Costa de Almeria 24 - 30 November 2022 Issue 1951

RESCUE REHOMING

AN adorable adoption event in Vera will give animal lovers the perfect opportunity to adopt a furry friend. Local ani mal shelter Paws­Patas are hosting a special rehoming event on Saturday December 3.

Guests are invited to enjoy a chat and some delicious treats at a coffee morning while meeting the animals at Paws­Patas animal shelter, and will get an opportunity to adopt a pet. Cats and dogs from the shelter will be pre sent during the event from 10.30am until 1.30pm to meet potential owners and give lots of cuddles.

The shelter works to rescue and care for mistreated and abandoned animals in the

ROQUETAS DE MAR counted more than 370 schoolchildren tak ing part in a day of activities or ganised to mark World Children’s Day on Friday, November 18.

The schoolchildren took part in different activities such as dances, Zumba choreographies, theatre workshops to encourage reading and workshops with scientific demonstrations.

The mayor of Roquetas de Mar, Gabriel Amat, stressed the impor tance of ensuring the rights of children and promoting activities that promote their physical and

Mojacar area and rehouse them to loving homes. The shelter has a lengthy history, operating since 1989 with the goal of rehousing as many an imals as possible. Its compre hensive policy includes rescu ing animals, and supporting them through foster care to adoption.

The shelter is funded by the tireless work of dedicated vol unteers who collect donations and man a charity shop.

The rehoming event is set to take place at the shelter’s outlet shop in Las Buganvillas in Vera and will also feature lots of great bargains, an excit ing prize draw and a lucky dip for guests to get involved with.

World Children’s Day

mental development through knowledge and physical activity.

“You are the future, you have the possibility to study and learn, you

must

ENJOY CUDDLES: You could give a pet a lovely new home at the Paws-Patas rehoming event on December 3.

Photo credit: Paws-Patas (via website)

take advantage of all the op portunities and thank your teach ers for the work they do every day,” said Amat.

A day of activities.

Image: Roquetas de Mar City Council

Sense of calm

MAYBE it’s the sea or the beautiful location, but the famous Spanish actress, Aitana Sanchez Gijon, has confessed: “Filming in Almeria gives you a sense of calm. I’d like to do it again.”

When it rains in Almeria it is considered a blessing and on Saturday, November 19, Ai tana brought her good luck to Almeria’s In ternational Film Festival (FICAL). Whilst un veiling her Star on the Paseo de la Fama, surrounded by umbrellas, applause and the affection of the people of Almeria, the ac tress joked: “It’s as if we are in a sequence of Singing in the Rain.”

The actress added: “I would like to relive that experience and shoot again in Almeria. The films that have been shot in Almeria are part of my DNA and emotional memory. I

have spent a lot of time here, I feel that I am part of the province.”

It is the 27th star, a new example of the good health of cinema in the province, and marked the beginning of 10 days of glamour in the firmament of the 21st Almeria Inter national Film Festival.

A MOJACAR bar went viral thanks to its free meal offer that turned up recently on Twitter.

Six years ago, the bar displayed a notice announcing, “If you are unemployed and have no income, we invite you to a plate of food.”

Carlos Rodriguez and Monica Escobar, owners of the bar which has a decidedly

Blaze extinguished

Betty Henderson

BRAVE firefighters in Vera acted fast to prevent the spread of a forest fire on Wednesday November 16. A small forest fire broke out in the El Hacho area which caused resi dents to call the fire brigade.

The fire was rapidly brought under control by the experienced force and entirely extinguished by firefighters from Levante as well as a firefighting In foca helicopter that was brought in to control the spread of the fire from above. Local Police in Ve ra and the Guardia Civil

also contributed to the firefighting effort.

Vera Council issued a statement to locals on the Wednesday morning praising the local emer gency services and asking locals to remain calm af ter the situation had been brought under control.

The causes of the fire remain unknown, but res idents had initially been concerned as videos cir culated on social media showed flames just a few hundred metres away from residential homes. However, 14 forest fire fighters worked quickly to extinguish the flames.

It’s solidarity not charity

republican air and prominent photos of revolutionaries and feminists, explained that they put up the notice at a time when people were going through a particularly hard time.

“We believe in solidarity, not charity,”

Carlos told the local Spanish media. “We don’t do this from a position of supremacy or a step above others. We do it between equals, giving what we have and can give.”

Carlos and Monica were surprised by the avalanche of congratulations after

their old, but continuing offer, featured on Twitter.

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary and I think a lot of people are public­spirited, but it doesn’t appear on Twitter,” Carlos said.

Linda Hall

The actress unveiling her star.

Flames and smoke seen in the El Hacho area caused panic before emergency services arrived with a fire fighting helicopter.

Image: Almeria City Council

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Vera (via Facebook)

NIBS EXTRA

First snow

AFTER a mild autumn with little rain and higher­than­av erage temperatures, winter has arrived with snow on the Sierra de Los Filabres, which is 2,168 above sea level. The Calar Alto astronomy obser vatory there registered zero degrees at midday on November 18, and its domes were covered in snow.

Christmas cheer

ALMERIA Province’s 110,000 pensioners’ Christmas bonus arrives early this year. As in July, they receive an extra month’s state pension in De cember, but instead of wait ing until the first of the month, this and their normal payment, will arrive on November 24 and 25, de pending on the bank.

Kitchen aid

ALMERIA featured in the November 14 episode of Celebrity MasterChef in the shape of a pestle and mortar made from Macael marble. This was used by Patricia Conde, Maria Escote and Nico Abad as they tried to fol low chef Nandu Jubany’s step­by­step video demon strating how to roast pigeon.

Safe jobs

BETWEEN January and the end of October, 133,633 Almeria Province residents were employed on perma nent contracts, compared with 27,768 during the same period in 2021, announced the central government’s sub­delegate to Almeria, Jose Maria Martin. Only 58 re main on ERTE furlough, in stead of almost 38,000 during the pandemic.

Fire hazard

TWO people were admitted to Torrecardenas hospital with serious burns after fire broke out in their apartment in Almeria City’s Calle Cam panillas on November 15. Passers­by alerted the Emer gency Services on spotting the flames and smoke which, investigators discovered lat er, originated in the batteries of two electric scooters.

Festive Open Day

THE Almanzora Group of Friends are organising another of their ever­popular Open Days.

It will be held on Saturday December 10 at their Plaza de San Antonio premises in Al box, starting at 11am.

“This is an opportunity for everyone, members and nonmembers alike, to get together to enjoy traditional Christmas fare of mulled wine, mince pies and sausage rolls,” an nounced committee member, Mike Witherspoon.

The Group of Friends will be

organising their usual enter tainments, including Play Your Cards Right, a raffle and tombola.

Record season

THERE were record­breaking statistics for an Almeria Golf Club during the month of October. Alboran Golf Club announced that it broke its all­time player record on November 15.

For the first time since opening its doors in 2006, the club reached more than 6,000 visits per month, which meant an average of more than 220 people playing daily. Meanwhile, the club’s yearly figures soared to 44,000, meaning that the club is likely to break its yearly record for players, passing 50,000 by the end of the year.

The council’s golf course is also expected to have a recordbreaking season, almost recovering to its 2019 levels, which were the best ever seen.

The successful season for the golfing industry is largely due to an effort to stimulate the northern European market. More golfers from Nordic countries than ever before have been choosing to spend the autumn and winter months at courses in the south of Spain thanks to marketing campaigns and bet ter transport links.

Charity fun run

MORE than 450 charitable folks descended upon Almeria on Sunday, November 20, in celebration of the seventh Solidari ty Charity Running Trail to raise awareness and funds for suf ferers of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.

The councillor for Sports, Juanjo Segura, attended the sporting event with the company of Francisco Manrique, or ganiser of the Duchenne Association race.

After the start of the race, in Calle Olula de Castro, both run ners and walkers covered a distance of about six kilometres.

Juanjo Segura said: “It is a new popular race that Almeria is hosting in order to support the lines of research into the dis ease. It is a joy to see the people of Almeria joining this cause and, therefore, we are proud to continue supporting this type of event, already consolidated in our sports calendar.”

Francisco Manrique, the organiser of the race, said: “This event generates funds, which are the profits from the race. It is a grain of sand among the many tasks that are carried out throughout Spain by affected families but it all helps.”

Picture that!

Open Day was also an oppor tunity for members to renew their 2023 subscriptions and for new members to enrol.

“Come and have some fun, meet new people and start the run­up to Christmas in style,” he declared.

The Almanzora Group of Friends was founded in 1998 to share information and give advice to people who had de cided to move to the area. It is totally self­funding and is not affiliated to any political or reli gious organisation.

For more information, visit their www.almanzoragof.org website.

MOJACAR mayor, Rosa Maria Cano, attended the inauguration of the Vera International Photo Club’s latest exhibition on Tues day November 15.

Over the years, in suc cessive exhibitions at the La Fuente Art Centre in Mojacar, members’ great progress has been plain to see, both in terms of the quality of the shots and artistic composition.

Nineteen photographers exhibited their work at this latest show, revealing 19 different styles with cre ations ranging from blackand­white to colour, from nature to human figures.

The club was founded some years ago by Robert Stan, a photography en thusiast who encouraged friends, among them Rod Westwood, to set up a col lective to discuss, learn and improve on every thing related to images.

Major comeback

A GRAND return for the Alme ria Jazz Festival as more than 4,000 jazz lovers visited the city to enjoy the 30th edition of the Almerijazz 2022 festival.

The event made huge strides in returning to prepandemic numbers as it took place from October 29 until November 13. Almeria City Council praised organisers for their mammoth efforts in bringing the festival back into the spotlight in the interna tional jazz calendar.

Performances during the fortnight consistently attract ed large numbers of fans with a buzzing atmosphere.

The huge number of atten dees means that the festival has also finally returned to the position it held before a hiatus in 2015 until 2019. Local coun cillor for Culture, Diego Cruz said “We wanted to bring Almerijazz back to its previous status and we have achieved that this year, celebrating the 30th edition in style.”

This year’s festival was a joint effort between local or ganisations and the regional government including the An dalucian Photography Centre, and Cineclub Almeria. They were able to secure huge names in the industry such as Kyle Eastwood and Kenny Gar rett through the collaboration.

Rod, a professional fash ion photographer, is now president of Vera Interna tional Photo Club which is regarded as the province’s most important photogra phy group.

The La Fuente Art Cen tre, Cuesta de la Fuente, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and on Sundays between 10am and 2pm until November 30. Entry is free.

Linda Hall

“You can browse our exten sive library of English language books and our books for sale,” Mike said, adding that the

JASS LOVERS: The Almerijazz Festival attracted plenty of fans for its 30th edition.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Almería

Street honour

THE former deputy public prosecutor of the Almeria Public Prosecutor’s Office, Fer nando Brea Serra, will have an Avenida named after him in the capital. It is located on the former Avenida del Teatro, between Avenida Cabo de Gata and Camino del Bobar.

The mayor of the city, Maria del Mar Vazquez, con firmed: “The professional and vital trajectory of Fernando Brea, a jurist of recognised sol

Image:

prosperity for Almeria.

“We pay tribute to two ba sic pillars of democracy such as law and justice while thanking Fernando for his four decades of public service, rigour, professionalism and honesty,” the mayoradded.

Avenida to be renamed.

vency and prestige, has its just recognition in an Avenida full of future and a scenario of

ALMERIA trailblazes in sports tourism after hosting the first Almeria Sports Destination Summit on Wednesday November 16. The Teatro Cervantes was the venue for the event which attracted sector professionals from throughout the region to promote ac tive tourism.

Organisers described the event as a ‘re sounding success’ as authorities developed a strategy to strengthen and develop sports and active tourism in the region. Profes sionals attending the summit aimed to identify successful sporting events and adapt them to the facilities on offer in Almeria.

There were free workshops and panel

Fernando Brea said: “It is a great honour, one of the greatest I could receive, I never imagined that my work and dedication would be worthy of such a high dis tinction.”

Top class

discussions throughout the day for profes sionals to network and develop policy for future sporting events.

The councillor for Promotion, Jesús Luque, highlighted the council’s support for the initiative saying, “Almería has an in comparable natural environment. It is a city that offers mountains, beaches, and even deserts, with an enviable climate that few cities in the world can compete with.”

Luque added “We have top class sports facilities here, a legacy of the Mediter ranean Games in 2005.”

Christmas clean

IF you were out and about in the Oliveros neighbourhood on Sunday, November 20, you may have spotted a deep clean underway, causing several roads to be temporarily closed off to the public.

The councillor for Environ mental Sustainability, Margari ta Cobos, explained that “fol lowing the planning that has been designed around the Christmas period, we will con tinue with the intensive clean ing work, in this case in an emi nently commercial area.”

Almeria City Council, through the Environmental Sustainability Area, also apolo gised for any inconvenience that the operation may have caused “but hope that resi dents understand that it is nec essary for the proper develop

ment of the tasks that include mixed sweeping, intensive sweeping, stain removal, to gether with the participation of workers and the usual machin ery used in these tasks.”

The intensive cleaning oper ation was carried out jointly by the Almeria City Council, through the Environmental Sustainability Department, and the cleaning concession com pany, Entorno Urbano.

Almeria City Council

Oliveros neighbourhood had a deep clean.

Image: Almeria City council

Linda Hall

ALBOX Town Hall has laid claim to ownership of the margins of the Rambla inside the town.

It accompanied the claim with a legal docu ment that was approved at a Wednesday Novem ber 16 council session,

That’s ours!

although the two Par tido Popular councillors voted against the mo tion and the socialists failed to attend.

The report cited a Jun ta de Andalucia project

that channelled the Rambla in 2011 and con firmed that the margins belonged to the munici pality.

On June 15, 2011, the regional government signed off the work, naming the town hall “the owner and pos sessor of the referredto margins.”

Despite this, the Junta’s Environment department did not provide the necessary legal statement, which has since pre vented the town hall from registering the land that borders the Rambla as municipal property.

It also stated that since 2011, the Albox Rambla’s channelling was “totally artificial” as its natural course no longer existed and the Junta project now set the limits of the watercourse’s publicly owned area.

Healthcare in dispute

Betty Henderson

A POLITICAL clash in Almeria as the left­wing PSOE accuses the conservative PP regional government of healthcare chaos. The PSOE expressed their dismay that hospital waiting lists have grown a staggering 80 per cent under governing Moreno Bonilla.

As hospital waiting lists reach nearly 18,500 in Huer cal­Overa, the PSOE criticised the PP’s governance in the re gion, particularly at La Inmac ulada Hospital. It denounced their management calling it “the intentional dismantling

of public healthcare in Alme ria.”

Almeria General Secretary of the PSOE, Juan Antonio Lorenzo, along with his Huer cal­Overa counterpart, Fran cisca Fernández, visited the hospital to take a look at the situation. They were outraged

by the figures in the hospital which include delays of more than four months in seven de partments.

Lorenzo highlighted the hu man cost of the delays saying “We are talking about an un acceptable growth rate in waiting lists. And let’s not for get these are vulnerable peo ple who are already suffering before we factor in the stress of uncertainty and the fear of not being seen in time.”

The PSOE say they would handle public healthcare in a more efficient and public­ori ented manner.

Young people’s opportunities

CODEUR, the company responsible for Vera’s water, was present at the recent Employment Fair held between November 10 and 12.

Organised by Almeria’s Chamber of Com merce and Vera Town Hall, the event, which at tracted more than 50 firms, was aimed at the 16 to 30 age group looking for work and registered with the national Youth Guarantee System.

Those attending had the chance of leaving their CVs and learning more about Codeur and

the professionals who work for the company, which is partly publicly­owned.

“It was an enriching experience as we could introduce the young people to our work while they were able to get to know us and hand in job applications,” said Vera’s deputy mayor Alfonso Garcia, who is also Codeur’s CEO.

“Our presence at the fair responded to our commitment to employability for young people, to help them enter the job market.”

Members of the PSOE visit La Inmaculada Hospital.

Photo credit: PSOE

Most beautiful towns

Betty Henderson

REGIONAL acclaim for Nijar as the town was selected to attend a congress on the Most Beautiful Towns in Spain. Representatives from the town council attended the conference on November 12 and 13. During the conference, other southern towns that have also been dis tinguished for their beauty discussed the issues facing them in the current climate. Issues dis cussed include the ‘calima’ dust phenomenon that has affected many of the towns in the past year. Representatives from the towns also dis cussed cultural heritage and important regional festivals. The group developed a strategy which it hopes to further develop with collaboration from the Secretary of State for Tourism. The town was previously selected for the

A FLAMENCO spectacle was held in Almeria to celebrate the International Day of Fla menco which took place on November 16.

A whole host of groups put on an entertaining pro gramme of dance and cultur al activities to celebrate the region’s iconic dance style. The International Day of Fla menco got off to an early start as more than 1,000 local

honour of being one of the ‘Most Beautiful Towns’ in Spain due to its varied architecture that has stood the testament of time, including Moorish buildings and town planning, its arti san industries and beautiful backdrop, nestled in the Sierra Alhamilla, 300 metres above sea level. The town’s culture and gastronomy also singled it out for the distinction.

Flamenco ‘flashmob’

schoolchildren gathered in front of the Museo de Alme ria to watch a special show by the young people at the Kina Jiménez Dance Conser vatory.

Later on, at 5pm a flamen co ‘flashmob’ took place at the Mirador de la Rambla to the delight of surprised on lookers, before returning to

the Museo de Almer’a at 7pm. Five other flamenco performances took place in the city on the same day.

Another performance by singer Rocío Segura from the balcony of the Casa de las Mariposas impressed locals and visitors as she attempted to take flamenco back to its roots.

Representatives from Níjar attended a summit on the Most Beautiful Towns in Spain.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Níjar (via Facebook)

Take the plunge

Linda Hall

NIJAR was present at the re cent Dive Travel Show trade fair in Madrid. This was also attended by Malta, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Sey chelles as well as diving cen tres from all over Andalucia.

“We have to single out Isub from San Jose and Buceo Las Negras, who both have the SICTED quality seal,” said Ni jar’s mayor Esperanza Perez. “They are a good and recog nised letter of introduction for events like these.

“Diving in Nijar is special be cause people can immerse themselves in the waters of a Maritime Terrestrial national

park like no other in Europe.”

Perez said that while diving in Cabo de Gata you were as likely to come across a monk fish as Almeria­born David Bisbal, one of Spain’s most popular singer­songwriter­ac tors, who is also a keen diver.

The mayor also pointed out that the local government

was investing important amounts to enable Integral System of Quality in Tourism Destinations (SICTED) recogni tion to become habitual throughout the area.

Thirty­nine Nijar establish ments now bore the SICTED seal, Perez said, five of them linked to the town hall.

On your bike

THE famous Tour of Almeria Bike Race Vuelta Ciclista a Almeria will have the hon our of starting from Huercal­Overa in Febru ary 2023

In the municipality of Huercal, the first stage of the Vuelta Ciclista a Almeria 2023 will pass through many of its districts, with two of the main points being located in San ta Maria de Nieva, with a mountain pass, and in El Saltador, with a special sprint.

This first stage will pass through different municipalities of the Levante Almeriense, such as Pulpi and Vera, before finishing in Mojacar playa, after 84 kilometres.

The mayor, Domingo Fernandez, is pleased that Huercal­Overa will again host a stage of the Vuelta Ciclista a Almeria, he con firmed: “Once again we have the opportuni ty to enjoy cycling in our municipality with a stage that will pass through both the town centre and the districts. The town hall sup ports and will continue to support this sport ing event that brings together numerous rid ers from all corners of Spain.”

Huercal­Overa also hosted this year’s Spanish Masters Cycling Championship, which attracted more than 800 participants from all over Spain to the town.

Award for Almeria

THE sub­delegate of the government, Jose Maria Martin Fernandez, re ceived the En Familia Award for insti tutional excellence for the work he carried out during his time as a terri torial delegate of Equality, Health and Social Policies, a position he held from the beginning of 2016 until the end of 2018.

The Association ‘En Familia Por Derecho’ wanted to recognise Jose’s work in promoting the foster care pro gramme, a child protection measure which, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Law 14/2010 on the Rights and Opportuni ties of Children and Adolescents, takes precedence over residential care, but about which there is still a great deal of ignorance.

In order to address this issue, the Association has organised its first

Provincial Conference on Foster Care. Jose expressed his “pride and grati tude” for the award and spoke of the importance of childhood experiences.

There are currently 139 children in the province of Almeria with 115 fam ilies, but there are still 19 children be tween one and three years old who are still waiting to find a foster family.

MADRID VISIT: Nijar attended the Dive Travel Show trade fair.

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com/ Sergiy Zavgorodny

EXCELLENT WORK: Promoting foster care.

Image: Almeria City Council

The cost of living longer

BY making the lifestyle choice to retire in Spain, you’ll want to make the most of what the coun try has to offer, hopefully well in to the future. This may be longer than you expect. Thanks to medi cal advances and a better quality of life, people are generally living longer than before.

Living to a ripe old age does sound appealing, provided we are healthy enough. There are, howev er, implications at both personal and government levels, with the key issue being: can we afford it?

The longer we live, the longer we need our savings to last. For peace of mind, assess whether your re sources are on track to last through out your lifetime.

Income and inflation

The inflation levels we have seen this year are certainly an eye-opener on how it can impact our monthly living costs, but even low levels, compounded year after year, will re duce how far a fixed income will

By Jon Pemberton, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks

stretch in the future.

Say, for example, you spend €5,000 a month. Assuming an in flation rate of 3% a year, in 10 years’ time you could need €6,720 a month to maintain the same spending, and €9,030 in 20 years. Your capital and income would need to grow by the same amount to maintain the same standard of living.

Making your savings and in vestments last

Many retirees favour safer invest ments like bank deposits in their later years. But with a potential 30 years or more to fund in retirement, this can be a risky strategy.

British expatriates also need to factor in exchange rate risk. If you receive income in pounds while spending euros daily, depending on currency movements you may find your money does not go as far.

By following some key invest ment principles and taking special ist guidance you can invest your capital to give it the opportunity to keep pace with inflation, while keeping risk to a comfortable level. Start by establishing your risk pro file then carefully build a well-diver sified portfolio to suit your circum stances, needs and objectives.

A taxing problem – not just for governments

Rising life expectancy is expen sive for governments. The higher

the proportion of older people, the greater the costs of services like state pensions and healthcare – and with fewer taxpayers to fund it. The solution usually lies in pen sion or healthcare reforms and tax increases to finance these escalating expenses.

Higher taxation can be a threat to your financial security in retirement as it also erodes income. Person alised tax planning is vital to make use of available opportunities so you do not pay more tax than nec essary.

With many arrangements you can combine your tax and invest ment planning in one exercise, al lowing you to tackle the twin threats of tax and inflation.

Getting the most from your pensions

Pensions are often the key to fi nancial security in retirement. Care fully weigh the pros and cons of all your options. Consider your in come needs, investment options

and risk, currency risk, tax implica tions and what happens on death.

There may be ways to make pen sion funds go further, but take reg ulated advice to avoid pension scams and establish the best ap proach for your objectives and cir cumstances.

Leaving wealth behind

Estate planning is complex –more so for expatriates who have to consider the inheritance regime of two countries and how they inter act, and navigate foreign inheri tance taxes and succession laws. Spain, for example, imposes forced heirship. If your family includes children from previous marriages, be particularly careful to ensure ev eryone benefits in accordance with your wishes.

Whatever your stage of life, good financial planning can help you af ford the lifestyle you want, for as long as you need, so you can focus on enjoying your retirement in Spain.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

giving is becoming increasingly fash ionable across Europe too, both with US expats and those who just want to get involved in the festive fun.

This year it is celebrated on Thurs day, November 24 and the day has a fascinating history.

In the United States, Thanksgiving history is almost always traced back to 1621 and the event is commonly known as the First Thanksgiving. It was celebrated by the Pilgrim Fa thers, a group of European settlers of the Plymouth Colony, which is today part of the state of Massachusetts.

The Pilgrims were celebrating their first harvest in the New World and marked the occasion with a lavish three­day feast, which was attended by both Pilgrims and Native Ameri cans. It is believed that the Pilgrims were influenced by similar practices in Europe.

In the aftermath, many other colonies set aside specific days for

into a federal holiday, on the fourth Thursday of November, by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

Today, in the United States, the Thanksgiving celebration largely cen tres around eating a large meal, which almost always includes turkey. Other traditional foods eaten on Thanksgiving include pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Typically, Americans will spend the day with their family or a group of friends and give thanks for the things they feel fortunate to have in their lives.

This sometimes has a religious ele ment, with many people attending religious services or saying a prayer before eating their meal.

While Spain itself does not cele brate Thanksgiving, there are an in credible 38,812 American expats liv ing in the country, sparking a rise in

Roast turkey is traditional.

Pumpkins are popular too.

Anti-corruption agency

Betty Henderson

A MAJOR international organisation hosted its General Assembly in Madrid from November 15 to 17.

The GLOBE network (Global Operational Network of Anti­Corrup tion Law Enforcement Authorities) brought to gether more than 120 professionals in the field for the crucial in ternational event.

Madrid played host as

THE Spanish Data Protec tion Agency (Agencia Es pañola de Protección de Datos), on November 19, has fined a courier firm €70,000 for delivering a parcel to a neighbour of the addressee, absent from his home, without his consent.

The claimant had placed an order over the Internet which, due to his absence, was delivered to one of his neighbours,

the conference was held outside of Vienna for the first time in its his tory. Spain also current ly holds presidency of the organisation through its Guardia Civ il, National Police and Antifraud Service, and will hold this role for the next three years.

The GLOBE network was created in 2021 by a United Nations agency to fight the scourge of corruption, as a net

work of corruption ex perts that investigate possible cases of cor ruption and fraud. To date, 125 agencies from 69 countries have signed up to the net work.

During the confer ence, a Plenary meeting was attended by more than 170 experts, dis cussing current and fu ture corruption threats faced by member states.

No one home

without prior notice and, therefore, without his ex press consent.

The owner of the pack age originally filed a claim against the online seller, which the court rejected, and so he lodged an ap peal, accusing the deliv ery company of breaching his personal data rights.

Finding in his favour,

the AEPD held that the courier company had transferred the com plainant’s data to a third party without his con sent, which entails a breach of the principles of integrity and confidential ity in the General Data Protection Act and fined the courier a total of €70,000.

Powerful protest

A HUGE protest in Madrid saw at least 200,000 people take to the streets to de mand improvements to the public healthcare system and defend it against pri vatisation.

The protest on Sunday November 13 was organ ised by health unions and workers, community groups and left­wing political par ties.

Protestors expressed their concerns at increasing privatisation of the public healthcare system and its restructuring by the regional government. Some medical professionals in the region are already on strike over the new model for health care, with 5,000 GPs expect ed to join them.

The restructuring of the public health system in

Madrid has been criticised for the heavy workload it gives doctors, and lack of patient­oriented care it gives.

Madrid’s regional rightwing government dismissed the protest calling it ‘a re sounding failure’, also accus ing left­wing political parties of taking advantage of fears about changes to the sys tem.

Train operator launches

THE red­coloured Iryo passenger trains belong ing to Spain’s third high­speed train network company will begin their commercial operation on Friday, November 25. With an investment of €800 million made in this new enterprise, they join Renfe’s AVE and Ouigo convoys, along with the low­cost brand operator AVLO, in offering competitive rail trav el to passengers in Spain, according to a nation al news outlet. Unlike AVLO and Ouigo, which took eight and 17 months, respectively, to reach their second destination of Valencia, Iryo will do so almost immediately on December

16. They then plan to continue inaugurating more connections throughout the country in 2023. Iryo plans to arrive in the Andalucian cities of Sevilla, Malaga, Antequera, and Cordo ba, on March 31. Alicante is scheduled for June 2, 2023.

Spain’s newest train operator stressed that it comes with a proposal that is complementary to the current one: “of high quality, with com petitive prices, and with a sufficient number of frequencies, to try to be one of the favourite companies for both leisure and business trav ellers.”

Everyone needs a Marie Carmen

BUYING a home in Spain is different from the US. Here, it is nor mal for the house to come completely fur nished. Great, if you are moving from overseas and have nothing but suitcases.

Not so great if you have lived here and fur nished an apartment before buying your for ever home.

When we moved to our house, we were un aware that when our moving vans arrived from our apartment in Valencia that they would be unloading our personal furniture into a fully furnished home. Surprise! There was no room for it in the house. Luckily, a superhero would arrive at the

scene in the nick of time.

Our new neighbour, Marie Carmen, popped over to welcome us with a wheelbarrow full of vegetables from her garden.

She swiftly diagnosed the problem and got on her mobile phone. A man arrived in a lorry pulling a trailer. Then she worked magic, or ganising the movers, the trailer guy, and me.

Via sign language, Google translate and my broken español, Marie Carmen, with whom we had been acquainted for less than an hour, whipped us all into shape, extracting the furniture we didn’t want into the trailer, while marshalling the movers to unload our furniture into the house

Joint effort

A SPANISH and British ship building consortium has won a £1.6 billion contract to build three supply ves sels for the UK Navy.

Announced by Ben Wal lace the Minister of De fence on Wednesday, November 16, the con tract has special signifi cance given Brexit and the sensitivity of defence con tracts. Navantia’s British subsidiary will complete the work in partnership with Harland & Wolff and BMT, and is said to include the technology transfer of the latest in digital equip ment. The ships will be second only to the aircraft carriers in length measur ing some 216 metres each and will be built in the Harland & Wolff shipyards in Belfast (Northern Ire land) and those of Apple dore (west of the United Kingdom).

Key work will also be undertaken in the Navan tia shipyard in Puerto Real

in Cadiz, however the inte gration of the ships and their systems will take place entirely in Belfast.

and the overflow into the barn.

It took a few hours. Afterwards, Marie Car men smiled then left. As we sat on our sofa, Jeff shook his head.

“How did all that just happen?” he asked, amazed.

I had no answer. All I know is that everyone needs a Marie Carmen.

Do you know a Marie Carmen?

Has someone in Spain done you a good turn?

Say thank you by nominating them for Age in Spain’s Good Neighbour Award.

The winner will re ceive a formal letter of recognition from the UK Ambassador to Spain... and enjoy a celebration dinner for two. To nomi nate someone, click on www.ageinspain.org

DESTROYER: Three new vessels are to be built for the UK Navy.

The three ships, on which work will begin in 2025, will supply supplies and ammunition to Royal Navy ships deployed on missions.

Righting history

THE first lawsuit under the new Law of Histori cal Memory has been brought in Spain. The case announced on Wednesday, November 16 by a Spanish news outlet sees the National Police Station in Via Lai etana in Barcelona being sued for its involvement in Francoist crimes.

The new law is hoped will bring closure for many who suffered at the hands of Franco.

Franco remains a con troversial figure in Spain with his reign marked by brutal repression that

saw tens of thousands murdered.

But he is also credited with greatly improving the quality of life in Spain, the country hav ing fallen from grace and into poverty.

The dictator allowed social and economic re form, but remained in full control from the centre with a highly au thoritarianism and na tionalistic approach.

Many expect to see a flurry of cases that may help to bring some heal ing, but which also may open old wounds.

Peter McLaren­Kennedy

Credit Navantia website

A LONDON Guess store is on alert after the famed artist Banksy sug gested on Instagram that people should shoplift there.

By Saturday, November 19 more than 1.3 million had liked his post with many commenting that the post is probably the

Help yourself

most publicity the store will ever get.

Others suggested that maybe it is a ploy by the artist and the company to raise awareness of the

brand, whilst other said they did not think he would stoop that low.

The situation arose af ter the Guess store used his image in their shop

window with the tagline: ‘Guess x Brandalised with graffiti by Banksy’.

In response Banksy said that the company did not have his approval to use the image or his name.

The post said: “Atten tion all Shoplifters: Please go to Guess on Re gent Street.

“They helped them selves to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?”

Top earner

Peter McLaren­Kennedy BORIS JOHNSON has a new and very lucrative ca reer according to a filing of MP additional income pub lished on Friday, Novem ber 18.

The former prime minis ter has joined the speaking circuit with his first paid ap pearance netting him a cool £276,000. That’s more than £30,000 an hour for what was a little over a day’s work.

Johnson who is in the USA at present on a trip paid for by news mogul,

Rupert Murdoch, gave a speech at an association of insurance agents and bro kers in Colorado Springs.

The visit paid for by Mur doch cost around £11,600, the total value of which far exceeds a similar invitation by Theresa May, who was paid less than £100,000.

The excessive fee comes at a time when many peo ple are struggling to make ends meet, further high lighting the gap between those at the top end of the earning spectrum and those at the bottom.

Off the menu

GORDON RAMSAY’S three­star Michelin restau rant in Chelsea, London, was occupied on, Saturday, November 19, by a group of climate change activists. At around 6pm, members

of Animal Rebellion en tered Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and sat at reserved tables and produced mock menus. Their aim was to highlight the environmen tal cost of dishes like veal and steak that were listed on the Hospital Road restaurant’s menu, as re ported by a national news outlet.

“This restaurant is the perfect example of the in equality we face in the UK right now. Whilst Gordon Ramsay serves food costing a minimum of £155 per person, more than two mil

lion people are relying on food banks in this cost­ofliving crisis,” said one of the activists, 39­year­old Lucia Alexander, in a statement from the group.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs,” commented a restaurant spokesperson. “However, to force your way into a restaurant, disturbing hardworking staff and ruining the evening of guests is in credibly inappropriate and deeply disrespectful.”

The police arrived on the scene, but no arrests were made.

Celebrity round up

AFTER two weeks in the jungle the contestants are just coming to terms with their new way of life, and as things settle down the evic tions start with the viewers deciding who they want to stay in camp. Three celebri ties have already been evict ed with Loose Women pre senter and journalist Charlene White the first to go. It came to light that se cretly, the campmates were all terrified of being the first to leave. This was not be cause of the shame of going first, but due to the fact that nobody could stand the hu miliation of leaving before Matt Hancock.

The public had voted Matt to do six consecutive trials as the show entered its second week. He was so successful though that even tually the viewers stopped choosing him.

The prize for the biggest failure so far must surely go to DJ Chris Moyles. He came

out of the ‘Boiling Point’ trial with only one star, although he had collected two but dropped one of them and lost it.

Mike and Jill totally smashed the show’s famous disgusting drinking chal lenge, collecting all the stars by downing everything that was served to them. Mike even said one of the mix tures tasted nice!

Sleeping in the comfort able beds inside the RV has caused a lot of headaches. Firstly, Charlene refused to share with Matt, claiming that a big spider had scared

her. It was later revealed that she felt it went against her principles to sleep in the same space as the politician.

Sue and Mike were next to be given the luxury ac commodation. After one night, Sue could not stand Mike’s snoring and chose to sleep outside instead.

Television presenter Scar lette was the second celeb to be evicted from the jun gle. She was followed out on Monday, November 21, by Coronation Street actress Sue. When Ant and Dec in formed her that she was leaving, she was delighted.

MPs can now claim Christmas parties on their expenses fol lowing new guidance from the Independent Parliamen tary Standards Authority (IP SA). The advice issued on Tuesday, November 22 said that MPs can cover the cost of food and drink on their ex penses for the first time, but that they cannot claim the cost of any alcohol.

The cost of festive decora tions can also be claimed for both parliamentary and con

Xmas paid

stituency offices.

IPSA also said that MPs should be mindful of the cost of living crises and that claims: “should represent value for money, especially in the cur rent economic climate.”

Speaking on behalf of the the Taxpayers Alliance, John O’Connell said: “MPs who want Christmas bashes

should foot the bill them selves.”

The news that MPs’ Christ mas parties can be claimed on expenses will not go down well with the country’s elec torate who have all had to tighten their belts and scale down their Christmas festivi ties under the current govern ment.

Local skill base

IMMIGRATION Minister

Robert Jenrick has told UK business that they should be training locals and not look ing to foreign talent to plug skills gaps.

Speaking at the Confeder ation of British Industry (CBI) on Monday, November 21, Jenrick said that there are more than five million un employed people in the UK and that businesses should be looking to provide them

with the skills rather than im porting people who already have them.

Tony Danker, the CBI Di rector General, had called on government to allow for businesses to attract the tal ent they need to grow their businesses, making refer ence to the more than one million vacancies currently advertised.

But Jenrick said the gov ernment did not agree with

the need to attract skills from abroad and that they are committed to reducing net migration and that busi ness needed to do more to build the local skills base.

In principal businesses agreed with the immigration minister, however many will say that either a lack of more fundamental skills and moti vation amongst the unem ployed make the task easier said than done.

I’M A CELEBRITY: At the ‘Speak Uneasy Trial’.

Credit: ITV

Out of this world

• November 24, 8pm, Tapas Educativas, Classijazz, Calle Maestro Serrano

• November 25, 7pm, Ellas Dan La Nota, Cuevas de Almanzora

• November 26, 8:30pm, Micky Bronson, Mira Flores, Los Gallardos Leisure

• November 27, 6pm-10pm, Balloon Festival Sunset with DJ and Performance / Atardecer en Globo

• December 1, 10pm, Monologue Shelia Rivas, comedy show, Port of Spain Bar, Almeria

RESIDENTS and visitors can enjoy fantastic food until De cember 4 during the 10th edi tion of ASHAL’S Festival de Platos de Pelicula.

Members of ASHAL, the as sociation which represents the province’s hospitality in dustry, will be creating tapas described as De pelicula (like a film, and implying out of this world).

At the same time, this is a pun, as the festival is one of the parallel activities during the 21st edition of the Alme ria Film Festival (FICAL), ex plained ASHAL’s president Pe

dro Sanchez.

The initiative has the back ing of the Diputacion provin cial council and Almeria City Hall, together with other firms promoting Almeria gastrono my.

Almudena Morales, who heads the Diputacion’s Cul ture and Cinema department, accompanied Jesus Luque, city hall’s City Promotion councillor and Sanchez, toast ed the Festival de Platos de Pelicula the day before its November 17 launch.

“Each year, the hospitality sector greets the Festival by

Stars in eyes

THE famous line ‘Tonight, I am going to be.’ will soon be on the lips of singers in Mojacar when they emerge as their favourite artists.

It is getting closer to the date, December 23, when the Munici pal Music Band will return to the stages of Mojacar with the Your Village Sounds Familiar project, an idea in which music and singing join hands for a challenge that has not been done by the Music Band until now.

Amateur singers will imitate famous singers and their songs with the music performed live by the Municipal Music Band.

The idea has been very well received in the village, and there are already many volunteers willing to have a go at an idea which will undoubtedly be another attraction on the Christmas programme that Mojacar Council has planned this year.

giving a free rein to gastro nomic creativity, giving their creations the names of films that we all have in our collec tive imagination,” Morales said.

Historical music

ANONIMO IV is a group of musicians who practise histori cal based music. They have been giving con certs and conferences on a regular basis since 2003, which has led them to perform in various municipali ties and capitals of Spain, as well as in Germany, France and Portugal.

Historically in formed performance is an approach to the performance of classi cal music, which aims to be faithful to the manner and style of the musical era in which a work was originally conceived.

If you are interest ed in finding out what all the fuss is about head to their next concert on Saturday, December 17, at 8.00pm at the Teatro Casa de la Musica, Parque Andaluz s/nCarboneras.

For more informa tion or to book tickets call (+34) 950 454 238.

ASHAL INITIATIVE: Toasting the Festival de Platos de Pelicula.

Photo credit: Diputacion de Almeria

Sad news

MEHRAN KARIMI NASSERI, the inspiration behind iconic 2004 Spielberg film ‘The Termi nal’ has passed away at Charles de Gaulle air port. The Iranian man who claimed to be British, died of a heart attack in the airport on Saturday November 12 after previously living there for 18 years.

Nasseri was stranded there from 1988 until 2006 due to residency issues. After spending time in a homeless shelter, he recently re turned to the airport, where he died.

Nasseri lived a fascinating life, born to a doc tor father who worked at the Anglo­Iranian Oil Company in the Iranian province of Khuzestan. Upon his father’s death, Nasseri was informed that his real mother was Scottish.

He travelled to Britain where he studied a degree at the University of Bradford, participat ing in a protest against the Shah, causing his Ira nian citizenship to be revoked.

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After throwing away his citizenship papers, he became stuck in limbo at the Parisian airport until 2006. His plight inspired a multitude of art work.

Iranian Mehran Karimi Nasseri who inspired hit film ‘The Terminal’ starring Tom Hanks died at a Paris airport.

Photo credit: Tom Hanks (via Instagram)

THE latest episode in a spate of attacks on famous art work by climate activists saw protestors throw an oily black liquid at a Gustav Klimt painting. Climate activists threw the black liquid over Klimt’s Death and Life paint ing at the Leopold Museum in Vienna on November 15.

After throwing the liquid on the painting, one activist glued himself to the glass covering the painting. Ac tivists were purportedly part of the Letzte Generation Österreich, Last Generation Austria group. The group is sued a statement via Twitter

Oily objection

use of fossil fuels.

The painting was not damaged due to the glass covering the frame, but members of the art commu nity were outraged by the action.

Climate protestors threw an oily liquid at Klimt’s Death and Life painting at the Leopold Museum in Austria.

after the protest saying that they targeted the painting to raise awareness about the Austrian government’s

Austrian Minister for Cul ture expressed concern for the planet, but criticised the form of protest saying, “From my point of view, ac cepting the risk of irrevoca ble damage to works of art is the wrong way to go.”

Anger in Albania

PROTESTORS in Albania clashed with police during demonstrations on Saturday November 12. Demonstrators protested peacefully for around three hours before breaking a police cordon and throwing paint.

Protestors demanded an end to corruption and increasing poverty in the country. They gathered outside Prime Minister, Edi Rama’s office in the country’s capital of Tirana to make their demands. As the protests became heated, one arrest was made by police on the scene.

Other peaceful protestors held a vigil for two men that reportedly died while in police cus tody earlier this year. Outrage has been sparked in the country due to the spiralling in flation rate which has seen an 8 per cent price rise in essential products this year alone.

The war in Ukraine has been blamed for the price hike, while the government has been ac cused of mismanagement and corruption. Young people are also increasingly leaving the country for better chances.

Photo credit: Letzte Generation Österreich (via Twitter)

INTERVIEW with aspiring co median Lucy Amans who ar rived on the Costa del Sol just six years ago.

Having decided that she needed a fresh start, Lucy was persuaded by a friend to spend Christmas and the New Year on the Costa del Sol and literally within a matter of days, she found herself a job in Gibraltar and a place to live.

She is still in the same job but has lived in a number of different towns along the coast before finally settling on Estepona.

Lucy said “Whilst I enjoy working in Gibraltar, I don’t think I want to live there as it is a bit confining and I just love living in Spain and enjoying the way of life.”

When asked what made her decide that she wanted to become a comedian, Lucy ex plained that she had always been a bit of a joker at school and made people laugh, but had some problems with selfconfidence so never saw her self getting up in front of an audience.

That all changed however when she attended a one­off

Raising a laugh

shows.

By now they have expand ed to take in different parts of the Costa del Sol and are hold ing shows every three months at three or four Span ish venues as well as Gibral tar.

ence at the shows tend to re turn regularly, I’ve not had to cope with any heckling, al though I have a few put

downs ready just in case.”

Although Lucy won’t be performing in the December shows, she will be there on the door ready to meet and greet so visit https://www.facebook.com/ standupcomedyspain/ for de tails of the forthcoming shows.

comedy event in Torremoli nos before the pandemic and started chatting to British co median Nik Coppin who was also running a special course to help people become standup comedians.

“The comedy course with Nik was absolutely fantastic. In just two days I went from a quivering anxious on­stage mess to a confident new stand­up at the final show case. Some people even laughed!

“Nik and I became great friends and I suggested to him that there was a definite hunger for regular English

comedy here on the coast and if he could organise the comedians, I would find venues and cover front of house.”

Their first event took place at the Louie Louie club in Es tepona and was a sell out which encouraged them to keep going and they ran a to tal of four shows in 2019 be fore the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

Not daunted however as soon as it was considered safe and comedians could travel over from the UK, it was ‘game on’ again and Lucy even joined in for number of

There seems to be a real hunger for British comedy in Gibraltar as apart from their regular shows, the Rock has welcomed Alan Carr, Jimmy Carr, Russell Kane and Sara Millican and Lucy went to all four shows not only to have a laugh, but to study the come dian’s different techniques.

As she has become more confident, she has travelled back to the UK to take part in stand­up shows and plans to take part in the Brighton and Edinburgh fringe next year.

“My comedy is based on my life, it’s rather self­depre cating but not in a sad way and so far, it has been well­re ceived and because the audi

Lucy Amans on stage at Louie Louie Estepona.

Credit: Lucy Amans

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

World Cup

EVEN though Denmark is taking part in the World Cup Finals in Qatar, there will be no official Danish presence as the politicians are still trying to form a government and the Royal Family has decided to watch the matches at home.

THE NETHERLANDS

Not funny

LAUGHING GAS (Nitrous Oxide) has become the high of choice of young Dutch partygoers, but it will become much more difficult to obtain from the start of 2023 as possession, trade and production of the drug (except for medical reasons) will become illegal.

BELGIUM

Robot treatment

STUDENTS at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels have designed a prototype robot to help treat patients who need physiotherapy. With a shortage of technicians and a tireless robot that can adjust to patients’ needs, this could be a major breakthrough in recovery treatment.

GERMANY

Gassed up

THE European gas storage association GIE said that natural gas storage facilities in Germany have reached full capacity as the country has been building its reserves in order to ensure that there is sufficient to see it through the winter after Russia cut deliveries.

FRANCE

Bullfighting ban

SPAIN is not the only European country that allows fatal bullfighting and on Thursday November 24, French MPs will for the first time consider a total ban on bullfighting, although followers and young matadors in the south are campaigning against any ban.

NORWAY

Rainy days

HEAVY rain is heralding good news for Norwegian consumers and business as reservoirs are filling up much more quickly than expected and as the bulk of Norway’s electricity comes from hydro-electric plants, prices this winter are likely to be much lower than expected.

FINLAND

No entry

A GERMAN man riding a bicycle and without a passport or visa was stopped trying to cycle into Russia by Finnish border officials, but he was so determined that he jettisoned his bike and tried to walk though a forest before being caught and arrested.

IRELAND

Trade deal

THE much-heralded trade deal between the European Union and Canada may not be ratified as the Republic’s Supreme Court has ruled in support of Green Party politician Patrick Costello that it breaches the Irish constitution, although there may be a loophole to allow it.

ITALY

Tree saved

A 200-YEAR-OLD tree which was due to be sent to the Vatican for Christmas had a reprieve as no environmental impact study had been carried out and it wasn’t actually situated within the boundary of the council that wanted to chop it down.

PORTUGAL

Cheap gas

WITH Spain about to cut the cost of bottled gas, there will be even more reason for Portuguese residents who live near the border to cross over to buy their gas, which is currently approximately half the price of that charged in Portugal.

UKRAINE

Banksy surprise

SECRETATIVE Street Artist Banksy who is believed to originate from Bristol has not only never revealed his identity, and rarely admits to where he is working, has now admitted that seven murals in Ukraine are his work with one possibly showing Putin.

SWEDEN

Grammy awards

THE decision by Sweden’s most successful pop group ABBA to reform and release a set of songs, 40 years after their last studio album, has not only topped up their bank balances, but has seen them nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Single and Album.

Zara strike FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

Exchange approved

EVEN though there has been something of a hiatus in the val ue and trading in cryptocurren cy recently, Bitstamp, a Luxem bourg­based cryptocurrency exchange, has gained a virtual asset service provider registra tion in Spain and can now offer crypto­to­fiat and electronic wallet custody services here.

Great value

TRAVEL website Omio has ranked the hundred best desti nations in Europe for travellers on a budget based on number of free attractions, affordability of local transport, food and drink prices, free WiFi and even water fountains. The city of Granada with its large student population was Spain’s winner.

Excise duty

CAR manufacturers were disap pointed with the announce ment that with effect from 2025, British drivers who pur chase electric vehicles will have to pay vehicle excise duty which they believe will discourage drivers to go electric, even though the government wants to phase out petrol and diesel.

Football benefit

THE Spanish economy could re ceive a massive boost if the na tional football team does well at the World Cup Finals in Qatar. Reports suggest that many Spaniards, male and fe male, who support the team enjoy doing this in company, so bars and restaurants will bene fit.

Retail sales

ACCORDING to the Office for National Statistics, retail sales volumes in the UK are estimat ed to have risen by 0.6 per cent in October 2022 following a fall of 1.5 per cent in September, but are still lower than both last year and 2019 pre pandemic.

STAT OF WEEK £1.8 billion

In sports money talks

THE British government recog nises in sports money talks and is therefore taking action to try to protect fans’ access to the biggest global attractions.

As technology expands, so it is having to review its policy con cerning free­to­air ‘listed events’ rules as they affect public ser vice broadcasters (PSBs), includ ing the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

They are currently protected as far as broadcast TV is con cerned, so that viewers may have access to the biggest sport ing events which include 13 dif ferent tournaments including Football, Olympics, Paralympics, Horse Racing, Wimbledon and Rugby.

As more people tune in via catch­up and streaming services to watch sport, the review will assess whether including digital rights can ensure as many peo ple as possible can continue to access events.

Currently if, for example, the Olympic 100m final was broad cast live in the middle of the

night on the BBC, but all stream ing and catch­up rights were sold to a different broadcaster and kept behind a paywall, a wide audience may not be able to watch this important event.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “As we saw during the Women’s Euros and with the FIFA World Cup just around the corner, we know that enjoying blockbuster sporting events together means

so much to many people.

“Everyone should be able to watch these incredible moments of national unity, no matter how they choose to tune in.

“As viewing habits shift on line, it is right that we review our rules and consider whether updates are needed to ensure our brilliant public service broadcasters can continue to bring major events to the public at no extra cost.”

South Korea charm offensive

SPANISH President Pe dro Sánchez held a sec ond meeting this year with Samsung execu tives, this time during his official visit to South Ko rea on Thursday Novem ber 17.

This follows a meeting held in Madrid on August 31 as Sánchez wants help to grow the new tech in dustry in Spain, whilst Samsung has not only the technology, but looks to receive a sizeable chunk of the European Recov ery Funds allocated to technology.

After visiting the facto ry in Pyeongtaek with Minister for Industry and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, he held a meeting with

Samsung executives be fore getting ready for an other meeting the fol lowing day, this time with the CEO of the com pany, Lee Jae­Yong.

During the meeting, Sánchez highlighted the government’s “ambitious strategy” to turn Spain into a relevant player in

the semiconductor value chain through: a wide range of incentives and aid, attractive financing mechanisms, an ecosys tem in rapid growth, and the ability to attract tal ent and highly qualified personnel.

He dangled the carrot that Spain is going to al

locate €12 billion which includes €9 billion of pub lic money for manufac turing facilities and re minded his hosts that some large companies such as Cisco have al ready announced their investment plans in Spain, with new chip de sign centres.

Later during his first day in South Korea he paid a visit to the facili ties of the future Cer vantes Institute in Seoul, which is intended to facil itate closer links between the two countries and closed the 14th meeting of the Spain­Korea Tri bune, an event organised by Casa Asia and the Ko rea Foundation.

FOR years Spain’s international fashion giant Inditex appears to have had good industrial relations with its employees, but this is likely to change, with one union calling for a Black Friday strike.

There are actually three unions in negotiations over pay and all want to see shop workers gain substantial increases in order to bring them on par with those working in Inditex’s offices and dis tribution centres.

On November 17, the unions confirmed no agreement had been reached, and the smallest, the CIG which represents the 1,000 shop assistants who work in A Coruna is calling for the Black Friday strike.

No Deliveroo

THE sudden closure of Deliveroo in Australia saw around 120 staff and 15,000 riders out of work and an estimated 12,000 restaurants unable to make deliveries.

Although one of the reasons for closure was due to new federal laws concerning the rights of workers, many fear that the cur rent financial crisis worldwide will see other food and grocery deliv ery companies closing down in Europe.

In addition, as competition re duces, so global organisations such as Uber Eats may be tempt ed to up their prices which will in turn have a financial impact upon restaurants and consumers.

Prison dragons

SEVERAL local entrepreneurs and ex­offenders with their own busi nesses stood in as ‘Dragons’ at HMP Thorn Cross, in Cheshire where prisoners were invited to pitch for start ­up funding once re leased.

Proposals that were put before the attendees included a graphic design consultancy and personal fitness business and the en trepreneurs chose which business should receive the first prize of £400, with runners up receiving £300.

The money will be transferred to the prisoners by Entrepreneurs Unlocked, an organisation that is dedicated to help prisoners to stay on the straight and narrow following release.

is the amount that 27 million households in the UK shared in October in the first month of the government’s reduction of energy bills.

Credit: Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street flickr

WATCHING SPORT: The thrill of international football.

Credit: Pedro Sánchez Twitter

NEW TECH: A less than informal meeting with Samsung.

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Abrdn 204,20 204,50 201,20 1,46M

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British American Tobacco 3.342,0 3.343,5 3.296,0 185,42K

British Land Company 412,80 412,90 405,20 406,46K

BT Group 122,91 123,20 120,70 1,38M

Bunzl 3.045,0 3.048,0 3.007,0 182,45K

Burberry Group 2.099,0 2.113,0 2.075,0 48,46K

Carnival 700,8 711,6 697,6 132,46K

Centrica 94,20 94,52 93,12 2,12M

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.990,0 1.990,0 1.974,0 37,99K

Compass 1.824,00 1.831,00 1.769,00 546,35K

CRH 3.302,0 3.325,5 3.283,0 57,08K

Croda Intl 6.810,0 6.916,0 6.768,0 32,07K

DCC 4.315,0 4.339,0 4.299,0 16,29K

Diageo 3.690,5 3.692,0 3.669,5 267,00K

DS Smith 303,40 307,70 301,70 583,99K

EasyJet 375,20 385,30 371,40 871,22K

Experian 2.880,0 2.890,2 2.859,0 17,97K

Ferguson 9.684,0 9.794,0 9.630,0 85,02K

Flutter Entertainment 11.450,0 11.535,0 11.350,0 0,56K

Fresnillo 867,80 871,00 857,20 113,90K

Glencore 499,95 500,40 491,80 7,52M

GSK plc 1.386,40 1.387,20 1.368,60 668,75K

Halma 2.185,0 2.207,0 2.162,0 114,33K

Hargreaves Lansdown 826,80 837,80 814,60 234,69K

Hikma Pharma 1.428,00 1.438,00 1.427,00 4,07K

HSBC 485,40 485,55 478,10 2,65M

IAG 129,62 130,84 129,22 3,02M

Imperial Brands 2.149,50 2.151,00 2.116,00 271,53K

Informa 593,60 595,40 591,40 264,15K

InterContinental 4.763,0 4.787,0 4.685,0 65,36K

Intermediate Capital 1.191,00 1.206,00 1.177,00 225,58K

Intertek 3.894,0 3.911,0 3.863,0 28,97K

ITV 73,80 74,40 73,10 1,31M

J Sainsbury 215,80 217,10 215,10 507,49K

Johnson Matthey 2.001,0 2.052,0 1.996,5 32,23K

Land Securities 630,40 631,60 619,60 173,05K

Legal & General 260,80 261,30 258,50 1,91M

Lloyds Banking 45,66 45,81 45,32 17,72M

London Stock Exchange 8.056,0 8.108,0 8.048,0 43,29K

Melrose Industries 127,00 130,40 127,40 187,72K

Mondi 1.554,50 1.568,50 1.541,50 101,03K

National Grid 1.025,00 1.030,00 1.015,00 558,97K

NatWest Group 258,40 259,40 257,50 1,38M

Next 5.654,0 5.676,0 5.622,0 41,45K

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

Ocado 623,78 671,40 620,20 555,74K

Persimmon 1.295,5 1.306,5 1.283,0 184,13K

Phoenix 598,20 598,40 590,40 250,13K

Prudential 957,60 967,00 947,80 674,60K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.846,7 5.852,5 5.824,9 17,29K

Relx 2.309,82 2.310,00 2.272,00 421,16K

Rentokil 538,40 538,80 531,40 338,50K

Rightmove 539,20 543,20 534,60 369,60K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.319,0 5.328,0 5.263,0 342,12K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 84,39 85,90 83,45 5,17M

Sage 808,20 809,00 796,80 345,62K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.120,50 1.128,00 1.115,00 2,73K

Schroders 458,9 462,0 455,3 293,22K

Scottish Mortgage 782,18 792,20 782,40 439,68K

Segro 831,40 835,80 822,80 378,96K

Severn Trent 2.738,0 2.756,0 2.721,0 85,04K

Shell 2.328,0 2.351,0 2.310,5 1,43M

Smith & Nephew 1.065,50 1.067,50 1.061,00 139,61K

Smiths Group 1.584,50 1.584,50 1.567,50 196,32K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.315,0 11.400,0 11.165,0 14,10K SSE 1.691,50 1.717,24 1.681,50 45,22K

St. James’s Place 1.180,50 1.186,00 1.169,50 76,71K

Standard Chartered 583,00 584,40 577,60 511,42K

Taylor Wimpey 103,55 104,05 102,40 2,77M

Tesco 230,60 231,60 229,70 1,27M

Tui 139,25 142,50 138,00 941,88K

Unilever 4.085,0 4.085,0 4.034,0 362,18K

United Utilities 1.030,50 1.035,00 1.014,00 167,56K

Vodafone Group PLC 97,43 97,98 96,88 12,47M

Whitbread 2.514,0 2.524,0 2.483,0 48,35K WPP 864,60 868,40 861,60 627,10K

3M 126,76 128,34 3,15M

American Express 152,50 153,76 150,94 2,63M

Amgen 287,29 288,73 284,43 2,37M

Apple 151,29 152,70 149,97 74,33M

Boeing 173,89 175,19 171,53 4,68M

Caterpillar 231,43 231,84 227,63 2,80M

Chevron 182,99 183,41 179,65 7,64M

Cisco 47,79 48,04 46,86 30,76M

Coca-Cola 61,14 61,37 60,80 10,38M

Dow 50,07 50,52 49,36 3,75M

Goldman Sachs 379,20 382,83 377,39 2,37M

Home Depot 313,18 316,00 310,26 3,55M

Honeywell 214,53 217,35 213,16 2,97M

IBM 147,64 148,31 145,94 4,66M

Intel 29,87 30,26 29,61 26,84M

J&J 176,20 176,64 174,62 6,47M

JPMorgan 133,84 134,67 132,28 9,42M

McDonald’s 273,37 275,10 272,12 2,69M

Merck&Co 104,23 104,60 102,63 11,55M

Microsoft 241,22 243,74 239,03 27,49M

Nike 105,42 107,72 104,17 5,37M

Procter&Gamble 142,57 142,76 141,27 5,63M

Salesforce Inc 148,04 152,32 145,65 7,50M

The Travelers 184,56 185,87 183,24 1,47M

UnitedHealth 530,00 532,99 519,46 3,52M

Verizon 38,55 38,77 38,29 17,55M

Visa A 210,80 214,17 209,74 5,52M

Walgreens Boots 39,75 40,95 39,26 6,94M

Walmart 150,23 150,24 148,77 6,30M

Walt Disney 91,80 93,16 90,91 9,82M

Most Advanced

Most Declined

Farfetch Limited -11.27% 31.601M

Vertex, Inc. -10.12% 902,388

BellRing Brands, Inc. -9.55% 2.866M

Weibo Corporation -9.43% 934,625

360 DigiTech, Inc. -8.74% 1.224M

Trupanion, Inc. -8.41% 818,062

GDS Holdings Limited -8.19% 1.558M

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. -7.85% 15.283M

Tencent Holdings Limited -7.46% 4.215M

BUSINESS EXTRA

Recovery Fund

THE Spanish government has formally requested the third tranche of the Recov ery and Resilience Fund to talling €6 billion from the European Union thanks, it says, to the fact that it has fulfilled 23 milestones and six objectives set by the EU earlier this year.

Arena saved

FOLLOWING the collapse of the WASPS Rugby Union Club which moved to Coventry in 2014, the via bility of the Coventry Build ing Society Arena which is also home to Coventry City Football Club came into question, but it has now been purchased by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.

Bulgaria beckons

SOME 80 Spanish compa nies have created bases in Bulgaria, investing €800 million and employing 3,000 staff according to Economy and Industry Minister Nikola Stoyanov, who chaired a special breakfast meeting and briefing for Spanish fi nanciers in Bulgarian capi tal Sofia on November 17.

No Saturday delivery

HAVING recorded a £219 million operating loss in the first six months of 2022, the Royal Mail which created the concept of the penny post with almost same day delivery, now wants to save money by stopping Saturday postal deliveries. It still intends to deliver parcels six days a week, but has to obtain government permission to change its delivery sched ules. With strikes on the horizon and likely opposi tion to the change from publishers who aim to have many of their maga zine subscriptions arriving on a Saturday, the priva tised Royal Mail may find losses increasing.

UK autumn statement

JEREMY HUNT is going to hit the British public in the pocket as he announced his cuts and increases in tax for many, on Thursday November 17.

As first glance, it doesn’t seem to be quite as drastic as first anticipated and for pension ers the good news is that the triple lock will remain in place for next year, meaning that state pensions will rise by 10.1 per cent in April 2023.

He admitted that the UK has entered into recession and vows that his actions will help to make this as short and painless as possible, although many will still find themselves hit where it hurts most, in their pockets.

He announced a freeze on income tax thresholds, meaning millions of people will pay more in tax as their wages rise and Labour declared this a stealth tax as it doesn’t hurt immediately, but will affect tax payers in the coming years.

Unlike the previous, short­lived Chancellor, he is not going to protect the general public completely from rises in energy bills although there will still be some support, but expect to pay an additional £500 per year from April.

Highest earners who had earlier this year expected the 45 per cent top rate of tax to be scrapped, will not only have pay it, but at a new threshold of £125,140 rather than £150,000, although bankers will be able to benefit from big bonusses.

Benefits and tax credits will stay in line with inflation at 10.1 per cent and there will

be extra payments of £900 for those on means­tested benefits, £300 for pensioner households and £150 for those on disability benefits.

The windfall tax on the big energy compa nies will increase from 25 to 35 per cent, al though it seems likely that if they plough their profits back in to new energy or new ex ploration, they will be able to avoid some or all of that tax.

Generally speaking, the majority of budgets previously agreed with government depart ments will remain, but as inflation will dra matically increase their costs, there is effec tively a reduction in the value of the budgets and in the case of overseas aid, this will re

Raising prices

TELEFONICA has announced that it will increase Movistar prices with effect from Jan uary 1 following an earlier announcement by Avatel and Vodafone.

There will be no change in the special offer rates that consumers may have been signed up for until the agreed period ends, nor will there be an increase on O2 tariffs.

Basically, it is using the op portunity allowed to in crease prices due to the cost­of­living crisis which has meant that overall operat ing costs have risen sharply, so its action are not in breach of any Spanish regu lations.

Indeed, it argues that the average price increase of 6.8 per cent is less than the cur rent inflation rate and de spite the fact that clients will not be receiving any addi

tional benefits on services to offset the cost, the company insists that it offers good val ue for money.

Each package will poten tially see a different rise, with some as low as 5.6 per cent and some will be much higher than the average, so the company has undertak en to contact each customer over the coming weeks to outline the new charges.

Many customers of the

two largest internet and mo bile telephony suppliers be lieve that a price rise would be much more acceptable if the companies involved of fered a better service and as communications companies made it easier, especially for expats, to communicate.

As technology takes great leaps and bounds forwards, these giant organisations still seem unable to cut through their endemic bureaucracy.

main reduced until such time as the country can afford to pay more.

One area that he continues to support, (against the wishes of some members of the Tory Party) is the HS2 high speed rail project which has already cost £100 billion and con tinues to be a drain on the country’s re sources with an estimated £7 billion a year until the end of the decade being spent on it.

Following his statement, the Office for Bud get Responsibility (OBR) (which had been ig nored under the Truss administration) re leased its latest forecasts for the UK economy and government spending.

It believes that continued soaring prices will reduce consumer’s disposable income and taking into account inflation it will be the most significant drop since official records be gan.

In summary, the OBR expects hard times ahead, suggesting that GDP will continue to shrink by around 1.4 per cent next year which will see the national debt climbing by an un expected £400 billion boosted by the need to support up to 500,000 newly unemployed.

Things are expected to get worse before they get better with increased reduction in GDP in 2024 and 2025.

Only time will tell how effective the Chancel lor’s plans may be, but all could change dra matically if the Russian invasion of Ukraine ei ther intensifies and brings in NATO or if an acceptable settlement is found which helps to bring down energy and basic food prices.

Clucked off

CAUSED in part by Avian Flu and also because some farmers are finding it too expensive to continue, there appears to be a short age of fresh eggs in the UK.

Already Asda and Lidl are said to be rationing the number of boxes of eggs customers can buy and Sainsbury’s which normal ly only sells British eggs has confirmed that it is currently import ing some from Italy and they are labelled as such.

Therese Coffey, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the BBC that some supply chains get eggs from particular farmers, “But across the country we still have nearly 40 million roosting hens. As a consequence, I’m not concerned about the overall supply.”

Buyoyant tourism

THE

Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said on Thursday November 17 “this data is very positive, since one in three new jobs in October was generated in the tourism sector, which demonstrates the decisive contribution of this in dustry to the recovery of the economy and employment in our country.”

In addition, there are 22,441 more foreign workers than the previous month, bringing the increase in this group across all industries to 155,445 and the total to 2,462,109.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt leaves for Parliament.

Credit: HM Treasury flickr

Spanish tourism sector closed October with 2,543,749 workers registered with the government which was the best month ever and almost 110,000 more than in October 2019 before the pandemic caused lockdowns.

NEW CHARGES: Supporting sport at customer cost.

Credit: Movistar Spain Twitter

LEAPY

LEE SAYS

OTHERS THINK IT

IT On the edge

SOMETIMES I think I’ve lost track of the plot. (I can hear a number of readers chortling with glee!) Most of you will know only too well what my opinions are regarding the face less committee of individuals who in my opinion run the planet from their secret domains of power.

What I actually fail to understand is why they are allowing a minority in the UK to run slipshod over the public arena under allegations that they are not given the same impor tance as the majority, a ridiculous summation.

All the power happy leaders re quire, is to keep the citizens perma nently worried and on edge. This of course maintains them rushing about and fearful as to their actual survival, which categorically holds them under control.

I have always actually maintained the Saudis are very highly placed in the world hierarchy scheme of things.

The eight years I spent there was certainly an eye opener in my opin ions as to who actually runs world

affairs. One rumour that abounded was that when slavery was out lawed in 1962 they built a large town in the middle of the desert to accommodate the relinquished slaves. A few years later they bombed it out of existence; prob lem solved.

Could never prove it of course, but I was very friendly with a Saudi pilot who enjoyed a drink!

I was also proven exactly correct when I wrote that the murder of Ja mal Khashoggi in Turkey’s Saudi embassy would result in so­called perpetrators standing private trial and disappearing into a mid­east haze; which is precisely what oc curred.

It was publically announced that five were sentenced to death (later pardoned of course) the Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, professed to know nothing about it (ha).

All the so­called perps were im prisoned and, when all the scandal died down, were secretly released and now live lives of luxury with

the promised millions they subse quently discovered in their bank ac counts.

And that my friends is how our world is governed today. Those who have more money than they ever dreamed of have won that race. The only success left for them to achieve is power and the faceless mob knows exactly how to attain it.

If anyone gets too close, assassi nation awaits, even if it doesn’t look like it. Dr Kelly, Stephen Ward are cases in point.

Even I occasionaly glance over my shoulder!

Keep the Faith. Love bLeapy. Leapylee2002@gmail.com. Expatradioscotland.com Mon Fri. 1pm till 4.

NOT SO BEAUTIFUL OUR VIEW

ALTHOUGH football is probably the most popular sport in the world, not everyone will be glued to the TV over the next few weeks as the World Cup Finals unfold in Qatar.

What used to be referred to as the ‘beautiful game’ has be come tarnished over the past couple of decades with money gushing into the sport and top officials accused of either giv ing or taking bribes.

Rather than alternate between Europe and South America as was the case in the past, it makes sense to ensure that the finals do take place in different parts of the world and the suc cess of South Africa as well as Japan and South Korea speak for themselves.

There is a real interest in football in the Middle East as well as huge amounts of money from there sunk into clubs around Europe, but the decision to choose Qatar for this year’s finals is questionable. It is already clear that the country just can’t cope physically or emotionally with the World Cup and is already breaking its agreements with, for example, the decision to ban sponsor Budweiser from selling beer at matches. Accommodation for fans in overpriced, noisy con tainers is also not helping to highlight the positive aspect of attending the matches.

Whilst figures such as David Beckham and Robbie Williams are criticised for taking Qatari money, it should be noted that organisations such as the BBC and Sky have no obvious com punction about sending teams of commentators there and broadcasting the matches.

Hopefully England, Spain and Wales do well as the hospi tality industry in particular will benefit from showing their team’s matches.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Luscious lips Staying active

WINTER is right around the corner which means some changes to our health and beauty routines. The winter months can cause problems for our lips including dry and flaky skin and painful cuts. Our lips are the softest parts of our faces, which also means they are vulnerable to damage from colder weather. Here we share some of our top tips on how to keep your lips in good condition during winter.

1. Stay hydrated

The first tip for glossy, hy drated lips is taking care of your own hydration. It is cru cial to drink enough water during the winter to avoid dry, chapped lips.

2.

Ditch matte lipsticks

Matte lipsticks are perfect for adding a splash of colour in a classy way, but during the winter they can dry out our lips and draw attention to flaky skin. Switch your matte lipstick for a lip balm or lip gloss that can still add colour while keeping mois

ture locked in.

3. Treat damage immedi ately

If you notice damage to your lips from weather such as dryness or cuts, don’t ignore it.

Treat lip issues immediately by visiting the pharmacy or treat ing them at home. If you leave lips damaged they can be come even more painful and cause bleeding.

WITH the approach of winter, it can be tempting to curl up inside in front of the TV, but it is crucial to maintain a healthy lifestyle, even when it is colder. Here we share three top tips from health experts on how you can stay active, even when you feel like staying in.

1.

Take walks

In Spain we are fortunate enough to be surrounded with natural beauty spots in many parts of the country. With 16 national parks and more than 8,000 kilometres of

coastline, there are plenty of beauty spots where you can take a walk.

2.

Plan for the season

If you plan your exercise ahead of time, you may find it more motivating to actually get out there and go! Plan to exercise during light, warm hours, and dress appropriately.

3.

Try indoor exercise

If exercising outdoors doesn’t appeal to you at this time of year, try an indoor exer cise class at a gym or an online workout to stay motivated and healthy throughout the winter, while staying cosy indoors.

Defining mature eyes

THE beauty industry often talks about antiageing products for your face and skin, but what about your eyes? After eye creams, not much is said about how we can define our eyes using skincare products and makeup. But fear no more! We consulted some expert advice from a make­up artist special ising in mature make­up styles.

As we get older, our eyes can sometimes seem more sunken with darker circles or wrinkles as well as weaker eyelashes, which means you may need to adjust your make­

up style to highlight your natural beauty.

Firstly, experts recommend choosing a creamier product as a base for eye make­up. This way product won’t settle in wrinkles or stick to thinner patches of skin, which can make it look cakey. Secondly, blending is your best friend! While sharp eyeliner lines can look stunning, using a pencil and blend ing the eyeliner along your eye line high lights mature eyes. Skin loses some of its colour over time, so using a bold colour from time to time can really make your eyes pop!

DRY LIPS: Keep your lips hydrated during the winter by using a moisturising lip balm.

Photo credit: Alliance Images / shutterstock.com

Betty Henderson

Boost energy levels

Eat lots of fruit and vegetables in winter to keep your energy levels high.

THE winter can bring a drop in our usual energy levels. Lower temperatures and shorter days can affect our daily rou tine, making us feel more tired than at other times of the year. Here we consulted some expert advice to find out how you can boost your energy during the winter.

1. Eat a balanced diet

The busy Christmas season with lots of parties can some

times cause us to abandon our healthy diets, but it is crucial to eat a balanced diet to give our bodies the energy they need.

Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are especially important during this season.

2. Boost your vitamin intake

Vitamins are crucial for our well­being. Try to boost your intake of vitamins, particularly Vitamin C which is essential for the immune system and warding away winter colds. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables

to naturally increase your vita min intake, or take a supple ment if necessary, after con sulting with a doctor.

3. Exercise in the morning

Take advantage of natural light during the morning to get your body moving, this can wake up your system naturally, helping you stay in a routine. Maintaining your usual exercise routine throughout winter can also help you to prevent a dip in energy levels.

Winter hair woes

WINTER affords our hair some respite from summer humidi ty and beach trips, but that doesn’t mean that this season is without its own hair trou bles. Here we walk you through some of the most common hair problems during winter and how to combat them.

• Dry scalp

During winter there tends to be less moisture in the air, which can translate to dry and flaky skin on your scalp. Com bat it by switching to a mois turising shampoo or trying a deep conditioning treatment. A creamier shampoo can keep your scalp moisturised and al so keep dandruff at bay.

•

Static hair

The lack of moisture in the air combined with winter clothing like woolly jackets, scarves, collars can make hairs stand up on end. Hairdressers recommend using moisturis ing products throughout your hair to fight fly­aways. Use a

you, follow these tips.

conditioner on the ends of your hair, but also on the mid dle section.

• Hat hair

Hats are needed during the winter to stop heat es caping from our heads. But they can crush your hairstyle

and sap the moisture from your hair. Experts recom mend waiting until your hair is completely cool from blow­drying before putting on your hat. You can also flip your hair upside down when you take off your hat to re vive it.

Betty Henderson

Photo credit: marilyn barbone / shutterstock.com

HAIR PROBLEMS: Don’t let winter hair woes get the best of

Photo credit: Andrey_Popov / shutterstock.com

OdontoStetic Dental Clinic, Garrucha and Los Gallardos

THE team of professionals at OdontoStetic Dental Clinic, with clinics in Garrucha and Los Gallardos, pride them selves on their professional ism and closeness with pa tients.

With continuous training, the high­level and experi enced staff have a multidisci plinary approach to each pa tient’s case and will make you feel at ease during your treat ment.

Many people are nervous or fearful of attending dental clinics, especially if they are in pain or are anticipating exten sive oral treatment ­ not to mention the cost and dura tion of the treatments they may need. You can be sure that the team at OdontoStetic Dental Clinic, led by Dr

William Eljadue Lopez who has 26 years of experience and a passion for the field, will make you feel at ease. The clinic is an industry leader and uses the most recent and innovative technology to take care of your oral health.

The compassionate team at OdontoStetic can provide you with treatments including root canals, dental aesthetics, teeth whitening, orthodon tics, Invisalign®, periodontics, oral surgery, fixed, hybrid and removeable prosthetics, pre ventive dentistry, paediatric dentistry and implants.

Many patients are worried about the idea of implants, however, at OdontoStetic it is possible to have the proce dure without the pain. Old techniques in dentistry meant

that people usually had a less than favourable experience at the dentist’s office, but thanks to the addition of local anaesthesia and light seda tion, this is no longer the case. Particularly for implants, OdontoStetic will provide you with X­rays and an intraoral scanner to know the situation of your mouth and the state of the bone, before the place ment of the implants.

Although you will feel dis comfort for around a week, as long as you practice good oral hygiene to avoid infection, you could soon have the smile you always dreamed of!

Let OdontoStetic Dental Clinic be your trusted profes sionals and find a solution for you, with your first visit for free.

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.

GOD HELP US

TROUBLED , confused, clueless are just three words associated with dis orientated. Has your columnist Loopy Lee com pletely lost the plot? The current chaos in the UK that everyone knows is down to the mismanage ment of the Tory Party over 12 years of austerity with no economic growth, not to mention the dam age done by Johnson’s dis astrous Brexit deal and the recent Truss bombshell, yet his misguided ideology it is all the fault of the Labour Party and just re cently according to his lat est rants it is also down to the BBC, god help us.

Ramon Osborne Los Alcazares

Spot on

Just read your article in this week’s EWN which was abso lutely spot on as usual .

Best wishes, Brian

Supporter speaks out

You should be ashamed of yourselves for printing the ar ticle about Celtic supporters. They have a fantastic reputa tion throughout the world. Ask the city of Sevilla, 80,000 fans were there for the UEFA Cup final. Yes they left trash but not one arrest. I am not condoning leaving rubbish, but come on it is hardly trash ing the place. Celtic fans have an amazing reputation!

G McPhillips

Blue badge petition

Thank you Euro Weekly News for your petition relating to the issue of blue badges. I appreciate that this is another tan gled mess relating to Brexit and it may not be simple to resolve, but once again it is the UK expat community suffer ing. Many people with poor mobility are living a restricted life, parking close to hospitals and shops can be near on im possible. The beach is a no go, especially on weekends as it is so busy all the parking spaces are taken, although there al ways seems to be blue badge bays available and when you cannot walk far, the idea of a day at the beach is just a dream. I totally under stand why expats are moving back to the UK.

B Byrnes

Still ranting

Having picked up your paper whilst staying here for a month, I was im pressed to see how infor mative and interesting it was and the insight it af fords into the local expat culture. And then I read the rant by Loopy, sorry, Leapy Lee. I found his ar ticle chilling and it made me question what type of narrow­minded bigots live here. Please remove such politically extreme

commentary from your paper. He is clearly uned ucated and taints your otherwise useful and helpful paper, which should surely aim to be inclusive to unite all ex pats.

Diana Harrington

Voicing how I feel

I am 75 years young and have been coming to the Costa del Sol for over 30 years. I have read your newspaper for sev eral years while visiting Spain and online and I cannot help but agree with the comments made by Mr Lee. I live in Bat tersea and have seen my community change so much over the last few years, unfortunately not in a good way. The Na tional Health system is totally overstretched, my wife has been waiting for knee surgery for over 15 months and after having a fall waited for an am bulance for eight hours.

The police take hours, if not days, to respond when you report a crime and when they do come they make you feel like you are wasting their time. Our community is growing with immigrants who stretch the re sources, which I have paid into the system for over 50 years for. Thank you Leapy for voicing how I feel.

N Harman

Efficient, effective and economical

OVER many years Neater Heaters have be come the first choice of many expats living in Spain.

Behind our stylish Scandinavian designs are a modern state­of­the­art convector heater that can match any on the market for econo my and efficiency, and beats all the serious competition hands down on price.

The real secret of these heaters is the com puter­age technology in the form of extruded aluminium in the construction of the heating element. This material and the design creates a huge surface area for heat transfer, which means more air can be heated for less cost.

Neater Heaters use convection principles and are designed so that the electricity you put into the heater is converted to heat as cheaply as possible. When you turn on the heater the element warms up rapidly and heats the air around it, this air rises and draws more cold air into the heater. Be cause the element is extremely efficient and is designed to have a huge surface area, a

large quantity of air is heated very quickly. If your room has the correct sized heater it will take about 20 minutes to warm up from cold, after which the heater eases off and works at about two thirds capacity, (de

and

that will suit anyone, from the BEHA, (Blue tooth option or Wi­Fi option) and the NEO Wi­Fi, so that you can control your heaters easily via a Wi­Fi app but still being able to control them manually if preferred, or the trendy original style Neo with digital controls and a choice of colours and if you are limited for wall space, then available for purchase are factory designed feet to enable the heater to be freestanding.

However, a few years ago we went one stage further and added the Turkish made Vi go heater. This heater shares the design tech nology and ethos of the current Neater Heaters, but it has two differences: The Vigo comes with a carrying handle, wall bracket, and feet included in the price; The larger Vigo models take up less wall space and go up to 2.5kw. They also have a digital display that in dicates the reduced wattage that the heater regulates once the room has reached desired temperature, thus saving more money through reduced running costs.

economical, but as you would expect from a Scandinavian product, they are ex tremely stylish and practical. There is a model

There are various models available to choose from.

Advertising Feature Voss Homes Spain Property of the week

Villa Thomas in Urcal Village

EXCLUSIVE TO VOSS HOMES ­ A spa cious three bedroom, two bathroom villa with conservatory, H&C air­con, 8m x 4m swimming pool totally cov ered by a Florida style meshed enclo sure and car port on a garden of 401m2. Walking distance to two bar/restaurants, medical centre and small school in Urcal village

Just 10 mins drive from the popular town of Huercal­Overa with its twice weekly markets (Mon and Thurs) hospital, numer ous shops, restaurants, historic buildings, sports and leisure facili ties. Thirty to 35 mins drive to the coast at San Juan or Mojacar.

To the front is the gated drive way with car port for one car plus there is plenty of safe on­road parking. Passing the front of the villa through a small garden takes you to the enclosure that covers the entire 8m x 4m swimming pool and much of the tiled terrace which gives plenty of room for sunbathing and an

area for entertaining. Also outside is a useful storage room.

Entry into the villa is via a conserva

Run rabbit run rabbit

LINDA HALL

I CAN’T eat rabbit, and not only because we once had a rabbit called Harry whose full name was Harry Houdini because he was an escape artist.

As it happens, Harry, whom we loved dearly, turned out to be Harriet. But Harry or Harriet ­ he or she ­ is only one of the reasons I don’t eat rabbit.

The other is that it doesn’t taste of much.

My grandmother made us in credible rabbit stew that tasted of a lot of things and since the Spanish ate, and still eat, a lot of rabbit I was looking forward to ‘conejo con tomate frito’.

It arrived, heavy with fried tomato sauce and industrial quantities of garlic, plus half a severed head, still with its poor little buckteeth. After that intro duction, rabbit was usually off the menu and once we had Harry, eating it was unthinkable.

To tell the truth Harry eventual

ly caused us a great deal of trou ble because we lived in an apart ment at the time.

He (we still believed she was a he) had the run of the terrace but soon became bored and started to shimmy under the partition to go next door and eat Maria Luisa’s plants. She was a good friend, but over the year and a half that Harry lived with us she became less affable and more frosty.

A solution was soon found. An other neighbour, Lucia, had a smallholding up in Callosa.

Harry, she promised would have fresh air, wide open spaces and a natural death.

So off to Callosa he went, where he soon revealed himself as a she, ruling the roost in the corral, living happily ever after with many suitors and lots of ba bies.

We won’t go into details about the offspring though, as I’m well aware that they probably ended up at the table, no doubt accom panied by lots of garlic and to mate frito.

tory with mosquito netting making an ideal second out door living / dining area and looks out to the garden and swimming pool. The front door takes you into the open plan living and dining room with air con, log burning fire and ceiling fans. Next is the fitted kitchen with marble work tops, lots of storage space and

back door leading out to the side garden.

From the dining area a passage way leading through to two of the bed rooms and bathrooms. To the right is a double bed room with built­in wardrobes. To the left is the family shower room with walk­in shower. At the end of the passage is the main dou ble bedroom with air­con, ceiling fan, fitted wardrobes, ensuite shower room and walk­in storage wardrobe.

Also off the dining area is the door to double bedroom no 3. Both guest bed rooms have pre­installation for air­con.

Voss Homes is a British family­run es tate agents with offices in the thriving, market town of Huercal­Overa and La Alfoquia village (Zurgena). We concen trate on selling properties around Huercal­Overa, Zurgena, La Alfoquia and Taberno.

The good, the bad and the bonkers

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

sectors including the NHS, HMRC, DWP, local government, banks etc, where the failure to do your job results in a very poor or non­existent service to the public.

THE latest social media trend is ‘quiet quitting’, or doing the bare minimum in your job.

Two different view points seem to exist: those who believe quiet quitting is taking a step back from burnout (in which case it’s a positive thing) and those who think it’s checking out from your employment responsibilities (in which case, it’s, well, skiving).

Nothing new. There’s always been a mix of hard workers and shirk ers. Only now we have social media to make it a ‘trend’.

I get it completely when you’re in market ing or similar roles. How ever, the consequences of quiet quit ting are much more profound in

When your failure to do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay has a signifi cant impact on others, that’s unfair on colleagues and makes life even harder for those needing those services. Little wonder things are so bad in the UK.

Everything is blamed on understaffing and underfunding (which both exist) but nobody accepts the creeping lack of application which also affects those services...

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swimming pool, there is an excellent area for entertaining.

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POLITICAL ANIMAL

OF all the jobs around, being an MP may eas ily be the one most likely to prompt the ques tion, “why in the name of god would anyone do it?”

Of the top reasons why this is an odd, frus trating and ultimately often futile job (most political careers don’t end because some thing’s gone right after all) the first has got to be that of its very nature, it’s a job where every four years you have to beseech roughly 30,000 people simply to let you stick around. Apart from that, being an MP presents you with the somewhat unique opportunity to be hated simultaneously by the press, the general public, your opponents, everyone living within a five­mile radius of your home, and even your own colleagues. Add to that the fact that if you do ever climb the greasy pole to a ministerial position you’re often thrust, from the first mo ment of appointment, into leading the gov ernment on a topic you know almost nothing about ­ and then having to repeatedly talk about that very topic, in detail, live on TV with someone with the approximate sympathy of a rottweiler (this is of course unfair to rottweil ers, which are very affectionate animals). All this while, inevitably, a number of your col leagues will be trying to grab your job.

Why do it?

Yes, it’s difficult to work out why anyone would actually want to be an MP even if it was handed to them; let alone spend years actively campaigning to do it.

But yet.

Despite its inarguable weirdness, it’s also dif ficult to imagine another career that presents quite the same level of genuinely awe­inspir ing opportunity.

The chance to help people on both a local level as well as on a national or international level by changing a law that improves thou sands of lives (the Clean Air Act, National Mini mum Wage Act and NHS spring most obvi ously to mind). The chance to be a part of the tipping point that moves the world forward (the 1967 law to decriminalise homosexuality, for example, was only narrowly voted in by 57 votes). The chance to be a tiny part of history.

That’s got to take some beating.

Perhaps occasionally then, instead of spending so much energy trying to trip each other up, our elected representatives would like to remind us of this very unique privilege.

It certainly couldn’t hurt bridging the (cur rently vast) gap between the electorate and politicians in an increasingly cynical world. And you never know ­ it might even inspire the very next person to do something truly great.

God speed

THE British Benevolent Fund receives many applications for financial help from British na tionals in Spain. Many in des perate situations.

A life in the sun for some, be comes a nightmare trap with seemingly no way out for all too many. This is particularly so for the many Britons who retire to Spain in the hope of exchanging the damp cold north for the warm balms of the Med.

For those who come unpre pared for the many hidden as pects of day to day living this can be a rude awakening. We were alerted to a couple in their early 70s. He had worked in the Post Office and she in a school. They had known Spain from many family holidays over the years and had decided that this would be the perfect place to settle down af ter a long life of daily grind ­ in addition their children and grandchildren could visit in the holidays ­ it all made sense.

They sold their house and with the proceeds bought a property in Alicante Province and planned to live off their

modest pension and some savings.

On arrival in 2017 they did their paper work and registered for both NIE and padron.

Within a short time however things started to go wrongwith the first heavy rain they discovered the roof was unfit for purpose and had to re placed.

In 2019 she slipped and broke her hip. The replacement surgery caused additional trau ma in addition to the expense.

Both their medical situations deteriorated and they entered lockdown in March 2020 in an overwhelming sense of isola tion and vulnerability.

Their electricity was cut off in June 2021.

A house in the sun was now a house without light to see, nor warmth in the winter or cool air in the summer ­ and no hot food.

One day he went to the bank to draw some money.

To his horror his bank had without his knowledge paid the

Clayton of BBF.

year’s house insurance causing the account to be overdrawn and demands for repayment.

Neither utilities nor bank lis tened to plea for a repayment plan.

In June of this year, they made the decision to leavehowever difficult that would be ­ and that’s when the BBF got involved.

We were able to put them in touch with a partner charity, one of many that are listed in https://www.supportinspain.in fo/ a vital resource supported the British Embassy.

We cleared their utility ar rears. The lights went back on in June ­ one year in the dark.

They are in the process of selling their house and return ing to the UK.

God speed.

For more information about the British Benevolent Fund contact olaf.clayton@british benevolentfund.org

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

TONY NOBLE

ON Sunday, November 27, we start to celebrate Ad vent, which involves spending time in spiritual preparation for the coming birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. In Western Christianity, the season of advent begins on the fourth Sunday nearest to Novem ber 30, and lasts until Christmas Eve.

Advent is a time when many Christians make themselves ready for the birth and typically involves a season of prayer, fast ing and repentance, followed by anticipa tion, hope and joy. Christians celebrate Advent not only thanking God for Christ’s birth but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of the age.

The word Advent comes from the Latin term ‘adventus’ meaning ‘arrival’ or ‘coming’, particularly the coming of something having great importance, Ad vent season then is both a time of joyfilled anticipatory celebration of arrival of Jesus and a preparatory period of repen

tance meditation and penance.

Advent is a time when children start to get excited, especially when the tree and decorations go up. They start to write their lists to Santa, parents start pulling their hair out wondering where they can find all the gifts. I sometimes think that this time of the year is more exciting than the actual day. That is until I remember the wonderful gift that God gave to the World in His son Jesus Christ a gift that lasts forever and keeps on giving.

He gives us hope for a peaceful future, for a world without war, the equality of men and women. It is easy to look at the world today and say what happened to that promise, but like all things with God we have to be patient. When the time comes we will see the great revelation and the world will truly be at peace. Until that time we must continue to have faith.

May I wish you all a very happy Christ mas and a peaceful New Year.

Leaving sedition behind

CASSANDRA NASH

SPAIN’S government, headed by Pe dro Sanchez, intends to eliminate sedition from the country’s Penal Code.

Instead it will be redefined as ‘ag gravated public disorder’ carrying a maximum sentence of between five and 15 years.

We all know about sedition: think Guy Fawkes. Nevertheless, more than five centuries later sedition earned prison terms of between nine and 13 years for the men and women respon sible for declaring Catalonia’s ex tremely short­lived republic on Octo ber 27 in 2017.

That it was a farce doomed to end in tears was obvious from the shell shocked faces of the regional presi dent, Carles Puigmont and vice­presi dent Oriol Junqueras. The independent republic never did get off the ground, and Puigdemont made a run for it a couple of days later, selfexiling himself in Waterloo (Belgium), of all places.

Junqueras and eight others who re mained received prison sentences of between nine and 13 years.

They were pardoned in June 2021, a move not to everybody’s liking, espe cially the Partido Popular and Vox. As opposition parties, they oppose on principle any legislation not their own, but their mistrust of eradicating sedi tion is ideological and visceral.

Sanchez has insisted that with or without sedition, his government is no more receptive to Catalan indepen dence than previously, but did say that he hoped this would herald dia logue and understanding.

That won’t be out of the question with Pere Aragones, Catalonia’s re gional president whose party, Esquer ra Republicana de Catalunya (Republi can Left of Catalonia), is less radical than it sounds and has eased up on in dependence demands.

The same can’t be said of Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), re motely controlled from Waterloo by Carles Puigdemont.

Will he return to Spain to face the music once he can’t be accused of sedition but will still face gaol? Proba bly not. He dismissed the modification as a publicity stunt, doubtless because he prefers a comfy billet bankrolled by wealthy separatists. Even if it’s called Waterloo.

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

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

Sally’sopinionsareherownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Olaf

New star rating system

CAMPING lovers are in for a treat as Mur cia has introduced a new system to manage the quality of its campsites. Local authori ties voted through a motion at the end of last month that will allow campers to rate campsites using a star­rating system.

Most outdoors lovers will have had a negative experience at a campsite at some point in their lives, whether the facilities weren’t up to scratch, or it was too noisy. But now, campers planning trips to Murcia can rest assured that the campsite they choose meets a rigorous criteria.

The President of the Murcia Camping As sociation, Alfonso Morenilla, explained that the new regulations were “necessary”, to

have some control over the quality of tourists’ experiences in the region. Morenil la also highlighted the industry’s capacity to provide for winter tourists seeking sunny escapes, due to the warm weather and constantly increasing places on campsites.

The rating system will also offer different categories for different types of camping, such as glamping. The new system will im prove accessibility for campers, as it re quires campsite owners to offer access to parking spaces, toilets and other facilities in addition to a basic pitch space.

Many in the camping industry have praised the development, hoping that it will be rolled out more widely across the coun try.

AS the weather gets cooler, many of us will be missing the feeling of camping, but still wanting an outdoors holiday. Caravanning is the perfect blend of camping and staying in a hotel. Here we share some top tips from caravanning lovers so you can get the most out of your trip away.

1. Plan your stay

First of all, find the right site. If you have a caravan, check that you can pitch up there and if you are staying in a cara van that is already there, check what

Cyclotourism more popular

THE camping sector of the tourism industry experienced a boom during the pandemic, as people chose to opt for a holiday closer to home. Since then, the camping sector has been continually adapting to attract more tourists. One way it has been adapting is by promoting active and out doors tourism to attract sus tainably­minded tourists and offer new experiences.

So­called ‘cyclotourism’ has been increasing in popularity throughout Spain, and partic ularly in the north of the country. The trend sees cy

clists carry their camping equipment in panniers on the sides of their bikes and set up camp when they arrive at a campsite.

Campsites throughout the country have been adapting to provide better services for cycling campers. This is partic

ularly the case in Navarra where 17 out of 22 campsites in one area have created cy cling centres which feature bike cleaning and repair facili ties, as well as nearby cycling routes, to see the best of the area. These campsites are leading the national response to cycling tourism, a branch of the market that is increasing in size. Campsite owners have been taking inspiration from pioneering projects in Nordic countries, who are emerging as a crucial audience for cy cling and camping tourism in Spain.

Perfect caravanning

amenities it offers, does it have a stove? Or a shower? Also research the activities that the site offers and its location ahead of time so you can enjoy the time away.

2. Pack the right things

With a caravanning trip, you can pack fewer things in your car than a camping trip. You don’t need to bring sleeping

bags or sleeping mats, or a stove, but other camping essentials such as a head torch, camping chairs and outdoor cloth ing will still be useful during your trip.

3. Relax and enjoy your stay

Thousands of people throughout the world love caravanning, you have joined a great community, so find out what the fuss is all about and enjoy your stay!

Property of the week

DETACHED Villa with seven bedrooms on a large plot with double garage, located only 10 minutes’ drive from the beautiful beaches of San Juan de Los Terreros.

To the front of the property, private parking for at least eight vehicles, and here is access to the covered patio.

Enter the property into the spacious entrance hall, a lovely place to be. Through the kitchen is a winter lounge, with access to a very large sitting room, home to a traditional log burning fire place, plus a ceiling fan. Large family sized property with a fully fitted kitchen with modern appliances.

There are five very spacious bed rooms, three bathrooms, one of them en suite.

To the rear outside of the villa, there is a private terrace area with a unique

design 8m x 5m family pool, a large covered terrace with a built­in bar­room with an out door kitchen, including cooker, fridge and freezer, toilet facili ties next to the pool, along with a shower cubicle.

From the pool area, stairs lead up to a very spacious sun on this upper level a door that leads to

the separate private flat with two bedrooms, a storage space, a shower room, an open plan kitchen area that has a private terrace and an open plan lounge diner with a tradi tional log burning fire.

The property has many extras, two garages, full double glazing, grills fitted to every window, fly screens, an osmosis system, a 30,000­litre water deposit, cavity wall insulation, internet access, Spanish and UK satellite TV is connected and the entire property has pre­installation for possible central heating installation should the new owner decide it is needed.

This is a very large house waiting for a new owner, is a must­see for anyone looking for a spacious fami ly holiday home, a charming place to spend a delightful holiday or a potential business venture, as it once offered a great bed and breakfast location.

Betty Henderson

Photo credit: Inside Creative House / shutterstock.com

Caravanning is a perfect winter alternative to camping, even in Spain!

Photo credit: BOOCYS / shutterstock.com

Cyclists carry equipment in panniers on their bikes.

Advertising Feature Grupo Platinum Estates

Keeping snug

WINTER is nearly upon us, and that means making some changes for our pets too, to keep them warm. Pets feel the cold too, and it is crucial to keep them feeling comfortable as your home is their home too. Here we share some advice from pet lovers on how to keep your pets cosy during the winter.

• Blankets

Blankets are an excel lent option to keep your dog or cat warm during the colder months. Lots of pet companies offer blan kets in plenty of shapes and sizes, so you’re sure to find something that is perfect for your dog or cat’s size. Blankets can protect your upholstery from claw marks and fur as well as keeping your

four­legged friend cosy.

• Sleeping arrange ments

If your pet normally sleeps outdoors, or if you have a pet like a rabbit, ensure that its pen is pro tected from wind and has extra bedding to keep their paws warm. During the coldest weather,

bringing your pet’s enclo sure into a conservatory or porch could be perfect to keep them warm.

• Insulation

Check for draughts in the area where your pet sleeps. It is easy to miss draughts from the bottom of doorframes and win dows in the rooms we don’t sleep in. Protect your pet by keeping them away from cold draughts.

Fishy friends

KEEPING fish as pets can be ideal. Fish are very clean pets, and are also very quiet, in stead bringing a feeling of calm to your home. Fish might not require as much of your attention as other pets, but it is still essential to invest time in caring for your fish. Here we share some top tips from fish owners on how to care for your fish.

• Do some research

Before rushing out to buy a new pet, make sure to re search the breed of fish, its needs, food likes and dislikes. There are some fish that don’t like to be alone in a tank, and there are others which can’t

be together.

• Prepare a space

As well as buying a tank, you will also need to prepare it for habitation. Gabriela Gúz man, a pet expert, recom mends cycling water in a tank for a month before introduc ing your new fish. The water temperature is also crucial, and depends on the breed of fish. The tank must have a thermostat as well as a filter to protect the fishes’ health.

• Decorate the tank

In addition to a filter, adding some natural or artifi cial plants, a cave, some stones or sand can improve your fishes’ well­being.

Friends with benefits

WE often hear that having a pet has lots of benefits for owners. It is certainly true that pets are an im mediate source of joy in our lives, making us laugh, cheering us up when we are upset, and always be ing there for us. Here we share some scientifically proven ways that pets im prove our lives.

• Mental health Pets, particularly cats and dogs are known to boost our mood and wellbeing. Having a furry friend to cuddle can ease feelings of stress. Research has found that playing with a dog or cat raises levels of dopamine and serotonin, helping to re duce stress.

• Pets and children

Growing up with pets also has several benefits for children. Pets are great companions for children to play with and talk to. Having a pet can also en courage children to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Having a pet can also give children more responsibility to care for its wellbeing and es sential needs.

• Health benefits

Having a pet can also keep us healthy. A pet like a dog needs lots of exer cise and walks, while even the most domestic pets enjoy time outside, which gets us outdoors. Taking your dog for a walk can al so help you to take a break from a busy lifestyle.

Photo credit: Prystai / shutterstock.com

Having a pet can help us to enjoy our lives.

Photo credit: Dean Drobot shutterstock.com

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ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

WITH so many marques owned by single corporate entities it’s perhaps no surprise that eco nomics dictate a cer tain commonality.

So Skoda’s Enyaq shares it’s under pinnings with the VW ID range and in particular the ID.4. Howev er, there are some subtle but noticeable differ ences that set the two apart on the style front.

The all­electric Enyaq is big, very big, so one of the first proper all­electric, allconsuming family vehicles. With even the entry level model claiming up to 246 miles of range, and from my week it’s pretty close to achievable given the right circumstances, this is one of the most useable EVs I have tried. It’s also one of the more affordable, albeit elec

Skoda Enyaq - a star EV

and Wi­Fi hotspot through to keyless stop/start, cruise control, dual zone climate control and both light and rain sensors.

Facts at a Glance

Model: Skoda Enyaq iV60 Loft

tric cars are still expensive compared to petrol pow ered equivalents.

With five trim levels, two power options and allwheel­drive on offer, there’s no shortage of choice. Prices start from €44,819/£38,970, other battery options and trims can push the final price

north of €56k/£50k for the vRS Coupe model that is eye catching without the usual aggressive style that seems to abound these days.

The entry level Loft spec comes with 58kwh battery, that 246­mile range and a decent array of standard kit from Bluetooth, navigation

The Enyaq is an imposing vehicle that lacks some of the styling oddities that have previously beset EV de signs. It also has an impressive interior, with my test car having swathes of cloth across the facia rather than the usual plastic. Quite how durable this would prove I don’t know but it makes an im pact. One of the first things you notice about the interi or is the space, the sheer amount of it, from legroom to height to load area.

On the road the Enyaq is typically EV quiet with wind and tyre noise very well in

Engine: 58 kwh electric developing 179PS

Gears: Automatic Price: €44,819/£38,970

Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 8.4 seconds/Maxi mum Speed 159 kph (99 mph)

Economy: 395km/246 miles combined range6.4km/4 miles per kwh - WLTP

Emissions: 0 g/km

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

sulated. It’s comfortable too and on a 200 mile journey we emerged with range to spare (no charging re quired), quite comfortable and relaxed. It also rides well, soaking up the worst excesses of our potholed tarmac, and the handling is decent rather than excep

tional. To be fair it’s not the type of car you would buy for excitement.

The Enyaq is genuinely useable in range terms alone, as a whole package it’s a winning EV choice. It’s only let down only by the still poor EV infrastructure in the UK.

THE ENYAQ: As a package, it’s a winning EV choice.

Porsche’s latest venture

Betty Henderson

THE luxury car market is set for a major boost, in the form of the Porsche Macan. The German car manufacturer recently re vealed details of its newest electric SUV which is set to hit the market in 2024.

The car will use Volk swagen’s Premium Plat form Electric system which forms the basis for a range of electric vehi cles.

Drivers will enjoy a smooth but powerful ride in the Macan with two electric motors that reach a mega 450kW of power.

Certain details are still yet to be released includ ing the car’s driving range on one charge, but a simi lar car, the Audi A6 claims to have a whopping range of 700km using a similar sized battery and electric system. This range is also much higher than most diesel and petrol vehicles.

The car’s 0­100 kph is

also currently unknown, but going by past mea sures, it is likely to be high. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S can hit 100kph in under three seconds!

The Macan is also thought to have another

special feature, in the form of a unique battery feature. The car can re portedly boost the charg ing speed of slower charg ers by splitting its volt hardware into two units to charge faster.

Photo credit: theendup / shutterstock.com

LUXURY BRAND: Porsche has been testing its latest electric SUV before it hits the market in 2024.

COVENTRY CITY Football Club has agreed a sale that will see the club debt free and local businessman Doug King the majority shareholder.

The deal announced on Wednesday, November 16 sees the money owed to HM Revenue & Customs cleared, along with all other debts.

As well as clearing the debts and removing the transfer em bargo, the new ownership will allow the club to make a formal bid for the CBS Arena. The sta dium is on the market after the owners, Wasps Rugby Club, went into administration this month.

Debt free club

ITV Sport announced the tragic death in Qatar of Roger Pearce, their technical di rector in charge of World Cup coverage.

Just before the start of the Group B clash between the USA and Wales on Monday, November 21, ITV Sport an nounced the death of Roger Pearce.

As explained by presenter Mark Pougatch, Roger was working in Qatar as the technical director of their 2022 FIFA World Cup coverage. “We have some very sad news to bring you from here in Qatar. ITV’s Technical Director Roger Pearce, who was here embarking on his

If successful that would see Coventry City again playing their home games in the city.

King, the CEO of Yelo Enter prises in Stratford­upon­Avon, said: “It is no secret Coventry City FC has faced challenges in recent years. Working together we want to deliver a new start, beginning with securing our home in Coventry. We know fans, and others across the re gion, want long­term security and the guarantee of playing football in our city. This is critical to our ambition.”

Long suffering fans of Coven try City will be delighted that a sale has been agreed.

Footballing loss

eighth World Cup has sadly passed away,” said Pougatch.

Mark continued: “Roger and his team are the brilliant people who bring the pic tures into your homes and make it all happen. Roger was a hugely respected figure in the TV sports broadcasting in dustry.

“For ITV, he’s been instrumental in the

logistical planning and delivery of Rugby World Cups as well as the football World Cups and the Euros,” he shared.

“He always had a smile on his face and left a smile on your face, he was utterly dedicated, professional, charming, and hugely popular, he’ll be missed by so many people inside the industry and at home,” added Mark.

Record win

NOVAK DJOKOVIC has won his sixth ATP tour final in Turin, Italy on Sunday November 20, without drop ping a set, beating Norwegian Casper Raud 7­5, 6­3.

Djokovic said winning a record­equalling sixth ATP Tour Finals title was a “deeply satisfying” ending to his troubled year.

Djokovic has now matched Roger Federer’s record of six titles in the year­ending tournament for the top ranked players. He picked up a staggering $4,740,300 (€4,614,516) in prize money the biggest ever prize in tennis.

The 35­year­old Serb, the oldest player to win the fi nals, ended in style after a season in which he missed two majors because of his vaccine status.

“It feels deeply satisfying and, at the same time, a huge relief because of the circum stances that I have been through this year, situations earlier this year, of course, with Australia,” he said adding “We don’t need to go back. We know what hap pened.”

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Leonard Zhukovsky

Fabio Tavares, Coventry City.

Novak wins sixth ATP Tour Final.