Mallorca 1 - 7 December 2022 Issue 1952

GROWING SUCCESS

GLASSES were raised with cheers all around at a mag ical private gala dinner at the well known five star Hotel Cappuccino, where Strand Properties gathered to celebrate their Strand Awards 2022 Gala, toasting the success of the best of the best at Strand Proper ties.

The awards for the top three colleagues of the Strand Awards 2022 on Sunday, November 20, went to the brilliant Timo Maunula, Sorin Mailat and Ana Tarazona.

It proved to be a busy weekend for Strand Prop erties as the day before on Saturday, November 19, they celebrated the open ing of their fourth office lo cated in Carrer de Can Veri 6, in Palma de Mallorca.

The event was a tri umph, attended by lots of people including a very fa mous pop star from Fin land called Mikko Harju

who flew in to perform.

The Strand Palma team is a solid team of 10 suc cessful professionals, hand picked by the best agents in Palma de Mallor ca. They speak over 20 dif ferent languages and know every nook and cranny of the beautiful island.

Strand Properties is one of the fastest growing real estate companies in Eu rope with offices in Mar bella, Fuengirola, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca. They provide a personal and flawless service to all their customers whether selling or buying.

All of their property ad visors have a profound knowledge and under standing of the real estate market in Spain with many years of experience.

Operating from Marbel la, Malaga and Mallorca Strand have access to all the properties for sale in these areas.

AWARDS GALA: The event was a triumph.

Image: Strand Properties

BEING a neighbour of a night club is undoubtedly going to be noisy and now the Palma Federation of Residents Asso ciations is proposing that if nightclubs are not willing to close at midnight for the sake of their neighbours, they ought to relocate to industrial estates.

Pepe Bauza, manager and founding partner of the club Es Gremi, which is located on the Son Castello industrial es tate, believes that “the smartest option right now is the industrial estate.

“Here we can have con certs and parties. There are

City Council to promote shopping in small shops had a budget of almost €2 mil lion, and each citizen could obtain a maximum of eight vouchers.

rehearsal rooms. There are no neighbours and there is a lot of parking.” He has 4,500 square metres “dedicated to music” and is happy that they decided to open Es Gremi on the industrial estate 20 years ago.

The downside to relocating to an industrial estate, as re marked upon by Miguel Perez Marsa who is president of the Abone Association of Leisure, is that “It is very diffi cult to open in industrial es tates, but it is also difficult in a residential area. In Palma, they are very strict with li cences.”

Midnight or leave Voucher success

This

In order to benefit from

the €20, the minimum pur chase was €35. The cam paign started on October 11 and ended on November 20. The campaign generat ed sales of more than €3,365,740 and an impact on the flow of consumption of up to €6 million.

According to Jordi Vila, the councillor for Economic Promotion and Employ ment, the campaign has been a success, both in terms of the number of winning entries and the participation of the estab lishments: “The experience obtained further reinforces our idea of continuing to support small businesses in our town because of their importance to the local economy.

“With this type of cam paign, the town hall is help ing to reactivate the local economy and encourage purchases from small shops in the city, purchases that have been affected by two years of a health crisis.”

THE PalmaActiva discount voucher campaign ended with 95,505 of the 96,614 vouchers collected, in other words, 99.31 per cent of the vouchers were collected.

campaign by Palma

NIGHTCLUBS: Are not welcome in residental areas.

NIBS

Foreign purchases

FIGURES from Spain’s College of Registrars indicate that 35.1 per cent of homes that were sold in the Balearics in the third quarter of this year were bought by non Spaniards and the national average for foreign purchas es amounted to14.4 per cent.

Over the limit

A WOMAN was found to be three times over the alcohol limit after losing control of her car and crashing into a tree in Alcudia on Thursday, November 24. Local Police arrived at the scene around 6.00am. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Almost poetic

MALENI BONET, owner of the El Bungalow restaurant in Ciudad Jardi, said that her family are very happy with the town hall’s approval to initiate procedures to list the restaurant in Palma’s cata logue of emblematic build ings. She described the result as “almost poetic.”

Sleeping less

RAFAL NADAL, the 22 time Grand Slam winner became a father on October 8 and when asked about life with a newborn baby during his ex hibition tour of Latin America he confirmed: “I am more tired, as I am sleeping less than before.”

Travel predictions

NICOLAS HUSS is the CEO of Palma based Hotelbeds, the largest bed bank in the world. He confirmed that the appetite for travel shows no signs of slowing down as the company is ex pecting growth of 30 per cent above 2022 levels over the next 12 months.

However, new trends are emerging as con sumers not only seek new experiences, but also ways to make their trips easier and hassle free.

With regard to the Balearics, he confirmed

THE deputy mayor for Sus tainable Mobility, Francesc Dalmau, visited Albacete this week to see in situ the func tioning of the bicycle system in operation in the city and which is to be introduced in Palma.

The construction of six Bi ciEspais module style bicycle stores in individual compart ments with a capacity of 14

bicycles that will work with an app has already been commissioned.

This contract, which was awarded last August, has a unit price of €18,000 for each hangar and the intention is that the bicycle parking net

work will reach at least six more neighbourhoods.

The installation of BiciEs pais has already been planned for the neighbour hoods of Santa Catalina, Rafal Nou, Son Cladera, Son Roca, S’Indioteria, el Molinar

that ·the islands have had a great year and that every thing indicates that 2023 will be the same or better. Forecasting is more compli cated because of the vol ume of last minute book ings and competition is going to increase; this is normal. But the Balearics’ market share will contin ue.”

While Hotelbeds believe that it is difficult to make forecasts for the second half of 2023, it was stressed that purchase intentions have not gone down.

and al Vivero, Es Fortí, Son Espanyolet, Son Gotleu, Pere Garau and Son Rapinya.

Dalmau explained that the visit served to share experi ences in terms of mobility between the two cities and to get to know how this sys tem, which already exists in other cities such as Barcelona, Valencia and Vi toria, works.

Firm flying high Two for one tickets

WHEN you head to the shops to be inspired by Christmas gifts, check out the shops that are offering two for one tickets.

The Federation of Businessmen of Commerce and Services of the Balearic Islands (ADEFECO) and the Small and Medium Sized Business Association of Mallorca (PIMECO) have joined forces to once again launch the Christmas commercial revitalisation campaign ‘Palma: the Centre of Fun 2022 2023’.

The main aim is to boost commercial activity during the Christ mas and Epiphany months. In this year’s edition, customers par ticipating in the campaign will be able to access the children’s at tractions, with two for one tickets, and also enjoy the route of the Christmas Trains with tickets that the employers’ associations make available to traders completely free of charge.

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.

ENAIRE, Mallorca’s national air navigation service provider, has won the Cybersecurity Cul ture Training Programme Award, presented by the com pany Entelgy Digital.

Experts in Cybersecurity from various institutions and companies recognised ENAIRE as a ‘leader in cybersecurity awareness and collaborative success between Information and Communication Tech nologies and people’.

by the company’s General Management.

This campaign is based on an awareness model that fo cuses on people’s behaviour and on how new security habits are actually acquired when using technology, ser vices and information.

Upgrading

WORK has now begun on the redevelopment of Placa de Sant Cosme and two sections of Car rer dels Ocells, in the Son Cotoner neighbour hood in Palma.

The redevelopment of Placa de Sant Cosme and Carrer dels Ocells will create a new square in the area with a single platform pavement, playgrounds and play areas, a new tree sur round, new lighting and improvements in terms of both accessibility and the different service networks. The work is expected to take ap proximately six months.

This work, which in volves an investment of €753,590 covers an area of 3,385 square metres. The work will create 10 jobs and consolidates the commitment to the Neighbourhood Plan, which has been pro moted throughout the term of office.

The aim of this pro ject is to give Carrer dels Ocells and Plaça de Sant Cosme the appearance of a civic hub, as set out in the current General Plan. Priority will be giv en to the use of Carrer dels Ocells for pedestri ans, thereby improving accessibility and road safety in the surrounding area, creating a friendlier space.

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

ENAIRE wants to enhance the protection of its users and technological assets, and to do so, it is conducting a cybersecu rity awareness campaign in or der to make users more alert and, although complete securi ty does not exist, to protect them more. This awareness campaign, which is a continua tion of the first season in 2020, is part of the 2020 2025 Strate gic Cybersecurity Plan (PRO TEGE), approved and endorsed

TRAVEL: People’s appetite shows no signs of slowing down.

Female entrepreneurship Flying high

THE American airline United will repeat the seasonal connection to the Spanish island of Mallorca as the compa ny announced in late November its transat lantic flight programme for the summer of 2023.

This is good news for Mallorca in order to strengthen its position as a destination in the US market. From June 3 next year it will be possi ble to fly from New York to Palma de Mallorca. This confirmation is an important step for this Spanish destination which has carried out different promotional actions to continue at tracting North American visitors. This market is considered very attrac tive due to the signifi cant spending in the destination by these tourists. In 2021 Ameri can travellers spent an average of €1,868 per person. That is well above the €1,200 aver age by international tourists. The data comes from the tourist spend ing survey, EGATUR.

In addition to confirm ing that they will resume flights to Mallorca and Tenerife, the airline has announced they will al so connect the Libertad International Airport in Newark (New York) and Malaga. This route will debut on May 31, 2023.

Real Time Census

COCA COLA and the Cham ber of Commerce in Mallor ca have now joined forces to promote female en trepreneurship.

As part of International Women’s Entrepreneurship Week, GIRA Mujeres (Coca Cola’s entrepreneurship training programme for women) together with the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca, organised a meet ing with women to high light the importance of fe male entrepreneurship and to learn about the progress of the latest projects that have been undertaken in the Balearic Islands.

Road closed

AVOID Avenida Jaume III in Palma today Thursday, December 1, and Friday, December 2, as asphalting work will be carried out to complete the renova tion of the drinking wa ter and sewerage net work and improve drainage.

The Census is a geo referenced list of the ac tivities in the city, which divides the city of Pal ma into different areas. Sixteen different cate gories have been established and range from religious premises to pharmacies, hotels, car parks, shops, bank offices, etc.

The Census will show, in real time, how busy bars, restaurants and shops are.

Truyol confirmed: “This will avoid the satu ration of public spaces.” The councillor went on to thank the local businesses “for believing in and promoting this Census and for making it a reality.”

The neighbourhoods that already joined the Census are the Historic Centre, Portopi, el Terreno, Son Armadans, Santa Catalina, el Jonquet, el Camp d’en Serralta, el Forti Bons

During the event, held at the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca on Friday, November 25, the Deputy Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce, Su sana Munar, confirmed: “We must continue to cre ate spaces for collaboration to facilitate business gener ation. We want to involve the business environment in the fact that equality and diversity are a commitment for everyone because 50 per cent of talent has a woman’s name. We will have reached our goal when initiatives to support female entrepreneurship are no longer necessary.”

The councillor for Equali ty, Rosa Cursach, stressed the importance of promot ing synergies between enti ties, public institutions and private companies to pro vide women with tools and resources so that they can develop their projects.

This is the last of this work, which was practi cally completed at the end of May, but was in terrupted so as not to interfere with commer cial activity during the high season, as had been agreed with shop keepers.

Between November 2 and 24, the last punc tual work was carried out to bring the drinking water network in Jaume III into service: two connections to the Jaume III watercourse, and four rainwater col lection reservoirs in Pla ca de Joan Carles I.

On December 1 and 2, the paving of the street will be carried out, which will put an end to the work. This work involves cutting Avenida Jaume III in an upward direction and restrictions at intersec tions.

The execution of this project has involved an investment of €244,500 and the creation of eight direct jobs on the site.

NEUS TRUYOL, the councillor for the Model of the City, presented the Census of Activities Cens d’activitats of the city of Palma on Wednesday, November 30. The Census of Ac tivities is a map with information on the activi ties carried out in the city.

Aires, Plaça de Toros, Arxiduc, Marques de la Fontsanta, Pere Garau, Foners, el Molinar and Can Pere Antoni.

Female entrepreneurship

PALMA: Will have a Census of Activities.

Buses galore

IN order to facilitate public transport access to the centre of Palma during the commercial opening holidays, EMT Palma is improving the frequencies of certain lines that connect with the neighbourhoods.

On Thursday, December 8, and Sunday, De cember 18, the frequencies of the following lines are scheduled to be improved:

L3 (Pont d’Inca Joan Carles I): the frequency is reduced from 25 to 20 minutes and there is the possibility of a combined frequency of 10 minutes with L33.

L5 (el Rafal Nou plaça del Progres): the fre quency is reduced from 23 to 18 minutes and the service will be provided by articulated ve hicles, which have greater capacity.

L8 (Son Roca el Sindicat): the frequency is reduced from 20 to 15 minutes and the ser vice will be provided by articulated vehicles.

L16 (el Muntant Mercat de Pere Garau): the frequency is reduced from 25 to 20 minutes and a combined frequency of 10 minutes is of fered with L33.

L23 (l’Arenal Parc Aquàtic plaça d’Espanya): the frequency is maintained at 22 minutes and the line will be reinforced with partial ser vices between the Fan and plaça d’Espanya.

L33 (Son Espases Son Fuster): the frequency is reduced from 25 to 20 minutes, with a com bined frequency of 10 minutes with L16 and L3.

HOORAY, there are no more potholes to avoid as last week the Depart ment of Infrastructures and Accessibility, through the road con tract, completed the as phalting of Carrer dels Reis Catolics, between Carrer d’Arago and Placa

Smoother roads

de Miquel Dolc in Palma. This action, which is part of the Neighbour hood Plan, has enabled a surface area of 5,748 square metres to be resurfaced, with an in vestment of €60,405.

More buses.

Image: Palma City Council

HELPFUL TRAVEL HINTS

Luxurious Spain by bus

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 increase the state concession from 50 to 100 per cent.

According to a national news site on Saturday, Novem ber 26 the legislation was to go through the Senate in the next few days after it was approved by the Congress of Deputies. The original concession of 50 per cent came into force on September 1 as part of the government’s efforts to promote public transport in light of the energy crisis.

That concession will now rise to 100 per cent from Jan uary 1, 2023, on all state owned bus lines, of which there are 42 and which provide services to nearly 2,400 towns and villages. 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 deposit, however, the qualifying number of trips is yet to be announced.

AS a disabled traveller I hope these tips prove useful:

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 med ication with you most of us do! Print off a copy of your

medications from the list pro vided by your GP.

This saves any unnecessary explanations at Security should you be questioned.

Do remember that you can not take bottles of water 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 on line. Go to their designated area on arrival and leave the rest to them brilliant service.

Age Concern providing Help where Help is Needed.

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

Ancient encrypted writing

A DEDICATED team of researchers has cracked an ancient writing code that was used by Spanish king and Holy Roman em peror, 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 only handed

over to cryptographers in 2021. The emper or was one of the world’s most powerful men during the 1500s, reigning over a vast empire which extended throughout Europe and the Americas for more than 40 years. On immediate glance, the letter is “utterly incomprehensible” according to cryptologist, Cécile Pierrot, who cracked the code. Pierrot worked tirelessly for six months using a com puter system and key like notes in the mar gins of some other surviving correspondence to understand the encrypted letter system.

SPAIN’S luxury market is booming as a Barcelona high street joins the likes of New York’s Fifth Av enue and Parisian Champs Elysees on a list of the world’s most ex pensive high streets.

Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona made the 18th place on the global list. A new report also re vealed the locations in Spain with the highest rental prices for shops.

Passeig de Gràcia occu pied first place with rent costing an annual aver age of €2,677 per square metre. The high street is home to luxury brands including Swarowski, Dior, and Versace.

Two other Barcelona streets were on the na tional list, Portal de l’An gel and Serrano, before top high streets in the capital, Gran Via and Pre ciados. The streets’ num ber of designer stores helped them to recover pre pandemic levels.

Snowy season

Betty 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.

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

Photo credit: MeteoSN (Via Twitter)

Climate ranking climb

SPAIN’S climate action is paying off as the country climbed a whopping 11 places in the 2023 Climate Change Performance In dex. The ranking jump is being credited to Spain’s Climate Change and Eco logical Transition Law brought in this year.

The index which classi fies the 60 countries re sponsible for 92 per cent of emissions causing glob al warming, placed Spain in 23rd place. Although Spain remains midway through the rankings, classified as an ‘average’

polluter, the country has experienced a meteoric rise compared 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 obtained a score of 58.59, beating nations including the USA which scored below 50.

The index is compiled each year by NGOs Cli mate Action Network Eu rope and GermanWatch.

Indicators used to cre ate the ranking include greenhouse gas emis sions, energy consump tion, renewable energy in frastructure, and national climate change policies.

Ring busted

AN ingenious police opera tion has busted a criminal gang manufacturing drugs for elite sportspeople to cheat. A criminal ring was busted by Guardia Civil Spanish police officers on Thursday Novem ber 24 after they were discov ered creating and distributing banned substances to profes sional athletes.

The Guardia Civil created Operation ILEX in 2021 Cáceres, which is where the ring was uncovered, and ar

2 into space Art escapade

A RETURN to the space age in Spain as the country announced a bid to send two astro nauts into space. Thirty years after last being in space, Spanish astronauts Pablo Álvarez 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 astro nauts 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 spe cialising his skills with a Master’s degree in Warsaw. Meanwhile, García Alonso is a biotechnologist who has worked for several years researching cancer at the National Can cer Research Centre.

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

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 con voy on Tuesday November 15, just hours before Russian missiles rained down across the country.

The collection arrived in Spain on Sun day November 20 after five days on the road, travelling more than 3,000 kilome tres across the continent. The collection came under threat several times after a nail biting journey through Ukraine, as the country suffered power outages and the stray missile incident in the Polish bor der town of Przewodów.

The artwork was exhibited on Tuesday November 29 at the Museo Nacional Thyssen Bornemisza 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 invasion.

rests were made. The police originally acted on a tip which claimed that a licensed physi cian was distributing banned substances to athletes, and conducted an investigation for one year before making arrests.

The substances, which are banned by the World Anti Doping Agency, were dis tributed to athletes via indi viduals posing as medical professionals.

Athletes using the drugs risk fines of up to €3,000 depend ing on quantity consumed and sports discipline.

Guardia Civil forces arrest ed two people on a catalogue of charges including drug traf ficking, doping within the sports industry, membership of a criminal organisation and money laundering.

A further six individuals re main under investigation for the same charges.

Michelin marvels

THE lauded list of Spanish restaurants receiving Michelin stars was announced on November 22 at an awards gala in Toledo with 29 restau rants 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 recog nises the best in restauration in countries worldwide, award ing ratings of one, two or three stars according 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 Valen cian Community. Catalonia did however achieve the greatest acclaim on the list with an enormous 53 restaurants re ceiving recognition in the guide.

Thirteen Spanish restau rants received the highest award of three Michelin stars, with two new additions to the list. Thirty four restaurants re ceived two Michelin stars, and others received honours in cluding green sustainability stars.

Spain’s climate action is now paying off.

Photo credit: Holli shutterstock.com

Sun in a box

AN ingenious battery devel oped by a team from the So lar Energy Institute and the Polytechnic University of Madrid has been awarded the title of European Inven tion of the year.

According to a national

news outlet on Tuesday, November 29 the group re ceived the award for coming up with a more effective and energy efficient way to store solar and wind power.

Renewables have taken huge steps in recent years,

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 voyage from Lagos in Nigeria, ac cording to MarineTraffic, 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 Pal mas after stowing away on the rudder of an oil tanker from Lagos for 10 days.

however, their use up until now has remained limited given the question of what do you do with the excess energy that is produced?

Currently smaller installa tions use voltaic batteries, but these are expensive to buy and can take up a signifi cant amount of space, meaning they are not useful in all situations. Further more, they are not the most effective way to store elec tricity generated.

With more than 40 per cent of Spain’s energy now produced through renew ables, many experts had been looking at viable alter natives. To the rescue comes the group’s Amadeus Pro ject, which stores thermos photovoltaic energy rather than electricity.

Alejandro Datas, likened the system to storing the “sun in a box,” with the name coming from a film about a scientist trying to do just that.

Disruptive behaviour

PASSENGERS on a Ryanair flight to the Span ish party island of Ibiza have hit out at the airline for failing to control a group of drunken revellers who blared loud music and harassed fellow holiday makers for the entirety of a three-hour flight.

Videos posted online showed the group of young partygoers drinking

from large bottles of vod ka, shouting, and banging on the ceiling of the plane during the Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to the Balearic island of Ibiza - a holiday location notorious for its nightlife.

A spokesperson for the budget airline said: “A group of passengers on this flight from Edinburgh to Ibiza became disrup

tive mid-flight.

“To diffuse the situation and minimise any disrup tion to passengers, crew made several announce ments throughout the flight and refused to serve more than two alcoholic drinks to each passenger.

“Passengers ceased their disruptive behaviour before landing safely in Ibiza.”

Unique beauty

THERE has been global recognition for a Spanish town as it made it on to a list of the best towns in the world to visit in 2023 by a global travel agent from the USA. Ron da, a town in Malaga Province was select ed after it charmed the agency thanks to its stunning views.

The promotion of the beautiful white washed town from the network with near ly two million Facebook likes is bound to bring international visitors to the area and boost the local tourism industry.

Ronda joined the likes of Tivoli, Italy, and Dunkirk, France on the prestigious list. Indeed, Ronda is often recognised for its unique beauty. Situated on the edge of a gorge that drops more than 150 metres, its striking 98 metre tall aqueduct and white buildings have earned the town national and international acclaim. Its buildings in cluding its bullring, which, built in 1785 is the oldest in Spain, and its Casa del Rey Moro, Islamic inspired gardens provide fur ther attractions for tourists.

Furious prince

PRINCE ANDREW is report ed to be ‘furious’ after he was informed by ministers that he will lose his British taxpayer funded police pro tection next month, accord ing to a national news out let, 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 allegedly be lieves 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 Roy al duties.

Following the legal action brought against Andrew, he was stripped of his royal du ties by the Queen.

White Christmas

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

With less than one month to go until December 25, the Met Office has looked into the possibility of whether Brits can expect a white Christmas.

Weather forecasters have offered their predictions for the festive period as heavy rain and strong winds bat tered parts of the UK on the last weekend of November,

reported a national news outlet.

But while November has brought an abundance of rain, the Met Office predicts that December will be a little more settled, with tempera tures normal for the time of year.

Those who are holding out for a white Christmas will be disappointed to hear that so far there is no mention of snow just overnight frost and fog, a chance of rain and a possibility that tempera tures will plummet.

Student crackdown

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

The news follows an in terview with Suella Braver man and a Commons com mittee, where it was clear that she did not have a grasp on the immigration situation, including why ille gal immigration takes place in many cases.

This also follows the re lease of statistics by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) that reflect migra tion numbers for 2022 are higher than normal due to a number of factors including 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 minister is by limiting ad

missions only to the top ranked universities and lim iting the number of relatives that can accompany a stu dent.

The idea is unlikely to be well received by universities many of whom today enjoy significant additional in come 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 na tional newspaper on Saturday, November 26 that: “En ergy 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 reg ulator not focusing on the right things.”

The comments follow criticism of OFGEM on Friday November 25 when it announced that it was abandon ing proposals that would require companies to ring fence customer 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 ul timately being picked up by taxpayers and energy users.

Currently there are no rules in place that dictate what energy companies can or can’t do with the credit bal ances they hold on customer’s accounts.

WEATHER FORECAST: No mention of snow.

• December 2, 8pm - 2am, DJ, Lux AW Club, Beatnik Bar, Puro Hotel - Carrer de Montenegro 12 Palma

• December 2, Roberto Fonseca, Inca, Palma Mallorca

• December 5, 8pm, The Smuggler Pablo Martín Caminero, 2022 Alternatilla Jazz Festival, Municipal Theatre

• December 7, 8pm - 10pm, Bingo Nights, The Little Grill Portals

• December 8, 3pm, Alma Acoustic Duo Concert, Mirador Muleta, Soller

• December 8, 8pm, 2022 Alternatilla Jazz Festival, Municipal Theatre

• December 25, Xmas Day Dinner, María 5 Beach Bar, Palma Mallorca

Charity Christmas dinner

CHRISTMAS is nearly upon us, it’s time to have some fun! Join in the Christmas party and raise funds for Age Concern, even Santa Claus is making an appearance. Expect a splendid Christ

mas raffle and live entertain ment with the fabulous Izzy Newman.

Date: Sunday, December 4, at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start.

Location: Restaurante Ca’n Matias y Miquel, Car retera Manacor No. 4 (by Hospital Son Llatzer, just off the motorway).

There will be a subsidised coach available departing Andratx, Santa Ponsa, Son Caliu, Marineland and the Auditorium for €6 per per son.

Enjoy a fabulous festive menu of nibbles, bread and ali oli. Followed by pumpkin soup with serrano ham chips or a Mediterranean seafood salad. The main

THE Classic Car Club would like to invite members to a pre Christ mas get together at the Eagle Restaurant at Golf de Bendinat on Sunday, December 4 from 11.30am.

The Car Club will be supporting the worthy charity The Allen Gra ham Charity 4 Kidz.

Please, if you are able, bring new toys (or a do nation) for children of all ages up to the age of 13. They do not need to be wrapped, but if you prefer to wrap them, put a

course will consist of roast turkey with all the trim mings or hake a la Mal lorquina or chicken curry with Basmati rice. For dessert, you can choose be tween ensaimada with caramelised custard or ice cream or a fresh fruit salad.

The menu includes water, wine, beer or a soft drink.

The meal is €40 per per son and all reservations must be paid in advance.

For more information or to book contact Jackie at mallorca@ageconcern.org.e s or call (+34) 678 352 040.

Classic tapas

note on the present of the age and gender it is suitable for. The older children receive vouch ers to spend on items of their choice, so cash do nations can be made if you prefer.

Rosemary Allen from Allen Graham Charity and Charles from English Radio Pollensa will be in attendance at the event and will ensure the pre sents and/or donations go to the charity.

So the Car Club know how many to cater for, register for the event on the website ccc mallor ca.com. The event is free to members and their co pilot but if you are a non member then there is a €10 charge per person.

The Classic Car Club hope that as many of its members as possible can come to the Christmas event, where there will be a few seasonal surprises to enjoy!

FESTIVE MENU: Together with live entertainment.

Image: Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock.com

MARKET fans can find a market open somewhere in Mallorca pretty much every day of the week where you will always find the fresh est produce.

The Wednesday weekly market of Capdepera sells food products, plants, flow ers, clothing and footwear. It is held on from 7.00am to 1.00pm in Placa Orient and the adjacent streets.

The market of Pere Ga rau is one of the markets of Palma with the cheapest prices because the farmers from different villages of the island sell the fruit and vegetables they grow themselves. The clothing, footwear and miscella neous stalls are set up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Vegetable, fruit, flower and plant stalls are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8.00am to 2.00pm.

If you are looking for fruit and vegetables, plants, flowers, clothing and

Freshest produce.

footwear then head down to the weekly market of Vi lafranca de Bonany. It is held on Wednesday morn ings from 8.00am to 2.00pm in the Placa Major.

In Selva, the market sell ing food products, plants, flowers, clothing and footwear is held in Placa Major on Wednesday from 8.00am until 1.00pm.

The weekly market of Es Coll d’en Rabassa is held on Wednesday mornings from 8.00am until 2.00pm in the Placa Esglesia and sells fruit, vegetables, plants,

Charity concert

THE blood donation unit Germandat de Donants de Sang is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a charity concert organised by the Porreres Town Hall.

The concert will be presented by Margalida Blan quer, with performances by Cíl·lia and Roser Vida. During the concert, awards will be given to the volunteers of the unit.

From the desire to share time enjoying making music and the desire to make traditional culture persist, Cíl lia was created. The group was formed in the summer of 2022 by Julia Vaquer and Franci na Amengual. Its repertoire is made up of a set of melodies, some of their own and others traditional from Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, as well as oth ers from cultures around the world.

Roser Vida has recently begun to bring to light her music in between time spent with his medical studies at the University of Girona.

David Everson/Shutterstock.com

Gardening glory

ON Sunday, December 4, another planting event has been organised in the Parc de la Mar.

The aim of these ac tions is to combat cli mate change and con tribute to making Palma a greener and friendlier city.

planting day that took place in the park located between Carrer de An dreu Jaume i Nadal and Carrer de Martí Boneo, in front of Son Dameto park on Sunday, November 27.

flowers, clothing, footwear, farm machinery and farm tools.

To take part, please register by sending an email to electronicme saarbre@palma.cat

One hundred people took part in the bush

Santa Ponsa Christmas

CALVIA is preparing to celebrate the arrival of Christmas on Sunday, December 4, with a day filled with fun, shopping and entertainment.

From 10.00am until 8.00pm activities will run along the Calle Riu Sil of Santa Ponsa. You will find a Christmas mar ket, so you can finish your Christmas shopping alongside a stage with live music. There will be also activities for chil dren and joining the fun is Santa Claus who will be available for a chat!

If you feel a bit peckish throughout the day there will be plenty of food and drink stalls to choose from.

More than 300 speci mens of different bush es, shrubs and junipers were planted, which will contribute to the green ing of this space, where a popular planting of trees event has already been carried out.

Weekly markets Open doors

The councillor for In frastructures and Acces sibility, Angelica Pastor, along with neighbours from the Son Dameto neighbourhood, took part in this planting, which forms part of the calendar of popular plantings that have been organised during the au tumn and winter months in the neighbourhoods of Palma, with the aim of reaching the target of planting 10,000 trees.

ON the second Sunday of each month, Palma City Council opens its doors with guided tours so that visitors can get to know the fantastic building that is the town hall.

Construction of the building began in 1649 and its work was completed in the mid 17th century. Its façade reproduces the theme of the Mallorcan manor house and inside it stands out. On the ground floor are a large hall with a wooden coffered ceiling, a Gothic portal and a two flight imperial staircase that leads to the main floor. For more information or to reserve a place email javel laneda@grupiru.com

Image:

Queen of the jungle

THE third and final week in the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ jungle is always fast and furious, with one celeb leaving each night. Gogglebox star and comedian Babatunde left on Wednesday, 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 rowly missing out on the final. On Sunday, Novem ber 27, just three contes tants remained in the jun gle as the finalists on this year’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’. One out of politician Matt Hancock, 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 announced that the winner, and new ‘Queen of the Jungle’ for 2022, was England football star, Jill Scott. Hollyoaks actor Owen was a very worthy runner up.

Student crackdown

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

The news follows an in terview with Suella Braver man and a Commons com mittee, where it was clear that she did not have a

THE Eurovision Song Con test 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 allow viewers in non par ticipating countries to vote. The change will allow votes to be counted from non participating countries, with their semi final and grand final votes being added together and con verted to points that will have the same weight as one participating country.

grasp on the immigration situation, including why ille gal immigration takes place in many cases.

This also follows the re lease of statistics by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) that reflect migra tion numbers for 2022 are higher than normal due to a number of factors including 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 minister is by limiting ad missions only to the top ranked universities and lim iting the number of relatives that can accompany a stu dent.

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

Voting delight

both viewers and the jury would determine the suc cessful semi finalists who would go through to the fi nal.

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

The news was an nounced by event organis ers, the European Broad casting Union (EBU) in late November, describing them as ‘major changes’.

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

THE British government has told all departments and lo cal authorities to stop in stalling Chinese made surveillance cameras at ‘sensitive sites’.

Reported by a national tech site on Friday, Novem

Eye spy

ber 25, this comes as the UK grows increasingly con cerned at China’s inten

tions. In particular the government has asked public bodies to stop installing CCTV cameras produced by Hikvision or Dahua who they believe to have close links with the Chinese gov ernment.

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 review their existing contracts and intended fu ture installations.

Civil liberties groups like Big Brother Watch, believe that most British public bod ies use CCTV cameras made by Chinese companies. Whilst they do not openly accuse all the companies of having subversive inten tions, they say that the po tential exists for these facili ties to be accessed by Chinese authorities.

JUNGLE WINNER: The queen and worthy runners up.

Credit: ITV

Rest of the world can vote.

Shutterstock.com/ Review News

Calvia Mallorca

CALVIA, located on the beautiful island of Mallor ca, is one of the most pop ular destinations for tourists and expatriates to want to either move to or visit for holidays due to its warm climate, stunning white sand beaches, sparkling crystal clear sea, historical value, and abun dance of amenities.

With various beaches to visit all throughout Calvia and more than 10 beaches having been awarded and flying the blue flag for quality from the Founda tion for Environmental Ed ucation.

The beach is the perfect place to go to relax and en joy the sun, sand, and sea while you are visiting.

Go for a walk around the town and experience Calvia in its traditional way. With many of the buildings dating back to the 17th century, the homes are a delightful ochre colour and are well

Supporting local business.

known to the area. The Cruz del Descubrimiento is a beautiful monument to visit with top class views of the coast surrounding you.

Spend time at the port, with the luxurious yachts and boats coming in and out of the harbour, take the day to people watch and shop.

The adventures in Calvia are endless with the per fect spot for hiking on the CR1 Peguera Cap Andritxol Trail. With the trail for all abilities, take the after noon and enjoy what Calvia’s mountains and coasts have to offer. With ideal spots along the coast

Image - Bobex-73/Shutterstock

for snorkelling, enjoy the wildlife and seas, see if you can spot some of the fish from Finding Nemo while snorkelling and discovering the bays.

Another top spot to visit to get your heart rate go ing is Jungle Parc Mallorca. A tree top adventure park with zip lines and climbs for an unforgettable and once in a lifetime experi ence in Calvia. A perfect date or family daytime ac tivity to keep everyone in high spirits.

With various delicious restaurants and exciting clubs, there is no shortage on what to do in the

evenings. One of the best clubs to visit while you are in Calvia is Nikki Beach, this trendsetter club has incredible food, glorious views, the most comfortable cabana beds and day beds to enjoy throughout your stay.

The best restaurants to visit all depend on your taste and what you are hungry for. If tapas, seafood or a real home cooked meal is on your mind here are just a few of the best restaurants to go to while staying in Calvia.

Many bars also serve creative cocktails and tasty small plates, with nights of live music as the sun is set ting on the terrace. This is a must do while in Calvia.

ENJOY everything you are looking for in Calvia, with the added bonus of discount vouchers in your favourite es tablishments!

People over 16 years of age can easily apply for discounts at establishments such as restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons and much more through the winter months even do your Christ mas shopping and receive discounts!

The campaign aims to sup port small local businesses in Calvia and is a fantastic eco nomic effort from the town halls.

Sound good? Here is all you need to know about this amazing campaign!

• How does it work and where do I get the vouch ers?

Every resident in Calvia can purchase four ‘bonos’ each from the town hall web site at a cost of €10, with a value of €20. Check the web page comercio.calvia.com for information, but the scheme is now up and running.

• How do I get my vouch ers?

To get the vouchers, regis ter in the Calvia marketplace website comercio.calvia. com, buy the voucher for €10 and exchange it for a value of €20 in shops that accept vouchers.

To apply, you will need to be a resident of Calvia munici pality and input your ID into the website.

• Where can I use my vouchers?

Many types of establish

Get your shopping discounts in Calvia!!

ments will be involved in the campaign, including veteri nary clinics, health and beau ty shops, cafes, book shops, restaurants, opticians, retail shops, bars and more.

You can find out which shops are taking part by checking on the Calvia mar ketplace website, here in the Euro Weekly News, and es tablishments will also display a fuchsia ‘C’ sticker on their door.

• How do I redeem my vouchers?

To make things easier, no physical vouchers will be is sued, so you will not need to download or print anything. The voucher will be a QR code that will be shown at

participating establish ments.

For example, if you get a pedicure costing €20 you will give the business one vouch er, and you will have just paid €10!!!

If you go out for a meal at a participating restaurant and it costs €25, pay with a voucher plus €5, which means the meal has only cost you €15!!

If your neighbour or friend is a resident of Calvia and doesn’t use their vouchers, simply apply with their ID and

One of the most popular destinations for tourists.

use them yourself to enjoy the discount!!

These vouchers are limited so make sure you keep checking on the Calvia mar ketplace website to see how many are still available. The vouchers will usually be avail able until January February next year.

Head to the website com ercio.calvia.com, and click on the image to choose your lan guage. We will also be print ing some of the businesses in volved each week in the paper!

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

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 commuting back home from work and refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Al abama bus.

Rosa was an ordinary woman on her journey home

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.

Rosa Parks

from work, but little did she know that this would be a momentous moment in histo ry that would then proceed to start what would be known as the Montgomery 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 boycott began and came to the withdrawal of 40,000 black bus riders on public transport.

Over 75 per cent of Mont gomery’s ridership was gone. Black carpools were organised by leaders at the time, such as Martin Luther King Jr, with African American taxi drivers offering their services for the same price as the bus fare 10 cents to those that were African American.

After 386 days and approval of the Supreme Court, on De cember 20, 1956, Mont gomery’s buses were then in tegrated on December 21, 1956.

“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

PARKS: My Story.

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.

3I Group 1.347,00 1.364,50 1.344,50 135,44K

Abrdn 207,70 211,70 205,05 627,72K

Admiral Group 2.104,0 2.126,0 2.096,0 36,69K

Anglo American 3.174,5 3.179,0 3.138,5 173,40K

Antofagasta 1.332,00 1.336,50 1.322,00 77,11K

Ashtead Group 5.082,0 5.126,0 5.040,0 41,26K

Associated British Foods 1.579,0 1.588,5 1.568,5 84,40K

AstraZeneca 10.956,0 11.000,0 10.876,0 108,22K

Auto Trader Group Plc 574,40 578,60 570,60 204,19K

Aveva 3.189,0 3.193,0 3.185,0 506,05K

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.

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 combination 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 gener al 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 anticlericalism I encountered more than 50 years ago.

No one that I knew not necessarily representative of polite Spanish society, 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 Commu nion.

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.

Pets into Spain

CONSULAR MATTERS

AS a lawyer here in Spain it’s easy for me to take my two dogs on holiday within the EU but after Brexit it’s a lot harder for nationals of a third country like the United Kingdom and the United States to move to Spain with their dog or cat.

If you want to bring your pet to Spain, you need to comply with some conditions. First of all, the number of animals transported should not be more than five and their age should be more than 12 weeks, this is due to mandatory rabies vaccination.

No later than 26 days before their entry in to Spain, the animal must be chipped and vaccinated, as well as have an international veterinary passport. This document contains basic information about the owner, the ani mal, his availability of mandatory vaccina tions, the date of chipping and the individual microchip number.

The microchip must meet international quality standards ISO 11784/11785. The chip must have then data of all the animals being

transferred passed to the International Ani mal ID database.

The next step, 21 days after the rabies vac cination and no later than five days before expected entry into Spain, is to obtain a vet erinary certificate No.1. This document is is sued only at state animal disease control sta tions with print and signature. It is impossible to obtain this document in private veterinary clinics. The document contains the same in formation as in the vet passport, but further indicates the region where the animal lives and the well being of the region regarding particularly dangerous animal diseases.

This document is then changed to the European Animal Health Certificate, which is issued at veterinary control points prior to departure. To do this, at the veterinary checkpoint, you must bring the Form No 1, a pet for clinical examination and an inter national vet passport and pay the duty. The certificate will be completed in English and the language of the destination coun try, in this case Spanish. The validity of the European Certificate is 10 days, during which it is necessary to cross the EU border with your pet. This way, your pet can al ways be with you.

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

TURNING UP THE HEAT ON CONUNDRUMS

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

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

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.” 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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 renewable 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.

NoraJohnson’sopinionsareherownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

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Nora’s latest thriller.

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD

THE Conservative Party in England is very unpopular at present, but let me digress.

Living in London in the early 60s I had to travel every weekday for two weeks from Maida Vale to Lambeth and back. That meant I had to use the Bakerloo line in the rush hour. This stretch of the line served six of London’s busiest un derground stations Paddington, Baker Street, Oxford Circus, Pic cadilly Circus, Charing Cross and Waterloo. Hence, the passengers were packed into the coaches like tinned mackerel fillets. Our bodies were forcibly pressed against our fellow passengers. No fresh air, no room to move.

This being London, on a Mon day I might be squashed between two orthodox Jews, taking care not to dislodge their Hoiche hats. The next morning I could be propped up against an elderly Cali fornian hippie, my head pressed painfully against the arched roof

BAKERLOO LINE

effective control over our borders. Immigrants continue to arrive in their thousands every week. The handling of Immigration and the treatment of immigrants are out of control.

near the door. And perhaps on Wednesday hard up against an at tractive Mexican woman, trying to subdue the embarrassing smile in my loins … People tumbled out of the Bakerloo line, irritable and gasping for air.

Meanwhile, the legacy of this Conservative government is disas trous. The UK is facing massive challenges and is in a terrible mess as a result of years of mismanage ment, together with the mishan dling of Covid and the lies over Brexit.

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 liv ing in a cave some distance from a lo cal village. To their very great credit the villagers collect ed 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 additional items and called the consulate 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

Brexiteers were promised by Boris Johnson £350 million for the NHS. This would never happen. In fact, owing to underfunding, the very future of the NHS is now un der threat, not least because its EU personnel have left in droves, re sulting in the loss of 165,000 staff. The pressure on the remaining workers is such that we are now facing a strike by doctors, nurses and medical workers across the board.

Furthermore, Brexit is the cause of severe job shortages in educa

tion, policing and agriculture. We were also offered a better economic future with special trad ing relationships with the USA, In dia and other non European coun tries. This has not happened and, because we have lost billions in trade with our most significant partners, the economy is in a more precarious state than other Euro pean countries, with millions un able to afford to enjoy normal lives. There is even talk of a trade war against the EU!

Many Brexiteers voted for more

Others voted for independence from Brussels legislation. The suc cess of this move depends on the degree of competence and judge ment of the respective courts and politicians. The Conservatives have certainly not displayed these quali ties during or since Johnson’s pre miership.

As far as I am concerned, a con tinuation of Tory government from 2024 with the misguided Johnson mantra ‘get the job done’ is about as welcome as a fart on the Bakerloo line.

Yes and no

CASSANDRA NASH

in England. They discov ered 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

THE new Ley de Libertad Sexual is popu larly known as the ‘Only yes means yes’ law.

It states that a woman’s silence or passivity cannot be interpreted as con senting to sex. The absurdity of this premise was made clear in 2016 when five men gang raped an 18 year old girl.

A tribunal initially convicted them of sexual abuse, with nine year sentences because their lordships and one lady ship saw via a 96 second video that the girl was immobile, with closed eyes, sug gesting she was okay with the situation. The sentences were revised, but the law wasn’t modified until six years later.

Unfortunately, the Ley de Libertad Sexual is benefiting abusers, attackers and rapists, as Spanish jurisprudence al lows a new law to be retroactively ap plied if this benefits the defendant.

Because it redefines sexual offences and their sentences, some offenders have successfully applied for reductions and Equality minister Irene Montero’s critics are revelling in her discomfort.

They cited with glee a Murcia man whose prison term for attempted sexual aggression was cut and two others who walked free in Baleares.

Meanwhile, they forget that La Rioja High Court rejected 54 applications for reductions.

Irene Montero is the former partner of the Podemos party’s principal founder, Pablo Iglesias who left active politics in May 2021 and resigned as vice president of the Spanish govern ment.

He was replaced by Yolanda Diaz, who represents Izquierda Unida in the uneasy Unidas Podemos alliance and is minister of Labour.

Asked to break her silence regarding Montero’s law, she recommended “pru dence” and avoiding “social alarm.”

Still lurking in the political back ground, Iglesias never turns down a chance to snipe at Diaz. “Not only is it mean spirited and cowardly to turn aside when a colleague is crushed, but it is also politically stupid,” he declared.

He did not name Diaz, nor did he need to, because what Iglesias cannot digest, and what sticks in his throat, is that she is more popular than he ever was.

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

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

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

Overcrowding is a problem in hospitals and immigration centres as well as the Bakerloo Line.

Photo credits: Daily Mail and Express.co.uk

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.

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.

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?

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.

• Rabbit health

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

There

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

Photo credit: Irina Kozorog / shutterstock.com

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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

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.

on the press

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.

er, engi neers were still tweaking the systems

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.

Second-hand sale

NEWS that the Spanish second hand car market is reaching new heights is en couraging many car owners to sell cars that they don’t want anymore. If you want to sell your car quickly for the best deal, we have some tried and tested tips to prepare your car for the market for you.

• Invest time in research

Before listing your car online for the price you want for it, do some market research. Check the prices of the same model on online marketplaces. This way you can also decide whether making any necessary improvements are worth your time and money. It is also worth speak ing to your local garage when you are

considering selling your car.

• Prepare your car

Though serious improvements to your car might not be possible on your time frame and budget, or be worth it, you can make some simple improvements. Ensure the interior and exterior of your car are squeaky clean and tidy before taking photographs.

• Create an appealing advert

When building an online advert for your car, make sure to take high quality, focused photographs. It is crucial that a buyer feels persuaded when seeing your car for the first time. Take photographs of your car after you have made any im provements, on a sunny day.

Photo credit: Ground Picture / shutterstock.com

Photo credit: lendy16/ shutterstock.com

BEFOREHAND: Invest some time in preparing your car for the market to get the best deal possible when selling it.

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

Board less club

of the club with Maurizio Arrivabene 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.

ENGLAND won the ‘Battle of Britain’ clash against Wales in their final Group B match in the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Tuesday Novem ber 29.

It started with anoth er pretty lethargic dis play from England which saw the teams

Battle of Britain

head goalless at half time with the Wales team cancelling England out totally for the first 45 minutes.

The second half was five minutes in when Wales conceded a free kick outside their box. Marcus Rashford stepped up and curled a sublime free kick beyond the stranded Ward to put England ahead.

Phil Foden was on hand for a sec ond goal and smashed the ball into

the Welsh net to increase his side’s lead. Marcus Rashford then went on to double his tally after 68 minutes.

With a 3 0 win, England has quali fied for the next stage and will play Senegal on Sunday, December 4, in the Al Bayt Stadium. Unfortunately, this win means that Wales has been knocked out of the competition and will be returning home.

Due to England’s win, the USA also qualify for the next round after a 1 0 win over Iran and will face Holland on Saturday December 3.

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.

Shutterstock.com/ Maciej Rogowski Photo

Marcus Rashford scored two goals for England.

Japan