Mallorca 27 April – 3 May 2023 Issue 1973

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 16 ‐ 20 Issue No. 1973 27 April - 3 May 2023

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Safer workers

MALLORCA • EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

WHEEL POWER

MORE than 8,000 cyclists will take part in this year’s Mallorca 312 race through the island on Saturday (April 29).

One of the most im‐ portant sporting events of the year, the Mallorca 312 transforms the is‐

land into a haven for cy‐ cling enthusiasts from all over the world.

This will be the 13th edition of the race that begins and ends at Playa de Muro with three al‐ ternative routes of 167, 225 and 312 kilometres.

However, on the downside, the race also entails numerous traffic cuts and restrictions for drivers in the northern and southwestern parts of the island.

Information panels have been set up for sev‐ Image by Mallorca 312 Ok Mobility/Facebook

Accidents have fallen.

WORKPLACE accidents in Mallorca dropped by 5.6 per cent last year compared to 2019.

The figures, published by the regional government, were obtained by analysing and comparing the last two ‘normal’ years, ie without tak‐ ing into account 2020 and 2021, when employment fig‐ ures were much lower due to the pandemic.

According to regional Em‐ ployment councillor Iago Negueruela, accident num‐ bers dropped in all produc‐ tive sectors including cater‐ ing, construction, industry and agriculture, among oth‐ ers.

Furthermore, up to 99.5 per cent of industrial accidents last year were minor and more than one third occurred during the first three months of new contracts, leading the authorities to ascertain that temporary employment con‐ tinues to have an effect on workplace safety.

Sr Negueruela pointed out that the Balearic Islands were the fifth Spanish region with the highest drop in industrial accidents last year compared to 2019 and that figures have fallen by nearly 20 per cent since 2017, despite registering higher overall employment statistics.

The councillor also revealed that the Govern had ap‐ proved an investment of more than €41 million until 2027 to prevent workplace accidents and improve safety.

FREE • GRATIS

312 RACE: One of the most important sporting events in Mallorca.

Tourism boost TOURISM occupation levels in Mallorca are increasing even during the low sea‐ son.

The Balearic Islands ended March as the third Spanish region with the high‐ est figures with more than 53 per cent of hotel rooms occupied, after the Ca‐ nary Islands with 71 per cent and

Madrid with 56 per cent, according to figures published by the National Statistics Institute.

Analysts predict that this increase in off‐peak tourism between November and March suggests that the Balearics will register record occupation figures this year.

eral days at the affected areas, with alternate roads being closed off from the starting time at 6.30am to 8.30pm.

Organisers have set up an information helpline with three mobile tele‐ phone numbers (644 139 312, 644 733 318 and 644 614 859), as well as

an email address (car reteres@mallorca312.co m) for residents and visi‐ tors to check the traffic situation.

Further information can also be obtained at mallorca312.com/car reteres and Mallorca 312 Ok Mobility on Face‐ book.

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Brexit again the island, but claims that since 2021 the regional Education department has excluded her and an‐ other British teacher from the list of interns due to Brexit and the fact that she does not have Span‐ ish nationality.

Ms Farr filed an initial

appeal that was ignored by the Balearic Island au‐ thorities, prompting the teacher to raise the issue with the European Com‐ mission, which ruled in her favour and forced the regional government to rectify, as the Withdrawal Agreement entitles long‐

Calanova Cancer Care

TODAY, Thursday April 27, a new, much larger Calanova Cancer Care shop will be open to the public at Avinguda de Joan Miró, 356 in San Agustin, Palma.

Calanova Cancer Charity wish to remind everyone that “no one gets paid anything for their work, so every euro earned is given ‐ after expenses ‐ to the main cancer charities who do so much to help the people on the island who suffer from this dreadful disease.”

The main recipients of the funds include the AECC (Spanish Association Against Can‐ cer), the ASPANOB (children with cancer), DIME (palliative care) and the Cancer Support Group.

“We do need help, so anyone who has four hours to spare a week or a month and would like to come and join our team of volunteers please get in touch with Angela on 609 848 622,” said a spokesperson for the group.

“You will be very welcome and will meet lots of people, make new friends and have a nice time working knowing that you will be helping so many people.”

Calanova Cancer Care shop opens from 10am to 2pm Monday to Saturday.

Marina extension ban

THE regional government this week passed a new law banning the construc‐ tion of new marinas or the extension of existing ones for a period of 15 years.

Mobility councillor Josep Marí explained that the new General Ports Plan is aimed at favouring public access to the sea and the nautical world “in an efficient and sustain‐ able way”.

According to Sr Marí, the final document was agreed with the nautical sector and all administra‐ tions involved, and fore‐ sees the creation of tem‐ porary anchorage areas with low‐impact buoys and the provision of a network of dry marinas, which will be integrated into their surroundings and located mainly in in‐ land areas or close to ex‐ isting harbours.

The new Plan was drawn up following a re‐ port by Balearic ports management body Ports IB, which carried out a study and diagnosis of the current nautical sector to “detect future needs and comply with the existing demand,” in the words of the councillor.

The general goal is to optimise existing installa‐ tions without the need to build new ones.

Rental boat safety clampdown

RENTAL companies and users of boats that do not require official qualifications for handling will be obliged to meet a new series of safety measures.

The Balearic Islands regional Mobility department met with maritime transport and nautical business representatives this week to discuss the issue of safety at the region’s ports.

One of the main points of discussion was that the coexistence of commercial vessels with leisure boats often leads to problems and safety concerns, as un‐ trained users are not familiar with proce‐ dures.

The regional government announced the introduction of new legislation to reg‐ ulate seasonal rental boats, with the sec‐ tor now forced to abide by any instruc‐ tions issued by maritime transport chiefs.

Regional Mobility councillor Josep Marí highlighted the fact that the agreement reached between the public and private sectors will “put an end to the problems experienced over the last few summer seasons and will improve safety at the re‐ gion’s ports.

“It is now up to the rental companies to ensure that these regulations are met,” the councillor added.

Image by Oksana Kuzmina/Shutterstock

A BRITISH teacher has ac‐ cused the regional Educa‐ tion department of dis‐ crimination due to her nationality.

Serena Farr currently works as an intern at the Official Language School in Palma and has been a resident in Spain since 1993.

For the last 10 years she has worked as a tempo‐ rary English teacher at several public schools on

NEWS

Serena Farr has been a teacher in Mallorca for the last 10 years.

term British residents to maintain their employ‐ ment rights despite no longer being European citizens.

Despite the victory, Ed‐ ucació is now reportedly preventing her from tak‐ ing part in the stabilisa‐ tion process for interim staff and denies her the option to take part in the competitive examination procedures, known in Spanish as oposiciones.

Motorhome dispute RESIDENTS in residential areas in Palma are complaining about the arrival of large num‐ bers of caravans and mo‐ torhomes.

Dozens of these large vehi‐ cles are currently parked at ur‐ banisations in Son Moix, La Vileta, Son Rapinya, Arabela, Son Xigala, Son quint and Son Puig, according to Local Police.

Previously, RV drivers gath‐ ered mainly in Ciudad Jardín and the car park of Son Hugo sports centre.

This new situation is causing heated arguments between residents and caravan owners over parking and other issues such as disposal of wastewa‐ ter, which is sometimes report‐ edly being done directly into the sewage system.

Some residents report that the first vehicles began arriving in the residential areas before the Covid pandemic, with owners spending the lock‐ downs in their vehicles, and that since the end of the health emergency numbers have spi‐ ralled.

Caravan and motorhome owners in Mallorca have long been demanding the creation of specific areas for them to park and spend the night, cul‐ minating in several protest drives through the island.

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Ramadan ends HUNDREDS of followers of the Islamic faith in Mallorca gathered in the Germans Es‐ calas sports centre last Friday to take part in a collective prayer to mark the end of Ramadan.

Global tourism MALLORCA Tourism depart‐ ment has joined a global net‐ work of Tourism Museums, transforming its installations into Room 98 of the interna‐ tional project with a wealth of documents and images outlining the development of the island as a holiday des‐ tination since 1905.

Fire alert MALLORCA was placed on extreme forest fire alert this week as temperatures were expected to reach up to 16ºC higher than usual for this time of year, escalating gradually until Saturday due to the entrance of a mass of hot air from Africa.

Love Island BUILDING work is under way on the new Mallorca villa that will host the next instal‐ ment of ITV2 reality TV show Love Island. Filming at the new site is expected to start in early June.

Crime down CRIME in Inca dropped by 2.6 per cent over the first three months of the year, ac‐ cording to figures released by the Guardia Civil. The lat‐ est meeting of the Local Se‐ curity Board highlighted the positive results in prevention work and the coordination between the force and the Local Police.

No-show charge MALLORCA restaurants have begun charging cus‐ tomers who fail to turn up after making a reservation. It was reported the measure, performed by using bank card details submitted by clients to make the reserva‐ tion, is becoming more wide‐ spread to compensate for losses caused by no‐shows.

Emblematic towns THE Mallorca town of Santa Maria del Camí has joined a regional programme to protect and promote traditional com‐ merce.

Santa Maria’s entry on the ‘Em‐ blemáticos baleares’ list features 15 es‐ tablishments specialising in a wide range of products and activities including clothes, wine, ceramics, agriculture, live‐ stock farming and furniture.

There are now 26 towns from all over the Balearic Islands on the list with a to‐ tal of 295 shops and businesses regis‐ tered. In addition to protecting tradi‐ tional and proximity trade on the islands, ‘Emblemáticos baleares’ also aims to promote the uniqueness of each town through its local businesses activi‐ ties, thus also doubling as tourism pro‐ motion for visitors from the islands and beyond.

Santa Maria del Camí features 15 specialist establishments.

Each town hall identifies the business‐ es eligible to become ‘emblematic’ fol‐ lowing a series of criteria to be classed as ‘rooted’ ‐ offering a unique product or trade, ‘historical’ ‐ more than 75 years of

existence ‐ and/or ‘heritage’, offering significant cultural elements.

For the full list of towns and further information visit emblematicsbalears. es.

Taking the pee UIB cashes in DOG owners in Manacor are now obliged by law to clean up their pets’ urine with a mixture of water and vinegar when out walking in the town.

Failure to do so could land owners with fines of up to €3,000 under a new modification of the munici‐ pal domestic animal law.

The document also makes it obligatory for dog owners to carry plastic bags to clean up after their pets, as until now the law merely

stated that owners had to do so, but did not specify how.

“We must make coexis‐ tence compatible between everyone who lives in the town, including children, el‐ derly residents, baby pushchairs and wheel‐ chairs,” declared local Envi‐ ronment councillor Sebastià Llodrà.

The law change will also be accompanied by a cam‐ paign to raise awareness among pet owners.

THE various investigation projects carried out at the Balearic Islands University (UIB) in Palma last year net‐ ted the institution a record income of €8.2 million.

According to the balance sheet presented at the UIB this week, the funds were raised through four main ac‐ tivities, namely research and development contracts, management contracts, tech‐ nology and knowledge licens‐ ing fees, and funds raised through agreements, chairs

Mallorca Preservation Foundation THE Mallorca Preservation Foundation (MAPF) is proud to announce that they have received the Environmental Award at the #PremiosOCRMallorca 2023 sponsored by Melià.

“This recognition means a lot to us, as it ac‐ knowledges our dedication and hard work in protecting and preserving the environment on the beautiful island of Mallorca,” said a spokesperson for the organisation.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to our MAPF family, including our executive com‐ mittee, donors, ambassadors, advisory board, and volunteers, for their unwavering support and contribution. We could not have achieved this without their effort and dedica‐ tion. We will continue to work closely with the community and other organisations to

MAPF is proud to announce the award.

ensure that Mallorca remains a unique and special place in the world. We are proud to be part of a passionate community that is com‐ mitted to environmental protection, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration towards a future where the environment is respected and protected.”

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YOUR EWN HAS

Image by the Balearic Islands Government

NIBS EXTRA

27 April - 3 May 2023

Image by the Mallorca Preservation Foundation

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and donations.

The record year for the in‐ stitution comes after the same activities netted just €1.9 million in 2021.

A large part of the surge in income was due to the sale of the UIB‐derived biophar‐ maceutical company Sanifit to Swiss pharmaceutical firm Vifor Pharma for €3.75 mil‐ lion.

The UIB managed a total of 192 contracts last year, 131 with private companies and 61 with public entities, with the energy and environment sectors accounting for 30 per cent of the total income raised.

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STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Firefighters to the rescue A 50‐YEAR‐OLD man was rescued this week after spending four days stranded in the moun‐ tains of sa Coma.

The fire department recue services located the man, who had sus‐ tained a leg injury while out walking, thanks to the guidance of several walkers who heard the man calling for help.

He was taken by am‐ bulance to Son Espases hospital to receive treat‐ ment for his leg injury, but his condition was said to be stable.

The day before, the fire department also rescued a young man from Na Clara beach in Betlem (Artà) after he collapsed onto the shore with symptoms of near drowning, hy‐ pothermia and com‐ plete physical exhaus‐ tion after spending a prolonged period swim‐ ming in the sea and swallowing a large amount of water.

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Decarbonising the sea THE Balearic Islands gov­ ernment plans to decar­ bonise the sea with elec­ tric boats and renewable energy.

This was the main gist of the BlueWeek forum that took place for the first time in Palma last week, aimed at discussing the ‘blue economy’, innova­ tion in the maritime sec­ tor, maritime energies and decarbonisation.

The event was inaugu­ rated by regional vice­ president and Energy Transition councillor Juan

Pedro Yllanes, who high­ lighted the Govern’s com­ mitment to renewable marine energy sources to diversify the region’s sup­ ply model and attain ener­ getic sovereignty.

“The maritime sector can contribute to the tran­ sition towards more sus­ tainable and cleaner ener­ gy sources through marine renewable energy produc­ tion. This includes offshore wind, wave and tidal ener­ gy, among others,” de­ clared Sr Yllana.

The Director General of

Energy and Climate Change, Pep Malagrava, said: “The electrification of ports and ships is a vital step in the process of de­ carbonisation of the Is­ lands. We are aware that the maritime transport sector, and also the air transport sector, are ma­ jor emitters of gases into the atmosphere, and therefore, any process that can be carried out us­ ing the necessary tools and resources to reduce these emissions is wel­ come.”

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

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

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.

NEWS

Doctors and nurses

YEARLY EVENT: A stand by the Public Health Agency.

Vaccination drive THE Balearic Islands Health department has invested €3.2 million in the purchase of 20,000 Meningococcal B vaccines for this year and next.

Nearly 10,000 babies will be eligible for the jab each year, with doses given at two, four and 12 months old.

The vaccine, which will be­ gin to be administered in May, was included by the

Spanish authorities on the public vaccination calendar for all children in November 2022.

Until then it was only of­ fered to those within certain high­risk categories, meaning families who did not qualify had to pay more than €300 for the three jabs.

Meningococcal B disease is a low­frequency but very se­ rious infection that can lead to meningitis or bloodstream infection, both of which can be deadly or leave serious af­ ter­effects.

In a related development this week, the Balearic Public Health Agency took part in World Immunization Week, a yearly event organised by the World Health Organisation.

Stand up and be counted SPAIN’S local and regional elec­ tions take place on May 28.

In the Balearics, current sur­ veys point to a very open re­ sult, with the incumbent Francina Armengol (PSOE) hoping to renew her term for another four years at the head of the Govern in coalition with Unidas Podemos and Més per Mallorca, with the help of three other smaller forces.

Biting at her heels is the Par­ tido Popular (PP), who would require at least the support of far­right Vox and probably also of several regional parties to claim the autonomic presiden­ cy.

The governing left­wing coalition is currently ahead in the polls by just one seat, so May 28 looks to be a nail­biting time for all those involved.

THE public health service in the Balearic Islands has been described as ‘deficient’.

According to the latest study by the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Healthcare (FADSP), the Balearics are in 10th place on the list of 17 Spanish regions with re­ gards to the overall qual­ ity of the health service.

The Balearic Islands received a total score of 81 points, lower than the national average of 84 and a long way from the region with the high­ est score, namely Navar­ ra with 108 points.

On the positive side, the Balearics have climbed one place with regards to last year’s study. However, the re­ search shows that the is­ lands’ Primary Care ser­ vices have the worst ratio of GPs per 1,000 in­ habitants in the country (0.46) and the second worst ratio of nurses at local health centres (0.54). In both categories its closest rival is Madrid, who have the worst ra­ tio of nurses per 1,000 inhabitants and the sec­ ond worst ratio of GPs. The figures improve drastically regarding spe­ cialised nursing and hos­ pital care, coming in fifth and ninth place respec­ tively for the number of professionals per inhabi­ tant.

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

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27 April - 3 May 2023

Cleaning up

Glenn Wickman MALLORCA is known for its stunning beaches and crystal­clear waters.

However, with the in­ creasing population of residents and tourists, the shorelines are becom­ ing more polluted.

To address this issue in Colònia de Sant Pere (Artá), a beach­cleaning initiative has been launched with 30 volun­ teers from the Colonia Neta and Fundació Som organisations.

The aim is to encourage responsibility for keeping the coastline clean and to raise awareness about the impact of personal lit­ ter on the environment.

Kay Newton, co­ founder of Colonia Neta, says: “When we see first­ hand what is happening on our shores, we are motivated to reduce plas­ tic consumption at home.

When we curtail our use

Credit Kay Newton Facebook

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COLONIA NETA: Beach cleaners on duty. of plastic it cannot get in­ to the sea.

“Beach cleaning is es­ sential to preserve the beauty and health of our shoreline and also to maintain the tourism in­ dustry in Mallorca. Litter not only ruins the aes­ thetic appeal but poses a threat to marine life and the delicate Mediter­

ranean ecosystem.

“Plastic waste, in par­ ticular, is a significant concern as it takes hun­ dreds of years to decom­ pose and always remains in the water, harming ma­ rine life,” warns Kay. For further information visit Colonia Neta on In­ stagram and fundacio som.org.

MORE than 150 students from 10 schools and col­ leges throughout the Balearic Islands this week took part in the first round of a home­made satellite launch competi­ tion organised by the Eu­ ropean Space Agency.

The region is the latest Spanish region to join the national league to select the best ESO and bac­ calaureate students who will then go on to face representatives of other European centres.

The 24 Balearic teams assembled and launched their rockets on Monday at Son Albertí aerodrome in Llucmajor. The launch­ es were a success, with a team from the IES Pasqual Calbó in Menorca voted the winner.

Their project will repre­ sent the region in the na­ tional phase of the com­ petition in Granada (Andalucía) on May 19.

The ‘CanSat’ project by the European Space Agency consists of build­ ing satellites the size of a can of soft drink by repli­

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Space race

cating a real space pro­ ject.

Competitors must work as a team, control their budget and defend their creation in front of a jury.

Participants are re­

quired to develop all ele­ ments of a space satellite, including energy source, sensors, a communica­ tions system and a parachute for safe land­ ing, in such a tiny space.

Cereal harvest alert FARMERS in Mallorca are warning that this year’s cereal har­ vest could be much lower than normal due to the lack of rain­ fall and high temperatures.

Producers hoped that this year would see an improvement following difficult conditions in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine and high production costs.

But with rainfall this month being much lower than expect­ ed and the record high temperatures for the time of year have led farmers to predict another poor season.

The heat predicted for the next few days will reportedly cause the grain to grow smaller than usual, thus affecting the size and quality of the crop.

As well as cereal and grain, predictions are not much better for certain rainfed crops such as olives, almonds and carobs.

Spokespeople for the sector reveal that despite the nega­ tive forecast, the drought situation on the island is not as bad as in other parts of Spain such as Catalonia, where this week the main irrigation channel in the region had to be closed ear­ ly for the first time in more than 100 years due to critically low water levels.

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APARTMENT BLOCKS: Are being built for letting only.

However, spokespeople for the association are also wary about the new Housing Law re­ cently approved by the Spanish government that sets maxi­ mum limits on how much land­ lords can charge their tenants, which they fear could make the scheme less attractive for in­ vestors.

“When the Catalan housing law was passed, up to 30 per cent of long­term rent proper­ ties disappeared in Barcelona” warns association vice­presi­ dent Natàlia Bueno, adding that the restrictions encouraged many property owners to switch to holiday lets to make more money.

Sra Bueno also points out that the new national law tight­

ens up the conditions for eject­ ing non­paying tenants includ­ ing the possibility of delaying evictions for up to two years.

“All this discourages owners from renting out their proper­ ties, which means that all these build to rent projects could fi­ nally end up for sale,” predicts the association vice­president.

80% of waste items found on Spanish beaches is plastic.

NEW legislation has been passed to improve working conditions for hotel room cleaners.

Establishments will now be required to specify the maximum number of rooms that each ‘kelly’ ­ as these workers are known in Spain ­ can clean during their regular working day.

The aim of the ruling, pre­ sented jointly by the Balearic Islands Government, the Mallorca Hotel Business Fed­ eration and trades unions

UGT and Comisiones Obr­ eras, is to put an end to the excessive workloads and abusive conditions faced by these employees.

Controls will be carried out this summer to ensure that hotels are abiding by the rules, although the unions admit that it will not be easy to guarantee that the condi­ tions are kept.

An estimated 20,000 ‘kellys’ are expected to bene­ fit from the measure throughout the Balearic Is­

PALMA’S Municipal Sports Institute (IME) will save more than €700,000 a year on electricity bills thanks to a new contract signed this week with the municipal ener­ gy board (EMAYA).

It is the latest in a series of local bodies to switch to EMAYA, after the municipal chil­ dren’s school board and the housing board.

The IME is one of the council depart­ ments with the highest electricity con­ sumption, accounting for more than 6 per cent of the town hall’s total.

Its yearly bill was higher than €2 million, but thanks to the new deal signed with EMAYA it will drop to €1.3 million according to current market prices. The savings are expected to be even greater once the INE’s

lands this summer.

Balearic Islands President Francina Armengol declared during the presentation of the new ruling at the region­ al government headquarters in Palma that she is “proud that a tourism law agreed by all parties for the first time focuses on the health of workers.”

Sra Armengol added that the next step is to extend this type of legislation to all other hotel sector employ­ ees.

Reduction on electricity bills

gas supply is also switched over to the mu­ nicipal supplier.

EMAYA became Palma Council’s official electricity and gas supplier in 2022, found­ ed with the aim of improving energy effi­ ciency and boosting the use of renewable sources.

Once all the municipal departments and bodies switch over to EMAYA throughout this year, the council is expected to save around €4.8 million in its yearly electricity and gas bills.

Palma population to grow by 60,000

PALMA council predicts that the city’s population will in­ crease by 60,000 over the next 20 years.

The town hall approved the new General Town Plan, which foresees a ‘moderate’ growth over the next two decades compared to the 120,000 increase registered over the last 20 years, ac­ cording to Palma mayor José Hila.

Despite the predicted pop­ ulation rise, the Town Plan suggests that all the afford­ able housing, green area, in­ frastructure and services re­ quirements will be covered without any major problems.

Interestingly, the docu­ ment states that 70 per cent of the increase in said re­ quirements will be covered by existing facilities through restoration, regeneration and other improvements.

In fact, the Town Plan re­ duces the total surface area classed as suitable for con­ struction to nearly half of the amount established by the previous document of 1998, dropping from 494 hectares to 280.

Image by Mitya-africa/Shutterstock

BUILD TO RENT housing devel­ opments are taking off in Mal­ lorca.

Several apartment blocks built entirely for letting and not for sale are well underway on the island, including more than 300 new homes nearing com­ pletion in the Nou Llevant area.

The build to rent properties currently under construction or in the planning phase in Mallor­ ca are aimed at the luxury and high­income markets, with no plans as yet for lower budgets.

One of the most interesting developments is a group of five apartments built inside a reno­ vated 14th century manor house in Sant Jaume neigh­ bourhood in Palma.

Among the services on offer for the future tenants are a community spa, wine cellar, swimming pool, garden and an exclusive apartment for guests, all for €7,500 a month.

According to the Balearic Is­ lands Association of Property Agents, the build to rent scheme is “vital to solve the problem of lack of property to let in Mallorca.”

Image by TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

Build to rent takes off Better working conditions for ‘kellys’

PALMA: The number of new houses to be built has doubled.

The 235 declassified hectares are located in low­ density residential growth areas such as Son Gual, Pun­ tiró and Génova.

Despite this surface reduc­ tion, the number of new houses to be built doubles under the new plan and the number of council­owned housing is multiplied by four.

This is reportedly made possible because the popula­ tion density per hectare is in­ creased from five inhabi­ tants under the previous Town Plan to 75 in the new one.

More than 800 allegations and modifications were filed against the first draft of the

Town Plan presented in November 2021, of which 60 per cent were accepted and included in the final docu­ ment.

Among them was the de­ classification of urban land in Son Sardina, Sa Indioteria Sud, Son Cladera Nord and Sud, Son Pardo and Puigdor­ fila Sud. In the case of the latter area, original plans to build 800 new houses have been reduced to less than half.

Protection of rustic land, Natural Interest and Scenic Interest Areas has also been stepped up, with nearly 8,230 hectares of rustic land now officially protected.

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Warning of high temperatures SPAIN’S Health Ministry issued an advisory, after forecasts made by the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, predicted exceptionally high temper‐ atures across the country, for this time of the year.

In view of this warning, the Ministry of Health is‐ sued a series of recommen‐ dations for dealing with the heat.

According to AEMET, temperatures during this week were predicted to reach up to 40ºC in some parts of the country.

Some of the tips are: 1. Drinking water fre‐ quently.

2. Avoid drinks with caf‐ feine, alcohol, or sugar.

3. Pay special attention to the elderly, babies, and children.

4. Prioritise being in cool places.

5. Avoid practising sports between midday and 5pm.

AEMET forecasts for the week state that “a very warm and dry air mass will enter over the Peninsula and the Balearic archipela‐ go”, as per a news source.

As a result, Spain will ex‐ perience a rise in tempera‐ tures to record “values typi‐ cal of summer and exceptionally high for this time of year.”

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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 offi‐ cials 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

leaders will coordinate on is‐ sues including climate change and expanded coop‐ eration with Latin America and the Caribbean, as Spain prepares to take on the ro‐ tating presidency of the Council of the European Union,” as cited by a news agency.

In a statement, she stated that “The two leaders will review our efforts as NATO allies and close partners to

Sanchez to visit Joe Biden at the White House.

strengthen our bilateral de‐ fence relationship, transat‐ lantic security, and econom‐ ic prosperity”.

She also added, “They will

Charging ahead SPAIN has taken a major step towards reducing electronic waste and promoting sustainability in the technology industry by adapt‐ ing the EU’s universal charger law to fit its own regulations.

On Friday, April 21, the country announced its adoption of the EU’s universal charger law, but with some unique regulations of its own. This move is set to revolutionise the way we charge our de‐ vices and could save consumers and retailers millions of euros.

Customers will now have the option to choose whether they want a new charger to come with their electronic devices. This means that people who already have chargers compatible with their new devices can opt‐out of purchasing a new one, reducing unnecessary electronic waste. The law will also ensure that manu‐ facturers provide clear information on device charging capabilities.

Spain’s adaptation of the EU regulations will help to promote the reuse of cables and chargers, reducing electronic waste and saving consumers approximately €26 million per year. Retailers and distributors are also set to benefit from an estimated increase of €48 million saved annually.

Royal reception Anna Ellis HIS Majesty, King Felipe VI received an audience of the Presidents and Directors of the European Chambers of Commerce in Spain at the Zarzuela Palace on Friday, April 21.

The objective of the re‐ ception was to strengthen the ties between Spain and the European Chambers of Commerce in Spain, as well as to promote economic and business development in Spain.

The association that inte‐ grates the European Cham‐ bers of Commerce in Spain brings together 19 Cham‐ bers representing some 7,000 companies and aims to promote bilateral busi‐ ness relations between the countries represented, as well as economic growth.

The European Chambers of Commerce in Spain play a fundamental role in promot‐ ing business growth and the expansion of trade relations in the European market.

During the reception, the representative of the Cham‐ bers, Carmen Sanz, stressed the importance of collabora‐ tion between different countries to promote eco‐ nomic and business devel‐ opment and highlighted how, in times of complex cir‐ cumstances such as the cur‐ rent ones, a collaboration between Spanish and Euro‐ pean companies is particu‐ larly relevant and that is pre‐ cisely what the European Chambers favour.

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

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.”

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.

Spanish farmers AS well as low rainfall, Span‐ ish farmers are also strug‐ gling to protect crops from a ‘plague’ of rabbits starved of fresh grass. As well as deal‐ ing with the exceptionally dry winter, farmers in Cat‐ alonia are facing a second problem, a plague of rab‐ bits, who, starved of water, are beginning to destroy crops, especially wheat and barley, and eat the bark on vines and fruit trees.

Local Alex Foix said: “A lot of factors have con‐ tributed to the rabbit popu‐ lation explosion: there was the pandemic when no one could hunt for two years; they’ve become immune to myxomatosis; and the female can produce seven or eight offspring every two months.”

The local government has estimated that more than 250,000 rabbits need to be killed by September to con‐ tain the population.

To aid in the effort to re‐ duce the numbers, the gov‐ ernment has permitted the use of aluminium phos‐ phate, which releases toxic phosphine gas when intro‐ duced into burrows.

FEATURE

euroweeklynews.com

27 April - 3 May 2023

EWN

9

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 eligible for higher protection for temporary high balances (three months).

By Cathal Rochford, 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 £85,000 (with a £1 million protection limit for temporary high balances). Protection is per depositor

and banking institution.

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

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

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 million for a 10-year period.

The limit of Jersey and Guernsey’s depositors’ compensation schemes is

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 regulator. The bank must ring-fence clients’ securities (investment funds, shares, bonds etc) so they are off its

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 issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevins franks.com.

10 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023

euroweeklynews.com

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

NEW LAW: Focuses on rental properties.

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.

950,000 metric tons of sunflowers are grown in Spain.

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 Betty Henderson A BRAND­NEW study by Electomanía, a leading Spanish polling compa­ ny, has revealed the Re­ gion of Murcia is the most ‘hated’ au­ tonomous community in Spain.

NEWS

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.

Tax controversy in Madrid, the Ex­Minister 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.

Cold shoulder The study, released on Thursday, April 20, sur­ veyed 1,620 people across the country and asked them about their ‘spontaneous feelings’

towards their own au­ tonomous community and the others.

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

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

The findings have caused quite a stir. Some have suggested it may be due to a lack of aware­ ness or understanding about the region, while others speculate it may be due to its hot climate.

NEWS

euroweeklynews.com

27 April - 3 May 2023

Tony Blackburn off-air MUCH-LOVED radio leg­ end, 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, 80­year­old

Mr Blackburn, was un­ able 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

It’s a struggle 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.

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 returned 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.”

47 The number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain.

over.

In a tweet on April 21, he tried to reassure wor­ ried listeners that he was okay, according to a news source.

The statement read “The infection I have is requiring more treat­ ment 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 trans­ ferred to the new dates and you will be notified of this change by your ticket provider. I am sor­ ry for the disruption, and I really am looking for­ ward to getting back on the road with the band.

“Finally, to all the nurs­ es, Drs and support staff at Barnet General hospi­ tal who I spent a few days with over the last week, thank you for looking after me. You are brilliant!”

EWN 11

Two WWI soldiers rededicated in France TWO soldiers who were previously unknown have now had their graves rededicated with head­ stones to commemorate their deaths in the First World War. The two Irish soldiers are Private (Pte) James McCaf­ frey 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 ceremonies in France.

Louise Dorr of the JCCC said: “It’s been a pleasure to have both men’s families with us today. As we reded­ icate their graves with known headstones. It is a great comfort to know that their bravery and sacrifice will always be remem­

Photo credit: royal.uk

UNKNOWN SOLDIERS: Now have graves with headstones.

bered.”

James McCaffrey was born in Tullyish County Down. He was found buried as an unknown soldier northeast of Sebencourt.

He was identified because three men were killed when two tanks were clear­ ing 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 possible casualty left.

Corporal Thomas Stan­ nage was born in Rath­ downey, County Laois. His remains were found buried east of Honnecy. His battal­ ion’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.

12 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023 Image by Palma International Boat Show

euroweeklynews.com

Get walking

MOLL VELL: All the new trends in recreational boating.

Palma Boat Show PALMA International Boat Show, the largest nautical event in Mallorca that kicks off the season each year, opens its doors today, Thurs­ day April 27 and runs until Sunday April 30. The event has become one of the most important boat shows in Eu­ rope. The almost 600 boats on display ­ and for sale ­ this year occupy a space of more than 80,000 square metres, located in the Moll Vell mari­ na. This year’s edition pre­ sents all the new trends in recreational boating, with dedicated spaces for supery­ achts and all the advances in electric boats with up to 271 exhibitors taking part. The Su­

peryacht Village, a section specially designed for boats over 24 metres in length, fea­ tures an area specialising in boat repair and maintenance.

The big novelty this year is the Innovation Corner, a space that seeks to promote dialogue between emerging companies dedicated to inno­ vation, digitalisation and sus­ tainability. This edition of the fair will have a wide range of parallel activities that will be held in the assembly hall of the Port Center building of the Balearic Islands Port Authority and at the Recinto Ferial.

For further information visit palmainternationalboat show.com/en/

SOCIAL SCENE

STREET ART WALK: The Aftersun Market jury met to analyse the proposals.

Aftersun Market THIS year’s Aftersun Market kicked off in Puerto Adriano on Wednesday April 26 and will run for the next four weeks.

Aftersun Market is an ephemeral market with design, fashion and decoration propos­ als from brands and talents mainly from the Balearic Islands, plus a large space for street food and a spectacular decoration.

This is the 7th edition of the market that also features an exhibition of urban art, with invited artists from all over Spain and be­ yond painting 20 maritime containers that will form a Street Art Walk opposite the sea.

Up to 104 proposals were received this year, making the jury’s work very difficult to decide the winning entries.

INSCRIPTIONS are now open for this year’s ‘Art Jove’ culture programme for young residents aged 16 to 35.

‘Art Jove’ consists of eight artistic competitions with cash prizes of up to €9,000 each, including pho­ tography, theatre, music, graphic design, cooking, ar­ chitecture and interior de­

The jury, which met to analyse and decide on the proposals this week, included experts from prestigious galleries such as Aba Art Lab and Gallery Red, as well as from urban art competitions including Betart Calvià and Art Nit Campos.

The winners received a cash prize of be­ tween €400 and €600 depending on the size of the container to paint, which can be 3x3 or 3x6 metres. This year’s invited guest artist is Ramón Sendra from Granada, an artist, teacher and investigator with several prizes for street art and who is one of the leading names in the country.

Visit portadriano.com/eventos/aftersun­ market for more information.

Get arty sign, among others.

The programme is organ­ ised every two years and inscriptions for most of the competitions for this year’s edition close on Sunday April 30, with some excep­ tions ­ the inscription peri­

od for the photography competition ends on May 30 and graphic design, ar­ chitecture, interior design and cooking close on September 30.

‘Art Jove’ aims to give visibility and boost the artistic careers of partici­ pants, offering the winners and runners­up the oppor­ tunity to develop profes­ sionally with concerts, per­

MANACOR Council has or­ ganised two nature walks for all ages and ability levels as part of the ‘És temps de caminar’ (‘It’s time for walk­ ing’) programme.

The four­hour outings take place in the mornings, are free of charge and open to all. The first walk is along the Cap de Ses Salines and the Platja des Caragol on April 30 and the second goes to s’Arenalet d’Aubar­ ca in the town of Artà on May 21.

Both outings are Nordic walking with professional guides and poles available for all participants. Manacor Town Hall will lay on a free bus to take participants to the starting point and then back afterwards.

The local Sports depart­ ment previously organised similar outings through the Serra de Tramuntana this winter, with the spring out­ ings focusing on the coast.

Inscriptions are free and can be done at enviumana cor.cat. formances, the publication of books, exhibitions, shooting short films and more.

In addition, the success­ ful participants will also be offered the chance to take part in training courses by professionals in each sub­ ject and collaborate with other entities, programmes and festivals in the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.

For further information and inscriptions visit apps.caib.es/sites/ibjove/e s/certamenes_2023

Classic Car Club Mallorca THE Classic Car Club Mallorca would like to invite all mem­ bers to their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday April 30 at Esment Alimentació (Autopista Andratx, salida Palmanova, aparcamiento entrada, 07181, Palmanova, Calvia ­ Amadip).

The meeting will start at 10am and run for about 30 to 45 minutes with complimentary tea, coffee, water, and croissants available during the meeting.

The Happy Days drive will take place after the AGM and will be organised by Helen Pitt also starting from Esment Alimentació. The drive will be about 80 kilometres and take around two hours followed by a meal at Lume & Co at 2pm.

For further information and to join the Classic Car Club email info@ccc­mallorca.com, visit ccc­mallorca.com and follow Classic Car Club Mallorca on Facebook.

NEWS

euroweeklynews.com

27 April - 3 May 2023

Sowing controversy ITALIAN Minister Francesco Lollobrigida has come under fire for his recent remarks on eth‐ nic replacement in Italy.

The Minister for Agriculture, who is a close ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, suggest‐ ed that Italians were at risk of being replaced by immigrants due to their low birth rates on Wednesday, April 19.

His comments have been condemned by op‐ position leader Elly Schlein, who compared them to fascist rhetoric. The phrase “ethnic re‐ placement” has been associated with the far‐ right conspiracy theory of the Great Replace‐ ment, which falsely claims that there is a plan Betty Henderson THE French President, Em‐ manuel Macron, is no stranger to controversy. He has been facing intense backlash from the public over his plan to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.

Seeking to escape the heat, Macron was caught on camera singing a street song with a group of young Parisians in a video recorded on Monday, April 17. How‐ ever, the video went viral for

to replace white people through increased im‐ migration.

Italy’s low birth rate has been a concern of the right‐wing government, with Meloni pledg‐ ing to help Italians have more children.

However, critics argue that the government’s recent actions, such as stopping the registration of same‐sex parents’ children and discussing the prosecution of couples who go abroad for surrogacy, reveal a troubling trend of discrimi‐ nation. While Meloni has not commented on Lollobrigida’s remarks, she has made similar comments in the past. Critics say recent events show the true colours of the governing coalition.

Hitting wrong notes all the wrong reasons.

The group of men that the president sang with was re‐ portedly part of a Parisian choir that sings traditional songs on the street. One of the singers asked Macron to join in a rendition of an old song called ‘Le Refuge’, which he had sung on a trip to the Pyrenees last year.

However, the song was then shared by a Facebook group

reportedly set up by the far right.

The situation has only added to the negative public perception of Macron, with residents and protesters booing him on the streets during his recent visit to the eastern region of Alsace. De‐ spite the backlash, the presi‐ dent has now signed the deeply unpopular reforms into law.

EWN 13

14 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023

euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

HOLLYWOOD CALLING Credit: MIFF

BRITISH actress Rachel Warren on mega success, new releases, 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 suc­ cessful careers isn’t that different either.

Despite its glamorous exterior, acting is one of the notoriously harshest of careers to make a name in, with a remarkable only 2 per cent of actors ever even mak­ ing a living.

For those who do tread that path though ­ undeterred by the knock backs, the low pay and the often far­from­glamorous hours ­ the payoff can often be something quite extraordinary.

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

Rachel attended the Marbella International Film Festival.

that’ and I knew that’s what I want­ ed to do in life.”

“None of my family are in the in­ dustry and my parents really want­ ed 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 par­ ticularly dark turn when Rachel even had to take out a restrain­ ing 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 create her own way within a sometimes brutal profes­ sion.

The result was RWI Creative, her own film and TV poster design company, which allowed her to stay within the industry 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 suc­ cessful Rise of the Footsoldier fran­ chise.

From there, as Rachel explains, everything 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 release 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 seri­ ously exciting new project in the works; a high concept comedy se­ ries that she describes as a “mix­ ture 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, particu­ larly in dealing with some of her in­ dustry’s darker sides.

“I wanted to open doors for my­ self 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 in­ dustry.

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

16 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023 IN a historic moment, the Ger‐ man President Frank‐Walter Steinmeier became the first head of state to ask for for‐ giveness for the atrocities committed by Germany dur‐ ing the Second World War. On the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on Wednesday, April 19, Stein‐ meier joined his Polish and Is‐ raeli counterparts to mark 80 years since the doomed Jewish uprising against Nazi occupiers.

Standing at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Poland’s capital, Steinmeier asked for forgiveness for the crimes committed by Germans during the war. He also criti‐ cised Russian President Vladimir Putin for waging war against Ukraine, breaking inter‐ national law and bringing im‐ measurable suffering, violence, destruction, and death to the people of Ukraine.

The Warsaw Ghetto Upris‐ ing was the largest single act of Jewish resistance against the Germans during the war. The Jewish insurgents launched their revolt on April 19, 1943, preferring to die fighting than be sent to a death camp.

About 7,000 Jews died in the battles, and a further 6,000

euroweeklynews.com

NEWS/EUROPEAN PRESS

Honouring heroes EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Photo credit: Frank-Walter Steinmeier (via Facebook)

“Never again” said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

died in fires Nazi troops started in the ghetto.

The tradition of honouring

the Jewish insurgents who fought against their oppressors continues to this day.

Pub-lic worship AN Irish pub in Luxembourg City became the unlikely venue for a Catholic mass on Sunday, April 16.

Father Michael Cusack, a parish priest from County Gal‐ way living in Luxembourg, was in a bind after his church shut down for renovations, and he couldn’t secure another location for the Sunday service.

However, he found an unlikely ally in Eirelux, an Irish pub owned by Vincent and Adrienne Clarke. The couple, who hail from Sligo and Louth, respectively, were happy to pro‐ vide their pub as an alternative venue for the mass.

The pub, usually closed on Sundays, became a makeshift church for the last two Sundays. Father Cusack’s congrega‐ tion of over 1,000 people was grateful for the comfortable and unique space provided to them for worship. After the service, the pub opened up, and patrons enjoyed ‘wee pints of Guinness’ in celebration.

However, the decision wasn’t without its critics, as the Diocese was reportedly unhappy with the move.

FINLAND

Stay clear

Happy Birds

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.

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.

THE NETHERLANDS

IRELAND

Happy talk

Short-changed

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.

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.

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

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

Second term

Sea rescue

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.

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.

FRANCE

UKRAINE

High up

Shooting star

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.

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.

NORWAY

SWEDEN

Open again

No Tweets

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.

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.

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 spring­summer 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 dal­hit 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 “single­digit” 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.

euroweeklynews.com • 27 April - 3 May 2023

is the amount that Inditex was worth on April 17 as shares rose by STAT OF 1.22 per cent, putting the fashion chain ahead of power company WEEK €98.8 billion 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 double­digit 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.

Photo credit: Pexels/Gustav Fring

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

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.”

Done deal 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.

Barça’s on the ball Home help Photo credit: Flickr/Mobilus Mobili

BUSINESS EXTRA

18

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

Initially, Barcelona had hoped for a €1.5 billion pri­

vate placement of bonds on Wall Street, split into three €500­million 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.

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

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.

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.

Flat batteries

A smooth ride

Meter pact

MTE Power, a small produc­ er of lithium ion batteries, initially intended to build its first factory capable of large­scale 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.

NATIONAL EXPRESS reported a rise in first­quarter 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 year­on­ year, with scheduled coach revenue up 87 per cent on 2022, reflecting the recov­ ery from the Covid­related restrictions 2021 and the impact of rail strikes.

Thanks to its first­quarter 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.

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 court­approved 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. non­alcoholic 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 e­commerce platforms in the world, the company said.

FINANCE

20 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023

euroweeklynews.com

LONDON - FTSE 100

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES 24 A PRIL

COMPANY 3I Group

ºCOMPANY

PRICE(P)

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.556,0

5.514,0

30,34K

1.250,00

1.232,50

46,88K

PRICE(P) 1.701,00

CHANGE(P) 1.704,00

% CHG. 1.689,50

NET VOL 36,67K

InterContinental

5.530,0

Abrdn

200,08

201,70

197,90

110,24K

Intermediate Capital

1.232,50

Admiral Group

2.248,0

2.265,0

2.238,0

42,50K

Intertek

4.083,0

4.147,0

4.070,0

61,19K

Anglo American

2.648,0

2.658,0

2.605,0

305,11K

ITV

80,18

80,82

79,94

274,05K

Antofagasta

1.542,00

1.548,50

1.527,84

5,74K

J Sainsbury

280,50

281,20

279,50

183,06K

Ashtead Group

4.658,0

4.662,0

4.618,0

37,34K

Johnson Matthey

1.951,0

1.965,5

1.946,5

9,88K

Associated British Foods

2.027,0

2.055,0

2.015,0

163,64K

Land Securities

637,80

638,60

633,60

37,96K

41,01K

Legal & General

252,70

254,30

251,60

1,40M

49,09

49,55

48,88

2,59M 30,82K

AstraZeneca

12.116,0

12.136,0

12.022,0

Auto Trader Group Plc

624,00

624,60

620,40

87,46K

Lloyds Banking

Aviva

1.13313

0.88389

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0955 Japan yen (JPY)........................................146.75 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................0.9799 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4528 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................11.682

424,70

425,90

422,60

403,98K

London Stock Exchange

8.000,0

8.020,0

7.934,0

B&M European Value Retail SA489,20

493,30

487,70

164,09K

Melrose Industries

410,40

420,00

405,00

1,05M

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226

BAE Systems

1.028,00

1.030,50

1.024,50

508,52K

Mondi

1.278,00

1.285,00

1.273,00

28,62K

THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

Barclays

153,12

154,50

152,64

4,62M

National Grid

1.143,00

1.145,50

1.129,50

242,58K

254,45K

NatWest Group

273,20

275,80

272,50

1,24M

6.678,0

6.680,0

6.626,0

15,78K 161,16K

Barratt Developments

480,80

482,90

477,50

Berkeley

4.319,0

4.335,0

4.299,0

4,43K

Next

BHP Group Ltd

2.396,00

2.416,99

2.384,64

28,17K

Ocado

517,56

521,00

515,20

BP

529,20

533,20

527,90

3,39M

Persimmon

1.245,3

1.253,0

1.237,7

6,53K

573,40

575,20

571,00

101,29K 183,70K

British American Tobacco

2.925,0

2.929,0

2.910,0

114,25K

Phoenix

British Land Company

385,40

386,40

383,00

67,86K

Prudential

1.145,00

1.152,50

1.138,50

Reckitt Benckiser

6.476,6

6.488,0

6.432,0

53,66K

Relx

2.709,00

2.718,00

2.684,00

260,44K

Rentokil

615,80

618,00

611,60

681,12K

Rightmove

572,22

574,80

566,40

62,28K

Rio Tinto PLC

5.237,0

5.330,0

5.203,0

457,84K

Rolls-Royce Holdings

153,00

155,25

152,55

2,50M

Sage

799,60

799,60

796,00

51,75K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.234,00

BT Group

155,70

155,90

154,15

604,86K

Bunzl

3.180,0

3.185,0

3.162,0

33,22K

Burberry Group

2.582,0

2.608,0

2.573,0

18,70K

Carnival

673,4

682,2

664,4

33,30K

Centrica

113,50

113,75

112,74

84,14K

Coca Cola HBC AG

2.390,0

2.393,6

2.369,0

2,17K

Compass

2.061,60

2.068,00

2.052,00

92,16K

CRH

3.994,0

4.011,0

3.959,0

74,72K

Croda Intl

7.024,0

7.030,0

6.990,0

7,04K

DCC

4.802,0

4.825,0

4.789,0

4,00K

Diageo

3.728,5

3.736,5

3.705,5

141,93K

DS Smith

316,40

319,90

315,80

314,32K

EasyJet

505,05

513,00

502,76

146,14K

Experian

2.763,0

2.771,0

2.757,0

44,62K

Ferguson

10.885,0

10.975,0

10.860,0

15,85K

Flutter Entertainment

15.600,0

15.620,0

15.350,0

24,20K

Fresnillo

773,20

776,00

770,60

41,99K

Glencore

492,30

498,50

491,30

2,90M

GSK plc

1.476,80

1.478,00

1.463,40

219,23K

Halma

2.223,0

2.221,0

2.198,0

25,35K

Hargreaves Lansdown

788,60

796,60

786,40

35,92K

Hikma Pharma

1.834,00

1.835,50

1.821,50

14,90K

HSBC

575,00

576,90

573,20

IAG

147,50

149,15

Imperial Brands

1.955,20

Informa

711,00

1.237,00

1.231,00

0,62K

Schroders

478,3

482,1

476,7

48,52K

Scottish Mortgage

641,59

645,40

639,60

237,29K

Segro

797,60

799,20

792,80

122,53K

Severn Trent

2.925,0

2.938,0

2.902,0

26,49K

Shell

2.460,0

2.464,0

2.444,0

3,91M

Smith & Nephew

1.255,00

1.257,00

1.242,50

115,66K

Smiths Group

9,56K

1.663,50

1.667,00

1.658,00

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.505,0

11.535,0

11.445,0

4,42K

SSE

1.831,00

1.833,50

1.823,00

122,61K

St. James’s Place

1.199,50

1.208,50

1.193,00

16,56K

Standard Chartered

641,20

645,00

637,60

563,83K

Taylor Wimpey

120,95

121,90

120,05

552,87K

Tesco

277,00

277,10

274,30

756,24K

Tui

512,60

532,20

507,20

333,34K

Unilever

4.383,0

4.396,5

4.365,0

142,09K

89,32K

United Utilities

1.079,00

1.085,50

1.075,00

9,32K

146,55

1,16M

Vodafone Group PLC

89,79

90,14

89,70

422,94K

1.956,00

1.934,50

58,05K

Whitbread

3.071,0

3.085,0

3.060,0

21,63K

712,20

704,40

13,75K

WPP

953,20

959,20

946,80

83,50

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES 24 A PRIL

COMPANY 3M American Express Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Dow Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce Inc The Travelers UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walgreens Boots Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 104,73 163,28 243,46 166,65 207,23 222,27 169,85 46,58 63,96 55,70 338,71 298,57 196,75 126,36 30,86 163,58 140,81 291,00 114,17 286,11 124,45 150,85 197,51 179,26 487,46 37,19 234,60 35,37 150,97 98,07

CHANGE 105,59 163,75 246,40 167,87 209,88 224,22 170,06 47,65 64,00 56,17 339,31 301,31 197,76 130,98 31,25 163,82 141,43 291,67 114,52 289,03 125,35 151,36 200,08 184,11 489,65 37,80 234,67 36,14 151,39 98,58

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 104,11 3,69M 154,01 10,57M 243,05 1,61M 165,56 52,18M 206,08 3,28M 220,93 2,80M 168,02 5,61M 46,36 39,46M 63,44 10,68M 55,37 3,31M 334,32 2,21M 295,50 3,35M 196,00 1,90M 125,84 9,71M 30,71 30,09M 160,96 9,48M 139,84 10,42M 289,88 2,27M 113,00 4,61M 285,08 23,18M 123,71 3,88M 150,37 5,29M 196,82 3,59M 178,43 1,47M 483,26 3,27M 36,97 31,43M 231,50 4,92M 34,37 11,52M 149,60 4,22M 97,39 7,71M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES 24 A PRIL

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced XPO, Inc. Sunnova Energy International Inc. Matson, Inc. Iridium Communications Inc. Badger Meter, Inc. RLI Corp.

TransMedics Group, Inc. Watsco, Inc. Snap-on Incorporated Lam Research Corporation China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation

+17.96% +14.66% +11.15% +10.90% +10.66% +9.34% +8.85% +8.32% +7.97% +7.23% +7.05%

8.173M 14.019M 699,963 1.997M 472,627 671,449 811,507 930,351 849,259 4.048M 58,956

-14.04% -11.93% -10.41% -9.75% -9.20% -9.09% -8.81% -7.65% -7.63% -7.38% -7.26%

917,234 1.045M 129.742M 210.971M 7.96M 58.294M 21.235M 33.504M 40,361 22,982 2.629M

Most Declined Getty Images Holdings, Inc. Kuaishou Technology AT&T Inc. Tesla, Inc. Seagate Technology Holdings plc Nokia Oyj C3.ai, Inc. Snap Inc. Renault SA GoHealth, Inc. Joby Aviation, Inc.

euroweeklynews.com

BUSINESS EXTRA Bagged it 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.

Forty­five per cent of managers said that an over­abundance of data and their inability to handle it efficiently had led to a greater reliance on machines.

27 April - 3 May 2023

Housing for all Linda Hall 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.

Photo credit: Pool Moncloa

FINANCE

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

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 in­person services are underused although the survey found that people wanted person­to­ person advice even when they were comput­ er­literate and could obtain it online.

Forty­four per cent of over­55s 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 18­34 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.

Twenty­one 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.

EWN 21

EY cull LONDON­BASED 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 medium­sized 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.

22 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023

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.

INEOS, the company founded and run by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will build an electric version of its new Grenadier off­road 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

INEOS GRENADIER: Electric version will be built in Austria.

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

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.

FINANCE

Mammoth Aena contract STATE­OWNED 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 largest­ever 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.

Another London acquisition Getaways

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 4,000­square 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

Photo credit: La Sexta

On the cards

Grenadier goes to Austria Photo credit: Flickr/Mario AP

BUSINESS EXTRA

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

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

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.

DESPITE the cost­of­living 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 year­on­ 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.

While all the travel industry has enjoyed a post­Covid re­ bound, figures suggest a trend towards low­cost options as budget airlines are up 42 per cent year­on­year compared with 29 per cent for more ex­ pensive carriers.

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 Jan­ uary­March 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 of­living 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.

FEATURE

euroweeklynews.com

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT O N C E 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

27 April - 3 May 2023

VIEW I draw the line OUR TRAFFIC JAM BLUES

extremely taxing period. I did slightly twitch at one interview however when the interviewee sug­ gested it would be thoughtful if non­Muslims 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

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!?

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

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

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EWN 23

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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 ever­growing 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.

24 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023

euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

NEWS FLASH: NEW FOREIGN SPECIES SPOTTED IN SPAIN! NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS

Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

“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 pasty­looking 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

Nora’s latest thriller.

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

Whereas long­term 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 horse­drawn 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 to­tail elephants. So is all the TAIL­gating 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.nora­johnson.net) all available on­ line including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Ap­ ple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

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

The ‘charity of last resort’

The British Benevolent Fund was established over a cen­ tury ago to act as a “charity of last resort” to provide fi­ nancial assistance for Britons in Spain facing extreme dis­ tress and with no other re­ courses to help.

Margaret was a lady in her 50s who applied for a grant to help her get back on her feet.

She had moved to Spain with her husband, but they separated shortly after mov­ ing her in the late 90s and she decided to stay here where she lived alone and worked as an administrator for a real estate office close to where she lived.

She made a small but suffi­ cient salary to make ends meet and provide a little bit more for herself.

She was diagnosed with a serious illness which was ag­ gravated by a growing multi­ ple sclerosis problem which made it difficult to move around.

She was officially resident in Spain and would receive treatment for these.

The Mediterranean diet LINDA HALL

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

The issue was that was un­ able to take early retirement and any medical benefits would not cover her living ex­ penses – she might be able to wait for a mobility scooter to get around including going to work but that would take time.

Through one of the BBF´s many charity partners https://www.supportin­ spain.info/ we were contact­ ed to see if we could help with the expenses of a mobil­ ity scooter so she could go to work.

By enabling her to continue working she would be able to earn and not be reliant on handouts and charity.

The BBF was able to pay for the mobility scooper along with the insurance to keep her on the road.

With that she was able to go back to work and continue earning.

The BBF can only help peo­ ple like Margaret with the generosity of others. If you would like to support our work with a donation please go to www.britishbenevo­ lentfund.org. Thank you on behalf of all those your mon­ ey helps with. Olaf Clayton, Chair BBF

AH! The Mediterranean diet!

Is there anything better? Not if you take in every adulatory word written about it in the international media.

The funny thing is, though, that the Mediterranean diet I read about is rarely the same one that is common in Spain.

What always bring me up short are the whole grains. Olive oil, check.

Vegetables, check. Pulses, check.

Nuts, sort of check. Seeds, again just a sort of check because the only seeds commonly eaten in the part of the Mediterranean that I am familiar with are sunflower seeds.

But whole grains? I exclude the young from this because they’ll eat anything, but offer whole grains to a no­longer youthful Spanish person and you will receive a polite refusal and what was once known as an old­ fashioned look.

They won’t give brown rice the time of day and white rice must be coloured bright yellow to be edible.

That’s why Spanish home cooks cheer­

fully use E­102 food colouring as it’s cheaper than saffron and gives a bet­ ter colour. Incidentally, E­102 ­ which can cause migraine, blurred vision, rhinitis, itching and purple skin patch­ es ­ is already banned in Norway and Austria.

Never mind, probably Mediter­ ranean Spain has developed immunity to dodgy E­102 so let’s move on to ‘lean proteins and healthy fats’.

I’ll give you fish and lean protein.

Serrano ham has fewer calories than chicken breast and even pork is con­ sidered white meat these days. Nor is there a great liking for beef outside cocido, apart from fillet steak or en­ trecote for high days and holidays.

And I’ll give you healthy fats, too, because there’s not a lot of butter in Mediterranean food although those healthy pulses swim alongside fat­ laden chorizo, morcillas and belly of pork.

What everyone forgets about the Spanish Mediterranean diet is that it was once eaten in moderation by peo­ ple who expected to walk every­ where, who worked hard and prac­ tised a frugality imposed on them by hard times.

HOROSCOPE/LETTERS

euroweeklynews.com

27 April - 3 May 2023

EWN 25

LETTERS

Good luck with that THIS is just a precursor to fully­fledged, 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 super­diversity is a strength, and not a surprise.”

We’ll see how that strength plays out.

David

Schengen I read in your April 20­26 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 90­day 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 ‘larger­bodied’ 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 mal­sized’ 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 86­year­old 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.

Gwendoline Ottley

I believe I was very interested to read your column in EWN April 20­26 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

Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers.

No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

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www.euroweeklynews.com • 27 April - 3 May 2023

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If you’re planning a trip regis­ ter now to find pet­sitters 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!

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

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HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee.

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Heads up for food WE put lots of thought into the type of bed and acces­ sories our pets use and we usually choose a cute dish for their food. Have you ev­ er thought about where their water and food bowl should be, more specifically

at what height? Me neither but apparently it’s very im­ portant for the health of your dogs and cats. Placing their dish on the floor, as I imagine most people do, is something that veterinari­ ans strongly advise against.

Placing their dish on the floor causes digestive prob­ lems because of the posi­ tion of their digestive or­ gans especially in larger breeds.

So, at what height should it be positioned? They rec­ ommend that their water and food bowls be posi­ tioned at shoulder height.

This will help them digest food in a more natural way and avoids increased pres­ sure on the neck, back, and paws. They then don’t have to eat in a forced po­ sition, this will help all dogs and cats but especially our older furry friends.

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

Photo credit: Flickr Seth Byrd

Sitters care for pets at home

HAPPY PUPDAY: Don’t forget 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.

Grieving pets WHEN a loved one passes away your pets may grieve this loss as well. Research shows that dogs and cats show signs of grief following the loss of a family member or even another companion ani­ mal. Your pet may begin to sleep in a spot where the de­ ceased pet or person did.

Experts say you shouldn’t scold or discourage them from doing this. During this period your pet is not only suffering a personal loss but an upheaval in their daily routines and so they may act out. Cats tend to vocalise their emotions by me­

owing more and loudly.

Research has also shown that they will experience a loss of appetite and they may spend more time sleeping. Ex­ perts recommend taking them on long walks and hikes if they can manage it and you

should distract them with puz­ zle toys. The main thing is to be patient and kind to them as they process this loss.

If their behaviour continues and you are worried then you should take them to the vet just in case.

Photo credit: Flickr Djalexej

PETS

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MOTORING

Toyota Corolla Touring Sports - perfect choice?

by Mark Slack

Standard fare on the en­ try level model provides everything from front and r e a r

parking sensors and auto lights to smart phone

ming rear view mirrors to its standard equipment.

One of the first things to say about the car is its appar­

Facts at a Glance • 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

Credit: Kzenon/Shutterstock.com

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 years­time.

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

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

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 V­16 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.

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

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

quality puts some rivals of similar price in the shade. You still get the bolt­on­iPad 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.

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.

Decarbonising Anna Ellis UK ministers and avia­ tion chiefs have revealed an action plan for the next two years in the race to reach Jet Zero by 2050, as the government continues with ambitious plans to decarbonise faster than any other G7 country, grow the econo­ my, and support hun­ dreds of thousands of well­paid green jobs.

The Jet Zero Council ­ made up of industry, academic and govern­ ment leaders ­ met last week at Farnborough Airport.

Through its two­year plan, the council com­ mitted to continue work­ ing to speed up the de­ sign, manufacture, and rollout of zero emission aircraft and vital infras­ tructure at UK airports.

The plan sets out how the council will help to accelerate the produc­ tion of sustainable avia­

Image: GVLR / Shutterstock.com

ROAD TEST

AMBITIOUS PLANS: To reach zero emissions.

tion fuels (SAF), by con­ tinuing to invest millions of pounds in first­of­a­ kind SAF plants, support­ ing crucial scientific re­ search on a larger scale, and helping to drive down production costs.

Farnborough Airport also played host to the Sustainable Skies World Summit April 17­18, which gathers experts and leaders from the worlds of aviation, gov­

ernment, energy, and engineering.

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

SPORT

euroweeklynews.com

27 April - 3 May 2023

Former WWE star faces jail TED DIBIASE JR, the former WWE star was charged on Thursday, April 20, of allegedly stealing ‘millions of dollars in federal safety‐net funds in‐ tended for needy families and low‐income individuals’.

He was charged with several offences by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) un‐ der his real name of Theodore Marvin DiBiase Jr. The 40‐year‐ old former pro‐grappler is the son of the wrestling legend and Hall of Famer, Ted DiBiase, who fought in the square ring as ‘The Million Dollar Man’.

A statement released by the DOJ stated that: “According to court documents, Theodore Marvin DiBiase Jr, 40, of Madi‐

No1 Tennis Player in the world is Carlos Alcaraz from Spain.

Credit: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

WRESTLING STAR: Faces multiple charges of fraud.

son, along with co‐conspirators John Davis, Christi Webb, Nan‐ cy New, and others, are alleged

to have fraudulently obtained federal funds that they misap‐ propriated for their own per‐

sonal use and benefit.”

Another section of the state‐ ment outlined the possible jail time he could face. It read: “If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, a max‐ imum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of theft for receiving money laundering.” This could amount to 145 years in prison.

Man Utd in FA Cup Final v Man City AFTER a semi‐final victory on penalties against Brighton at Wembley on Sunday April 23, Manchester United have an FA Cup Final clash with Man City to look forward to.

Manchester United scraped through their FA Cup semi‐final with Brighton 7‐6 on penalties. In the process, they set up a mouthwatering final with Manchester City at Wembley on June 3.

Erik ten Hag’s side went into this match off the back of a terrible Europa League drubbing at the hands of Sevilla in midweek. His misfiring players failed once again to find the back of the net dur‐ ing 120 minutes of open play against the Seagulls as they played out an exciting 0‐0 draw.

It took a total of 13 penalty kicks before either side could claim the tie. The unlucky candidate who failed with the 12th kick was Brighton winger Solly March. He was understandably incon‐ solable after Victor Lindelof stepped up to bury penalty number 13 to steal the tie.

Julio Enciso came close to putting Brighton ahead in the second half, only to be denied once again by De Gea. Danny Welbeck headed a corner wide shortly after as well. If Jadon Sancho ‐ on as a sub ‐ had hit the target towards the end of normal time, the tie would have been decided. In‐ stead, his curled effort flew over the bar.

EWN 31

Aircraft fire on runway AN aircraft due to fly the Arsenal women’s football team from Germany back to London burst into flames on the runway dur‐ ing takeoff.

The Arsenal women’s football team was in‐ volved in a dramatic inci‐ dent on Sunday, April 23, after an aircraft due to fly them back to London from Germany caught fire on the runway, as report‐ ed by a news source.

At around 7.30pm, they were seated inside the Boeing 737 at Braun‐ schweig Wolfsburg Air‐ port with the aircraft preparing to take off.

At this point, it is uncon‐ firmed, but it was thought that a bird possibly flew into the turbine of the left‐ hand engine. It subse‐ quently produced a ‘loud bang’ and burst into flames. Images showed a spectacular fireball around the engine.

Eyewitnesses reported a loud bang. The pilot had

to abort the take‐off and was able to manoeuvre the plane back into the parking position on his own.

An airport spokesperson told the news outlet that the facili‐ ty’s fire brigade was on‐ site immediately, but did not have to intervene.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the pilots quickly evacuated all the passen‐ gers. “Our aircraft devel‐ oped a technical issue pri‐ or to take‐off in Germany on Sunday evening,” said a statement from Arsenal.

It continued: “As a re‐ sult, we remained in Wolfsburg overnight on Sunday before flying back to England on Monday af‐ ternoon. We would like to thank the staff onboard the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance.”

The players had been in Germany where they held Wolfsberg to a 2‐2 draw in their Champions League match.

32 EWN 27 April - 3 May 2023

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 co­driver 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.”

euroweeklynews.com

SPORT

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 35­year­old German was available having been sacked re­ cently as coach of Bundesliga gi­ ants, Bayern Munich.

Nagelsmann was thought to be one of the front­runners 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

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

JULIAN NAGELSMANN: Had different views on crucial points.

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.”