Costa de Almeria 1 - 7 December 2022 Issue 1952

CHALLENGE COMPLETED

Linda Hall

SARAH STREETER and a group of friends from San topetar and Taberno ran a triathlon on November 21.

They were raising money for Prostate Cancer UK, the Brain Tumour Charity and the British Heart Foundation in the UK, as well as the Car diology department at Huer cal Overa hospital.

All are close to their hearts for different reasons, explained Sarah, a retired Oncologist from the UK.

Their challenge complet ed, Sarah recently contacted the Euro Weekly News. “Thankfully there were no

JUST a few months apart, the famous Portuguese ac tress Maria de Medeiros shot the film Honolulu Baby in Almeria in 2001, and shortly afterwards the Almeria International Short Film Festival was born, which has now become known as the International Film Festival.

Now the two paths have crossed with the presenta tion of the Almeria, Tierra de Cine award given by the Almeria International Film Festival (FICAL) to the inter national star, Maria de Medeiros, who is part of the

injuries!” she told us. “It was a great day, and we raised more than €3,000 for the four charities.

“We are still in the pro cess of collecting money for the Cardiology department in Huercal Overa and are likely to be doing so until our self declared deadline of ‘Three Kings’ Day’,” she said.

By then the group will know the final totals for each charity and will present the money they have col lected to the cardiology de partment in Huercal Overa.

“It’ll be a fitting end to a slightly crazy notion,” Sarah declared.

Walk of stars

history of cinema with her roles in blockbuster films such as Pulp Fiction.

Regarding her presence in Almeria for the filming of Honululu Baby, the actress said that “being here with an Italian film confirms that Almeria is absolutely a land of international cinema. It feels like yesterday that we were here filming, but 21 years have passed.” A work of which the actress fondly remembers.

WELL DONE: The roup of friends from Santopetar and Taberno (Almeria) complete the fundraiser triathlon.

TIERRA DE CINE AWARD: Given to Maria de Medeiros.

Image: Almeria City Council

Each step counts

VERA commemorated Inter national Day for the Elimina tion of Violence against Women with a rally in the Plaza Mayor on November 25. The Vera event also adopted the Junta de Andalu

cia’s slogan ‘Against sexist vio lence, each step counts. Join in to keep advancing’ with Amparo Garcia, Vera’s Equali ty councillor reading a mani festo defending unity.

“Unity between women

and men. Unity in the admin istrations and institutions. Unity between the security forces and social services, jus tice, health and education,” Garcia declared. “In short, the unity of all Andalucia resi dents against this terrible so cial blight.” When the time came for Vera’s mayor Jose Carmelo Jorge Blanco to speak, he stressed the need to keep moving forward to leave violence behind.

“Every step that society takes, every step that we take together, is fundamental in preventing the deaths of so many women, as well as their children,” Jorge Blanco said.

“We want all of society to join this cause, not only today but 365 days a year, because this is a constant, daily chal lenge.”

Further manifestos were read by representatives from Vera’s Centro de Adultos, the Alyanub high school, the As prodalba occupational centre and the El Palmeral high school.

Solidarity poinsettias

Linda Hall

THE Red Cross and Almeria City’s Alcentro shop owners association repeated their an nual Solidarity Poinsettias campaign on Thursday November 24.

Each of the 100 establishments collaborat ing with the initiative put their customers’ buys in a carrier bag bearing the slogan, ‘Con trata sin importer edad, genero u origen’ (Hire regardless of age, gender or origin) pro vided by the Red Cross.

This had the double objective of raising so cial and corporate awareness regarding the plight of the unemployed while boosting spending in small and medium family run businesses. Shoppers could then visit the Red Cross stall that was set up on the corner of Calle Aguilar de Campo and Paseo de Almeria where, on showing their bag and a receipt,

THEmayor of Almeria, Maria del Mar Vazquez, has made her first institutional visit to the Provincial Council of Almeria since taking office last July.

The mayor was received by the President of the Provincial Council, Javier A Garcia; the Vice Presidents Angel Escobar and Fernando Gimenez, as well as a repre

they received one of the 500 poinsettias giv en away that day.

Shop owners later told the local Spanish media that their Almeria customers were all keen to assist the Red Cross in achieving its objective of helping the jobless in their quest for work. This was particularly aimed at those having problems in accessing the employ ment market, the Red Cross explained.

First visit

sentation of the Provincial Corporation.

The President of the Provincial Council sum marised the main works that the city of Almeria is current ly carrying out and con firmed that: “All these works

are for the benefit of the res idents of the city of Almeria and all the residents of the province.

“Each and every one of the works we carry out in the capital benefit the province.”

POINSETTIA GIFTS: Raising awareness of the plight of the jobless.

Photo credit: Cruz Roja de Almeria

NIBS EXTRA

Flower power

ALMERIA Province pro duces a third of the poin settias grown in Spain, tripling output over the last 10 years to an annual 3.5 million plants, creat ing 5,000 jobs each year. As well as absorbing large quantities of car bon dioxide, poinsettia production is environ mentally friendly as the greenhouses are unheat ed.

Good month

A WARM October turned out to be a good month for Almeria Province’s hotel industry, encourag ing 97,234 tourists to spend 296,622 nights in local hotels. This was not far off the record of Oc tober 2018 when 112,690 tourists visited the province and were re sponsible for 387,458 overnight stays.

Carboneras DIY

CARBONERAS will no longer outsource street cleaning or maintenance of the town’s parks, gar dens and beaches, fol lowing a favourable vote from all parties on the lo cal council. Mayor Jose Luis Amerigo announced with satisfaction that the town hall team had kept its pledge to de privatise formerly outsourced ser vices.

Champions already

THE world’s biggest mortar is located in Macael, Almeria Province’s principal marble producing town.

The outsize mortar, com plete with pestle, which was installed in 2015, is 3.5 metres high, weighs 36 tons and en tered the Guinness Book of Records in 2016.

Since then it has gone viral on several occasions, the latest thanks to Spanish humourist Alvaro Casares, who celebrat ed the World Cup by listing “Ten things not related to sport where Spain is a world champion.”

One of them was the Macael mortar, producing 25 million reactions on Instagram.

According to Casares, Spain

THE Andalucian Chamber Orchestra (OCA) was born in the summer of 1998 with the aim of filling the gap that exists in the An dalucian music scene.

The professional experience of these young musicians is endorsed by their par ticipation in ensembles such as the Nation al Youth Orchestra of Spain, the Youth Or chestra of Andalucia, the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Sevilla, the Orchestra of Cor doba, the City of Granada Orchestra or the City of Almeria Orchestra, in which they

is also a champion because it has more bars per inhabitant than any other country and more beaches with Blue Flags.

It is also the world’s biggest olive oil producer and wine ex porter “and we once made the biggest ham roll, a kilome tre long.”

The comic also pointed out that Ibiza has the planet’s most expensive restaurant and Spain can proudly claim the record for people blowing bubblegum bubbles at the same time.

On a more serious note, Casares pointed out that Spain carried out more organ trans plants than any other country and also has more kilometres of high speed train tracks.

Oktoberfest in December

THE Albox NovemberFest has instead become a De cemberfest.

Modelled on Munich’s Oktoberfest, the beer fes tival which was scheduled for November 18 20 had to be postponed owing to the extremely high winds affecting the province at the time.

The event will now be held December 2 to 4, just as the province prepares for the Constitution Day celebrations and the In maculada fiesta on De cember 6 and 8.

have acquired and developed their com plete training.

Their repertoire covers a wide range of music, from the early Baroque to the New Music of our century collaborating with prestigious musicians such as Helmuth Rilling, Javier Perianes or Javier Rodríguez Van Bambergen.

After a break due to the pandemic, they have returned with renewed energy. On this occasion, the group offers a vi sion of the Baroque style, through three of its most important works: two of the con certos that make up the Four Seasons by Vivaldi and the concerto in A minor by Bach.

This musical joy is on at the Municipal Theatre, Parque Andaluz, s/n, 04140 Car boneras in Almeria on Saturday, Decem ber 10 at 8.00pm.

Mojacar needs you Saving Christmas

CAN Santa Claus save Christmas? The North Pole Elves are ready, the letters are read and checked, the toys are wrapped, and the sleigh is about to take off.

Everything is ready for Father Christmas to face the night he has the most work to do, Christmas Eve.

But this year someone will try to stop him from celebrating Christ mas; The Grinch, who will complicate everything with his tricks.

Music, magic and emotion will be the main ingredients of this theatre adventure: what will happen in the end, will the Elves be able to find a solution, will the presents be delivered on time? And most importantly will you help us save Christmas?

This festive fun is on at the Cervantes Theatre, Calle Poeta Villae spesa 1, 04001 Almeria on Sunday, December 11, at 6.00pm.

www.teatrocervantesalmeria.com/ or call (+34) 650 030 303.

We hope you never need it, but this Christmas the Euro Weekly News would like to remind all readers of Spain’s emergency services number for police, fire, ambulance and coastguard.

CELEBRITIES , institutions, shopkeepers, neighbours and the council are asking for your vote to make Mojacar shine this Christmas with Ferrero Rocher.

A few weeks ago the wellknown brand of chocolates launched its ninth edition of the campaign Together We Shine More. This year, for the first time, Mojacar is among the seven candidates hoping to win the first prize of Christ mas lights provided by Ferrero Rocher.

Since TV presenter Jesus Vazquez announced the inclu sion of the Mojacar municipali ty, many personalities, institu tions, businesses and residents have wanted to show their support for the town and ask for their vote so that this Christmas it will shine brighter than ever before.

OFFICERS speak English, as well as many other European languages, and are your first port of call in an emergency.

Well known faces such as Almerian chef Juan Manuel, winner of Masterchef, the ac

tress Luisa Martin and ex foot baller and model Jaime Astrain have requested that Mojacar be the town that Ferrero Rocher fills with lights this year.

All voters also enter a draw for one of 15 pyramids of 96 Ferrero Rocher bonbons. You can vote for Mojacar at: pueb los.ferrerocher.com.

Entrance will be free and the marquee with its classic long tables and benches will be open from 12 noon until 2am.

As well as the obligato ry beer, all the German food traditionally served up during these celebra tions will be available, ac companied by live music in Albox’s Plaza Mayor.

The Decemberfest, or ganised by Carpatop with the cooperation of the town hall, will provide all the ingredients of the tra ditional Oktoberfest that has spread from Munich to the rest of Europe.

Although these celebra tions are usually held in cities and large municipali ties, Heineken, agreed to take its format, beers and exuberance to a town and an area which has never yet hosted a beer festival.

MACAEL MORTAR: The biggest in the world.

Photo credit: Andalucia.or

Linda Hall

TWO THOUSAND employ ees in Almeria Province’s clothing retail sector want one free Saturday each month.

Unions representing the shop assistants, the majority of them female, explained that there has been no new provincial collective agreement for a year.

Employers and unions have met on seven occa sions but no agreement on renewing work condi tions has been reached.

The provincial business owners association Asem pal is willing to offer eight Saturday afternoons each year, but not a full day once a month.

“It’s very difficult to co ordinate personal and pri vate lives,” said UGT union official Toñi Payan.

Only 11 of Spain’s 50 provinces have agreed the 2023 conditions for their retail clothing sec tors and there are no col lective agreements with

big chains like Inditex, Cortefiel, Mango or Pri mark.

As a result, wages vary throughout the country, and a Zara employee in Almeria Province earns €200 a month less than her counterpart in La Coruña, where 300 Indi tex employees are cur

rently on strike.

No free Saturdays From market to library

Meanwhile, the unions are asking for a 4 per cent pay rise for the Almeria employees, while Asem pal is offering 2.5 per cent.

“With inflation at 7 per cent, we are going to lose considerable purchasing power,” Payan said.

THE old market in Albox is getting a makeover.

The building will house the Municipal Li brary which will occupy 500 square metres, al though Albox mayor Francisco Torrecillas told a a local radio in terviewer that this would increase to 1,500 square metres.

“Another 1,000 square metres will pro vide cultural spaces for children and young peo ple with audio visual screenings and work shops,” he explained.

The new installation, expected to be ready for use by January 2023, includes study rooms that will available 24 hours a day, he re vealed.

Torrecillas announced during the interview

that the municipal Archive in Calle Ramon y Cajal was due for in auguration in Decem ber.

Thousands of existing documents have been reorganised and are be ing digitised, he said, with just a few jobs still outstanding on the ground floor, where there will also be a bar restaurant.

“The documents were kept in different places before, but now they are all together,” Tor recillas said. “The his toric archive was stored in a room at the Sports stadium where some documents were even stolen. Now they are deposited in special chambers and are looked after as they de serve.”

Ageing Almeria

SPAIN will soon be the world’s oldest country af ter Japan. In Almeria, more people die than are born, something that also happens in the rest of the

country, except in Madrid.

According to data pro vided by the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalucia, in the first quarter of 2022, in Alme

ria there were 1,610 births and 1,633 deaths. The dif ference is barely 600, the lowest since 1975, the year in which the counting began.

The INE has produced a population projection re port that responds to the need to have a current perspective of the possi ble future demographic reality. This study shows us what Almeria will be like in 15 years time, specifically in 2037.

Almeria will be, mainly, an ageing population. In 1998 there was a differ ence of almost 40,000 people between those over 65 and those under 15 years of age. In other words, in just 14 years, the population of Almeria has aged by leaps and bounds, to the point that the gap between the province’s older and younger population has been reduced by more than 20 per cent.

A loud Christmas

CHRISTMAS came early for ‘All Aloud’, the Albox based community choir. After re forming early this year the group has gone from strength to strength.

The group’s popularity has led to requests for the group to perform at charity events throughout the area. Earlier in the year, there was a success ful concert at Amigos Market which raised a considerable amount to support refugees affected by the war in Ukraine.

As the year progressed more requests were received for the group to perform and although purely amateur, who solely meet to sing as a social activity, decided to ac cept a couple of requests to perform at Christmas events.

All Aloud’s next perfor mance is a Charity Concert to be held at Charlotte’s Bar and Grill in Albox on Friday, De cember 9, at 7.00pm. The concert, in support of the Al manzora Scouts, is free entry, but the Scouts will happily ac

cept any donations, The bar will be open as nor mal but there is limited capac ity, so those wishing to attend should arrive in plenty of time to obtain seats.

All Aloud meet on Tuesday afternoons at 3.00pm in Charlotte’s Bar and Grill, to sing a variety of types of mu sic. There is no need to be able to read music and there are no auditions. If you sing in the car or the shower then you will be good enough for All Aloud.

ALL ALOUD: The group has recently gone from strength to strength.

Image: DLNicolas/Shutterstock.com

Take a hike

WALKERS looking for a challenge of a 45 kilo metre walk put a note in your diary for Satur day, December 10 at 5.00pm.

Travesias are a mountaineering discipline regulated by the Andalucian Mountaineering Federation. They take the form of mountain routes and are done on foot, without running. These are organised routes, with a specific start and finish, with intermediate points for rest, regrouping and/or refreshments. They are free of technical difficulties that require tech niques other than hiking.

The routes of Travesias run through moun

tain terrain: paths, trails and tracks. The per centage of asphalted terrain in a crossing will not exceed 15 per cent (except for sections that pass through urban centres).

The first Travesia took place in 2018 organ ised by the Almeria Activa Sports Club in con junction with the Almocita City Councill.

This year’s Travesia MilSendas Alpujarra will start from the world’s largest oil lamp attrac tion, Almocita.

To join in the fun, get more information or to register go to the website: /www.almocitaacti va.com/.

Improving safety

HUERCAL OVERA’S new roundabout at the Urcal Pulpi intersection on the N340A has now opened to traffic.

Finishing touches will be completed without signifi cantly affecting traffic, munic ipal sources said. “This round about is going to improve road safety and traffic flow in the zone. We are very satis fied,” said Jose Maria Martin,

the central government’s sub delegate to Almeria.

The roundabout, which has a 50 metre diameter and has cost €503,875, will solve problems at a busy junction. This is the point where the N 340 from the centre of Huer cal Overa converges with the A 350R linking Huercal Overa and El Saltador, together with the AL 8103 Abejuela road and another section of

the N 340 that connects with the A7’s Exit 559. The round about is included in the Na tional Roads System’s con servation and maintenance programme. The central gov ernment had invested more than €35 million in Almeria roads since 2018, Martin pointed out, with a significant improvement to the quality and infrastructure of state owned roads.

Linda Hall

Plans for the port

Linda Hall

MARIA DEL ROSARIO SOTO, president of the Almeria Ports Authority (APA), recently visit ed Carboneras Town Hall for the first time.

Soto, accompanied by APA executives, discussed plans for the port’s infrastructure and services with Carboneras mayor, Jose Luis Amerigo.

She was convinced that the port was suitable for different types of merchandise, Soto told him. Although this was the first time that she had vis ited the town hall, it was So to’s second visit to Carbon eras port since taking over as APA president in September.

She explained at the time that ensuring that APA ports became a great logistics plat form for the province was one of her principal challenges.

Thanking Soto for her visit and her willingness to collabo rate, the mayor explained that the town hall had set it

self the goal of converting the industrial port into “an instal lation with clean activities” providing work, opportunities and prosperity for the munici pality.

The port was a key element in the Transition Justa follow ing the closure of Carboneras power station that would de fine the town’s social and eco nomic model over the coming decades, Amerigo said.

“This requires a joint pro ject between Carboneras Town Hall and the APA, which includes widening the N 341 with its intense traffic of heavy vehicles entering or leaving the port,” he added.

Powerline opposed

THE Almanzora Valley and Los Velez protested on November 20 against the route of the Ca paracena Baza La Ribina overhead power line.

Representatives from the town halls of Al box, Taberno, Velez Rubio and Oria were also present at the meeting on the esplanade at the El Saliente sanctuary in Albox.

All warned of a “great visual and environ ment impact” on the area unless the power line’s planned route could be modified.

The Salvemos la Sierra de las Estancias plat form will soon meet executives from Spain’s Red Electrica, the partly state owned corpora tion which operates the national electricity grid in Spain, as well as the regional and central au

thorities. The platform will ask them to recon sider the power line’s route and resite it, a spokesperson said.

The Albox protest followed on from the in auguration on November 9 of the Baza substa tion which plays a vital role in the 200 kilome tre project. This was attended by Pedro Sanchez, president of the Spanish government, and Junta president Juanma Moreno, who called for the Caparacena Baza La Ribina pow er line to be completed as soon as possible.

More than 1,000 projects were dependent on the infrastructure, which was linked to €12 billion in private investment that would create approximately 30,000 jobs, Moreno said.

Excellent example

“IT gives prestige to the destination of Almeria” are the words the mayor, Maria del Mar Vazquez, used to de scribe Almeria’s Hospitality School (Escuela de Hosteleria de Almeria) on a recent visit.

The mayor also praised “the trajec tory and prestige” of the school, “it is an example of excellence,” she said of the facilities, located in the IES Almer aya, in the Finca de Santa Isabel.

The councillor for the Promotion of the City and Commerce, Jesus Luque, also congratulated the school “in which generations of Almerians have been trained during its half century of life and who have found work thanks to the quality of the training and the passion for teaching of both the man agement and the teachers.

“It is also about jobs in the sector of

tourism and hospitality, which is strategic not only in the present but above all in the future,” emphasised Vazquez, for whom “this centre is a reference for its quality, for its con stant search for excellence and for its high qualifications, which has allowed the level of Almeria’s hotel and cater ing industry to be raised.”

CARBONERAS VISIT: Jose Luis Amerigo and Maria del Rosario Soto.

Photo credit: Carboneras town hall

The mayor visited the hospitality school.

Image: Almeria City Council

Walk and discover

IF you would like to learn more about Almeria whilst getting fit, Walk and Discover is just the ticket.

With the aim of ending the year walking through the best corners of Almeria, the Municipal Sports Board has now opened registration for the new and last hiking route through nature of 2022.

It is the ‘Acequias de Fon don’ trail which will bid farewell to the year and will take place on Sunday, De cember 11. The route is around 10 kilometres long and has a circular route and is classed as being of low diffi culty.

The route is expected to take around three hours and will start in Fondon, a small Alpujarran village famous for its mantecados and other quality local products. You will also pass through the main square of the village and see architectural monu

ments of great interest.

To sign up for the route, you can register at the offices located in the Palacio de los Juegos Mediterraneos from 9.00am until 1.00pm, or by logging in through the appli cation available for iOs and Android: ‘PMD Almeria’.

On the right road

THE Junta is studying the viability of improv ing the A 334 between Baza (Granada) and the finished sections of the Almanzora mo torway.

The survey was necessary owing to con trasting traffic figures for the road, Marifran Carazo, head of the Junta’s Public Works de partment, explained to the regional parlia ment.

She also revealed that in little more than three years the regional government had spent more than €50 million on linking Alme ria’s marble producing zone with the A 7 mo torway.

Carazo drew attention to the wait of al most 40 years for a promise first made in 1986. The first stone was not laid until 2005, she pointed out, and there had been many

FOR those who enjoy outdoor fun with wheels, the pump track at the Vega de Aca Exhi bition Centre will soon be ready to be used.

A pump track is a looped se quence of rollers and swoopy, banked turns for bike riders, skateboarders or anything with wheels. It’s designed to maximise your momentum, so you can ride it with minimal pedalling.

The councillor for Promo tion of the City, Carlos Sanchez, confirmed that: “The work that started at the end of last week, with the laying out of the route of this sports track, will continue this week with the asphalting work on the ridge of the track.”

The plot of the Recinto Ferial on which the “inertia track for bicycles, skates and skate

delays, including a halt to sections where con tracts had already been awarded and cost €17 million in compensation payments.

It had needed the current Junta to restart pending projects, carrying out and completing them in line with targets, she declared.

The El Cucador La Concepcion section was completed six months ahead of schedule fol lowing a €25.6 million outlay, Carazo added, and work was progressing on linking the Al manzora motorway with A 7.

“We started from scratch because we had to update an old project and comply with en vironmental requirements,” she said.

After spending €24 million, the link was 60 per cent completed, and would be entirely finished by 2023, the Public Works chief pledged.

Grab your bike

boarders” will be located has a surface area of 1,500 square metres, a space on which a dy namic route has been de signed which is integrated into the area, among the existing vegetation.

The councillor hopes “this new leisure and sports facility will meet the expectations and demands of the increas ing number of bikers, riders and skaters, who are taking up these booming sports.”

Image: Almeria City Council

PUMP TRACK: For use by bike riders and skateboarders.

HIKING ROUTE: Through the best corners of Almeria.

Image: Almeria City Council

HELPFUL TRAVEL HINTS

AS a disabled traveller I hope these tips prove use ful:

For many Age Concern clients and others this is the time we plan to visit family in the UK. So please don’t get caught out, as a friend did on a recent visit.

Do remember to check the size and weight of your luggage check your airline guide.

Are you taking a lot of medication with you most of us do!

Print off a copy of your medications from the list provided by your GP.

Ship stowaways

SPAIN’S Maritime Rescue Service has reported the rescue of three stow aways travelling on a ship’s rudder in the Ca nary Islands after its jour ney from Nigeria.

The oil and chemical tanker Althini II arrived in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria on Monday November 28 after an 11 day voy age from Lagos in Nigeria, according to MarineTraf fic, a website that tracks the journeys of ships.

The coastguard con

firmed their rescue and said that the migrants were taken into the port and attended to by health services.

It is not the first time stowaways have been found on the rudder of commercial ships to the Canary Islands.

In October 2020, an other four people were found by police at Las Palmas after stowing away on the rudder of an oil tanker from Lagos for 10 days.

This saves any unneces sary explanations at Securi ty should you be ques tioned.

Do remember that you cannot take bottles of wa ter through Security.

You can however take an empty bottle and refill it when you are air side.

Or buy a bottle of water when you pass Security for just €1.

Are you disabled or have mobility issues?

Then you should consider Special Assistance.

They are at the airport to help you.

Just make sure you com plete the necessary section when booking your ticket online.

Go to their designated area on arrival and leave the rest to them brilliant service.

Age Concern providing Help where Help is Need ed.

Call us on 652 537 615 (24/7) or email info@age concernfym.com.

Snowy season

Henderson

THE first snowfall of the season has finally arrived. After a slow start to the winter season, snow fell in mountainous regions in the country in mid November, signalling re lief for meteorologists and environmentalists.

The first snowfall of the winter appeared in mountainous regions across the country includ ing the Pyrenees on the

northern border, where snow fell above 1,200 metres. Snow also fell in national parks including the Sierra de Guadarra ma, Puerto de Navacerra da, and Rascafría in Madrid and the Sierra Nevada in Granada.

The snowfall is due to a polar stream, bringing freezing temperatures to the highest altitudes in the country. The arrival of colder air from across the

Atlantic brought cooler temperatures and rainfall to much of the country, with mountainous re gions seeing the biggest drop in temperatures.

Throughout the last week, snow continued to fall in these locations, jump starting the winter ski season. The Pyrenees received the most intense snowfall, with up to half a metre of snow falling in some locations.

Betty

WHITE OUT: The first snowfall was reported on November 18 in the Sierra Nevada.

Photo credit: MeteoSN (Via Twitter)

Peter McLaren Kennedy

NOW’S the time to go see Spain with some 42 long dis tance bus routes to provide free travel in 2023 after the government agreed to in crease the state concession from 50 to 100 per cent.

According to a national news site on Saturday, November 26 the legislation was to go through the Senate in the next few days after it was approved by the Congress of Deputies.

See Spain

The original concession of 50 per cent came into force on September 1 as part of the government’s efforts to pro mote public transport in light of the energy crisis. That con cession will now rise to 100 per cent from January 1, 2023, on all state owned bus lines, of which there are 42 and which provide services to

nearly 2,400 towns and vil lages. To benefit from the free service, you need to buy a 10, 20 or 30 trip ticket as well as pay a refundable deposit.

If you have completed the required number of trips then you will be repaid your de posit, however, the qualifying number of trips is yet to be announced.

Ancient encryption

A DEDICATED team of re searchers has cracked an ancient writing code that was used by Spanish king and Holy Roman emperor, Carlos V. Cryptographers in a French lab spent six months deciphering the code before announcing their discovery on Thurs day November 24.

The letter which was written almost 500 years ago, in 1547, reveals Carlos

V’s fears of assassination in the correspondence with Jean de Saint Mauris. The fascinating letter was discovered in 2019 but on ly handed over to cryptog raphers in 2021.

The emperor was one of the world’s most powerful men during the 1500s, reigning over a vast em pire which extended throughout Europe and the Americas for more

than 40 years. On immedi ate glance, the letter is “utterly incomprehensi ble” according to cryptolo gist, Cécile Pierrot, who cracked the code.

Pierrot worked tirelessly for six months using a computer system and key like notes in the margins of some other surviving cor respondence to under stand the encrypted letter system.

Climate ranking climb

SPAIN’S climate action is paying off as the country climbed a whopping 11 places in the 2023 Climate Change Performance Index.

The ranking jump is being credited to Spain’s Climate Change and Ecological Transi tion Law brought in this year.

The index which classifies the 60 countries responsible for 92 per cent of emissions causing global warming, placed Spain in 23rd place. Although Spain remains mid way through the rankings, classified as an ‘average’ pol luter, the country has experi enced a meteoric rise com pared to last year.

This year’s ranking was topped by Denmark with an impressive score of 79.61 out of 100, with Norway as the closest contender with a score of 73.28. Spain ob tained a score of 58.59, beat ing nations including the USA which scored below 50.

The index is compiled each year by NGOs Climate Action Network Europe and Ger manWatch.

Indicators used to create the ranking include green house gas emissions, energy

consumption, renewable en ergy infrastructure, and na

tional climate change poli cies.

2 into space

A RETURN to the space age in Spain as the country an nounced a bid to send two astronauts into space. Thirty years after last being in space, Spanish astronauts Pablo Ál varez and Sara García Alonso are set to be sent into space by the European Space Agency.

The news marks a new precedent for Spain with its first ever female astronaut, with Sara García Alonso, who is set to join the reserve space team for the time being. The as tronauts were announced by the European Space Agency in a graduation ceremony at the Grand Palais Éphémère de París on Wednesday November 23.

Álvarez is an aerospace engineer, having studied in his home city of León, before specialising his skills with a Mas ter’s degree in Warsaw. Meanwhile, García Alonso is a biotechnologist who has worked for several years re searching cancer at the National Cancer Research Centre.

The last Spanish astronaut with the European Space Agency was Pablo Duque, back in 1992.

Michelin marvels

THE lauded list of Spanish restaurants receiv ing Michelin stars was announced on Novem ber 22 at an awards gala in Toledo with 29 restaurants joining the list for the first time. The Michelin Guide Spain 2023 recognised a total of 1,229 Spanish restaurants for various distinctions for their unique creations.

The Michelin Guide recognises the best in restauration in countries worldwide, award ing ratings of one, two or three stars accord ing to the quality of meals in selected restau rants.

The 2023 guide includes 20 restaurants in Andalucia, 13 in the Balearic Islands, 24 in Madrid, and 22 in the Valencian Community. Catalonia did however achieve the greatest acclaim on the list with an enormous 53 restaurants receiving recognition in the guide.

Thirteen Spanish restaurants received the highest award of three Michelin stars, with two new additions to the list. Thirty four restaurants received two Michelin stars, and others received honours including green sus tainability stars.

Art escapade

THERE was a a major event in Madrid as a unique art exhibition arrived from Kyiv unscathed, despite the threat of Russian bombs. The 51 piece rare art collection left the Ukrainian capital in a secret convoy on Tuesday November 15, just hours before Russian missiles rained down across the country.

The collection arrived in Spain on Sunday November 20 after five days on the road, travelling more than 3,000 kilometres across the continent. The collection came un der threat several times after a nail biting journey through Ukraine, as the country suffered power outages and the stray mis sile incident in the Polish border town of Przewodów.

The artwork was exhibited on Tuesday November 29 at the Museo Nacional Thyssen Borne misza in Madrid, along with several other fascinating Ukrainian cultural objects and pieces of art.

The exhibition will be a powerful expression of cultural solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russian in vasion.

Spain’s climate action is now paying off.

Photo credit: Holli / shutterstock.com

Furious prince White Christmas

THE Met Office has revealed its first Christmas Day forecast for the UK including predictions as to whether snow is on its way.

With less than one month to go until Decem ber 25, the Met Office has looked into the possi bility of whether Brits can expect a white Christ mas. Weather forecasters have offered their predictions for the festive period as heavy rain

and strong winds battered parts of the UK on the last weekend of November, reported a na tional news outlet. But while November has had an abundance of rain, the Met Office predicts December will be a little more settled, with tem peratures normal for this time of year. Those who hope for a white Christmas will be disap pointed that so far there is no mention of snow.

PRINCE ANDREW is report ed to be ‘furious’ after he was informed by ministers that he will lose his British taxpayer funded police protection next month, according to a nation al news outlet, on Sunday, November 27.

It is believed that the Duke of York could try to launch an

appeal against the decision. The security detail currently accompanies him whenever he leaves the Windsor royal estate. His bodyguards cost the British taxpayers around £3 million annually and the report said that Andrew al

legedly believes this should continue to be funded by the public. King Charles recently made it clear that he intends to distance himself from his disgraced younger brother, with claims that Charles in formed him he would never be allowed to return to Royal duties.

Student crackdown

THE UK is set to crack down on foreign students with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said to be looking at reducing numbers in an effort to slow down net immigration as re ported by major news sites on Friday, November 25.

The news follows an inter view with Suella Braverman and a Commons committee, where it was clear that she did not have a grasp on the immigration situation, includ ing why illegal immigration takes place in many cases.

This also follows the release of statistics by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) that re flect migration numbers for

2022 are higher than normal due to a number of factors in cluding the conflict in Ukraine and Hong Kong and the lifting of Covid 19 restrictions.

Sources have said that among the measures being considered by the prime min ister is by limiting admissions

only to the top ranked univer sities and limiting the number of relatives that can accompa ny a student.

The idea is unlikely to be well received by universities many of whom today enjoy significant additional income from foreign students.

Take responsibility

THE UK’s energy watchdog OFGEM has been accused of abdicating its responsibility after it dropped plans to stop energy companies from spending the deposits paid by their customers. Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica, told a national newspaper on Saturday, November 26 that: “Energy companies must be adequately capitalised by their shareholders so that if they fail, the shareholders feel the pain, not UK consumers.

“This feels like an abdication of responsibility by a regula tor not focusing on the right things.”

The comments follow criticism of OFGEM on Friday November 25 when it announced that it was abandoning proposals that would require companies to ring fence cus tomer credit balances. O’Shea and others have said that OFGEM has not learned the lessons of the energy crisis which saw the government having to bail out suppliers, with the bill ultimately being picked up by taxpayers and energy users. Currently there are no rules in place that dic tate what energy companies can or can’t do with the credit balances they hold on customer’s accounts.

THE Eurovision Song Contest has announced major changes to the voting for mat ahead of Liverpool 2023.

International fans will be delighted as for the first time the new system will al low viewers in non partici pating countries to vote. The change will allow votes to be counted from non partic ipating countries, with their semi final and grand final votes being added together and converted to points that will have the same weight as one participating country.

Voting delight

ers and the jury would de termine the successful semi finalists who would go through to the final.

Limits soon scrapped

Rest of the world can vote.

Additionally, organisers have said that they plan to remove the power from the jury in the selection of final ists for the grand final. Since 2009, votes from both view

The news was announced by event organisers, the Eu ropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) in late November, de scribing them as ‘major changes’.

The UK will host the 2023 contest in Liverpool on be half of 2022 winners Ukraine.

Referendum denied

THE UK Supreme Court on Wednesday November 23, determined that the draft Scot tish Independence Referendum Bill is outside the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, said that the UK government was com mitted to working with the Scottish govern ment on the ‘issues that matter most to people in Scotland such as restoring economic stability and helping with energy bills’ as opposed to a second vote on Scottish independence.

Mr Jack said: “We note and respect the

unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court to day.

“People in Scotland want both their govern ments to be concentrating all attention and re sources on the issues that matter most to them like restoring economic stability, getting people the help they need with their energy bills, and supporting the NHS.

Jack added “As the Prime Minister has made clear, we will continue to work constructively with the Scottish government in tackling all the challenges we share and face.”

THE roll out of 3D scanning technology in airports in the UK and elsewhere could see the limits on liquids being replaced or scrapped completely before too long.

John Holland Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow, told a national news source that the technology is being introduced across all airports and once in place will allow the lim its to be removed safely.

The lifting of the limit and the need to take the items out of your hand luggage

could go by as soon as 2024, along with the need to remove technology such as laptops.

The limits were brought in 18 years ago after police foiled the UK’s largest terror plot that involved smuggling explosives through airport security in soft drink bottles.

The news that 3D scanning technology will replace liquid limits on airlines will be widely welcomed by the airlines, airports and passengers, with security controls being one of the most stressful aspects of flying.

THE British government has told all departments and local authorities to stop installing Chinese made surveillance cam eras at ‘sensitive sites’.

Reported by a national tech site on Friday, November 25, this comes as the UK grows increas ingly concerned at China’s intentions. In particular the government has asked public bodies to stop in stalling CCTV cameras pro duced by Hikvision or Dahua who they believe

Eye spy

to have close links with the Chinese government.

Although the call is more of a request than an order, the government hopes that the warning will be heeded and that public authorities will re view their existing con tracts and intended future installations.

Civil liberties groups like

Big Brother Watch, believe that most British public bodies use CCTV cameras made by Chinese compa nies. Whilst they do not openly accuse all the com panies of having subver sive intentions, they say that the potential exists for these facilities to be ac cessed by Chinese authori ties.

Exclusive Interview with Jacky Trevane

JACKY TREVANE, author of ‘Fatwa: Living with a death threat’, has been living in Spain for more than 15 years.

Aged just 23, on holiday in Egypt, she fell head over heels in love with a local man, converted to Islam and married him, having two daughters, but life was not good and as a western wom an she found it impossible to cope with non stop physical and emotional abuse.

After eight years she man aged to escape back to the UK with her children, but even now, more than 40 years later, she lives under her assumed name and be lieves that if her where abouts were made known, she could be in danger.

Her book, published in 2004 by Hodder & Stoughton sold 800,000 copies worldwide and she was amazed by the response it received.

“The publishers received some 300,000 emails from women who identified with my position and felt that they too were treated as be ing invisible,” she explained.

“From those emails and with the permission and co operation of eight of the women who contacted me, I told their stories in a follow up book published a year lat er and entitled ‘Invisible Women’.”

Life goes on and with two children to bring up, a new partner and the need to work and keep busy, Jacky was involved in setting up a school in Catalonia and is de voted to music, playing the violin with orchestras and groups.

Then in 2018, she pub lished her third book, ‘My Life’ which attempts to pro vide a small window for you to sit, reflect and ask yourself at times pretty tough per sonal questions.

“Whether

for a template for a DIY auto biography or just want to pass on valuable insights and family history to your grand children this is a remarkably helpful book,” according to Jacky.

Next came the pandemic and it happened that one of her daughters was visiting from the UK and the other had been laid off by Ryanair so thought it would be great to be with mum near Grana da when suddenly they were in lockdown.

Looking for something to do, the girls said that they were going to join online dating site Tinder and per suaded Jacky to join them even though she suggested that “no one would be inter ested in an oldie like me.”

Tinder had a bit of a nega tive reputation at the time but the pandemic changed all that as people were des perate to make new friends and they did so in safety as

they couldn’t meet, but could get to know each oth er over Zoom and Facetime.

Thus, was born Jacky’s lat est book ‘Tinderella’ (pub lished by Vanguard Press) which tells the story of a 60 something woman and her adventures on three dating sites where she learns to be wary and wise as most of the men she meets (but not all) fall into the categories of Frogs, Frauds, Perverts or (Potential) Princes.

She hasn’t found that one special person yet, but she is still looking and the book is not only an amusing insight into what happened, but is an ideal guide on how to navigate these dating sites to those thinking of dipping their toe in the water.

Tinderella is now available to buy at Amazon in paper back or Kindle format and al though only recently re leased, has received nothing but five star reviews.

“Your experiences are unique and ought not to be lost to future generations. Why not record them here

for posterity and enjoy a stroll down Memory Lane in the process?

you are looking

AMUSING INSIGHT: Jacky Trevane with her new book Tinderella.

Credit: Jacky Trevane

Queen of the jungle

THE third and final week in the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ jun gle is always fast and furi ous, with one celeb leav ing each night. Gogglebox star and comedian Ba batunde left on Wednes day, November 23 after the public voted.

Former Radio One Breakfast Show host Chris Moyles had a good run, but his time was up on Thursday, November 24. Comedian Seann Walsh became the seventh to leave on Friday 25.

The moment every con testant dreams of tackling on the show is the iconic ‘Celebrity Cyclone’. Mike, Matt, Jill, and Owen, donned their individual coloured lycra pants for the legendary trial and off they marched to try and win those meals for camp.

Jill went first, followed by Matt, then Mike, with Owen taking the last stage. They overcame the crazy water cannons and bouncing balls to win all four stars. England rugby star Mike Tindall was eventually evicted, nar

THE death of a migrant at the Manston processing centre could have been caused by diphtheria, the Home Office has said.

It is reported that the number of diphtheria infections has risen to about 50, after an outbreak of the highly conta gious bacterial infection has hit the centre.

This is amid concerns about the spread of the disease in the centre, which has strug gled with overcrowding, as migrants were moved from the Kent facility to hotels around the country.

The UK government con firmed that a PCR test on the man who died after being held at the centre for a week indicates that “diphtheria may be the cause of the ill ness.”

The man, who is believed to have entered the UK on a small boat across the English Channel, died in hospital on November 19 seven days af ter he arrived.

Initial tests at a hospital near the centre in Kent came

rowly missing out on the final.

On Sunday, November 27, just three contestants remained in the jungle as the finalists on this year’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’. One out of politician Matt Han cock, soap star Owen Warner, or England Li oness Jill Scott, would end up wearing the iconic ‘jun gle crown’.

Matt was the first of the three to be voted out, leaving Jill and Owen as this year’s contenders. It

was all down to the great British public now to choose the winner after watching three weeks of trials and tribulations in the Australian jungle.

Ana and Dec had the re sults on their card, with more than 12 million votes made. They an nounced that the winner, and new ‘Queen of the Jungle’ for 2022, was Eng land football star, Jill Scott. Hollyoaks actor Owen was a very worthy runner up.

Concerns raised

back negative but a follow up PCR was positive.

Public health officials have raised concerns about the

spread of the highly conta gious disease as people were moved from the facility to hotels.

More support

THE UK is providing Ukraine with helicopters for the first time according to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

Announcing the supply on Wednesday November 23, Wallace said that the first Sea King has already been de livered and was in active duty. He added a further two are being readied and will be delivered shortly.

The delivery of the helicopters sees an escalation in the support being provided to Ukraine with the Sea King, a workhorse since the 50s, having proved effective in many combat situations including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wallace added that an extra 10,000 artillery rounds were also being provided to help Ukraine secure territo ry recaptured.

Speaking on a visit to Norway he said: “Our support for Ukraine is unwavering.”

The announcement of more support comes on the same day that the EU declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, and on the same day Russia proved that it is by bombing more civilian facilities including a hospital.

JUNGLE WINNER: The queen and worthy runners up.

Credit: ITV

Number plates

A PRECARIOUS situation has been resolved in Kosovo as ministers from Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement about a long running dispute over number plates.

The EU announced, on November 23, that the countries will normalise relations after Kosovo dropped an inflam matory policy that would have fined ethnic Serbs €150 for using Serbian issued number plates in the country.

The decision by Kosovan Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, to suspend the law from coming in for a further 48 hours bought officials some time and an agreement was made on Wednesday November 23 to scrap the registration poli cy.

The incident was the most serious recent flashpoint in a decades long regional conflict. Kosovo was formerly a Ser bian province before declaring independence in 2008.

A substantial percentage of around 150,000 ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo remain committed to Serbia and reject the sovereignty of Kosovo, choosing to use Serbian currency and the Serbian flag.

‘Empty Nesters’

A BRAND new recruitment drive from airline giant easyJet, as it moves to target over 45s for cabin crew positions. Cabin crew shortages have hit the airline hard in recent months, and its latest recruitment cam paign targets a different audi ence of employees, over 45s. The airline launched the re cruitment campaign in the UK on November 23, for cabin crew to staff its European flights. easyJet is aiming to tar get ‘empty nesters’, parents whose children have left home, or people who want a

changes in the make up of the airline’s cabin crew, with a 27

Statement scarf

THE Hungarian Prime Minister’s nationalist neckwear has prompted outrage from the Ukraine and Romania. Victor Orbán posted a video of himself at a football match wearing a scarf bearing an image of historical Hungary, which caused offence in neighbouring countries. The gesture was interpreted as Orbán refuting neighbouring countries’ sovereignty, including Ukraine, amid Russia’s land grabbing invasion.

Orbán’s scarf featured an image of the country, but showing its pre First World War territory, when it was a regional power as the Austria Hungarian empire. Ukrainian representatives de manded an apology, accusing him of revisionism, and suggesting that the Hungarian ambassador to Ukraine would be sum moned over the decision.

The map of ‘Greater Hungary’ featured territory that now be longs to a whole host of countries including Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Croatia and Serbia.

Though he did not directly address the controversy, Victor Or bán took to Facebook with a statement saying “Football is not politics. Let’s not see things that aren’t really there. The Hungarian team belongs to all its supporters, wherever they live!”

per cent increase in cabin crew aged 45 and above in the last four years and 30 per cent in crease in cabin crew aged 60 and above this year.

easyJet has faced successive cabin crew shortages through out the year due to pandemic losses when the airline cut its flights. Airport chaos earlier this year caused further prob lems, with chief executive, Jo han Lundgren, criticising the UK government for not mak ing visas easier to obtain for EU cabin crew and other airport staff.

Woolly lawnmowers

AN unconventional garden ing strategy is set to be used to tackle overgrown vine yards near to Pompeii. Ital ian authorities have enlisted the help of a flock of sheep to tidy up the area near to the ruins of the ancient town.

A total of 150 sheep ar rived in Pompeii on Thursday November 24, ready to tack le the issue of overgrown grass as part of an experi ment to revive the ancient vineyards which were cov ered up for hundreds of years after the volcanic erup tion in AD79. The pilot scheme will last nine months as park authorities look to at tract tourism and invest ment beyond the ancient ru ins.

Director of Pompeii Ar chaeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegal welcomed the new arrivals saying, “The sheep entered the fields with great enthusiasm and got to work straight away.” He added that the sheep are al so an investment since they provide free lawnmowing and fertiliser. Maintenance bills are usually a drain on the park’s annual budget.

Using sheep instead of lawnmowers is becoming in creasingly popular across the world as agriculturalists seek environmentally friendly so lutions and look to cut back on maintenance costs.

challenge in later life. The move coincides with

RECRUITMENT DRIVE: Major European airline, easyJet is targeting the over 45s.

Photo credit: Sorbis / shutterstock.com

THIS week we remember the bravery of Rosa Parks.

On Thursday, December 1, 1955, the world changed forever. The then 42 year old Rosa Parks was com muting back home from work and refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus.

Rosa Parks

Rosa was an ordinary woman on her journey home from work, but lit tle did she know that this would be a momentous

moment in history that would then proceed to start what would be known as the Mont gomery bus boycott.

Due to Rosa refusing to give up her seat she was fined $14 including court fees and was released on a $100 bond after being arrested.

From then the bus boy cott began and came to the withdrawal of 40,000

black bus riders on public transport. Over 75 per cent of Montgomery’s rid ership was gone. Black carpools were organised by leaders at the time, such as Martin Luther King Jr, with African American taxi drivers of fering their services for the same price as the bus fare 10 cents to those that were African Ameri can.

GOODBYE airplane mode and hello air communications as the European Union (EU) gives airlines the go a head to install the latest 5G technology.

According to a national news outlet on Friday, November 25, the change will see passengers being able to use their smart phones during flights just as they do normally.

The European Commission is said to have adapted mobile legislation to bring it in line with the latest in com munication technology. EU Commis

PARKS: My Story.

After 386 days and ap proval of the Supreme Court, on December 20,

1956, Montgomery’s bus es were then integrated on December 21, 1956.

Sky high calling

sioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said: “The sky is no longer the limit when it comes to high speed, high capacity connections.

25G will enable innovative services for people and growth opportunities for European companies.”

So called ‘pico cells’ will be installed in planes which allows safe 5G cover

age and connection with satellite transmitters worldwide. The ‘pico cell’ allows telephone calls, text messages and data transfer via a satellite to mo bile receivers on the ground.

EU countries have been given until June 30, 2023 to make the 5G bands accessible in their respective coun tries.

ImageRosa Parks

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Conker surprise

IN a world-shattering event, not only was the winner of the 10th Copenhagen Conker Championship (which always takes place at Charlie’s bar in Copenhagen) Swedish, but she was also a woman going by the name of Elin ‘nihilation’ Giese who outplayed everyone.

THE NETHERLANDS

Critic’s award

FOR the last 12 years, lobby group Foodwatch has run a competition to name the most misleading food product and this year is no exception. Front runners are an Iced Tea brand with misleading names, a potato salad and a Kellogg’s breakfast cereal.

BELGIUM

No adverts

BRUSSELS’ Irish pub Kitty O'Shea's wanted to take a stance against Qatar but still allow sports fans to enjoy the World Cup. It decided not to turn the TVs on until kick off and turn them off at half time so no-one sees the sponsored adverts.

GERMANY

One Love

THE German Football Association (DFB) is taking advice as to whether FIFA's threat to impose a yellow card or ban on any team captain wearing the One Love rainbow armband (supporting sexual diversity) at the Qatar World Cup Finals is legal or can be overturned.

FRANCE

Mais non

THE Phyrgian red cap is a symbol of the French Revolution, but France’s Olympic Committee having chosen the cap as the Paris 2024 mascot have admitted that only 8 per cent of the souvenirs will be made in France and the rest will come from China.

NORWAY

Top tree

IN this the 75th anniversary of the supply of a Norwegian Christmas tree to London and still smarting from criticism that last year’s was tatty, Oslo Council is going all out to ensure that this year’s tree which will be in Trafalgar Square in December is top notch.

FINLAND

Keep cool

MANY cars in Finland have two electric heaters, one to warm the engine and the other the interior because the weather is so cold. Electricity company Fingrid is asking drivers not to plug in the interior heater to ensure there are no morning power cuts.

IRELAND

Craicing news

AMAZON’S Alexa can speak English with British, American, Canadian, Australian and Indian accents, but until now she hasn’t kissed the Blarney Stone and hasn’t spoken with an Irish lilt. In theory, this has all changed but whilst some Echo units can manage brogue, older versions still can’t.

ITALY

Bright idea

ON Wednesday December 7, the lights that make up the world's largest Christmas tree will be switched on to light up the slopes of Monte Ingino. Made up of 700 lights and a star, each bulb is dedicated by a local family to their loved ones.

PORTUGAL

Football fan

AS Cristiano Ronaldo captain’s Portugal in what will be his last World Cup Finals and Portuguese councils decide not to put up giant screens due to cost, the Portuguese Parliament voted to allow President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to fly to Qatar for the team’s opening match.

UKRAINE

Added art

ONE of Banksy’s seven murals painted on bomb damaged walls in Ukraine has been subject to changes by a local graffiti artist who has added an image of a Cossack and a condom. There has been a mixed reception to this addition with some Ukrainians calling it desecration.

SWEDEN

Fit gamers

WORRIED about the physical fitness and mental health of gamers, the city fathers of Helsingborg have opened FUZED, a facility of over 3,000 square metres where e-sports meets physical activity. Gamers can still play computer games, but can also play basketball or football and meet others.

FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

Canaries expansion

SPANISH energy companies Naturgy and Equinor have signed an agreement with El Cluster Marítimo de Canarias (Canary Islands) to promote and develop actions that boost the competitiveness of the archipelago’s maritime sector and plan to participate in future offshore wind projects around the islands.

Fatally flawed

FORMER minister responsible for the Royal Mail Stephen By ers has told a public enquiry in to the prosecution of 700 sub postmasters for alleged theft that although he was not per sonally aware of the prosecu tions, he recognises that the contract for the software that accused them was “fatally flawed.”

Budget approved

THANKS to a deal done with Catalan Independence MPS, the Spanish parliament voted 187 to 156 to approve the pro posed 2023 budget which re flects the current Spanish gov ernment’s desire to assist those who are unable to cope with the mounting cost of living.

Paltry payment

AFTER staff, HMRC, bankers and administrators are paid, un secured creditors of furniture company Made.com which went bust owing a reported £187 million will receive just 1.6p in the pound and this in cludes some 12,000 customers who had paid for but never re ceived their goods.

Christmas gift

THERE is good news for 10,000 employees of Spanish insur ance company MAPFRE as after giving them a €350 bonus in Ju ly, it now plans to pay them a further €400 in time for Christ mas in order to help them cope with the extra costs of inflation.

STAT OF WEEK €900 million

Russian oil dilemma

THE West wants to set a price cap on the importation of Rus sian oil, but no one can agree on what that price should be.

The invasion of Ukraine has seen energy cost of all sorts soar but because Russia has such huge oil reserves and the West needs oil, it continues to export crude oil, currently at prices which are often lower than Brent.

The problem for the G7, EU and others such as the UK is that if they set the cap too high it won’t actually have any ma jor effect on the Russian econo my, but if set too low, then Russia could simply restrict production and force world prices up.

Russia still has friends around the world and could simply ex port its higher priced crude to them and benefit from the in creased price.

Whilst the proposed cap is somewhere between $60 and $70 a barrel, the current aver age price is $85 a barrel for Brent, but Russia is selling

cheaper than that and it is now reported that Putin is consider ing passing a new law whereby Russian oil exporters will be banned from supplying any country that signs up for the price cap!

To add to this, Russia is cur rently purchasing second hand tankers (reportedly 70 so far according to ship broker BRS) in order to get round any ban

on Western owned tankers from carrying Russian crude oil.

Effectively, whilst leaders dither, Russia continues in this area at least to ‘rule the roost’.

What is also sometimes over looked is that Russia is the world’s third largest producer of gold and with 2,300 tons in reserve, worth around $55 mil lion per ton, finance is possibly the least of Putin’s worries.

Gibraltar border agreement

THE Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met with mayors from the Cam po de Gibraltar on Friday November 25 and told them that Spain and the Eu ropean Commission have sent the United Kingdom a proposal to make this area a zone of shared prosperity.

Albares, who had con vened the meeting to re port on negotiations with the United Kingdom over Gibraltar, reviewed the ob jectives and interests that Spain has been defending in this negotiating process, particularly for the benefit of the residents and eco nomic operators in the Campo.

During the meeting, the minister reported that Spain, together with the Eu ropean Commission, has put on the table a global proposal, which aims to es tablish a new legal frame work that lays the founda tions for a stable relationship between Spain and the EU, on the one hand, and the territory of

Gibraltar, through the Unit ed Kingdom, on the other.

This requires that Spain control, on behalf of Schen gen, the external borders of Gibraltar and that, for this, it can exercise certain func tions and powers, necessary to protect the integrity and security of the Schengen area.

If accepted by Gibraltar

and the UK, this would lead to the removal of fences along the border and free passage for visitors and workers as well as goods al though tobacco would need to be monitored due to dif ferences in price.

Despite this, Spain still maintains its claim on sovereignty and jurisdiction in relation to Gibraltar.

BRITISH company HLP Klearfold has made the bold statement that plastic packaging can be more sus tainable than paper and card board.

They argue that if you consider the lifetime of packaging and recog nise that paper is difficult to recycle if contaminated with food or other waste, there is a lot to consider.

Cardboard production requires a high amount of water, generates emissions and can encourage de forestation if not sourced sustain ably so it should be accepted that it isn’t as environmentally friendly as one first thinks.

Plastic requires around 40 per cent less energy than cardboard while also producing less waste.

Netflix expands

NETFLIX has expanded its studios in Madrid to become its largest in Europe.

The global streaming giant re cently unveiled its expanded stu dios, located in Ciudad de la Tele (Television City) in the municipality of Tres Cantos, which is located northeast of the Spanish capital.

With a total area of more than 22,000 m2 the studio boasts not only sets, but also offices for pro duction, make up, hairdressing, and costumes.

Netflix opened its first Spanish language studio in 2019, shortly af ter the Madrid filmed La Casa de Papel became its first global hit in a language other than English.

Fishing deal

THE UK fishing industry will benefit from increased fishing opportuni ties worth nearly £5 million in 2023 after reaching an agreement with Norway to secure access to key fishing stocks for UK vessels.

The deal secures quota of valu able North Sea whitefish stocks worth nearly £3 million and in arc tic stocks worth nearly £2 million for 2023 and ensures UK vessels have access to Norwegian waters to fish their own approved quota.

Most significant is the extension of arrangements agreed last year on mutual access, with the UK fish ing industry having access to 30,000 tonnes of whitefish stocks such as cod, haddock and hake in the North Sea.

is the amount that Barcelona FC expects to spend to completely remodel their Nou Camp stadium using funding from Goldman Sachs.

HUGE RESERVES: Vladimir Putin at the opening of Tuapse Oil Refinery.

SHARED PROSPERITY: The meeting in Madrid between Minister Albares and mayors.

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Aviva 454,00 456,60 450,00 385,70K

B&M European Value Retail SA406,30 413,40 405,60 199,19K

BAE Systems 806,80 809,80 801,00 857,80K

Barclays 160,28 160,40 157,88 3,53M

Barratt Developments 400,80 406,80 399,65 67,89K

Berkeley 3.798,0 3.841,0 3.783,0 19,58K

BHP Group Ltd 2.443,00 2.449,00 2.419,00 170,05K

BP 481,65 481,85 475,05 6,42M

British American Tobacco 3.327,0 3.329,5 3.261,5 449,26K

British Land Company 405,90 409,10 402,70 176,85K

BT Group 125,85 127,80 125,35 1,68M

Bunzl 3.090,0 3.116,0 3.077,0 34,24K

Burberry Group 2.113,0 2.115,0 2.077,0 119,35K

Carnival 716,4 730,2 714,6 55,69K

Centrica 95,26 95,26 92,70 2,85M

Coca Cola HBC AG 2.047,0 2.047,0 2.023,0 53,71K

Compass 1.844,50 1.845,00 1.829,50 209,18K

CRH 3.318,5 3.336,0 3.303,0 70,20K

Croda Intl 6.854,0 6.952,0 6.840,0 14,40K

DCC 4.408,0 4.435,0 4.395,0 36,11K

Diageo 3.760,0 3.775,5 3.739,0 187,48K

DS Smith 305,80 308,70 304,40 516,74K

EasyJet 399,70 410,57 398,70 207,94K

Experian 2.938,9 2.981,0 2.919,0 156,36K

Ferguson 9.790,0 9.876,0 9.782,0 63,01K

Flutter Entertainment 11.865,0 11.910,0 11.720,0 32,31K

Fresnillo 895,20 899,00 886,80 53,75K

Glencore 531,30 532,40 524,70 4,75M

GSK plc 1.390,40 1.399,80 1.384,40 375,68K

Halma 2.256,0 2.279,0 2.244,0 55,82K

Hargreaves Lansdown 858,60 863,80 853,00 92,54K

Hikma Pharma 1.508,00 1.518,00 1.496,00 35,32K

HSBC 487,60 487,60 481,20 2,46M

IAG 134,16 135,40 132,00 1,84M

Imperial Brands 2.114,00 2.114,00 2.080,00 349,26K

Informa 609,00 612,40 605,80 177,22K

InterContinental

Intermediate Capital 1.217,50 1.232,00 1.204,50 199,14K

Intertek 4.017,0 4.039,0 4.003,0 20,83K

ITV 77,74 78,46 77,14 1,00M

J Sainsbury 224,80 226,30 223,10 543,24K

Johnson Matthey 2.114,0 2.123,0 2.067,0 32,95K

Land Securities 625,60 638,00 624,80 107,08K

Legal & General 259,60 261,00 258,00 913,48K

Lloyds Banking 46,24 46,28 45,73 8,55M

London Stock Exchange 8.074,0 8.156,0 8.046,0 25,27K

Melrose Industries 133,65 134,65 132,85 357,66K

Mondi 1.559,50 1.564,00 1.551,50 55,75K

National Grid 1.018,11 1.023,50 1.014,00 554,81K

NatWest Group 255,60 255,80 253,20 996,89K

Next 5.722,4 5.760,0 5.644,0 35,40K

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

Ocado 641,91 659,40 634,00 335,98K

Persimmon 1.290,0 1.308,0 1.273,8 47,09K

Phoenix 606,60 609,80 603,60 183,16K

Prudential 938,60 942,80 920,20 469,83K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.928,0 5.946,0 5.854,0 128,03K

Relx 2.318,00 2.335,00 2.305,00 180,30K

Rentokil 543,40 548,40 541,00 373,69K

Rightmove 556,40 563,00 552,80 304,48K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.341,0 5.345,0 5.277,0 216,53K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 90,74 91,56 89,64 3,95M

Sage 811,04 816,80 806,80 63,56K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.122,00 1.124,50 1.116,00 0,98K

Schroders 460,0 465,7 454,3 139,72K

Scottish Mortgage 757,59 764,80 753,80 295,28K

Segro 815,30 838,20 814,00 174,84K

Severn Trent 2.794,0 2.837,0 2.785,0 47,28K

Shell 2.338,5 2.339,5 2.291,0 1,35M

Smith & Nephew 1.085,50 1.093,00 1.077,00 584,09K

Smiths Group 1.616,50 1.620,00 1.605,00 39,96K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.305,0 11.450,0 11.265,0 5,42K

SSE 1.719,15 1.733,00 1.712,00 159,52K

St. James’s Place 1.164,00 1.174,00 1.159,00 6,11K

Standard Chartered 587,00 587,20 577,60 438,16K

Taylor Wimpey 102,70 104,15 102,05 1,08M

Tesco 233,80 235,30 232,90 1,34M

Tui 146,85 149,35 146,15 301,03K

Unilever 4.118,5 4.126,0 4.100,5 251,33K

United Utilities 1.056,50 1.079,50 1.054,50 148,68K

3M 129,04 129,82 881,74K

American Express 154,15 154,47 153,17 665,77K

Amgen 283,74 285,57 281,41 1,22M

Apple 148,11 148,88 147,12 35,17M

Boeing 178,36 178,46 174,03 3,47M

Caterpillar 235,70 237,49 235,19 1,03M

Chevron 183,70 185,30 183,31 2,80M

Cisco 48,40 49,05 48,35 8,49M

Coca-Cola 62,69 62,81 62,38 5,17M

Dow 51,56 51,82 51,42 1,65M

Goldman Sachs 388,86 389,44 385,18 1,13M

Home Depot 326,38 329,08 321,90 3,39M

Honeywell 220,05 220,96 217,74 1,12M

IBM 148,37 149,49 148,10 2,08M

Intel 29,34 29,68 29,33 11,31M

J&J 177,24 178,12 176,86 3,06M

JPMorgan 136,74 137,14 136,05 3,22M

McDonald’s 275,00 275,32 272,86 1,60M

Merck&Co 107,50 107,50 106,56 3,16M

Microsoft 247,49 248,70 246,73 9,20M

Nike 105,96 107,18 105,56 3,43M

Procter&Gamble 146,72 147,20 146,40 2,41M

Salesforce Inc 153,35 154,04 151,38 3,02M

The Travelers 188,91 189,53 187,68 514,68K

UnitedHealth 537,62 540,85 532,52 1,42M

Verizon 39,02 39,36 38,97 7,72M

Visa A 213,79 214,00 211,38 1,99M

Walgreens Boots 41,66 41,97 41,42 2,23M

Walmart 153,07 153,09 151,86 2,93M

Walt Disney 98,87 99,81 98,08 6,66M

Vodafone Group PLC 92,95 93,33 92,49 8,71M Whitbread 2.622,0 2.652,0 2.604,0 24,81K WPP 876,20 879,80 871,80 128,86K Most

Fairfax

Telecom

Most Declined

Lufax

COSCO

Co., Ltd. -11.56% 100,000

Pilbara Minerals Limited -10.32% 381,581

Livent Corporation -8.81% 5.625M

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. -8.20% 5.408M

Bilibili Inc. -7.15% 6.2M

Lithium Americas Corp. -7.05% 3.155M

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. -6.80% 2.448M

Luckin Coffee Inc. -6.74% 1.902M

Bank of Ireland Group plc -6.71% 34,151

Futu Holdings Limited -6.51% 1.413M

Peter Loveday

Currency outlook: Pound volatile following BoE’s recession warning, US dollar falls in tandem with Fed rate hike bets

Euro

EUR/GBP: Down from £0.87 to £0.86

EUR/USD: Up from $0.98 to $1.03

The euro fluctuated over the last month, amid a mix of concerns over the war in Ukraine and bets for more aggressive interest rate hikes from the European Central Bank (ECB). At the end of October EUR exchange rates were buoyed by forecasts for a 75bps rate hike from the ECB. While the bank matched these expectations, its dovish forward guidance swiftly reversed these gains. The euro then found its feet again in the first half of November. The single currency’s neg ative correlation with the US dollar allowing it to rally as the latter weakened. However EUR’s as cent then ran out of steam amid fears Russia’s war with Ukraine might be spilling over into the rest of Europe, after a stray missile killed two in Poland. It seems safe to assume that the euro will remain sensitive to Ukraine developments over the coming month, with the ECB’s next in terest rate decision also likely to influence the di rection of the single currency.

Pound

GBP/EUR: Up from €1.14 to €1.15

GBP/USD: Up from $1.13 to $1.18

BUSINESS

EXTRA

Relax rules

THE UK should use immigra tion to solve worker short ages and boost economic growth according to Tony Danker, CEO of the Confed eration of British Industry (CBI). He wants the govern ment to help companies re cruit qualified British staff.

IMF forecast

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for 2022 Spanish GDP to 4.6 per cent but has warned that growth will be weak over coming months due to a slowdown in exter nal demand.

Animal magic

THE pandemic saw a signifi cant growth in UK business Pets at Home as customers flocked to obtain pets and although there has been a reduction in owners now, there is still a strong market despite rising costs.

Trade in the pound has been choppy over the past four weeks. Sterling initially soared as Rishi Sunak was appointed as the UK’s new Prime Minister. GBP investors were optimistic his tenure will be less tumultuous than his predeces sor, Liz Truss.

However, these gains were reversed almost immediately as a result of some particularly bleak forecasts from the Bank of England (BoE). The BoE warned the UK is facing its longest re cession on record. An improving market mood helped Sterling to recoup some of these losses in the weeks that followed, although Sterling’s as cent did not come without its hurdles.

These came in the form of some mixed UK data as well as the government’s Autumn State ment. While Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s tax and spending plans helped to restore the UK’s finan cial credibility, his confirmation that the UK is in a recession spooked investors. Looking ahead, the pound may face some headwinds in the month to come if UK data continues to point to a slow down in domestic growth.

US Dollar

USD/GBP: Down from $0.88 to $0.83 USD/EUR: Down from €1.01 to €0.96

The US dollar has trended broadly lower over

Fears over merger

THE UK Competition and Market Authority, the CMA, fears a merger could in crease UK oil and gas costs as with less competition production costs could rise.

Well intervention services are essential services used by oil and gas operators to manage well production, provide well diagnostics and modify a well’s state or con figuration.

Two of three of the largest companies, Baker Hughes and Altus supply various well intervention services in the UK, including to opera tors active on the UK conti nental shelf.

An investigation by the CMA has found that Baker Hughes and Altus are the two largest providers of both coiled tubing and pumping services in the UK and compete very closely in the supply of these services currently.

After any merger, Baker Hughes would face competi tion from only one other major supplier Halliburton

and a small number of other suppliers that are much weaker competitors in the UK.

The CMA is therefore con cerned that the loss of rival ry between the merging companies could lead to higher prices, reduced choice and lower quality ser vices for businesses in the UK that purchase coiled tub ing and pumping services.

Colin Raftery, Senior Di rector of Mergers at the CMA, said: “Our investiga

tion showed that Baker Hughes’ purchase of Altus would take out an impor tant supplier and few re maining competitors would be left in the market. We will move to an in depth in vestigation unless the com panies can address our con cerns.”

The two parties are now required to submit mitiga tion to the CMA explaining why the takeover should not be examined more thor oughly.

the past month. The sudden reversal in the ‘greenback’s fortunes being driven by USD in vestors scaling back their expectations for future Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

This repricing of expectations was primarily at tributed to signs that US inflation may have peaked. The US reported a larger-than-expected fall in its consumer price index and producer price index in October.

An improving market mood also weakened demand for the safe-haven currency through the first half of November. Although a subse quent souring of risk appetite in response to Ukraine concerns and a spike in Chinese Covid cases has offered some support to USD ex change rates.

The Fed’s December interest rate decision will no doubt be the highlight for USD investors in the coming month. If the US central bank sur prises by delivering another 75bps rate hike we could see the US dollar surge.

Currencies Direct have helped over 430,000 customers save on their currency transfers since 1996. Just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more about how you can save money on your currency trans fers.

Building safety

THERE is to be major change in the rules concerning re sponsibility for the obligations to fix unsafe residential buildings in Britain as the government intends for it to be come the responsibility of the builder rather than the leaseholder.

Proposals for how developers would pay to fix unsafe buildings have been set out by the government as it moves a step closer to imposing its new Building Safety Levy.

The government has now begun consulting developers and other interested parties on the plans, which will see an estimated £3 billion collected over the next 10 years.

Under the plan, developers of residential buildings, re gardless of their height, will have to pay the levy contri bution as part of the building control process.

Subsidised mortgages

THE Council of Ministers in Spain has adopted a package of measures aimed at the families most af fected by the rise in Euribor which influences vari able rate mortgages which has been caused by the war in Ukraine.

More than a million Spanish households will be able to benefit from this protection, approximately a third of those with variable rate mortgages, ac cording to Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño.

Whilst she suggested that the Euribor rate is still low compared to pre pandemic rates, she recog nised that many vulnerable families were worried about the additional cost of mortgages which is why the government will help them.

NORTH SEA OIL: Well intervention services are used.

MIX OF CONCERNS: The euro has fluctuated over the last month.

LEAPY LEE

Gees a job!

STRANGE to receive occasional letters accusing me of always supporting the Conservative Party; misconceived balderdash of course. Mind you, frankly I would rather support any party than the Labour movement.

Some of us really do have to declare opposition to the utter conspiracy, now being indoctrinated by the left support ing media and its offshoots of anti right activists. Even ‘Celebrity Get Me Out’ was crammed with supporters of the left. To vie Matt Hancock no doubt! The first voted out was Ms White, and she was probably the worst of all. She posi tively hates right wingers and even seems to consider them racist.

Labour, and its raggle taggle bunch of so called politicians, has frankly come up with nothing at all likely to solve the country’s problems. In their pathetic bumbling efforts to gain popularity, they just recently actually stood up in the house and stated that were they elected they would get rid of the House of Lords.

Wow, what a great idea to solve problems that are at this time strangling the country and its citizens. To be hon

est even I would like to see something take the place of the House of Lords, but not to even be contemplating changes in that direction at this mo ment, when every fibre in the UK politi cal bodies should be concentrating on emerging from the swamp of despair the country is drowning in.

This ludicrous party actually sat around a table and discussed announc ing this ridiculous scheme, during yet another time wasting meet of specious thinking. What an utter misconception and example of the ends this lot will in duce to receive votes. (Gees a job!)

Labour were also, under Blair, the ex ponents of mass immigration. To attain even more votes, Starmer is now en deavouring to attain more popularity by cutting the numbers down! You couldn’t make it up.

I do recall some years ago Qatar be gan advertising its airline on British TV. (Paying a fortune no doubt!) When it was learned that Qatar is actually pro nounced as rhyming with catarrh; the tongue twisted convulsions the media got into trying to pronounce it different ly was so ridiculous I do actually re

member mentioning it in a column. Well, now they’ve attained the World Cup, nothing’s changed. Only its citizens and Arabic fraternities announce it cor rectly, everyone else calls it Katah!

Another endeavour that has earned a money avalanche for some specific time consuming numbskull somewhere. May I repeat once again gees a job. I really would be quite good at it ya know.

Keep those letters coming; just be cause I only reply to the occasional in put, I do read and appreciate every one. Oh, and by the way. Thousands on so cial media objecting to ‘the World Cup knee!’ 100 per cent correct. Anyone lis tening? No chance.

Keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@hotmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Fri. 1pm till 4.

OUR VIEW

CIRCULAR ECONOMY CHRISTMAS

WITH less than a month to Christmas, many charities are do ing their best to raise funds in order to be able to continue with their important work.

The problem of course is that with the continuing rise in the cost of living it becomes more important that those in need (two or four legged) are helped, but equally fewer peo ple can afford to spare money as they face their own Christ mas costs.

In some parts of Spain where expatriates are known for digging deep, there have been so many charity lunches and dinners planned that they are overlapping and more than one organisation has decided to postpone their Christmas event until February where there will be less competition.

Some charities are inviting people to gift wrap toys which will then be distributed to those families which are unable to afford to buy gifts for their children and as more youngsters expect something at Christmas and then a few days later Three Kings’ Day, the cost becomes even greater.

Many children have more toys than they can ever play with and in a lot of cases as they grow, they lose interest in them, so perhaps some enterprising charity could think of ap pealing to parents and children to donate good quality, no longer wanted toys and games for those in need as an old toy for one child is a new toy for another.

The world is coming round to the concept of the circular economy where all sorts of goods are either repurposed or recycled and this is a great opportunity to let children help other children and learn from their own example.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Your English-speaking dentists in Albox

THE English speaking team at Clinica Raimundi offer their clients a totally per sonalised service, where each unique case is treated with the best service possible. Some people find going to the dentist a stressful and nerve wracking task, but the professionals at Clinica Raimundi are dedicated to mak ing you feel at ease, putting themselves in your shoes in order to provide the best so lution possible.

Opening their clinic in Albox three years ago, sisters Marina and Luciana are pas sionate about dentistry and their clients. Luciana, a young dentist with 15 years of invaluable experience and passion for the field, and Marina with her ambitions and expertise in the world of digital marketing complement each other ‘like a Swiss watch’ to give life to this business that they are so excited about.

The team strongly believes in teamwork and wants to inspire people to lead

healthier lives through education about oral hygiene and dental care something many of us overlook. Clinica Raimundi can help you to have a smile you can be proud of showing off!

Constant training makes Clini ca Raimundi one of the best den tal clinics in Albox, using the most up to date and innovative dental technology to perform a wide range of treatments. Their ser vices cover the whole of den tistry and oral health, including implants, prosthetics, dental aes thetics, invisible orthodontics, tradi tional orthodontics, whitening, en dodontics, general dentistry and emergencies.

The team at Clinica Raimundi are dedi cated to making you feel comfortable while in the clinic and confident when you leave, caring for your oral health as well as aesthetics to help you to have the best

smile. Once you arrive at the clinic, you will receive a complete treatment plan with no need to travel to undergo diag nostic tests, thanks to the technology at the clinic. They also perform this type of test (dental CT) for outpatients.

Oral hygiene and taking care of our teeth begins at a young age. The team at Clinica Raimundi are dedicated to paedi atric dentistry, making your children feel comfortable and at ease when going to the dentist, putting them in the best posi tion to take care of their teeth as they grow.

Clinica Raimundi also offers 0 per cent interest through their partner, where they will manage everything for you, as well as 15 per cent off implants until the end of 2022 get the smile you have always wanted for less!

With a score of 4.9 on Google reviews, Clinica Raimundi’s care, professionalism and attentiveness speak for themselves!

Having a tipple

The Christmas period can bring added pressure to drink, but setting goals can help you protect your health while having fun.

ON November 15, Spain marked the International Day of No Alcohol with a whole host of events to raise aware ness about liver health and alcoholism.

Here we share some ad vice on how you can main tain a great relationship with alcohol, especially during the festive season.

• Drink in moderation

Consider your relationship with alcohol and know your limits of when to say no and stop. Count your drinks at so

cial events, drink lots of wa ter and you’ll also reduce your chances of a hangover.

If you plan to set goals, let your friends and family know so you don’t feel pressure to drink.

• Socialise in different ways The holiday season can bring extra pressure to drink, which can sometimes feel overwhelming. Experts rec ommend mixing up your so cial schedule once in a while to try activities without drink ing, such as a sporting event

or a coffee morning and in dulging in hobbies to break up the social drinking.

• Consider an alcohol free drink

The alcohol free market in Spain is rapidly expanding, with more options for alco hol free drinks than ever be fore. As well as traditional soft drinks and mocktails, more and more brands are bringing out alcohol free drinks, so you can enjoy the taste of your favourite tipple while protecting your health.

Healthy habits

DURING the winter months, seasonal sick nesses can strike and ruin your plans, but luckily there are ways to reduce your chances of catching anything. Here we share three top tips from medi cal professionals on how you can protect yourself against seasonal bugs.

1. Get a flu vaccine

If you are able to get a flu vaccine, take the op portunity. In Spain, a gov ernment campaign aims to vaccinate 75 per cent of over 65s and people with health conditions, as well as through private healthcare providers.

Colds and flus are con stantly evolving, so doc tors recommend taking the annual flu vaccine as it targets current strains of sickness.

2. Practise good hy giene

If there’s one thing the

pandemic has taught us, it’s that good hygiene is crucial. Wash your hands before and after eating and after sneezing or coughing, avoid touching your mouth and nose of ten, and avoid close con tact with other people that are sick.

3. Boost your immune system

Try to eat a balanced

diet containing lots of fruits and vegetables throughout the winter months.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising fre quently and getting at least seven hours of sleep per night.

You can also consider taking vitamin supple ments if you have any de ficiencies.

Photo credit: MarkoBr / shutterstock.com

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle during the winter is one key way you can protect yourself against seasonal bugs.

Photo credit: freshcare / shutterstock.com

World Cup wellness Vitamin boost

WORLD Cup fever is officially here as the matches kicked off in Qatar. And if you want to feel even more involved with the tournament, keep read ing! Here we share some health tips and tricks that World Cup stars swear by!

• Enjoy your hobbies

England star Phil Foden loves to fish during his down time, while Harry Kane and Wales captain Gareth Bale en joy a game of golf. Nutritionist, Jess Hilliard agrees “They can combat stress and anxiety and improve concentration and patience.”

• Eat vitamin rich foods

Argentinian legend Lionel Messi and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo both love seaweed. Seaweed has the nutritional stamp of approval, as a vitamin, mineral, and pro tein rich food which also con tains vital antioxidants and io dine which maintains a healthy metabolism.

• Keep your mind sharp England defender, Trent Alexander Arnold swears by

activities including advanced augmented reality games and chess to improve reactions, memory and depth percep tion. Talking about chess he said “It’s similar to football, all about strategy, tactics and dif ferent ways of playing.”

• Take a power nap

England legend Eric Dier says that napping gives him an edge, “I love napping straight after training. It makes me feel better for the rest of the day.”

A quick power nap improves alertness, memory and perfor mance, for footballers and the rest of us!

DURING the winter, lots of parties and cold er weather mean we sometimes pay our usu al healthy diets and lifestyles less attention, which can take a toll on our bodies. Here we share three common winter vitamin and min eral deficiencies, so you can ensure you’re get ting enough of every thing this season.

• Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essen tial antioxidant that our bodies need for growth, development, and pro tection against toxins such as radiation from the sun and tobacco smoke. It is also crucial for our immune sys tems, making it all the more important during winter with seasonal colds doing the rounds. Boost your intake by

eating citrus fruits, leafy greens and potatoes.

• Vitamin D

Although we enjoy more sunny days than most by living in Spain, it is still possible to be deficient in the ‘sun shine vitamin’, Vitamin D during the winter. Vi tamin D is fundamental for bone health and pro tecting against cancers. Try adding more fish such as salmon and tuna

and eggs to your diet to maintain Vitamin D lev els.

• Potassium Our bodies need potassium to keep nerve and muscle func tion high. Potassium is found in fresh fruits and vegetables which are less abundant in the winter, so consider tak ing a supplement if you are unable to boost lev els through diet.

HARRY KANE: The England captain loves a game of golf to disconnect and clear his mind.

Photo credit: MDI / shutterstock.com

Betty Henderson

FRUIT & VEG: Try to boost your intake to ensure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals during the winter.

Photo credit: marilyn barb / shutterstock.com

LETTERS

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.

SMACK IN THE FACE

I’M so angry to read that Britain’s MPs can now also claim expens es for the cost of food, should they wish to hold any Christmas celebrations.

What a selfish, greedy, parlia ment we have! This ‘allowance’ is a blatant smack in the face for the workers on low incomes; for those who have to go through hoops to receive benefits; for those who have to take strike ac tion to receive salary increases, and for the thousands of pen sioners who, having paid tax all of their working lives, now have to exist on a totally inadequate, well below minimum wage pen sion.

The greedy MPs should hold their heads in shame. They should open their eyes to the real world and stop thinking of them selves.

They should be made to live, for at least one month, on a basic pension, from which every single household bill has to be paid. Without access to their no doubt healthy bank accounts, they wouldn’t last a week!

They clearly have no idea of the struggle low income families have, day to day. They are content to enjoy their privileged lives, with out a thought for the people who have to make a choice; whether to eat or to heat?

When will someone in the po sition to do so, take responsibili ty, and put in the effort to give EVERYONE a decent standard of living?

Maureen Gallifant

Hello Leapy

Thought I would mention yet another example of the BBC be ing out of touch with the public.

In spite of all the hours they have devoted to Party Gate on TV, radio news and especially the Today Programme, Matt Han cock has reached the final of I’m a Celebrity... on ITV.

This was the result of daily public voting.

Party Gate was bad of course but this highlights again BBC bias. I wonder if the same number of hours would be spent if there was a Labour government.

Never miss your column in EWN, thanks.

Too much time

I have read the stories in the newspaper over the last couple of weeks about the protesters defacing works of art and statues and quite frankly I think that these people have too much time on their hands to plan out these attacks. You have had your 15minutes of fame, get a job or volunteer at a charity shop.

Arthur Mancs

Way too early

Am I the only one to think that putting your Christmas decora tions up in November is just way too early. Sorry to be the Grinch of Christmas, but tradition is that you put your tree up 12 days be fore and take it down 12 days af ter. If nothing else you might save some pennies on your electricity bill.

Ethel Daniels

Be kind

My mother used to say to me if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. Why can’t we be more like that now, these social media groups with the bitchy and nasty com ments, no one is forcing you to comment, so if you don’t like the posts please feel free to scroll past.

Please be kind.

Graham

Sally Harris

BRITAIN’S MPs: What a greedy parliament we have!

Credit: Shutterstock.com/zjtmath

Helping the homeless

THERE are an estimated 30,000 homeless people living rough in Spain.

At least half of those accord ing to the official government figures are foreigners of which British nationals represent a significant and increasing part.

The British Benevolent Fund works closely with the UK con sular network to find local so lutions or in many cases help in repatriation to the UK.

Some live in cars, others in street doorways, underground passages, and even caves.

Some have been in Spain for years. They survive from day to day by the coins given by passers by, food banks and lo cal charities, some of whom provide temporary accommo dation for cold nights, a hot shower and a meal.

Many suffer from mental is sues, depression, and despair.

One such man was in his mid 70s when we were alert ed to his case. Neighbours in a rural area in northern Spain had reported a man seen at night time. The Guardia Civil followed through and discov ered that he was a British na

tional and had been living in a cave some distance from a local village.

To their very great credit the villagers collected money for him for food and a sleeping bag. Someone who spoke English drove him to the nearest large town where there was a homeless charity who gave him addition al items and called the con sulate to report the case.

It turned out that the man had been living in England and had been recently widowed he had come to Spain to find their estranged son whom he believed lived in Spain.

He had run out of money al most on arrival, lost his phone and passport and been living rough for over a month. By the time a UK consular officer was able to contact him he was in considerable distress.

The British Benevolent Fund was able to fund emergency accommodation in a local hostal while the consulate was able to establish his identity and contact his local authority in England. They discovered

the man was known to social services in his area and through the consulate we were able to pay for the emer gency travel document and his repatriation back home. Some months later we received a hand written letter it was from the son.

He was writing to say thank you and to say that he was now reconciled with his father and was in regular contact. He went on to say that his father had little recollection of the time he was found living rough in Spain and just wanted to say thank you for the kindness of strangers and to the BBF for getting him home.

The BBF works tirelessly be hind the scenes to provide the financial help for people in dire financial situations.

We can only help with your generosity.

www.britishbenevolent fund.org

TURNING UP THE HEAT ON CONUNDRUMS

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

frowns. “Daddy, why have I got such big feet?” “Well,” replies daddy, “in the desert after sandstorms, they stop you sinking into the soft sand.”

REMEMBER the recent health warn ings about high temperatures in the UK? One day I planned a 10k run at 2pm in a fancy dress bear suit, with battery powered hair dryers inside for added warmth, while drinking gallons of hot coffee. Thank goodness the ‘authorities’ advised otherwise. Phew, who’d have thought it’d be hot in July of all months...

Which reminded me of this similar conun drum:

There was a daddy camel and a baby camel who asks, “Daddy, why have I got such large eye lashes?” Daddy camel replies, “Well, son, in desert sand storms they stop the sand being blown in your eyes.” Baby camel

Baby camel frowns again. “Daddy, why have I got such a big hump on my back?” “Well, son, it lets you go for days in the desert without stop ping for water.” Baby camel frowns again. “Daddy, I’ve got just one more ques tion... Why am I in Blackpool Zoo?”

How to tackle conun drums like these?

Nurse, the screens please! That’s better, now we’re back on the meds. And bring that big syringe!

Nora Johnson’s 11 critically acclaimed psychological crime thrillers (www.nora johnson.net) all avail able online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audio books, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

NoraJohnson’sopinionsareherownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

Nora’s latest thriller.

Country house for sale in Nijar

EXCLUSIVE to Next House Almeria! We are ex cited to present this luxury country house, with guest apartment, huge garage, impressive pool (18x6m2) and terraced areas with breathtak ing views, walking distance from the town of Nijar, in the sunny Almeria Province.

Arriving at the well presented property you are first welcomed by terraced gardens with mature olive trees, in front, you will see the im pressive, recently painted two storey house.

Half of the ground floor of the house is used as a large garage space and the second half (with independent entrance) is a beautifully presented guest apartment, perfect for rental income. This is fully equipped with a spacious lounge and kitchen area with a good sized bed room and modern bathroom. There is also an internal staircase which connects with the main house if you want it to.

There is a lovely garden area with a fish pond in front of the main house.

The pool area is absolutely amazing, it has a large sunbathing paved area, with chill out sit ting area, and stunning views over the moun tains and sea if the day is clear. There is another covered terrece next to the house, where you

can enjoy infinity views and outdoor dining.

Entering the main house, you are welcomed by a spacious entrance hallway. To your left you have the spacious and luminous open plan lounge and dining room with stunning features and a fireplace. Next, is the fully equipped kitchen, finished with high quality materials, maintaining the charming traditional aspects.

Back into the entrance hall and to the right is the first of four double bedrooms, currently used as an office. Next is the luxurious master bedroom, with walk in wardrobes and an im pressive bathroom with a jacuzzi bathtub.

Seen and unseen

LINDA HALL

DECADES ago you still saw young girls riding a Vespa sidesaddle.

My neighbour Presentacion, a com fortably off widow, proudly bought her daughter, Presentacion II, a Vespa when she started work, to a combina tion of admiration, criticism and envy.

Naturally, she was instructed to ride sidesaddle, which looked ladylike and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday al though the principle was not elegance but remaining chastely intact.

What Presentacion didn’t realise but everyone else knew, was that once Pre sentacion II was safely out of sight she sat astride the gleaming Vespa with as far as she and her boyfriend were con cerned no untoward consequences.

Presentacion madre also went through a phase of encouraging Pre sentacion hija and the younger girl, Asuncion, to greet family members and friends with the words, ‘Ave Maria Purisima’.

This, amongst the devout, prompted the response, ‘Sin pecado concebida’, but reciting the opening lines of the

Hail Mary merely labelled the girls as rather too devout.

As a rule they were met with an old fashioned look, silence or, if the duo were really unlucky, a guffaw. To general relief, Presentacion eventually dropped her ostentatious piety, and I wasn’t surprised. As a lapsed and reso lutely non churchgoing Catholic even I was shocked at the overt anticlerical ism I encountered more than 50 years ago.

No one that I knew not necessarily representative of polite Spanish soci ety, I admit went to Mass. Funnily enough, they were still married in church, had their children christened in church and then, the high spot of every childhood, saw that they made their first Communion.

Little boys enjoyed the event, but were usually dressed in a sailor suit or, worse still, a monk’s habit, which was nowhere as near as exciting as dressing up as a mini bride as girls could. Fortu nately the religious ceremony was dis posed of by mid morning, allowing the adults to get down to the serious busi ness of eating, drinking, making merry and slagging off the clergy. As they still do, incidentally.

At the end of the hallway are the second and third good sized double bedrooms with fitted wardrobes and a modern family bathroom with double sinks. At the end of this hallway, you connect back to the kitchen area, with a laundry and utility room with another patio.

The house is in the form of a square, with an interior patio in the centre of the home. This creates a lot of light and really connects the in side with the outside. All the rooms have ceilling fans as the house doesn’t need air con due to its good insulation and thick walls.

From the kitchen there are doors leading to

the back terrace, here is where you can really appreciate the sensational views. There is a chill out area, an outdoor BBQ/kitchen and a magnificent infinity style swimming pool.

No expense has been spared with this prop erty, everything has been finished using the highest quality of materials and designs. The property is beautifully maintained and you do not need to do anything, simply bring your suit case and enjoy this unique home!

The furniture can be negotiated. The proper ty is entirely powered by solar panels, making it incredibly eco friendly and very low cost, how ever, it can be connected to the mains.

This property is perfect for those looking for a new life in the sun or your luxury dream holi day home.

It is in a great location, just two minutes from the large town of Nijar where you will find all necessary amenities. The city of Almeria can be reached within 40 minutes and the beach is only 15 20 minutes away!!!

A visit to this property is a must see to really appreciate it, so look no further and book your visit to this one of a kind place now! This can be your Next House in Almeria!

Born to power?

SALLY UNDERWOOD POLITICAL ANIMAL

A LOT is said about how politics is a play ground for those born to privilege, as well as a hotbed for nepotism.

Certainly, there do seem to be a dispropor tionately high number of husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and others who are somehow related to each other in parliament.

Let’s take Boris Johnson MP and Lord Jo Johnson of Marylebone (brothers), Maria and Angela Eagle MP (sisters), and Ellie and Rachel Reeves MP (sisters).

Former MP Nicholas Soames, as well as be ing Winston Churchill’s grandson, was related to no fewer than five former MPs. Hilary Benn MP is related to three former politicos.

If you take into account school and universi ty alumni, (five of the last 15 prime ministers went to Eton and 12 of them to Oxford) the proportion increases even more dramatically.

Is this a case then of like minded people all being drawn to the same career or evidence of a self selecting carousel of elite all keeping each other in jobs?

The overwhelming majority would proba

bly say there is some truth in it being the latter.

Common sense would certainly say that a body of people put in place to represent soci ety should at the very least come close to rep resenting the various different sections of it. But how do you begin improving access to a broader cross section of the public?

It strikes me that one of the biggest barriers in encouraging more people to get involved in politics is that the inner working of politics seems to be, almost deliberately, opaque. For a lot of people, the thought of entering into the whole sphere seems to be too remote to even be worth considering.

Why, for example, don’t we have an educa tion system that teaches children the differ ence between what a local council does com pared to a local MP, and why any of it even matters? If knowledge really is power, how could this hurt?

It would almost certainly help too if parties instead of just contacting the public to collect their votes, also actually got in touch with them to encourage them to get involved in party level decisions.

Once people feel the whole process is a little less smoke and mirrors, you never know, we might end up with fewer Eton school mates. That really would be democracy at work.

LUXURY PROPERTY: With impressive infinity style pool and beautiful interior.

Elvis sings carols

local entertainer Shayne Prince, who sings Elvis Pres ley hits like the king himself, is set to take part in this year’s Turre Evangelical Church Christmas carol service.

“Elvis loved Christmas,” confirmed Alan Bishop, the President of the church. “He made two albums featuring Christmas songs and we are delighted that Shayne will be singing some of the car ols from them.”

The carol service will take place at 10.30am on Sunday, De cember 18, at the church on Avandia de Almeria, Turre. Also featured is church member Joy Ncheny, 23, originally from Cameroon.

The service will include carols old and new, readings telling the Christmas story and will end with coffee and mince pies. There will also be a voluntary collection to support families in need in Africa.

Invaders in Almeria

THE heavy metal band from Madrid, Invaders, will be the first band to open the Devil’s Drum Hall which is a series of concerts to be held during the winter months of 2022 and spring months of 2023 in a concert hall format.

Invaders will share their re cent album ‘Beware Of The Night’ which has had such good reviews and reception by the specialised press both

nationally and internationally. This concert will be their first concert held in Andalucia.

The concert will take place on Saturday, January 14, start ing at 10.00pm at the Cafe Pub Dragonfly, Calle San Juan Bosco, 18, 04005 Almeria, an intimate place where you can breathe Rock all over the stage.

For more information call (+34) 631 097 154.

BALLET fans will be delighted to hear that the Kiev Ballet Company will be performing the renowned ballet The Nutcracker in Almeria. A percentage of proceeds will be donated to UNICEF in support of their work in the Ukraine emer gency. The Kiev Ballet Company maintains, among its main objec tives, the care of the traditions and essence of the purest classical bal

every one of its lines, the virtuosity of its soloists and the showiness and grandeur of its sets and cos tumes, all of them designed exclu sively by the best masters of the Kiev workshops.

Over the years, they have toured much of the world per forming the main classical titles, as well as original choreographies. Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleep ing Beauty, Don Quixote, Giselle, Carmen, Scheherazade, Les Syl phides, Cinderella, Zorba the Greek, Eyes Wide Shut, etc are part of their regular repertoire.

The Kiev Ballet is based at the International Centre for Culture and Arts in Kiev, Ukraine.

This glorious event is on Satur day, December 3, at 8.30pm at the Auditorio Munici pal Maestro Padilla, Plaza de Alfredo Kraus in Almeria.

For more information or to book tickets go to the website amaestropadilla@aytoalmeria.es (+34) 950 273 002.

All that jazz

MUSICAL theatre fans get ready to enjoy Chica go (The Mu sical) at the Maestro Padilla The atre in collabo ration with the charity A Toda Vela (Alme ria’s Intellectual Disability Association).

Chicago is a mixture of black comedy and prison drama, a true institution on Broadway.

Chicago has won, among others, six Tony Awards and a Grammy. Set amidst the extravagant decadence of the 1920s, Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two ambitious women locked up for crimes of passion, who fight to win the favour of Billy Flynn, a famous lawyer who uses the tabloid press to win his clients’ freedom. The two will go head to head to win fame at any cost.

For more information go to the website amaestropadilla@aytoalmeria.es or call (+34) 950 273 002.

The Maestro Padilla Theatre is located at the Plaza de Alfredo Kraus, s/n, 04007, Almeria.

Performance date: Thursday, December 8 at 8.00pm.

Image: Kitreel/Shutterstock.com

Getting it right

Betty Henderson

WITH multiple bank holidays coming up during December, many people in Spain are thinking about taking a trip. Camping in December might not be the conventional plan, but this year’s unusually warm weather means that this could be the perfect time to enjoy a December camping trip. Here we share some top tips on how to get the most out of a winter camping trip.

Pack some warmth

Staying warm is fundamen tal to your happiness during winter camping trips, take a warm sleeping bag and extra blankets as well as enough changes of clothes for unex pected rain.

Research your site

The campsite you choose is more important during the winter than the summer. Hav ing facilities like warm showers or an indoor space can take your December camping expe rience to the next level. It is al

so worth checking out the rules of your chosen campsite, to check whether you can get cosy with a campfire.

Have a back up plan

Weather can be unpre dictable at this time of year, and nobody wants to spend their bank holiday freezing or soaked. Having a back up plan can save you this trouble. When planning your trip, find a nearby place you can go to warm up or an indoor activity for if the weather takes a turn.

DURING the winter months, tradi tional camping isn’t always for the fainthearted. But you can still get your outdoor fix while staying warm and cosy with a glamping experi ence.

With more and more glamping destinations opening all the time across Spain, you can find the perfect winter getaway. Here we share some of the most exciting glamping experiences on offer in Spain, so you can design your perfect break.

Vineyard glamping Spain’s many vineyards across the country make for an exquisite glamp ing experience. At a glamping site near Barcelona, guests can enjoy comfortable accommodation in yurts, watch the winemaking process

MAJOR players in the Spanish and European camping market came to gether at the National Camping Congress which was held from November 14 to 16 in Gijón.

More than 250 industry figures in cluding campsite owners and camping lovers shared their views on the cur rent state of the market and goals for the next year, amid a post pandemic boom in interest. Several exciting new projects and networks were also launched during the event.

Cycling tourism

Industry leaders highlighted a boom in the ‘cyclo tourism’ element of the

Winter glamping

dwelling, a yurt, just a stone’s throw from the beach. While at the site you can rest assured that all energy used to heat your shower or cook your food has been generated using re newable wind or solar sources.

Active glamping

and sample local wines.

Eco friendly glamping

Sustainable glamping experiences are hugely in demand currently. At an eco friendly escape in Tarifa you can also sleep in a traditional nomad

Huge success

camping industry and discussed a mar keting strategy to attract more cyclist campers. Techniques include having bike maintenance equipment on site and route suggestions on hand.

Sustainable solutions

A key focus of this year’s conference was dealing with resource manage ment due to the climate crisis and en

If you are seeking a glamping expe rience while enjoying some wellness and activities, a site on the Costa Blanca has got you covered. Guests can sleep in unique ‘safari tents’ and even a cave villa! Activities include yoga, hiking and swimming, while surrounded by unspoiled nature.

ergy shortages. Campsite owners shared their sustainable solutions to current issues such as installing electric car charging points to attract electric vehicle owners, solar panels on camp sites and hi tech water management systems.

Amazing accessibility

Nationally, campsite owners shared a desire to make their sites more ac cessible to wider audiences. Although campsites must meet legal require ments to cater to disabled users, but many campsites want to offer addi tional services to welcome disabled campers on site.

What’s up doc

MANY animal lovers go for a rabbit as a pet. Their calm but playful na ture, low mess lifestyle and cuddly features make them an excellent pet choice. But how easy is it to keep a pet rabbit? Here we share some ad vice from vets on how you can have the happiest rabbit possible!

• Breed choice

Vets in Spain recommend re searching rabbit breeds before pur chasing one, but advise choosing ei ther the Mini Lop rabbit or the Dutch rabbit breeds. Mini Lops are small, weighing less than 1.5 kilograms, so are a good choice for owners with less space. Dutch rabbits adjust well to being domestic pets, but males are recommended for their calmer na ture.

• Consider lifestyle

Both breeds of rabbit also require daily exercise and some time out of their cage, so be prepared to exercise your rabbit for optimal happiness.

Rabbits also enjoy independence sometimes, cuddling them too much can be overwhelming. Rabbits live for an average of eight years, so it is important to also consider whether you can commit to looking after it.

• Rabbit health

Rabbits thrive on a diet of grass and hay with two cups of vegetables such as leafy greens per day. Keep your rabbit in a warm, dry enclosure for a great quality of life.

Neat and tidy

WELCOMING a pet into your home can be one of the most joyful decisions ever, but how can you keep your home just how you like it at the same time?

Perfect dog breed

CHOOSING the perfect dog breed for you and your lifestyle can be a tricky decision, there seem to be so many dif ferent options and so many questions.

Here we offer some ad vice so you can find your dream four legged friend.

Do lots of research

As well as looking on line or in a book, it is best to do some in person re search when choosing your pet dog. Try a dog meet and greet event so you can interact with dif ferent dog breeds and see how you get on before making your decision. You can also speak to dog owners or vets about dif ferent dog breeds and their experiences.

Consider your lifestyle

If you are a highly ac tive person, having a dog that doesn’t like exercis ing can be frustrating. Likewise, if you are un able to walk a dog each day, an active breed would be a poor choice. Also consider factors such as space in your home and the breed’s social temperament.

Consider your expecta tions

Think about what you want to get out of having a dog, how much time can you commit to look ing after it? It is also im portant to think about the breed’s needs, such as how much you will need to spend on food and healthcare.

Muddy pawprints, little accidents or scratch marks are just some of the issues pet owners face, but worry no more! Here we share pet owners’ favourite buys to help you protect your favourite furniture while having fun with your furry friend.

1. Invest in a doormat

Choosing a durable doormat can save you a lot of stress when trying to clean your floors. There are plenty of pet friendly door mats available that are su

per absorbent, waterproof and wipe clean. Doormats or pet mats are great choic es on wooden floors if you have a pet that scratches.

2. Buy furniture covers

If your pet has a favourite place to sit or lie, cover it with a washable cover or throw. This will protect your furniture against moulting fur or oth er pet related mess. It’s much easier to machine wash sofa covers than cleaning your sofa every other day!

3. Choose a comfortable pet bed

The easiest way to keep your pet off your furniture is by giving them a warm and comfortable bed and teaching them to use it.

DAILY EXERCISE: Give your pet rabbit some outdoor time for optimal happiness.

Tawan / shutterstock.com

There are so many different dog breeds to choose from, follow these tips to find your ideal canine companion.

CLEANING UP: Protect your furniture against pet mess by laying down covers or blankets.

Photo credit: Irina Kozorog / shutterstock.com

Photo credit: Stock Lite shutterstock.com

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ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

IT’S rare these days to have a completely new marque launch, let alone one that isn’t part of an existing car company. Not too long ago we saw In eos and their Grenadier and now we have ORA, or to be more precise the ORA Funky Cat First Edition. I know! Move on from the name though and this Chinese built all elec tric car might be about to make inroads into the EV market in the UK. It’s not a price sharpened budget conscious model either, it’s very much aimed at those looking for some thing a cut above and competes with the likes of VW’s ID3 and Hyundai’s Kona EV.

ORA are not new to the car game, being part of Great Wall Motors that used to sell pick up trucks in the UK, having five

Impressive, premium & loaded

It is very tech orientat ed, some of it too much when the navigation sys tem gives you about eight direc tions just to negotiate a round about. Howev er, engi neers were still tweaking the systems on the press

Facts at a Glance

Model: ORA Funky Cat First Edition

Engine: 171 PS EV powertrain with 48kwh battery Gears: automatic

Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 8.3 seconds/Maxi mum Speed 159kph (99 mph)

Economy: 310 km/193 miles Combined driving (WLTP)

Emissions: 0 g/km (WLTP) Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

brands under their corpo rate umbrella. Apart from the ORA Cat, the company is already showing con cepts for its second car, the Next Cat, which looks very sophisticated with Al fa echoes in the frontal styling and panamarian rear flanks.

The First Edition model is, as the name suggests, the first of a planned line of models and prices for the launch car start from €37,215/£31,995 which in cludes a profusion of stan dard equipment and a dis tinctly premium feel throughout the interior.

The drive is smooth and quiet with a decent amount of power when required, although the one foot driving/regenera tion doesn’t offer quite as much braking as one might have thought, so two foot driving is some times needed. Rough roads don’t phase the Cat and although the steering

is a little lifeless, there’s enough to safely quicken the pace on cross country roads.

Based on 15 per cent to 80 per cent, a 6.6kW home charge will take five to six hours. This time reduces when moving up to 11kW charging to around three to four hours. Additional ly, 80kW rapid charging will take around 40 min

utes. The Cat First Edition has a range of 193 miles. Although subjective, the Cat looks different without being odd, has a premium feel, lots of standard equipment and, despite a small boot, is a bigger car than you might think.

Good value for its admit tedly not cheap price, it nonetheless makes a most impressive start.

ORA FUNKY CAT: The First Edition, although not cheap, makes a most impressive start.

Keeping its value

Betty Henderson STRUGGLING to choose your next car? A new re port could make that deci sion much easier. The brand new report from a used car marketplace has revealed the cars that lose the least value over the years. Here we share the fascinating results of the research.

• Cars losing the least value

The Jeep Wrangler leads the list of cars losing the least value over five years in Spain, with its value de preciating four times slow er than the average rate.

The Wrangler is closely followed by several sports car models including the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Ca maro, Ford Mustang, and Subaru BRZ, which all saw demand increase during the pandemic.

Other conventionally popular cars including the Honda Civic, the Nissan Versa, and Toyota Corolla

also retained significant value over a five year peri od, largely due to their reputations as reliable cars, efficient fuel con sumption, and compact styles.

• Cars losing the most value

At the other end of the scale, the report found that the BMW 7 Series has

the highest value deprecia tion rate in Spain. Luxury and large models suffered faster depreciation rates due to higher fuel con sumption rates.

The report also noted that poorer treatment of luxury cars premium fea tures also harmed their value retention five years after being bought.

Photo credit: lendy16/ shutterstock.com

JEEP WRANGLER: Lost the least value in the Spanish car market over the past five years.

THE entire board of direc tors resigned from Italian giants Juventus, including the club’s president of 17 years, Andrea Agnelli.

In an incredible turn of events in Italy on Monday morning, November 28, the entire board of direc tors of Serie A football club Juventus resigned, accord ing to a local news site. Af ter 17 years at the helm of the Italian giants, Andrea Agnelli quit as president, and Pavel Nedved stepped down as vice chairman.

Total chaos now sur rounds the future of the

Board less club

club with Maurizio Arriv abene also resigning as managing director of the Turin side. It is believed that the remaining board members will leave as well.

These would reportedly include, Massimo Della Ra gione, Francesco Roncaglio, Suzanne Heywood, Giorgio Tacchia, Laurence Debroux, and Daniela Marilungo.

In the 2121 22 season, the Turin giants recorded

losses of £220 million in 2021 22.

The 36 times Serie A win ners are in disarray after being knocked out of this season’s Champions League competition in the group stages. They current ly sit third in the table after a poor start to the cam paign.

Juventus now faces the daunting task of appointing a completely new board of directors. Last Wednesday, a scheduled shareholders’ meeting was postponed and moved to December 27.

On the move

LIONEL MESSI is believed to be on the verge of signing for David Beckham’s MLS side Inter Miami according to a report in a national news outlet on Sunday, November 27. His con tract with PSG expires next summer, at which point the 35 year old will be a free agent.

Messi regularly goes on holiday to Miami with his family, where he owns a luxurious £5 million apartment. The report reckons he is lining up a big money move to become the highest paid player in MLS history.

DODDIE WEIR , the legendary Scot land and British Lions rugby star passed away on, Saturday, Novem ber 26. The iconic player was 52 years of age and had been battling motor neurone disease (MND) for the last five years.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved husband and father, Doddie,” read a statement from his family, released by Scottish Rugby.

They continued: “Doddie was an in spirational force of nature. His un

Tributes paid

ending energy and drive, and his strength of character powered him through his rugby and business ca reers and, we believe, enabled him to fight the effects of MND for so many years.”

Playing as a lock forward, Doddie won 61 international caps for Scot land. He holds the record of being the only Scot to even score two tries in the same game against the legendary

All Blacks team from New Zealand.

During a home match with New Zealand just two weeks ago, Doddie made an emotional appearance in a wheelchair at Murrayfield Stadium. He received rapturous applause from the players and fans in what was to be his last time on the hallowed turf of Scottish rugby.

More than £8 million has been raised for good causes by the ‘My Name’s Doddie Foundation’ set up in his name after he was diagnosed with MND.

Messi is currently in Qatar as captain of his national team. David Beckham is also attending the tournament in his ca pacity as an ambassador. That gives the 47 year to speak with the Qatari owners of Paris St Germain about a move for their player.

PSG would not want to lose their star, but a decision on his future could only finally come from Messi him self. He cur rently earns a staggering £1.2m a week in Paris, so Beckham knows he probably has to up the ante if he wants to lure the little genius to Miami.

Messi currently earns a staggering £1.2 million-aweek in Paris.

Image Shutterstock.com/ sbonsi

The club’s president of 17 years, Andrea Agnelli.

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Maciej Rogowski

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