Costa Blanca North 13 – 19 April 2023 Issue 1971

Golden Leaves: Pioneering expertise and reliability with a human touch

The Euro Weekly News travelled to the company’s modern offices in Javea to meet founder Tony Rowland, chairman Steve Rowland and Chief Executive Officer Barry Floyd, to learn the history of how one of only two regulated companies in Spain came into being and how this historic brand earned its cast‐iron reputation for professionalism, quality and innovation.

FIRST, we met the company’s founder Tony Rowland, an avid fundraiser and bowler. In 1974 (whilst already a highly regarded funeral director in South London) one of his many business ambitions was to build a quality brand that would support and care for the needs of both those who unfortunately passed away whilst abroad and for those who wished to plan their future end of life services in advance. It was no surprise when tour operator Intersun asked Tony to repatriate the body of a holidaymaker who died in Mallorca in 1974. He seized the opportunity, dealing directly with the insurance company, the airline and the other parties involved. So efficient was his service that he was soon responsible bringing all deceased Intersun clients home. His reputation for exemplary and compassionate service soon led to other tour operators like Blue Skies and Saga following suit. Gradually he broadened the company’s area of influence and reputation (inspired by US schemes) by developing and launching a new brand promoting prepaid funeral plans throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.

The humble beginnings of Tony’s creation, Golden Leaves, soon became a thing of the past as it launched itself into the sector. It’s evolution at the vanguard of championing best practice throughout United Kingdom and abroad would see it swiftly grow to be recognised as one of most respected brands in the sector. Its reputation for innovation and ‘client first’ business practices preceded it, as the Golden Leaves brand soon became a symbol of quality, reassurance, and dependable compassionate service to tens of thousands of new customers.

As the decades passed, Golden Leaves secured its place amongst the most respected companies in the United Kingdom and Spain by being the ONLY business to have both its Chairman and Managing Director appointed to serve as directors on the board of the Funeral Planning Authority (the UK regulatory body in place at the time). Eventually, as the Financial Conduct Authority moved to bring Funeral plans under their statutory remit and replace the FPA after instructions from HM Treasury and parliament, Golden Leaves were once again at the forefront of discussion and debate with HM Treasury and the FCA, providing essential detail to assist the creation of the new rule book.

On July 29, 2022, all UK funeral plan providers must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to sell or administer a funeral plan, these also include ANY International funeral plans (those sold in Spain) that can also be utilised in the United Kingdom if desired. Golden Leaves is one of only two companies selling FCA regulated funeral plans across the Spanish mainland and both the Canaries and Balearic Islands.

Next we met Golden Leaves’ Chief Executive Officer, Barry Floyd, who has had a long career with the brand having been managing director for nine years before taking the reigns as Chief Executive Officer. Barry steered the business though its lengthy journey from self‐regulation to gaining full Financial Conduct Authority authorisation.

Barry commented: “The last two years have been a truly gruelling experience. Gaining authorisation from the UK’s statutory regulator is a very long, demanding and often extremely challenging process. Requiring many hundreds of hours hard work from the board, the management team and our regulatory lawyers in addition to a huge number of informational and documentary requirements, even to the point of competence and strategy interviews with the FCA interview panel.

“Consequently, only the best past muster and so when you do eventually emerge on the other side with approval, customers can have concrete trust in the fact that you are a quality professional, financially solid and dependable brand.

“Obviously, this is of paramount importance when a customer is deciding to purchase a funeral plan. Primarily as you need to know the company you are buying from will be around to look after you potentially many years into the future.

“It is common knowledge these days that purchasing a plan from a non FCA regulated planning company, leaves you seriously open to losing all of your money.”

Finally, we were also joined by company Chairman Steve Rowland, who sets the company’s ethos and ensures that the executive board operates correctly. However, like Barry, Steve is passionate about the social aspects of the service and being of assistance to those who have lost loved ones with the Rowland Brothers Foundation, which provides free bereavement counselling. Like his father, who has received an MBE for his incredible work raising funds for good causes, he works diligently to ensure that the Company is always customer focused first and that the quality of support is exemplary.

At the end of the day, what could be more reassuring than knowing that a brand like Golden Leaves and its dedicated staff, with decades of experience, will be there to look after you and your loved ones during the most stressful of times?

Emma Quantrill and Tony Rowland

Steve Rowland

Barry Floyd Tony Rowland

ON THE UP

HOUSE prices in Alicante Province increased over the first three months of the year despite the rise in mortgage rates.

Average prices from January to March in ‐creased by 15 per cent compared to 2022, the fourth highest increase in Spain, and currently sit at around €1,900 per square metre.

Among the towns with the sharpest price hikes are Altea (17.9 per cent), Pedreguer (16.6 per cent), Denia (15.9 per cent), Benissa (15.1 per cent) and El Verger (14.2 per cent).

Experts believed esca ‐lating mortgages would have an effect on proper ‐ty costs, but far from dropping they accelerat ‐ed over the first three months of the year, largely due to dwindling property stocks after years of record sales.

Alicante remained top

of the list for property purchases in Spain over the last year despite ris ‐ing inflation and interest rates.

Foreign buyers contin ‐ue to account for a large percentage of operations, as the vast majority of expat residents are said to buy cash ‐ in ‐ hand, ie without taking out mort ‐gages, and are thus not affected by the banking situation.

The Costa Blanca con ‐tinues to attract buyers not just from the north of Europe but several pros ‐perous eastern Euro ‐peans, especially from the Czech Republic are looking to invest in popu‐lar parts of Spain.

With less competition from British buyers due to Brexit there is an influx of EU nationals who don’t have to worry about the 90/180 days rules and find it easy to fly in with ‐out immigration delays.

Image by No-Mad/Shutterstock

HOUSE PRICES: Increasing despite mortgate rates rising.

Eye in the sky

BENIDORM last week hosted a national congress on drones for security purposes.

The third edition of the National Congress on Un manned Aircraft Systems drew representatives of the police, Guardia Civil, coastguard authorities and firefighting services from all over the country to discuss possible new uses for these devices.

Drones are increasingly being used for a wide range of surveillance tasks including border control, maritime rescue and forest fire prevention.

With plans under way to increase the uses of these systems, the Congress discussed ways to ensure air traffic safety and to establish safe routes through major cities, where there will be increasing numbers of

drones flying through the air at all times in the near future.

The EU has been working on the coordination of the European drone air space for several years to prevent accidents, with a similar system to the one used for aeroplanes.

Current technology enables drone pilots to accurately track their de ­

Summer looms

EASTER week started at the weekend with half­full beaches and packed bar and restaurant terraces in Alicante Province.

While the religious processions in towns and cities drew the largest crowds, the weekend also offered a glimpse of summer, with lifeguards taking up their positions on the beaches while the bravest beachgoers ventured into the sea for the

Grants for sports clubs

first swim of the year.

Two weeks into spring, residents and visitors flocked to Levante, Poniente and Mal Pas beaches in Benidorm to enjoy the warm weather with friends and family.

Temperatures dropped slightly compared to the previous week, with highs of up to 23 °C taking the sting out of the sun and a cooler breeze encouraging many to dig out their long sleeves again.

VILLAJOYOSA Council has launched a grant programme for local sporting entities. Applications can be presented in person at the town hall or online via the Sede Electrónica of the council website until Monday April 24.

vice at all times, but it does not yet show the position of other drones in the area, which can lead to crashes and risks to passers ­ by underneath.

Benidorm Local Police was the first to create a specific drone department in 2016, with highly experienced pilots and three cutting ­ edge devices.

90% Full

IN great news for the tourism sector Alicante has confirmed that it filled up for Easter with 90 per cent occupancy in hotels and apartments.

The Head of the Alicante City & Beach Tourist Board, Mari Carmen Sanchez, described the figures as “very positive.”

“You only have to take a walk around the city to see the atmosphere that accom­

panies an Easter week which has now been declared of National Tourist Interest.”

In addition, she pointed out that “the good weather also has an influence on bookings.”

Sanchez also added that: “A good Easter week makes us optimistic for next summer, despite the situation of inflation and loss of purchasing power.”

A total budget of €310,000 has been set aside for the scheme aimed at encouraging and promoting local sport. The grants are open to all non­profitmaking sporting entities that meet a series of criteria and are officially based in Villajoyosa.

For further information and to check the application requirements visit the sports section of the town hall website villajoyosa.com or telephone the Sports department on 966 508 460.

DRONES: Discussions took place on possible new uses.

Image by Freestyler/Shutterstock

Nonagram 69

UNFORTUNATELY there was a small error in the Nonagram puzzle in Edition 1969 where the wrong letter was shown in the text and the centre of the puzzle. The correct letter should have been D. Apologies to all those who struggled to find the correct solution.

New bins

BENIDORM Council has in‐creased the capacity for se‐lective refuse collection in Avenida Beniardá with a new group of underground recycling containers. The new glass, plastic and paper bins have a total capacity for 3,700 litres.

Memorial bench

MEMORIAL benches are be‐coming increasingly popular in Javea. The first was in‐stalled at the high part of the Cabo la Nao in memory of a British resident who passed away, with the latest plaque found on a bench on Primer Muntanyar promenade.

Benissa bikes

BENISSA Town Hall has re‐vealed plans to install four bi‐cycle repair posts and 10 parking sites for bikes. The aim is to promote cycling as a source of health and well‐being, sustainable mobility and greenhouse gas emis‐sion reduction, while encour‐aging natural tourism.

Lorry crash

A LORRY crashed and over‐turned on the AP7 near Benissa last Wednesday causing a tailback several kilometres long. The Guardia Civil was forced to close the road, with all traffic towards Valencia diverted to Altea.

Survival course

ALTEA Youth department has launched a ‘survival cooking’ course for young people, offering quick and easy recipes such as pasta dishes and potato omelette. The course is free, aimed at residents 16 to 30, from 6pm to 8pm at Aula de Cuina.

Pay-to-park at Benitachell bay

THE new pay ‐ to ‐ park sys ‐tem is now active at Beni‐tachell’s Cala del Moraig bay.

Until October 15, visi ‐tors will be required to pay €12 a day per vehicle to leave their car at the bay and its surroundings ‐Cala dels Testos, Ruta dels Penya‐segats and Cala Lle‐beig ‐ from 9am to 7pm.

However, the service is free for residents who are inscribed on the local padrón and pay their road tax in the town.

Both residents and visi‐

tors who access the area by car for more than 20 minutes are advised to book a place beforehand through the website www.calamoraig.es or the

Finally improved

THE entrance road to Javea will finally have pavements, a cycle lane and pedestrian crossings.

Residents have long complained that the 900 ‐metre stretch into the town from Gata is dan ‐gerous for drivers, espe ‐cially those trying to pull out of side lanes, and that cars frequently crash into the walls lining the road.

The situation is even more risky for cyclists and pedestrians who have to navigate an extremely narrow hard shoulder, and in general the whole road is cracked and messy.

But the local council this week finally an ‐nounced a general over ‐

haul with an investment of €7.3 million.

Work will focus on the stretch between the roundabout with the boat sculpture ‐ on the turnoff towards Benitachell ‐ and Avenida de Palmela.

The company that ac ‐cepts the project will have a maximum of one year to widen the road to accommodate a 1.80 ‐ me ‐tre pavement either side, a 2.55 ‐ metre cycle lane and two 3.5 ‐ metre lanes for traffic.

This will require expro ‐priating nearly 5,300 square metres of private land and knocking down the existing walls, with 46 property owners affect ‐ed.

app ‘Reservas Cala Moraig’.

Alternatively, tickets can be bought from a kiosk at the car park, but the council recommends

YOUR EWN HAS

booking early to ensure a place.

The aim of the measure is to protect the area, as increasing numbers of visi‐tors over the last few years have affected the environment.

In addition, the council states that it will help curb greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy sav ‐ing, as when there are no parking spaces left a series of luminous panels inform drivers of alternative places to park outside the protected area.

STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Scooter rules

PEGO local council has drawn up new legislation regulating the use of elec‐tric scooters and personal mobility vehicles in the town.

The popular patinetes can now only be used by people aged over 15 years old in the town and by one person at a time, ie carrying passengers will be prohibit‐ed.

SEVERAL political parties in the Marina Baixa have joined forces to oppose a national legislation that will effectively cause the district to lose up to 105 cubic hectometres of wa‐ter every year.

Compromís, the PSOE and the PP, together with the area’s four watering commu‐nities, will call for the repeal of a Royal Decree recently ap‐proved by the central govern‐ment obliging the Marina Baixa water authorities to dis‐charge 5.5 cubic hectometres per year through the torrents of the Guadalest and Amado‐rio reservoirs in order to cre‐ate ‘artificial rivers’ on tradi‐tionally dry riverbeds.

The political representa‐tives of the seven largest towns in the district, namely

New activity centre

DENIA Council has announced the opening of a new education and leisure centre in the París Pedrera area.

The centre will be used for activities for teenagers and adults organised by the mu‐nicipal Dinàmics and Llunàtics depart‐ments, as well as housing a play area for children and families.

According to the council, the aim is to create a shared space that can be used for various activities at the same time.

Denia mayor Vicent Grimalt explained that “the area has a large density of popu‐lation and is near several schools, so chil‐

dren could spend the afternoons at the centre.”

Sr Grimalt also said that the project is part of a drive to spread out municipal fa‐cilities so that they are not all concentrat‐ed in the town centre.

The new installations will also be used for sporting activities for adults that used to take place at the sports centre but which were cancelled due to the pandem‐ic.

The 320 square‐metre building is locat‐ed on Carrer Sagunt and should be open by September.

Benidorm, Villajoyosa, Fines‐trat, Alfaz del Pi, Altea, La Nucía and Polop, will file a joint appeal against the De‐cree through the Marina Baixa Water Consortium.

The Generalitat Valenciana regional government and the Alicante provincial executive previously announced their plans to also oppose the De‐cree. They believe the loss of water will greatly affect the area’s agricultural trade as well as endangering the public drinking water supply and tourism trade.

Under‐15s can only use them on cycle lanes when accompanied by an adult and must never go over 15 kilometres per hour, with the speed limit reduced to 10 kph in areas with pedes‐trians.

Scooters must bear the official identification and meet the technical require‐ments established by Span‐ish law, and users must wear a crash helmet and reflective clothing at night. Fines for failing to abide by the rules range from €40 to €500 depending on the severity of the infraction.

The new ruling is cur‐rently on public display for residents to suggest any possible amendments.

Guadalest reservoir. Image by Alex

BOOK EARLY: A car park kiosk at Cala del Moraig.

Marakhovets/Shutterstock

Image by Benitachell Town Hall.

Teulada Wellness Fair Tree Day in Benitachell

FORBES LIST: Lady Elisabeth School has made it.

Congratulations!

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for several schools, doctors and entrepreneurs in the Valencia Region who have made it onto the highly prestigious Forbes lists.

The Lady Elisabeth School in Benitachell is now one of the best centres in Spain ac‐cording to Forbes, a long‐overdue recognition of the institution’s more than 30 years as the leading British school in the Marina Alta.

It is joined by several other international schools includ‐ing Cambridge House Com‐munity College in Valencia, Caxton College in Puçol, El Limonar in San Miguel de Salinas and Kings College in Alicante. Meanwile, four Va‐lencian doctors and sur‐

geons are classed among the 100 best in Spain, including international plastic surgery star Pedro Cavadas, oncolo‐gy expert Andrés Cervantes at Valencia’s Hospital Clínico, fellow oncology doctor Ana Lluch, and paediatrician Lucía Galán. Mercadona su‐permarket chain president Juan Roig is once again in fourth place on the list of richest people in Spain, with his wife and chief sharehold‐er Hortensia Herrero in eighth place. The richest per‐son in the country continues to be businessman Amancio Ortega, president of low‐cost clothes manufacturing company Inditex, followed by his daughter Sandra Orte‐ga in second place.

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

THE first Teulada Moraira Wellness Fair came to an end after a week full of different activities related to healthy lifestyles and habits.

The Feria del Bienestar, promoted by Teulada Town Council in collaboration with the Auditori Teulada Moraira, has exceeded all expectations with the participation of more than 500 people.

Residents and visitors were able to enjoy a range of activi‐ties including informative talks by experts on diet and exercise, ethnobotanical routes along local trails, pi‐

lates and fitness classes, a spice and nutrition work ‐shop, health‐related service stalls, talks on mental health, dog ‐ assisted therapy, a moonlight meditation and yoga route, as well as visits by primary schoolchildren to the

municipal markets, where they were shown the bene‐fits of eating fruit and vegeta‐bles.

The councillor for Health, Susanne Katzgrau, thanked all those who made the event possible, stressing that “it is essential to be aware of the importance of looking after ourselves and knowing how to do so, both inside and out, as we have an environment that allows us to do so and we must take advantage and look after it so that future generations can also enjoy it.”

Montgo Golf Society

ON Friday April 7 the Montgo Golf Society had a wonderful away day at El Plantio Golf Course, Ali ‐cante. The course was in good condition and the weather was very nice, not too hot.

The winner of the Stable‐ford competition was Ian Bonser, who scored an excel‐lent 43 points. Second was Sue Burman with 38 points to continue her fine form. In third place was John Day with 36 points. Well done to all the winners!

There were two nearest the pins on offer and these were won by Heiko Schram on the ninth and Keith Cot‐trell on the 14th. The spon‐sors were Simon Fox with

his home ‐ made mar ‐malade and the society.

As it was Good Friday ev‐ery member who played received a chocolate Easter egg courtesy of the society. There was one guest, Den‐nis Hammond, who scored a fine 38 points, well done Dennis!

This week they are back at Oliva Nova GC playing a Four‐Man Texas Scramble sponsored by Keith and Sally Cottrell.

A GROUP of 65 students at Benitachell’s Santa María school took part in Tree Day last week by planting 120 new trees in Les Fonts park.

The species chosen were all native to the area including poplars, mastic trees, Mediter‐ranean buckthorns and fan palms.

Before the planting session, the impromptu gardeners were given a talk about the impor‐tance of trees for the en‐vironment and for the protection of our sur‐roundings, reminding them that looking after the planet entails know‐ing about and caring for local nature.

• Diagnostic imaging and ultrasound Rx

• Clinical tests and serological tests, internal medicine, parasitology

• Soft Tissue Surgery and Traumatology

• Ethology, behavioural disorders and animal behaviour

• Physiotherapy, acupuncture, custom recovery and Healing touch

• Ophthalmology

• Dentistry and dental surgery & more

• Import - Export

Image by Teulada Moraira Town Hall A week full of activities.

“The quiet sow eats the food of the grunting one.”

28% of white collar workers’ time is spent dealing with emails.

Save the posidonia

TEULADA MORAIRA Coun­

cil has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and preserving the posidonia oceánica seagrass.

‘No son algas, es posidonia’ (‘It is not seaweed, it is posidonia’) hopes to involve both residents and visitors in caring for the local marine ecosystem.

The posidonia plays a vital role all along the Mediterranean coast and can be found both on the bottom of the sea and on the shoreline, where it traps CO2, generates oxygen and provides vital shelter for other species.

“These fields of posidonia are responsible for keeping our seawater clean and transparent, as well as housing entire ecosystems that make our beaches a paradise to live in and which everyone wants to visit,” declared a town hall spokesperson during the presentation of the new posters.

The posters read: “It is an endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea. It produces important areas of oxygen. It is the largest living species in the world. It can create meadows up to eight kilometres long. It keeps seawater clean and transparent.”

By Publicity Officer Ian Rogerson

MORE than 60 Javea U3A members enjoyed another great Dining Out eveningthis time at the beautiful Bacchus restaurant.

The event was organised by Dining Out group leaders Alan Guest and Linda Coughlin and once again was voted a massive success.

Members were also grateful to restaurant owner Milena and her staff for the excellent service.

• AGM

Javea U3A P resident Claude Grealy was unanimously reelected at the association’s annual meeting along with the rest of the

serving committee: Vice President Krystyna Stefancyzk, Secretary Margaret March, Treasurer Sally Rush, Groups Coordinator Mike Frost, and Membership Secretary Henrik Rasmussen.

Charity was also a big winner at the AGM, attended by over 60 U3A members at Casa de la Cultura in the old town. The U3A’s nominated charity of the year, Todos Juntos Javea, were presented with a giant cheque for €3,592, raised by members during the year.

Todos Juntos representatives Jean Halse and Anne Joyce were handed the cheque by the U3A P resident Claude and Treasurer

Javea U3A dine out and AGM Indoor pool boost

JAVEA Council has invested an extra €1 million in improvements at the new municipal indoor swimming pool.

Updates include anti-vandalism showers, a connecting walkway between the pool and the adjoining Palau d’esports centre, an access system enabling card payment, and measures aimed at obtaining the European certificate for sustainable construction.

The total investment now sits at €5.7 million, paid jointly by the town hall and the regional Valen-

cian government.

It was agreed between the municipal technicians and the company in charge of the project that it was best to introduce these changes while construction is still under way instead of waiting to do so once the facilities are open to the public, which would significantly increase the costs and require demolishing existing installations, as well as inconveniencing users.

The indoor pool, a historic demand by residents in the town, is due to open after the summer.

Sally. They thanked U3A members and explained that the money was being spent on good causes in the town.

Contact Javea U3A by email at president@u3a javea.com or visit www.u3ajavea.com.

Javea U3A President Claude Grealy and Treasurer Sally Rush, right, present a giant cheque to Todos Juntos representatives Jean Halse and Anne Joyce.

Fingers crossed for Denia

DENIA’S recently approved town plan will hopefully put an end to ongoing legal problems caused by years of court sentences that have cost the municipal coffers nearly €40 million.

Most of the issues have arisen due to continuous changes to town planning laws enforced by local and regional governments.

It is hoped that the approval of the new Plan

General will finally solve the situation, but once again the question has arisen as to whether it will finally provide the necessary legal security and stability to avoid having to change it yet again for at least the next 15 years.

Town plans in Denia have historically always been met with court appeals and requests to alter or cancel the legislation,

Jalon gets sporty

given the huge economic interests linked to construction in the capital of the Marina Alta.

All parties involved agree that the best outcome for the town is for the new Plan General to resist the predicted legal battles and change in some points if necessary, but not to be cancelled yet again with the subsequent cost to the municipal budget.

We’re on the money

BENITACHELL has received more than €9 million in grants for new infrastructure over the last four years.

The accumulated amount is significant considering the size of the town and is larger than the yearly municipal budget, which currently sits at €7.5 million.

The financing from the European Union, the Generalitat and Alicante provincial government will be invested in projects such as the Tourism Sustainability Plan, the restora­

tion of the municipal market building and Plaza Pesqueres, renewing the town’s street lighting with low­consumption LED bulbs, the construction of a new school and improving the town square, among many others.

In addition, the municipal coffers will be boosted with other major investments such as the €460,000 paid by the Lady Elisabeth School to build a new roundabout at the entrance to Cumbre del Sol urbanisation.

Giving4Giving donates €1,000

GIVING4GIVING charity in the Costa Blanca has donated €1,000 to eight different causes over the last couple of months.

Recipients have included Anemona cancer charity, the AECC Spanish cancer association, Barc animal rescue, Project4all, Red Cross Altea,

Finestrat social services, Alfaz social services and Rainbow animal charity.

Their total is now €268,000 donated to local charities and to continue their good work they always need donations and volunteers, so if you can spare four hours a week please

contact Gary on 603 137 697.

Giving4Giving runs charity shops in La Nucia, Altea, Villajoyosa, El Albir and Benidorm, as well as a furniture warehouse in La Nucia.

For further information visit facebook.com / Giving4GivingCharity.

JALON Council is set to invest more than €400,000 in new sporting equipment in the town.

Improvements include the construction of a new open­air sports court located behind the Centro Social. The project has been put out to tender for €76,000, with work expected to begin this month and take three months to complete.

The court will have the required size to practise five­a­side football, handball, basketball, tennis and volleyball. In addition, a new multi­purpose hall will be built in the municipal sports centre, with a budget of €70,000 and set to be completed by November.

These new installations will be used for various activities including yoga, pilates, tai­chi and Zumba classes, among others.

The municipal swimming pool will be improved with a new water treatment system known as saline electrolysis, which is said to have benefits for users’ health, the environment and energy consumption, and should be ready before the summer. Other pool improvements will include cutting down palm trees affected by the red weevil pest, planting new trees for shade, and fixing the outside fence.

TOWN HALL: Hopefully the situation has now been solved.

Roundabout to alleviate congestion

VILLAJOYOSA Council has unveiled plans to build a new roundabout on the main road to alleviate traffic congestion.

It will be located on Avenida País Valencià between the intersections with Calles Pizarro and Ciutat de València, with

work expected to take three months to complete.

According to the town hall, the revamp will enable the elimination of up to 10 sets of traffic lights and will include resurfacing the avenue, the creation of new pedestrian

crossings, and the installation of new street furniture and lighting.

The roundabout will be oval shaped similar to the existing one at the crossing with Calle Barranquet and Avenida Varadero, with cobblestone

Thanks to eye test

WHEN Teresa B booked an eye test at Specsavers Ópticas in Javea, she had no idea it would lead to saving her sight and potentially her life.

Teresa first noticed a slightly blurred area in the vision in her left eye and suspected it could be the start of cataracts. But during the comprehensive eye test, the optical team noticed that there had been a significant deterioration of in the clarity of her vision and a she was experiencing distortion of her peripheral vision and urgently referred her to an eye specialist for further investigations. They suspected there was a tumour in her eye and referred her to Hospital La Fe in Valencia where it was confirmed she had choroidal melanoma, the most common kind of eye cancer in adults.

She was admitted to the hospital for a course of radiation therapy to stop the tu-

mour growing and given an injection in her eye to prevent further damage from the radiation treatment. The treatment was successful and although she has lost a small amount of sight in her eye, she is very grateful for the excellent care she received.

Isabel Fenollar, store director of Specsavers Ópticas, says she was so pleased Teresa came in to store when she noticed a change in her vision. “Unless your vision has changed, you may not give your eyes much thought when it comes to

health. But your eyes can actually tell us a lot about your general health, even if they don’t feel any different. That’s why it’s so important to have your eyes tested regularly.”

Teresa agrees and said: “I would strongly advise anyone to have regular eye checks. If I hadn’t visited Specsavers this condition may not have become evident for a considerable amount of time and the damage to my eye could have been irreversible and the cancer could have spread to other parts of my body.”

paving to distinguish it from the road and with lighted retractable bollards making them visible at all times.

In addition, all elements of the roundabout will be removable to make way for the Moors and Christians parades.

Denia hospital staff protest

STAFF at D enia’s Marina Salud hospital have called a second demonstration on Friday April 21 to protest about the management of the facility.

The march will take place from the port end of Calle Marqués de Campo to the Plaza del Consell - the same route as the previous demo in May 2022, when nearly 1,000 people took to the streets to demand a better public health service.

One year later, the situation is said to be even worse, as just

this week the private company in charge of the hospital announced the closure of 20 rooms over the Easter holidays - when the population of Denia multiplies with national and international visitors.

PLANS to extend the fish farm off the coast of Villajoyosa have been scrapped to avoid damage to the highly valuable Bou Ferrer sunken fish wreck.

Both the local council and Alicante University filed reports warning that the project to increase the size of number 12 farm, used to breed sea bass, bream and other species for the food industry, would cause a “severe and critical” effect on the protected diving site, according to the ruling by the regional government.

The presence of the breeding installations has reportedly led to the presence of a large amount of organic matter in the water above

“Both the staff and the patients are suffering the consequences caused by the management of Marina Salud and the Health department,” read a statement by employees.

“We can see how the service is deteriorating day by day, causing an undeserved and irreparable damage to the system,” it continued.

The staff are calling on the involvement of the general public and the political representatives to “prove to the Health authorities that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.”

Plans off

the Bou Ferrer, which could damage the reserve.

One of the studies advises that a distance of at least 2.5 kilometres should be kept between the point of emission of sediments, ie the fish farm, and the site, suggesting that the farm should be moved to a different location.

Divers have reported an almost total lack of visibility at the wreckage on days when the currents flow from the direction of the farm, which severely hinders supervision, inspection and maintenance work.

The Marina Alta shakes

TWO earthquakes shook the Marina Alta district within a quarter of an hour of each other on Sunday night.

The first registered 2 degrees on the Richter scale and was felt by residents in Benissa, Teulada and Calpe at 9.45pm. The epicentre was located between Cala Llobella and Cala Baladar on Benissa coast, near the CV-746 road.

“I thought a bomb had gone off and my house shook,” said one Calpe resident, although the three-second tremor did not reportedly cause any injuries or damage to property.

The second earthquake, registered just 17 minutes later, was located south of Benitachell and registered 1.6 on the Richter scale, again with no noteworthy consequences.

Línea Verde success

CALPE local council has solved more than 600 incidents through its Línea Verde mobile phone app since it was launched in July 2022.

The Línea Verde offers residents a direct communication channel with the council to report any instances of damage or other faults they find around the town.

The most frequent type of incidents related to ‘Street cleaning’, accounting for 20 per cent of the total, followed by ‘Pavements and roads’ (18 per cent), ‘Collection of furniture and other objects’ (12 per cent), Street lighting (9 per cent), ‘Parks, gardens and green areas’ (also 9 per cent), ‘Road signs and traffic lights’ (6 per cent), ‘Maintenance of beaches’ (4 per cent), and ‘Lighting at urbanisations’ (4 per cent).

In order to use the service, residents are required to download the Línea Verde app onto their phone from Google Play or the App Store, depending on their type of device.

Once downloaded, users select the town or city where they wish to report the incident. By clicking on ‘New incident’, the app shows a menu with all the different types available.

After clicking on the relevant type, the app automatically detects the user’s location. The user then attaches a photograph and a description, and clicks send.

The message then arrives at the town hall, where a municipal team launches the necessary actions to repair the fault and inform the user of any updates.

A second demonstration.

Image by Angel/Shutterstock

Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa and tax benefits

You may be able to move to Spain earlier than expected and not have to wait until retirement. The new Digital Nomad Visa enables UK and other nonEU nationals to live and work remotely in Spain, plus provide tax advantages.

The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is a key component of Spain’s ‘Start Up Law’. Approved in December, its main objective is to attract and retain investment and talent in Spain.

To qualify for a DNV, you must meet certain criteria, including:

• You work remotely (online) for a company located outside the EU/EEA or perform a maximum 20% of your professional activity for a Spanish based company.

• You have been working for the company for three months and your contract is for one year minimum.

• A clean criminal record.

By Brett Hanson, Senior Partner,

• Proof you have €25,000 on deposit (plus €9,441 for each family member joining you) and private medical insurance.

• It is also possible to obtain a visa as an entrepreneur in Spain, if you meet the conditions.

Once approved for this visa your spouse and dependent children can live in Spain with you.

When applying at the Spanish

Consulate in your home country, the visa is initially valid for one year. You then apply for another three years. If you apply directly in Spain as a tourist, the visa covers three years.

Beckham Law beneficial tax regime

Once you are in possession of a DNV, you can apply to be covered by the ‘Beckham Law Regime’. This tax regime has been modified to make it even more attractive.

• You are considered non-tax resident for the year of relocation and following five tax years.

• While your employment income is taxed in Spain, the rate for income up to €600,000 is 24%. After that it’s 47% (which normally applies to income over €300,000). Non-employment income earned outside Spain is not subject to Spanish incomes taxes.

• Your solidarity tax liability will only be on assets located in Spain (and the allowances are very

high).

You can apply to be taxed under this regime if you have not been resident in Spain for the previous five years and are moving to Spain under an employment contract; with a Digital Nomad Visa, or as a director of an entity if you hold less than 25% of its capital.

Entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals are not eligible.

UK taxation

Employment income – if you are non-UK tax resident, only UK source income is taxed there.

Capital gains – while living in Spain under the Digital Nomad Visa, gains made on the sale of shares could potentially be free of capital gains tax in both countries.

Dividends – if the disregarded income treatment applies the UK tax liability is highly reduced or maybe nil. Dividends received from UK companies are not taxable in Spain.

This new visa obviously appeals

to digital nomads who fancy living in Spain for a few years. But it is attractive to UK professionals and businesspeople planning to retire in the coming years. If you are on a high UK salary can work remotely, you may be able to move to Spain under the DNV and pay less income tax under the Beckham regime. Dispose of UK company shares while living in Spain under this visa would save you tax.

Seek advice from a cross-border wealth management firm who understands the intricacies of Spanish and UK taxation and interaction between them.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com.

Blevins Franks

‘Not a threat’ to sector

THE Valencian Tourist Apart‐ment Association insists that they are not a threat for the regional tourism sector.

Association president Miguel Ángel Sotillos has hit out at claims made by Benidorm hotel union Hos‐

bec that holiday lets are “one of the main threats to the tourism trade” by pointing out that hotels are no longer the majority option for visitor accommodation.

In fact, the apartment rental sector supports at least half the Valencian tourism and leisure trades, according to Sr Sotillos.

The association president claims that Hosbec’s position is due merely to self‐interest and the intention to monop‐olise the tourism accommo‐dation trade ‐ which will not happen as holiday lets have ‘democratised’ the sector and account for the majority

of demand, in the opinion of Sr Sotillos.

Instead, the association president has called on Hos‐bec to support the regulation of the tourism rental trade to help weed out unlicensed lets and improve the legal ac‐commodation sector in gen‐eral.

There are currently more than 85,000 licensed holiday apartments and flats to let in the Valencia Region offering more than 250,000 vacan‐cies, which account for 55 per cent of the tourist accommo‐dation throughout the three provinces and generate an estimated €1.7 billion a year.

Guadalest castle

PLANS have been announced to secure and protect the highly valuable Guadalest castle.

The project will focus on securing the remains of the belltower and the Alcozaiba, a Muslim fortress dating back to the 11th century and which is currently accessed through the Casa Orduña museum.

Guadalest castle was grant‐ed official artistic and histori‐cal protection in 1974, in ‐creasing to Cultural Interest Asset in 1998.

This condition, as well as its delicate state, means that any work performed on the fortress must be extremely

Record figures

HOTEL occupation in Al‐tea hit a record 94 per cent over Easter.

The town’s 22 hotels offer nearly 12,890 beds, with many hanging up the ‘No vacancies’ sign over last week’s bank holiday weekend.

In addition, all three lo‐cal campsites registered occupation figures of 100 per cent, and most of the nearly 2,000 tourist apartments were also full.

detailed and meticulous, and thus expensive.

The first step is to draw up a plan outlining every detail of the project which must then be approved by the Va‐lencian Culture department, with work then expected to take at least two years to complete.

A special access point will be created for both the Al‐cozaiba fortress and the bell‐tower to open them to the public in the safest conditions possible and to prevent them from sustaining any further damage. The project has been budgeted at €497,000 to be paid by the Alicante provincial government.

According to local Tourism councillor Xelo González, the fantastic turnout over Easter was largely due to being classed as an ‘Intelligent Tourist Destination’ and the many promotional campaigns at national and international travel fairs, on social networks and in television fea‐tures.

Altea was also cultural capital of the Valencia Region for 2019‐2020, all of which has led to the town being the in place to visit.

And the bank holiday was just the start, as this week sees occupation figures for hotels and campsites sit at around 71 per cent and 81 per cent respectively thanks to the Spanish school holidays.

FLATS TO LET: Trying to weed out unlicensed properties.

Image by TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

The Expert

WE all have our cultural biases. We can’t help it. We can only view things from our learned experience. But when we travel, we expand those experiences and broaden our views ­ perhaps changing how we see the world. And how others see us.

I only understood that clearly when travelling in the Middle East in my 20s. A teenage girl was introduced to me at a luncheon. When she heard I was from California, she became excited.

“Do you know Madonna?” she asked.

As if I, of the 38 million Americans residing in California, was the

next ­ door neighbour of Madonna. But now, living in rural small ­ town Galicia, I am experiencing something similar.

We are well­travelled, especially in the US. I travelled for work a lot. And we travelled with our children for holidays to nearly every state in the union. So, I know a bit about each of them.

But the US is vast compared to countries in Europe. So big that there are varied cultural pockets where, while English is spoken, there are accents I can barely understand. But my fellow Gallegos don’t care.

It seems I am now the go ­ to person to consult when anyone in the area is travelling to the

US. Mothers, brothers, cousins, friends. It doesn’t matter. There will be a knock on my door. Someone I recognise will be there with someone I don’t recognise. Let the travel consultation begin. I almost feel like a medium. Perhaps I should light candles or lay out some tarot cards.

“I see a tall, handsome stranger in your future trip to New York.”

I have begun recycling itineraries, and custom Google maps for these people. Finding I get excited about their adventures. Remembering my own and doing my part to broaden their horizons, one Gallego at a time.

A 53-YEAR-OLD Guardia Civil motorcycle officer died on Monday, April 10, after he was involved in a collision with a vehicle being driven by a British national. The incident occurred at around 11.15am on the CV ‐ 415 near the munic ‐ipality of Turís in Valencia.

Francisco Ramón Montes

Killed in collision

was on traffic duty accompa ‐nied by a sergeant at the time of the crash. The officer with more than 25 years of service was monitoring traffic after the Easter break. An elderly

person allegedly made an im ‐proper turn which resulted in the policeman’s motorbike and car having a head ‐ on colli ‐sion. His partner was riding in

front, and the deceased officer was behind him. Francisco was reportedly taken by surprise when the driver of the oncom ‐ing car crossed a continuous line in the middle of the road.

Two off ‐ duty doctors who were passing by the scene of the accident tried to revive the officer but without success.

Andalucia’s reservoirs low

SPEAKING on Thursday, April 6, Ramón Fernán ‐dez ‐ Pacheco, the minis ‐ter of Sustainability and spokesman for the An ‐dalucian government, said that the data on the levels of the reservoirs in Andalucia cannot be de‐scribed as “anything oth‐er than dramatic” as none of the basins cur ‐rently reaches 30 per cent of their capacity.

“Andalucia today has more than 500 cubic hectometres less than we had the same week last year,” the minister stressed during an insti‐tutional visit to the town hall of Gador in Almería.

He continued: “We have been experiencing a series of months in which it has hardly rained and this has had a series of consequences that we are all noticing. In the agricultural sector, it is more evident, but al‐so in the natural envi ‐

ronments themselves that are suffering from this drought, as well as for industry and tourism.”

Fernández ‐ Pacheco stressed that water is “fundamental” for An ‐dalucia. Given the state of the reservoirs, the re‐sponsible public admin‐istrations can only “in ‐vest, invest and invest in infrastructures that make us more resistant

to this drought situa ‐tion,” he emphasised, as reported by a news source.

He also referred to cli‐mate change and its ef ‐fects, such as the lack of rain and the high tem ‐peratures that are being recorded in an “unusual way for the time of year.” All of this con ‐tributes to a greater risk of forest fires he pointed out.

RESERVOIRS: Are currently below 30 per cent capacity.

Credit: EMJAY SMITH/Shutterstock.com

34% of British households own a dog.

Challenge the Reference Value in Spain: Is it possible? Legal advice

ONE of the consultations we most frequently receive in our law firm is whether it is possible to challenge the Reference Value published annually by the General Directorate of Cadastre. The Reference Value is the ‘minimum’ administrative value that must be consid­

ered when paying certain taxes on purchases, inheritances, donations, etc. In today’s article we review its main features, the problem of this valuation, and whether it is possible (or not) to challenge this value in Spain.

What taxes are affected by

the Reference Value? How does it work in practice? The Reference Value affects a multitude of taxes. Inheritance Tax. Gift Tax. Transfer Tax. Stamp Duty Tax. And also, Wealth Tax (although in this case, it will only be applicable to properties acquired after January 1, 2022.)

Let’s see how it works with a simple example. Pedro buys a property for €150,000, that has a Reference Value of €200,000. When he pays the Transfer Tax, the tax must be calculated over the Reference Value. However, if the price of the property is higher than the Reference Value (for instance, €220,000) the tax is calculated on that amount. In summary, taxes are calculated either in the Reference Value or the declared value, depending on which one is higher.

How is the Reference Value calculated in Spain?

In order to calculate the Reference Value, the price of all the purchases and sales signed before a notary in Spain is analysed, and a system of average value modules is applied

depending on the area. The problem with this system is that it puts a lot of importance on the area in which the property is located, but none on its specific features: state of conservation, materials, whether it is renovated or not, if it is a first floor or a fourth floor, etc.

How can I challenge the Reference Value if I disagree?

There is no specific procedure to challenge the Reference Value directly. However, it can be challenged ‘indirectly’ when it has tax implications. That is, when the taxpayer has to file a tax (IHT, Transfer Tax) in which the Reference Value is applicable. To challenge it, it will be necessary to request an appraisal of the property from a valuation company (approved by the Bank of Spain.)

that certifies that the real value is lower than the Reference Value. The challenge procedure can be made in two ways.

Option 1: Pay the tax according to the Reference Value and claim later.

The first option consists of paying the corresponding tax (Inheritance Tax, Gift Tax, etc) according to the Reference Value. And then filing a rectification procedure with the Spanish Tax Agency, requesting a reimbursement of the amounts unduly paid, and attaching to your claim the appraisal of the property. This route forces the taxpayer to pay in advance and claim a refund later, but it is more advisable since it avoids the payment of interests and/or penalties.

Option 2: Pay the tax directly at the ‘real value’.

The other possibility consists of paying the tax directly at the ‘real’ value considered

by the taxpayer. The tax administration will open a review procedure and will request the difference to be paid by the taxpayer. At this point, an appeal would have to be presented, attaching the appraisal, to contest both the Reference Value and the taxman’s complementary liquidation. The problem with this route is that you will have to face both the interest for late payment, and even a penalty procedure for non­compliance with tax regulations, if your claim is not successful.

Conclusions

If you want to challenge the Reference Value of a property that you are going to buy, donate, inherit, etc, because you understand that it is higher than the market value, do not hesitate to contact us.

At White­Baos we will study your case in detail and offer you expert legal advice on the matter.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys information relating to legal issues.

SPAIN is the place to be! That’s according to the country’s phenomenal tourism data for the begin‐ning of 2023. Data released on Monday, April 3 revealed that the country welcomed a whopping 8.5 million interna‐tional tourists during the first two months of the year.

The data revealed that

Tourism triumph

Spain smashed last year’s fig‐ures by more than 50 per cent. And in a further positive turn, tourists are spending more than ever before, with a staggering €5.33 billion spent in February alone, beating pre‐pandemic figures.

The Minister for Tourism, Héctor Gómez, is thrilled with the results and predicts that

figures for this year’s Semana Santa will also break records for occupancy and spending.

In February, 4.3 million in‐ternational tourists arrived in Spain, an incredible 35.9 per cent increase compared to last year. The visitors spent €1.5 billion more on their trips than in February 2022, a 41 per cent increase.

The UK continues to be the top source of international tourists, followed by France and Germany, but other countries including the USA, Italy, and Switzerland have al‐so seen significant increases in tourist numbers. Las Canarias remains the most popular destination for tourists, with 1.2 million visitors in February.

Worries over workshops

IN a move considered shocking to many, Spain is funding workshops on ‘sex toys’ and ‘trans identity’ in Latin Ameri‐ca. It was reported on Friday, April 7 that the Spanish Agency

for International Development and Cooperation (AECID) is fi‐nancing workshops covering sexual issues, inclusive lan‐guage, feminism, and gender ideology, including topics such

British buyers still rule

GOOD news for the Spanish house market as a new report, from leading international property portal Kyero, has re‐vealed that British buyers remain the biggest overseas spenders when it comes to buying property in Spain, three years on from Brexit and despite a 17 per cent fall in en‐quiries from British buyers last year.

In an analysis of one of the largest data sets in the indus‐try (consisting of buyers from 194 countries and 154,460 properties for sale with over 3,000 estate agents) it was found that the British, who have long played a significant role in the Spanish property market, have (just) managed to cling on to their number one spot.

This is despite losing significant ground to German and Dutch buyers since Brexit, but overall the number of inter‐national property buyers in Spain increased by 80 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019. British buyers continued to make up the largest proportion of overseas property spending in 2022 (12.54 per cent of the total market value).

However, compared to 2019 pre‐Brexit figures, the in‐crease in spending is one of the smallest of all nationalities.

as the use of sexual toys and transgender identity in 10 Latin American countries.

The Spanish government’s policies of gender and sexual liberation have made waves within its borders. However, perceived attempts by the gov‐ernment to export its policies on the matter to Spanish‐speaking countries, have sparked outrage in countries including Honduras.

What many Spaniards find most disturbing is that this practice, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has now spread to 10 Latin Ameri‐can countries, with funding for workshops on sexual toys, in‐digenous feminism, and ‘trans poetry’, among others. The funding comes from taxes paid by citizens of the European na‐tion. The workshops have been offered through the AE‐CID, 18 cultural centres in Latin America and as well as Equato‐rial Guinea (the only Spanish‐speaking African country).

Las Canarias registered the best tourism data in the first two months of 2023, in part due to Tenerife’s world famous February carnival.

Photo credit: Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (via Facebook)

Betty Henderson RESIDENTS in Albox are warning others about a father and son who allegedly swindled hundreds of euros from local businesses and individuals, taking advantage of the community's kindness.

The pair arrived in the town claiming to be divorcees in need of a fresh start and established relationships with sympathetic locals who offered assistance. However, it later emerged that the men borrowed money from kindhearted members of the community without any intention of paying it back.

Kindness exploited

Sums of money borrowed are said to range from approximately €200 to €800, while the pair also reportedly have outstanding bills with local bars. At least three denuncias (complaints) have been made to the police, one of which the Euro Weekly News has had sight of.

Tenerife and Turre. Local resident, John Hillen explained “We are doing this to warn others and to put a stop to their activities if we can.”

While the allegations against the pair have yet to be proven, those affected are warning others to be cautious and have informed the appropriate authorities. The pair allegedly drove a Nissan Niro car with the registration plate PN70 NGZ.

Four-day working week

Residents are being warned to keep an eye out for two scammers who allegedly operated in the Albox region.

Investigations by local residents suggest that these individuals may have a history of similar fraudulent activities in other locations including

Dutch drug domination

IN an unexpected turn the Netherlands and Belgium have overtaken Spain as the primary gateway for cocaine entering Europe, with cartels using Mexican cartel techniques to control the market.

The news announced in an United Nations report on drugs (UNODC) on Friday, April 7 also revealed that these cartels have become so powerful that they have even displaced Spain as the main hub for drug trafficking in Europe.

Recent reports suggest that several cartels are taking over the drug markets in the Netherlands and Belgium and are now producing more and more methamphetamine locally. The availability of cocaine in Europe has increased dramatically over the past decade, with Holland and Belgium now being the key players in the trade.

The rise in prominence of these ports has been linked to their location in the

North Sea, which have seen a surge in trafficking activity. According to the UNODC report, Albanian gangs controlling the drug market in the southeast of the UK are also supplied by Dutch ports.

The days of Spain being the primary entry point for cocaine into Europe are now a thing of the past, as the Netherlands and Belgium have taken over the illicit industry.

STARTING on Monday, April 10, the city of Valencia began experimenting with the four­day working week. It coincides with three consecutive bank holiday Mondays after moving a holiday from January to this current month.

In a pilot project promoted by the city council, its objective is to test the impact of the application in the city of a four­day working week. It will analyse the subsequent consequences on productivity, leisure, mobility, the economy, and the health of the people involved in working 32 hours a week.

The scheme spans the four weeks of April 10, which includes Easter Monday, and April 17, which has the San Vicente Ferrer holiday. It also includes April 24, which becomes a holiday replacing January 22’s San Vicente Mártin celebration, and May 1, which is Labour Day in Spain.

Once the four weeks have ended, the city council’s Las Naves innovation centre will evaluate the results in order to have the conclusions of this test prepared by July 20.

Similar experiments have recently been conducted in other countries, including Lithuania, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Iceland, Portugal and Japan.

Photo credit: Maura Hillen (via email)

SPANISH party resorts waging war against boozy Brits have been warned their efforts are “backfiring spectacularly” as demand for trips has since skyrocketed.

In what was dubbed the ‘Costa crackdown’, authori‐ties in Malaga threatened rowdy British stags and hens with huge three figure fines if they stripped naked or bran‐dished a blow‐up p***s in public, while plans were even floated to install noise moni‐tors in rooms.

Tougher rules were intro‐duced in Ibiza and Mallorca, with drinks limits imposed to try and curb drunken bad be‐haviour.

They have been part of a wider EU wide crackdown, which came to prominence when stags and hens from the UK were urged to ‘stay away’ from Amsterdam as part of a major campaign launched by officials in the Dutch capital.

However, the boss of Britain’s leading stag and hen do provider said the only thing the “crusades” had suc‐ceeded in is making groups more determined to party in

Party on

these destinations ‐ with Brits seemingly undeterred by threats from the Spanish au‐thorities.

“Our Amsterdam stag do bookings are up 50 per cent since that campaign launched last week, so clearly the mes‐sage to ‘stay away’ isn’t get‐ting through,” said Matt Mavir, Managing Director of stag and party provider ‘Last Night of Freedom’.

And in the sunny Spanish party resort of Benalmadena, in Malaga Province, the com‐pany reported that bookings have increased by an aston‐

ishing 200 per cent since the new rules ‐ aimed largely at stags and hens ‐ were publi‐cised last June.

“In Magaluf, bookings are up 60 per cent and it seems these rules are having abso‐lutely no impact on people’s desire to party in Spain and the EU.

“That’s why we are seeing unprecedented demand for budget‐friendly Spanish re‐sorts like Benidorm, and even though there are tough rules, that’s unlikely to put people off partying there,” he con‐cluded.

PARTY RESORTS: Companies say bookings are increasing.

ADRIÁN BARBÓN, the President of the Principality of Asturias, reported on Monday, April 10, that five complaints will be filed about five individuals identified as allegedly responsible for some of the forest fires that have affected Asturias recently.

He was speaking after participating in the meeting of

the advisory and management committee of the Emergency Civil Protection Plan for Forest Fires of the Principality of Asturias (Infopa). Barbón indicated that there is also another line of investigation that could affect at least another 10 suspects, although this is still in an early phase.

This latest wave of fires represents an “attack against Asturias” the President insisted, in which there is “clearly” an intention. These fires, he continued, “mark a before and after” in government policies, with aspects from which they should “humbly learn” such as improving the defence of towns.

5 identified for fires Andalucia card discount

NEW fares for the Andalucian consortia network card came into force on Monday, April 10. It was applied after the consortia’s board of directors approved an increase from 50 to 60 per cent in discounts on public transport fares. The network is made up of the metropolitan areas of the eight provincial capitals plus the region of Campo de Gibraltar.

According to a press release, this new discount is carried out with the use of the card on buses, metros and trams in the Bay of Cadiz in compliance with the Social and Economic Pact for the Promotion of Andalucia. It is an agreement signed between the Andalucian Regional Government, the Andalusian Confederation of Employers (CEA), UGT­A, and CCOO­A.

From January 2023, an additional 50 per cent discount was applied to public transport through season tickets and multi­journey cards (Consortium card and Youth Transport Card).

The new fares have already been applied to the three Andalucian metro passes since April 1.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Now even cheaper.

Credit: Junta de Andalucia

Coronation performance

THE American singing and acting legend Bette Midler is reportedly being lined up to make an appearance at King Charles’ Coronation concert on Sunday, May 7. According to a news outlet, the 77­year­old star will allegedly fly to Britain to perform for the new monarch at Windsor Castle. She will join a line­up of top acts, including Take That and Lionel Richie. It has proved a daunting task to acquire some of music’s biggest names for the free show. The Spice Girls, Ed Sheeran, Sir Elton John, Robbie Williams, Adele, and Harry Styles have all reportedly turned down the opportunity for various reasons.

Dragons love Mood Bears

“Although booking performers hasn’t been easy, due to busy schedules and the last­minute nature of the gig, bosses are quietly confident that a very special event is coming together,” a source told the news outlet.

“Landing a Hollywood star like Bette is a real coup and she will add real old­school glamour to the line­up. Bette is delighted to be taking part, she thinks it’s an honour. Organisers are pulling out all the stops to give people a real spectacle, there’ll be something for everyone,” they added. The icon has already appeared in 2009 and again in 2014 at the Royal Variety Performance.

Housing asylum seekers

ON Wednesday April 5, the UK Home Office announced that an accommodation barge in Portland Port, Dorset will be used to reduce intense pressure on the UK’s unsustainable asylum system and cut taxpayers’ costs caused by the major increase in Channel crossings.

Currently hotel accommodation for asylum seekers is costing Britain £6 million (€6.86 million) per day.

The barge, called the Bibby Stockholm, will be moored in

Portland Port and will accommodate about 500 single male adults during the time their asylum claims are processed.

The use of vessels to house migrants brings the UK in line with other European countries, for example in the Netherlands where migrants have successfully been accommodated on vessels, and Scotland which has also used vessels for Ukrainian refugees.

Last week the government announced that surplus mili­

tary sites will also be used to accommodate migrants who have entered the UK illegally.

A NEW enterprise has been hailed as a project underpinned by empathy and caused quite a stir on the season finale of Dragon’s Den in the UK.

Jo Proud stood in front of the intimidating dragons Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett, and Peter Jones and gave an emotional pitch while introducing her Mood Bears.

The Mood Bears were born from Jo Proud’s own struggle with mental health and while these bears were designed with children in mind, they have been known to help even

adults cope with their mental health issues also.

There are currently eight Mood Bears from Happy Bear to Sad Bear, and Nervous Bear to Angry Bear, the main emotions are represented. These bears certainly were emotive as one of the dragons Peter Jones, clearly moved by the project, called on all of the dragons to get behind this ‘movement’ as he described it.

He invited all the dragons to invest £4,000 for 5 per cent of the company.

Jo Proud was visibly moved by the reaction and could not believe it when

all five dragons agreed to invest all of the money, £20,000, for 25 per cent of the company between them.

With that amount of expertise on board, this is a product that is sure to succeed.

Each Mood Bear has its own colour and a small poem to help young and old cope with their emotions beginning ‘With feelings all confused and all in a muddle, each bear is unique and give the best cuddle’.

And really who doesn’t love a bear hug so if you want one visit https://moodbears.com/.

MOOD BEARS: The new project caused quite a stir on Dragon’s Den.

36% of British adults are bilingual. That’s over 24 million people.

Do not ignore iPhone warning

APPLE iPhone users are urged never to ignore the warning: ‘compromised passwords’, according to a news source on Friday, April 7.

The warning message appears if one of your passwords has been leaked and could lead to extremely serious consequences.

Speed is of the essence. If you don’t respond quickly enough, one or more of your accounts could be hacked.

Failure to deal with the

UK emergency alert

A NATIONWIDE test of the UK’s emergency alert service will take place at 3pm on Sunday April 23. The government said it would only be used in “life­threatening emergencies”, including extreme weather events like the wildfires and flooding seen last year. Messages will pop up on mobile phones across the UK, along with a sound and vibration that will automatically stop

after 10 seconds. Minister Oliver Dowden said the alert service could one day “be the sound that saves your life.”

The government has worked with emergency services and other entities, including the Football Association, to ensure it has minimal impact on major events for the test later in April. It will coincide with some Premier League foot­

ball matches and the London Marathon. The government said the test was important as it will ensure people can recognise a real alert providing clear instructions about how to respond in an emergency.

The alerts are expected to be sent very rarely, only when there is an immediate threat to life, so it may be months or even years before you receive one.

Headache for The Crown

PRODUCERS of the highly acclaimed and controversial Netflix series The Crown have not succeeded in getting US actress Gillian Anderson to reprise her role as PM Margaret Thatcher, said a news source on Saturday April 8. Gillian Anderson, 54, was praised for her portrayal of ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her part in series four.

Anderson’s no­show has created a headache for Crown producers to rewrite the script after it was planned for Maggie to return in an episode about the golden wedding anniversary

of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.

The highly anticipated sixth series has already come under fire as to how it will handle the death of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997.

A spokesperson for the show said, ‘Gillian’s portrayal of Thatcher was met with global critical acclaim and she was a huge asset to The Crown.

‘It had been hoped she would be able to make an appearance in scenes around the golden wedding but sadly that has not been the case due to scheduling issues.

warning can lead to a chain reaction, allowing criminals to access and control even more of your accounts.

Although it has potentially dangerous implications, it can be easily fixed if you take action immediately.

The warning applies to customers who use Apple’s iCloud Keychain to store their passwords for apps and websites on iPhone.

Known password leaks are scanned by Apple and warnings are issued if one of your saved passwords has been compromised.

Apple explained, “When you create and store your own passwords for websites and apps, iPhone automatically identifies common weaknesses (for example, if they’re easily guessed or used multiple times).

“iPhone can also securely monitor your passwords and alert you if they appear in known data leaks.”

89.3bn

Number of times Google is visited per month.

Tag-team

THE French President, Em‐manuel Macron, arrived in Beijing alongside the Presi‐dent of the European Com‐mission, Ursula von der Leyen for a highly anticipat‐ed meeting with the Chi‐nese President, Xi Jinping on Wednesday, April 5.

The pair had a series of political and business en‐gagements planned in the Asian nation. The three leaders held a summit the following day to discuss a range of issues including the war in Ukraine with the European leaders pressing Xi to take further steps to halt the Ukraine war.

Toxic cloud

A STATE of ‘extreme danger’ was declared on Sunday, April 9, in the German city of Ham‐burg. The alert was the result of two warehouses initially catching fire in Billstrasse at around 4.40am, in the Rothenburgsort district. This subsequently produced clouds of thick black smoke which poured up into the sky, as reported by a news source.

In an official warning on Sunday morning, the fire and the smoke development were classified as ‘extreme danger’. The population could be affected “by smoke gases and chemical components in the air we breathe,” the au‐thorities warned.

Confirming the situation, a spokesman for Hamburg Fire Brigade said: “The centre of Hamburg is completely dark.” The burning facilities were lo‐

cated along the banks of the River Elbe, east of the city cen‐tre.

Firefighters did not provide information on the contents of the warehouses. However, other sources suggested the warehouses were discharging hydrogen sulphide into the at‐mosphere. Firefighting teams were said to be unable to

combat the flames without the use of breathing appara‐tus.

Six fire appliances from the professional fire brigade, sev‐eral volunteer fire brigades, the Technical Relief Agency and the police took part in fighting the fire. According to initial reports, no one was in‐jured.

Remaining measures lifted

CORONAVIRUS measures were finally lifted on Saturday, April 8, in Germany’s last feder‐al state. As of April 8, there was no longer a requirement to wear masks nationwide, but, restrictions such as masks can still be imposed by the adminis‐tration of health facilities if they deem them necessary.

The news was welcomed by Marco Buschmann, the 45‐year‐old German Justice Minis‐

ter. “The Corona measures massively interfered with ev‐eryday life and people’s basic rights,” he told the news outlet. “After the long period of re‐strictions in everyday life for people in Germany, freedom is now the rule again.”

Now that the country has managed to successfully cope with the epidemic, the minister advocated the annulment of amendments to the Infection

Protection Act that allowed re‐strictions on rights and free‐doms in connection with the epidemiological situation. However, the 60‐year‐old constitutional expert Volker Boehme‐Neßler disagreed: “We need exactly the freedom we had before Corona. The lockdown paragraph was writ‐ten into law for the corona pandemic, so now it must be deleted again.”

HAMBURG: The city was on extreme danger alert.

Credit: Twitter@FeuerwehrHH

Deportation delayed

THE temporary reprieve grant‐ed to Kathleen Poole, a 74‐year‐old British grandmother with Alzheimer’s who was fac‐ing deportation from Sweden, has been met with relief from her family and the community.

On hearing the announce‐ment of a pause on her depor‐tation order on Thursday, April 5, Kathleen’s family have re‐newed their pleas for a perma‐nent solution to the widow’s residency woes.

Kathleen Poole, who has been living in a care home in Sweden for 10 years, was told to leave the country after her application to remain after Brexit was rejected. Although her removal has been put on hold until a new decision is made, her family remains fear‐ful that the deportation could be ordered at any moment.

Despite being bedridden, having spent the last decade in a care home, and having no family in the UK, Kathleen’s ap‐plication was rejected in September 2022. Her family has been left confused and has been seeking a resolution.

Poland’s pledge

Betty Henderson

POLAND has pledged to send more fighter jets to Ukraine as the country’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited its west‐erly neighbour on Thursday, April 5.

During the visit, the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, promised to send his country’s remaining fleet of MiG‐29 jets to Ukraine should they be required, demonstrating Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Du‐da also said that Russia must be punished for war crimes com‐mitted in Ukraine. In response, Zelensky expressed his grati‐tude for the support, which has been critical in Ukraine’s fight against Russia since the beginning of the conflict last year.

Tensions between Russia and the West continue to sim‐mer, as Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western in‐telligence services of being involved in terrorist attacks on Russia. Putin provided no evidence to support his claims, but asserted that third countries and Western intelligence ser‐vices had plans to sabotage and commit acts of terrorism against Russia. Meanwhile, the Polish Minister for Agriculture resigned on Thursday over an ongoing dispute and protests about cheap Ukrainian grain which has flooded the Polish market, slashing the value of Polish grain. An EU tax break on Ukrainian grain has exacerbated the issue.

Crowds greeted Ukrainian President Zelensky as he met with the Polish President, Andrzej Duda across the border.

Photo credit: Andrzej Duda (via Facebook)

Russia’s red card War crime justice

FRENCH judges ordered three top advisers to the Syrian Presi‐dent Bashar al‐Assad to stand trial for their role in complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes in a court or‐der signed on April 5.

The accused include Ali Mamlouk, head of security in the Ba’ath party, and intelli‐gence officials Jamil Hassan, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud.

French prosecutors believe the trio is responsible for the deaths of Mazzen Dabbagh, a pedagogical adviser at the French school in Damascus,

and his son Patrick, who were arrested in 2013 and subjected to horrific torture that was “so intense that it killed them.”

The trial will be the first in

France directly directed at the Syrian regime, but not the first in Europe. In January 2022, a German court sentenced a for‐mer Syrian colonel, Anwar Raslan, to life in prison for crimes against humanity.

While the accused are not expected to attend the trial or have lawyers represent them, French judges have taken the unprecedented decision of is‐suing international arrest war‐rants for them. The indictment was described as “historic” by the International Federation for Human Rights.

Catholic clampdown

THE Vatican City accused China of breaking a bi‐lateral pact in an announcement made on April 4 after it appointed a new bishop to Shanghai, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in China.

The Holy See was reportedly informed of the decision to appoint Shen Bin as bishop of Shaghai several days ago, and the news has caused a stir in the Catholic community world‐wide, who fear that the Chinese Communist Party may be trying to exercise greater power

within the church.

Meanwhile, the Vatican has said that the city’s auxiliary bishop, Ma Daqin, should administer the diocese, but he has been under house arrest since 2012 when he publicly rejected the ‘Chi‐nese Catholic Patriotic Association’.

However, in a positive step between the Vati‐can and China, both sides have recognised the pope as the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church for the first time since the 1950s.

Betty Henderson

THE UEFA President, Alek‐sander Ceferin, has slammed the door shut on Russia’s involvement in European football compe‐titions until the war in Ukraine is stopped.

The announcement was made as part of a power ‐ful speech given by Ceferin as he was reelected as the chief of UEFA at the UEFA Congress in Lisbon on Wednesday, April 5.

The decision to ban Rus‐sian national and regional teams from UEFA compe ‐titions was made in Febru‐ary 2022 in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.

The current ban permits Belarusian national football teams and domestic clubs to participate in European tournaments, but their home games must take place on neutral ground, behind closed doors.

However, Ceferin hinted that UEFA could consider banning Belarus from the

2024 European Champi ‐onship if deemed neces ‐sary, but that decision would rest with UEFA’s ex‐ecutive committee.

Ceferin’s comments have come at a time of increas‐ing concern over the im ‐pact of politics on interna‐tional sporting events. The invasion of Ukraine has sparked a widespread boy‐cott of Russian athletes.

Ceferin’s firm stance on Russia sends a clear mes ‐sage that UEFA is willing to

take a hardline approach towards countries that disregard international law.

Aleksander Ceferin has been reelected as President of UEFA, where he vows to take a tough stance against Russia.

A French court has launched an investigation.

Photo credit: UEFA (via Facebook)

15.92% of all homes bought in Spain last year were bought by foreign investors.

Patron saint fiestas

TEULADA’S patron saint fiestas in honour of Sant Vicent Ferrer kick off this week with a wide range of activities for residents and visitors of all ages.

A procession with tra ‐ditional Valencian music

and firecrackers took place on Wednesday April 12 at 2pm followed by a gathering in the Plaza de la Constitución at 6.30pm, where this year’s Fiesta Queens marked the beginning of

Running around Benitachell

the festivities with the chupinazo ‐ loud bang ‐from the town hall bal ‐cony before a traditional music concert at 7.30pm.

Today, Thursday April 13 will see a street pa ‐rade and a visit to the Ana Maria Espinós retire‐ment home to collect the statue of San Vicente be ‐fore taking it in a reli ‐gious procession to the Ermita de San Vicente Ferrer for a ceremony.

The fiesta commission will then visit the deco ‐rated streets and offer everyone coca cake and mistela sweet wine.

On Friday the fiesta queens will be crowned in the Plaça VIé Cente ‐nari, followed by live mu‐sic by the Titànic orches ‐tra in the Town Hall square.

Fiesta events continue until Sunday April 30.

For the full list visit teuladamoraira digital.es

THE Volta a Peu run returns to Benitachell on Saturday April 15.

This race of the Circuit a Peu Marina Alta is the most demanding of all the races due to its steep slopes. It passes through a rural land‐scape of great beauty next to the wells of l’Abiar, the traditional riuraus, fields of vineyards and the narrow and beautiful streets of the town centre.

The route is 8.1 km long with a gradient of 170 me‐tres.

Between the children’s races and the main event,

some 1,200 ath‐letes and their families are expected to come to the town to experience the

event. The children’s races will start at 4pm from the Avenida de València, with the adults’ races starting at 6.30pm.

“For the runners it is a challenge to face this leg‐breaking race. Other towns design flat and fast courses to break participation records, but our race is dif‐ferent and has a great at ‐traction,” said the president of the Volta a Peu and the Club Multiesport Beni ‐tachell, Juan Zaragozí.

Registrations will be open until Friday April 24 at www.somesport.com.

Daroca Rizzo at ARTE.44

DEAR friends of art, it is with great pleasure that we invite you to visit our new exhibition entitled ‘Mar y Cielo’ (‘Sea and sky’).

From April 12 to 29, the ARTE.44 gallery in Calpe will be showing paintings and sculptures from Daroca Rizzo. The technique used

by Daroca Rizzo is varied, innovative and creative. In his works he always uses oil paint as a base and no‐ble materials such as gold leaf.

His works can be found in numerous private collec‐tions throughout Europe including Spain, France,

Belgium, Holland, Luxem‐bourg and England, as well as in Russia and the United States.

The inauguration will take place on Wednesday, April 12, at 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Opening times at ARTE.44 are Thursdays, Fri‐days and Saturdays from 5.30pm to 8pm, or to schedule an appointment please call 616 320 703 or email info@arte44calp. com.

The gallery is located on Carrer del Santíssim Crist, 44. For further information on this exhibition and up‐coming events visit arte44calp.com

Contemporary circus in Denia

CIRCUS fans are in for a treat in Denia on Satur‐day April 15.

‘Peus Dalt’ (‘Feet up’) is a contemporary show that has been nominated for best circus perfor‐mance at the Valencian Scenic Arts Awards.

Directed by Pau Porta‐bella, ‘Peus Dalt’ is a show without text that combines different scenic languages: circus, voice, theatre and move‐ment, with a touch of hu‐mour.

Five individuals em‐bark on a journey be‐tween the individual and the collective; sharing dif‐ferent universes in a common space.

‘Peus Dalt’ is recom‐mended for viewers aged over five years old and takes place at the theatre auditorium of the Centro Social.

Tickets cost €8 and can be purchased at www.notikumi.com

Eurochallenge kayak competition

INSCRIPTIONS are now open for the Eurochallenge kayak competition in Villajoyosa, taking place from April 28 to 30.

The Eurochallenge is a Sea Kayak (Ocean Race) competi‐tion for surfskis, and tradi‐tional sea kayaks. It is spon‐sored by the Royal Spanish Canoe Federation and the Canoe Federation of the Va‐lencian Community, and it is part of the calendar of the In‐ternational Canoe Federa‐tion.

There will also be a row‐ing boat event with the col‐laboration of the Rowing Federation of the Valencian

Community.

The Eurochallenge is a prestigious international competition, which over the last several years has be ‐come the most prestigious event in Europe in the world of Surfski (sea surf canoeing).

Club Náutico Villajoyosa has organised the event since 2009, welcoming some of the best canoeists in the world including Sean and Kenny Rice, Nicolas Notten, Angie Le Roux, Clohe Bunnet, Amaia Osaba, Walter Bouzan and Esteban Medina, among many others.

For further information vis‐it www.eurochallenge.es.

Featuring some of the best canoeists in the world.

Calpe Pop Festival

PREPARATIONS are well underway for the third edition of the Calpe Pop Festival in August.

The council this week confirmed that this year’s headliner act will be Camela, precursors of the genre known as techno ‐ rumba in the 90s and the second best ‐ selling band in Spain of the last 20 years.

The past two editions were headed by other major national stars Marta Sánchez and Los Secretos.

Camela will take to the stage on Monday August 14 followed by a ‘re ‐member’ techno set by Vicente Buitrón. Tuesday August 15 is aimed at younger music fans with perfor ‐mances by the DJs David Casado, Pe ‐dro Sendra, Brenda Serna and the Space Elephants techno bands.

The two days chosen for the Calpe Pop Festival are bank holidays in Spain and right in the middle of the holiday season, so the event is ex ‐pected to draw large crowds.

According to Calpe mayor Ana Sala: “The Calpe Pop Festival is held on a long weekend, perhaps the weekend of the year when there are more people in the town, and this festival aims to extend the local fies ‐

Mitjafava Fest in Benitachell

BENITACHELL celebrates its yearly Mitjafava Fest from April 17 to 23 with a range of events aimed at celebrating the fava, or white bean.

Among them is the Ama‐ta Original Arts and Crats fair on Carrer La Pau from April 21 to 23. This year Amata celebrates its 25th anniversary, with the fair offering handcraft stalls, birds of prey displays, workshops, giant soap bubbles and board games for all.

Other highlights of the Mitjafava Fest include a ‘showcooking’ display by first‐class chefs at 8pm on Friday April 21 and story ‐telling, games and music for children plus a mosca‐tel sweet wine tasting on

Saturday April 22. Saturday evening will see the Rock&Fava music festival, and the event will close on Sunday April 23 with a traditional dance exhibition and the Tapifa‐va Festival.

‘Ojos Rojos’ photography

A CONTEMPORARY photography display entitled ‘Ojos Ro‐jos’ (‘Red Eyes’) is currently running simultaneously in Javea and Denia until May 28.

event is free.

tas as well as offering an alternative entertainment for young people.”

The festival takes place in the Parc de la Creativitat and is free to at ‐tend.

“Since 1998 we offer fairs where everything is made with skill and affec‐tion by the participants themselves. That’s why we celebrate our 25th an ‐niversary with a competi‐tion of unique pieces, and we invite visitors to vote,” says Amata.

The Arts and Crafts fair will open from 6pm to 9pm on Friday April 21, 11am to 9pm on Saturday April 22, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday April 23.

The ‘international festival of Spanish and Ibero‐American photography’ features a total of 14 photography exhibitions, six in Denia and eight in Javea.

In Javea, the Milicianos Acció Fotogràfica collective has hung up a series of powerful black and white photographs on walls and shop windows around the old town.

In Denia, Neus Solà is running a display entitled ‘Poupées’ in the Centre d’Art l’Estació until May 14. ‘Poupées’ (‘little girls’ in French) is a look at the female gypsy condition in the suburb of La Cité in Perpignan, France, an exclusively gypsy neighbourhood considered one of the poorest in the city.

The author focuses her gaze on the preliminary steps of their transition to adulthood, with the intention of showing the freer side of their existence, in contrast to the restric‐tions they will have to assume in the future.

Entrance to ‘Poupées’ is free and opening times are every day from 10am to 1pm and afternoons from 5pm to 9pm. For full information visit festivalojosrojos.com.

POP FESTIVAL This

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Face the music

HEDGE fund trader Sanjay Shah, a British subject, will be extradited to Denmark, after a Dubai court threw out his final appeal. Shah, who was arrested in Dubai last June, is wanted in connection with an alleged €1.7 billion scam that helped companies defraud Denmark’s tax authorities.

THE NETHERLANDS

Beach stop

ALTHOUGH work on the station began in 2017, the Rotterdam metro made its first stop at the new halt on the Hoek van Holland beach only recently. The multimillion-euro station’s design takes into consideration its proximity to the sea, with specific measures protecting it against sand, wind, and salt.

BELGIUM

Dearer food

BELGIUM’S government needed to freeze the prices of 100 basic products for three months to ensure people can afford to buy basic products, said consumer-protection organisation Test Achats. Groceries were 20 per cent dearer in March this year than they were in March 2022, Test Achats said.

GERMANY

Success story

RYYA ALSHEBL, a 29-year-old who fled Syria in 2015 and is now a German citizen, was elected mayor of Ostelsheim (Baden-Wurttemberg) with an overall majority and 55.4 per cent of the vote. Alshebl, who worked for the council in neighbouring Althengstett, described his campaign as “overwhelmingly positive.”

FRANCE

Official help

THE town of Denain in northern France is handing out €50 to every resident, regardless of income, in a bid to combat rising inflation and soaring food prices. This is the second consecutive year that the town council, statistically one of the poorest in the country, has run the scheme.

NORWAY

Salmon tax

SHARES in Norway’s salmon-farming industry plummeted last September after the government revealed plans to tax the industry, the country’s largest source of national income. Six months later the government said it still would press ahead with a 25 per cent tax on the sector’s biggest producers.

FINLAND

Be prepared

FINLAND’S Ministry of Defence announced in early April that the country intended to spend €316 million of acquiring the David’s Sling long range missile defence system from Israeli armaments firm, Rafael. The official announcement arrived a day after Finland was accepted into NATO.

IRELAND

Pro-choice

IRELAND’S Health minister Stephen Donnelly, announced that 8,500 pregnancy terminations were carried out in the country last year. Abortion was legalised in Ireland in January 2019 after a referendum held in May 2018 in which voters repealed the pro-life Eighth Amendment from the Irish constitution.

ITALY

Free speech

FRATELLI D’ITALIA (Brothers of Italy), the right-wing party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, proposed a new law to “defend and promote” the Italian language by penalising the use of English and other foreign words in official communications. Transgressors would risk fines of between €5,000 and €100,000.

PORTUGAL

Polly stops play

A PORTUGUESE youth league match between the Estoril and Estrela da Amador teams was interrupted for several minutes when a parrot invaded the football pitch. Two men ran onto the field and used their jackets to try to catch the parrot which evaded them each time before finally deciding to fly off.

UKRAINE

Sleep well

UKRAINE therapists have received training from British psychologist Dr Justin Havens in helping those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) nightmares. He wanted to support people in Ukraine who suffered “a double trauma” during the day and in their dreams at night, Dr Havens said.

SWEDEN

U-turn

SWEDEN, formerly a pioneer in LGBTQ rights, has for the last year begun restricting genderaffirming hormone therapy for minors, which is now allowed only in very rare cases. In December 2022 it also limited mastectomies for teenage girls wanting to transition, citing the need for “caution.”

STAT OF WEEK €22.8 billion

was added to the personal fortune of Amancio Ortega, founder and principal shareholder of Inditex last year, thanks to the increased value of shares in parent company Zara.

BUSINESS EXTRA No energy FINANCE

Going down

SPAIN’S Industrial Production Index (IPI) fell by 0.8 per cent in February compared with February 2022. This was 2.2 points lower than in January, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on April 5, marking a return to negative year­on­year rates following January’s 1.2 per cent rise.

What goes up

TESCO chairman John Allan told a BBC interviewer that he could not forecast when food prices would peak. He countered claims that Tesco took advantage of higher prices to make bigger profits and said the supermarket chain’s 4p (€0.045 cents) in the pound margin was “slender” compared to other industries.

Time out

UNDER Spain’s recentlypassed Family Law, new parents may now take eight weeks’ leave, confirmed junior Employment Minister Joaquin Perez. Following pressure from the EU, the leave, which can be taken in one block or partially at any time until the child has reached the age of eight, will be paid.

Doing well

BANCO SANTANDER loans increased by 4 per cent so far this year and deposits by 6 per cent, executive chairwoman Ana Botin told shareholders. The bank was seeing a double­digit increase in earnings compared with the same period last year and had gained another million clients, Botin said.

Banks blanked

INSIDERS revealed that 4,000 of the UK’s 5,500 high street bank and building society branches could close between now and late 2024 as the sector refashions its services. Opening hours and, counter services will be drastically reduced and customers encouraged to use in­branch ATMs and machines, they predicted.

Brussels’ Orange alert

THE planned €18.6 billion merger between Orange and MasMovil can expect scrutiny from Brussels.

The European Union’s Competition Commission, headed by Magrethe Vestager, is launching an in­depth investigation that will assess all aspects of the Orange­MasMovil merger.

“The Commission is concerned that the transaction may reduce competition in the retail supply of mobile and fixed broadband services as well as of multiple­play bundles in Spain,” a Commission statement said.

Orange and MasMovil are respectively the second and fourth largest operators both at retail and wholesale level for fixed broadband and mobile services in Spain, the Com­

mission pointed out, citing Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, and MasMovil.

“There are also several mobile and fixed virtual network operators which use these operators’ infrastructure to offer mobile and fixed telecoms services to their consumers,” the release continued.

The Commission concluded that by

reducing the number of Spain’s network operators, the merger would also eliminate “innovative and significant rivals” which could then lead to higher prices and lower­quality telecom services for customers.

Once merged, Orange and MasMovil would have “the ability and the incentive” to restrict virtual operators’ access to the wholesale mobile network, the Commission said.

“This could reduce the ability of such operators to compete, and in turn lead to higher prices and lower quality of services for end customers in Spain.”

The Competition Commission now has 90 working days, until August 21, to come to a decision.

Long drawn-out privatisation

THE UK government has given itself more time to gradually sell off its holding in NatWest. The rescue of the former Royal Bank of Scotland Group cost the taxpayer approximately £46 billion (€53.4 billion) when the government acquired an 80 per cent stake in 2008.

UK Government Investments (UKGI), which manages the holding on behalf of the Treasury, revealed that the scheme to reduce its NatWest Group holding, announced in mid­2021 and

Worst award

MEMBERS of the consumer group FACUA have chosen CaixaBank as Spain’s Worst Company of the Year in 2022.

In the annual poll that was held between March 15 and 30 this year, 39 per cent of FACUA members put CaixaBank at the top of their list.

CaixaBank won the dubious honour on several counts, which included failing to return all of the excess fee that was erroneously charged on mortgage agreements. Interest on loans was described as “usury”, commissions were condemned as “abusive” while the bank was also criticised for refusing to return sums lost to phishing and smishing scams.

originally due to be completed by mid­August 2023, would continue until 2025. The government’s stake fell from 54.7 per cent to 41.5 per cent between 2021 and 2023.

Doubts have been raised

as to whether the UK government will be able meet its self­imposed 2026 deadline to fully privatise the bank, approximately 18 years after coming to its rescue during the financial crisis.

The government gave no reason for the extension to its trading plan but the decision was made in what has been a turbulent period for large banks, including NatWest, all of which were affected by the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank in March, followed by the

Down to earth

SIR RICHARD BRANSON’S Virgin Orbit filed for bankruptcy protection in the US after last­minute attempts to find funding for the struggling space firm came to nothing.

Its share price dropped 17 per cent to a new record low the same day, valuing the company at less than $60 million (€54.8 million), more than 95 per cent below its $3.5 billion (€3.2 billion) peak in January last year.

In January, when Virgin Orbit unsuccessfully attempted to launch the first­ever satellite from British soil, Branson’s LauncherOne rocket reached space but fell short of reaching its target orbit.

The mission was hailed as a milestone for UK space exploration and was intended to represent a leap forward in converting Britain into a world player, from manufacturing satellites to building rockets and creating spaceports.

THOUSANDS of small UK businesses said they risked bankruptcy now that the government’s energy support scheme has ended.

Companies prepare for huge increases as support for nonhousehold power bills comes to a close and fixed rate deals terminate.

Their combined impact means that bills for many companies could soar by up to 133 per cent, according to Cornwall Insight, which provides energy market intelligence and analysis.

The hospitality industry, still recovering from the pandemic, could be particularly hard­hit, with one publican admitting that he might consider selling his pub to a developer who wants to convert the building into apartments.

forced rescue of Credit Suisse by its Swiss rival, UBS.

“The recent banking sector turmoil has sent shares in NatWest down by more than 10 per cent over the past month,” Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, pointed out to the Guardian. “This complicates the picture for the government which is trying to offload its stake at a time when investors are feeling nervous towards the sector,” she said.

Seat near the top

CAR manufacturer Seat is reaping the benefits of an improved supply of chips.

The Spanish company was particularly affected by the semiconductor shortage because the Volkswagen Group, to which it belongs, had consistently allocated chips to its most profitable firms.

SEAT has now seen its registrations rise 52.1 per cent to 18,040 units during the first quarter of 2023, boosting it to second place behind Toyota with 20,749 registrations. As a result Seat is once again jostling for a top position in the Spanish market after a grim 2022 when its domestic sales fell 30.2 per cent, after enjoying four years as Spain’s most­sold make.

Outside view

SPEAKING recently in Barcelona, Professor Paul De Grauwe from the London School of Economics said the EU was better off since Brexit.

Had the British remained, it would never have been possible to launch the Next Generation Funds introduced to offset the effects of the pandemic, De Grauwe told the Cercle d’Economia business forum.

“Let’s be realistic, the British would have been opposed to it,” he said.

“The reason they were in the EU wasn’t to strengthen it, but to weaken it from inside. That’s been their strategy for centuries.”

Moving off

OKYO PHARMA has applied to delist from the London Stock Exchange. The departure of the pharmaceutical company, which specialises in medication for ocular diseases, was seen in the City as another blow to London’s reputation as an international financial centre. The decision was prompted by the expense of ‘negligible’ trading on the main market, the ophthalmology drug developer told its investors. Okyo also reassured shareholders that the move would not affect its American Okyo Pharma Depositary Shares, which trade on the New Yorkbased Nasdaq exchange.

Magrethe Vestager: Heads the EU’s Competition Commission.

NATWEST: Due to be fully privatised by 2026.

Photo credit: CC/European Parliament Photo credit: Flickr/Emily Alexander

DOW JONES

Picture that

BUSINESS EXTRA A bite of the apple

CINEWORLD will seek new funding as it an ‐nounced having dropped plans to sell its US, UK and Ireland businesses after failing to find a buy‐er. The world’s largest cinema chain said it had struck a $2.26 billion (€1.9) deal with lenders to restructure its sub ‐stantial debt and exit bankruptcy.

Gender gap

SPAIN’S National High Court in Madrid voiced gender discrimination concerns since cabin crew, 94 per cent of whom are female, re ‐ceive lower travel ex ‐penses than pilots. Air Nostrum rejected em ‐ployees’ claims, arguing that the groups were governed by different collective agreements and “did not perform work of equal value.”

APPLE’S principal subsidiary in Ireland, Apple Operations International Ltd, paid €7.7 billion in corporation tax last year.

At the same time, the com‐pany paid out $20.7 billion (€19 billion) in dividends to its California parent company, after reporting more than €63.5 billion in profits, a 2 per cent increase on 2021.

This meant the Cork‐based company and its subsidiaries delivered a daily pre ‐ tax €173.6 million over the 12 months to September 24 last year. Annual revenues rose

by $11.7 billion (€10.72 bil‐lion) to $223 billion (€207.92 billion).

It remains unclear which governments received the Irish company’s taxes, which

Outlook cloudy for many

FEW of Spain’s self‐employed have noticed an improvement in their economic situation.

This was the same or worse than a year ago, they said.

A survey by the Spanish Association of Self‐employed Workers (ATA) found that, compared with the first quarter of 2022, their finances had improved for only 21 per cent of the self‐employed.

It had remained the same for 46 per cent of Spain’s ‘autonomos’ while a further 33 per cent of participants in the poll main‐tained that their situation was now worse. Meanwhile, only 20 per cent believed their business interests would improve in the coming months, while 70 per cent calcu‐lated that it would remain the same or could even deteriorate.

Legitimate decision

amounted to 11 per cent of profits. Ireland charges a 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate, which would have resulted in a bill worth $8.7 billion (€7.9 billion)

Including deferred tax charges, Apple Operations In‐ternational paid a total tax bill of $11 billion (€10.1 bil‐lion) for the period in ques‐tion.

Apple has been present in Ireland since 198, currently employing approximately 56,600 staff, 6,000 of whom are based in Ireland.

In 2020, the European Commission ordered the Cu‐pertino (California) technolo‐gy company to pay a record €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland, on the grounds that it benefited from a sweetheart tax deal.

This amounted to illegal state aid between 2003 and 2014, Brussels said, enabling Apple to pay a maximum tax rate of just 1 per cent and as low as 0.005 per cent in 2014.

THE UK’s largest insurance bro‐ker warned of impending dis‐aster if the industry had to pay claims arising from Russia’s in‐vasion of Ukraine.

The sector was not designed as a ‘backstop’ for the costs of war, David Howden, CEO of the Howden Group, told the Sunday Telegraph. “We’d all go bankrupt,” he maintained. Howden’s comments came as the owners of approximate‐ly 500 commercial aircraft seized by Russia shortly after the invasion prepared to sue Lloyd’s of London insurers who refused to pay out around £8 billion (€9.12 billion).

Their decision not to pay up was legitimate, Howden ar‐gued. War had never been something covered by insur‐ance, he said.

There was not enough capi‐tal in the insurance market to cover the impact of the con‐flict, he said.

“If policies were expanded the government would need to bail out bankrupt insurers,” Howden added.

APPLE: Irish subsidiary made €63.5 billion in 2022

Photo credit: Apple

Too much

RIO TINTO, which has raised its chief executive’s pay by 70 per cent, now faces a rebellion from shareholders at the next meeting. Jakob Stausholm took home £4.8 million (€5.48 billion) in 2022 after the FTSE100 mining giant made record profits on the back of soaring commodity prices.

Going down

SPAIN’S Industrial Production Index (IPI) fell by 0.8 per cent in February compared with February 2022. This was 2.2 points lower than in January, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on April 5, marking a return to negative year­onyear rates following January’s 1.2 per cent rise.

Holding on

MORRISONS said that cutting £700 million (€800 million) in costs over the next three years would allow it to reduce prices during the squeeze on consumer spending. The supermarket chain also announced a 0.1 per cent increase in samestore sales during the three months to the end of January.

RIP Josep Pique

JOSEP PIQUE, a Catalan politician, economist and businessman who headed several ministries between 1996 and 2003 during the governments of Jose Maria Aznar, died on April 6 in a Madrid hospital. The former president of Vueling, who was 68, had been suffering from cancer for some time.

Online flatline

UK customers return £7 billion (approximately €8 billion) of internet purchases each year, while more than a fifth of all clothes bought online are sent back. Increased returns owing to the cost of living crisis, were responsible for Boohoo’s 94 per cent slump in pre­tax profits, the retailer said.

It’s a tough job

Linda Hall

FOUR out of five UK companies and organisations still pay male employees more than females.

An analysis of the government’s report on wage inequality by the Guardian found an average pay gap of 9.4 per cent, the same level as in 2017­2018 when employers first had to publish this information.

The public sector’s gap has remained larger at 15.1 per cent compared with 8 per cent in the private sector. Both are similar to last year’s figures, the analysts found.

In practically half of companies and public bodies, males earned at least 10 per cent more than their female counterparts. In contrast, women

earned 10 per cent more than men in only 3 per cent of companies. Meanwhile, new research has found that women wanting to advance their careers must provide more evidence of their skills to reach leadership posts.

Alexandra Niessen­Ruenzi, head of

The next thing

the department of Corporate Governance at the University of Mannheim Business School (UMBS), and PhD candidate, Leah Zimmer, analysed the biographic details of 103,461 male and female directors.

Focusing on observable signals of professional and educational qualifications, plus past professional experience, the investigators established that women were consistently required to provide more observable skill signals. This was because employers found it harder to judge their unobservable qualifications for leadership, including emotional intelligence, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability, they said.

Chatting up Vodafone

BRITISH telecoms group

Vodafone has been approached by potential buyers for the operator’s business in Spain, market sources revealed.

While not officially seeking a sale, Vodafone would allegedly consider an offer if the price were right, added the same sources who were recently quoted in the Spanish media.

The company’s Spanish operation is estimated to be worth around €3.6 billion but although discussions are said to be ongoing it is not a foregone conclusion that these will result in a sale and Vodafone has declined to comment on the rumours.

Between 2018 and 2022, Vodafone saw its Spanish earnings dwindle by 16 per cent to approximately €4.2 billion and the company’s share of the Spanish market has undeniably gradually shrunk as it has had to face competition from Telefonica, Frances Orange and MasMovil.

Vodafone’s former CEO Nick Read, whose departure was announced last December, earlier failed to pull off the mergers and acquisitions that might have produced more competitive players.

Instead the company was completely outma ­

MOSCOW has approved the sale of Inditex’s business operation in Russia to the Daher group, which owns the Dubai Mall shopping centre. The Spanish fashion chain originally announced that the sale would affect 514 shops in Russia which had provided work for more than 9,000 employees. Nevertheless, Inditex explained when presenting its 2022 results

noeuvred when the proposed Orange ­ MasMovil merger was announced in July 2022.

In the meantime, Read’s successor, Margherita Della Valle has downgraded Spain ­ previously one of Vodafone’s principal markets ­ to a smaller group of lesser operations like Ireland or Greece.

Inditex exit

that only 245 shops would finally be affected by the sale, which was announced in October while still awaiting the Russian government’s definitive agreement. Inditex reported that it had lost €840 million on its Russia investment totalling €1.02 billion, with the €183 million difference

REPORTING a record annual profit of £870 million (€994.65 million, Next announced that it expected to raise prices more slowly as inflation eased.

The company’s profits rose by 5.7 per cent in the year that ended on January 31, while its total sales from trading of £5.1 billion (€5.8 billion) were 8.4 per cent up on the previous year.

The clothing and homeware retailer also warned that 2023 would be “very challenging” as its customers coped with the cost of living crisis.

In consequence Next said that sales were forecast to fall by 1.5 per cent, while it also foresaw that profits would drop back.

Real & unreal

corresponding to the sale of its shops via the recentlyauthorised operation.

According to an October 2022 report by the online specialist publication, Retail Detail, the Doher real estate group also owns the Inditex franchise rights in the Middle East and North Africa.

Saga losses multiply

SAGA’S losses soared last year amid stiff competition and regulatory changes affecting its insurance division.

Losses for the firm, which offers insurance, holidays and cruises to the over­50s, shot up to £259.2 million (€296.5 million) for the year that ended in January 2023, compared to £23.5 million (€26.9 million) in January 2022.

During the first six months of 2022 Saga took a £269 million (€307.6 million) good­

will charge after insurance sales dropped in the wake of Financial Conduct Authority rules. These were aimed ‘price walking’ where new customers pay less for the same services.

At the same time Kent­based Saga also reported returning to an underlying pre­tax profit of £21.5 milion (€24.6 million) owing to an upturn in overseas travel, which reduced losses in the firm’s cruise and travel divisions.

DEPARTMENT FOR

WORK AND PENSIONS (DWP) statistics revealed that 8.8 million UK residents earned more than £1,000 (€1,143) a week during the year ending in March 2022.

In real terms the average household income after housing costs was a weekly £565 (€645) ­ approximately £29,500 (€33,722) a year ­ according to the DWP figures.

The department’s statistics also showed that median incomes were 1.2 per cent, or £7 (€8) a week lower in real terms than when these were at their peak in the 12 months ending in March 2020.

More clout

IBERDROLA has sold 78 per cent of its Mexican business interests to one of the country’s publiclyowned companies for €5 billion. The sale follows regulatory problems ­ and what were described as confrontations ­ with Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The move will give the energy giant more financial clout and fits in with growth plans for networks and renewables in the United States and Europe.

It will also improve debt ratios while strengthening the company’s financial positioning, the group’s Chief Financial Officer, JoseSainz, said.

PAY GAP: Women have to work harder for less.

Photo credit: Pixabay/David Mark

VODAFONE: Share of Spanish market has shrunk.

Photo credit: Vodafone

OTHERS THINK IT

I’VE never had much respect for politi‐cians. Back in the 60s I witnessed a number of the ‘Old Boys’ club mem‐bers with their trousers down, both metaphorically and in reality. Well I re‐member a prominent London MP rushing up to me at a Chelsea party.

Clad in a string vest and very ques‐tionable Y Fronts, he implored me to ‘take over upstairs’. Apparently the nu‐bile and extremely eminent London agent he was cavorting with had be‐come rather too much for him. I didn’t accept his offer I may add!

Another told me he thought smok‐ing marihuana was ‘such fun!’ No I’m afraid politicians in general have never impressed me much. Boris and Party‐Gate was a mere bagatelle!

There is one overriding problem with the elder male occupants of the Westminster power corridors. The ma‐jority went to public school. These male dominated institutions meant that its students never really learned to mix with the female of the species. Their only experiences with the oppo‐site sex were annual school dances and over bearing Nannies. This accom‐

Seeing the light

panied by the odd fondle of the slightly more promiscuous young ladies from the local ‘St Trinian’s’, left women re‐duced to nothing more than subjects of locker room humour and ribald ban‐ter in the dorms.

The outcome of this attitude, result‐ed in the total absence of respect for those of a gender they considered not only mere objects of sexual titillation, but also intellectually inferior and sub‐sequently had no important standing in the male dominated corridors of their future political ambitions.

Most of these elder statesmen on the benches fall into this category and still consider Westminster nothing more than an extension of their public school education and debating soci‐eties. As attitudes change, and more and more women are elected into the house, (over 50 per cent of the Labour party) these ex‐public schoolboys are slowly becoming the dinosaurs of the political arena.

Frankly, apart from serious offences, consistently raking up ancient knee brushings and somewhat innocuous schoolboys sexist innuendoes is a com‐plete waste of time and energy. (You

listening Ms Rayner!?)

Time to get back to more serious is‐sues, like running the country for ex‐ample! Thank the Lord the Labour Par‐ty has actually seen the light. At least they can use their female membership numbers against the Conservatives mere 24 per cent. Yet another weapon in their armoury of schemes and skull‐duggery to keep the government on the back foot till the next General Elec‐tion!

Picked up a lovely piece of terminol‐ogy in the news this week. ‘Non erotic cognitive distraction’. This is the condi‐tion of ladies having their moment of intense sexual arousal being spoiled by suddenly remembering they didn’t pay the milkman, or something of that ilk. Apparently sufferers of this unfortu‐nate malady are encouraged to ‘stay in the moment’. The moment? Personal‐ly I would recommend a change of partner!

Keep the faith

Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. and Fri. 1pm till 4.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

STRIKING OUT OUR VIEW

AT the time of writing, up to 60,000 junior doctors across the UK are striking for four days, delaying everything from routine appointments to vital cancer treatment.

Despite the obvious risks to health however, one poll found that 74 per cent of the British public supported the strike. Which begs the question, just how broken is the NHS that we support lives being put in danger ‐ by the very people who have taken an oath to do no harm ‐ to fix it?

It had always generally been accepted that doctors (par‐ticularly at the junior end) are overworked and underpaid. But the heavy weight that the pandemic put on those at the front line coupled with the resulting treatment back‐log and a cost of living crisis seem to have equalled a work environment for doctors that we can no longer accept.

Where did it all go so wrong though? Launched an as‐tonishing 75 years ago, the NHS brought universal health care to a population who, until then, may simply have died from a simple infection or injury because they could not afford to be treated.

The envy of the world for many years, the NHS also in‐spired many other great nations to roll out their own equivalents. We now regard free healthcare as one of the main marks of a civilised country.

Like anything though, a great concept only stays great if it moves with the times. And it’s fair to say that relying on a habitually underpaid, overworked workforce to simply put up and shut up forever is not a long term strategy.

Equally, with an ever growing population how long can we expect the NHS to roll on for without massive change before more wheels start to come off?

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

A RECENT report moves the spotlight on to the fire and rescue services just after the Met was found guilty as charged of institu‐tional racism, misogyny and homophobia in a similarly condemnatory report that showed public confidence in the force at rock bottom.

According to this latest scathing review, there may be ‘predators’ like Wayne Couzens lurking in the fire service’s shad‐ows as the toxic culture uncovered was ‘just the tip of the iceberg’. Examples of this ‘hotbed of racism, misogyny and ho‐mophobia’ included firefighters acting out a rape, expecting women to make tea and viewing racist language as ‘having a laugh’.

A ‘hotbed of racism, misogyny and ho‐mophobia’: seriously? Then we read that ‘some’ examples of unacceptable conduct were found in only 11 of the 44 fire ser‐vices. But, we are assured, this ‘could be’ the ‘tip of an iceberg’. So, no evidence was found in 33 out 44 services.

How on earth is that rampant? More likely it ‘could be’ a report determined to trash the reputation of the entire fire ser‐vice. And yet another lesson in how to de‐

Which will be trashed next?

ridiculous. There seems to be a growing appetite to label all our public services as racist, homophobic and sexist. Largely, it would seem, from those who like to feel morally superior while sitting safely behind their desks. God forbid they actually get out of their chairs and contemplate putting their own safety at risk for others (remem‐ber Grenfell?). And then they wonder why these services struggle to recruit and retain good people!

All our public services are being attacked one after another by the same band of people. It has to be stopped. This is a total waste of public money pandering to the politically correct and woke movement. Who next?

moralise the vast majority of firefighters, police officers etc who are honest and do a hard job very well.

Which British institution is going to be trashed next week? This is getting beyond

Firstly, firefighters do a difficult and dan‐gerous job ‐ nobody doubts this. Nobody says otherwise. Firefighters demonstrate bravery, courage, self sacrifice etc. They can be, and frequently are, saints, but that is not a job requirement. The willingness to run towards a fire when everyone else is running away, and to keep returning until everyone inside has been rescued and the fire extinguished, as well as a technical in‐sight into controlling fires from different sources, are the primary characteristics. We are fortunate that such men and wom‐en exist and put their lives on the line for us. They may not always behave as squeaky‐clean choristers, but they get the job done.

First it’s the Met, now it’s the fire and rescue services throughout Britain. Where will other revelations of racism, misogyny and bullying in sordid corners of British so‐ciety be exposed next? The NHS? The Coastguard? The Monarchy?

Good grief, are the justices of self‐righ‐teousness making it their mission to de‐nounce every last British public service as ‘hotbeds’ of bad behaviour? How pro ‐foundly demotivating for the many fine staff members in all our emergency ser‐vices.

How I love being told who to dislike ev‐ery week! Who do I get to hate next week?

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Nora Johnson’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

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Bouncing around

Linda Hall

BALANCE diminishes with age and falls are always a lurking danger as people get older.

Not that falls are restrict‐ed to the elderly, as World Health Organisation fig ‐ures show that falling is al‐so the third most common cause of unintentional in‐jury for the 18 ‐ 35 age group.

Fitness experts Juliet and Kelly Starrett recently rec‐ommended skipping as an excellent way to enhance balance. Haven’t picked up a rope since your pre‐teen days? Instead try bouncing which is a modified version of skipping.

With hands resting light‐ly on a countertop, rise up on your toes and quickly bounce up and down 50 times.

There’s no need to lower your heels to the ground each time; just drop them part‐way as you bounce.

SKIPPING: If you haven’t skipped for years, try bouncing

Don’t stop

VITAMIN D is known as the sunshine vitamin, and sunshine is the one thing that we can be sure of getting in Spain.

So do you still need a Vitamin D supplement?

“Yes, especially if you habitually use a sunscreen,” health ex‐perts ‐ including those from Harvard ‐ advised.

Most food contains only minimal amounts of Vitamin D, making it difficult to get the amount that you need from diet alone.

Vitamin D is absent from all natural foods except fish and egg yolks, and even when obtained from food, it must be transformed by the body before it can do any good, they said.

By Clinica Britannia

Feel good on the outside too

PEOPLE often feel the need to hide their smiles if their teeth are stained, crooked or missing. Research has shown that having a beautiful smile is not only linked to your self ‐ confidence but can also increase your hap ‐piness in life. People who have their best smile are more confi ‐dent, less anxious, and enjoy life more.

Sadly, people tend to associate those with imperfect teeth, in ‐cluding everything from an incorrect bite, tooth decay, crooked ‐ness, discolouration, and missing teeth with those people who lead an unhealthy lifestyle,

A beautiful smile can make you feel more confident.

which is not always the case.

That is why keeping your mouth in tip ‐ top condition is a vital part of personal care and a key component in in ‐

creasing your confi ‐dence and self ‐ esteem. Cracking a confident smile can go a long way in making you feel good on the outside, as well as on the inside.

Book a free check‐up appointment with our Dental department at Clinica Britan‐nia to start the process to obtain that smile you have always wished for. The Dentist will give their professional opinion on what would be the best treatment plan for you at an affordable price, having you smiling again in no time at all.

Photo credit: Flickr/LongitudeLatitude

By Clinica Britannia

Healthy feet are important

WHEN it comes to look‐ing after your health, it’s easy to forget about your feet. But healthy feet are an important part of our overall well ‐ being, as foot problems can have a huge negative impact on our quality of life.

For example, bunions are an ailment that can affect all ages not just the older generation. Otherwise known as Hal‐lux Valgus, bunions are in fact the most common progressive foot defor ‐mity, in which the big toe joint is affected, causing pain and functional dis‐ability of the foot.

Fortunately, it is possi‐ble to treat this through minimally invasive surgery. The surgery is

FOOT PROBLEMS: Can have a huge negative impact.

performed to straighten the big toe and correct claw toes when neces ‐sary, helping you to re ‐gain your aesthetically pleasing feet.

The surgery is per ‐formed, not only to give the foot a more pleasing appearance, but also to restore the alignment of the bones. Correcting weight distribution on the foot will allow for

you to walk pain free, and to be able to wear your shoes comfortably again.

It is medically justified to perform hallux valgus surgery when the bunion restricts activity, so if you want to get rid of that foot pain, make an ap ‐pointment now at Clinica Britannia to assess if surgery is a valid option for you.

WHITE spots on the finger‐nails could mean a diet that is insufficient in zinc, calci‐um or iron.

Oysters – if you can man‐age them – are zinc ‐ rich, but zinc is also plentiful in red meat and poultry. Oth‐er good sources are dairy products, beans, nuts, crab, lobster, and whole grains.

Turn to dairy again for calcium, along with seafood, canned fish, dark, leafy green vegetables, cal‐cium ‐ fortified food and fresh or dried figs.

For iron, choose eggs, poultry, shellfish, red meat and offal but vegetarians –and carnivores – will find plenty in nuts, pulses, peas, more of those dark leafy green vegetables and strawberries.

KING’S COLLEGE LONDON researchers have linked snoring and cognitive de ‐cline.

Previous studies had detected a connection but this latest investiga ‐tion with otherwise healthy volunteers who snored heavily has con ‐

Nailed it

Snore warning

firmed their suspicions.

Participants wore elec ‐troencephalography skull caps while sleeping to measure their brain waves. Blood oxygen lev ‐

els, heart rate, breathing and eye and leg move ‐ments were tracked, along with cognitive func‐tion.

Those who snored most were less alert and had more difficulty in meeting goals and staying focused, the investigators found.

Photo credit: Pixabay RitaE OYSTERS: Rich in zinc, good for the nails.

Modern methods, old fashioned values!

SPEAKING with company owner Andrea Watson, the EWN has been discovering how removals have been a significant part of the Watson European roots for many years. From humble beginnings servicing the needs of road haulage in Europe, Andrea’s experi‐enced team now meet the demand for a regular and professional removals service.

Over the years, Watson European’s ser‐vices have been developed to offer wrap‐ping and packing services, storage, vehicle relocation services and customs clearances specialising in movements between the UK, France and Spain.

The dedicated and experienced team aim to provide you with a friendly and welcom‐ing experience, while maintaining a profes‐sional and courteous skillset to give you the confidence in your move from the point of first contact through to redelivery, making your move a stress free and enjoyable expe‐rience.

We went on to discuss ‘life after Brexit’, Andrea said: “Brexit is a word we are all too familiar with by now and, of course, the UK’s departure from the EU has changed the

process in how we must move goods between the UK and the EU.”

Andrea also mentioned that ‘customs’ can feel ex tremely overwhelming given the natural

Supporting those in distress

THE British Benevolent Fund was founded over a century ago to provide assistance to Britons in Spain facing extreme financial hardship.

Financial difficulties is some‐thing most people face in their lives and whilst challenging can be overcome with thought and planning. Both of these are al‐most impossible when the per‐son has mental illness where making the right decision is diffi‐cult and where holding down a job is even more so.

In the case of John, a 34‐year‐old single British man who lived in Spain, having moved with his parents from the UK when they retired. His condition was such that social interaction caused distress and he lived in his room and his parents looked after him ‐ he had never worked and re‐lied on his parents for food, lodging and all life’s necessities.

Except that they could not cope ‐ they lived modestly off a small pension and had little to spare for their grown forever at home child who required con‐stant attention ‐ and medica‐tion. Then came Brexit and the realisation that the social service

support, medical cover and local help was at risk as they had nev‐er registered as residents ‐ and were no longer eligible.

They got in touch with a local charity for support to apply be‐latedly which would take some time to process ‐ however they were confident that having been settled here before the deadline date they were still in with a chance.

But in the meantime, the medicine costs were now high and beyond their small means.

The charity ‐ one of many at the Support in Spain website contacted the BBF to see if we could help.

The BBF mission is to support those in distress and with a child with needs we wanted to help.

The issue for the BBF is that wherever possible we seek that any funds are used to overcome

stresses that are already present when mov‐ing overseas: “The reality is that at Watson European, we can take care of all customs formalities from permanent house moves, second home/holiday home movements and vehicle movements.

“We were especially pleased to launch our new service for ‘HMRC Transfer Of Resi‐dence Relief’ applications. Our team will

few days, a few months, or a few years, Watson European have got you covered with secure, modern storage solutions at competitive rates.

For clients moving between the UK and the EU, Watson European offer up to 60 days complimentary storage as part of a re‐location package. This sought‐after storage solution is designed to relieve some of the time‐sensitive pressures of moving interna‐tionally. This allows you to travel at your own leisure, take some time to find the per‐fect new home, finalise completion dates with solicitors or you may simply want to do some renovations to your new home prior to the arrival of your belongings, all safe in the knowledge that your possessions are be‐ing safely and securely looked after at their main operating base in Lincoln, UK or our newly acquired facility in Gandia, Spain.

Finally, we asked for Andrea’s ‘top tip’ when considering to move home, the reply was quite simple: “Take a little bit of time to call our team and have a chat, they will be able to assess your individual needs and get things moving in a positive manner.”

Thank the Borgias

LINDA HALL

a particular challenge ‐ not on‐going support. In this this case all revolved around their chances of being approved ‐ which if they were not would mean an unsustainable situation in Spain. We agreed to provide a grant to cover the following six months of medicine costs which would be reviewed depending on the outcome of their application.

Thankfully within three they were given the green light and their application was approved meaning that all state support would be available as well as that they would be able to con‐tinue living in Spain.

The BBF can only help with your help. If you would like to support our mission for Britons in distress in Spain, please visit www.britishbenevolentfund.org

SPAIN has had three or four popes, depending on whether or not you in ‐clude the antipope Benedict XIII or Papa Luna (1328‐1423), born in Peñis‐cola (Castellon).

Little attention is paid to Damasus I, born around 304AD, whose Spanish parents might or might not have lived in Spain. That leaves the Borgias, Cal‐lixtus III (1378‐1458) and Alexander VI (1431 ‐ 1503) whose family name was Borja.

They were two Valencian boys done good who didn’t have a good press then and whose mention today still brings to mind corruption, ill ‐ gained wealth, poison and incest. Both were born in Xativa and met hostility and distrust in Rome, prompting grumbles that more Valenciano was heard in the Vatican corridors than Latin or Italian.

Ultimately, though, the Italians owe a huge culinary debt to the Borjas be‐cause they took with them the coca which Valencianos will tell you evolved into Italian pizza.

Admitted, the cocas you see in bak‐eries or those that emerge from a home cook’s oven have little in com ‐mon with the cheese ‐ heavy, sauce ‐laden pizzas we have come to expect outside Italy.

Traditional cocas are more austere and the base ‐ which at its best is light and airy but substantial ‐ will be dot ‐ted with sparing amounts of sausage, chorizo, a sardine or an anchovy if you’re lucky, plus modest additions of red and green peppers.

To someone who has never tried one, a word of warning: you will ei ‐ther like or hate it. Naturally, this de‐pends on the part of Spain where you are eating and buying coca, but new ‐ly ‐ rich Mediterranean areas haven’t yet forgotten frugality.

Interestingly, Valencianos who emi‐grated to work in Algeria in the 19th and early 20th centuries took their cocas with them. Possibly it was not entirely a coincidence that the first time I ate pizza was in Benidorm in 1972 in a newly ‐ opened Italian restaurant that was owned and run by an Algerian couple.

I think the Borgias would approve of that.

Thank you. Olaf

Clayton, Chair BBF.

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

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Hello Leapy LETTERS

Further to your article in EWN this week, I presume that you are referring to Shoiba beach. I worked (for my sins) at the National Guard King Khalid Hospital in Jeddah from 1982 to 1984. When we first went to Shoiba as a BSAC dive group it was virgin, totally un‐spoilt. I went back in 1989 when the ragheads had found it and it was disgusting. Nappies, tin cans, rubbish everywhere. Ugh!!

Having said that, the diving in the early days was unbelievable! Probably the best in the world!

I attach some old photos for your interest. It was me who got the bus stuck in the sand!!

Best regards

Max Kite

Dear EWN

Just seen the article you posted about my art exhibition. Very grateful to you, as always. Happy Easter to all at Euro Weekly News.

Regards

Margaret Riordan x

Hi Bill

Bill took great care to avoid mentioning Nicola Sturgeon’s husband’s criminal activity; of course she will deny any knowledge of it and continue to bang on about Scotland’s ‘In‐dependence’.

Leaving Britain and joining the EU is NOT in‐dependence.

Good article about Semana Santa though Bill.

Yours sincerely, Brian Johnston

Benalmadena

Editor , please let me know if you still re‐quire our NIE and address etc in order to make a comment !

Yes I am from Scottish heritage ‐ the John‐ston clan in Dumfries !

Dear EWN

I recently had my teeth whitened by a den‐tist in Fuengirola at a cost of €150. Whilst there was no guarantee that it would be per‐manent. I was very disappointed with the re‐sults. I was advised to eat only white foods and no coloured drinks for three days, which I did. The results were far from white. Just to let people know before they part with any money to get a guarantee. I did go back to complain but was told that at my age what do you expect. I am 83. I should have been told that in the first place and I would not have had it done. I gave since used a toothpaste whitener with better results for €4.00.

Yours, Mary

Dear all,

Lux Mundi Torre del Mar would like to thank you for the excellent coverage you have provided in this week’s issue. Best wishes to you all ,hope you had a good East‐er.

Hi Leapy

Kind regards, Patricia

Rothwell

I am very sorry Leapy but I am going to hold you responsible for the state the world finds itself in.

Over 30 years ago I agreed with everything you said and asked you to take up the chal‐lenge and lead the world to a better future. You refused this challenge when you were ob‐viously the only person that was talking any sense, and making your views known.

I am shocked and bewildered every day by the decisions our world leaders make, and feel so sorry that we are leaving our grandchil‐dren such a catastrophic mess to deal with.

Thank you for agreeing with me on most subjects and it is good to know there is some‐one else out there with some common sense.

Keep up the good work.

Dangerous dogs

Kind regards,

T Wiggins

All these predatory breeds should be banned and current owners identified and told to surrender the dogs to the RSPCA. It’s time to get tough and protect ourselves and our families from people who feel the need to own these animals. Dog licences should be obligatory and priced to ensure that only gen‐uine dog lovers can apply to keep a dog.

Alan

Big game

All endangered species are carefully watched by thousands of scientists, vets, field officers, ecologists, rangers and other professionals. You cannot hunt endangered animals and still get a hunting permit and import permits. The South‐ern Giraffe is the most numerous trophy ‐ there are 30,000 and ranchers can raise as many as the market demands. They are not endan ‐gered. With rhinos, some private rhinos are of‐fered for hunts in order to raise funds for pro‐tecting the rest, while wild rhino hunts are restricted to older males who deny younger, more virile bulls access to the cows.

The whole subject is far too complex and im‐portant to listen to deceptive emotionalism from HSUS/ HSI, an organisation that collects $200 million per year but little of it gets to save the wildlife of Africa.

John Nash

Time after time

EXPAND YOUR SPANISH

MANY English speakers and Spanish speakers are unwilling to do today what they can put off tomorrow. Unfairly, the English speakers aren’t accused of suffering from the Mañana Syndrome which long ­ time residents, who should know better, assume is an exclusively Spanish affliction.

The Spanish word for this state of affairs ­ procrastinación ­ needs no translation, unlike other time­related phrases, where you meet different concepts, because the word that sounds right for time ­ tiempois used mainly in an Einstein (Doctor Who if you prefer) sense, not forgetting music.

Hora is the word you’ll need when clock watching:

What time is it?…..¿qué hora es?

What time will you be coming/returning/going?.....¿a qué hora vendrá/volverá/ se irá?

It’s time to go…..es hora de irnos

And about time too!.....¡a buena hora!

Incidentally, I’ve used the polite thirdperson versions of verbs when translating You. Not that the second person is impolite as it is used for family, friends and amongst the young whether they have just met or not. If in doubt, go for the for­

mal version or if your verbs are up to it, use whichever the person you are talking to is using.

Now let’s look at the times (sorry) when you use something else:

I’ve been waiting a long time…..he estado esperando mucho tiempo

It’s been a long time since I saw him/her…..hace tiempo que no le/la veo

There’s no time to spare…..no hay tiempo que perder

It’s been such a long time….. ¡cuánto tiempo!

How long (will it take)…..¿cuánto tiempo?

On time, timely…..a tiempo

Things usually go in threes so let’s bring in Vez (plural veces) when neither clocks, watches nor waiting are involved:

Take the pills three times a day….tome las tabletas tres veces al dia

This time I’ll wear a coat…..esta vez llevaré un abrigo

Sometimes…..algunas veces/de vez en cuando

On an entirely different note, remember that Una mujer embarazada is a pregnant woman.

To convey embarrassment, say instead Me siento incomodo/incomoda/violento/violenta or when really red­faced, Me siento avergonzado/avergonzada.

PETS

Can animals speak

SOME people say the best conversations they have are with their pets, they listen and sympathise with us, but here is the question do they un‐derstand us? Can we actually communi ‐cate with our pets?

The answer is yes. We communicate with our pets verbal‐ly and with facial ex‐pressions and ges ‐tures. Our pets then answer us with cer ‐tain postures, and fa‐cial expressions, by barking and meow ‐ing, etc.. in fact, some animal experts have detected up to 21 different meows! Obviously, we can ‐not chat with ani ‐mals in the same way we can with our friends and family, but it has certainly been proven we can understand each other perfectly. Sci‐entists have com ‐pleted many studies to show that dogs can follow human communication. We all know that we can train a dog to follow certain demands like sitting, but a study also found that dogs interpret voices in the same part of their brain as we do. Not only that but it’s been shown that dogs use the left part of their brain to pro‐cess the meaning of a word and the right side to interpret the tone of voice used al‐so just like us and have been known to master words in the same manner as young human chil ‐dren.

So, feel free to continue chatting with your pets but maybe not in public!

Caring for Nellie and Maisie

MANY of our pet owners find trusted pet ‐ sitters through our network be ‐cause the pets love the com‐pany. Nellie and Maisie have dog‐sitter Chloe to care for them while their owner is away on holiday. This collab‐orative arrangement suits ev‐eryone perfectly. If you are planning a trip later this year, register now to find pet‐sit‐ters in time. Even if it’s just a short trip, you’ll know that sometimes you just have to leave pets at home. Young and senior pets in particular benefit from staying in their own home, so they can fol‐low their routines undis ‐turbed. Let us help. Choose Housesitmatch. com for affordable travel, home and pet care. These are the steps to take:

1. Register as a home ‐owner on HouseSitMatch.

com

2. Choose a Premium ac‐count (£89 per year) to en‐sure you can help online when needed

3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house

4. Post an advert for the dates when you want to go away. Sitters apply and you choose.

Advertising Feature

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small an‐nual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

Trustpilot Testimonials ‐4.9 / 5 Excellent 10 out of 10 for housesit match.com

I have had nothing but good and helpful service from the people who run this site, and my experience has been excellent.

Tristram Cosgrave ‐ Dog and cat owner, Malaga How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com.

Do you need a housesitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and petsitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either housesitter or homeowner with a 50% discount using coupon code 20EWN – an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

My dog loses his balance and has his head tilted: Vestibular disorder in dogs

SIGNS of loss of balance should not be ignored since they can indicate a serious medical emergency. The vestibular system is com‐posed of portions of the brain and ear. It’s responsi‐ble for maintaining our sense of balance.

When vestibular systems go wrong, it feels like the world is spinning. Vestibu‐lar syndrome is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a ‘stroke’. The signs you may see are loss of balance, leaning or circling to one side, head tilt, rapid eye movements (nystagmus), reduced appetite and vom‐iting. Sometimes the loss of balance is so severe that the dog rolls over repeated‐ly.

Ear infection, Idiophatic Vestibular syndrome, trau‐ma/injury, stroke, brain tu‐

mours, brain inflammation, stroke are causes that can cause a vestibular syn ‐drome in the dog or cat. Metabolic diseases and in‐toxications can also cause it, such as Hyperadrenocor‐ticism, hypothyroidism, and metronidazole intoxi‐cation.

There are two types of vestibular disease:

Peripheral vestibular dis‐ease can be caused by a condition in the middle or inner ear such as ear infec‐tion, perforated eardrum, and ear mites.

Central vestibular dis ‐ease is typically due to a disturbance in the brain.

Diagnosis requires a physical and neurologic ex‐amination, blood test, x‐rays, CT scans or MRI. MRI is essential if brain injury is suspected.

In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarinabaixa.com

Chloe the dog-sitter loves dogs and here she’s looking after Nellie and Maisie.

WASHING MACHINE BROKEN? Call Bluesky Repairs for ALL your domestic appliance repairs. 626 430 671 (WhatsApp) (303019)

THE SALVATION ARMY

English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10.30am followed by a time of Fellowship. Everyone is welcome. Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzimmerer@hotmail. com, www.centrosaron.com (10008)

www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly if you speak Spanish, and have a car (although this is not essential). Tel President 607 387 040. We are an English-speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis. We meet every Thursday at 11am in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis. (288658)

WIGS

WWW.WIGS-R-US.ES Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. Monday-Saturday 10-3. We also have Scrunchies, Extensions, Ponytails. Catalogue orders. Private appointments after 3pm. 681 049 502 (302420)

INSURANCE

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 TOO) OR VISIT www.sosinsurancein spain.com or email tracey@sosinsurancein spain.com (290139)

RELAXING MASSAGE FOR MEN - Mario qualified masseur in Alicante - Special Massage for Men - 7 days 10am to 10pmAPPOINTMENTS visit: www.masajeyrelax.es/en or WHATSAPP 649 761 607 (302598)

RELAX CENTRE in BENI DORM - Excellent atmosphere. Expert Masseuses. 24/7 Outcalls - Tel: 603 324 564 (290194)

NATURIST male gives relaxing massage. Half price 1st time offer €25. For men and women. Private premises in Jávea, WhatsApp Rob on 613 831 380 (303147)

METALWORK

ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET? International Business Licences Available. Part Time. Home Based. Discover More. algar83@gmail.com (303148)

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

I BUY RECORDS 50s to the 90s. Best prices for good records. Tel: 622 750 117 / 962 851 809 (302022)

MOBILE homes & static caravans bought, sold and transported. +34 630 055 418 or elsyd7@hotmail.com (302142)

El Campello Christian Community - Life and Family Sunday Service at 11am Bilingual (English and Spanish) at C/ San Bartolome, 35 (Bajo No. 6), El Campello. For more information visit www.elcampe llochristiancommunity.org , email campellocc@gmail. com or call Juan Zúñiga - 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop - 610 639 426 (English) (233602)

MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www.mbelectrics.es (286325)

ELECTRICIAN FOR SALE/WANTED

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

VARIOUS music CDs, DVDs and DVD box sets. Job lot €100. Listings available. 604 185 014 (302910)

HEALTH & BEAUTY

CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST , Philip Mann, clinics in Benissa, Moraira, Javea, Calpe and Albir. 686 912 307 (287331)

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@benefi cialinsuranceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com for online quote. (302516)

MOTOR INSURANCE . For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 952 147 834, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 952 147 834 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

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

LOCKSMITH/ELECTRICIAN

ALBIR , ALTEA, MORAIRA, 24 HOUR EMERGENCY. 686 513 510 (294632)

MASSAGE

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

MOBILE WELDER: GATES, RAILINGS AND GRILLS. ALL REPAIRS. CALPE TO TORREVIEJA. +447787 585 714 / +447470 059 469. (294631)

MISCELLANEOUS

GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693

MOTORBIKES

PETER ZWAAN MOTORBIKES, A+ Occasions showroom, Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rideryr 2004, 23.000 kms, Euro 10.900 . CostaBlancaMotorbikes. com (290148)

MOTORING

AUTO BASTIAN mobile mechanic. Tel 608 860 725. (295111)

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)

NAUTICAL NURSING

INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE : Courses held in English and starts soon. VHF and Radar Courses. 626 245 098 (303137)

OTHERS

VIAGRA / KAMAGRA / CIALIS. BEST PRICES. FREE DISCREET DELIVERY. ALL AREAS COVERED. TEL: PETER 644 139 274 (303028)

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

PAINTERS/DECORATOR PETS

DECORATORS W.D. GILMOUR. Painter & Decorator. Established 35 years in Moraira. ESTIMATES FREE. Call William on 609 691 776 or 966 490 602 (301487)

NEED YOUR PETS TAKEN CARE OF? Not kennels, just a friendly home. Large fenced area. 699 790 080 Altea (294597)

PROPERTY TO LET

DOGS & ALL PETS VERY WELCOME - 500 year old beamed cottage set in beautiful valley of the charming Jesus Pobre village, Javea. Beautiful pool & garden. www. littlehouseinspain.com (302023)

PROPERTY WANTED

RETIRED couple looking for long term rental in La Marina Baixa - prefer two beds. Needed urgently - call Janice on 0044 7736 251 800 (279523)

REMOVALS/STORAGE

BENIDORM and surrounding areas. Two-man removal. 622 658 992 (295658)

MAN & VAN for hire, cheap & reliable. Jalon Valley & surrounding area. Call/Whatsapp 636 100 873 (303109)

ROLLER SHUTTER REPAIRS, awnings, motors, mosquito blinds. Calpe + 50 kms. 659 464 992 www.toldosalchemy. com (1296178)

ROLLER SHUTTERS SKIP HIRE

JAVEA SKIP HIRE. CALPE TO DENIA. 2.5M AND 3.5M SKIPS. GARDEN OR RUBBLE.TEL:692 588 088. (302905)

STRUCTURAL SURVEYS

MARK PADDON BSc Hons. MCIOB, CAAT – for buyer’s survey & defects advice. Tel: 653 733 066 / 962 807 247 www.costablancasurveyors. com (292966)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

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)

If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161

TRANSLATIONS

SPANISH INTERPRETER for all your appointment needs, has car. Effective, Friendly & Affordable service. Call 609 679 808

VAN SERVICES

STEVE’S MAN WITH A VAN. DELIVERIES, REMOVAL OF RUBBISH. BENIDORM, SURROUNDING AREAS. 633 930 477 (295260)

INSURANCE

Lexus ES300h Takumi - driving luxury

ROAD TEST byMarkSlack

IT takes a lot of time, money and hard work to build a new brand, and many automotive giants have tried and failed over the years. One manufacturer who succeeded is Toyota, with their luxury brand Lexus. Launched in the UK back in 1990 with the LS400, early second hand models with large mileages still fetch surprisingly good money. It was a car that was never going to set your driving senses alight but used the best quality materials and engineering and was supremely refined.

Although style is very subjective Lexus models have become less conventional in their looks but continue to major on quality and reliability. The ES300 follows that theme with a drive train that’s

smooth, refined and economical, but not one to thrash across a twisting cross country road.

Priced from €45,561/ £40,000 the ES sits just below the largest Lexus offering, the LS, and has just one engine option of a 2.5 ­ litre four ­ cylinder petrol/ electric hybrid, mated to a CVT auto matic gear box. It’s a happier engineering union than a lot of CVT and double

Facts at a Glance

• Model: Lexus ES 300h Takumi

clutch transmissions. Changes are smooth and can be encouraged via flappy paddles. There’s a more noticeable rise in engine revs compared to

remain high until the speed catches up. However, being a Lexus, everything remains pretty refined and quiet.

above a sporting drive. It’s a car that doesn’t particularly entertain, but isn’t designed to in fairness. The comfort levels

the seats are heated and recline. Other standard fare in the Takumi models includes, in a very long list, a fantastic 17­speaker audio system, an electric rear sunblind, large multimedia screen, head ­ up display, powered tilt and slide sunroof, LED lights with cornering headlights and a veritable plethora of other comfort, convenience and safety features. The interior as a whole is a very nice and impressive place.

• Engine: 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol-electric hybrid

• Gears: CVT automatic

• Performance:0-100kmh (62mph) 8.9 seconds. •

Maximum Speed 180kmh (112mph)

• Economy:5.3l/100km(53.2mpg) combined driving-WLTP

• Emissions:120g/km-WLTP

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

The ES is at its best as a comfortable cruiser and definitely for drivers who value quality and comfort

feeling of quality wherever you look. The front seats have heating and cooling along with a substantial array of individual controls even in the rear where

At €64,202 / £56,365 the ES Takumi isn’t cheap but it offers a size and level of equipment that puts others to shame.

If you like your automotive luxury, and want to be wafted along, then the ES should be on your shopping list.

LUXURY: The interior is a very nice place to be.

Decarb package

MEASURES have been announced to increase the use of electric vehicles, as well as the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK.

The UK government has now launched the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund alongside an additional £15 million for the On­Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).

Taken together, the funding will support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the country, increasing EV infrastructure in every area and ensuring the UK’s charging network can support the increasing number of EV drivers.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Transport is one of the most important sectors for achieving net zero by 2050 and so we must accelerate our efforts to decarbonise how people get from A to B while growing our economy and supporting thousands of green jobs. From expanding our charging network to boosting production of cleaner aviation fuel, today’s announcement is a great stride forward.”

DRIVERS, passengers and cyclists across England will benefit from a £47.5 million injection into enhancing the safety of some of the most highrisk roads in England, the Department for Transport has confirmed.

Through the third round of the Safer Roads Fund, 27 new schemes will be delivered, benefiting road users around the country by driving forward safety improvements such as: redesigning junctions and improving signage and road markings.

The programme will reduce the risk of collisions which will in turn reduce congestion, journey times and emissions.

As part of the fund, the government is continuing to deliver a wide range of improvements across all roads, while working with local authorities and safety groups.

To date, £100 million has been provided through the programme to improve the 50 most dangerous roads in Eng ­

Corsa in space

SPACE, the final frontier.

Have fallen for the fifth straight month.

Price drop

UK fuel prices fell for the fifth straight month in March with another penny coming off petrol and 4p off diesel, according to data from RAC Fuel Watch.

By the end of the month, a litre of unleaded was 146.5p (down from 147.56p) ­ a price last seen at the end of January 2022, while diesel was reduced to 162.94p (down from 167.06p) ­ its cheapest price since early March last year.

This means the price of petrol has fallen nearly 20p from 166p at the start of November, saving drivers almost £11 every time they fill up a 55­litre family car (£91.3 in November 2022 to £80.57 ­ March 31, 2023).

Diesel, however, has dropped 27.5p from 190.5p, saving drivers £15 a tank (£104.77 to £89.62).

While the diesel pump price reduction appears dramatic, the RAC believes it should have been far greater as its wholesale price was very similar to petrol for most of March.

In fact, diesel became cheaper than petrol on the wholesale market on March 23 and has stayed that way since.

Road safety

land, the majority of which are rural roads.

Some of the improvements already made include improved signage, safer pedestrian crossings and better ­ designed junctions.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe.”

Potential profit

ACCORDING to the latest data from Auto Trader UK, the first quarter of 2023 closed on a high, with strong growth recorded in demand, sales, and used car retail prices.

In fact, Auto Trader’s Retail Price Index shows that used car price growth accelerated in March, following 10 months of softening, fuelled, in part, by exceptionally strong levels of consumer demand, as highlighted by the record 82.5 million visits to Auto Trader’s marketplace last month.

Despite the strength of the used car market, however, retailers missed out on nearly £25.5 million in potential profit in March by pricing their stock below their true market value.

Auto Trader’s data shows that nearly 7,700 of its circa 15,000 retailer partners advertised their cars below their current value, with each retailer leaving an average of £3,300 in potential profits on the table as a result.

Based on circa 900,000 pricing observations across the automotive retail market, the Retail Price Index found the average retail value of a used car was £17,712 in March, which on a like­for­like basis is up 2 per cent year­on­year.

With space tourism becoming increasingly likely, it is time to address the mobility needs of extraterrestrial exploration and Opel is once again pioneering this new era.

The Rüsselsheim ­ based brand has just released advanced information and images of its new space mobility concept: the Opel Corsa Moon II.

The brand with the Blitz will be the first mobility provider to start to offer tourism on the moon as of mid ­ decade, once again sticking to its credo of making innovations accessible to everyone.

Consequently, Opel’s lunar vehicle is based on the German brand’s best­selling battery­electric Corsae. The Corsa Moon II is equipped with space ­ age technologies to offer the optimum balance between ride comfort, reliability

DRIVERS of nearly 700,000 cars in Greater London could be liable to pay the ULEZ charge when the zone is expanded this summer.

DVLA data shows a total of 691,559 licensed cars in the whole of Greater London were either petrol cars first registered prior to January 2006 or diesel cars registered prior to September 2015 ­ the key dates for meeting ULEZ standards.

This figure rises to 851,065 when counting all non ­ compliant vehicles, rather than solely cars.

But the number of drivers affected once the zone expands is likely to be far higher when taking into account vehicles entering from bordering counties such as Kent, Hertfordshire and Essex.

Transport for London (TFL) estimates that around 160,000 noncompliant cars a day currently drive in the area that will become

and moon driving performance.

Based on the extensive knowledge gathered with the 1997 Corsa Moon concept car, the Opel R&D team identified solar energy as one of the best options for powering a lunar vehicle.

Built ­ in solar cells effi ­

ciently will power the 500kWh battery of the Corsa Moon II in a sustainable way.

The Corsa Moon II can cover up to 7,000 km in the ULTP (Universe ­ wide harmonised Light­duty vehicles Test Procedure) cycle on a single charge of the battery.

700,000 hit

part of the expanded zone later this summer.

Drivers of affected vehicles who do not pay the £12.50 daily charge will a fine of up to £160.

To help mitigate the

impact on drivers and businesses the mayor of London has launched a £110 million scrappage scheme which offers those eligible up to £2,000 towards buying a compliant vehicle.

FUEL PRICES:

SPACE TOURISM: Opel is pioneering this new era.

Image: Stellantis

Ons fire

TENNIS’ World Number

five, Ons Jabeur, claimed her first title of the season with a stunning victory over Belinda Bencic at the Charleston Open on Sun‐day, April 9.

The Tunisian tennis su‐perstar, who was the run‐ner‐up at both Wimble‐don and the US Open in 2022, defeated the Swiss player in a thrilling 7‐6 (8‐6), 6‐4 match that had the crowds on the edge of their seats.

Bencic, who was the defending champion, had to play two matches on Sunday, completing a rain‐interrupted semi ‐ final against Jessica Pegula before taking on Jabeur. But it was Jabeur’s day as she fought back from a breakdown in the first set before holding her nerve in the second to secure the title.

This was Jabeur’s fourth WTA title and second on clay. The Tunisian currently holds the most WTA victories on clay since 2020 with 37.

Jabeur’s victory comes after a difficult start to the sea‐son, which saw her struggle with injuries following her second‐round exit from the Australian Open in January. But her win at the Charleston Open is a testament to her resilience and hard work. The victory is sure to boost her confidence as she looks ahead to the rest of the season.

Leicester City new manager

ENGLISH Premier League club Le ‐icester City announced its new first‐team manager on Monday, April 10. Dean Smith will replace Bren ‐dan Rodgers who was fired on April 1 after four years in charge at the King Power Stadium.

The former Aston Villa and Nor ‐wich manager will take charge until the end of the season. He takes the reins with the Foxes languishing in the relegation zone and facing the dreaded drop into the Champi ‐onship.

A statement from the club read: “Leicester City Football Club is pleased to announce the appoint ‐ment of Dean Smith as the Club’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2022/23 season.

“The former Norwich City, Aston Villa, and Brentford manager will take charge of First Team training from Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Manchester City.

“Smith brings a wealth of man ‐agerial experience and expertise to the role and, along with his coach ‐ing team, will be tasked with help ‐ing the Football Club retain its Pre‐mier League status as we head into the final eight games of the current

season.”

Speaking of his new appoint ‐ment, Dean Smith said: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season. The challenge in front of us is clear, but it’s one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the num ‐ber of games remaining, it’s very much achievable.

“Our first job is to rebuild confi ‐dence and instil belief in the team

and I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players this week. Saturday will be a big test, but it’s the kind of occasion that reminds us all what it means to be a Premier League club, competing on the biggest stages against the best play‐ers in the world.

“I know we’ll be well supported by our travelling fans. We have to connect with them and give them a performance they can be proud of. We go there positive, looking for points.”

NEW MANAGER: At Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.

Credit: Google mapsLeicester City Football Club

Tunisia’s Jabeur beat Belinda Bencic in Charleston.

Photo credit: Ons Jabeur (via Instagram)

On the move Malaga CF have three points in the bag

MALAGA CF headed up to Castellon to take on Villar‐real B in their second con‐secutive match away from La Rosaleda in the last seven days. A loyal band of 500 Blue and White fans made the journey to the Estadio de la Cerámica on Friday, April 7, as re ‐ported by malagacf.com

Sergio Pellicer made some changes from the team that lost narrowly to FC Andorra on Sunday April 2 as the Costa del Sol club tries to keep pace at the top of Segunda B.

From the outset, Mala ‐ga CF came out with in ‐tensity, showing clear ideas both in defence and attack. Despite several at‐tacks from the home side, Pellicer’s team dominated the first half.

It took just 14 minutes for Pablo Chavarría to open the scoring. After a great assist from Julian Delmás, the Argentinian striker popped up at the near post to put his team 0‐1 up.

Continuing to press Iker Álvarez’s goal, Malaga once again, managed to generate a great chance.

Aleix Febas found Rubén Castro inside the penalty area and the number 24 crossed the ball to score his 194th goal in the Sec ‐ond Division. As a result, the legendary achieved a second milestone on the same day.

Castro is now the equal all ‐ time top scorer in the history of Segunda B along with Nino. On the same day, he became the player to make the most appearances in LaLiga, ac‐cumulating an astounding 710 appearances.

At the start of the sec ‐ond half, Pellicer brought on Ramalho to replace Es‐cassi ‐ who had been shown the yellow card. Shortly afterwards, Lago

Junior came on for Chavarría, but with his first touch of the ball, he sustained an injury.

Whilst the Malaga strik‐er was limping, Villarreal took advantage in the 63rd minute with Sergio Carreira’s shot making it 2‐1. Immediately after the goal, Álex Calvo came on for the injured Junior.

Malaga maintained their lead until the final whistle to seal an impor ‐tant victory. Next Sunday, the team will return to La Rosaleda to face Cartage ‐na on LaLiga SmartBank matchday 36. A large crowd is expected as the fans will once again be de‐cisive in the search for a second consecutive win.

Candidate for Turkey AKP party

MESUT ÖZIL, the former Arsenal and Ger‐many midfield star has put his name for‐ward in Turkey as a candidate for Presi ‐dent Erdogan’s political party.

After hanging up his football boots, Mesut Özil, the former Arsenal and Ger ‐many legend, has positioned himself for a move into politics. According to welt.de, his name appears on the list of candidates for Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s party. This was also backed up by the Turkish news portal Haber7 which reported that the name of the 34 ‐ year ‐ old ex ‐ interna ‐tional player was on the candidate list of the Turkish governing party AKP.

Presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in Turkey on May 14. Presi‐dent Erdogan recently announced that ‘surprising names’ would appear on the list of candidates ‐ including a name from sports.

It comes as no surprise that Özil is run ‐ning for Erdogan’s party. The former foot‐baller has openly acknowledged his friend‐ship with the President for years, and in

2019 Erdogan was even the best man at Özil’s wedding.

Before the 2018 World Cup, Özil caused a stir by posting a photo online with the au‐thoritarian head of state. The midfielder, then a German international, did not dis ‐tance himself from Erdogan but did not want the image to be understood as a po‐litical message. In the course of the de ‐bates, Özil later withdrew from the nation‐al team.

Born in the city of Gelsenkirchen in west‐ern Germany, Özil has regularly comment‐ed on political issues in the past. Just two days ago, he called on his followers on Twitter to show solidarity with the Pales ‐tinians.

The ex ‐ professional posted a photo in which he was wearing a top with the in ‐scription ‘Freedom for Palestine’, in a mes‐sage directed against the State of Israel.

Özil is on course with President Erdogan: the 69‐year‐old politician has played down the Holocaust several times by comparing the Jewish state with the Nazi regime.

LIVERPOOL stalwart Roberto Firmino will be leaving Liverpool after eight years it has been confirmed.

Brazilian international and Liverpool star Roberto Firmino, 31, has decided he will not renew his con‐tract with Anfield bosses at the end of this season, wrote a news source, on Tuesday, April 11.

Full name, Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira signed for Liver ‐pool in 2015 and has scored 109 goals in 359 appearances for the Merseyside club.

Firmino’s place in the football marketplace, who is available on a free transfer, is sure to attract much interest, with no less than Real Madrid throwing their hat into the ring.

As reported by El Na ‐tional , the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez is interested and could be set to ask the star to join them at the Santiago Bernabeu later this year.

Real’s Karim Benzema has yet to confirm his con‐tract, which is also due at the end of this season but if he does resign the com‐bination of him working with Firmino could be a powerful one.

In addition to the earli ‐er comments from El Na ‐cional, the choice of strik‐ers available to Real Madrid is limited, as they are either too expensive or not trusted by the club.

Madrid are treading carefully at the moment after spending £52 million on Luka Jovic, who strug ‐gled at Los Blancos, be ‐fore being released.

40,000 The number of registered association football clubs in England.

ROBERTO FIRMINO: Is sure to attract much interest.

Malaga CF played against Villarreal B at the weekend.

Credit: Twitter@MalagaCF_en

Spain’s Jon Rahm wins the 2023 Masters in Augusta, Georgia

SPAIN’S Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters after holding off the challenge of American golfer Brooks Koepka.

Rahm turned things around on the final day of the 2023 Masters at the legendary Augusta National Golf Club to win his first‐ever Masters tournament on Sun‐day, April 9.

American golfer Brooks Koepka led the field by two shots at the start of play. However, 28‐year‐old Rahm stunned his opponent by finishing on 12‐under after carding a three‐under last round of 69 to win by four shots and take the famous green jacket.

Koepka had to settle for second place, tying with the legendary Phil Mickelson. The 52‐year‐old American pulled out all the stops to finish on eight‐under after a stunning seven‐under round of 65. Further down the field, two previous champions, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, tied in sixth spot in this 87th edition of the event.

Scottie Scheffler, the defending 2022 Masters champi‐on could only manage a disappointing finish of four un‐der. The highest‐placed player from Great Britain and Northern Ireland was England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, the cur‐rent US Open champion.

Continuing a fine history of producing golfing champi‐ons, Rahm becomes the fourth Spaniard to win the pres‐tigious golf tournament.

Quite fittingly, his victory came on what would have been the birthday of Seve Ballesteros, the two‐time Masters champion in 1980 and 1983.

The other two Spanish golfers to win in Augusta were Sergio Garcia in 2017, and José María Olazábal who was victorious in both 1994 and 1999.

US Masters golf ball auctioned

A GOLF ball used by the legendary golfer Tiger Woods during the US Mas ters in 1997 sold on Sun day, April 9, for $64,124.40 (approx €58,723). During the final round of the tour nament at the world mous Augusta National Golf Club, the American star bogeyed the fifth hole. Woods subsequently gave his ball to Julian Nexsen, who was a nine year ‐ old boy at the time. The player went on to win his historic first major that day, becoming the youngest player in history to win the famous golf tournament. In the process, Woods broke the pre‐vious record held by Jack Nicklaus by racking up a four ‐ day score of 270, 18 under par.

On March 27, Nexsen put the ball up for auction with the Golden Age Auction

house. It started with an initial bid of $500 (approx €457.89) but its price

A spokesperson for the auction house said: “Unless Tiger himself or his caddie Fluff inten ‐tionally saved a ball from this historic final round (which we doubt), this may be the only confirmed golf ball from the final round of Tiger Woods’ first Major Championship victory.”

Many might doubt the authenticity of this ball but the moment when Woods handed it to Mr Nexsen was forever cap ‐tured in print the next day when the Washing ‐ton Times ran it on its front page. It wrote: “After making his first bogey in 36 holes yester ‐day, Woods stopped on his way to the sixth tee to give a ball to nine‐year ‐ old Julian Nexsen of Greenville, SC.”

TIGER WOODS: His 1997 golf ball sold for €58,723.

Credit: Twitter@MalagaCF_en