Costa de Almeria 17 - 23 November 2022 Issue 1950

ROYAL VISIT

SPAIN’S king, Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited Macael on Friday November 11 to present the Premios Macael awards for 2022.

As Don Felipe pointed out, “For me, this is the first time,” before adding, “but not for her,” referring to 2002 when the then Letizia Ortiz, a TVE television an nouncer, presented the awards ceremony.

The regional president, Juanma Moreno, Industry minister Reyes Maroto and the central government’s delegate to Andalucia, Pedro Fernande, were amongst the 650 people present for the gala, considered the national marble sector’s most impor tant promotional event.

The King emphasised the challenges that the marble industry has had to face. “For instance, the irruption of the pandemic, Brexit, the Ukraine invasion or energy prices, a phenomenon which, as we well know, has brought levels of inflation un heard of for decades,” Don Felipe said.

Despite these problems, the King referred to the mar ble industry’s capacity for re sponse which, he stressed,

had been key to adapting to the new scenario.

“In 2021, Spain was the world’s seventh largest natu ral stone producer and the sixth most important ex porter,” Don Felipe pointed out.

Andalucia had the largest number of marble compa nies, of which almost 90 per cent were located in four municipalities, with Macael accounting for practically half of the total, he added.

The King also expressed optimism: “The natural stone and marble sector have an extraordinary future, espe cially for the areas where they carry out their activi ties,” he said.

High season success

TOURISTS gave Almeria top marks this summer, with only Cordoba and Sevilla doing better.

Participants in an Andalucia Statistics and Cartogra phy Institute (IECA) survey gave Cordoba and Sevilla 8.8 out of 10, followed by Almeria and Cadiz with 8.5.

Visitors also told IECA they were impressed by the attention and treatment they received in Almeria Province, together with its scenery, national parks, safety, health service and cultural heritage.

Twenty­five per cent said that the attention they received was better than they had anticipated al though 11 per cent considered that prices were worse than they expected.

Andalucia received 11 million tourists in the third quarter of 2022, of whom 37 per cent lived inside the region. Thirty­four per cent came from other parts of Spain, while 22 per cent were from EU member states and the UK, with 6 per cent from other coun tries.

GALA OCCASION: King Felipe and Doña Letizia presented the Premios Macael awards.

Photo credit: Macael town hall

Club companionship

AGE SUPPORT ALMAN

ZORA host a lunch club each month, good food and conversation bringing peo ple from similar circum stances together for a few hours companionship. This month they were treated to a day at the seaside, lunching at The Irish Rover in Mojacar, then enjoying ices at an ice cream parlour.

On a lovely, sunny day, everyone had a great time, Vanya, President of Age Support said how impor tant such days are for the clients and friends of the charity, an opportunity to

Image: Age con

Vanya is busy preparing for the Age Support Christ mas Fayre at the Arboleas Community Centre on Sat urday November 26 from 4pm, a packed festive event with live entertainment, Santa, stalls, bar and food, only €1 entrance.

get out and meet others. She thanked the helpful staff at the venues and Sue, Ray and the volunteers who made the outing possi ble.

The Age Support volun teers are also planning their second annual Christmas Gala on Friday December 9 at La Parrilla with a special act performing.

For further information about the lunch club please email: agesupportalmanzo ra@live.com.

For archaeological addicts

FOR those interested in all things archaeolog ical, a trip to the Provincial Archeological Mu seum is a must! The modern museum has a diverse collection of prehistoric and neolithic crafts, weaponry and ceramics.

The Provincial Archaeological Museum of Almeria was created on March 28 in 1933. The origin of its collection goes back to the funds of the Provincial Commission of Monu

ments of Almeria and, especially, to the im portant donation made by Luis Siret, the main benefactor of the institution, who died the year after it was created.

Located at Carretera de Ronda 91, C/Her manos Pinzo, 04005, visits must be booked in advance by email: museoalmeria.ccul@jun tadeandalucia.es or by telephone (+34) 950 016 256.

Recycling rewards

RECYCLING fans in Almeria can, from the beginning of November, get rewards ev ery time they recycle their cans and plastic drinks bot tles.

The recycling scheme re wards recyclers with incen tives, such as electric scoot ers, and products made from recycled material.

The residents of Almeria, which has become the third Andalucian city to im plement the scheme after

Sevilla and Malaga, will be able to recycle their cans and plastic drinks bottles in one of the more than 500 yellow containers on the streets of the city ­ which have been fitted with tech nology ­ and obtain re wards.

The mayor of Almeria, Maria del Mar Vazquez, confirmed: “We are very clear that the development of the coming decades de pends on the involvement

THE renovated Parque de los Pinos in El Alquian is now a reality and in celebra tion, 100 children from El Alquian en joyed a day of socialising and games in the park on Friday, November 11.

The Councillor for Town Planning and Infrastructures, Ana Martinez La bella, joined the children and ex plained the content of the project and invited people to take care of the 15,000 square metres that have been renovated.

The councillor confirmed: “To the students, as part of future generations called to lead the progress and ad vancement of a neighbourhood like El

that we have in respecting our natural environment. We all know what steps we have to take, but we must continue to raise aware ness.

“I encourage everyone in Almeria to participate because we all add up. Re cycle and opt for the prizes because, in short, we will be contributing to improv ing the quality of life for everyone,” the mayor added.

Park party

Alquian and a city like Almeria, I invite you to participate in the maintenance and conservation of the magnificent space that has been achieved here. Taking care of this space is a responsi bility that concerns all of us, adminis trations and citizens alike.”

The area has been expanded and cre ated to facilitate sustainable mobility. The project also aims to improve the natural and cultural heritage, as well as the infrastructure of this area of the capital.

Enjoying a seaside lunch.

Go slow

HUERCAL­OVERA’S Local Po lice recently launched an an ti­speeding campaign inside the town, aimed at reducing the number of road accidents and hospitalised victims. The town hall quoted the Interna tional Transport Forum which found that when drivers did not exceed the speed limit, accidents were reduced by 20 per cent.

Church theft

EARRINGS, and a brooch with a pendant crucifix were stolen from a statue of the Virgen de la Esperanza in the Encarnacion church in VelezRubio. The Porcelanos Broth erhood asked anybody who could shed some light on the theft to contact them, the Guardia Civil or the Local Po lice.

Lady Luck

ALMERIA Province residents will spend an average €66 on three ‘decimos’ or 10ths of a ticket on the Christmas lot tery, drawn this year on De cember 22. According to Spain’s Association of Lottery Administration, Granada is Andalucia’s biggest spender, with punters spending an av erage €68.77 and Jaen with €68.10.

Boar off

WILD boar continue to make themselves at home in Alme ria City and recently had to be coaxed away from the central Rambla and were also seen near the municipal cov ered market. The local au thorities continue to seek hu mane ways of banishing them, with notably little suc cess to date.

Spaced out

IN line with plans for im provements to Old Town streets, Nijar Town Hall in tends to remove 68 parking spaces and install bollards which municipal sources said would also protect pedestri ans. The eradicated spaces will be compensated with two new car parks to encour age drivers to avoid the cen tre.

On the road

Linda Hall

VERA is advertising its wide and varied sports tourism offer on local lorries that travel the roads of Europe.

The town, via the publiclyowned company, Ferial Vera, commercially known as Desti noVERA, has been working on its Vera Sport Destination (in English) project. This was ini tially presented during the FI TUR tourism trade fair in Madrid at the beginning of the year.

“We want to attract top­lev el sporting events as well as European federations and

teams carrying out their preseason training,” said Ferial Ve ra’s manager, Pilar Guerra.

“This would make our mu nicipality a reference point for European sports tourism,” she

Tasty treats

ALMERIA and Cordoba are joining ranks in a bid to promote gastronomy and tourism between the two Andalucian provinces and on Monday, November 14, several top­notch chefs from the two regions took part in the Union with Flavour event. The Association of Hotel and Catering Businesses of Almeria (ASHAL) confirmed that the experience consisted of pairing the cuisine and chefs of Cordoba and Almeria. “The aim is to share cuisine and present very special tasting menus that use each place’s own raw materials to prepare unique dishes that will make diners want to get to know this part of Andalucia from which they are barely three and a half hours away by car,” ASHAL said.

“This is the second activity to be set up as part of the agree ment signed last year between the hotel and catering associa tions and the town councils of Almeria and Cordoba. Last Oc tober the Central Market of Almeria hosted an exhibition of 22 images of Cordoban chefs together with their dishes.”

Operation gleam

ALMERIA once again focused on an intensive cleaning oper ation. If you were out and about in Almeria on Sunday, November 13, you may have noticed the work taking place.

The work was carried out as part of the operation, which will reinforce the usual cleaning work, consisting of mixed sweeping, intensive sweeping and the use of specific ma chinery to clean up stains, in addition to the usual machinery used in this work.

The list of streets and public spaces to be covered by the operation was Paseo de Almería (Calle Trajano section to Nicolas Salmeron Park, ref. downhill pavement on the right), Calle Real (from Calle Trajano to Parque Nicolas Salmeron), Marques de Heredia Square, Plaza Pablo Cazard, Calle Poeta Villaespesa, Calle Antonio Ledesma, Calle Virgen del Mar, Calle Lucano, Calle Seneca, Calle Gravina, Calle General Tamayo, Calle Alvarez de Castro, Calle Gerona, Calle Mar tinez Campos, Calle Arapiles, Calle General Segura, Calle Juan Perez Perez, Calle Santisima Trinidad and Parque Nicolas.

explained during a meeting with the public sector compa ny, Andalucia Tourism which expressed interest in backing and assisting the project.

“Since the first quarter of

this year, we have been carry ing out a large number of pro motional events with special emphasis on road marketing, announcing Vera on lorries, and sponsoring sportspeople and sporting events,” said Sports councillor Alfonso Gar cia who is Ferial Vera’s CEO.

“We want Vera to be known as a sports tourism des tination in Europe. We have all the necessary elements, with a benign climate, international sporting events, accommoda tion for participants and spe cialist suppliers amongst other things” Garcia declared.

No more stairs

THE belfry at Almeria cathedral now has a lift. Installation began at the end of 2020 so that, as the diocese has always wished, the top of the 17th century belltower could be accessible to ev erybody, including those with mobility problems.

Not everybody has wel comed the addition, starting with the Provin cial Heritage Committee, whose Heritage Protec tion department head, Joaquin Sierra, voted against its installation when the project was an nounced in 2019.

“This will cause irre versible damage to his toric elements of the dome and its wooden rafters,” Sierra predicted, adding that the lift also contravened Article 20 of Andalucia’s Historic Her itage Law.

Sierra later resigned and was replaced by Diomedes Parra.

Alcohol-Free Day

ALMERIA celebrated World Alcohol­Free Day with exhibi tions and live music on Satur day, November 12.

The councillor for Family, Equality and Citizen Participa tion, Paola Laynez, expressed her satisfaction “with the great reception of this event in which we want to promote healthy habits and the reduc tion of alcohol consumption, especially among teenagers, because you can enjoy your self without drinking alcohol.

“We have to raise aware ness that alcohol can do a lot of harm, not only to those who drink it, but also to their fami lies. We would like to thank the commitment of Almeria’s society which has shown its willingness to build a city free of addictions,” she added.

The president of the Associ ation of Rehabilitated Alco holics Association (ARA), Ra mon Fernandez, thanked the city council for its collabora tion and pointed out that “It is

very important to raise awareness at an early age be cause people who start to fool around with alcohol at the age of 12 or 13 may have problems with alcohol con sumption in their early 20s, and nowadays it is not just al cohol, but other types of sub stances.”

The Friends of the Al cazaba were equally un enthusiastic about the cathedral lift. This had been done in the name of accessibility, although several of the entrances at the Moorish stronghold continue to be inac cessible for visitors with reduced mobility, a spokesperson said.

SPORTS TOURISM:

It’s a matter of luck

Linda Hall

THE advertisement for the mammoth Christmas lottery, which is Spain’s John Lewis advert equivalent, this year features Bayarcal in Almeria.

“Destiny changed Ba yarcal’s luck when this village with 317 inhabitants most needed it,” the advertisement announces, going on to ex plain that the local school did not have to close after three families moved there in 2014.

“They changed Bayarcal’s luck and Bayarcal changed

their luck,” the narrator con tinues.

Bayarcal, like so many small inland municipalities, was suf fering from depopulation and the Alpujarra Alta state school was threatened with closure.

At this point, the town hall offered three municipallyowned properties to families with at least three children of school age so that the school could remain open.

The proposal, attracted of fers from Guadalajara, Grana da and Almeria. A year later,

CARBONERAS mayor Jose Luis Amerigo has for the moment avoided a fine from the Upper Court of Andalucia (TSJA).

According to reports in the regional Spanish media, the TSJA considers that Amerigo has failed to certify whether El Algarrobico has yet been categorised as ‘specially protected’ nonbuilding land, owing to its location inside the Cabo de Gata­Nijar national park.

This is also the site of the practically finished El Algarrobico hotel, now declared illegal, al though the promoters had planning permis sion when building commenced in 2003.

Meanwhile, the TSJA pointed out that Amerigo’s deadline for appealing against a weekly fine of €250 had been reached. The

two of the three families that eventually went to live in Ba yarcal bought a ‘decimo’ in the Christmas lottery in Laujar de Andrarax, where their el der children attended the high school.

“It’s amazing how luck is shared out,” Bayarcal’s mayor Jacinto Navarro said at the time. “They called me, so ex cited, saying that Bayarcal was the best thing that ever happened to them,” the fami lies won €400,000 per deci mo.

Time’s up

mayor must now report to the TSJA every fort night while the court decides whether or not to fine him, although the court could also decide to submit its information to Fiscalia (the Public Prosecution department).

The tribunal wants ‘clear information’ about the town hall’s progress in reclassifying the Al garrobico land as well as the Canillar area, with plans to build residential properties there.

Environmentalist groups have complained to the TSJA that Amerigo routinely avoided complying with any sentence related to El Al garrobico.

Road to recovery

THE Costa de Almeria brand won over both visitors and sec tor professionals at the World Travel Market (WTM) in Lon don.

“London has confirmed the recovery of our international tourism,” declared Fernando Gimenez, who heads the Tourism department at the Diputacion provincial council.

Together with Madrid’s FI TUR and the ITB in Berlin, the WTM is one of tourism’s Big Three trade fairs. Almeria was present at the Turismo Andaluz stand, located in a prime loca tion in the European sector.

The Almeria Province had a crowded diary with appoint ments to meet more than 50 representatives from airlines, tour operators, travel agen cies, online websites as well as

television channels.

Underlining the good sensa tions received at the WTM, the Tourism chief revealed that TUI UK had passed on the news that, thanks to its agree ment with the Diputacion, the company’s 2022 figures were an improvement on 2019’s.

“This year, TUI UK brought more than 13,000 passengers from Birmingham and Manch ester on direct flights, more than before the pandemic,” Gimenez said.

Fernando Gimenez at the World Travel Market.

Photo credit: Diputacion de Almeria

Self-sufficient Cosentino

Linda Hall

THE Cantoria­based Cosenti no marble works uses elec tricity from its own €14 mil lion solar power plant.

The 37,000 solar panels, Spain’s largest own­con sumption installation, cover an area of more than 32 hectares located in Fines, Partaloa and Cantoria.

On Tuesday November 8, company president, Francis co Martinez­Cosentino and Ramon Fernandez­Pacheco, who heads the Junta’s Sus tainability, Environment and Blue Economy depart

ment, switched on the plant which will cut Cosentino’s current electricity bill by 20 per cent.

Cosentino has also re ceived Algerian gas via the Medgaz pipeline for more than five years, another de liberate move to cut down

on carbon emissions. Mean while, the multinational’s latest project will process al ready­treated urban wastewater from Fines, Olu la and Macael for the facto ry. The project is expected to generate 600,000 cubic metres of water each year, avoiding the need to use subterranean water.

Cosentino, which has an annual turnover of more than €1 billion, has now em barked on the second phase of the project and will install solar panels on the roofs of its seven factories.

Swindlers sentenced

ANYONE who has been the victim of credit card fraud will breathe a sigh of relief as three people have been convicted and sentenced.

The Provincial Court of Almeria has sen tenced three managers and administrators of different establishments accused of defrauding at least €81,089 through the numbering of credit cards of clients of nightclubs, shops and hotels in Levante Almeriense, as well as other unknown persons residing abroad with cards

from other countries and who had not visited Spain. The sentence handed down was 11 months in prison and a fine of two months at a rate of €10.00 per day for the continuous of fence of fraud. Before the trial, the perpetrators paid compensation of €12,372 in favour of the two defrauded people that came forward and claimed.

The court also acquitted two other persons whose participation was not proven.

Inaugurating the factory’s new power plant.

Photo credit: Junta de Andalucia

MOJACAR is in the running for Christmas il luminations sponsored by Ferrero Rocher, famous for its chocolate and hazelnut con fectionary.

Seven municipalities are competing in the ninth edition of the company’s Juntos bril lamos mas (We shine brighter together) ini tiative.

All hope to win the first prize of Christ mas lights provided by Ferrero Rocher. Earlier, Mojacar mayor Rosa Maria and her fellow mayors travelled to Madrid to be present when the names of the seven final ists were revealed at the Telecinco televi sion studios at 11am on November 10.

Ainsa (Huesca), Cazalla de la Sierra (Sevil la), Chinchon (Community of Madrid), Por tomarin (Lugo), Santillana del Mar (Cantabria) and Siguenza (Guadalajar) are

MOTORHEAD fans in Alme ria are in luck on November 19 and 20 as the fifth Rally Crono de Gador is taking place. This is the seventh round of the Andalucian Ral ly­Crono Championship 2022 and is also valid for the Copa Diputacion de Almeria 2022.

The rallies will take place between 10.00am and 3.00pm. For more informa tion head to Escudería Valle del Andarax on Facebook.

All lit up

Mojacar’s rivals in the race to secure Fer rero Rocher’s sponsorship.

All were chosen for their charm, cultural richness, gastronomy, and hospitable char acteristics.

Members of the public can vote for their choice on the https://pueblos.ferrero rocher.es/es/es/xp/pueblos/vota.html website until November 30. The three ulti mate finalists will be announced on Decem ber, with voting continuing until December 11 and the winner revealed on December 12.

All voters also enter a draw for one of 15 pyramids of 96 Ferrero Rocher bonbons.

Car rally

RACING FANS: The fifth Crono de Gador is taking place.

Escudería Valle del Andarax/Facebook

Important work

Linda Hall

SISTER Maria Jesus and Rita Navarro were chosen to offi cially announce the start of Cuevas del Almanzora’s San Diego fiestas. They did so as representatives of all the Daughters of Charity and staff at the Santa Luisa de Marillac care home for the elderly.

“Here at the town hall we decided we wanted to give prominence to a local collec tive to draw attention to their important work in looking af ter our older residents, not

forgetting their efforts during the pandemic,” said Cuevas mayor Antonio Fernandez.

Beforehand, Sister Maria Jesus and Rita Navarro said that they were excited but

surprised. “We’ve never done anything like this in our lives, but after talking to Sister Paqui, the residence’s direc tor, and the staff, they all told us to go ahead.” They also ad mitted that they were a little nervous, but also very happy.

“The residence is one big family,” they said. “They are our grandparents, we look af ter them, we love them and feel such huge satisfaction when they tell us how well we are doing. It gives us great joy.”

Behind schedule

SALT extraction company Union Salinera an nounced that repairs at the Cabo de Gata salt beds should conclude in January 2023.

The Salinas have been dry since the spring, owing to a collapse in the 800­metre tunnel which takes seawater to the salt beds and was weakened by storms earlier this year.

Work began last August and would finish in October, the company told the Junta de An dalucia at the time, although it recently warned

there could be “something of a delay” owing to the underwater channel’s characteristics.

“It was not built in a straight line, making it necessary to define its route by hand before machinery can go in,” Union Salinera ex plained, revealing that this would hold up work by well over two months.

Work had advanced by 225 metres by Octo ber 31, representing approximately 60 per cent of the total, Union Salinera said.

Sister Maria Jesus and Rita Navarro announced fiesta.

Photo credit: Cuevas del Almanzora town hall

THE Euro Weekly News is still championing the Blue Badge petition, with the is sue being as important as ever as we begin to enter the winter months and looking after the vulnera ble members of our society becomes even more cru cial.

The My Blue Badge = My Freedom campaign aims to push the UK and Spanish governments to work to

My Blue Badge

gether to allow disabled UK tourists to be able to use their Blue Badges while on holiday in Spain.

The campaign is also pushing for a compassion ate solution to help UK resi dents in Spain who may have left it too late to apply for their Spanish disabled

No exotic pets

THE ban on keeping and breeding certain animals in Spain is nothing new. The list of Invasive Exotic Species passed in 2013 banned raccoons, Argentine parrots, Vietnamese pigs, peninsular tortoises, and hedgehogs, among other animals. However, the new animal well­being bill making its way through Parliament has a longer list of prohibited animals.

When the law is approved, only animals on the list or which may be approved in the future will be allowed. To start with, it must be scientifically certified that they can live in captivity, that they do not present a risk to humans because they are aggressive, poisonous or too large, and there is no risk that they will escape and breed, harming local animals and causing environmental damage.

This would mean banning rats, hamsters, cobayas, chin chillas, rabbits, tortoises, budgerigars, parrots, lovebirds, snakes, spiders, iguanas, chameleons, geckos, and birds from other countries.

badge and are now unable to park accessibly after many areas of Spain stopped recognising UK badges last year.

Spain is one of the few EU countries to not allow UK Blue Badges, making getting around harder for disabled UK nationals living in Spain for up to 180 days a year, for those who did not apply for the Spanish disabled badge in time be fore Brexit, and those visit ing the country.

We are still campaigning for this important cause, sign the petition via this link: https://euroweekly news.com/2022/06/16/blu e­badges / or use the QR code.

Dame Eva Longoria

REALITY superstar, Eva Lon goria received an incredible honour in Oviedo on Saturday November 5. The American actress received the Dama del Real Cuerpo de la Nobleza de Asturias medal of nobility. She received the award as a trib ute to her ancestors from the region and to honour her her itage.

Though Eva’s father couldn’t be with her to see her receive the prestigious medal, her husband, José Bastón and

her friend, María Bravo were there to share the special mo ment. Eva dressed to impress for the occasion in a stunning nude dress covered with a cape feature.

Reports suggested that the American actress could have been sponsored in receiving the honour by a distant cousin of King Felipe VI.

The actress couldn’t contain her delight at the ceremony and took to Instagram saying “My dad couldn’t be here but

he would have been a very proud LLongoria! (That’s how it used to be spelled here) Congrats to all the honorees from this re gion tonight.”

Climate commitment

Betty Henderson

A DEDICATED delegation from Spain are com mitted to fighting climate change at the COP27 Leader’s Summit which began on November 6 in Sharm el­Sheik, in Egypt.

President, Pedro Sánchez asked Spanish representatives to give their maximum com mitment to fight climate change, saying that the energy crisis from the war in Ukraine could not be a distraction from critical climate issues facing the world.

Sánchez attended the conference for one day, highlighting the need for legislation

changes “because our lives depend on it,” saying all leaders present at the conference have “a moral duty to act with determina tion.”

Spain is set to contribute an additional €20 million to the Adaptation Fund ecological project that is fighting climate change inter nationally. The country will also give €5 mil lion to the International Drought Resilience Alliance, an accord between more than 30 countries to fight drought globally.

The climate summit is set to conclude on Friday November 18.

Photo credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / shutterstock.com

Eva Longoria received a royal honour recognising her family heritage in Oviedo.

Rainy relief

A FASCINATING weather phenomenon is making ground in Spain, bringing an end to unseasonably warm temperatures seen through out the months of Septem ber and October. After the hottest start to autumn on record, weather agencies say that the current drop in tem peratures is set to continue.

The country’s leading me teorological agency, AEMET, announced a ‘DANA’, an un stable weather phe nomenon where a mass of cool air hits hot air on the earth’s service. The DANA can cause sudden torrential downpours that have al ready been seen in vast ar eas of the country.

AEMET said that torrential showers could be prolonged and will be accompanied by a drop in temperatures.

Spokesperson for the weath er agency, Rubén del Campo, said the area most likely to be affected by heavy rain showers was Valencia,

Singles spike

THE number of singletons has soared in Spain accord ing to a new study released in time for Singles’ Day cele brated on November 11. The study found more than 14 million people, or 36 per cent of the population in the country are single.

This report revealed that the average age of single people is also increasing. The average single person in Spain is now over 40 years old. It also showed that the areas of the country with most single, separated, or di vorced people are Las Ca narias, Murcia and Madrid.

Explaining the trend, soci ologists say that changing so cial habits are driving the phenomenon. With increas ingly demanding jobs, peo ple don’t have time for a re lationship, while technology is also encouraging people to spend more time alone.

Relationship experts say dating apps are a cause of in creasing numbers of single people. Spain is the third biggest user of dating apps.

where more than 40 litres of water could fall per hour.

The rainfall will bring much­needed nutrition for

crops across the country as many regions have suffered drought conditions earlier in the year.

Protecting consumers

SPAIN has moved to pro tect consumers from the effects of the lorry driv er’s strike, which could re sult in distribution short ages and factory shutdowns.

From Monday, Novem ber 14 special police units will be deployed to strate gic locations to ensure the continued flow of goods. Where necessary the po lice working in partner ship with the Department of Transport, will escort delivery lorries to their destination.

The strategic points in clude facilities such as the transport centre in Cosla da, the MercaMadrid and

the port of Barcelona.

Points that are consid ered strategic are based “on security forecasts and analyses to guarantee the free movement of goods and prevent incidents,” according to a spokesper son for the department.

The situation will also be monitored closely with regular follow ups by the government to ensure that the striking drivers do not inhibit the flow of goods.

In addition, the police have said they will not tol erate the violent acts and public disorder that ac companied the strike ear lier this year.

Colossal collaboration

A MAJOR moment for wom en’s rights in Spain as the Unit ed Nations launched a com mittee based in the country, joining a pioneering group of just 13 nations participating in the initiative.

The UN announced the launch on November 11. The move has been praised as a monumental step in women’s rights in the country by wom en’s organisations internation ally. The President of the new Spanish United Nations Wom en’s Committee, Ewa Widlak praised the decision as a suc

cess saying “It is a very impor tant step to strengthen action campaigning for the rights of women and girls in Spain and throughout the world.”

Widlak said “Spain is a de fender of global human rights and we hold strong feminist val ues. It is about time this agency had representation here.”

Spain has a long history of involvement with the United Nations’ Women’s organisa tion, dating back two decades, when it was the first country to contribute funds for the cre ation of the agency.

RAIN FORECAST: The DANA weather phenomenon is likely to bring an end to drought conditions nationally.

Photo credit: Laiotz / shutterstock.com

AN important moment as a deal between the Spanish Ministry of Industry and the Volkswagen group advances to the next stage. The car manufacturer reached a his toric agreement with Spanish authorities to support its tran sition to electric vehicles on Wednesday November 9.

An intense stalemate had developed as the President of

Electrifying news

Volkswagen associated com pany, Seat, Wayne Griffiths, demanded a larger subsidy from the government in its €10 billion plan to convert its car manufacturing plants for

production of electric cars and construction of a €3 billion factory in Valencia, which the government will now pro vide.

Griffiths described Wednes

day’s deal as “historic for all of us,” adding “Our ambitious plan will make electric vehi cles more accessible across Europe, using cars made in Spain.

Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez also celebrated the announcement, describing it as “extraordinary news,” cele brating the “commitment of Volkswagen Seat to providing

jobs in Spain and securing our place in the future of the mo toring industry.”

Getting all digital

THE Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, participated in the Forum for the Promotion of Digital Trans formation in the Agri­Food Sector on Thursday, November 10.

He stressed that the application of digi tal technologies is essential for the eco nomic and environmental competitive ness of the agri­food sector, not just in the future, but now.

The minister assured that: “Innovation

HOP on the bus for free! The buses of the Empresa Munic ipal de Transportes (EMT) will once again be free on November 25, 26 and 27.

From midnight on Friday, November 25, until 23.59pm

and digitalisation are fundamental for the development of the agri­food sector, a sector that is already a leader in terms of the quantity and quality of its prod ucts and is recognised for this in world markets.”

He expressed his “pride and recogni tion for the workers of this sector” and stressed the need to continue working together to consolidate its growth in the interests of all .

Free travel

on Sunday, November 27, travel on any of Madrid’s buses will be free for passen gers.

As on previous occasions, passengers must validate their ticket and, if they do not have one, the driver will provide them with a single ticket free of charge. The promotion of the bus is key to the promotion of sustain able mobility in the city of Madrid on days when a high number of journeys are ex pected due to the lure of

commercial discounts in the capital and for events such as the switching on of Christ mas lights.

By activating this measure, the city council is once again seeking to promote public transport as an alternative to private vehicles.

The free travel has already been activated on nine occa sions, has benefited more than 5.3 million passengers and has managed to signifi cantly increase demand on municipal buses.

Seat reached a deal to tran sition to electric vehicles.

Photo credit: Jenson shutterstock.com

IN a sign of the worsening times in the UK, the country has lost its title as Europe’s largest stock market.

A report by a financial news outlet on Monday, November 14 said that a combination of a lower pound and concerns over the economy had led to the country losing its place on the stock market leadership board.

The French stock market is now worth US$2.823 trillion, slightly higher than the UK at US$2.821 trillion, the gap having narrowed from preBrexit times. Back in 2016, British stocks were collec

tively worth US$1.5 trillion more than those in France.

Michael Saunders, a for mer Bank of England policy maker, said: “The need for tax rises and spending cuts wouldn’t be there if Brexit hadn’t reduced the econo my’s potential output so much.”

But it is not just Brexit that has impacted on Britain’s standing, with the political turmoil having done its bit to

A DEAL signed with France has been criticised by both MPs and refugee groups.

In an unusual agreement both groups agree that the deal, which will see an agreed €72.2 million pay ment to France to fund a 40 per cent increase in security officers patrolling the coun try’s northern beaches, is more of the same and will do little to deal with the problem of people traffick ing or to save lives.

reduce the value of the stock market.

The UK losing its largest European stock market title

Title lost Deal doubts

is more about the UK’s fall rather than France’s rise with currency fluctuations playing a significant role.

Addressing the Home Sec retary, Tim Loughton, a se nior home affairs select committee member asked: “Can you confirm that there is nothing in this agreement which obliges the French po lice to detain and arrest any body they intercept, so that they are free to come back the following night and try again, in which case are we

not throwing good money after bad?” Home Secretary Suella Braverman disagrees saying that the deal will go a long way in stemming the tide of migrants.

To make matters worse, Prime Minster Rishi Sunak said that he could not guar antee that the new deal would deliver results this or next year.

REDUCING VALUE: Uncertainty in the stock market.

A Soul Empowerment Coach

DUTCH Soul Empowerment Coach Bir gitta Visser lives in the UK and has a new book released entitled ‘BE­com­ing Authentically Me.’

In today’s world, there are coaches for almost every aspect of life, but for those who don’t know what a Soul Em powerment Coach is, Birgitta explained the concept to Euro Weekly News.

“My role is to help align the inner spiritual essence of life with the outer life.”

In Birgitta’s case, her outer life has seen difficult days and has often been a turbulent journey, having served as a steep learning curve. She’s been a model, bartender, promo girl, dog walker, healer, web designer, created her own organic soap line, designed jewellery, taught holistic workshops and worked many jobs in the corporate world.

“Being a nomad and a seeker, I have travelled the globe extensively, leaving an indelible impression on all those I met, while making a home wherever I roamed.”

may provide a guiding light to those who’ve had their own challenges in life.

“I keep telling anyone who’ll listen, the most important ingredient to suc cess is to always be you, not what the world wants you to be.

“Life is really about being your au thentic self, and not being led by the opinions and the judgement of others. Society conditions us and labels us that we are supposed to be a certain type of person.

“I’m here to tell you, you can be the person you want to be despite what so ciety might be telling you. It doesn’t matter what people think of you or if they even understand you. It matters what you think of you. It matters that you understand you.

“We’re in this dot.com world,” she said, “and people don’t even under stand what ‘dot.com’ means. Believe it or not, ‘dot.com’ is actually derived from Latin, meaning ‘being together’.

“The idea of ‘being’ in turn leads back to becoming the person you truly are. It’s not easy for most of us to be true to

people to take a breath and re­examine the person they are, and give them the tools to become the person they want to be.”

Birgitta has transformed her own life experiences of being abused, both as a child and as an adult, to become a bet ter version of herself. And rather than let it destroy her life, she wrote ‘BEcom­ing Authentically Me’, to help edu cate people on how to deal with life’s traumas.

“I hope my book helps people. There’s no better feeling than when you're able to give inspiration and guid ance to someone and it actually helps them improve their lives. And it all be gins with loving yourself. Your ‘authen tic’ self. And then you need to live life to the fullest. And not just exist. And you need to live NOW.

“Life is like the sound of music,” she has concluded.

“You’ve got to dance before the mu sic stops.”

If you want to make a New Year reso lution to be true to yourself, search out

thentically Me’, Birgitta hopes that by

BE TRUE TO YOURSELF: Birgitta with her new book.

Credit: Power Soul Healing Facebook

TWO new contestants livened up the camp on Wednesday November 9. Comedian Sean Walsh and former Health Sec retary, Matt Hancock MP were welcomed into the jungle with a Beastly Burrow trial consist ing of cockroaches and sludge and after a slow start the duo managed to bag six stars.

A frosty reception was wait ing for Matt in the camp with the celebrities questioning the former Health Secretary on his behaviour during the pandem ic, with mixed views to his re sponses.

The public shared the celebrities’ angst and voted for Matt to do more trials consist ing of the Tentacles of Terror and La Cucaracha Café, the lat ter being an eating trial and

Jungle round up

due to Boy George being vege tarian, he was given ferment ed plums, sticky beans and a fermented duck egg, while Hancock had to swallow a camel penis, sheep vagina and cow anus.

Saturday night saw Matt and Owen take on the trial ‘Who Wants To Look Silly on Air’, being asked questions in the same format as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, while brown sauce, custard and other slimy substances poured down on them. After stars being deducted for cheat

ing and then help from phone a friend Sue Cleaver, the celebrities won five stars.

It was more or less a fore gone conclusion that Matt would be chosen to do more trials and after taking on each challenge in a cool and collect ed manner and bagging more stars, his fellow camp mates have started to warm to him.

On Sunday, the battle for camp leader began with Matt winning the title, he then quipped that this win made up for his loss against Boris John son in the 2019 Conservative

leader election. Matt quickly recruited journalist Charlene White to be his second in com mand and they went about their duties assigning the daily chores to each camp mate.

SPEAKING to the national news press on Sunday, November 13, Jeremy Hunt the Chancellor of the Exche quer said that he “will be asking everyone for sacri fices” but recognises there is “only so much we can ask.”

He added: “Fairness will be reflected in the decisions that I take, that’s important because Britain is a decent, fair and compassionate country.

“We’re all going to be pay ing a bit more tax, I’m afraid.”

But he promised, the au tumn statement will “not just be bad news” adding that his plan will be about both the short and the longterm.

He said he believes the public recognises “if you

On the up

want to give people confi dence about the future you have to be honest about the present.”

Hunt has vowed to bring down inflation, to control high energy prices and to put the economy back on a growth path.

Jeremy Hunt has worked hard to forewarn the elec torate that the autumn statement will contain some pain, but whether higher taxes are on the cards for Britain remains to be seen, as many within the party are still anti the idea.

2022 LINE-UP: The stars taking part in the jungle.

Credit: ITV

MORE TAXES: Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt.

Credit: Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street flickr

Partying PM cleared No duty

A NORWEGIAN princess has quit royal duties to pursue a business with her self­proclaimed shaman fiancé. Fifty­one year­old Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has gave up her duties for the royal family in a statement released on Tues day November 8.

Princess Märtha Louise and her spiritual guru fiancé, Durek Verrett, have split opinion in the Scandinavian na tion for their alternative, and sometimes controversial opinions.

Verett claims to be a sixth­generation shaman and has sparked controversy repeatedly with claims including that cancer is a choice. Meanwhile, Princess Märtha Louise says she can speak with angels and formerly lost the ‘Her Royal Highness’ title in 2002 for working as a clairvoyant.

The couple will now focus on their alternative medicine business which sells products including a ‘Spirit Optimizer’ that Verett claims cured his symptoms of Covid­19. The Princess explained that now she hoped her personal views will be viewed separately from her royal status.

THE F innish Prime Minis ter was cleared by an offi cial inquiry on Friday November 4 after a video of her partying provoked controversy in the coun try and beyond. Sanna Marin was accused of compromising her abili ties to govern after the video went viral globally.

The report concluded that there was “no reason to suspect the Prime Min ister of unlawful conduct in the performance of her duties, or of any neglect of her official responsibili ties,” clearing her of any misconduct.

Justice Minister, Tuo

mas Pöysti, said his job was to judge the legality of the video and would not comment on moral decisions.

The video leaked in Au gust, showed the Prime Minister drinking and dancing with friends. Crit ics said that the videos showed inappropriate be haviour for a Prime Minis ter, threatening national security.

Marin previously de

fended her right to a so cial life in a tearful state ment saying “I am hu man,” before the inquiry got underway. She said she was “upset” that the private videos had been made public.

The Prime Minister also voluntarily took a drugs test which came back negative after unsubstan tiated claims suggested she had taken party drugs.

Battle of the brands

COMPETITION has intensi fied between two huge names in the sportswear in dustry, Adidas and Puma. A fierce rivalry between the brands was reignited as the former CEO of Puma, Norwe gian Bjorn Gulden was chosen as the new CEO of Adidas on Tuesday November 8.

The brands were created by two brothers, Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, during the late 1940s, creating a decades­long rivalry. The sportswear companies re main based in the German town of Herzogenaurach, where they were founded by the brothers after a disagree ment.

Adidas’ decision to hire Gulden, who has worked as the CEO of Puma since 2013, has been seen as the latest de velopment in the heated com petition between the two global sports companies.

Explaining the decision to hire Gulden, Adidas cited his lengthy, 30 year experience in the sports clothing industry.

The 57­year­old is set to

Finland’s youngest ever Prime Minister was cleared of wrongdoing in an official inquiry into a video of her party ing.

Photo credit: photocosmos1 / shutterstock.com

Community with heart

THE community’s paper, the Euro Weekly News, has always at its heart been about serving its English­speaking readers in Spain.

Now, the EWN has teamed up with another communityfocused organisation, the British Benevolent Fund (BBF), to bring some of the issues most important to expats into sharp focus and spread aware ness about this amazing group in their new column every week.

The EWN sat down with the British Benevolent Fund’s chair, Olaf Clayton, to discuss their upcoming column, what they do, and how they can help British expats in Spain.

Olaf explained: “The BBF has been going for at least 100 years. We originally thought we had started in the 1930s but we’ve discovered it was earlier and we’ve been helping Britons in Spain since then.”

The organisation, entirely funded by donations, gives one­off payments to Britons in need in Spain to help with is

sues like those who are be tween jobs or other hardship.

Olaf said: “We don’t and can’t provide regular stipends as we’re not a government or ganisation.

“What we do is provide funding when people desper ately need it. We do it because it’s important that there is somebody there as a last re sort when people have ex hausted all options, including family or friends.”

He added: “We look at things impartially and sympa thetically as these are often is sues that could happen to any one. With Brexit there are a large number of people who were caught in a difficult posi tion and we want to help.”

In the BBF’s upcoming col

umn, Olaf will be dis cussing how some of the most common is sues facing Brits in Spain arise, how to pre vent them, and how the BBF can help when needed. Olaf will also be discussing some of the difficult decisions the organisation has to make when it comes to funding dif ferent issues.

The chair is also encouraging members of the community to get involved to spread the word about the BFF and help those in need. He said: “We are looking for people with great British common sense and time to dedicate to this.

“We need volunteers, dona tions, members, and we’re looking for people who are happy to host and organise events.”

The first column will be pub lished in the EWN on Thurs day, November 24. To learn more about the BBF visit britishbenevolentfund.org or contact olaf.clayton@british benevolentfund.org

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Safe roads

A REPORT from the International Drivers Association classes Denmark as the fourth best European country to drive in behind Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium thanks to good quality roads, few deaths in accidents and car density, but it lost out with high cost of fuel.

THE NETHERLANDS

Sparks fly

MUCH of Holland goes up in flames at midnight every New Year’s Eve, but there will be fewer fireworks available for celebrations or blowing up cash machines this year as German and Dutch police have seized the biggest haul of illegal fireworks in their history.

BELGIUM

Fair cop

A BRUSSELS police chief was rather surprised to see an advert from a man offering his sexual services to women and couples who he recognised as a police inspector and although officers are allowed jobs on the side, they must have them approved in advance.

GERMANY

Digital Red Cross

RESEARCHERS in Germany have been recruited by the International Red Cross to identify whether a digital red cross image might deter hackers from attacking their sites in the same way that the red cross flag on vehicles and hospitals offers some form of protection during wartime.

FRANCE

Building site

THE most famous street in Paris, the ChampsElysées, which attracts millions of visitors every year is currently a shambles as there is a huge amount of building work to lay granite paving stones and create new gardens in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics.

NORWAY

Cash is king

WORRIED that the headlong rush towards a cashless society could leave consumers and banks vulnerable to hackers out to disrupt the economy, the Norwegian government intends to promote the use of bank notes in shops and hospitality outlets rather than demand payment by card.

FINLAND

Russian uranium

ALTHOUGH 42 per cent of electricity is created from renewable sources, Finland relies on nuclear power and despite sanctions on Russia is committed to obtaining its uranium from TVEL, a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosatom and will not be able to change for several years.

IRELAND

McPaper

FAST food chain McDonald’s has announced that it is replacing all plastic cutlery with a new paper-based material in all of its restaurants across Ireland. It says that the new cutlery is made from FSC-certified pressed paper that is strong, renewable and can be recycled or composted.

ITALY

In the soup

AFTER one group threw tomato soup at a Van Gogh painting in London, a second group of climate protestors chose another painting by the same artist, but this time threw vegetable soup over The Sower, doing no damage as the painting was under glass.

PORTUGAL

Going down

WHILST Spain appears likely to reintroduce tolls on some motorways, Portugal is looking the other way and plans next year to reduce some tolls, as it admits that public transport in some parts of the interior is almost nonexistent and driving is the only viable alternative.

UKRAINE

Oscar winner

VISITING Ukraine for the third time, actor and director Sean Penn gave President Vladimir Zelenskyy one of his Oscars as a symbol of support and asked him to hold onto it until his country defeats Russia, at which time he should return it in Malibu.

SWEDEN

Treasure trove

ARCHAEOLOGISTS digging at a known Viking settlement north of Stockholm were amazed to uncover a small pot buried under preserved wooden floors which contained a large amount of jewellery including torques, rings and coins made into pendants in almost perfect condition dating back around 1,000 years.

FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

Whopper truck

LOOKING to outdo competi tors, Burger King Spain has created the Whopper Truck, which is staffed by 20 people and can offer a whole range of food at open air festivals. Its first outing was at the Co ca­Cola Music Experience festival where it reportedly earned €30,000.

Inflation stable

WITH just six weeks left until the end of the year, Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calviño has indicated that she expects the country’s in flation rate to continue at around 9 per cent, adding that fourth quarter econom ic growth is relatively good.

WH Smith

BACK to travel, back to profit is the mantra for ‘newsagent’ WH Smith which has reported a head line pre­tax profit of £61 mil lion for the year to the end of August compared to last year’s loss of £104 million, thanks to the freedom to travel.

Sustainable Xmas

FIVE sustainable stuffed hedgehogs known as Los Grinpins will be an ideal Xmas gift for the very young. On sale at El Corte Inglés, for every one sold, the depart ment store will add €1 to its existing commitment to plant 2,500 trees near the town of Ejulve (Teruel).

Trade deal

DESPITE the fact that the US government has indicated that a trade agreement with the UK is unlikely until the Northern Ireland border situ ation is resolved, Trade Sec retary Kemi Badenoch left for Washington DC on Mon day November 14 to try to promote UK­US trade.

STAT OF WEEK €3.7 million

Microchip design centre

CHIP manufacturer Cisco is to create a new design centre in Spain following a meeting be tween Pressident Pedro Sánchez and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins in Madrid on Thursday November 10.

The digital revolution cannot proceed without chips and the European Union Chips Act lays the foundation for an innovation ecosystem in the EU, connecting world­class research, design and testing capacities, creating knowledge jobs and fostering economic growth.

As part of its global strategy to enable a reliable, scalable and sustainable global semiconduc tor supply chain, Cisco plans to set up an engineering design centre to design and prototype next generation semiconductor devices in its existing Barcelona facility.

The commitment has been made following a number of ear lier meetings between the two parties, both in Madrid and at the last Davos Forum in May of this year.

“Spain is on the way to be come a key player in achieving

the EU objective of reaching 20 per cent of the world chip mar ket by 2030.

“We have approved the pro gram PERTE Microchip and have the roadmap, reforms and incen tives in place to attract talent and strengthen the current Span ish ecosystem,” said Sánchez.

“Technology has the ability to help countries further their social and economic development and move even closer to an inclusive

future for all. Today’s announce ment reinforces Cisco’s commit ment to support the digital ecosys tem in Spain and across Europe,” observed Chuck Robbins.

The Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Trans formation (PERTE) of microelec tronics and semiconductors will have access to more than €12 billion from European funds made available as part of the Spanish Recovery Plan.

Windfall tax expanded

UNIMPRESSED by ECB criti cism of planned bank wind fall tax, Spain not only in tends to proceed with it, but is actually amending the draft bill in order to in clude more organisations.

The government hopes to earn some €3 billion from charging those Span ish banks which have made more than €800 million profit a special 4.8 per cent tax and this is planned to run for two years.

There is little doubt that the merger of some Span ish banks has created very profitable organisations which have been able to reduce operating costs by closing branches and

shedding staff.

Many have also benefit ed from access to very gen erous loans from official or ganisations such as the European Development Bank as well as having ac cess to cheap Spanish gov ernment funds during the pandemic.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has issued a non­binding opinion that the decision to introduce such a windfall tax could be damaging to the banks’ long term liquidity and could also discourage them from granting loans.

The government re

sponse is that the larger banks are making record profits so can easily afford the temporary tax which will be used to benefit those suffering from the cost­of­living crisis.

Also, since the ECB itself is raising interest rates in order to slow down infla tion as fewer loans will be affordable, the windfall tax would support the ECB if its observations are correct.

Prior to pushing the bill through parliament, the government has realised that it only applied to Span ish banks, so the amend ment will include local units of foreign lenders super vised by the ECB.

Deal scuppered

IN early October, one prime minis ter ago, the British government an nounced that it was planning to strike a 20­year long­term bulk buy deal for gas.

The plan was to ensure that the country secured a safe, reliable and reasonably priced supply from Norway which creates most of its electricity through renewable sources and has North Sea gas ga lore.

Now just over a month later it seems the deal has been cancelled, reportedly due to the proposed fixed price which has shot up and Treasury analysts believe open market gas could become much cheaper in the foreseeable future.

New revenue

IN its Autumn Financial Stability Re port issued on November 11, the Bank of Spain is encouraging Span ish banks to make provisions to en sure that they have sufficient funds to face a possibly uncertain future. Whilst acknowledging that many banks have seen high profits and will benefit in the short term from the increase in interest rates, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the spi ralling cost of living could see many countries continue to suffer from recession with defaults on loans.

The Bank also considers that the Spanish windfall tax on those banks which have made the greatest profits could reduce the sector’s ability to generate new revenue.

Oxfam funding

FOR more than a year, the British government refused to allow char ity Oxfam the right to bid for UK funding as an external investiga tion was carried out into safe guarding allegations in the Demo cratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Minister for Development An drew Mitchell finally announced on Thursday November 10 that this pause had now been reversed and the charity may once again bid for UK aid funding to carry out life saving work around the world.

This follows confirmation that Oxfam has made significant im provements to its safeguarding systems in DRC, although why the DRC problem stopped it from ob taining funds to assist in other countries is obscure.

is the threshold that must be reached before Spain’s richest residents will have to pay the temporary wealth tax at the end of this year.

Credit: Pedro Sánchez twitter

COMMITMENT: Meeting between the two in Madrid on November 10.

Credit: Creative Commons

3I Group 1.267,00 1.308,50 1.262,00 128,82K

Abrdn 204,90 207,10 203,00 1,45M

Admiral Group 2.070,1 2.075,0 2.037,0 58,04K

Anglo American 3.351,0 3.414,5 3.334,5 479,81K

Antofagasta 1.435,00 1.451,00 1.430,50 140,30K

Ashtead Group 4.966,0 5.114,0 4.962,0 80,01K

Associated British Foods 1.547,0 1.569,0 1.543,5 69,85K

AstraZeneca 10.776,0 10.860,0 10.542,0 251,92K

Auto Trader Group Plc 572,80 576,80 570,40 333,86K

Aveva 3.173,0 3.203,0 3.170,0 1,07M

Aviva 437,48 441,53 436,40 87,77K

B&M European Value Retail SA389,60 394,30 381,30 403,63K

BAE Systems 729,70 731,20 702,20 1,53M

Barclays 156,28 158,74 155,22 4,52M

Barratt Developments 403,60 413,40 402,10 709,71K

Berkeley 3.775,0 3.900,0 3.768,0 40,33K

BHP Group Ltd 2.493,50 2.510,00 2.483,00 280,03K

BP 477,80 483,20 476,50 4,44M

British American Tobacco 3.249,0 3.261,5 3.207,0 291,64K

British Land Company 399,10 405,10 397,90 137,82K

BT Group 122,15 122,20 120,30 1,76M

Bunzl 2.936,0 2.954,0 2.930,0 43,90K

Burberry Group 2.009,0 2.025,0 2.004,0 70,85K

Carnival 776,8 792,8 777,6 167,69K

Centrica 82,82 82,86 81,30 901,31K

Coca Cola HBC AG 2.011,0 2.032,0 2.007,0 36,15K

Compass 1.795,50 1.818,00 1.785,50 284,13K

CRH 3.343,5 3.399,0 3.342,0 93,35K

Croda Intl 7.118,0 7.200,0 7.084,0 53,32K

DCC 4.474,0 4.512,0 4.462,0 14,42K

Diageo 3.640,0 3.660,5 3.608,5 199,04K

DS Smith 316,40 320,30 314,50 364,04K

EasyJet 411,90 414,89 407,20 192,98K

Experian 2.861,0 2.885,0 2.835,0 168,72K

Ferguson 10.245,0 10.325,0 10.195,0 40,97K

Flutter Entertainment 11.595,0 11.775,0 11.580,0 60,87K

Fresnillo 866,60 878,20 863,20 95,99K

Glencore 510,30 515,22 506,70 964,73K

GSK plc 1.340,20 1.343,20 1.315,20 157,91K

Halma 2.361,0 2.382,0 2.347,0 66,72K

Hargreaves Lansdown 935,60 945,60 930,00 171,40K

Hikma Pharma 1.399,00 1.404,00 1.375,50 80,21K

HSBC 474,80 476,70 471,30 2,30M

IAG 135,98 138,26 135,42 3,39M

Imperial Brands 2.047,00 2.052,00 1.993,00 366,48K

Informa 581,20 601,00 563,60 898,19K

InterContinental 4.753,0 4.805,0 4.745,0 30,31K

Intermediate Capital 1.255,00 1.298,00 1.254,50 132,00K

Intertek 4.042,0 4.068,0 4.023,0 27,04K

ITV 76,91 78,16 76,38 550,67K

J Sainsbury 218,75 220,00 217,70 449,64K

Johnson Matthey 2.132,0 2.199,0 2.121,0 23,46K

Land Securities 623,60 630,60 620,80 84,35K

Legal & General 247,00 251,40 246,60 1,18M

Lloyds Banking 43,27 43,97 42,97 10,97M

London Stock Exchange 8.204,0 8.266,0 8.186,0 25,49K

Melrose Industries 124,95 127,70 124,50 419,06K

Mondi 1.577,00 1.598,00 1.571,00 107,20K

National Grid 1.001,50 1.010,00 992,60 470,52K

NatWest Group 247,60 251,60 246,10 986,78K

Next 5.684,0 5.752,0 5.668,0 27,01K

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

Ocado 808,60 824,40 771,80 581,77K

Persimmon 1.325,5 1.365,0 1.324,0 143,73K

Phoenix 564,60 570,60 563,50 42,47K

Prudential 998,40 1.012,00 996,40 426,02K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.640,0 5.642,0 5.544,0 154,10K

Relx 2.243,00 2.264,00 2.230,00 322,36K

Rentokil 535,80 542,80 535,00 428,24K

Rightmove 552,60 563,00 550,80 249,78K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.366,0 5.453,0 5.354,0 230,36K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 89,48 90,72 88,97 4,65M

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

Sage 754,00 762,60 753,90 8,85K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.165,00 1.171,50 1.162,00 2,68K

Schroders 469,4 479,2 468,3 201,32K

Scottish Mortgage 804,00 827,80 803,28 219,73K

Segro 838,40 861,40 835,80 348,59K

Severn Trent 2.690,4 2.728,0 2.670,0 54,38K

Shell 2.354,5 2.368,5 2.344,5 873,51K

Smith & Nephew 1.066,00 1.069,00 1.059,00 195,73K

Smiths Group 1.581,50 1.593,00 1.573,50 38,26K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.765,0 11.945,0 11.750,0 6,25K SSE 1.625,50 1.633,00 1.618,50 507,69K

St. James’s Place 1.185,00 1.215,00 1.183,50 37,10K

Standard Chartered 568,00 574,00 564,20 640,25K

Taylor Wimpey 102,00 104,80 101,80 2,11M

Tesco 227,80 230,10 227,50 867,46K

Tui 151,45 158,50 151,40 588,89K

Unilever 4.001,5 4.011,0 3.963,5 777,99K

United Utilities 1.012,50 1.015,00 1.003,00 82,03K

Vodafone Group PLC 105,26 105,28 103,72 6,82M

Whitbread 2.551,0 2.594,0 2.549,0 26,01K WPP 868,40 877,20 865,40 487,35K

3M 132,98 133,49 3,42M

American Express 154,89 158,88 154,70 3,71M

Amgen 285,02 289,36 279,62 3,25M

Apple 149,70 150,01 144,37 93,63M

Boeing 177,49 178,03 172,99 8,87M

Caterpillar 236,49 238,40 232,00 3,58M

Chevron 186,46 187,10 183,89 8,41M

Cisco 44,79 45,32 43,92 25,95M

Coca-Cola 61,32 61,45 60,21 18,93M

Dow 53,14 53,44 50,90 9,00M

Goldman Sachs 385,17 387,00 378,75 3,39M

Home Depot 314,94 317,68 310,24 4,92M

Honeywell 212,73 214,96 211,45 4,22M

IBM 143,17 144,13 140,96 5,85M

Intel 30,43 30,63 28,87 49,22M

J&J 169,25 173,11 166,82 11,06M

JPMorgan 135,30 136,17 133,78 10,64M

McDonald’s 271,39 277,00 269,18 4,74M

Merck&Co 97,96 100,81 97,33 13,34M

Microsoft 247,11 247,99 241,93 33,80M

Nike 106,09 107,21 100,14 12,37M

Procter&Gamble 140,97 141,63 139,11 7,17M

Salesforce Inc 157,73 159,92 155,58 6,44M

The Travelers 181,73 185,58 180,21 1,39M

UnitedHealth 522,08 546,28 509,65 7,00M

Verizon 38,30 38,69 37,81 22,91M

Visa A 205,00 206,43 202,15 8,74M

Walgreens Boots 41,26 41,56 39,40 13,06M

Walmart 142,58 143,12 139,99 6,42M

Walt Disney 95,01 95,58 91,10 22,01M

Most Advanced

Most Declined

12.655M

Duolingo, Inc. -13.36% 1.093M

Kinsale Capital Group, Inc. -10.89% 465,835

Cricut, Inc. -9.67% 256,765

ShockWave Medical, Inc. -8.81% 731,361

Flowers Foods, Inc. -8.53% 3.555M

Udemy, Inc. -8.39% 601,297

Teleperformance SE -8.07% 26,783

Luckin Coffee Inc. -7.99% 2.416M

Global Business Travel Group, Inc. -7.46% 380,852

BUSINESS EXTRA

Dominoooos

DESPITE the rather irritating Domino’s Pizza Group yo delling adverts in the UK, the company expects to have a strong fourth quar ter especially as sporting events such as the World Cup Finals which takes place in the latter part of November always see a spike in home deliveries.

Sluggish sales

THE latest report from retail association Acotex reveals that the October sale of clothing items in Spain whilst 4.2 per cent up when compared to 2021, shows a slow down following a 7.9 per cent growth in Septem ber due to the rising cost of living.

Taxi charity

FREE NOW is a mobility ser vice provider which decid ed to match any tips given to black cab drivers through its app in the UK on Re membrance Sunday, November 13 with all such funds being donated to The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans.

Closer ties

SPAIN and the Latin Ameri can development bank CAF will host a meeting be tween the 27 European Union Ministers of Finance and their 33 counterparts from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Santia go de Compostela next year.

As Spain takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union it aims to align interests and strengthen trade relations between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

CAF has set itself the goal of becoming the green bank in the region, promot ing green growth through greater financing of envi ronmental, forestry, ener gy, agricultural, climate and water projects with an ini tial budget of US$25 billion.

Brexit champion unhappy

‘NOT the Brexit I wanted’, according to Brexi teer Lord Wolfson the Chairman of Next in an interview with the BBC about immigration.

He believes that the UK’s current immigra tion policy was a major deterrent to econom ic growth as there are simply insufficient workers available to undertake a number of different jobs and employers are desperate for staff.

Whilst recognising that one of the strong arguments for Brexit was to ensure that British workers were able to find employ ment, he can see that there is shortage of staff in some important areas.

In the interview he told the BBC: “We have got people queuing up to come to this coun try to pick crops that are rotting in fields, to

Aldi buys British

work in warehouses that otherwise wouldn’t be operable, and we’re not letting them in.

“And we have to take a different approach to economically productive migration.”

In order to grow the economy, he believes that Britain’s leaders need to decide whether the UK believed and practised free trade or wanted to become ‘fortress Britain,’ allowing only professionals such as doctors and nurses into the country.

Lord Wolfson’s suggestion is that that busi nesses who need foreign workers should be able to pay a tax of 10 per cent to the gov ernment on foreign workers’ salaries to en sure that only the businesses that really couldn’t find UK workers would recruit over seas.

AN Aldi

4’s Next Big Thing and

Charlie Fermor, 35, and his wife Laurie, 34, landed the contract of a lifetime and their dried fruit snacks for kids named Freddie’s Farm made with only British produce, as much as possible from their own or chards and fields in Kent, are now in stores nation wide.

Hearts melted as the na tion was given an insight in to Charlie and Laurie’s life

at Bramley Mount Farm and their son Freddie, six, after whom the snacks are named and his sister, Ottie aged three.

Freddie’s Farm fought off tough competition from manufacturers of fava bean snacks, kimchi, and even camel milk, to secure a space on Aldi’s UK store shelves.

Co­founder, Laurie Fer mor explained how the healthy snacks came about: “When Freddie was little, we didn’t like the snacks that were out there in the market so we came up with Freddie’s Farm. The drying

process has been perfected over a long time so it’s quite special.

“We try to keep the flavours you get in raw fruit and veg. As a result, we have lower free sugars, which help prevent kids getting sugar highs and crashes, which we certainly like to avoid with our two at all costs.”

With everything grown, dried and packed within metres of the couple’s home, the carbon footprint also appealed to Aldi, which has tough sustainability tar gets and has been a carbon neutral business since 2019.

THE Spanish subsidiary of businesses insurer His cox has introduced a new form of cyber insur ance aimed at small and medium sized (SME) businesses.

According to its research, some 44 per cent of Spanish SMEs suffered at least one cyberattack last year, so they say it is essential that compa nies also take measures both for its prevention and for better management if it occurs.

The same report highlights that only one in four SMEs plan to increase their investment in the coming years, despite the cost that a cyberattack may entail, with an average of around €16,300 for an SME with up to between 49 em ployees and €22,950 for companies employing between 50 and 249 staff.

New cyber insurance Green shoots

GREEN energy is an integral part of Spain’s re covery plan using funds from the European Union and President Pedro Sánchez takes ev ery opportunity to be seen to promote the con cept.

On Wednesday November 9, he was in Grana da Province inaugurating the Caparace­Baza electrical axis which is to be built at a cost of €3 billion, creating some 8,700 jobs and ensuring a reliable power supply in an area which has suf fered from depopulation.

He claims that not only will the power pro duced be renewable as part of the government’s green programme but will have the added bene fit of encouraging industry to invest in the area.

TV show looked for fledgling suppliers to stock their shelves through Chan nel

received hundreds of en tries.

BREXITEER: Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise.

Credit: Next Media Centre

FREDDIE’S FARM: The winning products comprise dred fruit snacks.

Credit: Freddie’s Farm

SOME of the things that render me deeply suspicious of the UK politicians and media programmes are because their decisions and reports often com pletely disagree with thousands of so cial media followers. The latest is a glaring example.

The opinions the left and media have conveyed to the public regarding the recent statement of the Home Sec retary, are probably one of the biggest examples of their anti­right wing rhetoric ever. Ms Braverman stated in the House that the UK was ‘under an invasion from mass immigration’. The dictionary tells us that the word inva sion, describes ‘the arrival of large numbers of people or things at one time’. Sounds about right to me; not however to those trying to use the statement to damage their rivals!

The outcry that issued from the am bitious leftie majority was a positive disgrace; yet another attempt to dis rupt the opposition in their endeav ours to find answers. On social outlets, thousands of people have agreed with the Home Secretary’s description and views. The majority of the country are

Sad state of affairs

becoming desperate to find a solution to something they are fully aware can destroy everything they have ever val ued or stood for. The left and media are using it as a weapon to win the next election.

Even Fiona Bruce recently caused a vast number of viewers to clamour for her dismissal because of her ‘continu ing Conservative biases on the BBC’s Question Time. Over 40,000 immi grants have now arrived, many from Albania of all places. Does that mean that residents from any country not achieving too much success, can send their citizens for succour in the UK?

Probably. It’s costing a financially be leaguered UK a fortune. Its people are dreading the winter.

Britain is hurtling into recession. Large numbers are living on the streets and obtaining food from charity organ isations. Thousands of immigrants however, are obtaining money, food and hotel accommodation from gov ernment sources ­ and still complain ing! The left love it. The despairing vot ers, desperate to solve the predicament, will they hope vote in another party to take care of their

grievances and problems. They don’t want the present government to solve the crisis in any way, it’s one of the greatest weapons they hold for the next election. The dilemma is, that if immigrants keep arriving before it takes place, it will be impossible for any party to fix.

Recently I read a letter written to a colleague. It described their whole street being taken over by a ‘different culture’. Residents were now littering up the place with cans and bottles and even peeing by their dustbins. The price of their house had plummeted and they can’t even find a buyer from the indigenous population. So if the authorities manage to rehouse these thousands of immigrants, the demise of UK society, once held near and dear, is ultimately relegated to the dustbin. Good luck.

Keep the Faith. Leapy Lee. Leapylee2002@gmail.com

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

How I find my inner pathway

DISCOVERING EMOTIONS WITH

TODAY I have been inspired to write about our inner pathway.

The social media is full of people who want to tell you how to live your life bet ter... but they’re not you, they’re just talk ing about their own life experiences.

We think we find our pathway, in philosophies, religions, sects, books, shamanic rituals etc...

But there you won’t find the answers, and you won’t know what is right for you.

Because what is good for someone else may not be good for you.

You will have an improvement, but with the passing of time you will return to your comfort zone.

Sometimes we force a change of path, but without knowing where we want to go.

Sometimes life forces us to change, and we are paralysed.

The key is consciousness and love for yourself.

It is a path to inner harmony, where in ner chaos has to be fought.

There is no magic formula.

Sometimes we force a change of path.

Happiness and love start in you and come your way when you are ready to ac cept it and live it.

My advice:

Search within yourself, what you really yearn for, reinforce in yourself what you believe you deserve.

Living a better life is to set a GPS for which direction and destination we are looking for.

Love Betina www.mindovers.com 0034­699 327 363

BETINA VON HOHENDORFF

Seasonal foot care

Keeping your feet covered, even at home, is crucial to keeping them in good condition over the winter.

LIKE with many aspects of our health, changing weather and changing seasonal habits can affect our feet. Keep your feet in tip­top condition with this advice from podiatrists.

1. Keep your feet dry and warm

While it’s important to wear warmer shoes and thicker socks during the winter, they can also cause our feet to sweat more. Damp feet are more vulnerable to infections, so change out of shoes when

you get home and ensure you dry your feet thoroughly after getting them wet.

2. Wear comfortable shoes

Rainy and colder weather, even in Spain, means switch ing summer footwear for cov ered shoes, including boots. Make sure your shoes fit your feet correctly, without rubbing or pinching anywhere.

3. Skincare is crucial

We are more prone to spells of dry skin during the winter as there is less humidi

ty in the air, meaning less moisture for our skin. Prepare for dry skin ahead of time by using a moisturiser on your feet daily, and not just when it looks like they need it. Mois turise your feet after a shower or bath, when the skin can ab sorb most moisture.

4. Wear socks indoors Avoid walking on cold floors barefoot to protect your feet against painful conditions. In stead wear warm socks or slip pers.

Photo credit: Antonio Guillem / shutterstock.com

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.

POLICING APPLAUDED

I REFER to the article in issue 1947, Oct 27 to Nov 2, headed ‘fined for feed ing’.

Three cheers for Benidorm police who will fine people for feeding stray cats.

I wish Teulada Moraira police would do the same! I have lived here for 26 years and am heartily sick ened by so­called animal lovers who visit Spain for a short while, feed any stray cats they can find and then b****r off back to the UK

By so doing, my nights are ruined by squealing cats and my garden be comes a cat toilet.

Before I am labelled a misery, I have spent many years working with animal charities and have respon sibly had pets.

Ken Langridge

Grumpy old man missed

A FEW weeks ago I read of Mike Senker’s piece saying he was retiring his column and I must have missed any editorial comment on his decision.

His Grumpy Old Man col umn was a great respite from the usual news and his view on life very re freshing. The dry sense of humour shone through.

I miss turning to his col umn. Have a well earned rest Mike.

Adrian Woodward

Utter rubbish

I HAVE never heard such rubbish uttered from any

one ­ why do you give Leapy such space in your paper ­ surely there should be someone to counter his party political broadcast on behalf of the Conservative party which is ill­informed, narrow minded ­ and sometimes

racist ­ I often wonder why some people like him who probably voted for Brexit and do not want to remain in Europe. wish to remain in this lovely area of Spain?

D Debbage

OUR VIEW

LIVING in Spain, many British passport holders might be uninterested in what is going on in British politics but today, Thursday November 17 may well be one that affects us all in one form or another.

Having seen the fiasco of the short-lived Truss government and the incredible naivety of the planned tax cuts which brought her down, reality is going to hit with a bang as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presents his own mini budget with promises that everyone in the UK will have to pay more tax.

Supposedly he will be making cuts in expenditure and has indicated that he is looking to plug loop holes rather than raise income tax directly, but looking back to the 1970s, Labour Chancellor Denis Healy said about taxation that he would ‘squeeze the pips until they squeak’ and this could well be the mantra behind the current Chancellor’s think ing.

So how does that affect us here in Spain?

Firstly, many of us receive UK state pensions and having lost out on the triple lock promise because of the pandemic, it could well be that he will decide that he can only afford the minimum pension in crease of 2.5 per cent rather than the 10 per cent that the triple lock promises.

Secondly, some 3.5 million female pensioners, many of whom are living in Spain, continue to fight for recompense for the losses incurred with the rise in pension age, so they are an easy target to ig nore.

Thirdly, the Spanish hospitality industry relies on tourism to a great extent and if money is even tighter in the UK, then fewer Brits will be able to af ford to take holidays here thus hurting the economy.

Betty Henderson

PARROTS are one of the most popular pets in Spain, and for good rea son. They are intelligent and charming pets and are not too expensive to look after. Here we share some expert ad vice on how to care for a parrot

1. Diet

Pellets or seed mixes are excellent foods for a parrot and should make up around 50 per cent of its diet.

Experts also recom mend feeding your par rot fresh fruit such as or ange, papaya, mango, and pomegranate or vegetables like tomato and spinach. Parrots also need fresh, clean water.

2. Cage

Your parrot’s cage is its home, and keeps it safe from harm in your home or outside. It needs to be big enough so your parrot can move around comfortably. Your parrot should be

able to stretch its wings without hitting the sides of its cage.

3.

Activity

Parrots are intelligent and active animals, and need mental stimulation to stay happy. Consider adding a small game or exercise toy to your par rot’s cage to maintain its well­being.

4.

Health

Parrots are very hy gienic and clean animals. Nonetheless, you should empty waste from its cage every day and clean the cage at least twice a week. It is important to check your parrot’s beak, plumage and claws to protect it against in fection.

ALMERIA BUILDERS : Fully Legal, Fully Insured, All Work Guaranteed. 659 685 133 www.almeri abuilders.com (253556)

PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

LOCAL ANGLICAN (C of E) church services at Mojacar Los Llanos Del Peral and Alhambra. Communion every Sunday in Mojacar at 11am. Communion at Los Llanos every Sun day except the last Sunday in the month when there will be Prayer and Praise all at 11am. The ser vices that were being held in the South American church Albox have now returned to the chapel and Com munion is held on the second Thursday of the month at 11am. Priest in charge Rev Canon Alan Bennet telephone number 680 243 436. For further information, please go to The Anglican Chap laincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Calida web page. Or contact Tony Noble 950 069 103. (10002)

TURRE

card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.britishlegion.org.uk/ counties/spain-north ZUR GENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at Bar Trinidad, Arboleas, for further details please email zurgenarblchairman @gmail.com - (253989)

EVANGELICAL

CHURCH We meet every Sunday at 10.30. For wor ship. We believe you’ll find us ‘relaxed’, welcom ing’ and ‘informal’. Find us on Turre’s main street, to wards the motorway at the far end on the left. To know more contact 617 914 156 (10021)

MOBILE homes & static caravans bought, sold and transported. +34 630 055 418 or elsyd7@hot mail.com (302142)

ROYAL BRITISH LE GION - Why not make this year the year you vol unteer? Call and see how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Tele phone Buddy. We also vis it beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospi tal. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the

ABBOTT ELECTRICS

From a Light Fitting to a Full Rewire. Tel: 950 137 208 / 638 010 691 (301356)

VOSS HOMES are a pro fessional, British family-run Estate Agents with an of fice in Huercal-Overa town. They specialise in selling and renting properties in the Huercal-Overa, La Alfo quia, Zurgena & Taberno area. Andy, Anna, Jess, Adele, Hannah, Amy & Karen look forward to help ing you buy, sell or rent your ideal property. Please call 678 002 006 for more information (283824)

GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel –678 716 693 (288662)

FOR SALE

WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of di rect car, motorbike, home and company fleet insur ance. Since we started out in 1995, our philoso phy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in En glish, call Linea Directa on 952 147 834. (200726)

THE FIVE BONE HO TEL, TURRE. Little dogs €7.75, medium dogs €8.50, big dogs €9.25, cats from €7.00 a day. 630 234 556 / the5bone hotelturre@gmail.com fivebonehotel.com (296266)

KNOWLES PLUMBING

WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

MOTOR INSURANCE

For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 952 147 834, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 952 147 834 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Mon day to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygateinsure.com

Male/Female viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs avail able, all areas mail order. 604 385 476. viagra4you19@gmail.com

No 1 for all plumbing jobs big or small. Central heating, solar hot water and water deposits. Tel: 606 807 797 or 684 143 560 (296493)

SOLAR WIND POWER SOLUTIONS. Over 20 years installation experi ence. Established 17 years in Spain. Call Phil for competitive prices on 636 261 240 or email info@sunergyalmeria.com (295779)

SITUATIONS VACANT PROP FOR RENT WANTED

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

REMOVALS

SITUATIONS VACANT

Toyota Yaris GR Sport - sporting looks with comfort bonuses

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

THERE was a time when if presented with a small car and an automatic gearbox you would probably opt for a taxi. They were pretty terrible, a few still are to day, but many small auto matics have moved on much more than people realise. One of the most fun and best small automat ics is Toyota’s Yaris GR Sport.

Priced from €24,549/ £21,460 there is a single powertrain across the lineup, except for the rally in spired GR, a 1.5 litre, threecylinder turbocharged petrol engine and drives through an e­CVT automatic transmis sion. There is the Yaris Hybrid five­door hatch range, the Yaris Cross pseudo SUV and a rally inspired GR.

The focus of my attention is the Yaris GR Sport, which has the standard powertrain

but a more sporting look in spired by the rally bred GR. Three other trim levels are on offer and the GR Sport shares top billing in the range at €27,936/£24,420, and comes with an enviously generous range of standard equipment.

Privacy glass, dual zone air conditioning, smart entry

and start, auto lights and wipers, powered and heated door mirrors, adaptive cruise control, LED lights including high beam assist and particu larly comfortable front sports seats. Fitted with 18­inch al loy wheels and in my test car’s case extra cost, but looked wonderful, pearles cent Scarlet Flare

maroon/red paintwork.

The new Yaris has a pres ence! It doesn’t look like your average small urban hatch but on the other hand hasn’t adopted that overly aggres sive look which, in many peo ple’s eyes blights so many otherwise good cars. With GR badging and a sporting stance the GR Sport rides on 40 profile tyres, so although the ride is firm it’s not un comfortably firm.

There is a higher than ex pected level of road noise but it’s not such that it would impede your aural comfort on longer journeys.

It may not be a hot hatch, but it is dynamical ly well sorted and great fun on twisty roads.

The CVT transmission is actually very good, not always the case with e­CVTs, and even under enthusiastic ac celeration makes tidy

progress. Super comfortable seats make this a really good long distance car if needed, and returning an average 59 mpg it’s not going to cost ei ther.

This is a terrific little car and combines the best of sporting looks with economic and comfort bonuses. Per haps surprisingly, as a fan of large engine luxury barges, this Yaris is one I would be very, very happy to have gracing my driveway.

Facts at a Glance

Model: Toyota Yaris GR Sport

Price: €27,936/£24.420

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged hybrid petrol developing 116bhp

Gears: e-CVT Automatic

Performance: 0-100 km/h (62 mph) 9.7 seconds/Maximum Speed 173 km/h (108 mph)

Economy: 4.4l/100km (64.2 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP)

Emissions: 99 g/km (WLTP)

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

GR SPORT: A terrific little car with great sporting looks.

The next big trend

OWNING a car can be impractical for a number of reasons, including cost, limited space, or environmental con cerns. Subscription services have be come popular in a range of industries including apps on our phones, televi sion and film, and now motoring in dustry giants are increasingly looking towards car subscription services as a viable option.

What is the difference between sub scription services and leasing?

Car leases have been popular for years now, but tend to focus on pro fessional contracts, lasting around two years. Subscription services work on an individual rate, hiring cars for a month at a time.

How do subscription services work?

Subscription services offer users ac cess to vehicles in their catalogue for a set monthly fee which tends to be around €400. Users choose one car that they want to use for the month and pay a flat rate, based on the mod el, which they can then change after one month. For example, with one large subscription site, a Fiat 500 Hy brid would cost €229 per month, while a Jeep Renegade costs €663.

With car subscription services, users can ‘hire’ a car for a month at a time without having to pay the extra costs of ownership.

Why is it becoming more popular?

Car subscription services are becom ing popular in Spain, particularly in cities, where users can save on expen sive parking fees, choose from a wide variety of vehicles and be free from the burden of annual car costs such as yearly insurance rates.

Photo credit: Prostock-studio / shutterstock.com

BORIS BECKER, the disgraced former tennis star is to be de ported from the UK to Ger many, according to an exclu sive report on Saturday, November 12. The 54­year­old is currently seven months into a two­and­a­half­year sen tence that he has been serving in Huntercomb prison, Oxon since April.

A prison source told the publication: “He’s been signed up to a scheme that means he’ll be home in time for Christmas.” This early release scheme apparently allows: “any foreign national serving a fixed sentence who is liable for

Going home

removal from the UK, to be re moved from prison and de ported up to 12 months before the earliest release point of their sentence.”

Becker was found guilty of hiding £2.5million in assets while declared bankrupt but signing up for the scheme means he will probably be home in Germany for Christ mas. By agreeing to be deport ed, foreign offenders can have up to 135 days cut from their

MERCEDES driver George Russell claimed his first­ever F1 victory on Sun day, November 13, as he took the che quered flag in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Remarkably, after a pretty dour season, Lewis Hamilton took second place to give the Silver Arrows a magnificent one­two.

“Woahhh! Come on team, come on! 12 unbelievable. This is just the beginning guys! I knew we could do this! I knew it! I need some tissues!,” exclaimed the elat

sentences.

“Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity,” said a spokesman for the Home Of fice.

“We are pleased for Boris that he may qualify for an early release and be able to travel to Germany, albeit England has been his home for many, many years. I’m sure it will

F1 Victory

ed Russell.

“Congratulations to the team, thank you so much for your consistent efforts, this is an amazing result, and congratula tions to George,” a jubilant Hamilton said over the team radio after crossing the fin ishing line.

The 71­lap race was not without its

mean a lot to him and his fami ly to be reunited for Christ mas,” commented Boris’ for mer spokesperson.

share of drama though. Both Mercedes cars started from the front of the grid. Hamilton was in danger of going out when he was once again involved in an incident with his old rival and reigning world champion, Max Verstappen.

Fortunately for the Brit, his car was un scathed, while the Dutchman had to pit and have a new wing fitted. Verstappen was also hot with a five­second time penalty which more or less ended his challenge for the day.

Cricket legend tributes

DAVID ENGLISH CBE, the cricket legend who was also a former manager of the pop group The Bee Gees, passed away on Saturday evening, November 12, aged 76. He died as the result of a major heart attack he suffered on November 1, according to a national news outlet.

Since 1986, his famous Bunbury cricket charity raised in excess of £17 million. Piers Morgan is a mas sive cricket fan and was among the first to pay tribute to English. “Had many of the funniest days of my life with this wonderfully ebullient and brilliantly enter taining character,” he tweeted.

A famous tournament held annually by Bunbury Cricket for the best boys aged under 15 in England has resulted in the discovery of more than 100 England cricketers. Among those to have played are Ben Stokes and Joe Root.

“So sad to hear the news of David English passing away,” tweeted Jos Buttler, the England T20 captain.

“One of life’s great characters, so fun to spend time with and producer of some of the best English crick eters through his wonderful Bunbury Festivals. RIP,” he added.

Bunbury Cricket posted on their official Twitter page today to inform fans that after reporting ‘no brain activity’, David’s life support had been removed on Thursday November 10. They explained that he was ‘not going to survive’, but was “in no pain and will pass peacefully when his body is ready to do so.”

Tennis player Boris Becker.