Axarquia 29 December • 4 January 2022 Issue 1956

UNITE

THE Lux Mundi, Torre del Mar Ecumenical Carol Service was held on Saturday December 17, in the Parish Church of San Andrés, Torre del Mar.

Different traditions, International friends and residents in the Axarquia area came together to pray and enjoy the traditional carols.

The prayers were led by the ministers from the Anglican, Danish, Spanish Evangelical and Catholic Church. There were readings by various members of the congregation and the carols were sung by the Spanish Choir ‘Amigos de Lux Mundi’, director Julio Bautista, the German Choir ‘Con Los Cantores’, director Lisa Kropp and the TIMS English Choir, director Margaret Williams.

It was a most enjoyable service with the congre ­

gation joining in the singing of the carols, the words which were displayed on a large screen in the front of the church.

Special thanks to all those from the community who came to support this special Lux Mundi event and for the congre ­

gation’s generosity during the collection, which will be used to enable Lux Mundi to continue helping others.

hopes

A CAMPAIGN to help a youngster with a medical issue in Velez­Mala ga has received an outpouring of support from the public.

Nine ­ year ­ old Jesús Antonio suf fers from ‘brachial plexus palsy’ due to misuse of forceps during his birth in Venezuela. The condition restricts movement in his right arm, affects his hand grip and means that the arm is much weaker than his left arm.

Despite receiving occupational therapy since he was born, Jesús Antonio is still suffering from the painful condition, and can’t play with his friends or pursue his passion of goalkeeping. After moving to Spain, the family visited a specialist in Barcelona who has recommended an operation to resolve the issue.

His mother, Ribetzy Mota, created a fundraising page to raise €8,000 to fund the operation saying “My son has a dream, and it’s to be able to move his arm.” On Friday, December 23, more than €2,400

had already been raised.

Jesús Antonio’s fundraising page is available online at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ajesus­en­su­operacion­en­su­brazoderecho

Surfing Santa

FATHER CHRISTMAS made an extended stop in Almuñecar to take in the sun and sea in the coastal town on Monday, December 26. Santa indulged in some relaxation with a paddle surf session after a busy Christmas Eve, delivering presents around the world.

Surf lovers joined Father Christmas on La Herradura beach for a paddle surf session in the morning. Sunny skies and warm sea temperatures made for a delightful morning spent celebrating the Christmas break.

Young and old people from the town also lined the beaches and coastal streets to greet Father Christmas and thank him for their gifts.

Santa relaxed in Almuñecar after a busy Christmas Day with a paddle surf class.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Almuñécar (Via Facebook)

Photo credit:

CAROL SERVICE: International friends and residents came together to enjoy the carols.

THE Three Kings might be the standard gift bearers in Spain, but Father Christmas was still sure to make a stop in Nerja. Father Christmas visited the town on Friday, December 23 to check on some last ­ minute wishes ahead of Christmas Eve.

A whole host of festive characters came out in a parade through the town with Father Christmas on Friday afternoon.

Nerja Municipal Band accompanied elves, fairies, and dancers in a parade from the town’s Christmas Park to the Plaza de España where they were greeted by local families.

Children greeted Father Christmas and delivered last minute wish lists for the next day.

Earlier in the day, Father Christmas also stopped at the town hall where he greeted mayor, José Alberto Armijo and the councillor for Events, Elena Gálvez, to wish them and the town a ‘Merry Christmas’.

The mayor gave Father Christmas a special commemorative plaque to thank him for his visit to Nerja and generosity towards local children.

Father Christmas thanked the mayor for his hospitality and assured locals he would make a return to the town on his Christmas delivery route.

THE 41 Club in Nerja kicked off the festive season this year with an exciting social event allowing club members to discover more of their local environment. The club for exmembers of Round Table associations held its monthly ‘Munch Brunch’ event in the mountains.

The group saw a gradual return to face ­ to ­ face meetings after two years of the pan ­

Santa’s visit

The perfect place

FAMED British property programme, ‘A Place in The Sun’ returned to the Axarquia region with a new episode which aired on Friday, December 23. Property seeker Fran and daughter Karina were enchanted by the Axarquia’s many charms and settled on a property in Nerja in the episode.

The programme started with a shock admission by the pair of property seekers who said they had never visited Nerja before deciding on the town as their dream property destination. They had been advised to try the location by friends and family.

Property seeker Fran, had a maximum budget of €230,000 as she set about the search, guided by expert presenter, Danni Menzies, who showed them several beautiful properties. Fran explained she was searching for a home away from home where she could host family and friends.

41 Club fun

demic limited group gatherings, and finished the year off in style with a social event in the Axarquia mountains.

Fourteen members gathered for the club’s regular ‘Munch Brunch’ which this year took place in the mountain ­ top

town of Comares in early December.

Overcast weather altered the plans to sightsee around the picturesque town and its castle, but the group enjoyed a hearty meal at the Restaurante Mirador de La Axarquia.

Fortunately, the weather dried up and the group enjoyed a stroll and breathtaking views of the dramatic surroundings from their 700­metre high ‘eagle’s nest’ in the mountains!

All ex ­ Round Table members are welcome in the group, which currently has members from nearly 10 countries. The next meeting is set to be held on Thursday, January 12.

Nerja continues to impress property investors with its beautiful architecture, sun­kissed coastline and mountains. The town is the perfect spot for expatriate residents with a huge foreign community, making up 30 per cent of the population, while the town retains a distinctly Andalucian cultural feel.

FATHER CHRISTMAS: Made a visit to Nerja Town Hall ahead of Christmas Day. ‘A Place in The Sun’ presenter, Danni Menzies returned to Axarquia to help more property seekers find a home.

Photo

Healthy sweets

ORGANISERS of the Epiphany King’s Parade in Rincon de La Victoria have partnered with a health organisation to provide glutenfree sweets. The Three Kings are set to distribute 3,800kg of sweets suitable for people with Coeliac Disease on Thursday, January 5.

Lottery luck

SPAIN’S iconic ‘El Gordo’ lottery shone on Axarquia this year with winners in the Malaga region receiving €1.6 million. This includes a windfall of €400,000 for a 58­yearold woman who won in the town of La Viñuela, near to Velez­Malaga.

Xmas miracle

A 23-YEAR-OLD who went missing from the Costa del Sol town of Torremolinos was found safe in Alhaurin el Grande in time for Christmas. The man was found two days after going missing thanks to SOS Se Busca.

Population rise

EXCELLENT quality of life is driving population increases across the Axarquia region. Nerja joined other towns recording population increases during the last year. Its 21,450 residents means Nerja has the third largest population after Velez­Malaga and Rincon de La Victoria.

Seasonal gifts

THE mayor of Almuñecar visited Emergency Service providers in the town on Christmas Eve to spread some festive cheer and express the town’s gratitude for their year­round life­saving work. The mayor also gave gifts to police, health workers and firefighters.

Warm weather

TEMPERATURES soared to above 20º in most towns in Axarquia over the festive period. The warmer weather was a welcome break from the recent heavy rain and allowed families to get together and enjoy the outdoors.

Christmas food bank drive

A CHRISTMAS donation drive in Nerja got off to a flying start on Wednesday, December 21. The local Partido Popular political party launched its food bank collection campaign which kicked off several weeks of festive generosity in the town.

The event, which is now in its seventh year, aims to provide food and other essential supplies for Nerja Solidaria foodbank and for Caritas’ social work in the towns of Nerja and Maro.

All of the food donated will be given to families in need so that no one spends Christmas with an empty stomach.

Santa dash

RUNNERS in Rincon de La Victoria took on a festive challenge while raising money for local charity, Rincón Contigo at the San Silvestre Race. More than 700 residents enjoyed a scenic route along the coastline in the five­kilometre running race.

Runners got into the festive spirit with a vibrant selection of costumes and ran off the Christmas calories in the race. A whole host of magical costumes were on display in the race as crowds of well­wishers gathered in the bright December sunshine to cheer runners on. Cristian Benítez came top of the male category followed by José Carlos Ruiz Sánchez and Jose Javier Elena López. Meanwhile, María Bravo led in the women’s category, with Paula León coming in second place and Carmen Aguilar in third place. Local children also got a chance to get active during the event in a children’s category.

Race winners received exciting prizes for their incredible efforts, and all runners got a cup of hot chocolate at the finish line.

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to local families in need over the last seven years, and we want to add to that. Our work is all thanks to generous people in the local community, businesspeople and charity groups.”

Festive feast

NERJA’S Royal British Legion welcomed in the festive season with a traditional British festive feast.

The party’s local secretary, Jonathan Méndez explained the aims of the campaign, “Our campaign has provided 38,000kg of food

Party members are collecting non ­ perishable goods at the local party headquarters at Calle Angustias, 20 on weekdays from 5pm until 8pm. The campaign will run until Friday, January 27 to ensure that all local families have some winter sustenance.

The organisation held its annual Christmas lunch in Maro on Thursday, December 15. Guests dressed up for the occasion and were welcomed with a celebratory drink and festive canapes at the Al Andalus Hotel, before socialising with friends and catching up on Royal British Legion activities.

Photo credit: Nerja and Torrox Coasters (Via Facebook)

Scenic social cycling

THE return of Malaga’s famed pleasant weather also meant a return to the road for a local road cycling group. The Nerja and Torrox Coasters enjoyed a delightful Christmas club ride before putting on the brakes for the festive season.

Ten riders from the social cycling group gathered for a ride on Thursday, December 22 which followed the coastline from Nerja to Torrox with incredible sea and mountain views, and of course a café stop!

The group will return to organised rides from January, and offer regular opportunities for road cycling in a group of friendly riders. The group is specifically ‘for coasters, not racers’, meaning that the social side of the activity is a priority, including coffee stops, café meals and laughs!

Safety is also a priority for the group who ask that

all members have the relevant insurance to join.

The club typically organise rides on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which cover distances between 50 and 80 kilometres. All riders with a passion for cycling who are capable of the ride profiles are welcome to join, on road bikes or electric hybrid bikes.

The lunch got underway from 1.30pm with a traditional spread of turkey breast, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and gravy.

In addition to the festive main course, there was also a prawn cocktail starter, and trifle and mince pie dessert. The Christmas meal follows another successful event which was held at the start of the month on Friday, December 2 in La Herradura for members who live further away. The Royal British Legion in Nerja organise regular events to raise money to support current and former members of the British Armed Forces and allied forces.

The group is currently taking a break for Christmas, but will return with exciting events in January.

New Year wishes

2022 HAS been a year of rebirth for Spain’s economy and tourism industry following two years of the pandemic.

Tourists have returned in their millions while the theatres, bars and restaurants which had been hit by Covid are booming once again.

Spain also saw some of the biggest names in music flock to its shores, with Craig David, Simply Red, Simple Minds and Texas all performing this summer.

2023 is now set to be an even bigger year of boom and the Euro Weekly News would like to wish all our readers and advertisers a very happy and prosperous New Year ahead.

With love, The EWN family x

FESTIVE GENEROSITY: The local Partido Popular have brought back their annual food bank donation campaign which collected more than 8,500kg of supplies last year.

PLEASANT WEATHER: Cyclists from Nerja and Torrox Coasters enjoyed their last social ride before the New Year.

Magical gesture Recognising our heroes

ED 1905 - JANUARY

AT a time of year that is all about bringing gifts, the Nerja Three Kings association ‘Encarnita Kronox’ has once again stepped in to ensure children of the most vulnerable families do not miss out. Their donation of toys and games will bring the magic of the Reyes Magos to the homes of many excited young ones in the region.

The councillors for Social Services, Daniel Rivas, and Popular Traditions, Elena Gálvez, thanked the members of the association for their solidarity and efforts to ensure that no child in the municipality is left without a toy.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, this association has carried out important work, not

only donating toys but also delivering food to the Community Social Services Centre for families hit by this serious health, social and economic crisis,” they explained.

The toys donated by the association have been delivered to the Community Social Services Centre and to the Nerja Solidaria organisation so that the Three Wise Men from the East can hand them out and the children will have presents

waiting for them today, Thursday January 6.

The association have carried out similar campaigns in past years and their work is always appreciated. This year, many families have once gain been hit hard by the effects of the ongoing health situation. The efforts of those involved means that the children can enjoy the most magical day of the year when the Majesties from the East arrive with their gifts.

ED 1909 - FEBRUARY

ANDALUCIA has created Civil Protection Merit medals to recognise exceptional and extraordinary actions in the face

of risks and catastrophes.

These medals will be given to those who have put themselves in situations of serious risk for the public, for exceptional solidarity, collaboration

Footballing cup first

TEN teams from all over Spain faced each other in the first ever Euro Weekly News Walking Football Iberia Cup on Saturday, February 26, at the San Roque municipal pitch in Torrox.

The tournament raised funds for the local food bank and other causes.

The tournament would not have been possible without the support from Torrox Town Hall. Councillor for Sports Jose Manuel Fernandez Nieto explained that it all started when a few people from the UK had spoken with him about using the pitch for one or two hours a week for training.

The town hall was fully supportive of the idea and even provided the pitch for free.

The tournament’s final was played between Malaga Walking Football Club and the Athletic Club de Bilbao, and Bilbao won 3­1, but the day was enjoyed by all.

Both the team and the town hall hope to have more locals join the team over the next few weeks once the word has spread. As one of the aims of the team is to integrate the growing international community into the local area, new players, particularly Spanish ones, are encouraged to take up the sport for fun, fitness and friendship.

and cooperation with civil protection institutions, as well as for those who have given continuous services over time.

The new awards will recognise exceptional and extraordinary actions in relation to security and protection by safeguarding the life and integrity of people, property and the environment.

There will be two award distinctions ­ a Gold Medal for Civil Protection Merit and a Silver Medal.

The gold will recognise conduct of an exceptional naturewhether on duty or off duty by emergency and civil protection personnel or individuals, showing exceptional courage and dedication.

The silver will distinguish extraordinary actions.

The person in charge of the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administration and the Interior will grant these medals by means of an order that will be published in the BOJA.

The medals have an exclusively honorary character, will be delivered in a public act and, provided that the winner authorises it, registered in the Record Book of Medals of Merit of Civil Protection of Andalucia.

The design features the international colours of Civil Protection, which are blue and orange. It consists of a cobalt blue circular central part containing eight gold or silver stars depending on the categoryrepresentative of the Andalucian provinces ­ which surround an orange circle with the inscription ‘Andalucia Civil Protection.’

It also includes an equilateral triangle of the same cobalt blue where the silhouette of the Andalucian autonomous community stands out. The set is topped by the Spanish Royal Crown, also in gold or silver, supported by the traditional laurel and oak leaves.

The reverse bears the inscription engraved: ‘To the Merit of Civil Protection.’

ED 1913 - MARCH

THREE KINGS: Gifts provided for every vulnerable child.

Civil Protection Medal of Merit

ED 1919 - APRIL

THE Almuñecar Volunteer Association of Civil Protection was presented with the Civil Protection Medal of Merit on Saturday April 9 by the Junta de Andalucia for its active collaboration during the most difficult moments of the pandemic.

The Almuñecar Association was one of the 55 groups in the province of Granada to receive the award. The ceremony took place at the Science Park in Granada and was presided over by the deputy minister of the Junta, Antonio Sanz. He expressed “the pride of the Junta de Andalucia” in

20,000 Reached

ED 1922 - MAY

TORROX now has more than 20,000 inhabitants. On Friday April 29, the mayor, Óscar Medina, and the councillor for Personnel and Finance, Paula Moreno, spoke of their satisfaction at having achieved their population goal.

the 55 groups and more than 1,000 volunteers in the province of Granada.

He thanked them for actions such as “handing out masks, accompanying disabled people to health centres, providing comfort at cemeteries, helping with the disinfection of public spaces and informing people of the risks at markets and beaches.

“The hearts of the Granada volunteers beat stronger than ever and there was not a single resident who could not count on you,” he added.

According to the town hall’s statistics, Torrox currently has 20,886 inhabitants, a figure that continues to grow. This will bring great benefits to the municipality, including more economic resources from the State and an increase in municipal staff and therefore more job opportunities.

This increase in population will also have an impact on the 2023 municipal elections, as Torrox will have 21 councillors instead of the current 17. According to Paula Moreno, there were exactly 15,371 inhabitants registered in Torrox in 2015, when the Partido Popular took over the may­

or’s office and set the goal of reaching 20,000 “in order for Torrox to regain the importance that other government teams had not given it.”

She also highlighted that being the second oldest town in Axarquia, Torrox had always been significant within the province of Malaga.

“We are a dynamic government that is committed to Torrox and the people of Torrox and all the promotional

actions that we have put in place have borne fruit,” she said.

She listed the improvement of infrastructures, better beaches and the unprecedented cultural, leisure and sporting offer as factors that make people want to stay in Torrox, as well as other charms, such as the climate, the gastronomy and the ability to “make each tourist feel like one of us.”

VOLUNTEERS: Receiving the award.

TORROX: Mayor Oscar Medina and Paula Moreno spoke about achieving their population goal.

ON Wednesday, May 25, Torrox lighthouse was the location for a yoga session with Monika Jyoti Krabac of Yoga Vidya Torrox Costa and some of the lovely participants from Miss RNB España, who spent a week in Torrox prior to the

Miss RNB in Torrox

contest on Saturday, May 29.

Monika, lead yoga teacher at her yoga centre Yoga Vidya Torrox Costa, guided these beautiful young ladies, who are representing their various regions

Nerja makes history

ED 1930 - JULY

FROM Friday, June 24, until, Sunday, June 26, the Spanish Absolute Athletics Championships took place at the Enrique Lopez Cuenca Sports Complex in Nerja.

More than 700 top ­ level athletes from 125 clubs throughout Spain competed to qualify for the next important events on the athletics calendar, the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July, and the European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, in August.

The Championships were held over three intense days, with men and women competing in various sporting cate­

gories. There were some fantastic performances from the very first day. Overall, there were eight new records for Spain and many more for Andalucia.

One of the stars of the event was the athlete Jordan Diaz (Guadalajara), who beat the Spanish record in the triple jump for the fourth time in recent months. He won gold with a distance of almost 18 metres. Since gaining Spanish citizenship in February, the 21year­old Cuban­born athlete has quickly progressed to become this year’s best triple jumper. He looks set to be a future Olympian, although he already holds a gold medal from the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

from all over Spain, through some simple yoga techniques on the balcony overlooking the lighthouse (Faro).

Another group of girls participating in Miss RNB España walked through El Morche and visited the Viva Cristina flower shop where they were presented with a beautiful rose. They also stopped at the Alsara supermarket for fruit and water.

A third group, after getting to know the motorcycles of the new rental company ‘Rent your e­scooter’, enjoyed the best local products cooked in Restaurante Magon.

This was a great event for the town of Torrox, with the mayor saying that the event will be “A showcase to the whole world making local commerce, our culture and history known” as the participants share images and videos on their huge social media platforms.

Monika said of the yoga session at the lighthouse in Faro: “It was a great event and all of the girls were really enthusiastic, it was an exciting event to be a part of!”

Waiter is local hero

ED 1935 - AUGUST

A WAITER from a bar in Torre del Mar employed the techniques he had been taught on a defibrillator course to save a man’s life in the street.

A 70 ­ year ­ old man was saved from dying of cardiac arrest on Wednesday, July 27, by the quick actions of a waiter from an establishment in the Velez­Malaga municipality of Torre del Mar.

His previous training in the use of a defibrillator was put to perfect use in the incident, as reported by local media on Thursday, July 28.

At around 12:50pm, Jose Antonio Lopez Espinola, the manager of the Espinola cafeteria, located in the Torre del Mar retail market, heard some commotion going on outside in the street.

When he went to check, he saw that an elderly man had clearly suffered a cardiac arrest on Calle del Rio.

Having been a student of one of the courses taught by

the Velez­Malaga Council Prevention Service, Jose knew that there was a defibrillator installed in the local Day Centre.

He subsequently used that training to resuscitate and save the life of the 70­yearold man right there in the street.

Immediately after being resuscitated, the man was transferred to the Axarquia Regional Hospital.

Pedro Manuel Serranothe instructor who was in charge of the training course which Jose had attendedpaid a visit to the cafeteria to

congratulate him for his good work.

Velez ­ Malaga Town Hall paid tribute to the waiter’s ‘courage and prompt intervention’. They highlighted that thanks to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) manoeuvres that Jose had learned in the course, he was able to revive the man after applying two shocks from the defibrillator.

The use of a defibrillator during the first five minuteswhich is when brain damage begins to occur ­ increases the chances of survival by 60 per cent.

ED 1943 - SEPTEMBER

rox

Best Oktoberfest ever

municipality’s eighth edition of the famous Oktoberfest. The mayor of Torrox, Óscar

Magical coffee morning

- OCTOBER

AN enormous €2,500 was raised for Cudeca during a charity coffee morning in Competa. Cudeca volunteers organised their eighth ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ on Monday October 3, which saw delicious treats being served up for record numbers of visitors.

Generous volunteers supplied delicious homemade cakes and treats for the coffee morning which took place at the Restaurante Siddhartha on the Rock in Competa. Cakes rapidly sold out during the morning which saw a record 178 guests enjoy coffee and a chat with friends.

Local businesses also donated exciting prizes to a raffle and tombola, including a three­course dinner for two, with wine from Hotel Finca El Cerrillo, €50 meal voucher from Casa Paco, a Chimney Sweep meal, a wine tasting menu for two from La Plaza in Canillas, a beautiful collage by Jilly Whitbread, and six bottles of wine.

Guests enjoyed browsing handmade gifts and artisan products at stalls that were set up around the restaurant, selling chocolate, jewellery and handicrafts. Live guitar music by Aki Riihimaki entertained guests as they shopped and socialised.

Cudeca is a local charity run by British Cindy Jones to support local patients with terminal illnesses with compassion and care. Cindy has raised a staggering €35,000 since 2015 with the help of her dedicated volunteers.

The money raised during the event will be split between MacMillan Cancer Support and Cudeca.

Medina, accompanied by the consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Malaga, Arnulf Braun, and the councillor for Commerce, Sandra Extremera, were in charge of tapping the first beer barrel and exclaiming “O’zapft is!”, which means “it is tapped” in the Bavarian dialect and signifies that the festival is officially underway.

Medina speaks a little German and did not hesitate to address the festival goers in their own language. Torrox has a significant German population, which is why every effort is made to make the festival bigger and better every year.

This year, more people attended the event than ever before. They were able to enjoy a wide variety of German beer brands and craft beer alongside typical dishes such as sausages and pork knuckles. The atmosphere was fantastic and it was clear that everyone wanted to have a good time.

When Oktoberfest ended, the mayor expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the festival and said that they are already preparing the next one.

AVENIDA ESPERANTO in Tor­

Costa was flooded with German spirit from September 22 to 25 during what was the

ED 1946

DEFIBRILLATOR : Can increase the chances of survival by 60 per cent.

Credit: YouTube Zoll

ED 1951 - NOVEMBER

THERE has been musical mania in Velez­Malaga as more than 100 musicians took to the stage for a charity con­

Red Cross Rocking

cert in aid of the Red Cross. The first edition of Axarkía Rocking musical festival was

Under dog surprises

ED 1952 - DECEMBER

FURRY fundraising fun was had at the Under Dog shelter’s Christmas Market event in Torre del Mar on Monday November 28. The animal shelter held a Christmas Market to raise funds for its work in caring for local dogs at Bar Samba in Torre del Mar.

The festive event included Christmas themed stalls, a raffle, dog treats and a cake sale, where nearly all of the vegan cakes sold out. Guests also got to see pictures of the charity’s work and the dogs in its care.

Generous guests raised a gigantic total of €945.63 which will go towards the shelter’s care for its 14 dogs, including some new puppy additions. Twelve of the dogs are currently looking for homes

The shelter is also set to organise more exciting events going forward, including a charity walk along the promenade in Torre del Mar in January and a Valentine’s vegan hamper in February.

Under Dog shelter is always seeking more foster and adoptive homes to support it in its work caring for abandoned and mistreated dogs.

The shelter accepts donations via PayPal to: theunderdogspain@gmail.com

a striking success.

The concert was held during the evening on Saturday November 19 in María Zambrano park in Velez­Malaga.

Over 100 musicians from various local groups including the huge Municipal Band and Stella Maris choir from Torre del Mar, volunteered their services to put on a fantastic show. Attendees including the councillor for Social Rights and Equality, Víctor González, and the councillor for the Environment, Antonio Ariza praised the excellent music and charity focus of the event.

Concertgoers took to Facebook to express their delight at the festival writing, “Here’s to many more years. This is undoubtedly the start of something huge. Congratulations!”, and “I couldn’t have hoped for this event to go any better, and what a great space for it. You can tell the organisers put their heart and soul into making this event in such a selfless way for a deserving charity. We can’t wait for the next one!!!”

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Racist outburst

NORMALLY there is little overt racism in Danish broadcasting, but there has been a major upset after speaking during a TV2 broadcast, journalist Christian Høgh Andersen compared pictures of Moroccan players celebrating their win to a ‘family of monkeys’ for which the company has apologised.

THE NETHERLANDS

Fair cop

DUTCH police were intrigued when they saw an extension lead running from a Tesla electric vehicle to a lamp post in a street in the town of Oud-Beijerland. The owner who it is assumed wanted to save money was arrested and charged with stealing electricity.

BELGIUM

Accessory ban

THE region of Wallonia has passed a new law banning the use of any accessories believed to cause harm to domestic animals and this includes a number of different dog collars, both electric and spiked as well as small aquariums and goldfish bowls.

GERMANY

Cunning stunts

THE latest attention seeking stunt by German climate activists Last Generation was to chop the top off a 15-metre Christmas tree outside Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and then unfurl a banner that read: ‘This is just the tip of the Christmas tree’.

FRANCE

Still Smokin’

A SURVEY of 23,661 adults has revealed that 10.6 per cent of the population have used marihuana in the past 12 months and almost half will have tried it at some time. Surprisingly the average age of a user has risen from 25 to almost 33.

NORWAY

FINLAND

Donkey drama

POLICE in Lohja, southwest Finland were surprised to discover a donkey called Judit, without the Virgin or Three Wise Men, wandering through the town late at night, but she was returned unharmed to her sanctuary in time for her to take part in their nativity show.

IRELAND

Polar theft

CUSTOMERS and staff at vegan restaurant Cornucopia in Dublin were devastated when a large polar bear plush toy known for giving ‘free hugs’ was stolen by a masked man, but it has been recovered in return for €40 and a bottle of Prosecco.

ITALY

Super car

IN 2017 the Italian police were given a Lamborghini Huracan, which has a top speed of 300kmh and it is now mainly used to transport organs, with the latest activity being a 570-kilometre journey from Padua to Rome via Modena delivering two kidneys.

PORTUGAL

Supermarket swoop

TWO supermarkets in Vila do Conde (Oporto) have been temporarily closed down as goods on sale, reportedly worth €180,000, were not properly labelled in Portuguese, thus, according to the Food and Economic Security Authority, making it impossible for consumers to make an informed choice.

UKRAINE

Pope speaks

AT a General Audience at the Vatican prior to Christmas, Pope Francis said ”We think of the Ukrainian people this Christmas, without light, without heating, without what they need to survive. Let us pray to the Lord to bring peace as soon as possible."

SWEDEN

King ill

NORWAY’S King Harald V, now aged 85, has been in an Oslo hospital for several days with an infection, but has now been discharged and returned home to complete his recovery. In the meantime, Crown Prince Haakon has taken over his father’s duties.

Not a belieber

ALTHOUGH Swedish fashion retailer believed that it had correctly negotiated a licence agreement for a Justin Bieber clothing range, it has had to withdraw it after the petulant singer wrote “I wouldn't buy it if I were you” and later called it “trash”.

FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA ABHOUT time

Price gap

UK Energy Minister, Grant Shapps has written to retailers of diesel and petrol complaining that a recent report from the Competition and Markets Authority suggests that many, especially supermarkets, tend to push forecourt prices up far quicker than they bring them down.

Xmas cheer

A REPORT by Spanish group Business Insider calculates that this year, (based on prices from Carrefour, Lidl and Mercadona), Christmas dinner will be 13.2 per cent more expensive than 2021 averaging €114 for four people and will increase by nearly €30 for each additional person.

January sale

BRITISH retailer Matalan has revealed plans for its ongoing sale and after assessing bids received from ‘a number of interested parties’ it plans to discuss various options with them with the intention of making an informed choice by the end of January.

Flagship store

BARCELONA has been chosen by British clothing and sports company JD Sports to be the city in which it will open its flagship store of more than 2,000 square metres (in a building valued at €80 million which previously housed Disney and H&M) early next year.

UK Budget

THE next UK Budget, setting out the government’s tax and spending plans, will be held on March 15, 2023, the Treasury has announced. In a statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the Budget would also be accompanied by a forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Spain and bribery

BRIBERY of foreign officials is a fact of life, but according to the Organisation for Economic Co­operation and Development (OECD) Spain has an appalling record of dealing with it!

Since the OECD Anti­Bribery Convention entered into force over 20 years ago, Spain has successfully convicted only two individuals in one foreign bribery case and has not convicted a single company.

The 44­country Working Group has just completed its Phase 4 evaluation of Spain’s implementation of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and related instruments.

The conclusion was that Spain continues to close cases prematurely.

Prosecutors have insufficient time to conduct their investigations and face challenges in deploying adequate investigative measures.

In addition to the issues described above, the report expresses concerns about the restrictive interpretation of

the foreign bribery offence by Spanish judges, the exceedingly short statute of limitations applicable to proceedings against legal persons, and how corporate criminal liability is triggered in practice.

Speaking exclusively to Euro Weekly News, a retired senior British company director explained that several years ago he had been invited to Nigeria to sign a contract with the country’s Central Bank but after arriving in Abuja found himself being stalled.

He eventually discovered that an attractive young lady who worked for a Spanish Government Agency had arrived and spent some time with a deputy Governor who inexplicably signed the very same contract with her organisation.

In fairness many forms of aid, especially to so­called ‘third world’ countries are tied up with terms which are beneficial to the political or economic benefit of the government granting the aid, which in itself is a legalised form of bribery.

Moderna UK deal

AMERICAN company Moderna partnered with the UK government on December 21 in a 10­year­partnership to produce vaccines and undertake research.

The company is to undertake mRNA research and development in the UK, and build a state­of­the­art vaccine manufacturing centre with the ability to produce up to 250 million vaccines a year.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay has heralded this agreement as NHS patients will have access to a UK­made supply of Covid19 jabs as well as cuttingedge vaccines developed for other respiratory diseases, such as flu and respiratory syncytial virus.

The partnership will create more than 150 jobs and further future­proof the UK

against potential pandemics, with patients to benefit from speedy access to the latest advancements in vaccine technology.

Developing vaccines on UK shores means it will be able to scale up production rapidly in the event of a health emergency, significantly boosting the NHS ability to respond to future pandemics.

Whilst a significant (cur­

rently unrevealed) investment has been welcomed by the UK government, there has recently been significant comment on social media about subsequent unexpected and unexplained deaths in the young, as possible side effects of the various untested ‘vaccines’.

The fact that Moderna will be running a significant number of clinical trials in

the UK and has also pledged to fund grants for UK universities, including PhD places and research programmes may be considered worrying by many.

The government contends however that by boosting the UK’s onshore vaccine manufacturing capability, Britain will be a step closer to becoming the leading global hub for life sciences.

NEXT year should see a new competitor for in home gym training companies when Portuguesebased BHOUT releases what it claims is the world’s first artificial intelligence enabled punch bag.

Launching initially in the UK and USA it has the added benefit of allowing those using it not only to compete with other owners, but if they are recognised of performing at a high enough standard, they can also become trainers and earn funds from their workouts.

The outside of the bag is made from organic material whilst the internal sensors calculate the power and location of each strike and transmit this information to the BHOUT’s internal brain.

UK rail fares

THE UK government has acted with the biggest intervention in its history to ensure rail fare increases for 2023 are capped at 5.9 per cent, 6.4 percentage points lower than the RPI figure on which they are historically based.

Fares will officially rise on March 5, 2023 and like last year, the government is freezing them for the entirety of January and February, giving passengers more time to purchase cheaper flexible and season tickets at the existing rate.

The government has aligned the increase to July’s average earnings growth thus more than halving the increase but also wants to see railway unions respond positively.

Economy shrinking

IT’S not good news for the British government or the Bank of England as latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the economy shrank by a greater amount than originally anticipated in the third quarter of 2022.

Although there is not a huge difference as the expected downturn of 0.2 per cent has been lowered to a final figure of 0.3 per cent, the ONS also revised down the figures for the first half of the year.

If this negative situation continues for a further quarter, as is expected, then Britain will officially be declared as being in recession.

is the amount that the President of Sabadell Bank, Josep Oliu, spent on December 20 to purchase one million shares in the bank that he heads.

MONEY TALKS: Bribery of foreign officials is a fact of life.

Credit: Lauren Hurley /Department of Health and Social Care

UNDERTAKING RESEARCH: Shaking hands on the partnership.

3I Group 1.322,50 1.325,50 1.314,50 148,40K

Abrdn 187,15 187,20 183,10 1,18M

Admiral Group 2.102,5 2.109,0 2.071,0 75,02K

Anglo American 3.241,5 3.256,5 3.194,0 407,53K

Antofagasta 1.546,00 1.550,50 1.530,50 75,92K

Ashtead Group 4.770,0 4.794,0 4.716,0 38,67K

Associated British Foods 1.587,0 1.592,5 1.565,0 92,62K

AstraZeneca 11.226,0 11.328,0 11.212,0 123,40K

Auto Trader Group Plc 521,20 525,60 520,00 218,06K

Aveva 3.216,0 3.218,0 3.214,0 37,28K

Aviva 446,50 447,60 444,20 429,89K

B&M European Value Retail SA409,30 413,90 408,30 171,44K

BAE Systems 851,00 865,80 849,00 1,18M

Barclays 157,76 158,34 156,64 1,92M

Barratt Developments 407,90 410,40 403,00 429,21K

Berkeley 3.850,0 3.868,0 3.817,0 41,94K

BHP Group Ltd 2.567,00 2.581,00 2.545,00 133,95K

BP 477,25 478,65 473,93 3,17M

British American Tobacco 3.328,0 3.333,0 3.311,5 191,30K

British Land Company 398,00 398,60 389,40 130,65K

BT Group 114,34 115,55 114,34 1,23M

Bunzl 2.772,0 2.790,0 2.756,0 45,09K

Burberry Group 2.021,0 2.028,0 2.019,0 338,85K

Carnival 576,0 581,4 571,6 158,66K

Centrica 96,20 96,32 94,56 2,08M

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.952,5 1.957,0 1.944,0 23,13K

Compass 1.935,63 1.940,50 1.923,50 231,18K

CRH 3.282,5 3.294,5 3.270,5 32,84K

Croda Intl 6.656,6 6.712,0 6.596,0 17,82K

DCC 4.091,0 4.104,0 4.068,0 16,32K

Diageo 3.654,0 3.673,0 3.635,0 343,37K

DS Smith 322,07 323,30 319,00 380,97K

EasyJet 343,80 344,10 336,30 280,73K

Experian 2.810,0 2.835,0 2.807,0 62,39K

Ferguson 10.295,0 10.345,0 10.235,0 81,94K

Flutter Entertainment 11.485,0 11.550,0 11.450,0 16,59K

Fresnillo 869,20 872,80 862,60 52,01K

Glencore 556,40 561,00 554,80 5,91M

GSK plc 1.454,04 1.463,80 1.453,00 488,93K

Halma 2.018,0 2.030,0 1.993,0 76,62K

Hargreaves Lansdown 853,80 856,40 840,40 75,63K

Hikma Pharma 1.541,00 1.570,00 1.535,00 84,87K

HSBC 511,60 513,10 508,90 1,55M

IAG 128,02 129,06 127,80 880,94K

Imperial Brands 2.083,00 2.091,00 2.072,00 159,24K

Informa 614,00 616,40 614,20 15,75K

InterContinental 4.742,0 4.760,0 4.717,0 50,40K

Intermediate Capital 1.143,50 1.148,50 1.129,50 35,53K

Intertek 3.999,0 4.016,0 3.978,0 52,96K

ITV 74,19 74,32 73,04 1,49M

J Sainsbury 220,48 221,86 219,60 122,33K

Johnson Matthey 2.098,0 2.119,0 2.085,0 25,06K

Land Securities 621,40 622,80 611,20 65,71K

Legal & General 251,49 252,70 249,60 1,29M

Lloyds Banking 46,18 46,34 45,86 7,10M

London Stock Exchange 7.160,0 7.204,0 7.152,0 33,23K

Melrose Industries 131,70 131,95 129,75 474,42K

Mondi 1.421,50 1.428,00 1.413,50 132,47K

National Grid 994,16 1.002,00 993,60 492,61K

NatWest Group 265,00 265,70 263,50 827,21K

Next 5.660,0 5.712,0 5.636,0 33,77K

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

Ocado 638,40 644,00 617,80 155,52K

Persimmon 1.243,4 1.249,5 1.230,0 150,85K

Phoenix 609,60 612,00 605,80 136,90K

Prudential 1.117,00 1.118,50 1.091,00 1,20M

Reckitt Benckiser 5.758,0 5.780,0 5.676,0 126,00K

Relx 2.298,00 2.315,00 2.296,00 304,06K

Rentokil 514,60 517,40 512,00 344,37K

Rightmove 515,00 517,20 512,80 26,29K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.795,0 5.814,0 5.753,0 214,68K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 91,66 92,47 90,86 3,69M

Sage 745,60 750,80 745,60 76,26K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.128,00 1.130,00 1.126,00 1,62K

Schroders 438,6 440,1 435,1 174,07K

Scottish Mortgage 724,02 726,40 716,00 344,94K

Segro 766,60 769,40 752,00 151,11K

Severn Trent 2.666,0 2.690,0 2.649,0 38,73K

Shell 2.360,5 2.362,0 2.343,5 888,55K

Smith & Nephew 1.108,50 1.114,50 1.101,00 241,39K

Smiths Group 1.598,50 1.606,50 1.589,00 58,22K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 10.705,0 10.740,0 10.540,0 0,74K

SSE 1.715,00 1.723,50 1.712,50 102,43K

St. James’s Place 1.099,00 1.102,50 1.086,50 86,05K

Standard Chartered 625,00 627,00 618,60 406,67K

Taylor Wimpey 103,65 104,55 101,90 2,59M

Tesco 227,00 228,43 225,40 631,91K

Tui 135,40 136,85 133,95 340,66K

Unilever 4.205,5 4.229,0 4.200,5 217,92K

United Utilities 995,00 1.004,00 992,80 160,01K

Vodafone Group PLC 84,09 84,60 83,76 13,84M

Whitbread 2.644,0 2.657,0 2.628,0 25,41K WPP 818,40 821,20 814,20 132,92K

3M 121,59 122,50 2,18M

American Express 145,31 146,70 142,72 2,82M

Amgen 265,26 266,17 263,19 1,92M

Apple 132,23 134,56 130,30 77,52M

Boeing 188,25 194,17 185,67 6,91M

Caterpillar 237,54 240,80 233,04 3,12M

Chevron 172,08 175,21 168,33 5,75M

Cisco 47,32 47,49 46,69 22,99M

Coca-Cola 63,34 63,59 62,65 9,62M

Dow 50,17 50,25 49,15 3,34M

Goldman Sachs 345,58 348,05 339,88 1,33M

Home Depot 316,12 316,40 310,73 3,06M

Honeywell 212,31 214,61 208,99 2,14M

IBM 140,88 141,44 138,62 3,33M

Intel 25,97 26,45 25,35 47,28M

J&J 177,03 177,51 175,34 5,70M

JPMorgan 130,66 131,30 128,41 8,60M

McDonald’s 265,77 268,12 263,65 2,36M

Merck&Co 111,24 111,68 110,21 8,37M

Microsoft 238,19 241,99 233,87 28,59M

Nike 116,71 116,82 114,06 17,02M

Procter&Gamble 152,19 152,41 150,88 5,90M

Salesforce Inc 129,19 129,54 126,34 9,97M

The Travelers 187,20 189,19 185,24 967,20K

UnitedHealth 527,09 529,01 521,63 1,85M

Verizon 38,31 38,32 37,37 26,50M

Visa A 205,06 206,65 202,13 5,69M

Walgreens Boots 38,44 38,46 37,56 5,87M

Walmart 143,48 144,98 141,93 4,35M

Walt Disney 86,67 86,73 84,69 15,45M

Most Advanced

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. +75.18% 177.748M

Liontown Resources Limited +31.91% 25,080

Alvotech +17.35% 836,376

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. +11.83% 26.913M

Topsports International Holdings Limited +9.22% 92,437

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. +8.93% 45.748M

PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna Tbk +7.89% 99,279

Toshiba Corporation +7.78% 231,781

Olink Holding AB (publ) +6.51% 135,674

Federal National Mortgage Association +6.25% 155,777

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. +6.09% 1.08M

Most Declined

Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited -16.90% 79,385

MP Materials Corp. -14.29% 7.393M

Saipem SpA -14.22% 60,999

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. -9.92% 1.424M

Tesla, Inc. -8.88% 205.38M

Atlassian Corporation -8.85% 4.558M

Lam Research Corporation -8.65% 3.177M

Teladoc Health, Inc. -8.54% 8.19M

Applied Materials, Inc. -7.84% 11.327M

Ameresco, Inc. -7.55% 167,587

Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V. -7.41% 100,302

BUSINESS EXTRA

Helping hand

LIBYA, which has suffered from civil war following the overthrow of President Gaddafi is looking to strengthen relationships with Spain and on Monday December 19 its Central Bank Governor travelled to Madrid for discussions about monetary policy with the Governor of the Bank of Spain.

Fewer shoppers

AS Christmas is one of the most important times of the year for retailers, a combination of freezing cold weather and rail strikes has meant that footfall in most UK high streets over the past few days has dropped dramatically, although it may boost online sales.

Recovery fund

SPANISH Economy Minister Nadia Calvino has confirmed that Spain will request a further €84 billion in loans and a €7.7 billion grant from the European Union Recovery Fund which means that if granted Spain will have received the entire amount offered by the EU.

Quotas agreed

FISHING in European waters has been a bone of contention for decades, going back to the so called ‘Cod Wars’ with Iceland and beyond.

In the run up to Brexit, several UK based fishermen sold their licences to Dutch and Spanish companies, but there is still a significant UK fishing fleet.

Despite disagreement on a number of matters, the UK has completed an agreement with the European Union concerning fishing quotas and the Spanish government has announced that it is very pleased with the results which allow its fishing fleets greater access to popular species in British waters such as hake and monkfish.

Cash is still king

A EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK (ECB) study released on Tuesday December 20 confirms cash is king and is still the most frequently used means of payment at the point of sale, but its share is declining.

According to the document on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area, cash was used for 59 per cent of point ­ of ­ sale transactions in 2022, down from 72 per cent in 2019.

It is the means of payment most often used for small ­ value payments in stores and for person ­ to ­ person transactions.

A majority (60 per cent) also consider it important to have cash as a payment option as consumers perceive cash as helpful to remain aware of their

expenditures, to protect their privacy and to allow transactions to be settled immediately.

At the same time, the trend

towards electronic means of payments has accelerated with the pandemic and many consumers now prefer to use elec ­

tronic payment methods.

The share of online purchases as a percentage of all euro area day ­ to ­ day transactions has increased significantly to stand at 17 per cent in 2022, up from 6 per cent in 2019.

For purchases at a point of sale, the share of card payments has grown by 9 percentage points to 34 per cent in 2022, with contactless payments now making up the majority of card payments.

Cards are considered faster and easier to use and are seen as reducing the need to carry large amounts of cash.

They are the most frequently used payment method for larger amounts and now account for a higher share of payments than cash in value terms.

Loan guarantee

EVEN though the Spanish government is one of the biggest borrowers from the European Union and has received hundreds of billions of euros from the Recovery Fund, it is still doing its bit to support Ukraine.

On Wednesday December 21, the World Bank announced its’ Health Enhancement and Life­saving (HEAL Ukraine) Project to improve and strengthen primary health care, address increased demand for mental health and rehabilitation services due to the war, restore and strengthen service delivery in hospitals that are facing capacity constraints and support capacity building for key health institutions.

King Charles banknotes

NEW King Charles III banknotes were unveiled by the Bank of England on Wednesday December 20 although they are unlikely to enter into circulation before 2024.

With the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it was clear that new coins and banknotes would need to be released featuring an image of the new monarch.

It is more than likely that preliminary designs had been drawn up before her death and indeed as they have to be approved by the Palace may even have been viewed by Her Majesty

and the then Prince of Wales.

Whilst coins have a long life, bank notes which are in constant use have a much shorter life span and are relatively expensive to produce, which is why the Bank of England decided to phase out paper notes and replace them with longer lasting polymer notes.

Rather than produce new designs for each side of the four notes that are currently in circulation, £5 ­ Winston Churchill, £10Jane Austen, £20 JMW Turner, £50 ­ Alan Turing, it has been decided to only change the design on

the side where the monarch’s portrait appears.

The King’s image will appear on the front of the banknotes, as well as in the see­through security window, but all other images will remain the same. The new banknotes will only be printed to replace those featuring Her Majesty that are worn or to meet any overall increase in demand for banknotes, a decision which is in line with guidance from the Royal Household, to minimise the environmental and financial impact of this change.

Funding for the project includes a €100 million loan, backed by a guarantee from the Spanish government.

Password sharing

IT has been common practice (rightly or wrongly) for people subscribing to online streaming services such as Netflix to share passwords with friends and families who they don’t live with.

In the past year, Netflix in particular, which has been losing market share, has made it clear that it will try to stop this from happening, although it hasn’t threatened legal action as yet.

The UK Intellectual Property Office has however told the BBC that although it no longer states on its website that such sharing is illegal, the position remains the same and legal action could be taken against anyone found to be sharing passwords.

POPULAR PAYMENT: Cash machines are the easiest way to obtain cash.

Credit: Salvador SV flickr

ALL CHANGE: The design of the new £5 note.

Credit: Bank of England

Detrimental onslaught

BECAUSE the British Labour party were so severely routed in the last election its supporters are totally aware the the only chance they have of winning the next ballot is if the country is brought to its knees.

Subsequently, one of the conspiratorial ways they are conniving to achieve this outcome is by instigating as much alarm and anxiety among its citizens as possible. The union bosses, who are utterly in league with the Labour hierarchy, are revelling in and wholly supporting the crippling strikes which are sweeping the country.

The media, especially the BBC are positively churning out disparaging reports, blaming the Conservatives for any depreciating state of affairs they can divulge; and periodically with monotonous regularity, they slot in Starmer or a documentary that delivers some kind of statement as to how the Labour party would improve the situation.

What the left exponents are en ­

deavouring to do is create a misinformed and disheartened populace that also considers the only way to rescue its beloved country will be to elect a different government.

The faceless money men truly don’t care. They actually wouldn’t mind a Labour government taking control.

They are fully aware that the economics of a party that has to satisfy such a vast array of cross sectioned supporters to attain enough votes is easy pickings that will subsequently earn them even more power and financial gain until the party once again finishes up in exactly the same way as it did the last time.

Consequently losing their position to yet another brand new right wing government that has to

spend their first few years struggling to rescue the country from the social and financial hole it has once again been plunged into. The one issue I do think is a mistake for the left is to nose dive the country into all this social and political confrontation too early.

Most of the present financial problems have been brought on by the Covid pandemic and the world energy situation. In 12 months or so they could all be straightening out. Are the conspiritors really confident enough to continue this detrimental onslaught for another two years? Probably.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Monday and Friday 1pm till 4

OUR VIEW

A

CHRISTMAS THOUGHT

THAT’S another year almost over and having come out of two years of sporadic lockdown, no­one knew what it was going to be like.

Slowly but surely, for many, things started to take on a semblance of normality with international travel starting again and businesses (at least those that survived 2020 and 2021) being able to start trading once more.

For many of us, 2022 has been a tough but decent year although having lived through the epidemic which caused so much heartbreak and saw so many deaths, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a total surprise.

Just when it seemed that the world could rebuild, this pointless act by the Russian President knocked so many back and surprised many of us, both for the fantastic support that governments have given to the Ukrainian cause and how individuals and communities have responded to offer assistance to refugees from the conflict.

People are so resilient and the sight of Christmas lights and trees in the Kyiv subway has been an example of how people manage to cope regardless of how bad things may be.

We still have conflicts in Syria and Yemen, but they have been overshadowed by Ukraine, although most of us simply live our lives and just have to be thankful that whilst we may be suffering financially from the backlash of the invasion, we don’t have to fear that we might be blown up in our beds.

So, here’s to a better year to come and a prayer for all of those around the world who are suffering the inhumanity of civil war, invasion or crippling poverty plus, of course, all best wishes to our advertisers and readers.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

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IN Spanish, Italian and German, the pronunciation of words is clear, regulated and consistent. And normally in Spanish, if the stressed syllable is other than the penultimate, it is indicated by an accent. In German, vowel sounds are modified by the appearance of an accent (Umlaut). But in English there are no rules for pronunciation, while the spelling of some words is a free­forall.

First, the letters ‘ough’ are pronounced in seven different ways. Cough, rough, through, plough, although, thorough and (with the added t) nought. And, to all but the discerning ear, the words paw, poor, pore and pour sound the same.

For those of us who can read without moving our lips, English is an especially frustrating language. The other 20 per cent have the advantage of reading word by word, rather than by text, and verbally working out whether the word ‘entrance’ should have the stress on the first or second syllable ­ whether it means entry point or to captivate.

Many words change their meaning when the stress is shifted. In some cases, the spelling remains the same, as in the above example. In other cases, the spelling changes too, as in ‘incite’ and ‘insight’.

The stress on syllables is neither logical, nor is it indicated, as in Spanish, by accent. You just have to learn where to stress, for example, implicate, impression and imprecise; interval, internment, interrupt.

Dozens of identical words have com­

pletely different meanings. And yet there are hundreds of combinations of letters that are simply not used. As the language is already mutilated in some way or other every day, why are these vacant letters in words not substituted to create new words in the interests of clarity of distinction.

For example, ‘rest’ can mean the remainder or a crafty snooze. As the former originates from ancient French, why cannot the latter be known as ‘reft’. ‘Order’ meaning command is logical, but when used to mean sequence could be ‘urder’.

The word ‘race’ means either ethnic category or competition. A ball race is either a metal ring inside a ball bearing or (as I learned at school) a tomcat with 20 yards start on the vet.

As for the notorious irregular verbs! The logical past form of ‘I catch’ would be ‘I catched’, ­ and not ‘I caught’. Likewise, I teached, I fighted, I buyed, I bringed, I seeked, I thinked. Instead we have taught, fought, bought, brought, sought, thought.

Of course, English is a hybrid language, derived from several sources other than German, Norman and Norse. The Americans have tried to modernise and simplify it with more logical spellings, such as civilize, honor (why not onner?), program and plow. But they have also mutilated it with abominations like thru and donuts.

Finally, why does the noun ‘practice’ become ‘to practise’ as a verb? Except in North America. Zzzz. Goodnight!

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

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD

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SAME RESPECT FOR ALL

LEAPY LEE obviously knows very little about the LGBTQ community and trans gender folk in particular. Just because a person grew up in a certain place at a time in history doesn’t make them an expert.

I am probably the same age and same history timeline but a different place, yes I am queer and yes lived in the 60s. We were called queer as an insult but are now able to claim this insult as our own which mitigates the abuse by media et al.

All trans folk want is the same respect as any other person. Nothing woke about it, this is about human dignity.

In terms of toilets that Mr Lee seems obsessed about, where is the problem.

We woman have cubicles and as a queer lesbian I would not preclude my trans sisters from using the cubicle next to me. I hope Mr Lee would not stop trans men from using the next urinal.

If he wants a proper debate using gutter press images and language I will oblige.

Helen Hallam Malaga

Too many people

THANK you Mr Brian Johnstone for your comment re population, I’ve been saying this for years and cannot understand why our educated leaders do not see the obvious underlying reason for most, if not all, of the country’s problems today ie demand exceeding supply.

The simple answer would be in my view to set a suggested maximum of two children per couple for the next 25 ­ 50 years. Of course there would be an outcry from most religious groups who would say that their god will provide, but I think that mother nature may disagree.

In my lifetime the world population has doubled, if it continues at this rate we are all in big trouble, just do the figures, Barry Nerja.

& Pauline Reading

Did you even vote

THE misogynistic comments that I have been reading on social media platforms about how it is unfair that a women’s footballer should win the BBC sports personality of the year award, instead of a male golfer or cricketer, is shocking. Beth Mead was voted to win this award by the public, I’m sure most of the people moaning couldn’t even be bothered to vote. Well done Beth Mead you are a credit to your country.

Tracey Hunter

Older views

I HAVE always been a fan of Leapy’s and find the columns refreshing, however times are changing as they always have done and our views are now becoming outdated and to some offensive.

My opinions are becoming to my children and grandchildren like my grandfather’s were to me when I was young, really embarrassing but they could get away with saying belligerent things because they were old and didn’t mean any offence (although they probably did mean to offend and knew they would get away with it).

It’s funny how life can go full circle and you turn into the relatives you swore you would never be like.

Raymond Barry

TV twaddle

THOSE of you who have access to UK TV, are you as disappointed with the twaddle that was on over the Christmas weekend as I am? I don’t know how many more times I can watch a repeat of a so ­ called Christmas classic like Home Alone and the magazine shows such as This Morning were no better, how many times do I need to see how celebrities make their gravy?

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Barry

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HUMAN DIGNITY: Every person is entitled to the same respect as any other person.

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INTERNATIONAL

The most liked 2022 Year review

WHAT a year 2022 has been for walking football. Malaga pipped the Walking Dead on the last day of the season to win the A team league, and the Walking Dead B,beat Malaga B on the last day to win the B league. The Walking Dead won the round robin final of the league cup.

In April AC Benahavis and Malaga WFC went to the Copa de Europa in Portugal. Both sides acquitted themselves superbly. Benahavis finishing as quarter finalists and Malaga, semi finalists amongst some superb competition.

Malaga took a side to Morocco to compete against the national side in September, a memorable trip and the visitors presented a children’s home with a cheque to buy educational products.

Torrox Tornadoes, El Cañadon and Boca Seniors joined the league for the first time, and Nerja Utd rejoined after leaving the league the year before as Nerja Nomads.

The Euro Weekly News came on board as our main sponsor for the leagues, and Baha Irish Whiskey continue to sponsor our cup competition. El Cañadon finished runners up at the Torrevieja international tournament in

their own team. On a sad note League stalwarts and former champions, Aston Viñuela left the league due to regular numbers being down. We hope that they return next season, bigger and stronger. Walking football in Spain is going from strength to strength.

A POST on social media from Argentinian super star Lionel Messi on Tuesday, December 20, become the most­viewed of all time. The footballer took to Instagram fol lowing his nation’s World Cup victory over France on Sunday December 18. It has since received an incredible 64.5 million likes so far.

His follower count has also increased substantially, reaching 404 million. He still trails the 500 million that Cris tiano Ronaldo has though, a figure the Portuguese achieved last week.

Messi’s post read: ‘WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

I dreamed it so many times, I wanted it so much that I

It continued: “Thank you very much to my family, to all who support me, and also to all who believed in us. We demonstrate once again that Argentines when we fight together and united we are capable of achieving what we set out to do.”

Previously, the record had been held by a TikTok video titled ‘the egg’, uploaded in August 2020 by Bella Poarch which hit 56.1 million likes.

Cristiano Ronaldo had another huge hit last month just before the Qatar World Cup started. He posted a Louis Vuitton advert showing him playing a game of chess with Messi. It racked up an amazing total of 41.9

Credit: Instagram Leo Messi

Lionel Messi with the World Cup.