Axarquia 11 – 17 May 2023 Issue 1975

Issue No. 1975 11 - 17 May 2023

PROUD QUEEN

HELEN GRAZIANO , from the UK and now living in Torrox, asked the owner of Torrox Business and Community Hub Colin Fintz to create an eye ‐catching poster to take with her to the Corona ‐tion celebrations, which has since been featured in The Guardian and Bangkok Post!

An avid supporter of the Royal Family, Helen camped outside the palace awaiting her turn for even a glimpse of the new King.

Helen told us: “Having travelled to the UK for the Queen’s funeral to show my support and as a gesture of thanks for her service, it was only fitting that I should support her son by travelling to Lon ‐don again to celebrate his Coronation.

“I wanted him to know that his Mother, whose role he was now taking

HELEN GRAZIANO: Travelled to the UK for the Coronation.

on, would have been proud of him.”

Helen actually spoke to King Charles and said: “Sir, I wanted you to read

AXARQUIA’S shores achieved a re ‐markable feat on Thursday, May 4, picking up an impressive 20 Blue Flags, making it a top destination for the summer of 2023.

Nerja was particularly notable in the region, collecting four Blue Flags, while Velez‐Malaga also held onto all of theirs.

Beaches and marinas in the Mala‐ga region garnered a record‐breaking 47 Blue Flags, with Axarquia con ‐tributing significantly to this achieve‐ment.

Axarquia’s Tourism, Culture, and Sports Representative, Arturo Bernal, expressed his pride and grati‐tude for the recognition, stating that “our beaches and coasts are one of our greatest strengths as a destina‐tion, and these awards are critical in motivating tourists to visit.”

Andalucia is leading the pack with an impressive 148 blue flags, second only to Valencia in the whole coun‐try, making it the best year yet for

my message. I had it made especially.

“He said ‘yes, thank you’ and was shaking my hand. He stopped to actu‐

ally read it. It was all a bit surreal and extremely emotional,” she added.

The Torrox Business Hub, on Avenida del Peñ ‐oncillo, is truly a hub of the community and sur ‐rounding areas. Their food bank feeds 25 ‐ 30 people weekly, including locals and Ukranian fami‐lies, people on the street, referrals from the Red Cross, and even a few pets! The Hub also works closely with a lady who feeds, traps and neuters street cats.

You can also find print ‐ing and posting services with DHL and UPS, PO Box hire, sim cards, British sweets and cards, tech accessories, and more!

Website: torroxhub. com

Telephone: +34 951 545 392

Email: info@torroxhub. com

Flying the flag

Over 40,000 kilograms of wheat are set to rain down on the town’s streets as families partic‐ipate in an age ‐ old cus ‐tom. Each household do‐nates an amount of wheat equivalent to the weight of their eldest family member, symbol‐ising their gratitude for a plentiful harvest and their commitment to charity.

However, the wheat offering is more than just a symbolic gesture. It serves as a heartfelt act of charity, with the funds raised from the donated wheat being dedicated to various causes. This year, the proceeds will go towards supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Celebrations are set to begin on Friday, May 12 and will last until Mon ‐day, May 15 with the tra‐ditional wheat throwing, a mass and a religious procession led by local Catholic Brotherhoods. A detailed schedule is available from the local council.

All are welcome to wit‐ness the town’s unique traditions.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Nerja

the region.

cation 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.

Images –Helen Graziano/Torrox Business Hub

Periana celebrates its patron saint with a unique ceremony.

REMARKABLE FEAT: Axarquia earned a total of 20 Blue Flags.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Periana (via Facebook)

Harvesting goodwill

Nerja’s melting pot

Betty Henderson

NERJA, known for its diverse community, lit up with excite‐ment as it celebrated the 21st edition of Residents’ Day on Sunday, May 7. The event aimed to honour and recog‐

nise Nerja’s foreign residents from nearly 100 different countries who have chosen the town as their cherished home. The town’s Plaza de Es‐paña transformed into a vi‐brant hub as more than 20

residents associations and clubs set up stalls showcasing the best of their countries, of‐fering visitors a tantalising taste of global cultures.

Nerja’s mayor José Alberto Armijo, accompanied by councillors Javier Rodríguez and Elena Gálvez, explored the stalls and chatted with members of the town’s di‐verse community.

Armijo expressed his thanks to the foreign commu‐nity praising them for their re‐markable integration and in‐valuable contributions to Nerja’s society, and which have also catapulted the town into becoming one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the entire region. Breath‐taking dance performances and live music performances added to the atmosphere.

From the lively concert by the Nerja Music Band to shows by the Dani Romero Acade‐my, and the dynamic Zumba duo Gema and Jotxan, both residents and visitors enjoyed a fun day out.

Illegal water extraction

MORE than 180 people have been investigat‐ed following the illegal extraction of water on lands in the Axarquia region.

The drought is wreaking havoc throughout the province of Malaga, but the farmers of the Axarquia region are most affected so far be‐cause of the drought situation and no sign of rainfall to improve it.

At the moment 180 people, including farm‐ers are being investigated by the Nature Pro‐tection Service (Seprona). The officers dealing with the case have already begun to take state‐ments from those involved.

The investigation came about as the result of a complaint from the specialised unit of the Armed Institute and Environmental Prosecu‐tor’s Office for the illegal extraction of water.

The investigating court in Velez‐Malaga has

prepared an official letter asking farmers to cease this activity until the legality of the proce‐dure can be verified.

So far none of the farmers involved have gone to court, but if they are called in front of the Judge, they could face jail terms of up to five years in the most serious cases.

The infractions are thought to relate to the use of three illegal underground wells that have been used for years to irrigate avocados. Another infraction is to do with the diversion of water to farmland which will have caused damage to the public hydraulic domain that could cost more than a million and a half euros.

The farmers of Axarquia may have been forced to take action because they have not re‐ceived water from La Viñuela, the largest reser‐voir in the area, since October 2022.

LA VIÑUELA: Farmers have received no water from the reservroir since October 2022.

Paw-some aid

A GROUP of kind‐hearted volunteers are holding a col‐lection of unused pet acces‐sories for animal charities op‐erating in Rincon de La Victoria, Benajarafe, La Cala and Almayate. Anyone with supplies to donate can con‐tact: 663 320 200 to arrange for collection.

Sandy solution

WORK began on Torrox’s Ferrara beach on Monday, May 9 to reinforce the sand surface against erosion. A more permanent solution is in the works, but in the meantime, construction workers are replenishing sand after storms damaged the surface.

Bargain hunt

AFTER being postponed, a regular local car boot sale is set to take place on Sunday, May 14 at the Restaurante El Pantano which is located on the A356. All are welcome for a bargain hunt from 9.30am‐1pm.

Padel fun

ATHLETES at Nerja Padel had lots of fun, becoming better players and making new friends while support‐ing the Annai Home for Girls Orphanage in India in a chari‐ty championship. New play‐ers are welcome and can sign up via WhatsApp: 952 520 050.

New volunteers

NERJA and Almunecar Com‐munity Church has issued a call for new volunteers at their charity shop in Nerja. Volunteers are only required for the mornings and can ex‐press their interest by con‐tacting John by email at: hodgsonjbp@gmail.com.

Funding fail

THE Ministry for Transport has rejected an initial fund‐ing bid for a €2.7 million grant for Velez‐Malaga’s tram. The funding was to cover tram operations and maintenance, bike lanes, and scooter parking.

Tasting the magic

Betty Henderson

THE ‘Sabor a Malaga’ Food Festival took over Nerja's Balcón de Europa for two days from Friday, May 5 to Sunday, May 7. Visitors and locals flocked to the town to check out more than 30 vibrant stands showcasing the finest products from the entire region.

The gastronomic extrava‐ganza was open to the pub‐lic late on both days and featured live cooking demonstrations from local restaurateurs, tantalising tasting sessions, and exquisite products from across the region for sale.

Guests explored 33

stands featuring a treasure trove of delights; from ex‐tra virgin olive oil, tradition‐al goat cheeses, and award‐

winning wines from Malaga and Sierras de Malaga, to artisanal bread, traditional pastries, cured meats, and

exotic subtropical fruits from Axarquia and citrus fruits from Guadalhorce.

There was also a delectable array of gourmet condiments, hon‐ey, essential oils, natural cosmetics, craft beers, liqueurs, and aromatic cof‐fees for sale.

The fair was inaugurated by the president of the Provincial Council, Francis‐co Salado, alongside Nerja’s mayor, José Alberto Armijo and local businesspeople.

Armijo thanked authori‐ties for holding the event in Nerja, describing it as a sen‐sational event that married gastronomy and tourism.

Festival of flavour Rhythmic rapture

FLAMENCO fever gripped Be‐nagalbon and Nerja earlier this week as Malaga’s eighth Bien‐nial Art extravaganza arrived in Axarquia.

It was a whirlwind of electri‐fying rhythms and passionate performances as Rincon de la Victoria and Nerja played host to the Flamenco Art Festival in two festival dates on Monday, May 8 and Tuesday, May 9.

The Benagalbon Performing Arts Centre witnessed the mind‐blowing premiere of ‘2202 Kilometres’, an unforget‐table guitar extravaganza by maestros Rubén Lara and Yus Wieggers on Monday, May 8.

The next day, Nerja Munici‐pal Theatre came alive as Irene

Lozano, also known as ‘La Chiqui’, unleashed her master‐piece ‘The Women Who Dwell Within Me’ to thunderous ap‐plause.

This remarkable event fea‐tured incredible support artists including the phenomenally talented Pañero brothers, José and Perico.

The performances were ex‐plosive, the moves mesmeris‐ing, and the melodies soul‐stir‐ring as audiences were immersed in the traditional artistry of flamenco.

The Biennial also features two remarkable photography exhibitions by Ana Torralva at the MVA Cultural Centre in Malaga throughout May.

ALMUÑECAR is preparing to host its popular Food Fair from Friday, June 9 until Sunday, June 11 with a range of deli‐cious activities available at the town’s El Majuelo Park.

The poster for this year’s 24th edition of the event was unveiled and registrations were officially opened for busi‐nesses during a ceremony led by Rafael Caballero, the coun‐cillor for Business and Com‐merce, alongside influential fig‐ures from the Valle Tropical Hospitality Association.

This year’s Food Fair promis‐es to be a feast for the senses, celebrating the town’s vibrant culinary scene. The event aims

Kenpo showdown

ALMUÑECAR hosted the thrilling final of the Andalucian Kenpo Championship on Sun‐day, May 7. The event, which brought to‐gether over 500 athletes from different provinces of the region over the weekend, showcased the remarkable martial arts dis‐cipline.

Kenpo, a dynamic martial art originating from ancient Chinese and Japanese tradi‐tions, combines powerful strikes with fluid movements, and intricate self‐defence tech‐niques. It requires skill, mental focus, and agility.

80

STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S

New cave

IN a remarkable develop‐ment, an unexplored cavi‐ty has been discovered within the El Cantal Cave in Rincon de la Victoria.

Competition heated up on Sunday on the second and final day of the championship as the action unfolded at Almuñecer’s Antonio Marina Municipal Sports Pavilion.

After an impressive display from the younger athletes on Saturday, the spotlight shifted to the higher‐level categories on Sun‐day.

Contenders in several categories demon‐strated their mastery of various Kenpo disci‐plines, including Kata (formal exercises), Kobudo (weaponry), Personal Defence, and Combat.

to offer visitors a taste of the delicious local cuisine while building networks for local hos‐pitality industry professionals.

José Muñoz, representing the Valle Tropical Hospitality Association, also shared his ex‐citement for the event saying, “We’re thrilled to promote our local gastronomy and bring to‐gether the talented individuals behind it.”

This event is also a golden opportunity for local chefs and culinary experts to flaunt their skills and gain well‐deserved recognition and new cus‐tomers. All are invited to sam‐ple the finest dishes from Al‐munecar’s rich cuisine.

The breakthrough came when experienced mountaineer Óscar Fer‐nández Bao from the Rin‐con de la Victoria Moun‐taineering Club, stumbled upon a fissure which led to a vast underground network of caves span‐ning approximately 150 metres with a vertical drop of 20 metres.

After hearing about the discovery the local council wasted no time in inform‐ing the Nerja Cave Foun‐dation and the Andalucian regional government.

Experts in the field led the investigation which concluded that the cave showed no signs of past human habitation and did not contain any archaeo‐logical remains.

However, the discovery is geologically significant, revealing more about the town’s unique cave fea‐tures.

Photo credit: Diputación de Málaga (online)

Authorities sample local gourmet products at the fair.

Betty Henderson ALMUÑECAR is gearing up to host its traditional Romería festival to celebrate the feast day of San Isidro on Sunday, May 14.

Organised by the Herman‐dad Virgen Madre y San Isidro de Torrecuevas Catholic Brotherhood and supported by the local council, this annu‐al event celebrates San Isidro, the patron saint of farmers.

Lucas Vallejo, the Brother‐hood’s leader, expects around 20 beautifully deco‐rated floats to participate in the procession, similar to last year’s event. The procession will begin after a morning

Rooted in tradition

Tetuan, and Plaza Mariana Pineda.

Sweet success

Screening

mass at the Church of El Sal‐vador, starting at approxi‐mately 10.15am.

The proposed route will take participants from the church to the municipal stadi‐um’s gates, then through Calle Puerto de la Cruz, Calle

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

It will continue along Aveni‐da Rey Juan Carlos I, Carrera de la Concepción, and Car‐retera Suspiro del Moro. From there, it will turn onto Calle Molvizar, leading to Camino de la Vega Primera, and finally reaching the Rio Verde before ascending to Torrecuevas.

The event promises to be a unique spectacle as the town honours its agricultural her‐itage and traditions while paying tribute to San Isidro.

“It’s all Greek to me.”

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

TORRE DEL MAR proudly received the prestigious ‘Q’ for Quality Certification for its remarkable Cultural Centre building, formerly known as the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Antigua Azucarera Sugar Factory on Friday, May 5.

This remarkable achievement comes as a result of the dedicated ef‐forts by the local tourism officials and the local council to attain the cov ‐eted award.

Jesús Pérez Atencia, the local deputy mayor, an ‐nounced the news empha‐sising that Torre del Mar has been working tireless‐ly to elevate their status as a tourist destination. The goal is to provide top‐notch services, attract more tourists seeking

quality cultural ex ‐peirences, and enhance staff training.

Thanks to the hard work of the Sugar Factory’s staff and the expert guidance of local consultants, the certification audit was a resounding success. Not a single non ‐ compliance with standards was found, making this achievement even more impressive.

Now, the town eagerly awaits official certification from OCA GLOBAL, the certifying company, and the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality (ICTE). This milestone aligns with Torre del Mar’s strategic plan for sustainable tourism, aiming to be ‐come a more innovative and competitive destina ‐tion.

AMNESTY Internation‐al’s Malaga branch is ral‐lying the community in Axarquia to unite against the injustice faced by the persecuted Baha’i reli‐gious minority in Iran.

All are invited to a grip‐ping documentary screening at the Patrimo‐nial Museum (MUPAM) in Malaga on Friday, May 12, at 6pm.

With the aim of shed‐ding light on the harrow‐ing plight of the Baha’i community, the must‐see documentary ‘Oth‐ers in Their Own Land’ by the talented Iranian‐Canadian director, Farid Haerinejad, will be screened.

The audience will be taken on a heart‐wrenching but informa‐tive journey that exposes the brutal reality of arbi‐trary arrests, house de‐molitions, land seizures, and invasive raids carried out by the Iranian au‐thorities.

The thought‐provok‐ing documentary will form the basis of inter‐esting discussions and fu‐ture campaigns for ac‐tivists and human rights champions in the Amnesty International group.

Amnesty International is a non‐governmental organisation that advo‐cates for human rights globally. Founded in 1961, the organisation operates in more than 150 countries.

1st ever novel was written in Spanish.

Almuñecar’s Romería is a traditional festival.

THE community in Velez ‐Malaga is paying tribute to the power of social media af‐ter a Facebook post helped a concerned son to find his mother who was reported missing on Thursday, May 4.

Paul Dale wrote a missing person appeal on Facebook, triggering an outpouring of support from the communi‐ty. News quickly spread across social media net ‐works, catching the attention of a French gentleman who spotted Jasmine safe and well on Friday, May 5 and got in touch.

Paul’s mother Jasmine, who is in her early 70s, went off‐grid due to poor network connections during a solo motorhome trip.

Paul had last contacted his mother on Sunday, April 29 during her stay at a campsite in Velez‐Malaga, but was be‐lieved to have headed to ‐wards Granada.

Overwhelmed with grati‐tude, Jasmine’s family ex‐pressed their deep thanks to the community for their help

in finding the mother and grandmother. Countless indi‐viduals joined forces, sharing information, offering advice, and expressing relief once Jasmine was found.

Jasmine herself also com‐mented, apologising for caus‐ing any concern and explain‐ing the situation.

Now, with Jasmine back in touch, her family is exploring additional safety measures for her ongoing adventure, to ensure peace of mind for all.

off summer

EXCITEMENT was all around as CD Almuñecar City football club hosted its first‐ever ‘Family Fi‐esta’ on Saturday, May 6. The event held at Parque El Majuelo was the perfect finale to a thrilling season and a chance for supporters and players to mingle.

The event attracted a vibrant crowd and was described by organisers as a resounding suc‐cess. Club Manager George Jermy explained “This is the grand finale to our season, brought to you by CD Almunecar City and Malaga City Football Academies. We have opened our doors to the public, thanks to the support of Al‐

munecar Council. It’s been a day of fun and community with activities for the whole fami‐ly.”

True to its name, the Family Fiesta was open to all and admission was free. The venue boast‐ed numerous bouncy castles for children and teenagers to enjoy with unlimited access throughout the day. There were also fair stalls around the park including face painting and arts and crafts, as well as a creche and a re‐freshment stand serving food and drinks. Live music also filled the air throughout the party, creating a lively atmosphere.

Betty Henderson

TORROX is set to ignite with the roaring engines and adrenaline as the third edition of the Tor ‐rox Motorcycle Day takes place on Sunday, May 14. Organised by the legendary Moto Tor‐rox biker gang, this thrilling event promises to be an action ‐ packed extravaganza.

The event aims to cel ‐ebrate all things motor ‐sport with enthusiasts from throughout the re‐gion expected to visit.

The event is also being organised in aid of chari‐ty with all proceeds set to be donated to two re‐markable causes: two lo‐cal neighbourhood asso‐ciations, the Taller de la Amistad, and the Fun ‐dación Alberto 3 Huevos. Spectators can register

THRILLING: Organisers are revving their engines for the exciting event.

Safe and sound Moto mania Kicking

for tickets to the event for €10, which includes three drinks and a mouthwatering paella.

The day will also feature merchandise stalls, a stunning motorcycle ex‐hibition with Honda, Kawasaki, and Kymco models on display, along with antique motorcy ‐cles.

The day will also fea ‐ture a thrilling urban

motorcycle route through Torrox with prizes for the farthest travelled motorcyclist, the newest motorcycle, and the club with the most participants.

The event will con ‐clude with an acrobatic display by Luis Lino and a performance by Lito Fernández Roots Quar ‐tet, with music from DJ Worzel.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Torrox (via Facebook)

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.

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.

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

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 ab‐solutely 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 ani ‐mosity against any who would em ‐body alternative ideals. They firmly support the unions, who are quite happy to encourage the workforce with strikes, particularly industrial ac‐tions 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 in‐volving almost any remark or observa‐tion they may even accidently express concerning non‐white society. This at‐titude is of course totally reversed should it concern black citizen’s ac ‐tions or comments appertaining to any white member. A prime example of this was the black male who imitat‐ed 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 dis‐graceful act against a black police ‐woman 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 commit‐ted to destroying and holds no place in the plans they have for a ‘democrat‐ic’ 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 Monar‐chy,’ (which seems to have somewhat oddly disappeared). The other the re‐turn of the satirical anti royal series ‘The Windsors’; a snip being shown ac‐tually 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 mar‐riages among elderly couples; giving the impression that this particular prac‐tice has been prevalent for many years, which is of course ridiculous , but not of course to the young, which is the inex‐perienced innocent population they are actually endeavouring to influence. Popular TV series show whole neigh‐bourhoods 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 col‐leagues, many intelligent non‐white 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 instiga‐tors desire. They will then have every ex‐cuse to form a coordinated army of riot police that will ultimately control all of its citizens. Welcome to 1984 in its entire horrific eventuality.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

AT the time of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Eliza‐beth 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 re‐maining 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 (in‐cluding the UK) plus the Overseas Territories and already it looks as if the next to go will be Belize, followed almost cer‐tainly 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 af‐fection 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.

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD

LIFE in Spain is different from other Euro‐pean countries. Spain is very colourful with perennial flowers, sunny festivals and historic cities, but living here can re‐quire a lot of patience and a lot of adapt‐ing. Solving a problem or getting explana‐tions can be very slow, time consuming and fraught with complications. However, Spain is one of the world’s most devel‐oped countries.

The Spanish talk fast, drive fast and live fast, and yet institutions are terribly slow. In the time it takes to draw a sum of mon‐ey at a bank counter or send a registered letter in a Post Office, you could buy a house in England. So the queues build up. As there is not much sense of time, people here seem to spend a lot of their time waiting patiently ….

And we are waiting for a refund of €284. Over five years ago, our IBI (Coun‐cil Tax) was inadvertently paid twice. It took eight months for the Patronato to acknowledge this and to promise a re ‐fund. After 17 visits to the local office, the sum is still confirmed as owing to us and ‘on its way’, but our claim will prob‐ably be statute ‐ barred by now. Five

LIVING IN SPAIN

about eight or nine kilometres every day. Younger people regularly practise yoga, jogging, swimming and cycling.

The network of motorways and moun‐tain roads and the efficiency of railways makes for enjoyable travel to stunning cities and spectacular mountain and coastal scenery.

years on, no information is forthcoming.

Water management is non‐existent. The amount of water wasted every day could probably solve the current drought crisis.

There are numerous lively festivals and street processions, marking national and regional anniversaries, religious and saint days, attended by entire families. Family life is close. Elderly relatives are respect‐ed and well cared for, normally en famille. Children are adored and partici‐pate in family social life from an early age. Every Easter, people dress up, cover their faces and parade as benign mem‐

bers of Ku‐Klux‐Klan.

There are shocking examples of animal neglect, abuse and cruelty in domestic, farming and so‐called ‘entertainment’ en‐vironments. Numerous British (and some Spanish) organisations provide sanctuary for animals rescued from mistreatment and raise awareness of the situation. There is nothing they can do for chickens, cattle, pigs ‐ and, of course, bulls.

Among Spanish successes are the recent reduction in inflation and the physical health and longevity of its people. In the countryside, many elderly people walk

If we choose to eat in season, depend‐ing on the time of year, we have access to fresh, home‐grown produce. Many fruits can be freely picked and consumed, such as olives, oranges, lemons, figs, blackber‐ries, almonds, pomegranates, nisperos (lo‐quats) and bananas. Local plantations and orchards produce strawberries, peaches, mangoes, avocados, pomegranates, cher‐ries, chirimoyas (custard apples) and mel‐ons. There is also a variety of vegetables, fish, seafood, herbs and spices, garlic, wine and honey.

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

David Worboys’s

Spain has traditions quite alien to Europeans north of the Pyrenees.

Photo Credits: dreamstime and wall.alphacod

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.

All the best Jim

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,

Margaret Hayes

Extra payment

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

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UK dog food may harm pets

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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,

New UK legislation

“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.”

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 organi‐sation, more than three quarters of samples from three raw pheasant‐based dog foods tested for lead exceeded the maximum level recommended for ani‐mal 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 companion animals is out‐rageous.

“It’s clearly a failure of our regulatory systems when products like raw pheasant‐based dog foods can be sold containing such high lead levels.

“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 lev‐els permitted 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.

Hidden danger in our homes

CAT and dog owners have been warned that even if the water in our taps is safe for us to drink it may not be for our beloved pets.

Water filtration expert, Gene, revealed that the water from our taps could be ‘slowly poisoning’ our

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

furry friends, according to a news source on Thursday, May 4.

Certain elements found within our water may be toxic to our animals and could lead to chronic ill ‐nesses.

Fitzgerald, who works for Best Osmosis Systems, said, “Hard water contains high levels of calcium and/or magnesium. For pets, this can be harmful.

“If a dog drinks too much hard water for too long a period, for example, they can develop conditions such as urinary tract and/or bladder infections, cystitis, urinary obstruction, crystal‐luria and stone formation.”

Other complications such as skin problems, as well as digestive and den‐tal issues can also be at ‐tributed to pets drinking hard water.

However, some tap wa‐ter is perfectly suitable for our pets, the key to it all is the location and the quality of the water, which can vary so much.

One way to improve the water for our animals is to remove the harmful ele ‐ments from hard water which will greatly reduce the risk to our pets.

Simple testing equip ‐ment can be purchased on‐line, or simply use filtered tap water.

The three founders of Wild Justice.

Credit: Wild Justice Twitter

A dog-sitter is a companion to your pets.

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Over 60s Walking Football League title in the balance!

EWN Over 50s League

Nerja Utd 4 v 1 El Canadon

Despite the scoreline and their recent poor form, Canadon put up a brave fight and continued to push the home side right up until the final whistle. However, Nerja’s movement and telling passing on the attack, coupled with their well­organised defence, saw them score some excellent team goals without conceding in open play, with each side scoring a running offences penalty. Nerja were well­worth their victory.

EWN Walking Football Over 50s League Table ­ AC Benahavis are League Champions!

Copa del Rey winners

REAL MADRID beat Osasuna 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 European champions.

EWN Over 60s League

Nerja Utd 0 v 1 Malaga WFC

This was a tight affair with both teams attacking, moving and defending extremely well in hot conditions, with the visitors probably creating the better of the chances and the home keeper being the busier of the two. Some decent opportunities were created, but both sides lacked a goal­scoring edge which saw too many efforts fly high or wide! In the end, this was a fair result.

Walking Dead 1 v 0 AC Benahavis

This scoreline suggests a fairly close game, but in reality it was pretty much one­way traffic to Benahavis’ advantage and the home side struggled to get out of their half for much of the match. But, as has happened to several teams on various occasions this season, a last­minute running offence spot­kick sealed the points for Walking Dead, who will secure the league title if they can manage a win from their final two games.

EWN Walking Football Over 60s League Table

BAHA Whiskey Cup Final ­ Malaga v Walking Dead ­ details coming up next week!

Goal-scoring record smashed

A PREMIERSHIP goal­scoring record has just been smashed in an impressive display and with five games still in hand.

Man City striker, Erling Haaland, 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, according to a news source on Wednesday, May 3.

The 28­year­old record of 34 goals in a season was jointly 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 goalscoring 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 reinforce Haaland’s remarkable feat.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Haa­

land 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 admitted, “it was really painful this guard of honour, everyone hit me in the back, but it was really nice. I’m really happy.”

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. Astonishing scenes from a top, top individual.

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

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

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 unbalanced 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 opponents.

“This night we will celebrate, 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 trophies they have played for during Ancelotti’s second time at the club, after he returned in 2021.

Unexpected bull run for Rugby League fans

RUGBY league fans were treated to an unusual pre­match spectacle on Friday May 5 normally reserved for visitors to Pamplona.

Catalan Dragons played host to St Helens on Friday, and in pre­match proceedings, a bull ran amok on the pitch sending players flying in all directions, according to a news source.

Bernard Guasch, the owner of French Rugby league team Catalan Dragons, and also head of the local Cattle Breeders’ Association, decided to promote the quality of local beef by parading three bulls in front of fans while players warmed up before the game.

The crowd were anticipating an exciting game, but they got a little more than they bargained for when one of the huge beasts decided to make a run for it.

Sky Sports covered the game and video footage shows a handler calmly walking with the animal before the prize ­ winning bull breaks away, the handler bravely hangs on as he is dragged along the pitch before he has no option but to let go.

The players who were on the field warming up, scattered in all directions with some jumping over barriers and billboards to escape.

Thankfully the frisky bull didn’t harm anyone and was eventually recaptured as he charged towards his bovine teammates.

Prior to the display it was announced, ‘three prize­winning bulls, as well as two cows from

the same Gascon breed, will perform a lap of honour during the warm­up.’

Some fans responded with online tweets, ‘didn’t know they played Rugby in Pamplona!’

Another said ‘bit rough for the team in red.’

While one simply said, ‘Bloody hell!!!’

The match took place at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan with Saints taking an early 12­point lead, but it seems the pre­match shenanigans worked in Catalan’s favour who came back in the second half to win.

Final score Catalan Dragons 24­12 St Helens.

REAL MADRID: Champions on the night.

Credit: Casa S.M. el Rey

RUNNING AMOK: The Catalan Dragons played St Helens.