Costa de Almeria 11 – 17 May 2023 Issue 1975

FEWER NURSES

ALL is not well at the Torrecárdenas Hospital located in the aptly named Calle Hermandad de Donantes de Sangre in Almeria City.

This University Hospital is a major part of the Health Service in the province but it appears that the Junta de Andalucia is being accused of withholding funding so that there have been cuts in the number of nurses being employed.

To celebrate International Nursing Day which takes place on Friday May 12, the nurses union SATSE will hold a meeting of staff by the entrance to Accident and Emergency from 10am for half an hour.

Although this is a specific problem for Almeria, the Union contends that the number of nurses per 1,000 people in Spain is just six and this compares badly with many other EU Member states where the number is often double.

IT is always heart­warming to hear about how well some British people have settled in to a new life in Spain, but the story of Mrs Frances Davies (Fanny) is particularly interesting.

Now resident in Mojacar after moving from Aguadulce

Even when additional facilities are being built such as the new Faculty of Medicine, there is a major shortage of parking spaces with staff, patients and visitors fighting to get into the three car parks (one on open ground) and 1,000 spaces which even the hospital man­

agement believe to be insufficient for now, let alone the future. One option is a ‘park and ride’ shuttle service which is being tried out but in reality, the Junta de Andalucia which manages the hospital needs to find a long­term solution.

Golden Anniversary

(Sevilla) 23 years ago, she will shortly celebrate the fact that she arrived in Spain 50 years ago!

Fanny and her husband John raised two sons here

Tourism spend

ON May 5, the Almeria Provincial Council approved the investment of more than €3 million to carry out works that improve infrastructures and services throughout the province.

Of that amount, the council will make €450,000 for the promotion of tourism with the intention that the Costa de Almeria should become a major holiday destination for international travellers.

Part of the promotion will be aimed at those destinations that have recently returned to operate into Almeria Airport, as well as with the German city of Dusseldorf, to consolidate the new and future air connections that are being established.

The Vice President of the Provincial Council and spokesman for the government team, Fernando Giménez, said that “these initiatives will disseminate the image of the province and of the ‘Costa de Almería’ brand associated with excellence as a tourist destination.

“Our province has everything necessary to be the place chosen by national and international tourists this summer thanks to that there is little crowding and significant holiday diversity.”

(both grown and married to Spanish girls) and managed their travel and property business in the area.

Fanny’s husband John, a very successful businessman, sadly developed dementia and Fanny nursed him through this illness for many years until he passed away.

Since then, she has found­

ed and developed a local carers’ charity, Stepping Stones, which continues to serve this and the surrounding communities ­ helping the elderly and those struggling with illness and isolation.

Representatives from Mojacar Council are expecting to join with Fanny’s friends to acknowledge the work she does for the community and to celebrate this landmark anniversary.

NURSES: Protesting about low staffing levels in Spain.

Credit: SETSE Twitter

THE Forum Golf Society, which is based in the Albox/Arboleas area held a charity golf day at the Aguilon Golf Course near San Juan De Los Terreros, on Friday April 28 in aid of Prostate Cancer.

The initial concept for the day was initiated by Dave Kennedy, one of the Forum members, as a way to support his daughter Louisa Holt’s fundraising efforts in running the 2023 London Marathon for Prostate Cancer.

Forum members made

very generous donations in order to enter the Stableford competition at the Aguilon Golf Course with a huge attraction being the number of donated prizes available to win on the day and each hole was sponsored by a different local business.

The total amount raised for

THE Cuevas del Almanzora Council has put out to tender a video surveillance system that will improve security and provide the security forces with another tool to allow surveillance and supervision of traffic.

Charity golf day Big Brother

The council believes that it will be possible to have more and better data to improve mobility in the various areas using these cameras with Artificial Intelligence technology, treatment and processing of licence plate readings, traffic supervision, mobility analysis and improvement of urban road safety.

Competitors raised a wonderful €2,000.

the day by the society was €2,000 and when added to the amount Louisa had raised from the marathon, gave her a total amount of £3,985 for Prostate Cancer.

To find out more about Forum Golf contact Kevin Staines on kevin.j.staines@ icloud.com.

All this will be managed from a control centre in the Local Police building, and the public is assured that usage will comply with laws that regulate the use of video cameras by the Security Forces and Bodies. The 29-camera video surveillance system will offer a service that will allow officers to view live video from the cameras, receive alarms, and play the associated video, all through an application installed on tablets or smartphones.

NIBS EXTRA

Bicycle aid

THE mayor of Albox, Fran‐cisco Torrecillas has un ‐veiled a special multiservice column for the repair and washing of bicycles outside the Centre for Water and Health and appeared in a video explaining the func‐tions of the new installation.

Blue Flag

EL PLAYAZO DE VERA has kept its much‐coveted Blue Flag according to a state‐ment made by a very pleased Vera mayor Alfonso Garcia on Thursday May 4 when he thanked local offi‐cials and companies in‐volved in keeping the beach in such good condition.

Summer jobs

GEARING up for a busy summer season, Spanish su‐permarket group Mer ‐cadona has announced that it is looking to take on more than 200 temporary work‐ers spread across its 33 stores in Almeria with con‐tracts running from May to the end of September.

Gold medals

PARALYMPIC triathlete Jairo

Ruiz, a member of the Ga‐losport Club in Roquetas de Mar emerged triumphant from the 2023 Ibiza World Championships which fin‐ished on May 7. Aiming to take part in the Paris 2024 games Ruiz won two golds.

Chewed out

JUST a week after the refur‐bished Cultural Centre in Adra reopened its doors staff were stunned to dis‐cover some irresponsible member of the audience had stuck chewing gum un‐der one of the new seats.

Science Fair

SOME 4,000 students took part in the third Almeria Sci‐ence Fair held at the Ejido‐mar Warehouse until Friday, May 5, where it became the world of research, involved with scientific and technical projects related to Robotics and Aerospace.

THE Villa de Huercal ‐Overa Theatre will host an exhibition dedicated to Spanish Military Parachuting until June 2. The recent opening was attended by the mayor, Domingo Fernán ‐dez and the president of the Indortes Foundation, Salvador Fontenla as well as other interested par ‐ties.

The exhibition itself was put together by the Indortes Foundation (which exists to honour, without distinction, all those who died during the Civil War) in collabo ‐ration with Asveparea (Association of para ‐trooper veterans).

Salvador Fontenla ex ‐plained that the plane and the parachute are a means of transportation

for the military on the ground, “the parachute will put us on the ground

to fight with the enemy, or place us behind their forces so from the tacti ‐

cal point of view, it means that we march ahead of the vanguards.”

Film festival Cover up

SOMEONE didn’t like the fact that a huge billboard promoting the entrance to Gacia pedania (meaning district) in Huercal ‐ Overa had been erected.

It’s just one of a number of similar billboards being put up around the munici‐pality and most have been well received, but not in this case.

Within 24 hours of its erection, an unknown van‐dal decided to completely

cover the entire image so instead of an attractive wel‐come to Gacia, drivers will just see a blank space.

Whilst the local council is perplexed by the action tak‐en and is trying to discover what motivated the person to take this action, local res‐idents wonder whether there was a specific reason or the person was just bored and decided to take it out on the harmless bill‐board.

POPULAR actress from Almeria Eva Almaya, was the guest of honour at the second Mojacar Short Film Competition.

Invited to sign the council’s book of honour by Mayor Rosa María Cano, the actress in thanking the council for the honour expressed her gratitude for the opportu‐nity to relive many mem ‐ories of so many summers

Recruiting young

AT the end of April, officers of the Guardia Civil from the Almeria Com ‐mand participated in a number of fairs which have been developed at the University of Almeria and also vis‐ited the Altaduna School in Roquetas de Mar

The recruitment of female talent is a constant objective of the Corps to increase the number of women within its ranks so organisers were pleased that many of the young people, espe‐cially girls expressed their interest in the organisation and wanted to learn about careers and promotion prospects in the Guardia Civil. At present, those wishing to apply

to join must have Spanish nationality, no criminal record or case pending and may not have any tattoos and if initially selected will be called for in ‐terview.

spent in Mojacar, where she was “very happy.”

Now, in addition to her acting work, she has ex ‐tended her activity with the creation of her own production company, Ve ‐ramaya Producciones, based in Almeria.

Over the two days of the festival which took place over the last week ‐end of April, guests were able to attend cinema workshops and to view several films, with voting taking place to decide the ‘cream of the crop’.

WITH the opening of new bike lanes be ‐tween San Jose and the Pozo de Los Frailes, an officer from the Local Police stationed in Nijar was delegated to meet with young cyclists from San Jose on Fri ‐day May 5.

He explained to the children from the lo ‐cal school about the reason for the new lanes and how they should best cope with travelling along the lanes so that they are safe and know what to do in the event of an emergen‐cy.

At the end of the day, the officer re ‐ported that all of the children had been very polite and recep‐tive, recognising how important it was for them to be kept safe on the roads.

SPANISH MILITARY: Plenty to see at the exhibition.

Credit: Guardia Civil

RECRUITING: Never too young to learn.

ALMERIA’S shores achieved a remarkable feat on Thursday, May 4, picking up an impressive 33 Blue Flags, making it a top destination for the summer of 2023.

Andalucia is leading the pack with an impressive 148 awards, second only to Valencia in the whole country, making it the best year yet for the region.

The coveted award is an international certification that has become a highly respected and recognised symbol for environmental quality and safety. The award is given to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators that meet stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility standards.

The Blue Flag is a voluntary award, and obtaining one signifies the commitment of the community, local authorities, and

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

All a flutter

tourism operators to protecting and preserving the marine environment and promoting sustainable tourism practices.

This prestigious accolade is given by the Association for Environmental Education and Consumer Affairs (ADEAC), which manages Blue Flags in Spain.

Internationally, Spain also stood out, maintaining its place on top of the podium with a whopping 729 Blue Flags nationally.

The beaches in Almeria recognised with Blue Flag awards were in the following areas: Adra, Almeria, Balanegra, Carboneras, Cuevas de Almanzora, El Ejido, Mojacar, Nijar, Pulpi and Roquetas del Mar (which also won a flag for its marina) and Vera.

THE Almeria City Council, the Provincial Council, the Andalucian Government and the government of Spain showed their support for the disabled.

On Wednesday May 3, representatives of these bodies as well as the 21 bodies involved with the Almeria Federation of Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FAAM) gathered in the Plaza del Educador in Almeria City.

This event took place to celebrate and concentrate people’s minds on the National Day in Spain of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.

The president of FAAM, Valentín Sola, referred to this day as an important date since “the international convention is a human rights in­

Disabled rights

issues in terms of accessibility, employment, education or access to information and communication on equal terms.”

strument that is intended precisely to protect the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.”

He added however that “despite having made a lot of progress thanks to its mandatory nature on the part of the states, there are many challenges that remain to be achieved to achieve the full inclusion of people with disabilities.

“There are still important

Councillor for Family, Equality and Citizen Participation, Paola Laynez, observed that “people with disabilities represent 10 per cent of the population, have the same rights and we must guarantee their compliance.”

There are still important issues in terms of accessibility, employment, education or access to information and communication on equal terms and this highlighted the fact that the disabled have the right to stand as candidates in the upcoming local and general elections.

Means that something is difficult to understand due to its complexity. This expression was coined by Shakespeare who used it literally in Julius Caesar.

Linda Hall

THE Almanzora Group of Friends had a great morning on Wednesday May 3 at their first quiz at the Senior Centre in Albox.

“We were very pleased with the turnout on the day, supported by both members and nonmembers,” said the Group’s Press officer Mike Witherspoon.

“Eight teams took part and we all had a lot of fun trying to answer the 40 very challenging general knowledge questions and I am certain that many of us came away with some fascinating new facts,” he added.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to John Fry for organising the quiz and we already look forward to another, possibly in July, so please

FOR too long, some schools in Roquetas de Mar have been largely ignored with regards to safety for children.

There is no question that youngsters can be easily distracted and face the risk of being run over if they wander into the roads, especially when so many parents now drop off and pick up their children by car.

The council is committing €1,362,904 to create a new and safer environment with a project named Ciudad Peatonal Caminos Escolares (School Pedestrian City).

This Project will see work taking place in the areas surrounding CEIP Trinidad

Successful quiz

look out for further announcements,” Mike said.

“We would like to run more events like this in the near future, as the venue in Albox is a great place to meet up and they can also provide a fabulous Menu del Dia. As always we welcome ideas for future events.”

Group member Marion Nobbs has offered to organise an Art Class, Mike announced. “However we do need to know numbers before arranging, so if you are interested in the class could you please email us at the almanzo rafriends@gmail.com email address.

Safer schools

Martínez, Virgilio Valdivia, Francisco Sáiz Sanz, Francisco Villaespesa, Torrequebrada, Posidonia, Las Salinas, Virgen del Rosario, La Romanilla, La Molina, Las Lomas, Llanos de Marín, Poniente, Las Marinas, Gabriel Cara and the British School of Almeria.

The intention is to expand the width and number of pavements, pedestrianise some roads, add new pedestrian crossings, introduce better signage, remove dangerous barriers and create new friendly street furniture.

The good news for local res­

idents is that not only will this make life safer for children for years to come, but 80 per cent of the cost will come from European Union funds.

Credit: Almeria City Council

“It’s all Greek to me.”

1st ever novel was written in Spanish.

THE Indalo Players are a very thriving amateur theatre group presenting plays in English around Almeria.

They are currently in rehearsal of the very testing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey which won numerous Oscars when released as a film in 1975.

Prior to that, they had been touring the final ‘Whodunnit’ Murder in the Panto which culminated in a special evening at the state-of-the-art Maruja Cintas theatre in Bedar.

This home-produced bit of British fun had 10 different endings written by

Bill White so that those who saw the early version could come again.

Bedar mayor Angel Collado Fernandez and his wife, had front row seats and were extremely amused by the unashamedly traditional

Travelling players School’s out

MANY will remember the words of Alice Cooper’s enormous hit School’s Out, but this summer it may be earlier than expected in Almeria.

The Junta de Andalucia has confirmed that due to the ever-rising summer temperatures across the regions, it will move forward its plans to allow schools to close at noon (if temperatures are too high) from June to May 15.

It’s a complicated sys -

tem and staff from each school will have either already received or be about to undergo training so that they can ensure that children are not exposed to very high temperatures for long periods of times.

Whilst the youngsters may be initially delighted to have the chance to leave for home at noon, many working parents will find it quite inconvenient to have to change their collection arrangements at

British panto. Although no-one guessed who did it, the Indalo Players were very happy to donate €500 to the President of the Bedar Band, Paqui Gonzalez Navarno; enabling them to purchase more instruments for the growing number of musicians.

The Vera And District Lions Club charity raised €171 from a raffle which will help them with their continuous work supporting many different nationalities in the surrounding areas.

For further information visit their website: www.indaloplayers.es.

the last moment and also think about feeding their returning scholars.

There is also the problem of exams which intensify in the summer months so the children will have to be relied on to do their homework and revision diligently at home.

Keep cool

RESIDENTS and holiday makers are looking forward to another scorching summer and those visiting Roquetas de Mar and Vera should be able to cool down and enjoy some exercise.

There are just two water parks in Almeria Province and they are gearing themselves up to welcome visitors.

First to open will be the AquaVera Water Park which will open on Saturday May 20 and you can find out about prices, attractions and times by visiting https://aquavera.com/.

You will have to wait until Friday June 16 to visit Mario Park in Roquetas de Mar so visit https://mariopark. com/ for all the news.

Presentation of the €500.

Credit: Indalo Players

ALTHOUGH there have been a number of delays, a company has finally been awarded the contract to provide cleaning services throughout Vera.

Raga Environment will be responsible for road cleaning, beach cleaning and looking after public spaces for the next four years.

A total of 22 workers will be using state of the art eco friendly machinery with vehicles being mainly electric and for a change, most tools such as blowers will also be electric rather than petrol driven thus reducing the amount of noise and vibration created as well as ensuring minimum energy consumption.

The mayor of Vera, Alfonso Garcia, commented that “this award, with the entry into operation of the new cleaning service solves a historic problem in the municipality, as the scope of the previous service was out of date, and did not adjust to the actual growth that Vera has had in the last few years, so we hope

Cleaning up

that the wish to get a cleaner and more cared for

Vera will start to be visible soon.”

TO coincide with the United Nations World Week for Road Safety, which runs from May 15 to 21, the Vera Council has launched a special campaign.

It’s aimed at school age children and is intended to educate and inform them in a fun way of the importance of road safety. And consists of talks by officers from the Local Police supported by hands on demonstrations.

Workshops have begun and a mobile track has been

Safe fun

created with the children able to drive electric vehicles and follow realistic road signs as well as being directed by qualified personnel. Not only will this be fun but it is intended that each child will understand the dangers of public roads and the various vehicles that now abound with the intention that they will not become another accident statistic.

CLEANING SERVICES: The new Raga Environment team.

Credit: Vera Council

Leonardo partied

PARTY IN THE PARK: Enjoying a boogie with Leonardo.

THE Vera and District Lions Club hosted their fourth Party in the Park on Sunday April 30.

The weather was perfect and El Palmeral Park in Vera supplied the faultless setting for such a large family event.

The main stage was sponsored by Valery’s Restaurant in Mojacar and as soon as the music started at 12.30 the dance floor was never empty for the next six hours.

Bands included Seldom Sober, Skyfall, Harmony Duo, Glam Slam, Disco Inferno, Reflexion and Best of 3 whilst others enjoyed a calmer atmosphere in the Acoustic Chill Out Bar which was sponsored by Platino Gym in Mojacar

welcoming Nadine Karen Low, No Trouble, Filabres Mountain Daredevils, Fiona Vickers, The Tonicx and Jam. Both The Lion’s Tea Room and The Chill Out Bar supplied an amazing selection of home-made cakes, sandwiches and snacks including vegetarian and vegan food; with all profits going to The Lions charity.

Mayor Alfonso García Ramos announced at the end of the event that Vera was already looking forward to the party returning next year.

For further information about becoming a member, volunteering, or sponsoring please email: Hilary Law: vera lionssecretary@gmail.com.

Helping hand

THE mayor of Pulpi, Juan Pedro García, met the President of the local Association of People with Disabilities La Esperanza, Rosa Segura on Thursday May 4, to sign two new agreements good for the next 12 months.

This annual commitment means that the Pulpi Council firstly agrees on an expenditure of just under €126,000 to cover the employment of people with disabilities who will work in a range of positions at the local Municipal Indoor Pool. The second document covers other employment for four people by the council in several roles at a cost of €75,273.

THE Cuevas de Almanzora Council has renewed for another year the agree‐ment it entered into some years ago with the Pri‐maflor Foundation.

Created in 2019, the Foundation is committed to looking after the needs and social welfare of resi‐dents in municipalities where the Primaflor Group is established and one of their main factories is lo‐cated in Las Canalejas.

Those present at the of‐ficial signing were the may‐or, Antonio Fernandez, ac‐companied by Councillors as well as the Cecilio Pere‐grín, Corporate Director and Patron of the Pri‐maflor Foundation.

Mayor Antonio Fernán‐dez expressed his “satisfac‐tion with the renewal of this agreement, which will again have a very positive impact on many of those living in Cuevas del Alman‐zora.”

Positive Solar power

AS part of the recently launched Vera Council Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Plan, it has been decided to take advantage of municipal buildings by installing solar panels in order to reduce electricity consumption.

The buildings initially chosen as being ideal for conversion are the House of Culture and Infancia BAYRA, the Local Police Station, the Mariana Pineda Municipal Indoor Pool and the sewage works, although the objective is to eventually expand the concept to all municipal facilities and buildings.

Mayor of Vera, Alfonso Garcia said “The objective of these actions is to reduce electricity consumption, in the face of rising energy costs, and the desire to use cleaner and sustainable energies in municipal facilities.”

Credit: Vera Lions

The UK tax year started on 6 April, so how will this impact your pocket? UK tax changes can affect you even if you are living in Spain, so here we outline the key announcements in the last two UK budgets.

Lifetime Allowance and other pensions tax changes

Probably the biggest surprise of the UK’s 2023 spring budget was the abolition of the pensions Lifetime Allowance and resulting tax charges.

While the Lifetime Allowance itself remains in place for now, the tax rate for breaching the limit is 0% from 6 April 2023 onwards. It will be scrapped entirely in the 2024 Finance Bill.

First introduced in 2006, your Lifetime Allowance is the amount you can hold in combined UK pension benefits (excluding state pension) before incurring additional tax charges – 55% for lump sums or 25% for income or overseas transfers. It has been cut significantly over recent years, from £1,800,000 in 2011 down to £1,073,100 before being scrapped.

The new UK tax year

lowance and minimum Tapered

Annual Allowance from £4,000 to £10,000, and from £40,000 to £60,000 for the Annual Allowance for contributions.

UK income tax

By Jon Pemberton, Partner, Blevins Franks

contributions and growth. A future government could, however, reverse this move and the Labour Party quickly pledged to do so. Since pension transfers can take up to six months, there may be a limited opportunity to transfer your pension out of the UK and avoid any future UK charges.

The spring budget did not include any significant changes to income tax, but the autumn statement included measures to increase taxation.

The income tax personal allowance, higher rate threshold, national insurance contributions, upper earning limit and upper profits limit were frozen at their 2021 levels for another two years, until April 2028.

Freezing allowances and thresholds is often referred to as ‘tax by stealth’ since it increases taxation without putting up tax rates.

The income threshold for the additional 45% tax rate (47% in

Corporation tax increased to 25% for businesses making over £250k in profits.

Capital gains and dividends taxation

As announced in the Autumn Statement, the Capital Gains Tax Annual Exempt amount has dropped from £12,300 to £6,000 for the 2023-2024 tax year. It will be cut in half again, to £3,000, in April 2024.

The Dividend Allowance has also been halved, from £2,000 to £1000 from April 2023, and then to £500 in 2024.

UK inheritance tax

Both the general Nil Rate Band and Residential Nil Rate Band will remain frozen at £325,000 and £175,000 respectively until April 2028. Coupled with rising house prices, this will drag more and

frozen since 2009, which has impacted many families.

Cross-border tax advice

Take personalised advice from a cross-border specialist to establish if and how the UK tax changes could impact you and your family, even as a non-resident. If you have not yet left the UK, take advice before you dispose of UK assets to ensure you do that as taxefficiently as possible.

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

Keep up to date on the financial

BEFORE setting off to Latin America, the self ‐confessed eccentric Span‐ish/ Lebanese violinist Ara Malikian continues his world tour and will be playing at the El Ejido Au‐ditorium on Saturday May 27.

A friend of Sting, he is well respected for his pow‐erful stage presence and already tickets are selling fast, but there appear to be some left for the 9.30pm performance, due to last two hours, which cost €45 per person.

His last tour chronicled the violinist’s relationship with garages which start ‐ed in Beirut shortly after the outbreak of civil war when his father put to ‐gether an impromptu band as they tried to play

World Tour

the music of the Rolling Stones, he has since had another change of direc ‐tion.

His latest album ARA is the result of seeing his son grow up as Ara saw himself growing up at his side.

Talking about the tour

Love match

THE under 11 team of girls from the Club de Tenis Almeria were named cham‐pions of Andalucia after several tough matches over the weekend of May 6 and 7.

The actual play off gave the girls home advantage as it took place at the Almeria Tennis Club grounds but the team still had several hard‐fought matches to win.

Firstly, they beat the Campus Tennis Club de Granada in the semi‐finals by three games to one and

then progressed to the final against Club Deportivo So‐cial Serramar from Malaga. Having bested their op ‐ponents in two singles and one doubles match, they emerged triumphant and picked up the very impres‐sive trophy.

David Domínguez, sports director and deputy dele ‐gate in Almeria of the An‐dalucian Tennis Federation congratulated the Club de Tenis Almeria for the great work done during the sea‐son.

he said “This tour is full of dinosaurs, robotic squids, time machines, flying pi ‐anos and bilingual mimes, this record is that which I had forgotten and which is so powerful; the magic of finding each day and each path fascinating, whatever they bring.”

Big Mac

IT’S Big Mac time, al ‐though not the burger type, but a special event hosted by the always helping Mojacar Associa‐tion Cancer Support Group.

This will be the eighth event of its kind and takes place at the Hostal Ru ‐ral/Chiringuito Extreme in Turre on Sunday June 4.

Entry to the fundraiser costs just €5 (children un‐der 12 are free) and the doors open at noon with a selection of live music across two stages running from 12.30 to 7.30 and those performing include Hysteria, Jack Law, The Tonicx, Kay Frances, Lady Ellen and The All Out 80s.

Proudly proclaiming that it’s going to be ‘the event of the year’ those attending will have the opportunity to purchase goods from the variety of stalls, enjoy hot and cold food as well as cakes and take part in the tombola.

There will be an auction of promises as well as a squares board with the in‐tention of raising as much funding as possible for MACS, which also has charity shops in Albox, Huercal ‐ Overa, Las Buganvillas, Mojacar and Turre.

ON TOUR: Ara Malikian and his current band.

Credit: Ara Malikian Facebook

Keep it in the family

AS a foreigner, moving to a village in rural northern Spain means you are a curiosity. Neighbours will begin circling, not unlike sharks. Peeking through your gate like you’re an animal in the local zoo.

Of course, they are cu‐rious about your strange ways. How you venture out of the confines of your home in outfits in which they wouldn’t be caught dead, as you sweep your front porch without wearing the requisite apron of all women sweeping front porches. I can hear their thoughts. ‘Has she no shame?’

After two years, we had begun to rack up an

impressive stack of so ‐cial faux pas. Erecting a fence to keep our dog in might impede hunters from crossing our land toting shot ‐guns while chasing a pack of baying dogs. There were many more. We were given a wide berth when we would walk down to the vil ‐lage to order a coffee or a glass of wine. They took our money and handed over the bever ‐ages, but they didn’t look happy about it. But then, it all changed.

I needed a house ‐keeper. I called local businesses and asked everyone I met. No one would respond. So, I cleaned my own home without wearing an

apron. Heresy. Then, one day there was a knock at the door. A small woman stood there. She spoke only Gallego but, apparent ‐ly, was here to clean my house.

Her apron was my first clue. Where she had come from, I didn’t know. But I hired her on the spot. And it turns out she’s the cousin of the people who own the café in the village. Suddenly, my lack of an apron doesn’t seem to matter anymore. The hunters totally understand why we have a fence for our dog. And, while we are no longer exotic zoo an‐imals, my house has never been cleaner.

Corruption crackdown

BRUSSELS wants to crack down on corruption and has proposed a new rule that would increase the penalties for embezzlement in Spain.

The European Commis ‐sion’s proposal was an ‐nounced on Wednesday, May 3 and suggests a mini‐mum prison sentence of at least five years, which is

Pressure on noise pollution

MALAGA’S ongoing battle with noise pollution in Plaza Mit‐jana is still being debated.

Local residents near the plaza have asked Malaga City Council for effective measures against excessive noise from bars, including extra vigilance from authorities, temporary closures or sanctions said a news source.

On April 26, International Noise Awareness Day, members of the Centro Antiguo de Malaga asked Malaga City Council to enforce the sentence won by three residents of Plaza Mit‐jana in 2022. They also asked for clarification, ‘to adopt effec‐tive measures to eliminate the noise.’

The mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre assured those in attendance that the sentence has been complied with and brought to their attention the ‘great change’ that the square has undergone to reduce noise levels.’

However, the people who have been affected say that the situation remains ‘exactly the same.’

more than the four years currently set by Spain’s na‐tional law.

Officials are aiming to standardise penalties and sentences for all corruption‐related crimes, including abuse of power and money laundering.

The EU’s current legisla‐tion only covers the crime of bribery, but this new pro ‐posal would expand its scope to include a range of other offences.

The Spanish government said it is currently “studying the proposal” and may need to make changes to its laws to comply with the new Eu‐ropean legislation. If the proposal is approved, it would be negotiated by the EU’s Justice Ministers and Parliament before becoming law.

It remains to be seen how this will impact Spanish poli‐tics, particularly as the previ‐ous reform to corruption sentences, which benefited several Catalan politicians, is still fresh in people’s minds.

The move follows up on Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment against corruption.

Coronation a roaring success Royal guests

FOLLOWING the coronation ceremony, the focus then turned to Buckingham Palace where the new King and Queen appeared, to the de‐light of the multitude that had gathered there.

Saturday, May 6 was the day Britons celebrated their newly crowned King and Queen, a historic event watched by millions world‐wide.

Despite the rain, family squabbles and the threat of disruption from anti‐monar‐chists the day was a complete success.

The King and Queen took their places on the balcony to welcome the royal flypast and as they waved to crowds be‐low a huge roar went up in cel‐ebration.

However, due to the weath‐er, the Ministry of Defence had to send a slimmed‐down ver‐sion of the six‐minute flypast, trimmed to just two and a half minutes instead.

The original plan was for over 60 aircraft, which includ‐ed some vintage bombers, to

THE surrounding area of Buckingham Palace was left littered with soggy tents and other dis‐carded belongings on May 7, after heavy rains at the weekend’s coronation event.

The Buckingham Palace Mall was left a ‘right royal mess’ after revellers left the site after the coronation. With some supporters of the newly crowned king having camped there for up to a week and the weather being, well, terribly British, there will be plenty of clearing up to do.

Chris Ship, the ITV News Royal Editor, posted a video of the aftermath of the Coronation of King Charles III saying:

“A few short hours ago, there were crowds and carriages and crowns. Now the Mall re‐sembles an abandoned campsite after a wet

make an appearance, but ulti‐mately some helicopters and the Red Arrows were the only ones to take part.

The procession from West‐minster Abbey to Buckingham Palace was accompanied by 4,000 troops from the army, navy and RAF.

The first recorded monarch ever to appear before crowds on the famous balcony was Queen Victoria, when she stepped out for the opening of the Great Exhibition in 1851.

Clearing up

weekend at Glastonbury #Coronation.”

Carrie McInnis posted an image of the mess on Twitter, saying: “Buckingham Palace Mall littered with tents in coronation aftermath and News #GreenEnergy #SustainableEnergy #CleanEnergy #Energy [Video] Buckingham Palace Mall could be seen littered with rubbish including tents and flags in the aftermath of King Charles.”

No doubt the surrounding of Buckingham Palace will get back to its former glory and despite the debris, there is no doubt the Coronation of King Charles III was done on a grand scale and thoroughly enjoyed by many.

WELCOME guests at the Coronation of King Charles III were Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.

The kings are distant cousins and prior to the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Felipe was 567th in line to the British throne.

The visit was short as His Majesty had to be back to present the Copa del Rey on the evening of Sunday May 7 but the royal couple attended a reception hosted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace on May 5.

The following day when attending the Coronation, they looked resplendent, the King in formal military uni‐form and the Queen appearing graceful and refined in a pink dress with a large pink accented hat.

KING CHARLES III: A historic event watched by millions.

DISTANT COUSINS: King Felipe VI with Queen Letizia.

Betty Henderson

IN final figures, authorities say that this year’s Feria de Sevilla (April Fair in Sevilla) brought in a whopping €930 million. The event, which came to an end on Friday, April 28 was a major success, breaking records in terms of atten ‐dance, spending, transport, horse‐drawn carriage rides, and hotel occupancy.

Fantastic fortune

This year’s festival saw an in‐crease in public transportation usage, with over 1.1 million people using the public trans‐port system. Horse‐drawn car‐riages, which are a staple of the festival, also saw a 6 per cent increase in use.

No corkage in Ronda

Hotel occupancy reached an impressive 85‐88 per cent dur‐ing the week and 92 per cent on weekends. The festival sees the city transported back to the 19th century for a week of traditional flamenco music playing all around, couples dancing ‘Sevillanas’ dances with women in flamenca dresses and the classic Feria drink ‘Rebujito’, a mixed drink of sherry and lemonade flow‐ing. The atmosphere at the Fe‐ria de Sevilla was lively, colour‐ful, and festive, with streets lined with ‘Caseta’ fair tents fully equipped with bars and table service.

The festival’s incredible in‐come makes it one of the biggest economic events for Spain.

RONDA in the province of Malaga has been forced to put a stop to corkage due to the drought conditions.

The drought has been felt in the public forests of Ronda in an area of Serrania, even though it usually gets more rain than the rest of the sea ‐son. This year has been an exception.

As a result, the town council has taken the measure of prohibiting the collection of cork used by cork men in a tradition that goes back to ancient times.

The measure is taken as a form of protection for cork oaks, since the lack of moisture this year could cause dam ‐age to the trees if they are peeled for cork.

The municipal dele ‐gate of the Ronda moun‐tains, Jesus Vazquez said: “At the moment

there is only a small plot where corking cannot take place. There are other plots that have ad‐equate conditions, al ‐though as the uncorking date approaches inspec ‐tions will be carried out to verify that the cork

can be removed without damage to the trees. Production will be lower this year, but a rise in prices ought to offset the income which is one of the most im ‐portant in the towns of the Tagus.

Photo credit: Madison Hennig (via WhatsApp)

CORK TREES: The oaks are being protected.

‘Caseta’ fair tents line the streets in Sevilla’s iconic Feria fair.

DJ out of hospital

John Ensor

AFTER a three­week stay in hospital, people’s favourite Tony Blackburn has been discharged.

The 80 ­ year ­ old radio star was released from hospital and shared a tweet on Wednesday, May 3, with his many fans on his latest health checkup, said a news source.

Listeners were in shock when Tony revealed in April he would not be presenting his usual radio show due to a serious chest infection, an illness that led to him being hospitalised for three weeks.

He told fans although he was out of hospital, he hadn’t received the allclear. Mr Blackburn confided he still required daily treatment from staff at the hospital.

In a tweet he wrote: “After three weeks in hospital I have just been discharged and am now at home to have some more treatment by having a daily injection for a few days from a hospital near me.

“Thanks to everyone at the Wellington Hospital in

London for looking after me. After my treatment and a rest I look forward to getting back @BBCRadio2 and @BBCLOCALRADIO to doing what I love doing.

“Just want to thank all my friends for your lovely messages. Xx”

Ed wins case

IT’S official, Ed Sheeran did not rip off Marvin Gaye, a Manhattan jury has decided.

The high ­ profile case held in a Manhattan federal court was concluded on Thursday, May 4, when the question of plagiarism was answered with an emphatic notguilty verdict, according to a news source. The $100 million copyright tri­

al centred around Sheeran’s hit song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ being stolen from Marvin Gaye's classic ‘Let’s Get It On’.

The 32 ­ year ­ old singersongwriter successfully proved to the court he did not infringe copyright. When the verdict was announced Sheeran buried his face in his hands before standing up to hug his lawyer in relief.

Empty-handed

AN elderly bank robber used a handwritten note to announce his intentions but it backfired when puzzled staff couldn’t decipher it. In February, 69­yearold pensioner, Alan Slattery, went to banks and building societies in East Sussex in an attempt to rob them, only to be thwarted by his handwriting, according to a news source. The attempted robberies occurred when Slattery went to a National Building Society in St Leonards, another in Bexhillon­Sea, East Sussex, and at Natwest in Bexhill. The same threatening note was used each time, ‘Im not f*****g

about, just pass me the 10s and 20s now and no­one will get hurt.’ On each occasion, however, he walked away empty­handed as bank staff refused to comply with his demands. Inspector Olivia Carroll, of Hastings and Rother Neighbourhood Policing Team, said “Slattery is well­known for his previous offences in the area and was easily identified by staff who reported the incidents to us.

“This led to him being quickly arrested and charged within just 12 hours. He was also remanded in custody to prevent him from re­offending.”

The Yorkshire ­ born singer had vehemently denied the song had been stolen, so much so, he vowed he would give up music if he was found guilty. Hence the verdict must come as a massive relief to his many fans around the world.

The 1973 hit ‘Let’s Get It On’, was co ­ written by Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend who died in 2003. The lawsuit was brought by Townsend’s heirs.

During the trial, Sheeran said, “I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it.”

36 billion cups of tea are drunk per year in the UK.

TONY BLACKBURN: Has had a chest infection.

Troops out Cheers to that

GERMAN troops began their withdrawal from Mali on Wednesday, May 3, but the mission has not been without its challenges.

The deployment of some 1,000 troops to Mali aimed to gather reconnaissance for the UN peacekeeping mis‐sion MINUSMA, but recent disputes with the Malian government and the arrival of Russian forces led to Berlin’s decision to wrap up the mission by May 2024.

German commander in Mali, Colonel Heiko Bohn ‐sack, confirmed that the mil‐itary has already started sending the first shipments of equipment back home.

The first stages of the withdrawal will involve a slow reduction of equipment while troops maintain suffi‐cient equipment to fulfil their mission.

The government in Berlin has also paved the way for a last one ‐ year extension of the decade‐old mission until

May 2024, pending parlia ‐mentary approval.

MINUSMA was estab ‐lished in 2013 to support troops battling armed groups in the Sahel, but the mission has been plagued with friction between the Malian military government and foreign forces.

This, coupled with the ar‐rival of Kremlin ‐ linked pri ‐vate military company, Wag‐ner Group, prompted France to withdraw its troops in 2022 after almost a decade in Mali.

VODKA has become the un‐likely centre of a global conflict, but it’s good news for Ukraini‐an producers. In fact, in a re‐cent report, industry leaders say Ukrainian vodka sales have been soaring since the Russian invasion began. The annual global sales for vodka are around €39.2 billion, with the profits traditionally going mainly to Russia, with Poland and Ukraine’s slightly smaller industries also attract‐ing trade.

However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen an abrupt change in fortunes for vodka producers as Russian stock has

IN a major breakthrough, the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo came together to work towards lo‐cating and identifying hundreds of people who are still missing from the 1998‐1999 war on Wednesday, May 3. The conflict resulted in over 13,000 deaths with the vast majority of those killed being from Kosovo and Albania. Despite this major loss of life, more than 1,600 people re‐main unaccounted for, leaving their families without closure.

However, a new agreement between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti aims to change that. The

been withdrawn from shelves across the world and replaced with Ukrainian or Polish bot‐tles.

The result is a boost in sales for Ukrainian vodkas. Nemiroff vodka, a Ukrainian brand, has reported a two‐fold increase in sales in the UK alone. Dima’s, another Ukrainian vodka brand, said that its global sales have significantly increased since the war began.

Despite power cuts and oth‐er challenges caused by the conflict, Ukrainian vodka brands have managed to maintain production and con‐tinue exporting their products.

Missing persons

two leaders have promised to use cutting‐edge technology, including satellite data and laser mapping, to detect mass graves and locate the missing.

The European Union, which has been instru‐mental in repairing relations between Serbia and Kosovo, will chair a joint commission on missing people and assist by sharing official files.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who mediated the deal, said families have the right to know what happened to loved ones.

The Bundeswehr were monitoring a ceasefire in Mali.

Photo credit: Bundeswehr (website)

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Going home

DENMARK will reduce its military presence in Iraq in early 2024 in order to focus on Baltic countries. “We must prepare for a long-term Danish presence in the Baltic to establish a balance between soldiers on the ground and readiness to deploy them from Denmark,” Poulsen said.

THE NETHERLANDS

Hot stuff

THE meteorological office in De Bilt, (Utrecht) in the centre of the country, registered the Netherlands’ first warm day on May 4 when the temperature rose briefly to 20 degrees for the first time this year. Weather is deemed officially warm once the temperature rises above 20 degrees.

BELGIUM

Party time

MORE than 10,000 people attended an unauthorised rave at a disused airbase in Sint-Truiden at the end of April after the organisers broke into the base. Police set up roadblocks to stem the flow of revellers but admitted they were powerless to evacuate so many people from the site.

GERMANY

Fax and figures

EIGHTY-TWO per cent of German companies still use fax machines, according to a survey of firms with at least 20 employees carried out by digital association Bitkom. A third of those taking part in the survey said they continued to use the fax machines “frequently or very frequently.”

FRANCE

Nuclear pact

FRANCE and Japan signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in Paris on May 3 which pledged to ‘deepen and accelerate ties’ in researching and developing next-generation fast reactors, while continuing to work on the safe life extension of existing reactors and the decommissioning of nuclear plants.

NORWAY

High hopes

NORWEGIAN Kristin Harila, 37, the fastest female to climb the world’s 14 highest mountains, now aims to beat a male climber’s 2019 record. She successfully scaled Mount Cho Oyu and Mount Shishapangma in China and has arrived in Kathmandu (Nepal) where she will begin climbing this month.

FINLAND

Big noise

RUSSIA complained to Finland that a group of people threw “an explosive noise device” and broke a window at their consulate in the Aland Islands in the Baltic. The case was “regrettable”, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said, and police were “clarifying and investigating” the incident.

IRELAND

Badger jabs

FIVE thousand badgers were culled in Ireland in 2022 and a further 7,000 were vaccinated for tuberculosis under a Department of Agriculture prevention programme. The department explained that it now plans to phase out the culling programme as this was not a sustainable long-term solution.

ITALY

New claim

THE abbey of San Claudio in Macerata is described as 11th century, although locals insist it is two centuries older. They also believe Macerata was the headquarters of Charlemagne, the ‘Father of Europe’, between wars and that the town, not Aachen in Germany, is also his final resting place.

PORTUGAL Going down

PORTUGAL fell from seventh to ninth place in Reporters with Borders’ Press Freedom rankings, classing it as ‘satisfactory’ this year, compared with 2022’s verdict of ‘very good’. The NGO placed Norway at the top of its list, followed by Ireland, Denmark and Sweden in second, third and fourth places.

UKRAINE

Old tech

UKRAINE'S 28th Brigade has begun using an antiquated wind-up field telephone for vital communications. Russia’s electronic warfare systems can detect and intercept mobile phones and radios, but the men said that although the ancient field telephone’s technology was very old “it works really well.”

SWEDEN

Job losses

VOLVO will cut 1,300 office posts, approximately 6 per cent of its employees in Sweden, in an attempt to reduce costs. Volvo’s CEO Jim Rowan explained in a statement that last year’s cost-cutting measures had started to get results “but it’s clear that we need to do more.”

FINANCE

Things to come

is the amount of a government contract awarded to Hispasat to close the digital gap by providing Spain’s rural areas with a broadband internet connection until December 2027. STAT OF WEEK

€76 million

Telepizza restructuring shakeup

Linda Hall

BUSINESS EXTRA Keep right on

BRITAIN’S Foreign Secretary

James Cleverly warned that armed conflict between China and Taiwan would destroy world trade, dealing a catastrophic blow to the global economy. Discussing Britain’s relations with Beijing, Cleverly said no country could shield itself from the repercussions of a war in Taiwan.

Fair shares

SPAIN’S capital gains tax charged at a maximum of 26 per cent when selling shares is 6.45 percentage points higher than the EU’s 19.55 per cent. The Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Slovenia charge nothing at all, while Belgium charges 0.15 per cent on transactions over €1 million.

Off the menu

PREZZO, affected by soaring energy and food costs, will close 46 loss ­ making Italian restaurants in the UK and where the post­Covid recovery proved harder than the private equity­owned chain had anticipated. Approximately 810 workers were at risk of redundancy due to the overhaul, Prezzo said.

Fast lanes

SPANISH toll road company

Albertis is bidding a total of €6 billion for three contracts to manage the Attica motorway in Athens, four motorways in Puerto Rico and the 16.5­kilometre State Highway 288 in Houston. With two lanes in each direction this is one of the busiest roads in Texas.

Downsizing

JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP will halve the size of its central London headquarters now that thousands of employees work from home. The offices occupy 220,000 square feet (approximately 2,044 square metres) but only half of that is being used and some floors have been completely closed off.

TELEPIZZA has survived and can live to deliver pizzas another day.

Bondholders and Santander, the fast­food company’s largest creditor signed an agreement on May 2 that has saved the Spanish multinational chain. Sources close to the operation told financial daily, Cinco Dias, that the private equity investors and the bank agreed to a write­down of around half of Telepizza’s liabilities, estimated at approximately €400 million, in exchange for 100 per cent of the company. As a result,

the bondholders headed by the Oak Hill, Blantyre, HIG, Fortress and Treo are now majority shareholders in the company, renamed Food Delivery Brands, and own 75 per cent of the capital.

Santander lent Telepizza €40 million that was guaranteed by Spain’s Official Credit Institute (ICO) during the

pandemic. A Telepizza statement had announced at the time that it needed between €95 and €115 million to cope with its problems and that the situation created by the Covid restrictions had endangered the company’s ability to meet its liquidity needs.

Santander and ICO itself,

together with other financial bodies which have yet to be named, will now share the remaining 25 per cent between them.

Shareholders including KKR, Arta, Torreal, J Safra Group and Altamar, who lose their entire stake, have come off worst in the deal.

Telepizza, was originally founded in Madrid as Pizza Phone by Leopoldo Fernandez Pujaz, a Cuban­born US businessman, in 1987.

There are now more than 1,600 Telepizza outlets worldwide, of which 694 Telepizza are located in Spain.

Dyson goes abroad again

DYSON will open a new battery factory in Singapore while investing in technology centres for Bristol and Santo Tomas (Philippines).

Although the Singapore outlay will be ‘significantly larger’, the UK and Philippines investments will involve a respective £100 million (€113.4 million) and £166 million (€118.2 million).

This latest announcement confirms billionaire Sir James Dyson’s policy of basing manufacturing operations outside Britain while retaining research and development functions in the UK. These includes research and robotics facilities in Malmesbury and Hullavington in Wiltshire.

Great news

SPAIN’S Paradores continues to benefit from the tourism boom following the pandemic years. The state­owned chain of 100 hotels announced a turnover of €310 million last year, the first time that this has risen above €300 million in its 95 years of existence.

The good results continued during the first four months of 2023, with earnings between January and April rising by 1.4 per cent to €80 million, an unprecedented amount for that time of the year.

“These figures are formidable,” said Pedro Saura, the Paradores’ president. “They are better than we expected and promise very positive prospects for all of 2023.”

James Dyson, whose company is habitually linked to vacuum cleaners, was a prominent Brexit supporter, maintaining that the UK would gain more by leaving Europe than it would lose. Inevitably, he faced strong criticism in 2019 for relocating the company’s headquarters to Singapore, where it already owned factories.

Cold

call ban

THE UK will ban all cold calls selling financial products.

The crackdown is being introduced to prevent fraudsters from selling sham insurance or cryptocurrency schemes.

A new fraud squad will be created with a staff of 500 compared to the existing 120, although Labour and the Liberal Democrat MPs described the plan as “too little, too late.”

Consumer group Which? welcomed the strategy, but also criticised the government for not acting sooner.

Fraud is now the UK’s most common crime, with one in 15 people falling victim to scams. Media regulator Ofcom revealed that 41 million people were targeted by calls and texts last summer, with an online element present in most fraud.

The ban will be introduced this summer, with the financial products to be covered decided after consultations.

UK employees are likely to be working into their 70s, according to findings that were released on International Workers’ Day, May 1.

Rest Less, an online community for the over­50s which provides advice for older workers, concluded that many people had little choice but to continue working owing to the cost­of­living crisis.

There were 446,601 over­70s still in employment last year, a 61 per cent increase compared with 277,926 in 2012, Rest Less, said. While most were male, the rise has been more marked among women as a result of the gradual equalisation of pension ages between 2010 and 2020.

New boss

The new Singapore plant will be its biggest ever investment in “advanced manufacturing,” Dyson said. The Philippines technology centre, which will engage 400 new engineers, will double the amount of factory space devoted to advanced technologies. The Bristol site will hire more software, AI and connectivity engineers, revealed Jake Dyson, the founder’s son and chief engineer.

The Singapore plant will produce batteries using proprietary new technology but Dyson preferred not to give more details, citing ‘commercial sensitivities’. Nevertheless, it appears the company believes it can make smaller, lighter and more energy­dense batteries.

Good earners

POTTERY, flags, t­shirts, Westminister Abbey­shaped biscuits and tins to put them in have been produced round the clock for the Coronation.

The UK is spending around £250 million (€284 million) on souvenirs and memorabilia, the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) said.

This could mount up to far more, as the CRR believes the final figure will top £1.6 billion (€2.8 billion) once tourist cash, plus spending on parties and going out is included.

Bridgewater Pottery, for instance, have sold more than £1 million (€1.1 million) worth of items emblazoned ‘Three Cheers for King Charles’, although normal sales were currently a struggle, owner Emma Bridgewater said.

VODAFONE appointed interim boss Margherita Della Valle as its permanent chief executive.

Bringing to an end almost five months of uncertainty, the British multinational telecommunications company said that Della ValleVodafone’s former chief financial officer ­ was hired after a “rigorous internal and external search.”

She occupied the CEO role on an interim basis after Vodafone sacked predecessor Nick Reid last December after four years, amid concerns over the company’s performance.

Della Valla will take on the job parallel to her role as Vodafone’s finance chief while a replacement is sought.

Sweet notion

LEFTIES, part of the Inditex group, will start selling sweets in their principal stores.

The affordable fashion chain, launched as a Primark competitor, has come to an agreement with the Murcia confectionary company, Golosinas Fini.

This takes Inditex a step further in its plans for Digital Stores incorporating technological advances that integrate the digital and inperson channels.

These will offer music booths, make­up services, retro­type video and basketball games, drinking fountains for pets, as well as persons and a customised clothes service creating unique items.

MULTINATIONAL: A Telepizza branch in Santiago de Chile.

DYSON HEADQUARTERS: Moved to Singapore in 2019.

Photo credit: CC/Carlosyo

Photo credit: CC/Westliche

LONDON - FTSE 100

DOW JONES

Power play

ITALY’S government, a major shareholder in Enel, recently dismissed Francesco Strarace, the power company’s longstanding CEO. Enel, the parent company of Spain’s Endesa in which it has a 70 per cent holding, is now rumoured to be seeking a substitute for the latter company’s CEO Jose Bogas, to the disquiet of the Spanish government.

Listen up

AT Unilever’s annual general meeting, 58 per cent of participating shareholders voted against the consumer goods group’s pay report for 2022. Unilever said it was disappointed by the outcome, while stressing that the vote was advisory rather than binding. “We are committed to shareholder engagement and will listen carefully to feedback,” the company added.

Tips to be protected

WITHHOLDING tips from staff will be unlawful in the UK.

More than two million workers will have their tips protected and they will also be able to view an employer’s tipping record.

An estimated £200 million (€227 million) a year will now return to staff pockets as employers are banned from withholding tips under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023. Hospitality workers rely on tips but are often powerless if businesses fail to

Reluctant scientists

THE Spanish Space Agency recently held its first board meeting in Sevilla.

This was chaired by the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, who announced that with its annual budget of €700 million the agency should begin drafting the National Space Plan as soon as possible.

Its staff of 75 should be operational by the next quarter, Morant added.

This could be problematic, however.

Twenty employees from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), whose functions were assumed by the agency, have not yet made arrangements to leave Madrid.

They have been promised transfers with identical conditions but are still negotiating the move with the Ministry of Science and the Administration.

pass on customers’ service charges to staff.

The new measures are due to come into force in 2024.

This overhaul of tipping practices will benefit at least two million workers in the UK across the hospitality, leisure and services sectors, helping to ease cost of living pressures and giving them peace of mind, knowing that they will keep their hardearned money.

“As people face rising living costs, it is not right for employers to withhold tips from employees,” Business and Trade Minister Kevin Hollinrake said.

“Whether you are pulling pints or delivering a pizza, this new law will ensure that staff receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and customers can be confident their money is going to those who deserve it.”

Team spirit

SPAIN’S First and Second Divisions are in profit again after their losses during the pandemic. According to the estimate announced on May 4 by LaLiga, to which the 42 clubs belong, they will have made a net profit of €27 million by the end of the season, compared with the €1.039 billion losses incurred in 2020 and 2021.

No net

ONE in four people aged between 25 and 49 save nothing and would have no safety net in an emergency, a YouGov survey for wealth manager True Potential found. Forty per cent have slashed the amount they save each month owing to the cost of living, while those who save put aside less than £50 (€57.13) a month.

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: Tips will go to staff by law.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Arttabel

Pay up

A VISIT to Hampton Court gardens, open to the public since Queen Victoria’s reign, was once free, but now costs up to £29 (€33). Hampton Court, owned by the royal family, blamed financial difficulties after the Covid pandemic for locking its gates for the first time in 185 years.

Different label

TONI RUIZ, Mango’s chief executive since March 2020, told a La Vanguardia interviewer that the fashion chain wished to lose its “fast fashion” label. “We have a team of 500 people designing 100 per cent of our clothes in Barcelona, working with best­quality, sustainable fabrics,” Ruiz said.

Fast work

RESTAURANT GROUP , which owns Wagamama, Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquitos, will close 23 outlets by the end of May. The group, which currently runs 410 venues, intends to speed up closures after announcing earlier that it would shut 35 of its loss­making casual dining restaurants.

Top earners

BANCO SANTANDER’s millionaire executives increased by 37.62 per cent last year from 202 to 278 employees on more than €1 million annually, according to its Prudential Relevance Report 2022. BBVA’s millionaire employees also increased, although by 5.66 per cent to just 56 executives.

Not quite

HEALTHCARE company Haleon’s profits fell slightly short of expectations in the first quarter as the consumer giant’s margins were affected by higher costs.

The GlaxoSmithKline spinoff behind brands including Sensodyne toothpaste posted revenues of about £3 billion (€3.4 billion) for this year’s first quarter.

Inflation or ‘greedflation’

Linda Hall

THE UK’S Competition and Markets Authority should investigate whether supermarkets were profiteering, Liberal Democrat Ed Davey said.

Industry statistics revealed that food price inflation shot up to a record high of 15.7 per cent in April, adding to pressure on households countrywide, Davey claimed.

According to government figures, food and drink prices rose by almost 20 per cent in the 12 months ending in March, the fastest annual rate since 1977. Lib Dem analysis also showed that a typical shop had risen by almost £12 (€13.6) a week in the last year.

Supermarkets have raked in bil ­

lions of pounds in profits, Davey maintained, and although the biggest grocers recently reported falling profits, experts said more could be done to help struggling shoppers.

Adif quandary

Union leaders also maintained that supermarket bosses were squeezing customers to benefit from ‘greedflation’ where firms exploit high inflation to create excessive profits.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s announced £690 million (€782.3 million) profits for the year until March, with profit margins slipping from 3.4 to 2.99 per cent, as chief executive Simon Roberts insisted that the chain was determined to fight inflation.

Tesco’s profits of £753 million (€854 million) were half those of the previous year, while chief executive Ken Murphy declared that the retailer was “robustly challenging every cost increase” with suppliers and had not passed on all of its additional costs to customers.

Look back with nostalgia

CAR sales remained buoyant as April ended.

Registrations grew by 8.2 per cent with a total of 74,749 vehicles sold, consolidating the industry’s recovery during the first four months of the year with sales of 312,314 units, an increase of 33.7 per cent.

This was due to improvements both in production and deliveries, announced car manufacturers’ association Anfac and distributors Faconauto and Ganvam.

In contrast, 2022 was catastrophic, owing to the microchip crisis and bottlenecks when transporting vehicles, they said.

Despite the increase, registrations are a long way from the pace and volume of pre ­ pandemic transactions when April 2019 saw sales of more than 100,000 vehicles, 28.4 per cent more than in April 2023.

“April’s figures make us look back with nostalgia to before the pandemic when, as summer approached, the market had no trouble in exceeding 100,000 registrations,” Raul Morales, Faconauto’s Communications director.

Sales of cars and SUVs to companies and rental firms were 8.9 per cent up

SKY is allegedly planning hundreds of job cuts as it gets to grips with a move to streaming.

According to reports in the UK media, cuts are likely to affect customer services staff and the engineers who install satellite dishes.

The broadcaster experienced an 11.5 per cent fall in revenues to £14.3 billion (€16.2 billion) in 2022, al­

on last year, with sales of 30,615 units, with rent­acar registrations improving by 30.6 per cent to 15,753 units. Sales to private individuals fell by 1.9 per cent with 28,381 registrations last month, although light commercial vehicle sales rose by 12.9 per cent compared with April 2022.

Outlook cloudy

though profits and the number of customers increased.

US media giant Comcast bought Sky for £30 billion (€34 billion) in 2018 but took a £6.8 billion (€7.7 billion) write­down on the value of the business last October, which it attributed to “challenging eco ­

ADIF, Spain’s publicly­ owned rail infrastructure company, is scrutinising bids for a €621 million tender (€513.3 excluding IVA) for its largest project in recent years.

This involves putting below ground Barcelona’s R2 track as it crosses Montcada i Reixac.

So far, Ferrovial’s €446.6 million bid (excluding IVA) is apparently the most viable, although the multinational’s decision to relocate its headquarters to the Netherlands still rankles with the Spanish government.

So much so that Adif is taking the unusual step of bringing in an external engineering consultancy to analyse all the bids competing for the contract, possibly in hopes of finding a valid reason for eliminating Ferrovial.

Pub facelift

BREWING giant Heineken is planning a £40 million (€45.5m) cash injection into UK pubs. Upgrading 570 pubs, practically a quarter of Heineken’s UK premises, will create approximately 600 jobs this year.

The company runs 2,400 pubs in the UK via Star Pubs & Bars and Lawson Mountstevens, the operation’s managing director, stressed the importance of continued investment in Heineken’s venues despite the “uncertain” consumer panorama.

nomic conditions.”

Sales of the company’s much­proclaimed Sky Glass ­ a TV that has built­in Sky and streaming apps which eliminate the need for a satellite dish ­ have not so far been impressive.

“It’s in a really tough place,” a source said.

On the scent

SPAIN exported €6.515 billion in perfumes, cosmetics and essential oils last year, 21 per cent more than in 2021.

These figures were the highest since it first began carrying out surveys in 2017, announced Spain’s National Association of Perfumes and Cosmetics (Stanpa).

Cosmetics are now one of Spain’s principal exports, ahead of wine and footwear, each of which registered international sales of approximately €3

billion in 2022. They also outstripped olive oil exports of €4.2 billion, Stanpa pointed out.

The industry now exports to more than 175 countries, compared to 150 in 2021 when Europe accounted for 82 per cent of Stanpa members’ foreign sales.

These fell to 51 per cent in 2022, with the remaining 49 per cent destined for the US, UK, Mexico, China and United Arab Emirates.

The group revealed that 100 pubs are in line for full revamps which will cost around £200,000 (€227,445) each as part of its investment programme.

Slowdown

JOB vacancies grew rapidly in the north during 2022, but 2023 is now preparing for a slowdown.

Professional vacancies in the north grew faster than in the rest of England and Wales in 2022, with over 81,500 new jobs registered, a 16 per cent year­on­year increase, according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the trade association for the professional recruitment sector.

However, year­to­date vacancies in 2023 have not kept up with last year’s numbers, although forecasts show that northern vacancies could reach over 74,300 by the end of 2023.

FOOD PRICES: Shot up to a record high in April.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Volzi

CAR REGISTRATIONS: Improvement on 2022.

THE Left wing propaganda machine, which is relentlessly eating into the UK’s very subsistence, has become absolutely staggering. Just how are the wokes and their fellow conspirators able to get away with it? Their political activities and media indoctrination presents a constant barrage of animosity against any who would embody alternative ideals. They firmly support the unions, who are quite happy to encourage the workforce with strikes, particularly industrial actions that spread misery and chaos among the general public.

They have managed to completely obliterate freedom of speech and frighten the white population to the core, citing accusations of racism involving almost any remark or observation they may even accidently express concerning non­white society. This attitude is of course totally reversed should it concern black citizen’s actions or comments appertaining to any white member. A prime example of this was the black male who imitated a sex act on a white policewoman at the Notting Hill Carnival. He eventu­

Propaganda

ally received no more than a slap on the wrist from the local police. Had it been a white man committing this disgraceful act against a black policewoman he would, after the protests, still be serving his time in prison.

With the advent of the Coronation, they are naturally pulling out all the stops with their fellow conspirators to decry the monarchy. This is of course an institution they are utterly committed to destroying and holds no place in the plans they have for a ‘democratic’ society run by a single authority, along the lines of those depicted by George Orwell. As far as their media indoctrination is concerned it has now passed all bounds.

They have announced two comedy shows. One entitled ‘No more Monarchy,’ (which seems to have somewhat oddly disappeared). The other the return of the satirical anti royal series

‘The Windsors’; a snip being shown actually depicts Camilla telling Charles they will all gather on the balcony to ‘wave at the idiots out front.’ Eighty per cent of ads now feature a veritable dominance of black actors in all man­

THE FIRM OUR VIEW

ner of situations, including mixed marriages among elderly couples; giving the impression that this particular practice has been prevalent for many years, which is of course ridiculous , but not of course to the young, which is the inexperienced innocent population they are actually endeavouring to influence. Popular TV series show whole neighbourhoods existing as mixed cultures enjoying similar lives together, giving a wide berth to the degradation and run down areas that exist in many of the big cities.

Actually, according to some of my colleagues, many intelligent non­white members of society are actually irritated and angered by the whole hypothetical and abstract representations. Racism is on the rise all over the country, which is exactly what the brainwashing instigators desire. They will then have every excuse to form a coordinated army of riot police that will ultimately control all of its citizens. Welcome to 1984 in its entire horrific eventuality.

AT the time of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II she was recognised as Head of State by a selection of countries, some of which were considered Dominions and others Colonies and during her reign there was a total of 32 independent countries.

In addition, there were several small Colonies such as Bermuda, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar who became known as Overseas Territories and they alongside Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man also recognised her position.

Over the years, as Independence took place a number of new countries declared themselves Republics and whilst remaining as part of the Commonwealth of Nations no longer acknowledged the Monarch as Head of State.

Now 70 years later, that figure has dropped to just 15 (including the UK) plus the Overseas Territories and already it looks as if the next to go will be Belize, followed almost certainly by Jamaica, New Zealand and possibly Australia.

There is no doubt that the British Royal Family is no longer viewed as being above reproach, with family feuds, infidelity, marriage breakdowns, paper bags full of cash and more which means there is something of a divide between the young and old over the relevance of the ‘family firm’. What has become clear from the scenes leading up to the Coronation of King Charles III is that not just the British but many nations, both home and abroad do still have affection for the pomp and circumstance of a well organised event and one can be pretty certain that the majority of even the most cynical would jump at the chance of having tea at Buckingham Palace.

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Three mins drive to the A7 motorway, five and seven mins drive to Zurgena and La Alfoquia villages with mini supermarkets, restaurants, cafe bars, doctors, chemist, hair dressers, banks, schools, bowling club etc, 10 mins drive to the impressive market town of Huercal­Overa and 20 to 25 mins drive to the coast at Mojacar, Garrucha or Vera.

The most noticeable benefits of this property are the larger than average build size meaning each room is larger than average, the tall vaulted ceilings and of course the amazing views. The furniture is also for sale.

Villa Paraiso has tarmac road access and is in a country / hamlet location with lots of country walks. An electric iron sliding gate opens onto the tiled driveway and garden with room for three cars. To the left are two attractive, mature olive trees and useful storage room / workshop. On both sides of the villas are tiled areas which take you to the

south facing, main rear gardens with amazing country views and attractive fenced terraced garden area. The gardens were designed for low maintenance and are a blank canvas for further landscaping if desired.

The main entrance to the villa leads to the large living room and dining room. Moving forward an archway takes you in to the main living room with log burning fire and arched window perfectly placed to ‘picture frame’

164,500 euros

the rear garden and country views.

To the left of this living room is the main bedroom with H&C air con and ensuite shower room. To the right of the living room is the semi open fitted kitchen with plenty of storage cupboards and window looking out to the views. Next to the kitchen is a useful storage cupboard and a door to the conservatory which makes an excellent extra relaxing or dining room.

Back in the first living and dining room... To the left is a passage way leading down to the family shower room and large double bedroom with glazed doors leading out to the rear garden. This bedroom also ha sa very useful storage loft. Also, on the right of the living and dining room is the third large double bedroom.

Voss Homes is a British family­run business with offices in the nearby thriving town of Huercal­Overa and village of La Alfoquia. We specialise in selling properties around Huercal­Overa, Zurgena, La Alfoquia and Taberno.

For more information and to arrange a viewing of VH2171 please contact Voss Homes on 0034 950 616 827 or email us at enquiries@vosshomesspain.com

How to weather an economic ‘Perfect Storm’

cesses of modern supply chains.

We help with your help

DURING a cost­ of ­ living crisis, there’s lot of coverage in the UK press currently of budget supermarkets competing with more traditional ones. And shopping at Aldi or Lidl can be one practical solution to save money...

But what about farmers’ markets? Can savings be made there too?

So, basically, shopping at Aldi or Lidl budget supermarkets during a cost­of­living crisis can be a smart way to save money, but the limited selection, long checkout queues and lack of loyalty programmes may not work for everyone...

Or for one of my neighbours. “The problem with Aldi,” he moans, “is that you go in for some carrots and come out with a chainsaw. Or in for a tin of tomato soup and out with a mini generator.”

As a charity of last resort, the BBF has helped countless thousands of Britons over the years overcome the worst of life’s challenges.

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

struggle to get to the end of the month. She had no savings.

Shortly before Easter she was referred to us by one of our partner charities at www.supportin spain.info

Nora’s

For some, these markets are just a marketing scam that add a shallow veneer of artisanal authenticity to otherwise basic food items and rarely offer more than marginal improvements over cheaper brand name items.

Supermarkets (though often accused of screwing farmers) offer better value and efficiency and are one of the great suc­

Couldn’t have put it better it myself. And, you may have noticed, I didn’t!

Nora Johnson’s 12 critically acclaimed psychological suspense crime thrillers (www.no ra­johnson.net) all available online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

We try wherever possible to find solutions to problems, a hand up not a handout but sometime a difficult situation can turn into a blessing with a bit of focus and of course ­ luck.

Sarah is a single mother of two teenage children. She worked full time with a modest income which paid the bills and supported her family.

She was officially resident, and the children born in Spain.

The father had not contributed to any payments, and sometimes it was a

She had got in touch with them because her employer had run into difficulties, and she had not been paid that month and there was a possibility of the company going under.

She had applied for state benefits and would be entitled to some help for unemployment, but it would take a while to come through.

She needed immediate help for basic food and household items for the

children which the BBF was able to provide ­ in fact it took two months for the state support to arrive, but we were able to agree a grant to cover her that took a big worry away while she looked for other work.

She was able to find a new job which was better paid and with better conditions and she was even able to retrieve her back pay owed to her.

The BBF is only able to help people like Sarah with your help. If you would like to support our work with a donation, please visit www.british benevolentfund.org.

Thank you on behalf of all.

Olaf Clayton, Chair BBF

THREE BED VILLA: With amazing open country views and low maintenance gardens.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

Eat or skip

IS breakfast really that important?

While the debate continues as to whether it is the best start to the day or can be skipped, Alice H Lichtenstein, a US professor of Nutrition Science, stressed that it was important not to get hung up on amounts and calorie counts.

Nutrient needs depended on weight, age, activity levels and health conditions, she said.

Kale for Vitamin K Turn to meditation

You should focus on what you enjoy, what gives you energy and makes you feel full.

“We’ve tried giving people formulas,” she said, “but if you look at dietary patterns and scores, we don’t always do so well as far as diet quality goes.

“What’s the ideal breakfast?” Dr Lichtenstein asked. “It’s whatever makes your body work best,” she declared.

Hard lines are tough

SPAIN’S hard ­ surfaced tiled floors can be tough on the feet after years of walking on carpets in the UK.

Consultant podiatrist Helen Branthwaite explained that hard floors will focus the load onto certain parts of the foot.

People who are born and grow up here are used to the unforgiving floors and develop stronger muscles in their arches, she said.

“But a hard floor focuses the load onto certain parts of the foot and the increased amount of impact forces going through the foot makes the muscles work harder than carpet which leads to a repetitive strain effect,” she said.

KATIE KRIMITSOS helps to ease women’s anxiety.

Her own life is loud. Her parakeets are loud. Her daughters of four and seven, do what children do and her husband has a very loud personality, she admits.

To deal with this kind of daily stress Katie turned to meditation.

“Meditation has always been a way for me to get the quiet I need and to sift through whatever I have going on,” she said.

It worked so well for Katie that she wanted to share her technique via a podcast that helps women to meditate.

The daily podcasts, under the umbrella of the Women’s Meditation Network, are available through Apple, Spotify and most other podcast services.

Katie’s World Meditation Network has now

Helps women find a little calm in their lives.

reached 100 million downloads.

“We could all use a little calm in our lives,” she

said. “Being a woman, a mother, whatever job you might have, it’s never easy.”

PERHAPS blaming a slow metabolism for putting on extra pounds isn’t merely a face­saving myth.

Researchers from Aberdeen University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing found that the average metabolic rate in the UK, the US and Europe really has slowed down over the last 40 years.

They calculated that men burn approximately 220 calories fewer a day and women 122 calories, compared

BLEEDING profusely after a small cut could be your body’s way of saying that you aren’t eating enough kale.

Kale is brimming with Vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting. Every 100 grammes contains approximately 40 microgrammes, providing half of a woman’s recommended daily intake and a third of a man’s.

And if, like many of us, kale is not your favourite vegetable, remember broccoli is just as good.

Slow burners

with the 1980s.

The huge change in our diet could be to blame.

Urged to eat less meat and dairyhigh in saturated fats that speed up the metabolism ­ we eat more ultraprocessed foods high in carbohydrates that slow it down, experts suggested.

KATIE KRIMITSOS:

Photo credit: Katie Krimitsos

In praise of carrots

CARROTS can, after all, help you to see in the dark.

They are rich in Vitamin A, which is important for healthy vision because it helps form a pigment in the retina called rhodopsin,” said Dr Ayan Panja, a GP who is also author of Health Fix: Transform Your Health in Eight Weeks.

“This is necessary for low ­ light vision, and Vitamin A deficiency could lead to difficulties seeing in low light,” he explained.

“Getting enough of

the vitamin from foods such as carrots, leafy greens and sweet

potatoes will help night vision,” Dr Panja said.

Tame those hot flushes

POST ­ MENOPAUSAL women often lack lactobacilli, the beneficial bacteria present in our bodies and also found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and yoghurt.

Many have found that they benefited from adding a daily portion to a diverse plant ­ rich diet that included oily fish.

These could also help in reducing hot flushes, as US researchers discovered after analysing the diets of 17,000 women. Those who increased fruit and vegetables to five portions a day and wholegrains to six were less likely to experience them, they found.

Hang up

EXPERTS recommended restricting mobile phone calls to a minimum to keep blood pressure low and hearts healthy.

Research by a team from Southern Medical University in China suggested that talking on a mobile phone for only 30

In the swim

EXERCISE may seem like a memory from the past for older adults with mobility or health challenges.

minutes each week could be linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure.

Those who spoke more were 12 per cent more likely to develop hypertension than those who spent less time on their mobile, they warned.

Fall back

CHANGING clocks can trigger sleeping problems after middle age, Canadian researchers found.

Surprising, these are more frequent when the clocks go back in autumn, despite gaining an extra hour’s sleep.

Our internal body clock needs daylight to reset itself effectively but days are darker in the autumn when clocks go back, investigators said. Instead, we adjust more easily in the spring when, despite losing an hour, there is more light.

It’s undeniable that with age some types of physical activity can take a toll on the body, but swimming is an activity many seniors find undemanding.

It has multiple health benefits and is an excellent way to stay fit, active, and engaged.

Doctors, physiotherapists and fitness coaches alike agree swimming has the potential to overcome many of the barriers that older people encounter when wanting to exercise.

16% Growth in the global cosmetics market in one year.

NIGHT VISION: Vitamin-rich carrots help you to see in dim light.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Anja

Dear Leapy LETTERS

I love your articles and eagerly look forward to reading your columns.

If only more people were like you and I and had the balls to speak their mind!

I’m definitely not PC and don’t intend to start at age 67. I’m constantly in trouble with my wife and my three daughters and just about everyone who listens to me banging on about why we are expected to pander to our foreign friends when in our own country/cul ‐ture. ♂

Keep up your great work Leapy, we must not let the b******s grind us down.

Hello Maureen

My husband told me he had sent you an email about me and I was truly de ‐lighted ‐ and surprised ‐ to see my face on your front page (edition 1969)!

I’m sorry it has taken me a while to reply and say thank you but Tony, my husband, hasn’t been too well lately (another heart attack) so I’ve rather had my hands full. He even turned out to be allergic to Heparin! We see the cardiologist on Wednesday so I’m hope‐ful of some good news.

I shared your front page on my Face ‐book page and received many lovely comments that have helped me tremendously during this difficult time.

Thank you again and kind regards.

Tricia Gabbitas.

Dear Sirs

Can you please ask your readers if any of them suffer from awful adminis ‐trators. For nearly 30 years I let mine use my bank account, until I realised that there were irregular transactions. When he was confronted, all I got was the Spanish shrug. Needless to say I put a stop to it.

The problem now is he keeps coming up with all sorts of jobs that need more and more money. He is well paid from all the owners. In fact he put his fee up again three months ago. We are intimi ‐dated by him.

He is very arrogant. He never explains who these people are that he has to pay extra money to. Most of us are se ‐nior citizens. We have talked to solici ‐tors who have taken our money, lis ‐tened, but done nothing.

Please ask your readers for their ad ‐vice.

Best regards Margaret,

Benalmadena

Same problem

Hi,

We too had Gwendolyn Ottley’s Travel Insurance problem but we have found an Insurance Brokers called Mena Cotos Y Tejada in San Pedro Alcantara who ar ‐ranged Travel Insurance for us with ARAG and NO age limit !

It is not cheap, but our minds were/are at ease ……

We are in our 80s and travelling again fully Insured !

Good luck,

Extra payment

Margaret Hayes

We live in Orihuela Costa and like many others we pay our SUMA in May each year. Approx four/six weeks before the payment date we receive from the SUMA office an email detailing the amount that we owe. We always pay by Direct Debit. This year without any no ‐tice the Suma office took an extra pay ‐ment.

We were told this was to cover street cleaning and bin emptying. We never set up a direct debit with our bank for the new amount and have been told that as the Suma office is responsible for tax collection they can set up the payment without our prior agreement.!!!!

We have tried to phone and visit the office but they don’t answer the phone and at our last visit there was over 25 people waiting for an appointment!!

We are more than happy to pay our taxes but really wonder why the Suma office bother to send us details of the re‐quired payment if they then add to it.

The extra payment is supposed to cover the street cleaning etc. We just hope that it will be spent for that purpose as the streets and bins of OC are in a disgusting state and have been for years. and no doubt will stay like that until OC has its in‐dependence from Orihuela town.

Terry and Shirley

Still trying

Hi all,

Thank you for your reply to my letter re travel insurance.

I rang Stay Sure travel and was told their age limit was 85 years, so no help there as I am 86 years old.

I tried to get travel insurance from Eng‐land, but they will not do it as I am a Spanish resident.

I am now at a loss as to what to do.

Kind regards

Gwendoline Ottley

Advertising Feature Grupo Platinum Estates

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medical centre and much more. The coast is approximately 15 minutes away.

The entrance to the villa is through the front gate which leads to the gravelled area and garden. Entering the property through the large hallway to the left is the lounge and dining room and the double doors open to the pool area and there is a sheltered area for outdoor dining in winter and enjoying the good weather, the glass doors make the lounge remarkably

bright. To the right is a spacious kitchen with a large work surface and plenty of storage space, a pantry and a pellet stove to heat all the rooms as well as a fireplace in the living room. Next to the dining room and kitchen there is a toilet. Further down the corridor there is a guest bedroom and shared bathroom, the master bedroom with its own bathroom and another bedroom overlooking the pool. There is also a shaded parking area and a

€250,000 euros

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The property is located close to Desert Springs Golf Course. It is distinguished by the quality and luxury of all its facilities. It is centrally located between the two main towns of Cuevas and Vera, and 15 minutes from the best beaches of the Almeria Coast (Garrucha, Vera Playa and Mojacar). Only 45 minutes from Almeria and Murcia airports and two hours from Alicante airport.

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PETS

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4. Post an advert for the dates when you want to go away. Sitters apply and you choose. How does it work?

UK dog food may harm pets

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

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New UK legislation

NEW legislation in the UK will affect dog owners which will end a practice many call ‘cruel and unnecessary.’

From February 2024 the UK will bring into force a ban on electric shock dog collars, ac‐cording to a news source on Saturday, April 29.

The move has been praised by the charity, Dogs Trust. Dr Rachel Casey commented, “we welcome this announce‐ment from Defra that hand‐held electric shock collars are to be banned in England. It is both unnecessary and cruel to use these collars on dogs.

“Research has shown that electric shock collars negative‐ly impact dog welfare and in‐

stead of improving behaviour, risk causing further behaviour problems. Worse still, they can be a mechanism for abuse if used in anger.”

The collars are activated by a radio‐controlled device which can be used from a dis‐tance of about two miles, which are capable of giving painful electrical shocks for up to 11 seconds at a time

Figures indicate that one in 20 British dog owners have used the controversial collars on their dogs, which are cited as a training device.

Mark Beazley CEO of Chari‐ty The Club Kennel said, “There is simply no excuse for using these devices.”

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DOG food sold in the UK may harm your pet after some have been found to contain high levels of toxic lead according to campaign‐ers at Wild Justice.

According to the organisa‐tion, more than three quar‐ters of samples from three raw pheasant‐based dog foods tested for lead exceed‐ed the maximum level rec‐ommended for animal feed.

They contend therefore that the use of lead shot in shooting means pet owners are unwittingly feeding their dogs levels of lead that may

harm their health.

Chris Packham said “That people might be unwittingly poisoning their beloved com‐panion animals is outra‐geous.

“It’s clearly a failure of our regulatory systems when products like raw pheasant‐based dog foods can be sold containing such high lead lev‐els. “No animals should be exposed to these levels of lead in their food. Wild Jus‐tice is taking legal advice on these shocking findings.”

New research published in the journal Ambio stated

that tests were undertaken on samples from raw, air‐dried and wet dog food products purchased in the UK that contained pheasant meat.

They found that about three quarters of samples from raw pheasant‐based dog food packs exceeded the EU maximum lead levels per‐mitted in animal feed.

Wild Justice believe that raw meat diets for pets are on the increase in the UK, and products containing raw pheasant are widely available online.

The three founders of Wild Justice.

Credit: Wild Justice Twitter

A dog-sitter is a companion to your pets.

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TURRE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

We meet every Sunday at 10.30. For worship. We believe you’ll find us ‘relaxed’, welcoming’ and ‘informal’. Find us on Turre’s main street, towards the motorway at the far end on the left. To know more contact 617 914 156 (10021)

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BUILDERS

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BEDS

LOCAL ANGLICAN (C of E) church services at Mojacar Los Llanos Del Peral and Alhambra. Communion every Sunday in Mojacar at 11am. Communion at Los Llanos every Sunday except the last Sunday in the month when there will be Prayer and Praise all at 11am. The services that were being held in the South American church Albox have now returned to the chapel and Communion is held on the second Thursday of the month at 11am. Priest in charge Rev Canon Alan Bennet telephone number 680 243 436. For further information, please go to The Anglican Chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Calida web page. Or contact Tony Noble 950 069 103. (10002)

- Why not make this year the year you volunteer? Call and see how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyh hvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.britishlegion.org.uk/ counties/spain-north ZURGENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at La Parrilla Hotel Albox, for further details please email zurgenarbl chairman@gmail.com(253989)

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Audi e-tron GT quattro - simply stunning!

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

IT seems that manufactur‐ers think EVs need to look quirky and left field, you expect combustion en ‐gine cars redesigned for all electric power to look essentially the same but all new EVs seem to be distinctly avantgarde. However some have taken a different route with their EVs. Take a bow Audi!

The e ‐ tron GT is a stun ‐ning head turner that at ‐tracted nothing but posi ‐tive comments and admiration from all who saw my car. It’s not surpris‐ing given the swooping lines, purposefully wide stance and sleek profile. Al‐though styling is very sub ‐jective I think few would disagree that it’s a darned good looking car from ev ‐ery angle.

There are just two mod ‐els, the GT quattro and RS

GT with five trim levels and prices starting from a not inconsiderable €97,649/ £85,185, with the higher

performance RS version from €133,185/£116,185.

As with any EV it’s all about range and the GT has an of‐

Facts at a Glance

• Model: Audi e-tron GT quattro

• Engine: 93 kwh battery – 530 PS – 11kw on-board charger

• Gears: 2-speed automatic

• Price: €97,649/£85,185

ficial maximum of 487km/ 303 miles on a single charge with a 50kw charger taking one hour 30 minutes

• Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 4.1 seconds/Maximum Speed 245 kph (152 mph).

• Range: 303 miles on single charge

• Charging: 50kw DC charger from 10% to 80% = 1 hour 30 minutes/150kw DC charger from 10 to 80% = 23 minutes/Home wallbox 7kw AC charger from 10% to 80% = 14 hours

• Emissions: 0 g/km Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets

ALFA ROMEO F1 Team

Stake endured a difficult weekend in the streets of Baku, with no points at the end of a challenging Sprint event.

In the main Sunday race on April 30, Valtteri Bottas fin‐ished 18th, while team‐mate Zhou Guanyu’s race ended prematurely with technical issues that are currently be‐

from 10 to 80 per cent or just 23 minutes if you can locate a 150kw charger.

In reality, depending upon your driving style and how much of the considerable performance you use, the real world range is somewhere in the order of 270 miles. Ranges have im ‐proved, and will doubtless continue to improve, but then they need to get bet‐ter with the lamentable public charging network. One can’t help sympathis ‐ing with car makers!

As with all Audis there’s a feeling of solidity and quali‐ty with an interior is pleas‐ingly free from much of the touchscreen mania that seems to afflict many inte‐riors these days. There’s an enviable standard equip ‐ment list too, but the op ‐tional extras can raise the

list price to lofty heights. It also feels special from its sweeping curves to its Alcantara clad interior. However those sweeping lines do have the effect of making the interior feel somewhat compact given the e ‐ tron’s exterior di ‐mensions. You do slide rather than climb into the car.

On the road the e ‐ tron doesn’t disappoint with blistering acceleration and handling to match. There’s synthesised sound that of‐fers a suitably aural back ‐ground for such sporting looks and despite its con ‐siderable size the GT is re ‐markably nimble and en ‐joyable on cross country drives. It’s also a distin ‐guished cruiser on A roads and motorways.

If you’re looking for style and class in EV form, and you have the financial wherewithal, then the e ‐tron GT is definitely your kind of car.

Difficult weekend

ing investigated by the team.

A tough event for Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake: the team will need to regroup and make a decisive step for‐ward to regain the competi‐tiveness with which it had started the season.

As Azerbaijan goes into the

history books, Formula One moves to Miami for the final leg of this back‐to‐back, next week.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: “This was a disappointing race and it showed that, right now, our package is not competi‐tive enough to score points.

“The priority for everyone of us in the team ‐ here at the track and back at base is to work hard and make the improvements necessary to get back where we expect to be.

“The field remains tight, and we can get back into this battle: but we must deliver a step forward to do so.”

8.8 Average age of a licensed car in the UK.

A car full of style and class.

EVs falling behind

DESPITE an exceptionally strong start to 2023 in the UK, with growth recorded in overall car buying de ‐mand, new and used car sales, and average prices, the electric vehicle (EVs) share of the retail market is falling behind where it needs to be to meet the government’s 2030 targets.

According to Auto Trader’s Road to 2030 Report, the government must step in with a detailed programme of tax incentives to improve the afford ‐ability of EVs and support the indus ‐try’s efforts in driving mass con ‐sumer adoption.

The largest automotive market ‐place’s latest insight into the electric

vehicle market warns that whilst consumer demand for used EVs is ro ‐bust, buyer interest in new has dropped by almost two thirds ‐ or 65 per cent ‐ since the beginning of 2022. This is due in part to the rising cost of living, higher borrowing costs, and the well documented hike in en ‐ergy prices.

The market for new EVs is still hampered by a lack of affordable choices, with the number of new electric models between £20,000 ‐£30,000 decreasing, less than seven years before the government’s ban on new petrol and diesel sales comes into force.

checks

NEW measures will safe ‐guard passengers and crack down on unfit taxi and Pri‐vate Hire Vehicle (PHV) drivers, with tighter checks introduced across UK local authorities.

Building on existing legis‐lation, councils in England will now be mandated to use a national database to record instances where taxi and PHV drivers have their licences removed for mis ‐conduct. This new law will prevent them from simply reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the system to concerns about their prior be haviour.

This will ensure passen‐gers can use taxis and PHVs with greater confidence that these modes of trans‐port are safe, helping to strengthen communities and restore pride in towns and high streets across the country.

While the vast majority of taxi and private hire trips are safe and efficient, there have been a small number of reports linking a minori‐ty of drivers to

incidents of sexual harass‐ment, abuse and poor driv‐ing.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “The safety of passengers, espe‐cially women and girls, is paramount. That’s why I’m bringing in tough new mea‐sures to ensure that when you catch a cab, you can be confident your driver will take you from A to B safely and without incident.”

Safeguarding passengers.

Lack of choice.

Copa del Rey winners Goal-scoring record smashed

REAL MADRID beat Os ‐asuna on the evening of Saturday May 6 to win the Copa del Rey.

Although the team have won the Copa del Rey 20 times, it’s been nine years since they last lifted this trophy.

Osasuna has never won the cup, but they fought well against the reigning Spanish and Eu‐ropean champions.

Real Madrid went ahead after only two minutes of the game when Rodrygo fired the ball into the net after a run down the left from Vinicius.

But Lucas Torro gave Osasuna hope for better things when he scored in the 58th minute.

Then Brazilian winger, Vinicius scored again for Madrid.

Ancelotti the Real Madrid coach said after

the game “They made the difference; Vini un ‐balanced them and Rodrygo scored two goals.” He also said it was time to celebrate, but not too much. “The Copa arrived at an important

moment, we came through some tricky ties, it’s a deserved prize against strong oppo ‐nents.

“This night we will cel‐ebrate, a little bit, not too much, and then we

will get back to work for Tuesday.

Real Madrid has now won all six of the tro ‐phies they have played for during Ancelotti’s sec‐ond time at the club, af‐ter he returned in 2021.

A PREMIERSHIP goal‐scor‐ing record has just been smashed in an impressive display and with five games still in hand.

Man City striker, Erling Haa‐land, 22, is in the record books after setting a new record for being the all‐time Premier League’s top goal scorer in a single season, ac‐cording to a news source on Wednesday, May 3.

The 28‐year‐old record of 34 goals in a season was joint‐ly held by sporting legends Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, but City’s win over West Ham puts Haaland at 35 goals, and there’s still time to set the bar even higher with five more games to play.

The incredible Manchester City goal‐scoring machine has so far scored 35 goals in 31 games.

Back in the day when Shearer and Cole claimed their tally, the football season comprised 42 matches, nowadays it’s down to 38 games, as if to further rein‐force Haaland’s remarkable feat.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Haaland said, “[It’s a] special night and a special moment. I’m really happy and proud.”

Following the game, his teammates formed a guard of honour, although Haaland ad‐mitted, “it was really painful this guard of honour, every‐one hit me in the back, but it was really nice. I’m really hap‐py.”

Manager, Pep Guardiola enthused, “He’s unbelievable, a unique person, he deserves the guard of honour because it’s an incredible milestone.”

Former Manchester City player, Micah Richards, was full of praise for the young star “Honestly, Erling Haaland is absolutely incredible. Aston‐ishing scenes from a top, top individual.

“This is his debut season, to do what he has done is abso‐lutely breathtaking.”

I thought he would score goals but I didn't envisage this many. I thought debut sea‐son, 25 goals. But to beat the record in 31 appearances, it's astonishing.’

REAL MADRID: Champions on the night.

Credit: Casa S.M. el Rey