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Best start
BANKINTER had an excellent start to 2023.
The bank reported firstquarter profits of €185 million, 20 per cent more than the same period last year and Bankinter’s bestever JanuaryMarch 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 measures brought in to ease the costofliving crisis.
The stock market immediately responded with a 5 per cent increase in Bankinter shares although these later fell back to around 2 per cent.
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
