVT characteristic engine revs are still heard.

The equipment levels, even for a car at this price point, puts many others to shame with everything you might ex pect, from keyless entry and

start and dual zone air condi tioning, through to things you might not expect, such as heated rear seats and steering adaptive lighting.

Three trim levels ‐ Limited, Field and Touring ‐ offer an increasing range of features as standard but in all honesty most people would find the

Apart from an excellent load space the biggest plus point of the Outback is practi cality. With increased ride height, and protection on the wheel arches and bumpers, it is capable of much more than rutted tracks and fields.

Space is plentiful inside the car and fold the rear seats and it becomes a mobile dance hall. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to store your in‐car detritus and the smart

phone integration is quick and easy, something that isn’t al ways the case.

Subaru have always been a sophisticated, thinking drivers’ choice, in a similar manner to that which applied to Saab, but they have started gaining back some of the mass market appeal they had when the Impreza ruled the rally stages. Long may it con tinue because Subaru is a brand with real character in an automotive landscape that seems all too similar.

Facts at a Glance

Model: Subaru Outback Touring

Price: €47,304/£41,495

Engine: 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, Boxer, petrol

Gears: CVT automatic

Performance: 0-100 kmh (62 mph) 10.2 seconds/Maximum Speed 193 kmh (120 mph)

Economy: 7.17l/100km (32.8mpg) Combined driving (WLTP)

Emissions: 193 g/km (WLTP)

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

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PRACTICAL OUTBACK: Even the lead-in model is loaded with standard equipment.

OneLove

ENGLAND Captain Harry Kane will wear a OneLove armband at the World Cup in Qatar, even if it is prohibited by FIFA.

The FA announced that England will wear a rainbow captain’s armband during the World Cup in November held in Qatar regardless of the consequences.

The primary aim of the arm band is part of an anti­discrimination initiative, and in sup port of the LGBTQ+ community.

The governing body is determined that Harry Kane will wear the arm band even if it risks FI FA fines. Captains from nine European coun tries, including England and Wales, are planning on wearing the arm bands at the World Cup.

The UEFA Working

Group on Qatar asked FIFA for permission three weeks ago and are still waiting for a response. A dele gation from the group are travelling to Zurich this week to meet with FIFA and will ask for an up date.

The delegation will also discuss the set ting up of a com pensation fund for migrant workers and their families and the estab lishment of a welfare centre in Doha for mi grant work ers.

Image: shutterstock.com/EttoreGriffoni

Harry Kane will wear OneLove armband.

Verstappen champion again

RED BULL driver Max Ver stappen was crowned as the F1 world champion on Sunday, October 9, for the second consecu tive season. The Dutchman total ly domi nated a rainy Japanese Grand Prix in Suzaka, although his title came under dramatic circum stances.

His crown was not im mediately guaranteed af ter the race ended as there was confusion over the actual length of time the drivers had spent racing due to the rain causing a shortened race.

FIA awarded the drivers full points as re duced points would only have been applied if the

race had been suspend

The difference in point reduction would have left Verstappen still short of the title. When in formed that he had just become champion again, a bemused Verstappen even asked: “Are you sure?” He now heads to the USA Grand Prix with his second world title safe ly in the bag. Verstappen said: “It’s crazy, very mixed emo tions. Win ning the champi onship, what a year we’ve had. It’s incredi ble!”

Boxing ban lifted

THE International Boxing Association (IBA) announced on Wednesday, October 5 that it voted in favour to cancel its previous decision and allow boxers of Russia and Belarus to com pete at the IBA events with immediate ef fect,” the Internation al Boxing Associa tion said.

“The IBA strongly believes that poli tics shouldn’t have any influence on sports. Hence, all ath letes should be given equal conditions.”

International Boxing Association (IBA) makes major announcement concerning Russia and Belarus fighters.

It added: “Respect ing its own autonomy as the international sports federa tion, the IBA shall remain politically neutral and indepen dent. IBA calls for peace and remains a peacemaker in any conflicts.

“Moreover, the IBA has obligation to ensure equal treat ment towards the athletes and competition officials, re gardless of their nationality and residence.

“Both Russian and Belarus teams will be able to perform under their flags, and the national anthems will be played in case they win a gold medal.”

According to the decision, “the technical officials of Rus sia and Belarus will also be back in the competitions.”

VERSTAPPEN: Champion for the second time after win in Japan.