Costa Blanca South 15 - 21 December 2022 Issue 1954

EURO WEEKLY NEWS reader, Kim Pearce from Torrevieja, recently emailed us, asking for help.

She attached a Facebook post from Torrevieja Cat Adoption, a volunteer group who help at the local Albergue Municipal animal shelter.

“We need more money,” the post declared, showing photos of receipts for the special food and medicines that fosterers have paid for.

“Our dedicated foster carers are taking care of animals for whose care, health and welfare the town hall is responsible,” Torrevieja Cat Adoption pointed out.

“If it were not for the generous people who make money donations, I don’t know how we would manage,” a volunteer said.

“Any Euro Weekly News help in raising awareness would be great,” Kim suggested.

This was not the first time that Shelter volunteers have contacted us, and the Euro Weekly News has previously approached the Animal Protection department for a comment.

Our reporter spoke on two occasions to a town hall em­

ployee who said that the Shelter’s allocation was generous compared with other municipalities. He added that there were always problems with the number of cats the Shelter has to look after, and kittens in particular.

He also said that the person

we needed to speak to was Animal Protection councillor Concha Sala and that he would arrange for her to ring us.

We are still waiting for the phone call, so will try again. Perhaps on this occasion it will be “third time lucky.”

Linda Hall

SIMBA: Raised by a Torrevieja fosterer and happily rehomed.

Photo credit: Susan Pearce

Seeing the New Year in

TORREVIEJA residents and visitors will be able to enjoy an organised New Year’s Eve fiesta in Plaza de la Constitucion.

The town hall regularly pulls out all the stops for the town’s Inmaculada fiestas and over Christmas, but this will be the first time that they are putting on a New Year’s Eve celebration.

The Fiestas department has allocated €87,251 for the

event scheduled to begin at 11.30pm and continue until 1.30am.

As well as a DJ and a confetti cannon that fires on the last stroke of midnight, there will be a Cotillon (bag of party favours) for everyone seeing in the New Year in the plaza.

Children will have their own Tardevieja on December 30, complete with grapes, Cotillon and activities that include

workshops and a Wishes Table where they can write their wishes for the coming year. There will also be an artificial snow machine that the organisers promise will neither stain nor soak participants.

Coinciding with the 12 grapes, 12 balloons will be released to mark the strokes of midnight that, as for the adults, will end in a confetti explosion.

Christmas competition

IF you own a business or shop in the northern area of Alicante, join in with some festive fun and take part in the Christmas decoration competition which is offering a total of €1,600 in prizes.

Three prizes will be awarded in each of the two categories ‘Best shop window’ and ‘Best shop front or market stall’: first, second and third prizes are

€300, €200 and €100 respectively. In addition, two prizes of €100 will be drawn out of a hat among the remaining non­winning businesses.

The business with the highest score among the first two prizes will also receive a special prize of €200 for a service or advertising campaign. Shops wishing to participate must register by calling the North Zone Em­

ployment and Training Centre ‘El Tossalet’ on (+34) 965 930 338.

The councillor for Project Coordination, Antonio Peral, explained: “The aim of the competition is to encourage the creativity of shopkeepers in the presentation of their establishments over the Christmas period to attract customers while contributing to the special festive atmosphere.”

Final round of cup

THE final round of the Carp ­ r ­ Us Murcia Cup was fished on the Rio Segura in Murcia. After a journey to the venue in fog and light rain at the start, the match was eventually fished in pleasant though cloudy conditions.

The winner, for the third week running in club matches, was Willie Mions who had 7.84kg of carp on pellet. The runaway winner of the series was Alan Smith with 201 points (from a maximum of 230). Well done to all those who fished in the series.

A younger generation of anglers went fishing on Saturday December 10, with some of the children from Elche Children’s Care Home at the El Bosquet complex. Organised by the club with all the equipment and bait provided, the children had a few hours of one ­ to onetuition on various fishing

methods. Pleasingly, all the children caught fish and they all said they had an excellent time and hope that there are more fishing days to come.

The morning finished with a BBQ for the children and staff who at ­

tended, again provided by the club.

Further information about the club can be found on its website www.carp ­ r ­ us.weebly. com or on the Facebook page Carp ­ R ­ Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

WELL DONE: Series winner Alan Smith.

Image: Carp-r-Us

NIBS EXTRA

Sold out

GUARDAMAR Town Hall’s Christmas Shopping Vouchers, subsidised by the Diputacion provincial council, sold out within hours once they were available online on December 9.

New look

HONDON DE LAS NIEVES’ town hall has had a €1.2 million revamp financed by the Diputacion. Mayor Carmen Selles and her predecessors had fought for improvements to benefit employees and members of the public.

Free gift

PILAR DE LA HORADADA children born between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2021 can apply for a ticket entitling them to a present after the Three Kings procession on January 5. Obtainable at the Departmento de Igualdad until January 4 from 8am to 2pm.

Beach rescue

TORREVIEJA firefighters were called out to assist a man, 50, who fell seven metres from rocks above Cala Redonda. The man, who suffered head, hip and lower leg injuries, was attended by SAMU medics before he was transferred to hospital.

Not wanted

THE regional government added two amendments to its 2023 budget to increase resources to prevent the Cala Mosca development of 2,200 homes going ahead.

Green game changer

THE Mediterranean Summit held in Alicante on Friday December 9 marked a ‘before and after’ in Europe’s energy transition.

Pedro Sanchez, president of the Spanish government, France’s president Emmanuel Macron and Portugal prime minister and Antonio Costa presented the H2Med green corridor project to the assembled leaders of Mediterranean nations who attended the Summit.

By 2030 the €2.6 billion

THE 11th Raco de la Morera Race brought together over 1,100 participants in its aim to give visibility to the Valencian Association of Bone Dysplasia (AVADOS ALPE).

The race started on Sunday, December 11 at 10.00am, from the Altabix car park of the Miguel Hernandez University in Elche.

The Sports councillor, Vicente Alberola explained that “the toughness of some of the uphill ramps was rewarded by a summit full of animation,

green hydrogen pipeline will connect the Iberian Peninsula with France, transporting 10 per cent of Europe’s internal consumption of the gas, they announced.

“Green hydrogen is going to change the history of Europe,” declared Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, during the meeting at the Ali­

cante City offices of the European Union’s EUIPO trademarks agency.

It was a crucial element, she said, citing the domino effect of the Ukraine war. “The clean energy transition is not only urgent, but vital. Not only is it good for the environment, but it is very important for our independence and to safeguard supplies.”

For that reason, it was essential to fast­track the use of renewable energies, Von de Leyen added: “Amongst these, green hydrogen occupies a preeminent position.”

Christmas Golfing

LO ROMERO, set on the Mediterranean Coast, is always in immaculate condition and Tuesday, November 29, was no exception.

The game was a joint venture with The Royal Oak Golf Society, so 28 players teed off.

SAMM Captain for the day, Rona Agnew, led as the wind blew a hoolie. Josephine Monaghan won nearest the pin on the 12th and, Royal Oak Captain, Ken Physick, was nearest on the 15th .

including a live band, and by a very fast descent to the finish line.”

“The race had a solidarity component that should be appreciated, as it helps to

spread the work done by AVADOS ALPE with all the families and people who make up the association,” he confirmed. The president of Elche Sports Club, Vicente Alberola, pointed out that “we are very happy because we have once again surpassed the 2021 registration record, and little by little we are fulfilling our objective that every year more and more people enjoy this great race. This is a race that was prepared with great affection.”

Ronnie Taylor took the longest drive, while the clear Stableford champion was Tony Monsellato with 34 points.

As this was the last meeting of the year it was followed by the Christmas bash where revellers enjoyed beer, wine and pizzas followed by the Christmas Raffle.

SAMM would like to thank Sergio and all the Lo Romero staff for making it a great day out.

The group, SAMM Sailing Association Mar Menor encompasses dinghy to catamaran sailing, cruising and motorboat groups. They are looking for new members.

PADDLE surfing fans were in their element at the weekend when the Postiguet beach triumphantly hosted the Alicante SUP Open APP Tour, a paddle surfing event within the APP World Tour, the world championship of this sport, from December 9 until December 11.

The competition was the penultimate in the circuit that has already been on in Santa Monica (USA), London, Busan (South Korea), Paris and will end in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

Athletes from more than 15 countries took part. In addition, Australian commentator Travis Grant, an athlete who has won the Molokai Oahu four times was also present.

Head of the Alicante City & Beach Tourist Board, Mari Carmen Sanchez, said: “Alicante

was the setting for this world championship event, which puts us on the international paddle surfing map.”

If you like sailing and want to know more email sammgolfsociety@gmail. com.

Linda Hall

ALICANTE SUMMIT: Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen, Pedro Sanchez and Emmanuel Macron.

Photo credit: La Moncloa

Linda Hall

HUNDREDS of Torrellano residents turned out on Saturday December 10 to watch the second edition of Girajaquetes.

Timed to coincide with the Purisima fiestas, this recreates the town’s past when Juan Vaillo de Llanos was named Conde de Torrellano by the Archduke Carlos of Austria in Vienna in 1716.

Vaillo de Llanos was born in Alicante which, like most of the Valencian region, backed the Hapsburg losers in Spain’s War of Succession.

Vaillo de Llanos later succeeded in

Torrellano turncoat

retaining his title, which explains how the December 10 re­enactment in Torrellano’s Plaza de San Crispin earned its name of Girajaquetes, the Valenciano version of Turncoat.

Although the story is centuries’ old, Girachaquetes is comparatively recent. It was originally created five years ago by pupils at the Antonio Machado school and performed

there in public for the first time in September 2021 in the open­air owing to Covid restrictions.

Elche City Hall has now signed an €8,000 collaboration agreement with the La Cocina del Infierno cultural association which produced the performances that will now become a permanent feature of the Torrellano fiestas.

Christmas sing along

ON Monday December 12, the Torrevieja branch of the U3A held its last full meeting of 2022 at the CMO building. Several members turned up to be entertained by the Just Brass band who played many carols that the association members were invited to sing along to.

The music was interspersed with funny anecdotes and jokes by the band’s compere Ian.

The first 2023 meeting of the U3A will be held on January 30 at the CMO and will take the form of the Groups Fair for the first time in the history of the association, thereby allowing anybody to come along and join up for the whole year as well as join up to some of the many activities available.

Full details of the association and all of its groups can be found on our website torreviejau3a.org

TURNCOAT STORY: Torrellano re-enacts part of its history.

Photo credit: Elche city hall

‘No’ to Mil Palmeras

Linda Hall

ENVIRONMENTALISTS

opposed to the future Mil Palmeras development called for the land to be reclassified.

If the project goes ahead, 954 properties would be built on 159,000 square metres of land located between Dehesa de Campoamar and Pilar de la Horada, limited to the west by the N-332 and a built-up coastal area to the east.

The plans for 10-storey apartment blocks, amended after they were first displayed in 2021, are once more on public display.

The Friends of Sierra Escalona Association (ASE) said they will again lodge objections to the project, demanding special protection for the land. The group also wants to see an ecological corridor created between Sierra Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor, enabling the movement of wildlife.

Committed to sports

SPORT fans will be pleased to hear that Santa Pola’s Paco Hernandez Sports Centre will be on the receiving end of a facelift. The work is expected to cost €531,000.

The councillor for Sports, Julio Baeza, has confirmed that: “The new Paco Hernandez sports centre will have a new multi­sports court for football, basketball, handball and volleyball. In addition, the ground floor of the current stands will be used for storage. New changing rooms and storage rooms will be built and the lighting in the sports centre will be renovated.

“The facade will be completely renovated with a new look.

“The government team is fully committed to continue making progress in sports infrastructures both in the city centre and in Gran Alacant. In just three years, we have added two new paddle tennis courts, basketball courts in Gran Alacant and Obispo Bascunana, and an eight­a­side football pitch, work on which will begin shortly.”

SPORTS CENTRE: Is going to receive a facelift.

Shutterstock.com/ LifetimeStock

Christmas entertainment

IF you are looking for some festive fun in the lead­up to Christmas, Elche has it in hand.

The Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Association of Traders of Elche has organised various activities for Christmas that will take place from December 16 until January 5 to encourage shopping in the city.

The councillor for Commerce, Felip Sanchez, stressed that the aim is to make Christmas more dynamic and thereby promote trade in the city centre.

Jazz concerts will be held in the Plaza de las Flores on December 23 and 24 at 11.00am. The activities will also be extended to the old town and the neighbour ­

WORK has already begun on the renovation of the drinking water network in several streets in the district of Hurchillo.

The councillor for Infrastructures, Angel Noguera, confirmed work will take place throughout the municipality of Orihuela to improve the quality of the drinking water service, given the age of the network and the continuing problems of cut-offs.

The councillor said: “Specifically, in Hurchillo, work will be carried out in the area of the Plaza Nueva and Calle Rosario where there are obsolete pipes and connections which are caus-

hoods of Altabix and El Pla, where storytelling, magic and cooking workshops will be held.

From December 20 until December 24, Santa Claus will be sitting in his house in Chimeneas in the Carrus neighbourhood and is opening up his home to visitors. Santa’s grotto will be in the centre of the Christmas market in the area.

On tap

ing many problems to users. Breaks occur that increase water leaks, forcing frequent repairs and patching of the pavement and having a negative impact on the quality of service provided.

“In addition, the insufficient diameter of the pipes reduces the available service flows and pressures,” he added.

NEXT year, Alicante plans to incorporate a further 23 zero-emission electric buses.

As for the recharging infrastructure, the new contract provides for the execution of both the connection and the chargers needed to recharge all of the 42 electric buses. In addition, the installation of photovoltaic panels in the bus depots is also envisaged for the self-supply of energy during the day.

The city council also aims to build a green hydrogen refuelling station that will include its own system for the production and generation of clean energy for mobility.

The council’s project, HyVus, pursues the application of renewable hydrogen as a vector for the decarbonisation of large-scale heavy vehicle mobility. The project ranges from the generation of clean energy (photovoltaic) to the self-

TORREVIEJA City Council has convened the fourth Edition of the Torrevieja my city Citizenship Award, with the deadline for submitting applications open until Saturday, December 17.

The councillor for Citizen Participation, Inmaculada Montesinos, has confirmed that the aim of this award is to recognise the work carried out by a person or entity in terms of citizen participation. Special consideration is given to actions aimed at promoting the associative fabric of the town, improving the quality of life of the residents of the neighbourhood, district,

production and supply of hydrogen and the transformation of fleets for the traceability of green certificates of renewable origin.

HyVus has set itself the objective of positioning Alicante at the forefront of European cities with an innovative solution for its public transport, as well as the territory of the Valencian Community as a national reference in the roadmap of green hydrogen in Spain.

Going greener My city

as well as the solidarity and humanitarian action carried out for the benefit of groups or individual citizens.

All entities or associations registered in the Municipal Registry of Associations of the Torrevieja City Council, and residents of legal age registered in the town, may participate.

Donkey work at play

IT might be new to TikTok, but predicting where a donkey will pooh isn’t new to rural or even coastal fiestas.

An Alicante TikTokker called Pegameunviaje, who apparently had never come across the fiesta before, received more than 70,000 likes for his video of the proceedings in Alfafara, a village with 404 inhabitants near Alcoy.

This type of fiesta is in fact a competition where a piece of grassland is fenced off and divided into squares, each of which is numbered and ‘bought’ by a participant. The owner of the square where the donkey eventually cooper -

ates, scoops the pool of money.

The Alfafara resident who owned the donkey explained to Pegameunviaje that there were rules attached to the game, and spectators were not allowed to frighten the animal and those who had placed a bet were barred from cajoling it into occupying a specific square.

“If the donkey pooh doesn’t land in one single section, the takings go to the square with the most dung,” he clarified.

This was the case with the lucky winner that day, who finally went home with €600 in his pocket.

Green light for Callosa

THE regional government has authorised the Parquesolar solar power plant in Callosa.

Belonging to the Electrica Callosina cooperative, which has more than 3,000 members, the €1.6 million installation’s 6,272 modules cover an area of more than 50,000 square metres.

The Generalitat has stipulated that construction should

not take longer than 12 months to complete.

This is the second plant to receive Generalitat permission, following authorisation received by the Electrica Catralense cooperative’s €1.4 million Villa de Catrproject. The Callosa installation will produce the equivalent of the electricity needed annually by 1,350 families.

These two cooperatives and a 6.6­hectare project in Albatera are the only solar power plants in the area to receive official permission so far.

A further 15 projects await the regional government’s decision, together with another six, whose size means that authorisation will have to come from the Ministry of the Environment.

Pied Piper not required

CREVILLENT’S Health councillor Gema Candelaria Asencio countered Opposition claims that parts of the town were overrun by rats.

Accompanied by an employee from a pest control firm, she visited the zone in question where it was obvious that traps had disappeared. At the same time an old building had collapsed in the area, Asencio explained afterwards.

“This forced the rodents to leave their nests and burrows and flee,” the councillor said.

New traps were immediately put in place, Asencio announced.

“It’s important to emphasise that these traps are left in places that are not in plain sight and neither children nor any other person could come across them, as they are put inside their dens.”

This had been an isolated incident, she said, adding that the Partido Popular spokesman, Miguel Angel Sanchez, should have made sure of the facts before damaging Crevillent’s image by depicting it on the internet as a town plagued with rats.

“The situation in Crevillent is no different from when the PP governed,” Asencio said.

Turn down the volume

TRAFFIC noise affects at least 25 schools and 20 hospitals, health centres, daycentres and care homes in Alicante Province.

The regional government’s latest Strategic Noise Map, the fourth of its kind, analysed the sections of Generalitat ­ owned roads that are used by more than three million vehicles each year.

It excluded the main roads and motorways which see

most traffic and whose upkeep is the responsibility of the central government.

The noise map revealed Villafranqueza on the outskirts of Alicante City as one of the province’s ‘most sensitive’ zones, affecting two of its three schools.

The CV­95 between Orihuela and Torrevieja, some sections of which passes residents’ front doors, subjects 4,900 people to noise exceeding 55 decibels while

another 1,400 endure more than 65 decibels.

The CV­865 between Elche and Santa Pola also affected heavily built­up areas, the noise map found.

As with the findings of previous noise maps, problems will be solved by installing acoustic panels or sound ­ absorbing asphalt, the Generalitat’s Territorial Policies, Public Works and Transport department announced.

The first snow recently fell in several Spanish National Parks and mountainous regions, and experts from Aemet weather agency announced on Thursday, December 8 that they believe

snow could return to low altitudes this year. Heavy rains across the country in recent days could turn into frost in some areas of the country including the Pyrenees where temperatures are expected to drop to a cool ­6ºC to ­8ºC.

Snow could then fall in inland regions including Asturias, Palencia, northern Madrid, southern Cantabria, La Rioja, Huesca, Ávila, Cáceres, Navar­

ra, and Lleida.

The coldest places in Spain have also been named and include La Torre de Capdella, in Lleida, Reinosa in Cantabria, Vega de Liordes in León, and Calamocha in Teruel. In Vega de Liordes, temperatures in the past have dropped to a staggering low of up to35.9ºC, while the other towns have recorded lows colder than ­24ºC.

A White Christmas? Quality of life

A SPANISH city has attracted global acclaim as it was named the world’s best city to live in for expats. The annual report revealed Valencia pipped Dubai and Mexico City to the post to take top place on the list.

The report was created by global expat network, InterNations and is based on several different indicators, including the quality of life, happiness of residents, beauty, and amount of green spaces. The platform selects and ranks the top 50 cities each year for foreigners to live or work in. Evidently, there is no shortage of

beautiful places in Spain, and this year’s list reflected that, with three Spanish cities making it to the top 20. Madrid came in at fifth place, while Barcelona was ranked the 14th best city in the world to live in. This year’s top 10 was made up by Dubai, Mexico City, Lisbon, Madrid, Bangkok, Basel, Melbourne, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore.

Interestingly, American cities did not make an appearance until the 12th position on the list with Miami, and no British cities made it to the top 20.

Betty Henderson CHRISTMAS is nearly here, but what are the chances of a white Christmas this year? And where are the coldest places in the country?

Unconventional entry

A PARAGLIDER has perplexed authorities in Melilla after entering the Spanish enclave by air and seemingly disappearing. A person crossed the border fence between Morocco and the Spanish overseas territory by paragliding over it at the beginning of December.

By­standers saw the paraglider enter over a fence while driving on a ring road on the outskirts of Melilla in the evening at around 6.15pm and notified police. Melilla’s representative to the Spanish government released a statement saying, “Police forces were immediately deployed to the area but were unable to locate the migrant.”

A DRUG smuggling operation was busted by Spanish Guardia Civil officers with traffickers disguising marihuana as aid for Ukraine in an attempt to transport it around Europe. Police made various arrests in the Andalucia region after receiving a tip ­ off about Ukrainians storing marihuana in an apartment in Fuengirola, on the Costa del Sol.

The discovery led to a string of international ar­

A short video was released on social media showing a paraglider with a white parachute crossing the two parallel border fences and apparently landing in a forested area nearby. The limited description means that police were unable to identify the migrant’s nationality.

If successful, the event would be the first time a migrant entered the territory using the unusual method of transport. Melilla has been at the centre of migration controversy in recent years with the Spanish Foreign Ministry recording arrivals of at least 1,155 undocumented migrants between the start of the year and Saturday, October 15.

Humanitarian aid hoax

rests including Ukrainian, Spanish, German and Moroccan nationals.

During Operation Marlin, police officers made 11 arrests for various crimes including drug trafficking, electricity misuse, possession of weapons and belonging to an organised criminal gang. They also seized more than 109kg of vacuum packaged mari ­

huana at the address.

The operation had seen the gang package drugs in cardboard boxes and use vans registered in Ukraine to carry the drugs towards the north of the continent. The Ukrainian vans travelled in convoy, posing as aid workers carrying humanitarian supplies for Ukraine to avoid scrutiny at border controls.

WHO can vote in Spanish local elections?

NB. there is no automatic right to vote in Spanish local elections for nonSpanish residents. You need to register your intention.

EU citizens: Simply go to your local town hall with your passport and ask to register. You

Registering for Spanish Local Elections - A Simple Guide

should be on the Padrón to do this. They will give you the form and do the

registration on the spot.

Non ­ EU citizens: Only countries which have a re­

ciprocal arrangement with Spain can stand and vote in Local Elections. IF you

come from a country which has a reciprocal agreement with Spain for its citizens. These countries are currently: Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, United Kingdom, and Trinidad and Tobago.

There are conditions:

1. You need to be on the Padrón (Municipal Register)

2. You must have had legal residence in Spain for at least three years

3. You need to complete the form to register on the voters’ roll (available at your Council Offices)

4. You need to register before January 15, 2023.

Remember to take your TIE/Residencia document, and your passport with you. If your TIE is Tempo ­

rary ie for five years, please try to bring with you something that will demonstrate that you have been resident for at least three years: maybe a photocopy of your original Green Paper Residencia.

Forms can also be downloaded from my website, complete at home and taken to our local town hall for registration. https://bill andersonmijas.es/vote­inspanish­local­elections/

You may receive an invitation to register from the Oficina del Censo Electoral. If you do, you can simply tick the ‘Yes’ box and post it back, Freepost.

If you don’t receive this, you must register in person at your local town hall. A form must be completed for each person who wishes to register.

You have the right to vote in these elections. Don’t let others decide who will spend your money from May 2023. Get registered and you make the decision.

The above information has been provided by Mijas councillor Bill Anderson.

EU travel requirements

Peter McLaren­Kennedy

ALL travellers to the EU from the UK will require to make use of the ETIAS authorisation system, which comes into force at the end of the year.

ETIAS is not a visa, but is rather more akin to the American system, but an electronic system that will allow Schengen member countries to better control movement in and out of the EU.

The system is being introduced primarily to allow the EU to better control its borders, but will also bring about the consistent application of the rules:

• Reduce procedures and application times

• Improve the management of EU country borders

• Assist in detecting and decreasing crime and terrorism

• Impede irregular migration

• Reinforce the visa liberalisation policy of the EU

But most of all the EU believes that the new system

will make travelling to the EU less of a hassle and a much safer experience for everyone.

ETIAS Requirements for UK Citizens

Currently UK citizens do not require any prior approval or visa to visit the EU, however, ETIAS changes that with a quick application required prior to travel. The application will take only a few minutes to complete, will cost the equivalent of €7.00 and will be valid for three years.

The fee will only apply to those aged between 18 and 70.

Duration of stay and moving around Europe

The ETIAS system does not change the current policy that restricts the visit of non­EU residents to 90 days in any 180­day period.

Once approval has been given you will be free to enter and move around Europe for business, tourism and medical reasons. It will also allow you to use Europe for transit whilst

travelling.

Please note it does not give you the right to work, to live or to overstay the 90 days.

If you do overstay you could be fined, deported or refused entry in the future even if you broke the law unintentionally.

Applying for an ETIAS?

You will need to visit the official website or make use of the mobile application once it becomes available. There you will you need to complete the application, which asks for basic information such as name, address and passport details.

The process, which should take less than 10 minutes to complete, should result in your receiving authority to enter the EU within a few minutes of submitting your application.

Please remember that your application could be denied if you have a criminal record, pose a danger to society, have provided fraudulent information or pose a threat.

Entering the EU

As before you will need to be able to show a valid passport on entry (issue for no more than 10 years and have three months remaining at the time of your intended departure) and your ETIAS authorisation.

You may also be asked why you are travelling to the EU and whether you have the financial means to support yourself.

BORDER CONTROL: New system will allow better control of movement in and out of the EU.

THE army in the UK is preparing to ‘go to war’ as strikes look set to bring large parts of the country to a standstill over Christmas. Troops are believed to have begun training on Friday, December 9 at Gatwick and Heathrow airports as the Border Force Agency prepares for the strike set to take place from December 23.

With more than 75 per

cent of the force due to walk out along with ambulance drivers and support staff, some 600 military personnel are foregoing Christmas to step into the breach.

A further 700 civil servants are said to also be in training to fulfil a variety of roles that will keep essential services running at a very busy time of year.

Speaking to troops at an RAF base Prime Minister

Preparing for war easyJet autumn 2023

EASYJET , Europe’s leading airline, announced on Wednesday, December 7, that its flights for autumn 2023 were now on sale and available to book. Seats across tens of thousands of easyJet flights between October 1 and November 30, 2023 are available.

Dates including October half term

Rishi Sunak thanked military personnel for stepping in and missing their Christmas.

As the UK prepares to ‘go to war’ unions confirm that rail workers, bus staff, roads staff, baggage handlers, Royal Mail employees, nurses, driving examiners, civil servants, ambulance staff and teachers will all strike at one time or another over the festive season.

are now available to book at low fares across the entire European network, at easyJet.com and via the Mobile App.

easyJet serves 21 UK airports, offering over 463 routes to over 120 destinations from the UK to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with low fares available to book now.

IN a hearing at the Old Bailey, the American woman who admitted to killing 19year ­ old Harry Dunn by careless driving outside a US military base in Northamptonshire in August 2019 avoided jail.

A judge handed Anne Sacoolas an eight ­ month suspended sentence, which means she will not go to prison.

Sacoolas admitted that her vehicle struck the

Scot free

young man’s motorcycle while driving on the wrong side of the road. She pleaded guilty to causing Harry Dunn’s death by careless driving. Her two young children were in the back of her car at the time of the incident three years ago.

Tough laws

THE UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is talking tough, promising to introduce tough new laws to put an end to what he called “unreasonable” union strikes and walkouts.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, December 7 said: “If union leaders continue to be unreasonable, then it’s my duty to take action to protect the lives and livelihoods of the British public.”

The statement came after Border Force staff announced that they would take industrial action over Christmas in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

Downing Street has spoken of minimum service level restrictions

being introduced, such as they have in Spain, but despite saying speed and urgency was critical no legislation has been forthcoming. Furthermore, there has been no indication of what the legislation might look like, making it unlikely that it will be tabled before the Christmas holiday season.

With the “right to strike is a fundamental British liberty” former ministers have said that this is an area fraught with difficulties, complications and sensitivities.

Frances O’Grady, General Secretary for the TUC, said that the government wants to make it harder for working people to win better pay and conditions.

Following the crash in Northamptonshire, Sacoolas was granted diplomatic immunity due to her work with the US intelligence agencies. Originally, she had claimed her husband was a diplomat, but her real occupation was later revealed.

Police investigators questioned her after Sacoolas returned to America. During the interview, she allegedly said that as he lay dying, Mr Dunn asked her for help and ‘made a comment that he was driving on his side of the road’.

“It was when I got my kids to the side of the road that I realised what happened. It wasn’t until that point that I realised that I had driven on the American side of the road versus the UK side,” she continued.

BP warning

MPs have told parliament that BP should donate its ‘wartime profits’ to Ukraine of face a special windfall tax.

MPs from both sides of the house also told the government during a debate to put pressure on the government to force BP to leave Russia altogether.

BP has a 19.75 per cent stake in Rosneft, one of Russia’s largest and most important oil producers. The company had said that it would divest of its interests in Russia soon after the invasion of Ukraine, however, it has so far not reduced its interests in the country.

The debate took place after Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge raised an urgent question on the matter. Opening the debate she said: “It is utterly shameful that a large, publicly listed British company profits from the sale of oil that is funding Putin’s war.

“BP must either voluntarily donate the entirety of its Russian dividends to the reconstruction of Ukraine, or the government must take action to force them to do so.”

• December 15, 4pm, DJ Kev, in Bar Esquina Quesada

• December 15, 8.30pm, Bella Lunaspin, La Vuelta Finca

• December 16, 8pm, Bella Lunaspin, Coopers bar, Rojales

• December 18, 4pm, Status Quo, in Bar Esquina Quesada

• December 22, 4pm, Cilla, Christmas with Cilla, At De Barra Irish Bar, El Galan, Orihuela Costa

• December 22, 7pm, Xmas Carols, Royal British Legion, The Captain’s Table Kitchen and Bar, Torrevieja

• December 23, 2pm, Christmas Jumper Party with Elvis Tribute act, The Champagne Bar, Orihuela

• December 24, 8pm, Xmas Karaoke, The Captain’s Table Kitchen and Bar, Torrevieja

• December 23, 9pm, Alex Tipping, The Corner Flag, La Finca

• December 24, 9pm, Jim McMail, Cabaret Show, Jax Bar, Orihuela Costa

• December 31, 8pm, Cuddles Disco, Aurora Bar & Lounge, Dona Pepa, Quesada

Cheese and Turron

HAVE you ever wondered how cheese is made? Enjoy a guided visit, in English, to a traditional cheese farm and the famous Turron Museum.

This fascinating tour takes place on Thursday, December 22, and starts at a local cheese farm set in the picturesque countryside of Alicante.

You will see the herding of

Language exchange

ARE you struggling to learn the lingo? Do you need to practise your Spanish?

The best way to learn is to practise with native speakers who in turn can practise their English with you.

With free entry there is no excuse not to join the international community for a Language Exchange, Intercambio de Idiomas, on Tuesday evenings at 7.00pm at the Robin’s Irish Pub on Calle Virgen del Socorro, 66, 03002 in Alicante.

For more information pop in to the bar or call (+34) 632 777 678.

goats in the fields, followed by an interesting demonstration of how cheese is produced in a traditional home­ made fashion. Finally, you will get to taste the fresh milk and a selection of cheeses made on the farm.

The tour continues with a special visit to the Turron Museum, where you will discover the history and process of making turron. This tradition­

al nougat­type sweet with almonds as the main ingredient is typically enjoyed around Christmas time and produced in factories located in the south of the Costa Blanca.

The aromas of toasted almonds during this time of year, are delightful.

For more information or to book your place for this authentic rural adventure, call (+34) 617 216 049.

Feeling festive

THE fabulous Royal British Legion Concert Band are keeping busy and continue the Christmas season with more performances.

On Friday, December 16, the Band will be at Tesco supermarket in Quesada from midday until 1.30pm.

On Saturday, December 17, join them for ‘Carols in the Square’ in Pilar de la Horadada from midday until 1.30pm.

The Band will head over to the Emerald Isle in La Florida to collaborate with Leroy Morales on Monday, December 19, again starting at midday.

Tuesday, December 20, sees the Royal British Legion Band at Iceland Supermarket in Torrevieja from midday until 1.30pm. At 7.00pm the Band will then head over to the Captain’s Table in Punta Prima.

On Wednesday, December 21, join the Band for ‘Carols in the Square’ in Quesada joined by Big FM starting at 6.00pm.

Sparkling attractions

IF you are a Christmas market fan head to the Paseo de la Estacion in Elche where you will find 28 stalls presided over by an eight metre high Christmas tree.

Next to the market will be a special Christmas fair.

From December 12 until December 16, evenings on­

ly, from 5pm until 9pm.

On December 17 and 18, from 11am until 2pm and from 5pm until 9pm.

From December 19 until December 22, evenings only, from 5pm until 9pm.

Finally from December 23 until January 8 from 11am until 2pm and from 5pm until 9pm.

Name that tune

CRESCENDO International Choir are going to be busy over the festive period with several concerts planned including on Saturday, December 17, at 6.00pm at La Siesta Church in Torrevieja.

If interested in joining Crescendo, take a look at the Crescendo website: crescen do­choir.com.

The choir would be delighted to have more male singers, especially basses. The choir includes sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. The group sings a variety of songs ranging from musicals to spirituals, from pop to classical, in English and Spanish. Rehearsals take place at Rincon de Miguel Restaurant in Los Montesinos on Mondays from 5.45pm until 8.00pm. All singers are welcome!

ELCHE:

Border Force strike

PCS, the Public and Commercial Services Union, said on Wednesday, December 7 that staff will strike for eight says starting on December 23 and finishing on New Year’s Eve.

All airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham will be affected, effectively bringing to a halt immigration and passport checks.

Border Force staff join other PCS members from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Highways Agency and others in downing tools over the Christmas period.

Mark Serwotka, the union’s General Secretary warned the strikes could “escalate” unless the government came to the party, adding that there was a prospect of coordination of unions representing Border Force staff.

It is estimated around 1,00 staff will be involved in the strike, however, that number could increase significantly

should other unions join the strike.

The Border Force strike is not expected to result in the

closure of airports but could result in significant delays for passengers, should its goahead.

Tattoo damage

A WOMAN of Jamaican heritage who is now resident in Belfast in Ireland, has lost her sight after having the whites of her eyes coloured in by a tattoo artist.

Despite having issues when the first eye was tattooed, a local news site said on Saturday, December 10 that she went ahead and had the second coloured.

Thirty­two­year­old Anaya Peterson is a big fan of body modifications but this time it has gone badly wrong. She had her first eye done in July 2020 and despite some complications went ahead with the second one some five months later.

Satisfied with the handy work she was appalled to find some months later that her eyes began to swell and she started to lose her vision. A visit to the doctor confirmed her worst fears, that she would need an operation to save her sight.

She has now been diagnosed as having a high risk of developing glaucoma, current and progressive vision loss.

The tattooing of her eyeballs is irreversible as is the damage, which means that she will be blind in 30 to 40 years if not sooner.

Hero’s welcome

THERE has been global recognition for Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky as he became the latest Person of the Year in Time Magazine . Announcing the decision on Wednesday, December 7, the American publication praised his courage in leading his country’s resistance to Russian invasion.

Each year, the magazine makes its selection of a person thought to have had the greatest influence on the world during the past 12 months. Zelensky joins notable past recipients of the title including Queen Elizabeth II, Pope John Paul II, and Winston Churchill.

Zelensky was selected for this year’s title thanks to his determination to stay and fight, rallying Ukrainians to remain steadfast in the face of the Russian invasion. Time Magazine highlighted his decision to turn down evacuation offers, calling it “fateful”.

The ‘Spirit of Ukraine’ was also named in the title, which editors described as being the Ukrainians who have “fought behind the scenes” since the April invasion.

Time Magazine’s editor, Edward Felsenthal, described this year’s choice as “the most clear­cut in memory.” Other finalists this year included the US Supreme Court, Iranian protestors, and the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

Patient sabotage

AN elderly German woman has been arrested after she repeatedly switched off her roommate’s ventilator because the sounds it made annoyed her. The 72­year­old is being held on attempted manslaughter charges after being arrested on Tuesday, November 29.

In the alarming incident, the woman reportedly switched off the neighbouring patient’s ventilator after becoming annoyed by the sound that it made at a hospital in Baden­Württemberg, near Mannheim. Although staff explained that the machine was vital for the other patient’s survival, she proceeded to switch it off for a second time the same evening. The other patient, a 79­yearold woman survived the ordeal but had to be revived by staff.

Police in Mannheim released a preliminary report saying the woman “felt disturbed by the sounds coming from the oxygen device,” which resulted in her switching it off at around 8pm. After being warned about the dangers by hospital staff, she switched off the ventilator for a second time at around 9pm.

The woman is being held in prison while investigations into the matter continue.

Price breakthrough

AN agreement with Poland is set to end days of deadlock between EU countries over a price cap on Russian oil. EU members are seeking to cut

Russian profits from the oil industry by using alternative sources and through measures including a price cap.

EU members agreed to a

Threat from China

ITALY is home to the greatest number of unofficial Chinese ‘police stations’ in Europe according to a new report by Safeguard Defenders, a Spanish civil rights organisation. The report, released on Monday, December 5, found 11 police outposts have been established in Italy.

European commentators believe that the police outposts are used by Chinese authorities to monitor Chinese nationals living abroad and sometimes take action to silence dissidents or deport them to China. The 11 stations in Italy are located in cities including Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, and Sicily. The human rights group says they have proof of harassment and intimidation, including a factory worker who was returned from Italy to China after 13 years of residency, who has since disappeared. An earlier report by Safeguard Defenders identified 54 such police outposts, but its latest report alleges to have found a further 48 stations. After the initial report, more than 12 countries launched investigations into the stations. Meanwhile, China dismissed the findings saying the network are ‘service stations’ which assist Chinese citizens abroad with paperwork and other residency matters.

price cap of $60 per barrel on Friday, December 2 after Poland gave its support to the measure. Polish ambassadors to the EU wanted the price cap to be as low as possible, and were conducting research into applying a price cap at 5 per cent below market value.

The EU price cap comes into effect this week, but will be reviewed in January and every other month afterwards.

However, the move has been called futile by thinktank CSIS since a price cap of $60 is higher than current Russian oil prices of $52 per barrel. Oil industry experts estimate that Russia makes a profit of around $40 to $50 per barrel of oil, and the creation of an embargo could hit the Russian economy hard.

Other international groups including the G7 are creating their own embargo conditions.

KNOW THE REASON WHY A HOUSE IS FOR SALE

REBECCA SERWOTKA ­ “We sell houses! It’s what we do, it’s ALL we do!” Your favourite local resale property expert, of Inmobiliaria Real Estate Agents in Ciudad Quesada. Published author of ‘Moving Forward ­ 25 Essential Rules For Buying & Selling Real Estate Without Going Crazy’. Request your FREE copy! Featured on Best Buy Spain. Prestige Award Winner for ‘Real Estate Agency Of The Year 2021/22 & 2022/23’.

Everyone has valid reasons why they wish to sell their property. Some reasons are financial or deteriorating health, whereas others are just needing to upsize/downsize.

Just because you may have found a home that someone has only recently pur­

chased themselves, doesn’t mean to say there is something wrong with the property. Never assume! Unfortunately there are times when a home seller is left with no other option but to sell. It makes no difference if they’ve owned their home five days or 50 years. Remember, not everyone wants to sell their property, but maybe is being forced to.

Sometimes one person’s misfortune is another person’s opportunity. As a buyer, don’t let your emotions distort an opportunity!

Unless you have been specifically informed of the reason the home is for sale, be kind, and never assume you know why!

Rebecca Serwotka.

BUSINESS EXTRA Price pledge FINANCE

Gloompig

GREETINGS CARD supplier Moonpig which allows people to order cards online which are then dispatched by post, often from Guernsey, is having to reduce its 2023 sales forecast down by £30 million to £320 million due to the cost­of­living crisis and Royal Mail strike.

Foreign workers

ALTHOUGH Spain continues to have significant numbers of unemployed, there are still shortages of skilled workers in some industrial sectors so, in a change of government policy, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá has said that employers may recruit from abroad.

Merchant bankers

FLEXING its post Brexit muscles the UK government is rescinding many of the restrictions introduced through the EU following the banking crash of 2008 in order to allow Britain’s financial market to be more competitive and banker’s bonuses are now uncapped as an added incentive.

El Gordo

THIS year’s El Gordo Christmas lottery in Spain will have more numbers than last year with 180 distributed throughout Spain rather than last year’s 172 and according to one mathematician quoted in Espansion.com, chances of winning the top prize are one in 100,000.

Coal power

WITH the current very cold weather in the UK, demand for electricity has increased dramatically and in case it is greater than available supply, the National Grid has instructed power station operator Drax to put two coal fired plants on standby.

STAT OF WEEK €2.85 billion

UK mortgage support

THE UK government turned to Martin Lewis for advice as he was invited to a high ­ level meeting which included major mortgage lenders and the Financial Conduct Authority on December 7.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is obviously very worried about the impact that the cost­of­living crisis and subsequent increase in base rates by the Bank of England will have on consumers, especially those with mortgages.

Generally speaking, for home owners, their largest monthly outlay involves repayment of mortgages and any increase coupled with the inexorable rise in the price of energy could potentially be crippling for the average family.

At the meeting, lenders committed to help all their customers by:

a) enabling customers who are up­to­date with payments to switch to a new competitive, mortgage deal without another affordability test.

b) providing well­timed information to help customers plan ahead should their current rate

be due to end.

c) offering tailored support to those who start to struggle with payments which will vary by lender, but may include extending the term of the mortgage to make monthly payments lower, a short­term reduction in monthly payments or accepting interestonly payments for a period where appropriate.

d) ensuring highly trained and experienced staff are on hand to help where needed.

The government said that it would make support for mortgage interest easier to access and those receiving universal credit may be able to receive help with their mortgage interest payments after three months.

Mortgage lenders, the FCA and the government will continue working closely together to ensure that the mortgage market works well for all homeowners, in particular those facing financial difficulty.

Wholesale digital currency

THE Bank of Spain is considering the launch of digital currency and has invited involvement in a feasibility study by financial institutions and technology solution providers.

Since before the pandemic, the Governor of the Bank has warned individual investors of the danger of investing in cryptocurrency and whilst some made significant fortunes, especially when profits were untaxed, others have made considerable losses.

The bank does however recognise that there may be a distinct advantage for a Central Bank to be able to make digital transfers of its own created currency.

It has decided, separate to any research being undertaken by the European Central Bank for the creation of a digital euro, that it wants to investigate the possibility of improving the efficiency, speed and security of whole­

sale transactions using its own digital currency.

In addition, this study can help quantify to what extent Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) can contribute to adapting these channels to the needs and demands of a

growing digital society.

This study is therefore focused on three main areas: (i) simulating transactions involving CBDCs funds transfers; (ii) trialling the integration of a CBDC with the settlement of financial assets; and, in addition, (iii) analysing the potential advantages and disadvantages of a CBDC vis­a­vis traditional processes, procedures and infrastructures.

Those organisations who wish to cooperate with the Bank will have until January 31, 2023 to submit their proposals and apart from being able to show their ability to take part, must also agree to treat all of their work as completely confidential.

SPEAKING at a PSOE rally in Barcelona on Sunday December 11, where he was supporting the candidature of Jaume Collboni in next year’s Barcelona City elections, Presidenr Pedro Sánchez made one important pledge.

He said that he plans in 2023 to combat the real consequences of the war in Ukraine as they affect the ordinary people of Spain and one area that he intends to concentrate on is ways in which to combat the rise in food prices.

He said, “At the end of this year, when we approve the new aid package for people, the middle class and workers, we are going to incorporate mechanisms to contain the evolution of food prices.”

Santander fined

ON December 9, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced it has fined Santander UK Plc (Santander) £107,793,300 after it found serious and persistent gaps in its anti­money laundering (AML) controls, affecting its Business Banking customers.

It explained that between December 31, 2012 and October 18, 2017, Santander failed to properly oversee and manage its AML systems, which significantly impacted the account oversight of more than 560,000 business customers.

Santander had ineffective systems to adequately verify information provided by customers about the business they would be doing.

Ukraine aid

WITH Hungary consistently vetoing plans for the European Union to give financial support to Ukraine the other members had to be creative in pushing through this aid.

On Saturday December 10, it was agreed that aid amounting to €18 billion would be given to Ukraine during 2023 by circumventing the need for the funds to be guaranteed by the EU as each of the 26 states would give their own individual guarantees.

This has all come about because the EU won’t approve Hungary’s recovery plan and has threatened to freeze €7.5 billion that Hungary needs if it doesn’t rescind some of its allegedly undemocratic internal decisions.

is the cost to be shared by the European Union, France, Portugal and Spain to create the green hydrogen corridor (H2MED) which will eventually supply 10 per cent of the EU’s hydrogen needs.

COST-OF-LIVING: Martin Lewis offered his advice.

Digital currency attracts Bank of Spain.

3I Group 1.338,00 1.348,00 1.330,00 244,57K

Abrdn 186,00 193,30 185,88 408,77K

Admiral Group 1.994,0 2.004,0 1.975,0 72,87K

Anglo American 3.238,5 3.346,5 3.238,0 609,65K

Antofagasta 1.434,00 1.460,50 1.429,00 114,49K

Ashtead Group 4.916,0 4.971,0 4.915,0 65,97K

Associated British Foods 1.644,0 1.658,5 1.637,0 258,32K

AstraZeneca 11.346,0 11.388,0 11.266,0 212,78K

Auto Trader Group Plc 563,00 563,40 557,20 390,73K

Aveva 3.200,0 3.204,0 3.199,0 57,39K

Aviva 443,60 446,30 443,00 634,73K

B&M European Value Retail SA408,00 411,50 406,50 705,07K

BAE Systems 823,20 832,40 820,00 695,01K

Barclays 157,50 158,20 156,64 3,88M

Barratt Developments 406,70 408,50 403,60 613,04K

Berkeley 3.807,5 3.841,0 3.782,0 52,75K

BHP Group Ltd 2.612,00 2.626,50 2.596,00 282,84K

BP 456,95 463,45 455,05 9,76M

British American Tobacco 3.288,5 3.334,0 3.284,0 526,07K

British Land Company 395,60 398,90 393,70 366,76K

BT Group 113,00 113,80 112,50 2,88M

Bunzl 3.014,0 3.025,0 2.985,0 54,08K

Burberry Group 2.142,0 2.147,0 2.120,0 93,57K

Carnival 659,3 661,0 651,6 54,82K

Centrica 92,02 93,46 91,96 1,81M

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.986,5 1.993,5 1.970,5 51,53K

Compass 1.914,00 1.925,00 1.900,00 379,94K

CRH 3.232,0 3.245,0 3.207,0 176,02K

Croda Intl 6.830,0 6.838,0 6.722,0 3,68K

DCC 4.291,0 4.313,0 4.246,0 58,95K

Diageo 3.754,5 3.781,5 3.729,0 535,40K

DS Smith 325,30 327,30 313,00 1,43M

EasyJet 377,30 380,70 376,60 318,56K

Experian 2.914,0 2.926,0 2.881,0 100,37K

Ferguson 10.300,0 10.320,0 10.165,0 4,63K

Flutter Entertainment 11.985,0 12.055,0 11.950,0 29,76K

Fresnillo 864,80 893,00 860,20 130,14K

Glencore 542,20 556,00 539,80 8,43M

GSK plc 1.462,40 1.484,20 1.456,40 989,95K

Halma 2.092,0 2.094,0 2.069,8 12,30K

Hargreaves Lansdown 853,80 861,80 853,20 156,73K

Hikma Pharma 1.511,50 1.530,00 1.505,00 64,95K

HSBC 494,12 497,50 494,65 1,83M

IAG 132,94 136,00 132,88 1,63M

Imperial Brands 2.059,00 2.071,00 2.049,00 541,34K

Informa 628,00 631,00 622,20 423,96K

InterContinental 4.938,0 4.948,0 4.863,0 67,25K

Intermediate Capital 1.175,00 1.182,00 1.163,00 126,08K

Intertek 4.100,0 4.113,0 4.057,0 30,51K

ITV 74,46 75,30 74,28 1,41M

J Sainsbury 226,60 227,70 225,30 1,03M

Johnson Matthey 2.069,0 2.079,0 2.047,0 16,05K

Land Securities 622,00 627,00 614,80 193,31K

Legal & General 253,30 254,20 252,50 1,19M

Lloyds Banking 46,00 46,40 45,99 16,82M

London Stock Exchange 7.366,0 7.432,0 7.336,0 117,18K

Melrose Industries 127,60 129,05 125,90 1,70M

Mondi 1.492,00 1.497,00 1.471,00 254,04K

National Grid 1.022,00 1.026,00 1.020,00 865,74K

NatWest Group 261,80 262,90 259,80 2,42M

Next 5.882,0 5.908,0 5.810,0 43,11K

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

Ocado 695,20 698,80 681,00 293,27K

Persimmon 1.281,5 1.285,0 1.267,5 116,41K

Phoenix 602,00 605,60 601,80 141,32K

Prudential 1.078,50 1.082,50 1.061,50 971,35K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.866,0 5.892,0 5.846,0 156,09K

Relx 2.343,00 2.362,00 2.319,00 490,26K

Rentokil 536,40 539,00 532,00 265,19K

Rightmove 550,80 552,80 546,40 228,19K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.810,0 5.895,0 5.768,0 527,43K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 93,65 93,71 90,82 7,68M

Sage 781,40 785,00 779,40 229,38K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.155,50 1.160,00 1.154,00 2,21K

Schroders 453,2 454,7 450,0 246,42K

Scottish Mortgage 773,54 784,00 770,60 403,39K

Segro 802,16 806,60 793,40 208,16K

Severn Trent 2.732,0 2.756,0 2.728,0 41,46K

Shell 2.289,0 2.314,5 2.279,5 2,85M

Smith & Nephew 1.105,50 1.108,00 1.100,00 472,99K

Smiths Group 1.621,00 1.625,50 1.604,50 83,64K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.005,0 11.020,0 10.830,0 142,85K

SSE 1.700,50 1.709,50 1.697,00 133,26K

St. James’s Place 1.131,50 1.140,00 1.129,00 220,76K

Standard Chartered 594,40 597,20 590,40 550,90K

Taylor Wimpey 103,65 104,05 102,65 1,57M

Tesco 229,70 231,30 229,30 3,07M

Tui 144,75 146,75 143,35 651,38K

Unilever 4.160,0 4.165,5 4.134,5 95,48K

United Utilities 1.037,39 1.047,37 1.037,00 15,55K

Vodafone Group PLC 86,30 86,55 85,70 15,06M

Whitbread 2.628,0 2.637,0 2.599,0 97,26K WPP 836,10 840,40 833,60 228,59K

3M 126,00 129,44 3,79M

American Express 154,12 156,42 153,45 1,62M

Amgen 285,57 286,59 283,74 1,75M

Apple 142,65 143,52 141,10 61,77M

Boeing 179,08 184,88 178,61 6,63M

Caterpillar 230,92 232,50 229,54 2,18M

Chevron 173,54 176,40 172,03 7,95M

Cisco 48,99 49,20 48,62 15,96M

Coca-Cola 63,81 63,85 63,35 9,88M

Dow 50,56 51,43 50,31 3,81M

Goldman Sachs 358,08 362,59 356,05 1,96M

Home Depot 324,09 324,52 318,55 3,47M

Honeywell 213,35 214,59 212,21 2,17M

IBM 147,78 149,15 147,37 2,66M

Intel 28,44 28,60 28,07 28,36M

J&J 177,20 177,47 176,34 4,79M

JPMorgan 132,88 132,98 131,43 8,85M

McDonald’s 273,39 273,57 270,62 3,02M

Merck&Co 110,85 111,02 110,12 7,17M

Microsoft 247,40 248,74 243,06 22,54M

Nike 111,36 111,49 108,46 6,12M

Procter&Gamble 151,32 151,38 149,01 5,14M

Salesforce Inc 130,13 131,46 127,02 15,07M

The Travelers 187,72 189,21 186,97 848,62K

UnitedHealth 547,92 551,29 543,78 2,26M

Verizon 37,10 37,24 36,87 19,52M

Visa A 209,10 210,30 207,75 4,89M

Walgreens Boots 40,90 40,97 40,40 3,59M

Walmart 148,78 149,27 148,14 4,50M

Walt Disney 92,55 93,43 91,67 9,31M

Most Advanced

Melco International Development Limited +102.28% 17,731

Universal Robina Corporation +32.33% 26,000

DiDi Global Inc. +24.10% 34.704M

Wynn Macau, Limited +23.10% 60,515

Alibaba Health Information Technology Litd +22.55% 23,200

Prometheus Biosciences, Inc. +22.35% 4.447M

Wynn Macau, Limited +21.46% 28,105

Ping An Healthcare and Technology Co. Litd +21.21% 63,600

Ciena Corporation +19.96% 10.71M

GDS Holdings Limited +16.87% 2.466M

FIT Hon Teng Limited +15.95% 29,795

Most Declined

Oi S.A. -50.00% 100,006

Chart Industries, Inc. -12.45% 3.83M

Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. -11.57% 4.69M

Green Thumb Industries Inc. -11.43% 919,108

Lincoln National Corporation -10.86% 8.922M

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. -10.20% 1.067M

Lenovo Group Limited -9.40% 74,870

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. -9.20% 423,019

Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. -6.73% 1.897M

Avery Dennison Corporation -6.54% 1.303M

Embracer Group AB (publ) -6.54% 40,000

BUSINESS EXTRA

Not allowed

FOLLOWING complaints from those receiving an email promoting a fruit beer created by Scottish Company Brewdog which claimed ‘One of your five a day’, the UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned this wording, even if it was supposed to be ‘tongue in cheek’ as Brewdog claims.

Low rates

A REPORT by American investment company Morgan Stanley suggests Spanish banks are unlikely to increase interest on deposits for individual account holders as they appear to have plenty of cash available to lend and are increasing rates to generate profits.

Prices down

WHILST the cost of living keeps rising, UK house prices saw their biggest drop in 14 years in November, falling 2.3 per cent according to Halifax which is considered one of the most accurate pointers to the market.

Oil shortage

IT’S not just fuel oil that is seeing price hikes but due to a particularly poor harvest in 2022, the price Spanish olive oil in all its qualities has reached record highs and due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sunflower oil prices have also risen.

West Africa

CONTINUING its ‘love affair with Africa, the Agency for International Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) worth €1,496,000 with ECOWAS on December 6. The Economic Community of West African States is a regional political and economic union of 15 countries located in West Africa with a combined population of almost 350 million. This MOU is intended to help support Gender, Agriculture and Sustainable Energy in the Region.

Second hand temptation

BEWARE temptation to buy second­hand electrical goods online as Christmas during a cost­ of­ living­crisis is the ideal time for unscrupulous traders.

This advice from James Farmer, director of the Appliance Recycling Group in the UK is just as relevant to those of us living in Spain.

“Appliance poverty is a real issue, and the cost ­ of ­ living crisis means people are being forced to find new ways to save money,” he said. “When their washing machine or fridge breaks, they have no choice but to look for a quick and cheap replacement online.

James said sites like eBay had systems in place to protect buyers, but others were not so robust.

Facebook Marketplace in particular is a huge draw for people looking for bargains. It does have measures in place for users

First UK Freeports

GOVERNMENT approves first UK Freeports in a bid to generate business as few significant trade deals have been signed since Brexit.

The Freeports becoming fully operational on December 7, is according to the government, a major milestone in its mission to level up communities across the country and will help spread opportunity and drive economic growth.

Each of these Freeports in Plymouth, Solent, and Teesside will now receive up to £25 million seed funding and potentially tens of millions of pounds in locally retained business rates to upgrade local infrastructure and stimulate regeneration.

Freeports are special areas within the UK’s borders where different economic regulations apply and they essentially exist outside its borders for tax purposes.

They are not a new idea and the famous Cinque Ports created in medieval time were effectively Freeports and Britain still had a number until they

were abolished in 2012, although one still exists in the Isle of Man.

Businesses in Freeports can take advantage of tax incentives, unlocking muchneeded investment and bringing high quality jobs in industries of the future to some of the nation’s most overlooked communities.

The Levelling Up Ministry says that combined, the first three Freeports are expected to bring millions of pounds in investment and thousands of highly skilled

jobs, turbocharging local economies and benefiting the whole of the UK.

Parliamentary Under­Secretary of State Dehenna Davison said when announcing the formal approval:

“We are taking full advantage of the freedoms of leaving the EU and these Freeports will generate prosperity and spread opportunity throughout the UK by driving innovation and throwing open our doors to trade with the world.”

to report scammers and fraudulent posts, but people are still falling victims to unscrupulous sellers.

Always look for a picture of the item in situ ­ if it’s a fridge or washing machine it should be pictured in a kitchen or utility room. Pictures of the item outside or in a garage should ring alarm bells.

Don’t buy an appliance based on a photo; ask to see the appliance on a video call. A photo cannot indicate whether that appliance is capable of working.

Don’t fall for an offer of free delivery. Ask to collect the item, even if you are unable to. By engaging the seller, you have an address. When engaged, scammers will often tell you that the item is sold once you press for more details.

Don’t pay cash ­ a credit or debit card, bank transfer or PayPal is best.

Corruption crackdown

FOR a territory with a similar population to the town of Perth in Scotland, Gibraltar does, without doubt, enjoy an extraordinary influx of money from various quarters.

For decades there have been rumours and often unproven accusations, of corruption and there is no doubt that many have, over the years, managed to build impressive property portfolios.

Now, the government has decided to set up an independent Anti ­ Corruption Authority with apparently sweeping powers of investigation and protection for whistle blowers and this will be debated in Parliament with the opposition being promised the possibility of having the bill strengthened if appropriate.

It will be retrospective so there may be some sweaty palms although sometimes, in a small community, it’s not what you know, but who you know.

Legal loophole

ALTHOUGH Spain is one of its busiest European markets, according to El Periódico de España, holiday rental organisation Airbnb paid just €286,337 tax in Spain in 2021 and in the past 10 years total tax paid amounts to €1.15 million.

Much has been made over the years that certain countries such as Ireland offer special tax rebates to international companies locating their headquarters in such countries and this has been the legal loophole that Airbnb took advantage of.

Its Spanish subsidiary is only responsible for marketing and advertising so that the bulk of profits made end up in Ireland, although it is anticipated that new European wide rules will soon close this option.

PROTECTING BUYERS: Take note of where the appliance is.

Credit: Carlos Lindner Unsplash

TRADE DEALS: New Solent Freeport.

Credit: Solent Freeport Twitter

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

WITHOUT question, the news media from most major TV channels is absolutely running riot with derogatory and depreciating reports attacking the Conservative government.

Headlines are positively bursting with accounts of strikes that are causing chaos; people’s homes dripping with leaks and mould, thousand waiting for NHS treatment and attention, derogatory reporting on cost of living crisis and finance, and never ending plans of rescue from a future Labour government.

It’s all quite unbelievably left wing strategy to depict the country and its society falling apart under the present government.

Recently a report dropped into the anti ­ government media like an early Christmas present.

A black woman calling herself Ngozi Fulani complained that she had been racially insulted at a Buckingham Palace function by an elderly member of the Royal staff. Apparently she had been asked

It never ends

‘where she really came from’.

This could have meant nothing more than where her ancestors originated.

To this woman however the remark was slam dunk, and didn’t the media love it. Every TV news channel, particularly the BBC, screamed headlines concerning this ‘poor woman’ who headed an African domestic abuse charity organisation being racially insulted by one of the royal household.

No doubt by the time you read this article you will have learned her original name was Marlene Headley. The charity she represented was paying her £65,000 a year. She was a supporter of Meghan Markle and Black Lives Matter.

The next day social media, including Nigel Farage and even a number of black correspondents, ran a complete rampage over her allegations and accused her of plotting every move.

This second day of emerging news should have been plastered

over every news report on national TV. But was it? Of course not. Obviously under instruction from ‘upstairs’ the British media dropped the story of her name change like a ton of bricks. After all it didn’t run akin to their woke propaganda and leftie equivalence at all.

Rather than inform their viewers of something that simply didn’t adhere to their media narrative; they quickly reverted to pumping out their whole package of infested antigovernment rhetoric, all contrived to win Labour the next election. Never ends.

Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Fri. 1pm.

BE ALERT OUR VIEW

ALTHOUGH Christmas is the ‘Season of Goodwill’, it’s also the time when scammers and crooks can take advantage of people buying for Christmas and Three Kings.

Whilst children (and quite a few adults) love the thought of Christmas trees surrounded for days by wrapped presents, there are also plenty of burglars around the world who are dreaming of the same thing.

There will be a lot more value in your property over the Christmas period than any other time of the year so it is worth while checking your home insurance policy to ensure that in the unfortunate event of a break­in that the loss of your goods is covered and keep receipts to prove what you have spent.

In addition, if you have locks, shutters or burglar alarms make sure that they are in use as if your property is obviously well protected, the burglar could well decide to give it a miss. This is not to say that you are likely to be a target, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

The same goes for online scammers and Amazon has issued a general warning about the ways in which these scammers will try to trick you into giving them financial information, often purporting to be sending information from major companies.

Again, be alert in case you receive an unexpected email or call from a company regarding an order that you have supposedly placed and never give bank or credit card details in response and you can always check your orders separately with the company that the scammers claim to represent. Have a great and safe Christmas and New Year.

Phoenix Retreats: Alcohol, drug or behavioural problems?

HAS your life become unmanageable?

Are you seeking help for your problems?

Are you concerned for a loved one?

If the answer to any of the above is YES, then we can help.

Not all people suffering with an addiction or behavioural problem can take the time out to go into residential treatment. The Phoenix Day Care programme offers a very effective, flexible and affordable solution.

Phoenix Programmes now offers a unique course of treatment for alcohol, drug and behavioural problems. The programme will provide a 360º change in your ways of thinking, your behaviours and a new way of life.

The course is delivered over 15 working days ­ three weeks using a day care model.

We are happy to provide options for local accommodation (to suit your budget) if needed.

Here at Phoenix Programmes, we don’t believe that any two individuals have exactly the same problem and so, therefore, the courses that we offer are tailored to suit each of our client’s specific needs.

The courses are delivered in our private San Pedro treatment centre in an easy, casual environment. Using a mixture of lectures, group discussion and practical activities to deliver the message that change is

possible. Each course is structured into phases:

1. An introduction for our clients to identify the exact nature of behavioural problems

2. Identifying the problem and working through a process to bring about change

3. Implementing the process for change and working together to identify triggers which may lead to old behaviours and block continued progress into a new way of life

Our Senior Addiction Therapist, Chris Spencer, has 30 years of experience in delivering courses across the world to people from all walks of life, and is an internationally qualified alcohol and drug addiction therapist.

“Here at Phoenix Programmes we believe that recovery is to be enjoyed, not endured.”

Chris Spencer, Senior Addiction Therapist

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Travelling over Christmas: How to pack

THE holiday period is nearly upon us, and what better time to travel to be with family or friends. But Christmas can be tricky to pack for, as bulky jumpers, Christmas presents and big coats seem to become mountains in your suitcase. But all is not lost! There are still some packing tips and tricks that can save you space and time.

First things first, make a packing list. This can seem tedious, but it can help to prevent any last minute stress later on. Think about your destination and how long you are staying to avoid bringing too much!

Secondly, roll your clothes. It might seem more logical to fold your clothes, but rolling can reduce their size for t-shirts, trousers, skirts and light jumpers. However, for bigger jumpers and delicate items, folding is a better option.

Dress smart. If you have to take a flight to your

Rolling

Christmas destination, it could be useful to wear your heaviest coat instead of trying to squeeze it into a suitcase.

Choose Christmas presents wisely. If you have to travel, consider giving your loved ones tickets for a show, vouchers or ordering your gifts directly to your destination to avoid having

The best plants to decorate your home

THE most magical time of year is nearly here, and that means it’s time to bring some festive cheer into your home. With just two weeks to go until Christmas, we share some merry and bright Christmas plants which will dazzle in your home!

Poinsettia

This vibrant Christmas plant is hugely popular in Spain during the festive period, and for good reason! Poinsettia, which hails from Central America, is easy to care for and is a jolly addition to any space over Christmas.

Holly

Another Christmas classic, holly is the perfect feature in a wreath or any other kind of festive flower arrangement. The English

variety is the most popular Christmas choice with bright red berries and rich green leaves.

Mistletoe

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a bunch of mistletoe! Aside from the tradition which called for a kiss for every berry picked, this plant brings a unique festive touch into your home with its unusual bright green leaves and snow-white berries.

Amaryllis

This exotic-looking plant is bound to impress your guests over the holiday season. The flowers need lots of light to bloom, but when they do, their beautiful petals will steal the show in any flower arrangement!

Photo credit: Boyloso / shutterstock.com

How to reduce stress as a host over Christmas

THE Christmas period is one of the most exciting times to show off your hosting skills, surrounded by people you love. But if you’re feeling the pressure of hosting, we have just the thing for you. Here we share some top tips and tricks from seasoned hosts to help you to reduce festive stress.

Make a plan

This will help to ensure nothing gets forgotten. Your plan doesn’t need to be precise, but if you have a general idea about timings, it can help to keep everything on track.

Create a budget

One of the most stressful things about a party can be the finan cial burden. Your par

ty doesn’t need to blow the bank, instead take advantage of supplies you already have, garden foliage for decorations, and borrow cutlery and crockery from friends.

Ask for and accept help

Hosting a Christmas party or dinner can be a stressful experience. Guests don’t want to see you stressed, so ask for help when you need it. Draw on your friends’ skills and your party will be even better! If one of your guests makes a delicious dish, why not ask them to bring it along?

Tips and tricks to make the perfect festive wreath

A CHRISTMAS wreath is the ultimate symbol of the festive season, welcoming Christmas into your home from the front door. And making your own wreath is easier than you think! Here we share some top tips on how you can make the perfect wreath for your home.

Use a frame

Expert wreath makers and florists can fashion a wreath out of just about any foliage. But if it’s your first time or you don’t have so much time, using a frame can help to give your wreath some structure and keep it neat.

Create a theme

Before you get to work, decide on a theme for your wreath. Then, get outside and start collecting materials like pine cones, moss, small branches, and holly leaves. Collect more than you think you will need, so you have plenty of choice later on.

Add embellishments

While simple, natural wreaths have their own beauty, adding some light decorations to your wreath can be a classy touch. Red ribbons are a great idea if you have any red festive foliage in your wreath. Other embellishments such as pine cones, cinnamon sticks or baubles can also look fabulous on your wreath.

Five top Christmas songs of all time

HAVE you ever wondered the top Christmas songs of all time? Today we bring you five Christmas favourites so you can crank up the volume and soak up the festive spirit!

1. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey

This 1994 upbeat Christmas tune has rapidly become a staple on every festive playlist. The song has topped charts for the last three years, proving its enduring popu larity.

2. ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham!

This 1984 classic tells the heart-wrenching story of an unrequited love at Christmas time, with an epic 80s music video to go with it, full of jazzy knitwear.

This folk ballad has also become a Christmas staple. The song covers despair, hope, heart-

break, and love in a four minute emotional rollercoaster.

4. ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ by Band Aid

This magical Christmas tune from Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s charity campaign to fight famine in Ethiopia rapidly rose through the charts and remains popular today.

5. ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby

This 1942 classic is also the best-selling record of all time. The more traditional Christmas tune evokes beautiful memories of a winter wonderland and has cer -

3. ‘Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

Photo credit: Ralf Liebhold / shutterstock.com

Wham!’s 1984 classic is a mustlisten to put you in the festive spirit.

Acupuncture relief Festive reactions

AS the festive season is upon us, many are making sure they look their best for with beauty treatments including dyeing our hair.

If you are reaching for the bleach (or similar) this Christmas though, be aware of some basic tips to avoid falling prey to common allergy problems found with hair dye.

which is an irritant and allergen and darker coloured dyes contain higher levels of PPD.

It is advised to always carry out a patch test before using a permanent or semi­permanent hair dye, this usually in­

volves dabbing a small amount of the dye solution behind your ear or on your inner elbow and leaving it to dry. If you develop any irritation or feel unwell after the patch test, do not use the product.

Fine needles are inserted into parts of the body.

ACUPUNCTURE is a treatment derived from ancient Chinese medicine. Fine needles are inserted at certain sites in the body for therapeutic or preventative purposes.

Acupuncture is often seen as a form of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM).

Western medical acupuncture involves stimulating sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles.

This results in the body producing natural substances, such as pain­relieving endorphins. It’s likely that these naturally released substances are responsible for the beneficial effects experienced with acupuncture.

A course of acupuncture usually creates longer lasting pain relief than when a single treatment is used.

Traditional acupuncture is based on the belief that an

energy, or ‘life force’, flows through the body in channels called meridians. This life force is known as Qi (pronounced ‘chee’).

Practitioners who use acupuncture in the traditional way believe that when Qi does not flow freely through the body, this can cause illness. They also believe acupuncture can restore the flow of Qi, and so restore health.

Hair dyes contain ingredients that can irritate your skin or cause an allergic reaction and anyone who uses permanent or semi­permanent hair dye could have a reaction.

Some people are prone to a skin reaction called contact dermatitis which means their skin may become red, dry, scaly, bumpy, blistered, or irritated with a certain substance.

The substance may either be an irritant, directly damaging the skin, or an allergen, triggering an allergic reaction that affects the skin.

Many permanent and some semi­permanent hair dyes contain a chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD),

Image: Leonardo da/Shutterstock,com

Efficient, effective and economical

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RABBIT LOVER

LEAPY, always love your articles. You seem to know everything that is going on. What about this strange idea of the Spanish to ban keeping pets that have been kept by children for many years. Rabbits and guinea pigs are amongst them. I have never heard of an invasion of guinea pigs, obviously turfed out by their owners when bored with them. They wouldn’t last five minutes what with all the feral cats about. And tame rabbits don’t get on well if they escape.

What is the government going to do, knock on every door and demand the children hand over their beloved pets for slaughter? I hope this is not the case. Are they foreseeing dangerous mad rabbits taking over Spain.

When you see all the abandoned dogs in shelters and useless owners that allow them to crap all over pavements and park areas, surely cutting down on dog ownership would be more useful. Rabbits do not usually maul their owners or attack strangers ­ only in Monty Python of course.

Do you know the truth of this?

Veggie view

their new lives but still feel the need to stir the pot about the past.

Andrea, Alicante

Different tone

Leapy, I always enjoy reading your columns, I find them so refreshing however controversial. Must say though that I found the tone of last week’s column about Diana Dors rather sad, for such a wonderful friendship to turn so sour and to then have to deal with the loss of a friendship and at the same time deal with anger at the betrayal.

H Moore

Bleak sales

Sylvia

I love reading your column Nora, I find you write with such open sincerity and I enjoyed reading your latest column ‘Dinner parties from hell.’ I am vegetarian and have been for over 30 years and it was simply a food choice, yes I may be reducing my carbon footprint and alleviating my part in animal cruelty, which is obviously an added bonus, I will not however force my choices on other people or make anyone feel bad about the choices they make. Thank you.

G Farran

Royal fuss

I have been hearing about the release of the new Netflix series re Harry and Meghan and I am just wondering if I am the only one who couldn’t give a hoot for either of them and certainly wouldn’t want to waste several hours of my life watching them portray themselves as victims. I don’t understand why people proclaim to be so happy with

The Black Friday/week sales were more like the bleak sales, it was either overpriced goods reduced to an average price or goods reduced in price that nobody would want to buy or would only fit a size 50 (UK 141/5) feet.

All the hype about the sales weeks before to be sorely disappointed, and to top it off you get stuck in traffic on the way to the shopping centre, then there is nowhere to park and when you do eventually finish your shopping, all the restaurants are full so there is nowhere to have a coffee or a bite to eat. Only winners here are the shops.

Fed up consumer

Giving time

Following the sacking of Eddie Jones I can’t believe anyone would be thinking of getting rid of Gareth Southgate after England’s impressive performance in the World Cup.

In an age of social media, we’re far too quick to judge people based on their latest result instead of their overall work.

We need to give professionals more time to be good at their jobs and show what they can really do.

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.

Mr E Jenkins

TAME RABBITS: Wouldn’t last five minutes outside on their own.

TV SUBTITLES - FAKE OR FACT?

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

were not going out for broadcast. They had also written the disappointingly accurate: “Weather rain everywhere.” Better to stick to weather forecasts, then?

The ways of domestic abuse

IN these challenging times as the costof­living crisis deepens, at least TV subtitles have a way of helping us to stay cheerful...

Following an earlier blunder on its News, Sport and Weather channels that quoted Jeremy Corbyn praising Prince Harry and ‘Hezbollah’, rather than ‘Harry and his brother’, the BBC apologised after a message appeared on the news channel saying: “Manchester United are rubbish.”

The text mistakenly popped up on the news ticker at the bottom of the screen during a tennis update.

The culprit, it later transpired, was a trainee who was being shown how to write stories on to the ticker, believing that they

The general consensus was that this was a lucky escape for the BBC, with the former presenter Simon McCoy saying: “This could have been so much worse.”

Like when the caption confused two stories: one concerning David Davis’s resignation from Theresa May’s cabinet and another the rescue of schoolboys trapped in a flash flood. The caption read: ‘Brexit Secretary Resigns: Eight people remain inside the cave’.

Nuff said.

Nora Johnson’s 11 critically acclaimed psychological crime thrillers (www.nora­johnson.net) all available online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperbacks, audiobooks at Amazon etc.

Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

SARAH was a 23 ­ year ­ old girl who had moved to Spain to be with her Spanish partner who she had met on a girls trip away a year earlier. She was sure this was far more than a holiday romance, but the real thing.

She was looking forward to a life with him.

Very soon she realised that something was wrong.

The reality did not match the life story he had told her but she persevered sure that this would soon right itself.

They lived in a family apartment far from anywhere she could relate to. She knew no one, spoke no Spanish and soon found herself isolated and lonely.

The only people in her environment were her partner and his family.

She wanted to go out, she wanted to meet other people, but there were always reasons why she couldn’t.

He became jealous and possessive, checked her

phone daily and closed all her social media accounts claiming they were “harmful to their relationship”she relented, but wanted out.

He insisted on being there for any calls to her parents who were by this stage very concerned.

The break point came when he took her phone.

She packed her bags and prepared to leave. She wasn’t sure how or when but one afternoon when the apartment was empty she took her chance and did just that.

She took a bus to another town and flagged down a passing police car. The officers took her to a shelter and were able to contact

her family and contacted the British Consulate who referred the case to the BBF.

The family were desperate for their daughter home and safe but had no money.

The BBF was able to arrange a grant to provide her with essential items, bus ticket to the airport and flight back home.

Her parents were waiting at the airport ­ a family reunited.

Sarah is now back on her feet. She wrote to say thank you. She feels she had a lucky escape.

Many don’t.

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

NoraJohnson’sopinionsareherownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

Nora’s latest thriller.

Safe Christmas

IT truly is the most wonderful time of year. And what better way to spend it than with your furry friends? But Christmas can also be a dangerous time of year for pets with unexpected decorations, trailing wires and lots of guests around.

Take these tips to keep your pet safe and happy throughout the festive season.

Decorations

Decorating your home is one of the most exciting parts of Christmas. But as a pet owner, you should take extra care to ensure that your decorations are pet ­

friendly. Many decorations can look like toys to pets and can lead to accidents from curiosity. Supervise your pet while in the living room or keep them away from small decorations that could cause choking or strangling.

Electrical cords

Lots of holiday decorations need extra electric cords, and they seem to be everywhere in the Christmas period. Keep cords out of your pet’s mouth by taping them to walls where possible and unplug them when you’re out of the house.

Distraction

Christmas is a very social season, but this can also be an overwhelming time for our pets. Distraction is your best friend to keep

your pet calm and happy. Try introducing your pet to a puzzle toy and ensure your pet gets its usual exercise.

Veterinary Minimally Invasive Surgery

OVER the last few years, advancements have been made in surgical procedures that make them safer and easier for patients. Minimally invasive surgery has become the standard for many procedures traditionally done with an open technique.

SAFER: Only small incisions.

Only small incisions are required to open up the abdomen, thorax or other areas. Its main drawback is the cost of the equipment and instruments and specialisation of the surgeon.

There are many benefits of minimally invasive surgery:

1. Smaller incisions: The dog and cat can return to normal activity because there is not so much risk from opening the wound.

2. Increased Accuracy, Decreased Risk of Complications: The advanced instruments used in these procedures also allow for more delicate and complex work to be done correctly.

3. Less pain.

4. Shorter Recovery period.

First time owners

CHRISTMAS is the most popular time of year for getting a new dog, but it can also be difficult to know which breed of dog would suit your lifestyle. To help you in making any important decisions, we consulted some expert advice on which dogs are best for firsttime owners and why.

Golden Retriever

These classic family dogs are an excellent choice. They’re easy­going, excellent with children, and eager to please. These dogs are great in an active home however, as they need lots of exercise as well as cuddles.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

These dogs are wellknown for their affectionate nature which makes them great pets

for all kinds of people, from families with children to elderly owners. They are also considered fairly low­ maintenance breeds in comparison with other breeds.

Boxer

This high­energy dog is great for active owners with some time on their hands. They are extremely loyal dogs, so instinctively form strong bonds with their owners. They have lots of energy, which can make training a little trickier, but also a rewarding experience.

However, it is important to note that each individual dog also has a unique personality, which can be different from general breed characteristics.

Speak with a vet or animal professional before choosing your new pet.

Photo credit: Hollysdogs shutterstock.com

J & J PAINTERS. Inside - outside - clean - fast - low cost.

Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (294244)

MOBILE homes & static caravans bought, sold and transported. +34 630 055 418 or el syd7@hotmail.com (294686)

www.helpvegabaja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456)

ma to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.secretary @rbl.community

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

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life - damaging everything that is important to you. English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aacostablanca.org (93323)

CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hot mail.com (95475)

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462)

CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.giving light.com.(10006)

FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meeting up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477)

HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a nonprofit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Beniajan 16, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11.00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icator revieja.org (95476)

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English-speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangelicalchurch.or g (10005)

PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459)

PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pi larchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463)

ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk Tel:0044 800 018 2361. (238593)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishle gion.org.uk/branches/orihuelacosta - covering from Punta Pri-

ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details contact Hon Sec P S Wilkins Tel: 966 194 158 email: inkin spain@yahoo.co.uk (10004)

ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Anthony Jenkins +34 693 866 709, Vice Chairman Dusty Miller +34 711 006 670, Secretary Mike Cockman +34 670 224 822, Treasurer Carl Louden +34 678 518 202, email rnatorrevieja@aol.com (95455)

STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers, with rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 653 588 475 English and 620 907 474 Spanish or email strokesupportgroup @hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesupport.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)

THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465)

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461)

THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458)

THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information. (253807)

THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar meets at Hamilton’s Bake House, 62 Calle Vicente, Blasco Ibañez, Benijofar 03178. We hold a Sunday Sevrice at 11.30am. For further information: www.spiritualistcentrebenijofar.com. Telephone 711 060 171. Email martindroute66@ hotmail.com. Fiscal G54713789

MOVERS AND SHAKERS We are a non-profit organisation that supports people and their families with neurological dis-

eases such as; HUNTINGTON’S, ATAXIA, MOTOR NEURONE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS and PARKINSON’S. Our MOVERS AND SHAKERS CLUB held every Friday @ 1pm – 3pm, is a chance for members to meet up socially, for a drink and a chat on a full range of topics and to exchange ideas and information. The club is held at O’Briens Bar in El Raso, Guardamar del Segura (except July and August). For more details, contact Marion Smith on 711 008 250, or email: marion.smith@amscb.org.es, or you can find us on Facebook : fb@movers and shakers www.amscb.org.es (295976)

FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UP TO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHATSAPP TO) OR VISIT www.sosinsuranceinspain. com or email tracey@sosin suranceinspain.com (302024)

MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (290228)

BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsurancein spain.com for online quote. (301438)

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

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

FRENCH, ELÉGANTE , slim, Sophie, 3 languages spoken. Experienced in a large variety of full body massages. Villamartin apartment or can travel to all areas. 693 357 526 (295405)

EXPERIENCE the best with a 1hr unique massage with Veronica. Shaving or permanent hair removal available. For appointments call 679 292 678 (295446)

PERSONAL TRAINER, WEIGHT LOSS, TONING, RESULTS GUARANTEED. CERTIFIED WITH 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE. FORMER US KICKBOX CHAMPION. CALL 747 438 225 (301319)

CLASSIC SPANISH LADY , Playa Flamenca area, private premises, all massage services from 40€. Ana 657 603 495 (302161)

ATTRACTIVE, Girlfriend, Professional Masseuse relaxing and therapeutic Masseuse. Tel: 693 357 526 (295448)

BATHROOM & KITCHEN Conversions Costa Blanca, contact 698 320 434. (291660)

RELAXING MASSAGE FOR MEN - Mario qualified masseur in Alicante - Special Massage for Men - 7 days 10am to 10pm - APPOINTMENTS visit : www.masajeyre lax.es/en or WHATSAPP 649 761 607 (302343)

ANA Alicante professional relaxing, tantric and prostatic massage. I also come to visit you 697 207 715 (302557)

MATURE straight Male & Bi-Female partner, looking to meet like-minded people for fun. +44 7892 304675 (302471)

Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

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

MOTORHOMES

MOTORHOME / Campervan wanted. Left or right hand drive. Cash waiting for right van. Tlf 650 722 905

MUSIC TUITION

PIANO, Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (294805)

INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE: Courses held in English and starts soon. RYA VHF and Radar Courses. 636 444 929 (301483)

sales@easyhorsecare.net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 (95706)

GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)

POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 www.pooltechspain.com (289653)

KAMAGRA Gold 100mg plus Kamagra Jellies. Collection or Delivery. ROY HAS A NEW TEL.613 584 915 (295447) tp

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

P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708)

ORIHUELA COSTA Long Term Rent - Villa. Chalet on a 1,000m2 plot & House 250m2 - 4 bed, 3 baths. Private garden, Private pool, Garage. Only 3 minutes walk to the beach and close to shops, restaurants and Golf Course. For more information email carobrlo@yahoo.es (392460)

TAILOR-MADE in durable canvas, pergola covers, sails, umbrella, spa and CAR COVERS. 10% off Cushions. Mazarron to Costa Blanca. RETIRING SOON DON’T MISS OUT Google: KrugerCanopies.com WhatsApp: 667 879 399 krugercanopies@ya hoo.co.uk (293646)

SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting rehoming. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spa ma-safor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or

MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (290228)

MAN & VAN. Removals, deliveries, house clearance, etc. Reliable service. Contact 613 599 008 (302176)

FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

SINCE first emerging from the Rover car company in 1947, as a prototype with a central driving position, Land Rover has been synonymous with off­road prowess. In fact the last Defender still owed much to its immediate postwar cousin.

Of course today the talk is still all about Defender, but this time in its newest form. Which brings me neatly on to talk about a completely different Land Rover!

The Discovery Sport, although having a trendy, upmarket image, is in today’s terms reasonably affordable. Prices for the range start at €41,306/£34,480, and if that seems somewhat less than cheap, well I have recently been driving a Toyota RAV4 that’s listed at €40,477/ £35,500.

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Hybrid Electric assistance and in Hybrid Electric assis­

Facts at a Glance

DISCOVERY

The other thing that surprises with the Discovery Sport is a lead­in model with two­wheel­drive. More SUVs come in two ­ wheel ­ drive than four nowadays, but a two­wheel­drive Land Rover still comes as a surprise.

My particular Discovery Sport was the aforementioned lead­in model with

two ­ wheel ­ drive, turbocharged 2.0­litre diesel engine and manual transmission. The easy way to tell a Sport from a standard Discovery is not only the size but the Sport doesn’t have that, to some, rather annoying offset rear number plate. The Sport comes with both petrol and diesel options along with Mild

The lead ­ in Discovery Sport may come at a surprisingly affordable price but of course, by the time you’ve ticked some option boxes the price can climb quicker than a Land Rover up a mountain. It’s far from difficult to add well into four figures purely on optional extras..

That said the standard, although it is rather more than that, specification is pretty decent with heated front seats, auto lights and wipers, heated and powered door mirrors, auto dimming rear view mir­

• Model: Land Rover Discovery Sport D165 FWD

• Engine: 2.0-Litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel developing 165PS

• Gears: 6-speed manual

• Performance: 0-100 kmh (60 mph) Petrol 9.8 secs

• Maximum Speed Petrol 201 kmh (125 mph)

• Economy: Petrol 6.38 l/100km (44.3 mpg) WLTP

• Emissions: Petrol 167g/km Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

rors, dual zone climate control, cruise control, front and rear parking aids, tyre pressure monitoring system and Android Auto and Apple Car Play. As one would expect there’s also a panoply of safety kit and a myriad of other standard features.

Reliability has to be mentioned as there’s much talk about the lack of it with Land Rovers. While I know people who have had issues, equally I

know many that have experienced no issues whatsoever. Despite my Discovery on having power to the front wheels it felt highly effective and confidence inspiring. Inside the Land Rover it’s a very nice place to be, a mix of modern tech and quality materials. Good power delivery, smooth gear changes and decent handling are the hallmarks of what is an impressive machine.

SPORT: A mix of modern tech and old fashioned quality.

New campaign

THE Mini is getting into the Christmas spirit with its heart­warming ‘Driving Home for Christmas campaign’. The instantly recognisable car brand has partnered with children’s charity, SOS Children’s Villages, which supports children living in poverty, war and hardship.

For its Christmas fundraising campaign, Mini released its own video to Chris Rea’s classic Christmas tune, ‘Driving Home for Christmas’. In the touching video, people of all ages and dogs are shown getting into the Christmas spirit and making their way home for Christmas.

The song was chosen as it captures the festive feeling of being surrounded by love and family, a feeling many children affected by hardships long for. The choice of song also has an

added meaning, singersongwriter Chris Rea actually wrote the song in a Mini while driving home for Christmas 44 years ago.

The campaign is aiming to raise a huge total of €50,000 which will be used by SOS Children’s Villages in its work in more than 130 countries globally to support children by looking after them in safe

and supportive environments.

The iconic car brand first collaborated with the charity earlier this year with a campaign in April to spread love and compassion among children affected by the war in Ukraine in neighbouring Poland.

The video is available at: https://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=B2we7JdB7iY

OWNING a sports car is an ambition for many people, and when they look into the costs of running one, it remains a distant dream. But a new list has revealed the most affordable, fun sports cars to run in Spain, based on fuel economics and maintenance costs.

Toyota GR86

This model by the Japanese car manufacturer reaches the top spot on the list due to its excellent fuel consumption rate. With a fuel economy rate of around nine litres per 100km, the car is efficient.

Ford Fiesta ST

The limited edition Fiesta ST also made the list thanks to its incredible fuel economy of around 6.6 litres per 100km, and low price, starting at around €25,000. Its 200 horsepower engine also guarantees an exciting boost of power when driving.

Mazda MX­5

This model has become the best­selling convertible car in the world, thanks to its incredible gearbox, powerful engine and lightweight driving. The

Efficient ride

car also boasts an impressive fuel economy at just seven litres per 100km.

Abarth 124 Spider

This Italian ­ manufactured car uses the same platform as the Mazda

MX­5, ensuring a sleek design. However, its turbocharged engine guarantees an exciting ride for car lovers. It similarly has a decent fuel economy rate at 7.1 litres per 100km.

Photo credit: vukAna / shutterstock.com

MINI: The iconic car brand have launched their ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ charity campaign to help support children across the globe.

Lions crash out

ENGLAND and France contested the fourth quarter­final of the 2022 Qatar World Cup on, Saturday, December 9.

Didier Deschamps named an unchanged side for the game after Sunday’s last­16 win over Poland. Gareth Southgate also kept the same lineup that disposed of Senegal in the previous game.

Aurelien Tchouameni put France in front after 17 minutes. He found himself in space and picked out the bottom corner of the England net with a vicious shot, beyond

Jordan Pickford. In the 52nd minute, there was no disputing a penalty as Aurelien Tchouameni turned from hero to villain as he took Bukayo Saka out with a very clumsy challenge on the Arsenal Winger.

Harry Kane stepped up to face his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris and smashed the penalty kick past him to level the scores. Kane’s strike draws him level with Wayne Rooney as the all­time leading goalscorer for the country.

Ousmane Dembele missed a golden opportunity in the 69th minute, but after 78 minutes France had the lead again. Olivier Giroud was on hand to convert a fine pass from Antoine Griezmann, giving Pickford no chance.

A big moment arose in the 81st minute with a further England penalty, Kane had the chance to become the outright top scorer for England, but somehow lofted his resulting kick over the bar resulting in France holding out for a 2­1 win.

The French team won.

Credit: Twitter@equipedefrance