Costa de Almeria 27 April – 3 May 2023 Issue 1973

SOULED OUT

SOLAZO FEST is counting down the hours to its much‐awaited third edi‐tion which is expected to be sold out.

The event is being held at the Recinto de Conciertos del Ferial on April 28, 29 and 30.

This is Almeria’s Spring Festival and is one of the most important in the entire Andalucian autonomous community this quarter.

Solazo Fest has made a place for itself on the national scene as con ‐firmed by the tickets purchased for the event from all parts of Spain.

The councillor for Culture, Almu ‐dena Morales, highlighted the touristic nature of the event con ‐firming: “It is a very fresh festival, both for young audiences and for other age groups.”

“The event is within the reach of all Almerians in the province and positions us as a destination that

ALMERIA’S mayor Maria del Mar Vazquez has highlighted the value of the Almeria model and business innovation to attract talent, although she pointed out that “our story is one of success but at first was one of risk.”

“Only those who risk going very far discover how far they can go.”

The comments were

combines tourism and culture.”

Mayor, Maria Vazquez, has as ‐sured that "the cultural program ‐ming carried out by the city council seeks to accommodate all kinds of styles and genres so that there is

not a single Almerian who will not find something that suits their tastes.

For more information or to pur ‐chase tickets, head to solazofest. com.

REAL SUCCESS

made during the presen ‐tation of the monograph on the capital and province of the magazine Andalucia Economica.

The mayor stressed “the innovative capacity of entrepreneurs” and demanded “more and better communications

for common sense.”

Adding, “it is an impor ‐tant injection for tourism which, together with agriculture and natural stone, are the main eco ‐nomic axes of AlmerIa.

“Almeria is a city for in‐vestment and we are putting all the means in

place so that we can be that point of convergence of talent,” she pointed out before mentioning some exciting projects such as the Port City. Vazquez defended the importance of obtaining European funds, “more than €35 million, current‐ly, in the case of the capi‐tal, 2as a sign of good management and respon‐sible use of resources.”

SPRING FESTIVAL: Includes something for absolutely everyone.

Image: Almeria City Council

Super success

Anna Ellis MORE than a whopping 9,000 tapas have been sold over the fourth Almanzora Gourmet Event which took place over the fourth weekend of April.

The 20 companies that exhibited their products and preparations were able to make themselves known, in addition to making contacts and exchanging experiences between them.

Almanzora Gourmet’s kitchen was a real spectacle. In

it, no more and no less were held than 12 show cookings by local chefs and chefs from neighbouring towns and great leaders on the national and in-

ternational gastronomic scene.

The mayor, Antonio Fernandez, thanked everyone for their involvement in a fair that is getting more and more successful. He said: “So many people have done their best which has resulted in the event being consolidated in Almeria’s gastronomic calendar.”

“We believe the event has been highly positive, not only because of the large numbers attending but for the satisfaction of local companies too.”

Almeria’s bright spark

ALMERIA has one of the 50th brightest students in all of Spain. The young brain box is named Juan Manuel García Lea who is a second-year high school student from the Altaduna-Saladares school.

The Francisco de Vitoria University Santander Europa Scholarship Programme confirmed the top 50 list confirming that the finalist candidates have had to compete for their place among more than 4,000 students.

All the applicants had to receive a 9.8 final score in senior school.

The winners of this 18th edition have come from 11 autonomous communities.

In total, 12 students are from Andalucia, 10 are from Madrid, five are from the Valencian Community, four are from Aragon and three are from Castilla y Leon.

A further three are from Catalonia, three are from Cantabria, two are from Extremadura, two from Galicia, two from the Canary Islands, one from Murcia, one is from Navarra, one from the Basque Country and, finally, one from Castilla La Mancha.

Chefs held demonstrations.

Image: Almanzora Town Hall

Continued expansion

CAJAMAR Bank contin ‐ues to expand and is opening offices in Teruel and Vizcaya this year. The bank now has more than 1,000 offices in 49 provinces of Spain and closed the 2022 financial year stronger and more solvent than the previ ‐ous year.

Opening soon

‘ LA TERMICA ’ establish‐ment in Almeria which was fined for occupying a square in Almeria with 23 tables and 70 chairs with‐out a licence has now changed hands. The new owners have begun works and hope to be open in mid‐summer.

Awakened spirit

THE Plaza del Estudiante was the nerve centre of in‐novative and en ‐trepreneurial spirit on Wednesday April 19. En‐trepreneurs from Almeria awakened their innovative spirit at the Ideas Fair. The event surpassed the fig ‐ures of previous years and brought together the en‐tire entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Most vaxxed

ALMOST a month ago

the flu vaccination cam‐paign in Andalucia came to an end and the Alme‐ria Health District has been the one that has vaccinated the most boys and girls in the en ‐tire autonomous com ‐munity.

Kiosk bidding

A TENDER for the running of three kiosks‐bars in Par‐que de Los Bajos, Parque de La Musica and next to the Mercado de Abastos in Roquetas de Mar are now up for grabs. The council is encouraging entrepre ‐neurs to participate in the bidding contest.

More police officers

THE mayor of Roquetas de Mar, Gabriel Amat, has confirmed the in‐auguration of three new Local Po ‐lice officers in training.

The mayor told the new local of ‐ficers: “Entering this institution is a luxury, it is something with which, when we are sworn in, we commit ourselves to fulfil our obligations and be at the service of the citizens, who are the ones who pay you.

“Sometimes we forget very soon, when we enter, that oath and what we are for, we are at the service of our citizens.

“Now you go to the Local Police academy to learn behaviours, to re‐spect your bosses and to do decent work every day.”

The mayor added: “I ask that

you never forget that oath. Be ‐haviour with people on the street should always be respectful, even if whoever you have in front of

YOUR EWN HAS

120 STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Thousand Colours

you is wrong.

“You should feel proud to be Roquetas de Mar municipal police officers.”

Padel Day Walk for Life

ARBOLEAS Walk for Life 2023 will now be held on Satur‐day, April 29.

Due to the King’s Corona‐tion, the date has been brought forward by one week.

Sponsorship forms are available at Total Entertain‐ment Albox and Arboleas or by emailing claire.walk4life@ gmail.com.

Walk for Life is a voluntary group committed to helping people with cancer. It ob ‐tained Charitable Status on March 14, 2014.

The charity is located in Ar‐boleas in Almeria and has been operating for the past 10 years.

The Walk for Life commit‐tee meets regularly and re‐mains in constant touch with each other to ensure they ad‐minister to the needs of their client base in a quick and conscientious manner.

All of the people the chari‐ty help are dealt with in the strictest of confidence. Walk for Life has a data protection policy in line with current leg‐islation.

To volunteer email: claire.walk4life@gmail.com or telephone (+34) 644 602 249.

If you require help email: irenewalk4life@icloud.com or telephone (+34) 643 638 177.

THE eighth annual San Jose Padel Day was held on Satur‐day, April 1, in warm sun ‐shine at the picturesque Puerto Deportivo in San Jose.

Organised by Jackie and Trevor Barker but assisted by many scorers, referees and helpers, the day was a great success.

Although the usual num‐ber of entrants was some‐what depleted by the effects of Brexit, eight pairs battled their way through the pool stages, culminating in semi‐finals and finals. The final was a closely fought affair,

Virgin oil tasting

ALMUNENCAR Town Council is proudly promoting its event for the tasting of virgin olive oils aimed at the hotel, catering and commerce sector.

The Head of Promotion and Employ‐ment, Beatriz Gonzalez, confirmed: “This activity is aimed primarily at unemployed people who want to develop professionally in the area of hotel and catering and com‐merce.

“It is a totally free event and will be held in the facilities of the old School‐Workshop Horno de Candida.

“Participants in this tasting of virgin olive oils will learn to categorise the different vir‐gin olive oils, their uses and qualities,” she added.

The event will be held on Friday, May 5, from 5.00pm until 8.00pm, and on Satur‐day, May 6, from 10.00am until 1.30pm. Places are limited.

The registration period for those inter‐ested in partaking is now open at the Pro‐motion and Employment Department, on the 2nd floor of the Casa de la Cultura. Call (+34) 958 639 170 for information.

decided by a tie‐break, so it could not have been closer.

Congratulations to the winners, Jenny Paddock and Kevin Watterson, but full marks too to the other final‐ists Teresa Caucutt and James Bannister.

A special mention to vet‐eran player Tony Brooker who, despite not having played for three years, stepped in after an injury forced his son to retire early.

Attendees would like to thank the Botavara restau‐rant for providing a fantastic lunch for all the players, helpers and supporters.

THE Roquetas de Mar Lighthouse is proud to an‐nounce its latest exhibi‐tion ‘A Look for a Thou‐sand Colours’ by the artist Purification Lopez from Jaen.

The exhibition will be on display at the Lighthouse until April 30 from Monday to Sunday from 11.00am until 1.00pm and from 6.00pm until 8.00pm.

Roquetas mayor, Gabriel Amat, has visited this exhibition which offers 41 different works and has encouraged residents and visitors to enjoy.

Born in Jaen, the artist now lives in Madrid, but most of her time is spent in Roquetas de Mar which she said is inspiring.

The acrylic exhibition of‐fers stunning landscapes with views from Almeria and Roquetas.

The artist thanked the team for the opportunity to publicise her work and hopes “visitors will enjoy the work as much as I en‐joyed doing it.”

LOCAL POLICE: Three new officers are now in training.

Dividend payment

Anna Ellis

AENA (the airport man ‐agement group which in‐cludes Almeria Airport) obtained a net profit of €901.5 million in 2022, compared to losses of €475 million in 2021.

The shareholders of AENA have now ap ‐proved the return of the dividend payment, which confirms the solvency of the company

The remuneration for both private and public shareholders will amount to €4.75 gross per share and the payments will be made on May 4 in cash.

The CEO of AENA, Maurici Lucena, ex ‐pressed his satisfaction with the return of share ‐holder remuneration confirming: “After the painful decision to sus ‐pend the distribution of dividends in the 2019 fi ‐nancial year, I am pleased to announce the

return to the payment of dividends.”

Maurici also explained that in 2022 the entity achieved the objective announced at the last General Meeting of reaching a percentage of 40 per cent of women sitting among the mem ‐bers of the Board of Di ‐rectors. This figure was 26.7 per cent in 2021.

In addition, AENA’s Ex‐ecutive Management Committee already has 60 per cent of women among its members.

51% Amount of monthly salary you need to buy an iPhone 14 Pro Max in the UK.

PROVERB OF THE

THE SAMM Racing event on April 16 seemed thwarted.

Equipment failures on four of the five boats were reported and the 15 ‐ knot ENE wind failed to drop off to 10 knots as forecast but fluctuated between nine and 15 knots.

At the start of the first race, two of the boats com‐peting did not hear the start signals because they had sailed too far from the line.

Day of failures

minutes, closely followed by Uno, Cuatro and Sirocco.

These four had a close battle, especially Uno and Ginetta until Uno’s jib tore and Cuatro’s jib halyard snapped so she had to con‐tinue on reefed main alone.

ALMERIA’S Chess Acade‐my is enjoying its success after receiving six medals in the Andalucian Chess Championship where more than 80 players participated.

Vision had an engine bolt, main halyard and another problem so did not start. Ginetta crossed after five

Colours of the World

ALMERIA discovers the mean‐ing of colour in the world in an exhibition of National Geo‐graphic photographs.

Through 42 snapshots by National Geographic photog‐raphers, the exhibition organ‐ised by the La Caixa Founda‐tion invites us to reflect on colour, an element that sur‐rounds us at all times.

It is an element which is ca‐pable of having an impact on how we feel and filling us with

strength, relaxing us or mov‐ing us. To prevent all its tones from going unnoticed, this ex‐hibition makes them the ab‐solute protagonists.

In the striking photographs of the misty blues of the morning light, the vivid pur‐ples and reds of the setting sun, the intense greens of the fields or the golds of the au‐tumn leaves, visitors will find an inspiring reflection on the meaning of colours, their qual‐ities and their symbolism throughout history.

On the third lap, Sirocco’s upper rudder pintle screws sheared so she had to retire.

This meant that only three boats completed the race, all managing five laps in the hour.

If you are interested in sailing and would like to join SAMM, go to sailingmar menor.com for details.

The councillor for Sports, Juanjo Segura has confirmed: “The chess academy in Almeria is a symbol of success and talent.

“The athletes of Alme‐ria have gotten very far in the discipline of chess, which continues to widen its quarry with the successes achieved by our chess players.”

Get quizzing in Albox

Hall

ALMANZORA GROUP OF FRIENDS (AGOF) are pleased to an‐nounce the first of their intended regular events.

“This will be held on Wednesday May 3 with a quiz hosted by John Fry,” the Group’s publicity officer, Mike Witherspoon said. “Both members and non‐members are welcome.”

The venue is the Senior Centre in Albox at the Centro Munic‐ipal Recreativo de Mayores in Calle Ramon y Cajal 23.

Meaning don’t try to do too many things at the same time, focus on one thing at a time. This proverb dates back to the mid-1500s and is derived from the trade of blacksmithing.

The exhibition entitled Colours of the World is in Avenida Federico Garcia Lor‐ca. The exhibition will remain on display until May 11.

“It isn’t too far from the AGOF centre and we will publish di‐rections on the Almanzora Group of Friends Facebook page,” Mike added. There is a €2 entrance fee for members and €3 for non‐members. Doors open at 11am, with the Quiz com‐mencing at 11.30am.

Linda

Ginetta sailing hard.

Image: SAMM

WEEK

“Don’t put too many irons in the fire.”

SEVENTEEN Los Bandidos run‐ners participated in the Mo‐jacar de Luz 5k and 10k on Sat‐urday, April 22.

The race was held on a very flat course with closed roads along the Playa and was well supported, especially by Los Bandidos volunteers and friends.

Los Bandidos came away with 11 podium places!

The winner of the 10k fin‐ished in 32:50, with the first la‐dy in 39:39. A total of 139 run‐ners crossed the finish line. The 5k was won in 16:33, with the first lady in 22:44. 89 runners finished.

Los Bandidos was set up in June 2018 with a small group running the 5k Mojacar Paseo, and now has road cycling, sea swimming and triathlon groups.

All ages, nationalities and speeds are welcome, whether

permanent residents or holi‐daymakers.

Los Bandidos are keen to in‐tegrate and support the local community and is currently collecting non‐perishable food and toiletries for the Red Cross Food Bank.

The group are very sociable

Gorgeous gastronomy

TEN establishments are par‐ticipating in Nijar’s first edi‐tion of its Gastronomic Route which will be held un‐til April 29.

There is no doubt gastron‐omy is a dynamic element of the tourist sector and this is one of the economic pillars of the municipality of Nijar, which is why it has joined in the celebration of an event that enjoys great success wherever it takes place.

A total of 10 establish‐ments are taking part in this event which lasts until April 29, when everyone can sam‐

ple specialities of the area: toasts, tapas and desserts.

The organisers have planned prizes for both par‐ticipants and customers.

Customers will be able to participate in a draw to be held on April 30, consisting of six €50 vouchers and a gas‐tronomic trip with two nights in a hotel, valued at around €350.

Taking part are Fraguero, Arizona, La Tinaja, Pause, Cafeteria Noelia, La Tasca, Studiarte, Club de la 3 Edad, La Vieja Moda and Asador RqueR.

and most sessions are fol‐lowed by a post‐activity coffee, cake or breakfast, depending on the time of day.

Follow the group on Face‐book to keep up‐to‐date with their latest activities (https://www.facebook.com/ groups/490933409244200).

Los Bandidos Destination cluster

THE Almeria Sports Destina‐tion cluster aims to make the province a leader in sports tourism in Spain.

Almeria is a city recognised nationally and internationally for its excellent climate, natural beaches, local gastronomy and stunning landscapes.

These values, together with a wide network of sports and hotel facilities, make it an ideal destination for the celebration of sporting events, in any of its dimensions.

Mayor, Maria del Mar Vazquez confirmed that:

“Sports tourism brings togeth‐er two of the main elements in any person’s decision to buy a product, with the quality of life that sport generates as a healthy habit and the advan‐tages of leisure and recreation that tourism itself represents.”

She added: “Almeria is a perfect setting for the experi‐ence of combining tourism and sport.”

All are welcome.

Image: Los Bandidos

5th Spain has the fifth largest population in Europe.

AT their weekly practice ses‐sion last week Arboleas Com‐munity Choir All Aloud sur‐prised some special guests when they presented the Al‐manzora Scout Leaders with the proceeds of their latest fundraising efforts.

Just under €1,500 was hand‐ed over to the delighted scouts who were stunned by the amount raised.

The money will be used to fi‐nance the Scout’s Summer Camp and carry out improve‐ments to the Scout Hut.

The group is going to contin‐ue its fundraising activities this year by holding a concert at the Kubatin Bar in Arboleas on Friday, June 9 at 7.30pm, in support of the Spanish cancer charity Asociacion Espanola

All Aloud

Contra el Cancer (AECC).

Entry will be free but dona‐tions will be sought from those attending.

The Charity Group will also be hosting an information stall at the event.

Bicycle Day

LA MOJONERA has cele‐brated 39 years of inde‐pendence by jumping on a bicycle.

Hundreds of neigh ‐bours participated in the traditional Bicycle Day on Sunday, April 16, with an event that commemo ‐rates the severance from Felix on April 10, 1984.

Road radars

ALMERIA City Council will in‐stall five informative and edu‐cational radars aimed at in‐creasing road safety and reducing speeds on urban stretches of road.

The concert will be of just over an hour’s duration and will comprise a variety of music mostly in English with some popular numbers in Spanish. For information on All Aloud visit their Facebook Page.

Greenway trail

THE mayor of Huercal‐Overa, Domingo Fer‐nandez, has presented a plan for the revital‐ization of the Via Verde natural path of the Guadix‐Almendricos Railway.

The project for the Natural Path includes the construction of a pedestrian walkway over the A‐7 motorway. The proposal means

that the Via Verde will be increased by five kilometres and will link with Alamajalejo.

Domingo Fernandez, confirmed: “The town council is working to adapt our Greenway into a Natural Path through which we can offer more kilometres for the enjoyment of leisure and sports for our neighbours and visitors.”

Due to the separation, Bicycle Day is more than a sporting and social event, it means transmit‐ting to the new genera‐tions the idiosyncrasies of very young people and instilling in them their ori‐gins.

Not in vain, in 1984 La Mojonera had a popula‐tion of about 3,500 in ‐habitants.

This is a figure that has tripled since its 39th birthday and now it is al‐ready close to 10,000 res‐idents, which shows its enormous growth and projection of a municipal‐

ity that has its origins in intensive agriculture and that today continues to be the main activity of the residents of La Mo ‐jonera.

The mayor of the town, Jose Miguel Her ‐nandez, also joined the celebration with his bicy‐cle and highlighted “the desire of my neighbours to participate in such an important day for us as the Constitution of La Mojonera as a municipal‐ity.”

The installation of these de‐vices is intended to “increase road safety,” explained the councillor for Town Planning and Infrastructures, Ana Martnez Labella, persuading drivers to “slow down and be warned of the possibility of being fined.”

“In addition, and as has been proven, a lower speed corresponds to a clear reduc‐tion in the noise generated by passing vehicles,” she added.

“The use of educational speed cameras is an increas‐ingly widespread practice in many cities and municipali‐ties.

“Many local councils are al‐ready testing this type of radar in urban areas which have been installed with the aim of raising awareness among citizens to prevent them from exceeding the speed limits,” acknowledged Martínez Labella.

FUNDRAISING: The scouts were delighted with the amount.

Jump on your bike.

Touching tribute

Anna Ellis MOJACAR has paid tribute to Diego Martinez Melgares, the former director of the Mojacar Municipal Music Band.

In the year 2000, Diego was responsible for laying the foundations for what is today the music band.

The first musicians to make up the band came from its classrooms. None at that time were over 15 years old. After a long time of rehearsals, enthusiasm, patience and a great desire to work, the time for its debut was finally a reality and the band gave its first concert in 2002.

What’s certain is that the performances of the

Municipal Music Band

are highly anticipated in the municipality and are always welcomed with a great deal of interest and affection by its residents. It is one of the best music bands in the province and receives numerous recognitions wherever they participate.

ALMERIA is set to open the San Cristobal Park and Ride whilst the construction of the parking for residents in Calle Arraez progresses.

The works on the car park for residents on Calle Arraez have reached a new milestone, surpassing the halfway point. According to the councillor for Urban Planning and Infrastruc‐ture, Ana Martinez Labella, the works are ex‐pected to be completed after the summer.

With an investment of €1.2 million the works will provide the old town with a new car park.

The car park, built on the municipal site locat‐ed between Calles Arraez and Milagro, will have 60 parking spaces for cars, 12 for motorcy‐cles and 24 storage rooms, spread over six lev‐els. Currently, only four of the total of these spaces are for sale.

Martinez Labella recalled the importance that this project has in the municipal objective of continuing to “promote” the transformation

BOOKWORMS will be de ‐lighted to hear that the Almeria Book Fair will be held until Monday May 1.

The Fair’s coordinator, Manuel Garcia Iborra, confirmed: “In the 43 years of the Fair, the event has already gone through three generations and it is nice that we all remember this evolu ‐tion.”

“A medium ‐ sized fair like ours has a luxury of authors and the book ‐sellers’ enclosure has an increasingly prominent role.”

The councillor for Tourism, Culture and

Currently, Diego continues as a teacher in the locality’s Municipal Music School and continues to train the future members of the band or those who want to learn to play a wind instrument. He is very loved and respected by his students and by all those who know him.

Park n Ride

and revitalisation of the Historic Centre and thereby contribute to making this part of the city a “more livable and attractive space to re‐side in.”

Book Fair

grow not only maintaining its quality but improving.”

Sports, Jose Angel Velez, added: “It is an honour to be more involved than ev‐er in this Almeria Book Fair, which we must not forget was the first in the provincial capital to be held after the pandemic.

“The Fair continues to

The councillor for Cul ‐ture, Diego Cruz, ex ‐plained: “The Almeria Book Fair will have an area with around 30 stands, a programme of events and a programme of signings.

“The fairground will be located on Avenida Fed ‐erico García Lorca.”

For more information on events, head to the website: ferialibroalme ria.com

MUSIC BAND: Diego is respected by all who know him.

Image: Mojacar Town Council

Works ongoing.

Bookworm heaven.

Image: JC_STOCKER / Shutterstock.com

Image: Lisi4ka / Shutterstock.com

How are your savings protected?

With the global banking industry back in the news again, this is a good time to look at what bank guarantees are in place in the event of institutional failure.

Spain banks

Under an EU directive, each EU country provides a bank deposit guarantee of €100,000. In the event a bank fails, your national deposit guarantee scheme (Fondo de Garantía de Depósitos de Entidades de Crédito (FGD) in Spain) will refund your savings, up to the €100,000 limit. Savings above this could be lost if your bank fails.

Deposits are covered per depositor, so joint accounts have €200,000 protected. The guarantee is per banking group, not per bank account or even per bank – some banks with different names form part of the same group, so be careful.

Under certain circumstances (eg, after selling a property) you may be

By Jon Pemberton, Partner, Blevins Franks

Spain aims to make the payable amount available within ten working days, reducing to seven from 2024.

UK banks

In the UK, accounts in regulated banks are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The amount protected is currently

and banking institution.

The FSCS aims to pay compensation within seven days, though more complex cases will take longer.

UK offshore centres

Banks in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are not covered by the UK scheme, even if divisions of UK banks. You rely on their local guarantee schemes, which offer lower levels of protection.

The Isle of Man’s Depositors’ Compensation Scheme (DCS) provides compensation up to £50,000 per person for covered banks, with no time limit for payment. The amount of compensation paid and timing will depend upon the size, asset quality and profile of the failed bank and amount of funding contributed. There is no standing fund for the DCS. It is funded if and when required by contributions from participating banks and the Isle of Man Treasury, capped at £200

also £50,000, capped at £100 million in any five-year period. They aim to pay compensation within three months of a bank failure.

Protecting your savings

Many savers with larger cash deposits spread them out over more than one bank.

Others have opted to move capital into arrangements which provide a higher level of investor protection than banks can offer. For example, with investment bonds issued by Luxembourg regulated insurance companies, your investment assets are protected should the insurance company fail.

Luxembourg provides very robust protection for life assurance policy holders, the strongest in Europe. The cornerstone of its ‘Triangle of Security’ investor protection regime is the legal requirement that all clients’ assets are held by an independent custodian bank approved by the

balance sheet. If the bank fails, these securities remain in segregated client accounts – 100% of your securities are protected. This does not include cash deposits, but cash held in monetary funds are treated as securities. In any case, ensure you have adequate diversification across different investment assets. This reduces risk as well as increasing potential for improved returns.

As always, your savings and investment decisions should be based around your personal objectives, circumstances, time horizon and risk profile. Take personalised advice on asset protection and a suitable tax-efficient investment approach for you in Spain.

All information contained in this article is based on our understanding of legislation and practice, in the UK and overseas at the time of writing; this may change in the future.

Keep up to date on the financial is-

Anna Ellis SPRING has sprung and PAWS‐PATAS animal charity was de‐lighted to entertain with a fab‐ulous fun day with their Spring Fayre at the Oasis Camp Site in Los Gallardos.

With the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky people flocked in to enjoy an impres‐sive array of entertainment plus meet some of the kittens, cats and dogs from the shelter.

With plenty of seating, food and drink on offer, folk were able to leisurely wander around the 19 stalls.

Karen Hillman’s famous onion bhajis sold out instantly and raised an incredible €230!

The afternoon proved to be an amazing success, not only raising an incredible amount of €1,751 but puppy and kitten adoptions were secured and

Doggy Day

people came forward offering to volunteer at the shelter and in the charity outlets.

Shelter Manager Vanessa Maipauw who joined PAWS‐PATAS six years ago explained

Testimonials

THE Arboleas Walk for Life 2023 will be held on Saturday, April 29.

Walk for Life is a voluntary group commit‐ted to helping people with cancer.

If you wondered what great work the group were achieving, here are a couple of testimonials.

One said; “Thank you Walk4life for sup‐porting me and my husband on ‘my journey’ with cancer. The emotional support you gave us through my treatment and after‐wards has been amazing and very much ap‐preciated.”

Another confirmed; “The Walk for Life team was absolutely wonderful when I was diagnosed with my cancer in 2021.”

“The emotional support the WFL team gave was also wonderful. After my very first visit from them, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders ‐ a

“PAWS‐PATAS receives no government funding so they are grateful for any support and generous donations.”

For further information visit www.paws‐patas.org.

weight I didn’t actually realise was there until they left. Thanks from the bottom of my heart,”

To volunteer email: claire.walk4life@ gmail.com or telephone (+34) 644 602 249

If you require help email: i rene walk4life@icloud.com or telephone (+34) 643 638 177.

Welcomed visitor

THE long-awaited PETCT finally arrived in Almeria on Tuesday, April 25.

Also called positron emission tomographycomputed tomography scan, a PET-CT scan may be used to help diagnose disease, such as cancer, plan treatment, or find out how well treatment is working.

Cancer patients in the municipality have been travelling to the province of Granada for years to undergo a fundamental test in the di -

Coconuts

agnostic process.

The specialists of the Oncology Unit are also delighted as, moving forward they will have a vital part in the evaluation of the patients they attend to daily in their consultations (an increasingly high number as reads in the statistics provided by the Spanish Association Against Cancer) at their disposal.

Fingers crossed, it is expected that the PETCT will begin to function at full capacity by June.

ALMUNECAR Town Hall has now planted around 30 coconut palm trees on Calle Guadix.

This planting has been carried out by taking advantage of the rehabilitation works of most of the road that serves as access to the Paseo de San Cristobal and Avenida Costa del Sol.

The councillor for the Environment, Luis Aragon, confirmed: “We have chosen this variety of palm trees not just for aesthetics, but also when it comes to cleaning it is more efficient and better than Washingtonian palm trees.”

FUN DAY: People flocked to enjoy the entertainment.

WALK FOR LIFE: Helping people with cancer.

Image: Arboleas Walk for Life

ALMUNECAR has ad ‐vanced with the con ‐struction of its new Mu ‐nicipal Market.

The mayor of Al ‐munecar, Juan Jose Ruiz Joya, accompanied by the Town Planning councillor, Javier Garcia, visited the construction works where the last section of the parking slab has been concreted.

The mayor confirmed that the works are pro ‐gressing at a good pace.

He added: “If the deadlines are adhered to, by the end of this year we will be able to enjoy a modern, open and functional market.”

The municipal manag ‐er of the work has apol ‐ogised to the neigh ‐bours for the inconvenience caused when they had to work at night due to the needs of the service and the work itself, “but we are closer to seeing a building that Almunecar deserves.”

Javier Garcia recalled that “the specifications for the reservation of

New market

HUERCAL‐OVERA Council are set to commemorate Inter‐national Dance Day today, Thursday, April 27, with an exhibition of the municipali‐ty’s schools.

After the previous editions were sold out, the Depart‐ment of Culture is once again organising a show in which different schools from the municipality will participate.

Dance Day

brought the celebration for‐ward to today so that all stu‐dents can participate.

The Plaza de la Constitucion will be the stage where, start‐ing at 6.30pm, the Ria Pita

Ballet, El Taller de Zumba and the Tick Tock Group will stage their performances.

The council invites resi ‐dents to be part of this cele‐bration and enjoy the show which “teachers and students have carefully prepared for this occasion.”

Open air exhibition

market stalls are already being drawn up.”

Stall owners who had stalls in the old market

will be given priority if there are any stalls left over these will be adver ‐tised at the town hall.

THE end is in sight as the final stretch of the bike lane that will connect Almeria and Huercal de Almeria is almost completed.

The works will be completed within the next month and consist of the construction of almost three kilometres of bike lane divided into two sections.

The first section consists of 530 metres of bike lanes and 820 metres of cycle lanes, and the second 1,518 metres of bike lanes.

The first section runs along the existing lane on Avenida Medico Francisco Perez

Councillor for Culture, Be‐len Martinez, confirmed: “In Huercal‐Overa we have differ‐ent sports schools whose base is dance and that is why we celebrate this date with the students of the schools with an extraordinary dance event.”

International Dance Day is celebrated on Saturday, April 29, however, the council has

Final stretch

Company connecting with Huercal de Almeria.

While the second section connects the existing lane on Avenida Torrecardenas with Avenida Medico Francisco Perez Company and, connects with the network of bike lanes at the roundabout on Calle Isla de Cabrera with Avenida Mare Nostrum.

EL PASEO is hosting an ex‐hibition in honour of the 50 years of history of the life of the newspaper Ide‐al Almeria.

Mayor, Maia del Mar Vazquez, confirmed: “The exhibition is a journey through the most recent history of Spain, Andalu‐cia and Almeria.

“There are five decades of life that we can con ‐template in this exhibi‐tion which has 30 panels and approximately 70 front pages of the news‐paper.”

She added: “We can see three covers from 1992, which was un ‐doubtedly a special year, with the celebration of

the Barcelona Olympic Games, the Seville Expo and the inauguration of our Maestro Padilla Audi‐torium.”

The exhibition also in‐cludes the first front page that the newspaper launched in 1973 with the signature of the Almeria delegation, the death of the dictator Franco, the 11‐M attack, the murder of Miguel Angel Blanco and Spain’s winning of the World Cup.

In short, the exhibition summarises the work of Ideal with very illustrative front pages that have marked the development and evolution of Almeria over the last decades.

Juan Jose Ruiz Joya and Javier Garcia visit the site.

Image: Almunecar Town Council

THE European Union (EU) has issued a stern warning to Spain over a controversial en‐vironmental law that seeks to legalise irrigation in thou‐sands of hectares of land around Doñana National Park, one of the most impor‐tant wetlands in Europe.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for Environment, wrote a letter on Thursday, April 20, ex ‐pressing his concerns about the proposed law and threat‐ened to take legal action if it violates environmental legis‐lation.

In deep water

The EU has already re ‐quested clarification from the Spanish government about the law change, but no for‐mal response has been given yet.

According to technical esti‐mates by the European Par‐liament, the fine for non ‐compliance could be as much as €300m. Spain has previ‐ously faced environmental fines in the Basque Country.

Doñana in southern An‐

REYES MAROTO has caused controver ‐sy by suggesting introducing a tourist tax to Madrid, something that local hoteliers are already getting steamed up about, according to a news source on Monday, April 17.

For five years, Maroto was in charge of Spain’s tourism. Now she is standing for mayor of Madrid, which every year attracts millions of visitors, including lots of British holidaymakers.

A tourist tax was first proposed for Madrid in 2015 and 2018 but was never implemented.

“The most important thing is to know why,” Maroto said.

Speaking during a breakfast meeting

dalucia has been suffering from water shortages due to the expansion of irrigated agriculture in surrounding ar‐eas. A local ecological re ‐search centre, reports that 59 per cent of the major lagoons in Doñana have not been filled with water since 2013.

The situation has been at‐tributed to the increase in ir‐rigated land, which has ex‐panded by 30 per cent in the last decade.

New tourist tax

in Madrid, the Ex ‐ Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism said she liked the idea of introducing a tourist tax, which visitors to the city would have to pay per night, but added, “The tourist tax does not have to be merely a tax, it has to be a tax that reverts to the tourism industry.”

On hearing her comments the Madrid Hotel Business Association (MHBA) made clear its opposition to the idea without any hesitation, claiming that it would have a detrimental effect on the hotel sector and visitors.

Sánchez to visit the White House

SPANISH President Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit the US to meet President Joe Biden, according to an official statement by officials on Wednesday, April 19.

The announcement was made by White House press secretary Karine Jean‐Pierre, who said that Sánchez will be meeting Biden for talks on May 12.

Jean‐Pierre said, “The lead‐ers will coordinate on issues including climate change and expanded cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean, as Spain prepares to take on the rotating presi‐dency of the Council of the European Union,” as cited by a news agency.

In a statement, she stated that “The two leaders will re‐

view our efforts as NATO al‐lies and close partners to strengthen our bilateral de‐fence relationship, transat‐lantic security, and economic prosperity”.

She also added, “They will discuss our unwavering sup‐port for Ukraine and our ef‐forts to impose costs on the Kremlin as Russia continues its brutal war of aggression.”

Prime business success

Betty Henderson

GLOBAL giant, Amazon registered record profits in Spain once again in 2022. The multinational retail corporation reported a whopping €6.4 billion in sales for 2022 in figures released on Friday, April 21.

The figures represent an income increase of almost 7 per cent compared with last year. Amazon’s earnings include revenues from its physical marketplaces operating in Spain, as well other branches of the busi‐ness including Amazon Web Services.

The company credits its Spanish success to investments totalling €3.7 billion in the country, which includes the opening of two new logistics centres in Zaragoza and

Charging ahead

SPAIN has taken a major step towards reducing electronic waste and promoting sustain‐ability in the technology indus‐try by adapting the EU’s uni‐versal charger law to fit its own regulations.

Girona. With 22,000 employees and over 40 facilities throughout Spain, Amazon is among the top 10 employers in the coun‐try.

However, the company isn’t without its critics, particularly as it announced some 9,000 layoffs globally, earlier this year which caused concern. Amazon later clarified that the layoffs are not exclusive to Spain, saying that it actually plans to expand its work‐force to 25,000 employees in the country by 2025.

Despite its immense success, Amazon said that its profit margins remain low due to the competitive market and increasing operating costs.

On Friday, April 21, the country announced its adop‐tion of the EU’s universal charger law, but with some unique regulations of its own. This move is set to revolu‐tionise the way we charge our devices and could save con‐sumers millions of euros.

Customers will now have the option to choose whether they want a new charger to come with their electronic de‐vices. This means that people who already have chargers compatible with their new de‐vices can opt‐out of purchasing a new one, reducing unneces‐sary electronic waste.

Spain’s adaptation of the EU regulations will help to pro‐mote the reuse of cables and chargers, reducing electronic waste and saving consumers approximately €26m per year.

Sanchez to visit Joe Biden at the White House.

New Housing Law 2023

THE Spanish government proposed a new housing law in February 2022. This new law, which is the first of its kind, has finally been agreed upon and is pending approval from the Spanish Parliament. It focuses on rental proper ‐ties in what they are call ‐ing ‘stressed areas’.

A ‘stressed area’ under the new law is an area where the cost of the mortgage or rent, plus bills and other basic prop‐erty costs, exceeds 30 per cent of the average in ‐come or where the rent has risen by 5 per cent above the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

This new law has rede ‐fined what a large and small landowner is. A large landowner is now someone who owns five properties or more, it used to be 10. A small landowner owns less than five properties. The most controversial part of this new law is the fact that

the tenant will no longer pay the real estate fees.

To ensure there are no loopholes in this new law they have prohibited the inclusion of extra charges (community fee, garbage removal, etc) and you cannot come to an ‘agree‐ment between parties’ contrary to the housing agreement. They have in ‐cluded tax benefits that will help offset these ex ‐tra costs for the owners.

Another big change is the elimination of the CPI when calculating the cost of the rent, it is capped

and cannot increase by more than 2 per cent in 2023 and 3 per cent in 2024. They have also in ‐cluded new measures to protect against evictions.

NEW LAW: Focuses on rental properties.

950,000

metric tons of sunflowers are grown in Spain.

Betty Henderson

A BRAND‐NEW study by Elec‐tomanía, a leading Spanish polling company, has revealed the Region of Murcia is the most ‘hated’ autonomous community in Spain.

The study, released on Thursday, April 20, surveyed 1,620 people across the coun‐try and asked them about their ‘spontaneous feelings’ to‐wards their own autonomous community and the others.

According to the results, As‐turias is the most valued re‐gion in Spain, followed by Gali‐cia, the Basque Country, and Navarra. But the region of Murcia ranks at the bottom, with a score of only 6.2, even lower than the north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

Cold shoulder

The study also shows a clear divide between the north and south, with voters in northern regions consistently giving the worst ratings to Murcia, while southern regions ranked Mur‐cia much higher.

ONE speed camera has been revealed to be Spain’s biggest issuer of fines according to a study released on Friday, April 21.

A speed camera in Tarragona issued a whop‐ping 67,582 fines last year. This ruthless device, located on the AP‐7 at kilometre 325, has been causing chaos for speeding drivers across Catalo‐nia.

However, the region is also home to the coun‐try’s most lenient speed camera. A camera locat‐ed on the N‐340 in Barcelona issued just 8,227 fines last year.

Escape plan

Betty Henderson

THE Spanish government said it was on high alert on Friday, April 21 as it prepared to evac‐uate around 60 Spanish na‐tionals from war‐torn Sudan.

1m seats

AS announced by the train operator on Sun‐day, April 23, Renfe will have a total of one mil‐lion seats available for travellers during the May bank holiday in Spain.

The findings have caused quite a stir. Some have sug‐gested it may be due to a lack of awareness or understand‐ing about the region, while others speculate it may be due to its hot climate.

Fast and furious

The news comes as the country battles a wor‐rying rise in road fatalities, with 1,145 people los‐ing their lives on Spanish roads last year alone.

Authorities are keen to tackle the issue and have recently cracked down on speeding drivers and installed more speed cameras on Spanish roads. The DGT has increased the number of speed cameras by 7 per cent since January 2022, bringing the total to over 2,000.

The conflict situation in the country is rapidly deteriorat‐ing, and fighting shows no signs of abating. The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, said military planes are on standby and ready to go when the situation stabilises enough to enter. Until then, the em‐bassy is working tirelessly to gather all Spanish nationals and prepare for the evacua‐tion. In the meantime, the Spanish government is urging Sudanese forces to reach a ceasefire that will allow for‐eigners to leave the country and Sudanese nationals to re‐ceive vital humanitarian aid. Spain will also cooperate with other nations to rescue their citizens. Sudan is a coun‐try located in the northeast of Africa which has been em‐broiled in conflict and political instability for many years.

The latest outbreak of vio‐

lence erupted after a military coup in 2019, which led to clashes between government forces and opposition groups. The situation has deterio‐rated in the past week, with fighting intensifying in many parts of the country including in the capital, Khartoum, caus‐ing mass displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.

It has planned this mammoth total of seats to be available for travel on its AVE, Larga and Me‐dia Distancia trains be‐tween Friday, April 28 and Tuesday, May 2. For more information go to www.renfe.com

Renfe will offer addi‐tional seats to its normal schedules on its AVE, Av‐lo, Alvia, Euromed and Intercity services, with Andalucia, the Levantine area and Catalonia being the most popular desti‐nations.

The company said that this offer during the holi‐day period will save the combustion of 9.5 million litres of fuel, avoiding the emission of 28.8 million CO2 or 135.3 tons of NOx into the atmosphere.

Murcia has sunk in national approval ratings.

€240 average daily spend of international visitors to Madrid.

General al-Burhan meets with troops.

AS WELL as the locals extend‐ing their famous Scottish Highland welcome to the newcomers, the team of the FISH SHOP were honoured on Saturday, April 22, to re‐ceive a surprise visit from Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla.

FISH SHOP, a restaurant and fishmonger, is ready to open on Saturday, April 29, at 3 Netherly Place in the heart of Ballater, just east of the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.

Ballater is the closest vil‐lage to the Balmoral Estate, the Scottish home of the Roy‐al Family.

MUCH-LOVED radio legend, Tony Blackburn was absent from his show last week due to illness and has said it may be some time before he’s back.

Last week, 80‐year‐old Mr Blackburn, was unable to host his weekly Radio 2 show, Sounds of the Sixties due to a chest infection, and his old friend Johnny Walker, 78, stepped in to take over.

In a tweet on April 21, he tried to reassure worried lis‐

Royal surprise

Queen Camilla around Fish Shop on Saturday in advance of our opening this week ‐end."

Two WWI soldiers rededicated in France

Royal Surprise

The support for this new venture was warmly wel ‐comed by the FISH SHOP team and Artfarm CEO Ewan Venters, said: "We were thrilled to be able to show His Majesty King Charles and

"Sharing the values of our sister property, the Fife Arms, in neighbouring Braemar, the community is at the heart of everything we do, and bear‐ing in mind the Royal Family’s long association with Royal Deeside, we are deeply hon‐oured that they came to show their support for this lo‐cal restaurant and fishmon‐ger"

Tony Blackburn off-air

teners that he was okay, ac‐cording to a news source.

The statement read “The infection I have is requiring more treatment than initially thought and it means I am having to reschedule the Sounds of the 60s Tour for the moment in order to recover fully.

“All tickets booked will be automatically transferred to the new dates and you will be

notified of this change by your ticket provider. I am sorry for the disruption, and I really am looking forward to getting back on the road with the band.

“Finally, to all the nurses, Drs and support staff at Bar‐net General hospital who I spent a few days with over the last week, thank you for looking after me. You are bril‐liant!”

TWO soldiers who were pre‐viously unknown have now had their graves rededicated with headstones to com ‐memorate their deaths in the First World War.

The two Irish soldiers are Private (Pte) James McCaffrey of the 5th Battalion Tank Corps and Corporal (Cpl) Thomas Stannage of the 10th (Prince of Wales Own Royal) Hussars.

The MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘War Detectives’ organised the cer‐emonies in France.

Louise Dorr of the JCCC said:

“It’s been a pleasure to have both men’s families with us today. As we rededicate their graves with known head‐stones. It is a great comfort to know that their bravery and sacrifice will always be re ‐membered.”

James McCaffrey was born in Tullyish County Down. He was found buried as an un‐known soldier northeast of Sebencourt. He was identified because three men were killed when two tanks were

clearing an area around Retheuil Farm and James was known to be one of them.

Two of the men had known graves so he was the only pos‐sible casualty left.

Corporal Thomas Stannage was born in Rathdowney, County Laois. His remains

were found buried east of Honnecy. His battalion’s war diary places the 10th Hussars in the area.

Nine corporals lost their lives and eight of them had known graves which left Thomas as the only possible casualty.

SIR ROD STEWART said he can’t get a response to his re‐quest to provide free MRI scans.

While he says he is “well on their side” about the doctors and nurses strikes, he said he can’t get a response about his plans to give away MRI scans.

It’s a struggle 47

In February he paid for some members of the public to have scans in a mobile unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex. It was in a Sky News phone in that he pledged to help when talking about the state of the NHS. He had just re‐turned from a scan himself.

“I said when I did Sky TV that I wanted to try and do them all

over the country.” He said, “Iam not going to show up and be photographed, I just wanted to do it.”

But he says he struggling to get his plans off the ground. “It’s like banging your head against a brick wall.”

Image: FISH SHOP

The number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

HOLLYWOOD CALLING

BRITISH actress Rachel War‐ren on mega success, new re‐leases, and the tough road to the top.

They say the course of true love never did run smooth, and as it turns out the course of mega successful careers isn’t that different either.

Despite its glamorous exteri‐or, acting is one of the notori‐ously harshest of careers to make a name in, with a re markable only 2 per cent of ac tors ever even making a living.

For those who do tread that path though ‐ undeterred by the knock backs, the low pay and the often far ‐ from ‐ glam orous hours ‐ the payoff can of ten be something quite ex traordinary.

Now 38 and about to star in not only a new Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde remake but also her own series, the actress and producer sat down with the Euro Weekly News to talk US success, the importance of backing yourself, and the long road to the top.

Originally from Bucking ‐hamshire, Rachel told the EWN acting has been practically a life long passion: “At five I pointed at the TV screen and I said ‘mummy that’ and I knew that’s what I wanted to do in life.”

“None of my family are in the indus‐try and my parents really wanted me to have an education rather than going straight into acting.

“I compromised and I told them I would get an acting degree, which I ended up doing in London.”

At one point things took a particularly dark turn when Rachel even had to take out a restraining order against someone else in the industry.

Those experiences, which would have (understandably) seen a lot of aspiring actors run for the hills, saw Rachel do the opposite, working out how to cre‐ate her own way within a sometimes brutal profession.

The result was RWI Creative, her own film and TV poster design company, which allowed her to stay within the in‐dustry on her own terms while paying the bills and still having time to audition for acting parts.

Rachel told the EWN her big break came with the hugely successful Rise of the Footsoldier franchise.

From there, as Rachel explains, every‐thing else fell into place. She has since starred in The Last Heist alongside Terry

Stone and has just shot multiple films, including Dragged Up Dirty ‐ due for re‐lease in 2024 ‐ alongside Nick Moran, Michelle Ryan, Peter Andre, and Junior Andre.

With multiple films under her belt, and often no longer having to audition for roles, Rachel’s star is now rising even higher with a seriously exciting new project in the works; a high con ‐cept comedy series that she describes as a “mixture between Fleabag and Bridget Jones.”

Not content with simply reaping the rewards of her own hard work though, Rachel explained she now wants to help other actors, particularly in dealing with some of her industry’s darker sides.

“I wanted to open doors for myself and now for others.

“That is one of the things I am fiercely passionate about; erasing manipulation and gaslighting in the industry and bringing up new and young filmmakers in a safe environment and working with some of the big beasts in the industry.

Rachel’s latest film Ripper’s Revenge, following a journalist who covers the fa‐mous murderer’s crimes before finding himself the target of a series of letters from Jack the Ripper, is out now.

Rachel attended the Marbella International Film Festival.

Credit: MIFF

ECOCORP SOLAR SL have been trading in the area since 2007. Covering the whole of Almeria Province and beyond they are experienced in the design and configuration of bespoke solar power systems, tailored to meet their clients individual needs. They are a family business, albeit now with extended members to the team.

Many of the bigger solar energy com‐panies throughout Spain use subcon ‐tractors for their installations. Not Eco‐corp. Their team are all from the local community, both

ECOCORP SOLAR The business

Ecocorp standard.

Currently Ecocorp Solar SL employs 13 full time team members including the family, Vic, Samantha, Daniel and Holly. They have a full time electrician, Bob, two installation teams and two time team members.

All of the friendly team are very knowledgeable in their fields. They take pride in their pro ‐fessionalism. It is often not ‐ed on their customer feed ‐back forms that the installation crew are very efficient in their instal‐lations, which are done in a timely fash ‐ion and always left tidy. Customer service is paramount for Ecocorp Solar ‐in a recent customer satisfac ‐tion survey 100 per cent of their

customers said that they would recom mend them to others.

In April of 2022 Ecocorp opened their offices in a unit on the popular and easily accessible Parque ‘El Real’ at An tas. Their new showroom has been started and should be completed by the end of this summer.

Using cloud based technology Eco‐corp solar offer their virtual battery service to those customers who are tied to the grid. Enabling the customer to feed back excess energy. This energy is stored in their virtual battery and drawn down when the sun isn’t shining. Thus the client has the opportunity to use 100 per cent of their solar energy production and to reduce the price of their electricity bill significantly.

Ecocorp Solar offer a FREE no obliga‐tion home assessment and quotation service. They deal with all the neces ‐

sary technical and administra tive paperwork on your behalf. Furthermore, all systems are linked to your computer, mobile or tablet so that you can monitor your consump ‐tion AND your savings on the App. Well done to Ecocorp Solar, a great family business built from the ground up.

166 / 671 716 597

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Stay clear

DENMARK has lifted restrictions on sailing in waters near the Nord Stream gas pipeline which was sabotaged by a series of blasts last September. At the same time Denmark’s Maritime Authority advised against anchoring or fishing within one nautical mile (1.85 kilometres) of the site.

THE NETHERLANDS

Happy talk

EIGHTY-FIVE per cent of the Netherlands’ population told an official poll they were happy with their lives although 62 per cent believed things “were going wrong” with the country. A further 60 per cent were dissatisfied with the country’s political policies, compared with 49 per cent in the autumn.

BELGIUM

Early occupiers

DURING excavations in Elewijt near Zemst, archaeologist Kylian Verhaevert and his team discovered evidence of an Iron Age settlement with circular ditches and a burial ground. They also uncovered a Roman cemetery with up to 30 graves and signs of an open-air temple and sanctuary.

GERMANY

Second term

AS the 2024 EU elections approach, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has not said whether she wants to stand again. If willing, and she receives government backing, her re-election is a certainty as Germany wields significant influence regarding Brussels’ top jobs.

FRANCE

High up

ALAIN ROBERT, a free climber known as the French Spiderman, recently scaled a 38storey tower block in Paris in support of demonstrators opposed to the new pension law delaying the age when people can retire. Aged 60, he habitually climbs without a harness, using only his bare hands.

NORWAY

Open again

NORWAY’S Trollstigen winding road with its many hairpin bends, which is closed by the government each winter, has reopened to traffic. This area receives an average of 450 inches of snowfall and is impassable until April when snow ploughs clear the scenic route, ready for the tourist season.

FINLAND

Happy Birds

FINLAND-BASED Rovio, maker of the Angry Birds video games, has been bought by Sega Sammy Holdings. The Japanese gaming giant responsible for the Sonic the Hedgehog character is paying €760 million for Angry Birds, which was the first mobile game to be downloaded one billion times.

IRELAND

Short-changed

THE 10-kilometre Great Ireland Run accidentally became an 8.5-kilometre run as runners were accidentally sent the wrong way by marshals. The race, organised by Great Ireland Run and Dublin City Harriers, was held in Dublin's Phoenix Park but all results were afterwards declared void.

ITALY

Milan getaway

ITALY’S Justice Minister Carlo Nordio was summoned to parliament to explain why Russian businessman Artem Uss, under house arrest in a luxury apartment in Milan, was able to abscond. He was due to be extradited to the US to face charges of evading sanctions and money-laundering.

PORTUGAL

Sea rescue

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Erica Vicente was blown far out to sea while paddle boarding off the Vila Real de Santo Antonio beach. Twenty hours later the MSC Reef, a container ship waiting to enter Tangier (Morocco) harbour, spotted her in the water, alive but suffering from hypothermia and sunburn.

UKRAINE

Shooting star

A MYSTERIOUS flash lighting up Kyiv’s night sky on April 21 was originally identified as a Nasa satellite falling to Earth. After the US space agency revealed that it was still in orbit, Ukrainian space officials announced that the flash was probably a meteor entering the earth’s atmosphere.

SWEDEN

No Tweets

SVERIGES RADIO (SR) has stopped using Twitter, referring to its concerns over the company’s “recent turbulence” and questioning Twitter’s ability and willingness to fight fake news and hate speech. SR’s decision follows similar moves by the US National Public Radio and Canada’s CBC.

BUSINESS EXTRA Done deal FINANCE

Outlook cloudy

SUPERDRY no longer expects to make a profit this year and may have to raise new funds. Poor weather had resulted in less demand for the compa‐ny’s new spring‐summer col‐lection and sales had been hit by the cost of living crisis hit, the British fashion brand ad‐mitted.

Tax facts

MULTINATIONAL companies pay corporation tax averaging 21.8 per cent in Spain, more than seven percentage points below the European Union’s 29.03 per cent. Meanwhile, more than half of large Span‐ish groups pay corporation tax amounting to less than 20 per cent according to tax authority Hacienda.

CBI shamed

THE British Insurance Brokers’ Association, representing 1,800 insurance brokers and intermediaries, left the scan‐dal‐hit Confederation of British Industry (CBI) following sexual assault allegations against se‐nior staff. The CBI admitted that some members had left but stressed this was only in “single‐digit” numbers.

Gas cash

SPANISH engineering and con‐struction companies Tecnicas

Reunidas, FCC and Turkey’s Enka secured a €1 billion con‐tract to build one of Ger ‐many’s three planned regasifi‐cation plants for liquid natural gas (LNG) near Hamburg. An‐other Spanish company, Sener y Cobra, will be responsible for another in Brünsbuttel.

Charge sheet

LESS than 12 years before the first ban on diesel engines comes into force, the UK has no public electric chargers or hydrogen refilling station for lorries. Lack of infrastructure makes it impossible for opera‐tors to decarbonise their fleets, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) warned.

is the amount that Inditex was worth on April 17 as shares rose by 1.22 per cent, putting the fashion chain ahead of power company Iberdrola and Santander bank.

Deflating inflation figures

INFLATION in the UK fell less than was hoped, hampered by food and drink prices rocketing by 19.1 per cent.

The annual rate measured by the consumer price index (CPI) dipped to 10.1 per cent in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, continu‐ing its downward path after Febru‐ary’s 10.4 per cent.

Economists had expected a fall to 9.8 per cent but instead inflation re‐mained in double figures as food and drink prices rose at the fastest annual rate since 1977.

Britain was the only country in western Europe with double‐digit in‐flation in March, compared with an average of 6.9 per cent in the euro zone and 5 per cent in the United

FC BARCELONA is putting the finishing touches to plans for financing its Espai Barça project with a €1.5 bil‐lion bond issue.

Amongst other plans, this will finance a complete re‐modelling of the club’s Camp Nou football ground.

As investors will expect an interest rate of around 6 per cent costing the club an an‐nual €90 million, the market is waiting to see how and where it will seek the fund‐ing to meet these extra pay‐ments.

Little has gone smoothly for the club since announc‐ing its plans to finance the Espai Barça project.

Flat batteries

MTE Power, a small produc‐er of lithium ion batteries, initially intended to build its first factory capable of large ‐ scale production in Dundee.

The company recently told Sky News that it was considering whether to switch from the UK to the US where it would benefit from American subsidies under the Inflation Reduc‐tion Act.

“Unless we can make the UK a competitive place for battery manufacturers, we probably won’t end up with a battery manufacturing in‐dustry in the UK,” AMTE Power’s chief executive Alan Hollis said.

States.

It looks as though the Bank of Eng‐land will again raise the interest rate with financial markets now betting on

a 97 per chance that the Bank will in‐crease the base rate by a quarter of one percentage point to 4.5 per cent on May 11. There were indications, insiders said, that this could hit 5 per cent by the autumn.

Referring to the March figures, Grant Fitzner, the chief economist at the ONS, said the principal drivers of the reduction were motor fuel prices and heating oil costs.

“Both fell after sharp rises at the same time last year. Clothing, furni‐ture and household goods prices in‐creased, but more slowly than a year ago. However, these were partially offset by the cost of food, which is still climbing steeply, with bread and cere‐al prices at a record high.”

Barça’s on the ball

vate placement of bonds on Wall Street, split into three €500‐million tranches. The first would have been due on June 30, 2032, and the second on June 30, 2045. The club would have paid in‐terest on the third tranche only until 2045 despite ma‐turing on June 30, 2052.

EL CORTE INGLES has paid a to‐tal of €500 million to finalise its deal with Sheikh Al Thani.

With this transaction, the department store group ac ‐quired 4.2 million of its shares, representing 5.53 per cent of the group’s capital and half of the 10.33 per cent owned by AI Thani through Luxembourg‐registered Primefin.

El Corte Ingles repurchased these shares in June 2022 in an operation originally valued at €385 million. The final amount was increased to €500 million to include compensation and interest, principally as com ‐pensation to Primefin which granted a €1 billion loan to El Corte Ingles in 2015.

Home help

the club had to rethink its plans.

This involved reducing the number of bonds and taking on a bank debt that will be guaranteed by JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs.

Initially, Barcelona had hoped for a €1.5 billion pri‐

These plans came to nothing. Beset by the Ne‐grerira scandal over bribes to the vice‐president of the football referees’ commit‐tee, which coincided with last March’s banking crisis,

A smooth ride

NATIONAL EXPRESS reported a rise in first ‐ quarter revenues thanks to its UK buses and German rail improvements.

Overall earnings rose by 25 per cent to £774.4 million (€879.7 million), consis ‐tent with expectations, while Spanish subsidiary ALSA reported solid growth, especially on long haul and Morocco routes.

UK earnings rose 27 per cent year ‐ on ‐year, with scheduled coach revenue up 87 per cent on 2022, reflecting the recov‐ery from the Covid ‐ related restrictions 2021 and the impact of rail strikes.

Thanks to its first ‐ quarter results, Na ‐tional Express shares immediately rose 4.25 per cent after having fallen by around 48 per cent over the 12 months.

The company’s German rail interests rose 10 per cent on 2022 while it expects a 13 per cent price increase on the US bus contracts once these expire.

Some finer points have still to be decided, including the final amount of both the bonds and the bank loan. Sources close to the process suggested that ultimately the bond issue would be somewhere under €1 billion and the loan somewhat over €500 million.

Meter pact

ENERGY FIRMS agreed to ban forcible installation of prepayment meters in the homes of customers who are over 85.

Representatives must in future wear body cameras as part of a new code of conduct, the Guardian revealed.

Suppliers reached agreement with the government regarding new guidelines for installing the meters in situations where house‐holders have run up an energy debt. There will be no repetition of agents brandishing court‐approved entry warrants to break in to install them, power companies pledged.

They must now make at least 10 attempts to contact a customer and then conduct a ‘site welfare visit’ before a prepayment meter is installed.

THE Bank of Spain (BDE) revised the number of mortgages eligible for social protection measures agreed with the government and finance sector in late 2022. The updated and extended Code of Good Practice was ex‐pected to benefit one million vul‐nerable households and those at risk of defaulting on mortgage payments.

Instead, Spain’s supervisor cal‐culates that this would assist 550,000 families should the inter‐est rate rise from the current 3.5 to 4 per cent.

Nevertheless, past figures for households accessing the 2012 Code also suggested that only 200,000 households would bene‐fit, according to Bank of Spain’s latest Financial Stability Report.

Cheers Heineken

HEINEKEN has finished the first quarter of its fiscal year with buoyant sales in Spain.

The multinational brewing company reported that its net in‐come grew by more than 20 per cent owing to increased volume and the combination of channels and brands.

Sales of the 0.0. non‐alcoholic brand performed exceptionally well in Spain, together with the entire premium range led by El Aguila.

In addition, Spain is one of six markets that have completed the transition to Eazle, one of the largest e‐commerce platforms in the world, the company said.

MARCH INFLATION: In double figures owing to food and drink prices.

CAMP NOU: FC Barcelona plans to remodel iconic football ground.

Photo credit: Pexels/Gustav Fring

LONDON - FTSE 100

DOW JONES

Bagged it

EXTRA Housing for all

Linda Hall

EY cull

MULBERRY GROUP sales improved in the second half of its finan‐cial year, partly due to demand for luxury goods as China’s econo‐my reopened. The firm slumped during the first half on reporting £4 million (€4.5 million) losses for the six months ending 1 Octo ‐ber 2022.

AI is best

ROUGHLY half of Span ‐ish bosses said they would prefer artificial intelligence to make de‐cisions for them, a study by technology firm Oracle found. Forty ‐ five per cent of managers said that an over‐abundance of data and their inability to handle it efficiently had led to a greater reliance on machines.

SPAIN’S government will use European funds to finance 43,000 new homes for use as social housing at reasonable rents. This will add up to a total of 93,000 properties when tak‐ing into account an additional 50,000 properties which now belong to Sareb, Spain’s ‘bad bank’.

Speaking in parliament on April 19, Pedro Sanchez, presi‐dent of the Spanish govern‐ment, explained that some of the properties would be new‐builds while others would be renovated.

The cost would be covered by €4 billion in EU funding which will be made available

through Spain’s Official Credit Institute (ICO).

“Public and private develop‐

In-person preferred

A RECENT survey found that a third of the UK population prefer to do their banking in per‐son. Meanwhile, high street banks maintain in‐person services are underused although the survey found that people wanted person‐to‐person advice even when they were comput‐er‐literate and could obtain it online.

Forty‐four per cent of over‐55s said they would rather visit a branch but the survey by

professional services company, Accenture, found that not only older generations were averse to change as the 18‐34 age group also hesitated to switch entirely to online banking. More people were using the Post Office to manage money as a result of branches closing, which often made it the only location where consumers and businesses could do their banking.

ers will have access to this funding on the understanding that the properties will be available as social housing for at least 50 years,” government sources said. Not all of the 50,000 properties acquired by Sareb when the 2008 property bubble burst will be immedi‐ately available, however.

Twenty‐one thousand of the Sareb homes are finished and the bank possesses enough land to build 15,000 more, but a further 14,000 are at present occupied by squat‐ters. Raquel Sanchez, Trans‐port and Urban Agenda minis‐ter, explained during a La Sexta television interview, that where possible the govern‐ment hoped to be able to “le‐galise the situation” of the squatters.

The minister did not men‐tion that only 2,230 of Sareb’s properties were located in Madrid, Valencia, or Barcelona whose respective rents had risen by 10.4, 18.4 and 19.1 per cent since March 2022.

LONDON‐BASED accountancy firm Ernst & Young (EY) is cut‐ting 3,000 US jobs, citing over‐capacity. Days earlier, EY aban‐doned plans to separate its auditing and consulting divi‐sions although the company maintained that the reduc‐tions were unrelated. The cuts affecting approximately 5 per cent of its US workforce were part of its ongoing manage‐ment of the business, said EY, promising “comprehensive support” to those affected.

Cheap deal

THE National Competition and Markets Commission (CNMC) is investigating 35 of Spain’s small and medium‐sized elec‐tricity suppliers. The CNMC suspects that Holaluz, Cox, Fe‐nie Energia, Alpex Iberica, Al‐terna, Neuroenergia and Som Energia amongst others, have taken advantage of the Iberian exception, buying cheap elec‐tricity on the Spanish market and selling it to France. As al‐ways, the CNMC said it could not provide any further details.

RAQUEL SANCHEZ: Spain’s Transport and Urban Agenda minister.

Photo credit: Pool Moncloa

BUSINESS EXTRA

On the cards

DEMAND for paper money around the world is at its lowest in 20 years, banknote manufacturer De La Rue said. The company, which designs a third of the ban‐knotes used worldwide, ex‐plained that the demand for cash had fallen since the pandemic when central banks stocked up on curren‐cy.

Stone profit

MARBLE multinational Cosentino had a turnover of €1.7 billion last year, 22 per cent more than in 2021 and the company’s third consec‐utive year with a turnover topping €1 billion. Operating profits grew by 13 per cent to €312 million while net profits also advanced by 13 per cent to €117 million.

Tomato blow

THIS year could see the low‐est production of British tomatoes since 1985. The National Farmers Union warned that steep rises in production costs, including energy to heat and light greenhouses, had forced many growers to make cuts, mothball greenhouses or shut down altogether.

Speeding up

CAR production by 19.6 per cent during the first quarter of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, manu‐facturers’ association Anfact announced. A total of 658,282 vehicles left Spanish factories thanks to a re‐newed supply of chips, al‐though production was 13 per cent lower than in 2019.

Quids in

PEPCO GROUP, which owns Poundland, posted strong sales growth after rising prices and inflation drove shoppers to seek out bar‐gains. Turnover grew by 22.8 per cent to €2.39 billion for the six months ending March, following solid trade at its Pepco outlets where revenues soared by 36.9 per cent.

Grenadier goes to Austria

INEOS, the company founded and run by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will build an electric version of its new Grenadier off‐road vehicle.

Despite Ratcliffe’s staunch back‐ing for Brexit, the latest version of his 4x4 will be produced in Aus ‐tria, using car parts from the Canadian manufacturer Magna.

With production due to begin in 2026, the UK has once again missed out on building a second Ineos vehicle after Ratcliffe chose a French factory for the original Grenadier.

Ratcliffe, who transformed In ‐eos into one of the UK’s biggest private companies by taking over chemicals businesses, has since launched unrelated projects

which, together with the Grenadier, range from clothing to sports clubs.

These include the Nice football team in France, the Ineos Britan ‐nia sailing team as well as the for‐

Mammoth Aena contract

mer Team Sky cycling team, since renamed the Ineos Grenadiers. He has also put in a bid for Manch ‐ester United.

With a personal wealth which the Sunday Times Rich List put at £6 billion (€6.8 billion), Ratcliffe lives in Monaco for tax purposes.

He named the Grenadier after his favourite London pub, which he later bought, but despite the vehicle’s ostensible Britishness, the first version was built in Ham‐bach in eastern France.

This came as a disappointment for Bridgend in south Wales where Ratcliffe had originally planned to build the Grenadier following the closure of the Ford engine plant.

Another London acquisition

INDITEX founder Amancio Ortega paid £82 million (€93 million) for another London property in Foley Street, via his Pontegadea real estate company.

The 1920s building close to Oxford Circus and the British Museum, was origi‐nally built as a printer’s and later housed the BBC’s overseas service.

This was the Zara bil ‐lionaire’s second impres‐sive property deal in re ‐cent months, following the €100 million purchase last March of an apart ‐ment building in Dublin’s Hanover Square.

The Foley Street build ‐ing was bought from Abrdn ‐ formerly Standard Life Aberdeen ‐ in a trans‐action overseen by prop‐erty advisers Savills.

Abrdn bought the 4,000‐square metre Foley Street building for £70 mil‐lion (€79.5 million) in 2017, leasing it for 25 years to the Kier Group in 2018.

Undeterred by Brexit, Ortega continues to invest in the London property market with assets worth approximately €3 billion. His biggest purchase, The Post Building, was ac ‐quired in 2019 for around €700 million.

He owns properties in Oxford Street, St James’s Street and St James

US investment fund, Apollo Global Management, has the John Wood Group in its sights.

Usually referred to as Wood, the multinational engineering and consulting business headquartered in Aberdeen turned down four previous offers, main‐taining that they did not re‐flect its real value.

Matters changed with

Square as well as Devon‐shire House, the former townhouse of the Dukes of Devonshire in Piccadilly.

The Foley Street sale was one of London’s few largescale property trans‐actions in recent months, after sales slowed owing to the Bank of England's increased interest in ‐crease.

An American suitor

the fifth, which valued Wood at £1.66 billion (€1.84 billion), 59 per cent more than the share price before the first offer was made.

The board of directors lis‐tened to Wood’s investors ‐mainly big institutional funds ‐ and decided to open the books to Apollo.

This follows a steady de‐

STATE‐OWNED airports operator Aena is putting out to tender a five‐year, €1.5 billion contract for pri‐vate security.

What is possibly the Administra‐tion’s largest‐ever services con‐tract, seeks approximately 5,500 security guards and 2,000 assis‐tants for Aena’s 45 airports, two helipads and Murcia aerodrome.

They will be required to provide adequate security at Aena airports which foresee 286 million arrivals during 2023, rising to 288 million in 2024, 301 million in 2025 and 315 million in 2026.

Insiders familiar with the con‐tract specifications said in the Spanish press that this offered the option of an additional year, to provide the chosen companies with as much stability as possible.

Getaways

DESPITE the cost‐of‐living cri‐sis, spending on flights and holidays rose in the first three months of 2023.

Details from more than 24 million UK bank accounts showed a 27 per cent year‐on‐year rise on package holiday bookings, and a 36 per cent in‐crease in spending on airfares, according to analysis by digital advertising platform Cardlyt‐ics.

cline in Wood’s share price, partly to the problematical £2.2 billion (€2.5 billion) takeover of US engineering giant Amec Foster Wheeler, and attempts to diversify from oil and gas.

The original deadline for a decision has now passed and has been moved to May 17.

A health unto His Majesty

NYETIMBER, which produces English sparkling wine, predicted bumper sales for this summer.

Eric Heerema, Nyetimber’s chief ex‐ecutive and chairman, said the Sussex‐based company was expecting “strong demand” over the Coronation bank holiday.

Sales had already surged in recent years, Heerema pointed out, thanks in part to warmer weather which favoured production and shot up by 60 per cent over the late Queen’s Platinum

Jubilee weekend.

Glasses of Nyetimber wines, which have been served at numerous royal events, will be raised again throughout Britain during and after HM King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, May 6.

Nyetimber, like rival Chapel Down, is launching a £39.50 (€44.83) limited edi‐tion wine for the Coronation, made from West Sussex grapes.

“Consumers are always proud to cham‐pion and celebrate British goods and craftsmanship,” Heerema said.

While all the travel industry has enjoyed a post ‐ Covid re ‐bound, figures suggest a trend towards low ‐ cost options as budget airlines are up 42 per cent year ‐ on ‐ year compared with 29 per cent for more ex‐pensive carriers.

Best start

BANKINTER had an excellent start to 2023.

The bank reported first‐quarter profits of €185 million, 20 per cent more than the same period last year and Bankinter’s best‐ever Jan‐uary‐March figure.

It also takes into account the €77 million that Bankinter paid as the first instalment of the temporary windfall tax. This was introduced last year to fund government mea‐sures brought in to ease the cost‐of‐living crisis.

The stock market immediately responded with a 5 per cent in‐crease in Bankinter shares al‐though these later fell back to around 2 per cent.

INEOS GRENADIER: Electric version will be built in Austria.

Photo credit: Flickr/Mario

AMANCIO ORTEGA: Inditex founder continues to add to property portfolio.

Photo credit: La Sexta

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

ONCE again the festival of Ra ‐madan has drawn to a close. Ten years ago, your average Brit in the street wouldn’t have had a clue as to the meaning or origins of Ra ‐madan.

This year you would have to be a recluse in a moon cave to miss out on what is actually the most impor‐tant Muslim celebration of the year. In fact, it now comes in as the UK’s third biggest religious event after Christmas and Easter. Appar ‐ently some four million Muslims have been fasting this month, and consequently the news has been carried on just about every media outlet you care to mention; includ‐ing of course the projections and decorations that have flooded the West End of London.

There has been a positive deluge of programmes on TV, explaining the custom and how it affects its followers. A number have shown special diets. Times to eat and sleep, and even a series of exercises designed to help the followers get through, what can obviously be an

I draw the line

extremely taxing period. I did slightly twitch at one interview however when the interviewee sug‐gested it would be thoughtful if non ‐ Muslims would try and avoid eating openly in front of anyone close by who was obviously Mus ‐lim!

Well I’m afraid I draw the line there. The idea of hiding yer actual ice cream or fish and chips, because you may ‘offend’ someone who is fasting, is just a step too far. Sorry about that. I actually spent eight years in a Muslim country, and con‐sequently saw the festival com ‐pletely close up as it were.

I do remember one fellow Brit walking through a supermarket in the day during Ramadan, scoffing bananas and telling me he couldn’t care less because he wasn’t actually a Muslim himself. I did feel this somewhat disrespectful, as we were guests in their country, but frankly being asked to refrain from eating openly in my own country because it may offend someone, in my opinion is a total liberty and the sort of inflammatory remark that

TRAFFIC JAM BLUES OUR VIEW

does nothing to improve under ‐standing and acceptance of other people’s beliefs whatsoever.

Incidentally, I do remember, dur‐ing my experience of those far off Saudi days, the whole month being great fun for those of the privileged elite, who would simply party it up all night and sleep all day. Nice work if you can get it.

Even I enjoyed visiting offices and helping a somewhat devious associ‐ate deliver illegal alcohol in the middle of the night. After all most of us enjoy a drink at Christmas, I can categorically assure you that in the 70s, Ramadan was no excep ‐tion.

It may have changed now, but I very much doubt it. In fact I was in‐formed that during the 70s Saudi Arabia was the world’s biggest im ‐porter of JW whisky. This couldn’t be shown on any books so they al ‐ways paid cash. I wonder where all that disappeared to!?

AFTER years of pain following the 2008 banking crisis, much of Spain has seen a remarkable recovery as far as housing is concerned and in many parts of the country the sight of towering cranes indicates the amount of new accommodations that is being built.

It’s good news for the economy as it creates employ‐ment and also generates income for local councils espe‐cially as many of the buyers, particularly in popular holi‐day areas, are foreigners either purchasing a holiday home or moving to Spain permanently.

Whilst there are fewer British buyers there are large numbers of Germans and other Europeans who don’t need to follow the 90/180 day rule, so the market is cur‐rently very buoyant. There is however a major problem that certainly affects the Costa del Sol and we believe many of the areas where the seven editions of Euro Weekly News are distributed. Basically, the more new builds on previously vacant land, the more traffic and in many cases, the infrastructure is not keeping up with the developments, so that whilst each new urbanisation has brand new roads, they simply lead to existing roads which can no longer cope with the volume of traffic hit‐ting them. In addition, whilst the government is encour‐aging drivers to take public transport, there are whole ar‐eas where there are no trains and buses of course get caught up in the ever‐growing traffic jams.

Spain has a huge amount of EU funding and is invest‐ing left, right and centre, but with pressure to add or in‐crease costs on toll roads, the country will see empty motorways and even more traffic on the free roads.

NEWS FLASH: NEW FOREIGN SPECIES SPOTTED IN SPAIN!

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

“ IT’S that time of year,” Sir David Atten‐borough will breathily tell you, “when you first really start to see them.” Tourists, that is. After all, they’re the easi‐est to recognise as a species. They’re the pasty‐looking white blobs on the beach ‐unless it’s been unusually hot and they’re red as lobsters and being given the kiss of life by paramedics.

They’re the ones who hold you up. On the roads because they don’t know where they’re going. In supermarkets be‐cause they’re counting out their change. In restaurants because they’re confused about the difference between salmón and salmonete but, in any case, would prefer burger and chips.

If the weather suddenly turns bitterly cold and showery, they’re still dressed for summer. In summer, they’re the ones wandering around shops, streets and restaurants with hardly a stitch on.

Tourists could never be mistaken for two other species you encounter in Spain. The newly arrived expats and the

long‐term expats. The former you’ll see enthusiastically attending every Spanish class, Flamenco, bull fight and obscure fe‐ria and club imaginable.

Whereas long ‐ term expats are the complete opposite and the hardest to spot. They dress like the Spanish, wear

summer clothes only in summer and dress more formally in town. Like the Spanish too, they’ve learned to accept the way of life. Mañana really does mean, err, mañana.

Recent research showing that Nean ‐derthals came to spend the summer on the south coast of the Iberian peninsula also puts a new gloss on package holi ‐days in the sun. Thirty thousand years ago, when Europe was going through an icy period and snow covered practically everything north of the River Ebro, homi‐noids searched for somewhere warmer to give them a greater chance of survival.

We now know that Neanderthals ‘holi‐dayed’ in what is today the south of Por‐tugal and Spain after their most recent footprints were found in a quarry in Gibraltar.

So, first Neanderthals, then the Ro ‐mans. And with all the Roman ruins ‐ vil‐las, roads, marketplaces ‐ being un ‐earthed here, it struck me that the Romans were among the earliest ‘long‐term’ tourist species. You can just imag‐ine them, can’t you? Hurtling along the carreteras to the nearest encampment in their horse‐ drawn chariots. Holding up traffic at the roundabouts. Counting out their silver denarii coins in the markets.

Overseeing another luxury villa reforma. Before advancing over the Alps into Italy, Hannibal first got the show on the road in Spain when he breezed in from Carthage with his, err, caravan of nose‐to‐tail elephants. So is all the TAIL‐gating you occasionally observe among local drivers yet one more vestige of those an‐cient times?

Give a final thought to Strabo, an un‐lucky general who not only took a pasting from the locals, but died of the plague during one catastrophic campaign. Just as he was about to expire, lightning struck his tent and reduced it to ashes. So, not a happy camper either...

Not to be outdone, though, the worst UK campaign was in 1216 when King John, marching about dealing with a re‐bellion and a couple of invasions, caught dysentery in Norfolk, lost the Crown Jew‐els in the Wash, and died in Notting ‐hamshire. Nuff said.

Nora Johnson’s 12 critically acclaimed psychological suspense crime thrillers (www.nora‐johnson.net) all available on‐line including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Ap‐ple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

Property of the week

Villa Nicolas in the Zurgena area

EXCLUSIVE TO VOSS HOMES ‐ Deceptively spacious, recently and beautifully decorated, three bed, two bath house with 8m x 4m heated swimming pool, H&C air con, wall heaters, large conservatory and great views on a walled plot of 476m2 with beautifully landscaped gardens. Four mins drive to a popular restaurant / cafe.

Less than 10 mins drive from La Alfoquia, Zurgena and Arboleas villages with plenty of amenities. Fifteen mins drive to Huercal‐Overa town and 30 to 40 mins drive from the coast at Mojacar, Vera and Garrucha.

To the front of Villa Nicolas is a gated gar‐den with established plants which gets the sun all day long. The front door leads in to the huge living room / dining room with log burning fireplace, ceiling fans, air con and space for a large dining table. An archway takes you through to the separate, much larger than average recently modernised fit‐ted kitchen with plenty of worktop and cup‐board space with space for a table.

To one side of the living room is the main bedroom with built in wardrobes, air con and ensuite shower room. Also on this side is a guest bedroom also with built in

wardrobes..

To the other side of the living room is an alcove which acts as an office / computer area. This is ideal as it means you are not cluttering up a bedroom or living room with books, computers, printers etc. After this is the third double bedroom also with built in

wardrobes and ceiling fan.

From the dining area double doors lead out to the covered veranda with mosquito netting stretching the width of the house and looks out to the impressive, landscaped, private garden. This area makes a great out‐door living room / dining room.

Ref. VH2100

174,950 euros

The gar ‐den has been beautifully landscaped with a variety of Mediterranean and tropical plants and trees including two very impressive palm trees. A pathway leads through the garden into a private walled and gated area with 8m x 4m heated swimming pool to en‐able you to swim in the cooler months. This is surrounded with plenty of room for sun bathing or entertaining.

The house has low cost, modern electric heaters throughout, double glazed win‐dows with roller blinds, security grills and fly free screens. Mains electricity and water are connected. Satellite TV is via the internet.

Villa Nicolas is the centre one of three well maintained properties but the rear garden is private. The two other properties are tradi‐tional style renovated properties with ultra thick walls. The house was built only approx 15 years ago but was designed to feel like an older more characterful property, but with all the mod cons of a new villa.

Voss Homes is a British family‐run busi‐ness with an office in the local village of La Alfoquia and the thriving, market town of Huercal‐Overa.

For more information or to arrange a viewing of VH2100 please contact Voss Homes on 0034 950 616 827 or email us at enquiries@vosshomesspain.com

VILLA NICOLAS: Designed to be a characterful property, but with all the mod cons.

Nora

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

Nora’s latest thriller.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

Sleep on it

A SLEEPING pill appar ‐ently reduced levels of the proteins in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s.

Investigators in St Louis (Missouri) tracked 38 people using pre ‐scription medication su ‐vorexant for two nights. Those with the highest dose had amyloid levels

Ice cream esteem

up to a fifth lower than other participants by the next morning.

Doctors warned ex ‐tensive research is needed to back up these results, especially as previous research has suggested that taking sleeping pills can actual ‐ly increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Blast of fresh air

APPROXIMATELY 10 million people suffer from mi ‐graine in the UK and more than five million in Spain.

A face mask that delivers blasts of oxygen could soon help to alleviate their agonising headaches that are often accompanied by nausea, disturbed vision and sensitivity to light, sound and smells.

It is hoped that the device, which is currently being trialled by 160 patients, will help to reduce inflam ‐mation in the nerve cells in the same way as medica ‐tion.

The exact cause of migraines is not fully under ‐stood.

Nor is there a cure for them, which is habitually treated with painkillers and triptans to alleviate the pain.

TWENTY ‐ YEAR ‐ OLD re ‐search in the US has linked dairy ‐ based desserts like ice ‐ cream to heavily reduced chances of developing insulin ‐ resistance syn ‐

drome.

This is a precursor to diabetes in overweight people, but although ice cream has a lower gly ‐caemic index than super ‐healthy brown rice, doc ‐tors in the UK have given the recently resuscitated findings an icy reception.

“It may contain some nutrients which could be beneficial, like calcium, and it has a low gly ‐caemic index,” said Dr Duane Mellor, a senior lecturer and dietitian at Aston Medical School.

“But this is likely to be

Vaping alert

VAPING does not help young smokers break the habit, a survey of UK 1,000 teenagers revealed.

US researchers analysing the data discovered that frequent smoking ‐ more than six cigarettes a week ‐was higher in those who began vaping before they were 15.

outweighed by its sugar and calorie content,” he added.

Youngsters who smoked and vaped were twice as likely to smoke heavily by the time they left school than their peers who used tobacco, the investigators found.

Food for thought

DOCTORS believe that the food a woman eats can in‐fluence the onset on the menopause.

A 2018 Leeds University study found that women who ate a daily 90 grammes of oily fish like mackerel or trout experienced the menopause nearly three and a half years later than the UK’s average age of 51.

In contrast, those with a diet of refined foods, in‐cluding pasta and rice, went through the menopause around one and a half years earlier, the investigators said.

ICE CREAM: Benefits outweighed by sugar and calorie content.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Picjumbo

26% of adults in England are obese, 38% are overweight.

Cheers for beer

DAYS after dire warnings from the US regarding the dangers of alcohol, the University of Murcia put in a good word for beer.

Beer drinkers appear to have better mental and physical health than tee ‐totallers and ex ‐ drinkers, a research team an ‐nounced.

Analysing data from 33,185 participants in Spain’s National Health surveys between 2012 and 2017, they found that 80 per cent of moderate drinkers rated their physi‐cal health as ‘good’ com ‐

Cranberry cure

SO they were right all along.

Cranberry juice really can help to prevent uri ‐nary tract infections (UTIs), Australian re ‐searchers found after reviewing 50 trials in ‐volving 9,000 participants.

Many women swear by cranberry juice or supplements for preventing cystitis and the Australian review has confirmed that these can reduce the chance of contracting a future UTI by more than 25 per cent.

The odds were slashed by 53 per cent for children and those susceptible to infections following medical interventions, the investiga ‐tion found.

Experts believe this is due to cranberries’ high concentration of the antioxidant proan ‐thocyanidin, which prevents Escherichia coli (E.coli), the most common UTI ‐ causing bacte ‐ria, from sticking to the bladder wall.

Researchers nevertheless warned that cran ‐berries cannot cure an established UTI, for which it is necessary to seek medical attention.

All-round benefits

UNIVERSITY OF POTSDAM (Germany) research ac ‐claimed exercise as the best treatment for depres ‐sion.

It was at least as effective as drugs or talk thera ‐pies, investigators said, and had no potential side ‐effects or waiting lists for appointments.

Their findings were complemented by an Anglia Ruskin University study which showed that regular physical activity was beneficial for ailments ranging from high blood pressure and diabetes to dementia and arthritis.

The Academy of Medical Colleges in London also described physical activity as a “miracle cure” for many common ailments.

A paper published in 2015 concluded that it would also reduce pressure on the NHS if doctors encouraged their patients to exercise more fre ‐quently.

pared to 50 per cent of non‐drinkers.

Ninety per cent of beer‐drinkers regarded their mental health as ‘good’ compared to 80 per cent of non‐drinkers.

The heavier their intake, the better beer ‐ drinkers rated their health al ‐though the experts warned that they were more likely to eat fast food and smoke.

Green dream

PLANTS in the bedroom can help you sleep, maintained sleep psychologist Dr Kather‐ine Hall

They can reduce stress and anxiety while helping to clear the mind and relax the body, she explained.

Plants emit oxygen and also help to improve a room’s ven‐tilation and humidity, making it easier to breathe at night “and drift off.”

Snake plant ‐ also known as mother‐in‐law’s tongue ‐ is one of Dr Hall’s favourites, to‐gether with aloe vera, spider plant and peace lilies, all of which you’ll easily find at any florist or the open‐air market.

Testing situation

YOU should be careful with cosmetic testers, dermatolo‐gists and make‐up artists say.

There is usually a supply of pads and cotton buds to try out cosmetics, although many people use their fingers. Bac‐teria can also grow in the testers if people ‘double dip’ and re‐apply make‐up when using pads or cotton buds.

“If you must test make sure the tester is sealed, use an in‐dividual one‐time use applica‐tor and only put the make‐up on the back of your hand,” dermatologist Dr Tami Buss Cassis said.

BEER: Researchers give it the thumbs-up.

Photo credit:Pixabay/Alfbel

Good luck with that LETTERS

THIS is just a precursor to fully‐fledged, no go zones for the police, which will mirror the goings on in ‘culturally rich’ Sweden.

Birmingham City Council’s website says that “Birmingham is one of the first ‘super di‐verse’ cities in the UK where citizens from ethnic minorities make up more than half the population.” The headline to the article is “Why Birmingham’s super ‐ diversity is a strength, and not a surprise.”

We’ll see how that strength plays out.

Schengen

David

I read in your April 20‐26 edition that the UK along with France are the big spenders in the Valencian region. I wonder if the authori‐ties are aware that thanks to Brexit and the Schengen 90‐day Agreement that they are missing out on even more UK income. Al‐though I own property here I am now not coming over as much as I did and there are many more like me.

Manuel de Falla Villamartin.

Alan Morgan MD

Hello again

Do you think you could write something about this?

I have just read an article which has re‐duced me to tears of laughter, and it is seri‐ous. I tell you, 100 years down the line peo‐ple are going to look back to now and very recent times as lunacy. Political correctness is like an Orwell novel, as is woke etc.

This article refers to ‘larger‐bodied’ people and ‘people of size’. How bloody ridiculous. By normalising fat people, who are fat be‐cause they eat too much or do not exercise, we make life uncomfortable and more ex‐pensive and (health) less efficient for ‘nor‐mal‐sized’ people.

Currently, it is always the norm, the major‐ity, who have to suffer and subjugate them‐selves to the will of any minority.

The article is about Australia charging for two seats for a fat person. My opinion is that if that person can produce a valid medical certificate as to why they cannot reduce their weight, they should not be charged for two seats; otherwise, fair play ‐ two or even three seats charged.

If these people were shamed, perhaps they would do something about it. Go back 100 years, were there so many huge people about? No!!! Mostly it’s nothing to do with a medical condition. It is eating too much and laziness.

I have struggled with weight during my life and, because it is ugly and unhealthy, I have always tried to diet, exercise and keep it down.

Nowadays we are forced to watch ex ‐

tremely fat, mostly plain women, on our TVs in varying states of undress; in dramas or ad‐vertisements etc. It is unpleasant.

I agree with acceptance, of any person, but why do we have to aggrandise absolute‐ly every deviation from the norm?

Once again, sorry for the rant.

Jane

PS. Oh, and don’t start me on this bullying rubbish!!

Help needed

Dear Sir

I have a problem that I hope you or your readers can help me with.

I am an 86‐year‐old woman and I travel quite a lot .

I am quite fit, I go bowling two or three times a week. I also work one day a week in a charity shop.

I have always had travel insurance when‐ever I go away.

Since Covid the travel companies will not insure a person of my age.

The one I usually use stops at 85 years.

I have tried other companies, some stop at an even earlier age.

I might add I have never had to make a claim with any company.

I hope you can help me. I do have the card which entitles me to emergency medical treatment in some countries.

I can’t be the only older person who likes to travel.

I am hoping you can help me .

Kind regards.

I believe

Gwendoline Ottley

I was very interested to read your column in EWN April 20‐26 as I also believe “what you think is what you get.”

My bracelet is engraved with my motto ‘Think it, feel it, have it, be it’.

I followed the Law of Attraction for years then spent a long time studying a book on quantum physics. I was even compiling data to write a book about it all, then discovered that Pam Grout had already done one ‐ E2 ‐that gives you nine experiments to prove your thoughts create your reality.

When I talk to friends about it and the way that I can do things “because I believe I can”, I do get some strange looks, so it was great when I learned that the 2022 Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to the men who proved the key supposition of quantum the‐ory: that local realism is fake.

Thanks again for sharing the information so clearly ‐ I do hope others who read it will learn more and change their lives for the bet‐ter.

Kind regards,

Tricia Gabbitas

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Through to the fully fitted kitchen with modern appliances, plenty of work, and storage space. A table in the centre for fami‐ly dining. Next is a winter lounge, with ac‐cess to a very large sitting room, home to a traditional log‐burning fireplace, plus a ceil‐ing fan. To the rear outside of the villa, there is a private terrace area with a unique design 8m x 5m family pool, a large covered terrace with a built‐in bar room with an outdoor kitchen, including a cooker, fridge, and freez‐er, toilet facilities next to the pool, along with a shower cubicle. From the pool area, stairs lead up to a very spacious sun terrace, and a separate private flat, an open‐plan lounge with a log‐burning fire, an American‐

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Sitters care for pets at home

MANY pet‐sitters are used to being in charge while pet‐minding. However, when Talisker the cat has sitters in, he keeps an eye on them. It is good to find someone who will play with your pets, as well as look after them. House sitmatch can help you find such a pet‐sitter and compan‐ion at very little cost.

If you’re planning a trip regis‐ter now to find pet‐sitters in time. Whether your trip is short or long, you’ll know that sometimes you must leave pets at home. Young and se‐nior pets in particular benefit from staying at home, so they can follow their routines undis‐turbed. Join our pet and house sitting network, and the sitters come for free!

Choose Housesitmatch.com for affordable travel, home and pet care. These are the steps to take:

1. Register as a homeown‐er on HouseSitMatch.com

2. Choose a Premium ac‐count (£89 per year) to ensure 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.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert say‐ing when you are going on holi‐day. House‐sitters see your ad‐vert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

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Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch. com.

Need a pet or 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 20% discount using coupon code 20EWN – Reader exclusive offer. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com

Heads up for food

WE put lots of thought into the type of bed and accessories our pets use and we usually choose a cute dish for their food. Have you ever thought about where their water and food bowl should be, more specifically at what height?

Me neither but appar ‐ently it’s very important for the health of your dogs and cats. Placing their dish on the floor, as I imagine most people do, is something that veterinarians strongly advise against. Placing their dish on the floor causes digestive prob ‐

Paw-ty Time

DID you know that ‘puppy parties’ are getting more and more popular with families opting to throw a party for their poodles on their birthday? If you would like to plan a pet party celebration but you don’t know where to start here are some tips.

You should take into consideration the size of your dog and the invitees when picking the location for the party, you wouldn’t want your living room overrun with grey‐hounds for example.

Take into account the personality of your pup, if he scares easily, a small gathering that won’t be too stressful is best.

Don’t forget the re ‐freshments with plenty of fresh water on hand, dog‐gy snacks, and a pupcake

of course. Don’t forget to check with the humans before giving out treats and don’t forget human snacks!

Party favours like fris‐bees and tennis balls are very popular along with

some party hats if you can get them to keep them on.

Don’t forget the dog ‐themed decoration and take lots of photos so you can turn it into an album to remember the day.

lems because of the posi‐tion of their digestive or ‐gans especially in larger breeds.

So, at what height should it be positioned? They recommend that their water and food bowls be positioned at shoulder height.

This will help them di ‐gest food in a more natu ‐ral way and avoids in ‐creased pressure on the neck, back, and paws.

They then don’t have to eat in a forced posi ‐tion, this will help all dogs and cats but espe ‐cially our older furry friends.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

HAPPY PUPDAY: Don’t forget a pupcake.

Talisker the cat keeps an eye on the pet-sitters at work.

Photo credit: Flickr Seth Byrd

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Toyota Corolla Touring Sports - perfect choice?

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

FOR many people, espe ‐cially of a certain age, mention estate cars and Volvo comes to mind, es ‐tates that were favoured by antique dealers every ‐where. Look for a large estate now and to be honest you’ll struggle. We’ve moved to ‘lifestyle’ estates which are collo ‐quially known as Tourers, smaller load capacity but arguably more stylish and better handling than the estate barges of old.

One of the sleekest and most affordable estates, sorry tourers, is Toyota’s Corolla Touring Sports. Carrying their very well ‐proven hybrid technolo ‐gy, still a much more all ‐round and useable proposition than an EV, the Corolla may not be the most exciting means of transport, but as a

package it pretty much does everything you could want of a car. Lots of equipment, affordable running costs and very well bolted together. It feels like a car that will still be running and look ‐ing good in 20 years‐time.

Prices start from €35,363/£31,560 with four trim levels and two engine options ‐ 1.8 or 2.0 ‐ litre petrol hybrid.

Facts at a Glance

Standard fare on the en ‐try level model provides everything from front and rear

parking sensors and auto lights to smart phone

ming rear view mirrors to its standard equipment.

One of the first things

quality puts some rivals of similar price in the shade. You still get the bolt ‐ on ‐ iPad look of so many cars but that apart there’s a pleasing normal‐ity with a standard auto ‐matic gear shift lever, buttons (hurrah!) and de‐cent functionality to the touch screen.

• Model: Toyota Corolla Touring Sports Design

• Engine: 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol electric selfcharging hybrid

• Gears: CVT automatic

• Price: €37,123/£33,130

• Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 9.4

seconds/Maximum Speed 180 kph (112 mph).

• Economy: 4.7l/100km (60.1 mpg) Combined driving.

• Emissions: 106 g/km

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

connectivity and dual zone air conditioning. My test model was the Design trim, second up in the range, which adds keyless entry and start, power tailgate, privacy glass, power fold door mirrors and auto dim ‐

ent low stance, it looks very low yet isn’t com ‐pared to other cars of a similar type. So Toyota’s stylists obviously know a thing or two about sleek design!

Inside it looks and feels well assembled and the

As with anything Toy ‐ota, the Corolla is a smooth and refined drive, push the throttle too enthusiastically though and as is usual with a CVT transmission it hangs onto high engine revs meaning it’s rather vocal. Progressive rather than sudden acceleration is the order of the day.

If you’re looking for a car that’s got more practi‐cality than a hatchback, but still handles as capa ‐bly, looks good and is su ‐perbly well built, then the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Touring might just be the perfect choice.

Reinstatement, please

Anna Ellis UK Drivers and the RAC are calling for the hard shoulder to be reinstated on existing all ‐ lane ‐ run ‐ning smart motorways.

Seven ‐ in ‐ 10 drivers (69

per cent) want the hard shoulder to be reinstated on the 235 miles of exist ‐ing all‐lane‐running smart motorways, regardless of the government claiming it would be too disruptive

and costly, according to new research by the RAC.

The RAC believes this week’s decision to scrap 14 all ‐ lane ‐ running schemes needs to be quickly followed by the reinstatement of hard shoulders as this is clearly what a majority of drivers are expecting.

Anything less will be seen as a poor excuse which could lead to more lives being needlessly lost on these controversial motorways, with just 31 per cent of drivers saying the hard shoulder should not be restored.

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “While we’re pleased, the gov ‐ernment reached the same conclusion that many drivers already have by cancelling future smart motorway schemes which would have seen around dozens more miles of hard shoulder disappearing forever.”

TOURING SPORT: Looks good and is superbly well built - this might be the perfect choice for you.

Decarbonising

Anna Ellis

Use of triangles may be scrapped

THE Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) is said to be contemplating eliminating the obli‐gation to place the orange emergency trian‐gles in the event of a vehicle breaking down in the middle of a motorway or dual carriage‐way. This move is the result of a marked in‐crease in the number of road accidents.

Pere Navarro, the director of the DGT, stat‐ed as much during a press briefing on Tues‐day, April 4. He explained: “Last year there were 16 deaths on motorways and dual car‐riageways of people who had got out of their vehicle.” The DGT director added that one in every 10 road deaths was caused by some‐body being hit by a car.

Currently, when a vehicle suffers a road ac‐cident, it is compulsory for the driver to signal it to other road users, either with the emer‐

gency triangles or with the V‐16 emergency light, which is placed on the roof of the car and will eventually replace the triangles.

However, this new regulation will not be compulsory until January 2026, so in the meantime, both forms of signalling will coex‐ist. There will still be drivers who opt for the triangles and have to get out of their car to place it, running the risk of being knocked down.

Therefore, in view of this danger, the DGT is ‘assessing’ how to eliminate the obligation of signalling on motorways and dual carriage‐ways. This is something that other countries have already put into practice, and as DGT sources confirmed to a news source, Pere Navarro is studying how to do it at a regulato‐ry level.

UK ministers and aviation chiefs have revealed an action plan for the next two years in the race to reach Jet Zero by 2050, as the government contin ‐ues with ambitious plans to decarbonise faster than any other G7 coun ‐try, grow the economy, and support hundreds of thousands of well ‐ paid green jobs.

The Jet Zero Council ‐made up of industry, aca‐demic and government leaders ‐ met last week at Farnborough Airport.

Through its two ‐ year plan, the council commit‐ted to continue working to speed up the design, manufacture, and rollout of zero emission aircraft and vital infrastructure at UK airports.

The plan sets out how the council will help to ac‐celerate the production of sustainable aviation fu‐els (SAF), by continuing to

invest millions of pounds in first ‐ of ‐ a ‐ kind SAF plants, supporting crucial scientific research on a larger scale, and helping to drive down production costs.

Farnborough Airport al‐so played host to the Sus‐tainable Skies World Summit April 17 ‐ 18, which gathers experts and leaders from the worlds of aviation, gov ‐

ernment, energy, and en ‐gineering.

AMBITIOUS PLANS: To reach zero emissions.

BROKEN DOWN: Warning triangles are currently used to alert other drivers.

35% of registered cars owners in the UK are female.

Driver killed in horror crash

A HORRIFIC crash during the Rallysprint San Bar‐tolomé de Pinares in the Spanish province of Avila resulted in the death of rally driver David López Tomico.

The incident occurred on Saturday, April 22, while he was competing in a round of the Castilla and León Rallysprint Championship.

Tomico and his co‐driver Natalia Rios Diaz were on the first downhill section of the course between San Bartolomé de Pinares and the Port of El Boquerón when tragedy struck at around 3.15pm. Their Fiat Abarth Grande Punto left the road at high speed and subsequently rolled about 50 metres down a steep ravine.

Diaz was rescued from the wreckage by firefight‐ers who had been de ‐ployed to the scene and transferred to a hospital for treatment. Sadly, they were unable to save the

life of the driver. The race was abandoned for the rest of the day by its or‐ganisers as a mark of re‐spect to Tomico, as re ‐ported by a news source .

The deceased driver’s team, Vallejo Racing, posted a poignant tribute to him on Twitter. It read: “Again, this sport hit us where it hurts the most.

Vallejo Racing is in mourning because we have lost one of our own: David López Tomico, a passionate lover of mo‐torsports, a leader in his work and an example of perseverance and love for his people.”

It continued: “He joined the team in 2022 and his encouragement and strength were essen‐tial for the Dakar 2023 project to come to fruition. Today we not only lose a mechanic or a member of the team, but a real friend is gone. David, your strength will always be with us.”

Nagelsmann rejects new offer

ANY hopes that Chelsea had of tempting Julian Nagelsmann to be‐come their next manager have been crushed after the German al ‐legedly turned down the club’s of ‐fer.

According to reports on Friday, April 21, Julian Nagelsmann has re‐jected the offer of becoming the next manager of Premier League club Chelsea.

The 35 ‐ year ‐ old German was available having been sacked re ‐cently as coach of Bundesliga gi ‐ants, Bayern Munich.

Nagelsmann was thought to be one of the front‐runners to land the Stamford Bridge job currently held by interim boss Frank Lampard.

The club’s American owner Todd Boehly fired Graham Potter earlier this month after a series of awful results saw the Londoners freefalling down the table.

However, posting on Twitter on Friday, the respected sports jour ‐nalist Fabrizio Romano reported ex‐clusively that Nagelsmann was no longer in the running to fill the post in West London.

“EXCLUSIVE: Julian Nagelsmann has now withdrawn from the race

to become the new Chelsea head coach ‐ it looks like it’s his final de‐cision. #CFC German coach is said to be no longer available after mul‐tiple round of talks. Nagelsmann was top candidate for the job,” he tweeted.

Fabrizio posted again only a few minutes later, repeating what the

German had told Sky Sport DE: “Ju‐lian Nagelsmann when asked said talks had collapsed with Chelsea for head coach job: ‘To cancel some ‐thing, you have to commit to some‐thing’, he told Sky Sport DE. It’s def‐initely over between Nagelsmann & #CFC ‐ different views on crucial points.”

JULIAN NAGELSMANN: Had different views on crucial points

Credit: Steffen Prößdorf - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0