Mallorca 20 – 26 July 2023 Issue 1985

Love Island gets a starry surprise

TOP British singer Rita Ora gave ITV2’s Love Island house guests and the watching audience an enormous surprise on Tuesday, July 18 when she made a guest appearance on the television show and performed her new single.

As an unexpected treat for the Love Island contestants, Ora had flown out to the villa in Mallorca for a private performance of songs from her new album.

The star looked stunning in a white dress and matching knee ­ high white boots as she chatted with the love islanders.

The Love Island villa is located near Sant Llorenç des Cardassar in Mallorca.

Ora’s first album in almost 10 years, You & I, was released on Friday, July 14 and is expected to hit the charts at number 3 when the album charts are updated on Friday, July 21. If so, this will be the star’s second top 10 album.

Hot, hot, hot INHERITANCE TAX TO BE ABOLISHED

THE highest ever temperature in the Balearic Islands was recorded on Tuesday, July 18 in the town of Llubí. It reached a maximum of 44.9 degrees, according to data released from Balears Meteo.

Sweltering temperatures were also recorded in María de la Salut, with 44.6 degrees and Campanet with 44.2 degrees. In total, 14 towns and villages registered over 42 degrees, with another 33 towns showing over 40 degrees on the thermometer.

AEMET (The State Meteorological Agency) also warned of the presence of Saharan dust particles on Tuesday, which can lower air quality and pose respiratory risks.

The singer has just released her latest album, You and I.

THE Balearic government has put an end to inheritance tax payments, it was announced on Tuesday, July 18.

Inheritance and gift tax donations between parents and children, grandchildren and grandparents and between spouses, both due to death and in inheritances during life through succession agreements are included in the move.

The government has also reduced the property transfer tax on the purchase of first homes for young people, and for people with disabilities.

“It is urgent to lower taxes on families,” stated the head of the executive and

leader of the PP of the islands, Marga Prohens.

Prohens convened an extraordinary government meeting to approve by law the elimination of “the most unfair tax there is, which taxes the work and effort of parents and grandparents.”

The measure will mean inheritance tax savings of around €60 million.

The tax reform, which will

not have a retroactive effect, has been approved via Decree Law that will have to be validated within the next 30 days by Parliament. The law represents the fulfilment of Prohens’ promise that before the end of July she would have adopted the main initiative of tax reforms, which she said will broaden and continue.

LOWERING TAXES: Government of the Balearic Islands.

Image: Marga Prohens made the welcome announcement Turn

Occupancy forecast at 90%

Jo Pugh

THE Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca (FEHM) foresees a 90 per cent hotel occupation in July, although this could depend on the threatened strikes called by 1,000 ground staff at Gatwick airport.

In a press conference, the president of the FEHM, María Frontera, indicated that these stoppages, scheduled for Friday, July 28 to Tuesday, August 1, and then again from Friday, August 4 to Tuesday, August 8, could affect the final figures.

Frontera explained that in June, Mallorca registered an occupancy of 82 per cent,

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The tax changes, Prohens detailed, apply both to inheritances due to death and to succession agreements or ‘living inheritances’, which have their own regulation in Balearic civil law.

The same decree has included the elimination of the property transfer tax for the purchase of a first home by people under 30 years of age and people with disabilities, with an annual income

some 3 per cent below that of last year.

“June was affected by strikes and adverse weather conditions,” she explained.

Office meltdown

As for September, the FEHM anticipates that it will be “a good month” with an occupancy estimate of 55 per cent.

Frontera explained that tour operators continue to be an important factor and package holidays represent up to 56 per cent occupancy in some months, and usually involve longer stays than direct bookings. Regarding prices, Frontera said that they are on an upward trend due to cost increases. “Prices are not being played to attract more volume, but a price adapted to demand is being maintained,” she concluded.

No reduction in services

limit of €52,800 in an individual situation or €84,480 jointly, and provided that the sale price does not exceed €270,151.

This tax is reduced by half for the purchase of a habitual residence by people between 31 and 35 years of age, large or single­parent families and families with disabled dependents, when the house does not cost more than €270,151 (€350,000 in the case of

large families).

Prohens explained that this will mean a decrease in income of about €75 million (€60 million for the inheritance tax and €15 million for property transfer tax). This reduction in income will not mean a reduction in the provision of public services. “There is more than enough room to lower taxes and to maintain and improve public services,” said Prohens.

THE state administration building (Administracion del Estrado), located on Calle Felicià Fuster in Palma, will continue without air conditioning at least until the end of this week, which brings bad news for staff in the heatwave.

According to staff, the temperature inside the building is exceeding 31 degrees each day. On Wednesday, July 12, the building was evacuated after a sweltering 35 degrees was reached.

The temporary solution to the problem will be to install cooling equipment such as fans and portable air conditioning units. The current system needs replacement, for which a waiting period of nine to 18 months is estimated. In view of the situation, the opening hours for the public at the immigration service located there are now from 9am to 11.30am, with a rotation of officials, so the rest of the staff can telework.

Palma Pokémon hell

LOCAL POLICE in Palma were left rather bemused when they stopped to assist a man who appeared to be rather badly injured in a Palma street. At around 4.45am, a passing patrol observed that a man had fallen in Carrer Comte de Barcelona, and was bleeding from several parts of his body, including his head.

As they approached the man to give assistance, they realised that his pants were down, he was barefoot, and seemed extremely intoxicated. As officers tried to discover what had happened, he jumped up, shouting “Pikachu!”

and ran into the road. Fortunately, one of the officers managed to catch him just before several cars passed. Asked if he had taken drugs or alcohol, the young man replied no but said there were “many Pokémons”.

Realising he could be under the effect of drugs, an ambulance was called. While the police waited for the ambulance, the man proceeded to try and catch more Pokémons who were hiding in adjacent trees. When the ambulance arrived, he finally admitted he had been to a party, where he had used MDMA.

Mallorca boasts many beautiful beaches.

Credit: Fa, Pixabay

NIBS EXTRA

Fruity bang

A GIANT melon sculpture, the emblem of Vilafranca, and located in a small square, burst into pieces on Thursday morning due to high temperatures. Residents heard the explosion in the early morning. The sculpture was located in front of a bar and the rubble has now been removed.

Cheaper gas

THE retail price of the butane cylinder dropped by 4.89 per cent on Tuesday. It will now cost €15.18, its lowest in the last 12 months. The new reduction is mainly in response to the sharp fall in the price of raw materials.

Cooler air

SALES of portable air conditioning units have soared as Mallorca sears under the second heatwave in weeks. Consumers have been reassured there is plenty of stock on the island, but some stores are selling out fast.

Muggers caught

THREE Romanians have been arrested in connection with numerous ‘hugger mugger’ thefts of high value watches in Santa Margarita, Santa María, Santa Ponsa and Portals Nous. They stole four exclusive watches, with a total value of more than €100,000.

Royal vacation

THE Spanish Royal Family begin their holidays in Mallorca next week, as King Felipe VI has an audience with the Balearic authorities on July 27. Queen Letizia is also scheduled to attend the 13th edition of the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Festival.

Uber attacked

UBER drivers in Mallorca will file an official complaint to the National Police next week, after weeks of alleged harassment. Drivers say they have been under constant attack by official taxi drivers. This has included having their tyres slashed.

Fake goods seized by police

IN a joint operation against illegal street vending and the control of fake imported goods between the National and Local Police, 5,325 items were confiscated.

The operation took place on Friday, July 14. Along with the fake goods, €1,540 was seized and 44 street vendors were reported for illegal activity.

A total of 46 officers took part in the police operation. Palma City Council stated that 16 of those officers were either sum ­

YOUR

shirts, stuffed toys, hats, headbands, necklaces, luminous rings, fans, watches and belts.

Among the goods hastily thrown onto the road by the vendors were various packets of drugs, which were also retrieved by police.

The goods will all be destroyed shortly.

82 STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

PALMA POLICE: Were involved in a joint operation.

mer reinforcements or from the preventive action group (GAP) of the Local Police.

The intervention began

Last minute reprieve

THE eviction of a family in El Rafal, Palma, was halted halfway through proceedings during the morning of Tuesday, July 18, following a last minute court reprieve.

The family consisted of seven members, including two children and their 64year ­ old grandmother, who suffers with heart problems. According to the family, they had a valid rental contract which expired in 2025, but the owner of the house had suddenly decided to terminate it.

After eviction procedures were followed, the family had been due to

leave the house on Monday, July 17.

As they had not left, National Police officers, a locksmith and a member of the judicial commission arrived to carry out the eviction.

Waiting outside the door was a small group of people belonging to the Stop Deshaucios (Stop Evictions) platform.

Joan Segura, spokesman for said platform, negotiated with authorities and finally, after a family member sent a letter to the court, the eviction was suspended for two months due to the involvement of minors.

at midnight on Calle Pare Bartomeu Salvà. Among the enormous haul seized by the police were sunglasses, bracelets, football

The city council stated that the joint operation between the National Police Force and the Palma Local Police took place “without any kind of incident.”

Palma pilot project

THE mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez Llabrés, met the new president of the Palma Beach Hotel Association, Pedro Marín, along with the board of directors on Thursday, July 13.

The meeting was also attended by the deputy mayor of tourism, Javier Bonet, and the general coordinator of tourism, Victoria Mulet.

The mayor conveyed the city council’s commitment to Palma beach, and reiterated the council’s commitment to revitalise and regenerate the area.

Bus lane removal request

THE president of the Mallorcan government, Llorenç Galmés, has announced the government will register a formal request to the DGT (General Directorate of Traffic) to eliminate the HOV bus lane, despite the DGT’s ‘positive’ assessment of its operation of the lane.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, July 18, by Galmés following a meeting with the government delegate for the Balearic Islands, Aina Calvo, and with the provincial director of the DGT, Francisca Ramis, to request the elimination of the lane.

Galmés said data collected by the

government “confirms that traffic jams have increased by 66 per cent” and “the accident rate has not significantly reduced” in the area where the lane is located.

“The average speed is higher on the Ma­19 in the direction of Palma, where the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) bus lane is located, than in the direction of Palma Airport, where there is no lane,” Ramis explained.

However, Ramish countered the opinion and said data available to the DGT is “different from those of the government.”

It was agreed to set up different work commissions in matters of security, cleaning, infrastructure and mobility, which will work in a coordinated manner to solve the problems faced by the area, and will be monitored periodically with the business sector.

The mayor also said that he will propose the creation of a ‘Commissioner for the Reform of Mature and Obsolete Tourist Areas in Spain’, which will depend on the Ministry of Tourism, and whose headquarters will be in Palma. Palma Beach will be a pilot project.

THE Balearic Islands supported the most passenger arrivals in Spain in June 2023, with 2,076,905 travellers, which represents 22.8 per cent of the total, according to data provided on Tuesday, July 18 by Turespaña (the Spanish institute of tourism).

Considering these figures, the number of passengers arriving on the Islands increased by 2.5 per cent. Since the beginning of the year ­ from January 1 to June 30, 2023 ­ the Balearic Islands welcomed 5,940,860 passengers, 9.5 per cent more than in the same period of the previous year.

Palma airport received 1,520,489 passengers in June 2023 and 4,652,397 up to the sixth month of the year.

In terms of low cost airlines, the Balearic Islands had the highest share of arrivals (26.3 per cent), followed by Catalonia (22.1 per cent).

and in print is FREE and we promise to always keep it that way.

Credit: Palma Police, Facebook

Pop Rock competition

Jo Pugh

THE fourth edition of the Pop Rock Competition was revealed on Friday, July 14. It is open to groups and soloists linked to any musical style, established in the Balearic Islands and over 18 years old who present songs with original lyrics and music.

The deputy mayor of Culture, Javier Bonet, presented the 2023 event, accompanied by the general director of music and performing arts, Rafel Brunet, and two of the organisers of the contest, Juan Fores ‘Pinxo’ and Xisco Vargas.

Juan Carlos requests ex-lover court case is thrown out

FORMER Spanish king Juan Carlos asked the London high court to throw out a £126 million lawsuit on Tuesday, July 18. The 85year­old former monarch is being sued by his ex­lover, Corinna zu Sayn­Wittgenstein­Sayn, who alleges Juan Carlos orchestrated threats, surveillance and intimidation from 2012.

Sayn­Wittgenstein says Juan Carlos gave her €65 million as a gift, and to hide the money from the Spanish tax authorities. She alleges she was then harassed by Juan Carlos or people acting on his behalf when she would not give it back.

Her lawyers say a book alleging Princess Diana was killed by British intelligence was left by intruders at her apartment in Villars, Switzerland when she was out. She said bullets had been fired at CCTV cameras outside her home and her mobile phone was monitored.

Juan Carlos “emphatically denies ever having harassed her,” said the former monarch’s lawyer, Adam Wolanski, during the hearing.

Juan Carlos spent almost every summer in Mallorca before leaving Spain in 2020 to live in the United Arab Emirates.

The registration deadline to take part in the contest is Saturday, July 30. Last year, Pop Rock hosted the performance of 134 contestants. Entry to the competition must be registered through the Palma Cultura website.

In this fourth edition, 16 participants will be chosen by the jury so that they can compete in the semi­finals, on the weekend of September 16.

The winners of this phase will be part of a group of eight finalists who will perform at a big closing party, which will take place on Saturday,

Tourist killed in hit-and-run

Credit: Palma City Council

September 30, in Ses Voltes, and which will decide the names of the three award­winning groups or soloists.

The winners will sign a contract to perform at the Revetla de Sant Sebastià 2024, through which they will receive prizes of €3,000 (first prize), €2,000 (second prize) and €1,000 (third prize).

The Pop Rock contest is closely linked to the cultural and civic history of Palma. The first edition was held in 1983. Years later, the contest stopped until it was revived in 2020.

Enjoy cheap cinema tickets

NINE cinemas in the Balearic Islands are taking part in the Spanish government’s ‘Cine Sénior’ programme. This enables retirees to watch a film each Tuesday for the reduced price of just €2.

The cinemas that have the offer on Tuesdays are the Rívoli, the Artesiete Fan, the Cinesa Festival Park, the Multicines Manacor, the Ocimax in Palma, the Ocine Premium Porto Pi, and the CineCiutat

arthouse cinema. Most of the cinemas have set Tuesday as the senior cinema day. There is only one Tuesday exception in Mallorca, which is the Augusta Aficine, which will hold the screenings on Thursdays. To take advantage of the special senior rate, you must show ID to prove you are 65 years of age or older. The tickets are available directly at the box office. They cannot be purchased online in

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

advance. The offer usually applies to all films that are on the programme on the relevant day and cannot be combined with other discounts. Special screenings are also usually excluded from the campaign.

The aim of the ‘Cine Sénior’ programme is to bring older people back to the cinema, as it had been noticed that retirees had got out of the habit of going to the cinema after the coronavirus pandemic.

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

Means that if you are inquisitive about other people’s affairs it may get you into trouble. This saying originated in a 1598 play, Every Man in his Humour, which was written by English playwright, Ben Johnson.

A SPANISH man is under arrest following a hunt for the driver of a BMW sports car after a German tourist was killed in a hitand­run incident in the early hours of Sunday, July 16.

The incident occurred at around 3am near the Palacio de Congresos. The German lady, aged 36, was in the middle of a pedestrian crossing when she was struck by the car. According to witnesses, the driver braked and then briefly stopped after the accident before speeding away. Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.

The driver turned himself in to the Guardia Civil on Monday, July 17 after reading a newspaper report that a search for his car was underway.

He was arrested for an alleged crime against traffic safety and another for reckless homicide. He was taken to the Guardia Civil headquarters to face charges.

1957 The first package holiday to Spain.

Javier Bonet announces Pop Rock.

The former king now lives in the UAE.

Students welcome mayor Squatters down

Jo Pugh

COUNCILLORS from Alcudia Town Hall visited the participants in the excavation campaign in Pollentia on Monday, July 17. Mayor Fina Linares met with the students and directors, and took a tour of the Sa Portella area.

Among the explanations that were given during the visit, Miquel Angel Cau, one of the co­directors of the excavations, together with Esther Chávez and Catalina Mas, said that this year there were “settlements found in the residential area of Sa Portella, which could be before the Roman era. We were lucky to find these structures that seem to pre­exist in the Roman city, an ancient settlement.” Now, more studies of these findings must be done

due to their dating.

At the beginning of the excavation campaign in Pollentia, other finds were made such as coins, and a lot of ceramics.

This summer there are 32 students from the world of archaeology participating in the excavations, coming from various Spanish and foreign universities.

Alcudia Town Council is supporting the task and wants to increase the period of excavations to put more value on the historical heritage of the Roman city of Pollentia.

2023 is a special year for the project as it is the centenary celebrations of the start of the excavation of the Roman city of Pollentia.

DATA from the Ministry of the Interior has revealed a 20 per cent decrease in squatting and usurpation cases in the Balearic Islands in the last two years. In 2022, the number of cases reported was 405. There were 509 cases reported in 2021.

However, the first fourmonth period of 2023 indicates that there were 152 reports of unauthorised occupation, an increase of 11 per cent, compared to the same period of 2022 when 136 reports were made. This

Plainclothes police unit

represents a decrease of 26 per cent compared to 2021, when 206 cases were reported.

The statistics do not separate between trespassing and usurpation of the right to use a property. Squatters (known as okupas) are people who enter the house by forced entry, and usurpation is usually those who already rent, but stop payments.

Some insurance companies are now offering policies against squatters, covering many unpaid bills and other expenses.

Joining the fun

THE deputy mayor of Culture of Palma City Council, Javier Bonet, the coordinator of Culture, Fernando Gómez de la Cuesta, and the director of music and performing arts, Rafel Brunet, attended the the 19th anniversary party of Bar Flexas, which was held on Friday, July 14 in Palma City centre.

The party had the support of Palma City Council, and was in tribute this year to Fernando Estrella, the popular artist and chef from Mallorca who died in February 2023. The Flexas party in the Parc de Mar began with refreshments in front of the bar, and at 8.30pm the music and party began.

CALVIA Town Hall has announced the intention to create a new plainclothes police unit, which should begin operation during August.

The councillor responsible for the police, Esperanza Català, believes that the presence of plainclothes officers will reinforce security and be more effective in tackling night time crime in Magalluf and Santa Ponsa. The councillor with specific responsibility for Magalluf, Manuel Mas, said that there has long been a demand from residents and businesses for an enhanced plainclothes police presence. Procedures need to be followed before the unit can be up and running. These include obtaining mandatory authorisation from the Spanish government’s delegation in the Balearics. Because of this, Català suggested that the unit may not be operational until late August. Català added that the unit will be equipped with tasers. Some officers have asked for these believing they are a good deterrent.

EXCAVATIONS: The Roman remains of Pollentia.

Credit: Alcúdia town hall

Low income affects taxpayers

THE Mallorca tax authority has published the final income tax figures for 2021. According to this, around a third of all taxpayers in the Balearic Islands earned less than €12,000 in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic. In the previous year it was around 43 per cent.

Specifically, the tax office gave the following figures for taxpayers in 2021:

57,238 people earned less than €1,500, around 10 per cent.

77,114 people earned between €1,500 and €6,000, about 17 per cent.

63,991 people stated income between €6,000 and €12,000, about 11 per cent.

147,000 people earned between €12,000 and €21,000, around 25 per cent.

91,844 people indicated income between €21,000 and €30,000, about 16 per cent.

The number of people who earned between €30,000 and €60,000 was 103,583, about 18 per cent.

25,606 people earned between €60,000 and €150,000 in 2021, around 4 per cent.

4,311 people earned between €150,000 and €600,000, which accounts for

a share of 0.7 per cent.

427 people stated an income of over €600,000, about 0.07 per cent.

The figures indicate that the higher income groups hardly suffered from the pandemic or recovered very quickly.

Compared to the 2019 tax year, the figures in the upper categories are almost identical to those in 2021.

Compared to the previous year, when the country was virtually at a standstill for months, the figures in these salary classes improved slightly.

Focus on healthy eating

A THREE day teacher training course began on Monday, July 17 in Palma, which focused on healthy eating in public nursery schools.

The course was part of a plan to review and improve food and eating times in public nursery schools in Palma. Its main objective is to promote a healthier and more sustainable diet in municipal nursery schools, as well as to establish more positive relationships around feeding time. One hundred and twenty teachers and non­

Fines contested

Jo Pugh

A MEETING was held in Palma on Tuesday July 11 with the objective of finding solutions to the problems generated by the imposition of fines during the term of the previous local government, and which those affected consider illegal.

The councillor for Mobility, Toni Deudero, accompanied by the general director of Mobility, Antonio Román, met with the representatives from the group ‘Stop Fines Without Notification’.

teaching staff from 11 schools attended. The training was divided into three intensive days. The project seeks to promote collaboration between everyone involved in the school food chain, including producers, kitchen staff, teaching staff and experts in nutrition and child health. The aim is to review, together with educational teams and service personnel, how to approach three parameters ­ time, space and relationships ­ so that healthy eating habits are formed.

During the meeting, the representatives explained to the councillor the current situation in which more than 100,000 affected people find themselves, and requested that solutions be sought from the court.

Toni Deudero, after listening to the group, explained that “We have asked for all the information available on this issue to be able to address the problem. What we will do now is to find out the state of the different files that are being processed and

depending on the results we obtain, the most appropriate and convenient measures will be taken.

“Now the important thing is to know the facts and their consequences in depth and then act accordingly,” said Román.

COUNCIL MEETING: Finding solutions to the problems.

Image: Palma town hall

ACCORDING to researchers, climate change has seen record numbers of turtles nesting in Spain and Italy, what was once a rare occur rence is now becoming more common.

The sea turtle’s habits are changing because of the warming of Mediterranean waters. At least 15 sea turtle nests have been detected in re cent weeks on beaches along the Spanish coast, with two cases in Mallorca, according to a news outlet on Tuesday, July 11.

Italy too has seen a huge in crease with around 100 or so nests, laid in Italy, which is a record number of nest sites on the coasts of the western Mediterranean in a single season.

The details have been confirmed by various experts from the universities of Vic, Barcelona and the Polytechnic of Valencia, which, with the collaboration of the University of Valencia and the Doñana Biological Station, has begun work on the InGeNi­Caretta

SEA TURTLE: Its habits are changing.

sity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the European Union.

According to biologists, climate change is modifying the nesting area of the loggerhead

caretta) and has taken it to regions where it had not nested before, which poses new challenges for biodiversity management in these territo­

ries. This emerging colonisation is occurring in areas popularised with humans, as is the case on the Spanish coast, another reason why appropriate management is needed if the turtles are to succeed.

The first sea turtle nest detected this season in Spain appeared at the beginning of June on Can Pere Toni beach in Palma, Mallorca. It was soon followed by more nests detected on beaches in Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia.

Scientists hope that the results of the InGeNi­Caretta project will make it possible to improve conservation measures for the species, particularly with regard to nesting activity on the Spanish Mediterranean coasts.

which offers a very similar service in China basically sells cheaply produced Chinese products at incredibly low prices. Indeed, many people pay nothing for their goods as they can receive significant disEWN 20 - 26 July 2023 8 euroweeklynews.com NEWS

Credit: Screenshot Temu advert

counts on the already low prices by introducing friends and family. Temu is now advertising heavily in Spain but if the American experience is anything to go by, whilst it may attract many customers initially, poor quality of product and/or service could see it suffer quite quickly. This is all fact, but the conspiracy theory considers that it is just a front to obtain information about individuals around the world and then feed it all back to the Communist Chinese Authorities. In addition, because it appears that most of the revenue earned by Temu is from selling information to third parties, by signing up, especially if using the mobile App, consumers are effectively providing access to a huge amount of their personal information. Taken a step further, if companies such as Amazon have to cut their prices in order to compete with Temu, then they in turn will demand reductions in price from suppliers and also potentially either cut the workforce or drive wages down.

Temu conspiracy

NEWCOMER: Temu offers some unbelievable prices.

Turtles nesting in record numbers

The first step on your financial journey in Spain – choosing your adviser

There are various reasons why people take financial advice. It may be for help investing their savings or with their pension funds, or they may have questions about taxation or need to establish an effective estate plan.

What many do not realise, however, is that their choice of adviser is possibly the most important financial decision they need to make, especially when trusting their recommendations for the savings you’ve worked hard to build up.

This is even more important when moving to or living in Spain. Here most people don’t just require help with one aspect or to buy a product, they need an adviser who can analyse their situation and guide them through all the financial planning steps they need to take to successfully manage their wealth in Spain. Ultimately, we’re all looking for longterm financial security and peace of mind, but achieving this in a new country with a foreign tax and succession regime and unfamiliar bureaucracy is harder than in your home country.

What you need is a holistic strategic financial plan based on your situation and aims, then ongoing, proactive support as your circumstances evolve and regulations and investment climates change.

With all this in mind, here are some points to consider when looking for a financial adviser.

A personal service

It is essential that your financial planning is based on your personal situation – your country of residence, future plans, family situation and concerns, who you wish to leave your assets to, your time horizon, investment risk tolerance

By Cathal Rochford,

and key objectives.

Successful wealth management must take all these into account. Your adviser should take the time to get to know you, asking a range of questions and establishing your risk profile, before making recommendations or trying to sell you a product or investment.

You want to be able to build a good relationship with your advisers so they’ll be around to support you right through retirement, perhaps even guiding your heirs in the future.

Size and longevity

When looking for a long-term adviser covering a range of services, the size and longevity of the firm is relevant.

A firm with a history of longevity gives you peace of mind that they are likely to be there for as long as you need them.

And the larger the firm, the more specialists they will have covering the various services you need – local financial advisers, technical tax experts, pension professionals, investment analysts, succession law experts. In-house teams can seamlessly work together to provide integrated wealth

management advice and recommendations.

This is important. For example, how you hold your investments can impact how much tax you pay and how easily they can be passed onto your chosen heirs. So rather than using different advisers for each aspect and receiving isolated advice, you benefit from a comprehensive, strategic financial plan covering all of them.

A larger firm will also have more resources to apply effective compliance procedures to ensure regulatory rules are adhered to, which protects clients. It will also be in a position to keep on top of changing regulations, such as tax and pensions, analysing how clients are affected and establishing compliant solutions where necessary.

Local advice and knowledge

Using an adviser who lives and works in Spain will prove highly beneficial.

For a start, they will have personally experienced what it is like to move to and settle in Spain and how Spanish taxation impacts residents. They’ll have built up an in-depth understanding of the local tax and succession regimes –both very different to the UK’s –and the legitimate planning opportunities available here. And they’ll be in a position to react fast to changes.

While you may prefer to continue your existing relationship with your UK adviser, it is unlikely they will know the ins and out of local regulations or keep on top of Spanish reforms. The fact that Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have their own variations with regards tax rules makes it all the more complex. Continuing to use your UK adviser could result

in you buying inappropriate investments, paying more tax than necessary, or your beneficiaries having to deal with unnecessary complications on your death.

Another important issue here is regulation. Prior to Brexit, it was possible for UK advisers and financial firms to ‘passport’ their services into other EU countries. This ended when the UK left the Union, so unless your UK adviser has taken the time, effort and expense of getting set up and regulated in Spain, they would not be in a position to provide authorised advice to residents of Spain.

Regulation and qualifications

All the above considerations need to be combined with qualifications and high professional standards. Investing, pensions, estate planning and taxation are all very technical subjects which require specialist understanding. Ensure your advisory firm has professionals with officially recognised qualifications, who keep fully up to date with financial and regulatory changes.

In the UK, for example, the Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning meets the UK Financial Conduct Authorities (FCA) qualification requirements. Even though you’ve moved abroad, you still want your adviser to have achieved that level of qualification.

Last but not least, for security and peace of mind, choose a firm which is authorised to provide advice in Spain and abides by national and international regulations. When it comes to investing, check that both your adviser and the investment managers they are recommending are regulated.

Once you find an adviser who meets the above requirements, the

rest of your financial planning in Spain will follow smoothly on. You won’t need to worry about neglecting any key aspects or keeping up with tax reforms. Your adviser will talk you through all the issues you need to consider, helping you weigh up all your options before you take any final decisions. They’ll then keep you updated on any reforms that impact you.

So you can leave the hard work to them and enjoy your new life in Spain with peace of mind.

At Blevins Franks we meet all the above criteria and more. With a history dating back over 45 years, we have long established offices in Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta. We have advisers living locally, some of whom have been with us for decades, as well as teams of tax, pensions and investment specialists based in our London and Malta offices.

We pride ourselves on providing cross-border, integrated financial planning and a high level of personal service. While we are always meeting new clients, our team of Private Clients Managers are dedicated to servicing existing clients, ensure everything is on track and fine-tuned where necessary.

We are authorised and regulated to provide advice in the UK, Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta, and our advisers are qualified to the level, or equivalent, required to meet the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority standards. We impose high compliance standards on our teams and keep up to date with regulatory standards.

Everything we do is client focused, to provide peace of mind to you and your family.

Partner, Blevins Franks

Tigy’s - Indulge in a unique culinary journey

EXPERIENCE the exquisite blend of flavours at Tigy’s Restaurant in Sant Elm. Nestled in the charming town of Sant Elm, Tigy’s invites you to indulge in a unique culinary journey. With its prime location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by breathtaking panoramic vistas, this enchanting restaurant has become a popular gastronomic destination among locals and tourists alike.

Tigy’s is renowned for its creative and contemporary cuisine, seamlessly merging with Mallorcan gastronomy. The restaurant’s menu offers a wide array of delights, from Pa amb oli and pizzas to pastas, delicious salads, gourmet burgers, and more. Whether you prefer vegetarian and vegan options or succulent fish and meat dishes, Tigy’s caters to every taste and preference.

One of Tigy’s standout features is its unwavering commitment to using fresh, high­quality ingredients, thoughtfully selected to ensure

each dish bursts with authentic and natural flavours. Furthermore, the presentation of their culinary creations is impeccable, transforming every meal into a visually appealing experience.

Whether you desire a nourishing brunch, a romantic dinner, a celebration of a special occasion, or

simply wish to savour a delectable meal, Tigy’s warm and elegant ambience provides the perfect backdrop. Take advantage of their delightful outdoor terrace, where you can relax and relish in the sea views while indulging in their most tantalising dishes. Alternatively, their cosy indoor lounge offers a charm­

ing setting for cooler days or a more intimate dining experience.

Tigy’s boasts an extensive wine list, featuring a wide selection of local and international wines that perfectly complement each dish. Notably, the Mar i Niguls wines deserve special mention, available in Verdejo, rosé, and Sauvignon Blanc

varieties. Mar i Niguls is a smooth, refreshing wine with a captivating aroma, a delightful sweetness on the palate, and a lingering finish. It is the perfect wine to savour in this Mediterranean climate.

Expect exceptional service at Tigy’s, where a team of friendly and attentive professionals ensure you feel at home from the moment you step through the door. Attention to detail and personalised care are the hallmarks of this establishment, making it an ideal destination for an unforgettable dining experience with your loved ones.

In summary, if you seek an extraordinary culinary adventure in Sant Elm, Tigy’s Restaurant is undeniably the place to be. Its fusion of flavours, use of fresh ingredients, breathtaking views, and impeccable service guarantee an unparalleled gastronomic journey. Don’t hesitate any longer; reserve your table at Tigy’s and delight in a mouth­watering meal that will tantalise your senses.

New art exhibition opens in Palma

THE grand opening of the exhibition INSIDE with Bart Calero will take place at the AHOY! art gallery in Palma on Thursday July 27.

Bart Calero studied sculpture and art in Barcelona. With his installations, sculptures and photographs, the artist shows his subtle reflection on life, our society and what it does to us as individuals.

Bart Calero demonstrates the importance of love and self­awareness in his installations. His one ­ metre aluminum sculpture in the shape

Irish tunes at Bellver Castle

ANNA MIEKE is an Irish composer, vocalist, and multi ­ instrumentalist who will be performing at Bellver castle on Tuesday, August 2 at 9pm.

of a human brain depicted as a hand grenade gives a lot of room for interpretation. “Our brains can set off explosionsand also cause suffering,” he explained.

Anna Mieke resides in County Wicklow, from where she independently released her debut album Idle Mind in April 2019, for which she was nominated as ‘Best Emerging Artist’ at the prestigious RTÉ Folk Awards.

The album received excellent reviews from both the general press and the music press. In November 2022 she released her second album, Theatre to excellent reviews in the British press.

Tickets are €15 and can be purchased from www.ticketib.com.

TIGY’S RESTAURANT: Sits in a prime location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Sant Elm.

Image: Bart Calero

New art exhibition set to open in Palma.

Ten safest beaches in Spain

John Ensor

BEACH tragedies often make the news, but it begs the question where are the safest ones? Here’s a list of places where a young family with children should head to, rather than a list of places to avoid, according to a news source on Monday, July 10.

Nutriben, a company which specialises in infant nutrition and health, has selected the 10 best beaches in Spain to go to with children so that ‘they can play in the sand, swim in shallow water and enjoy fun activities near the water.’

• Playa de Misericordia, Malaga

Children’s playgrounds, open­air cinema in the evenings and a calm sea make this beach perfect for family holidays.

• Playa Fluvial de A Calzada, Galicia

With a blue flag distinction, it has an area for adults separated from the children's area, as well as one for pets.

• Playa de Bolonia, Tarifa, Cádiz

Its large size means that there are no crowds and its sand dunes make it the ideal place for children to climb and play in the sand.

• Playa de Maspalomas, Gran Canaria

Another beach with dunes, a suitable space for children to play and avoid crowds.

• Playa Norte, Peñíscola, Castellón

This beach has also been awarded the blue flag every year, an indicator of its safety.

• Playa de Comillas, Cantabria

A blue flag beach, is considered one of the best beaches on the coast of Cantabria.

• Playa de Alcudia, Mallorca

Its waters are shallow and it is spacious, so it is the largest beach in the Balearics.

• Playa de Cambrils, Tarragona

This beach as a Family Tourism Destination, giving it a seal of quality thanks to its calm, shallow waters.

• Playa Poo, Llanes, Asturias

This beach has no waves. It also has all kinds of safety services, such as parking, security, showers and a health centre.

• La Concha Beach, Oropesa del Mar, Castellón

This urban beach has calm waves and shallow waters, as well as a warm temperature.

Playa de Misericordia in Malaga.

creditplaya de la Misericordia/Facebook

FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

Tipping point

EMPLOYEES at The Ivy restaurant chain complained that they are losing out after Troia UK Restaurants, part­owned by billionaire restaurateur and fashion tycoon Richard Caring, has cut their share of the service charge. The modification came into force once the legal minimum wage rose in April, the Unite union said.

Helping hand

SPAIN’S National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) launched proceedings against renewable energy company, Ecoener, maintaining that it helped two company executives to acquire shares when the company was floated in April 2021. Ecoener has since insisted that only “ minimal” sums of money were involved.

Dead letters

HM Revenue & Customs office has had to create a special taskforce to deal with letters that are still unanswered after a year. The new team will tackle the backlog of more than 37,000 pieces of correspondence that are at least 10 months old to prevent the accumulation reaching the 12­month stage.

Digi prodigy

DIGI COMMUNICATIONS’ board of directors will propose a dividend of one Romanian leu per share (approximately €0.2) at the August 18 annual general meeting. The parent company’s dividends have grown in recent years, thanks to Digi Spain where the company is now a telecoms leader owing to its ‘aggressive’ tariffs.

Living dead

ZOMBIE companies, which formerly avoided bankruptcy through cheap borrowing costs, are now under pressure and unlikely to survive rising interest rates. Insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor, whose revenues climbed 11 per cent to £121.8 million (€142.1) last year, predicted that practically all would fail within 18 months.

Linda Hall

INDITEX shareholders approved the company’s 2022 results and payment of a €1.20 share dividend at the Annual General Meeting on July 11.

They also voted in favour of setting the number of Inditex directors at 10 and re­elected Inditex’s founder Amancio Ortega Gaona, aged 87, as the company’s proprietary director.

The 2022 and early 2023 figures were the result of the “incredible work” carried out by the company’s teams, said Ortega Gaona’s daughter, Marta Ortega Perez, who is now Inditex chairwoman.

Ortega’s address to the meeting, which was held

STAT OF WEEK €1.45 billion

in record sales for the Catalan-based fashion group Mango during the first six months of 2023, showing a 20 per cent increase on the same period last year.

Inditex magic

which owns the Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Oysho labels amongst others, reported a €4.13 billion profit in the fiscal year ending on January 31, a 27 per cent increase on 2022.

Schools of thought

IF Labour carries through plans to strip independent schools of their charitable status, thousands of children would have to leave their current schools.

at the company’s headquarters in Arteixo (La Coruña), was streamed on the Inditex website.

“The magic of Inditex lies within our team and our values, which are heavily influenced by selfimposed high standards,” she said during the meet­

ing. “The future is not predetermined and we must never forget that.”

Inditex was close­knit, like a family where successes were celebrated together but mistakes taken on board “as if they were one’s own”, Ortega added.

The fashion chain,

Turnover grew by 17.5 per cent to €32.569 million despite 2022’s economic turbulence and the sale of Inditex’s operation inside Russia, which cost the group €230 million.

The first quarter of 2023 was even better, Ortega said: “In these months we faced challenges that were overcome thanks to the magic of Inditex.”

No need for nationalisation

THAMES WATER has raised £750 million (€879.7 million) from shareholders.

Last month there were rumours that the company, which provides water and sewage services for 15 million people in London and southeast England, could enter special administration.

Cathryn Ross, who took over as interim co­chief executive following Sarah Bentley’s surprise departure in June, insisted during a BBC interview that nationalisation “was not on the cards.”

Thames Water had not pulled off plans to secure a hoped­for £1 billion

Still ugly

BIRKENSTOCK sandals, once dismissed as ugly but comfortable, are still ugly but are now fashionable. The brand founded in 1774 is contemplating a $6 billion (€5.39 billion) stock market listing, two years after selling a majority stake to consumer­focused private equity firm L Catterton in a deal that valued the company at €4.9 billion. Brothers Christian and Alex Birkenstock, who are still involved with the brand, are each believed to be worth around $1.7 billion (€1.54 billion) after selling to L Catterton, which has backing from Bernard Arnault, chief executive of LVMH and the world’s second­richest man after Elon Musk.

(€1.17 billion) lifeline, Ross said, although its £4.4 billion cash pile (€5.16 billion) was “absolutely enough” to cover costs for 2023, 2024 “and into the future.”

Postal agreement

ROYAL MAIL employees accepted an offer that ends their ongoing dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions.

Almost 76 per cent of Communication Workers Union (CWU) members voted for a 10 per cent increase spread over three years, plus a £500 (€584) lump sum.

The ballot result ended disagreements that culminated in stoppages by more than 115,000 workers at the end of last year.

“This has been the most challenging period in the history of the union and the company, and I want to thank every single member who has voted in this ballot,” the CWU’s general secretary Dave Ward said

At the same time, the below ­ inflation agreement will leave some Royal Mail employees worse off than a previously­rebuffed offer of 9 per cent over a year and a half.

Nevertheless, another £2.5 billion (€2.93 billion) will be required by 2030 as the company buttresses its finances, shareholders were told.

Thames Water, owned by a consortium of pension groups and foreign funds, has met censure for polluting rivers and was recently fined £3.3 million (€3.86m) for sewage spills in 2017.

At a time when Thames Water has paid huge dividends to shareholders and generous salaries to its executives, the company had also accumulated a £14 billion (€16.4 billion) debt.

Cryptic clues

A STUDY by cryptocurrency experts CryptoGambling.tv named Slovenia as Europe’s most ‘crypto­obsessed’ country.

Analysis revealed that approximately 100,000 internet searches each month were linked to cryptocurrency, averaging out at 4,789 crypto­related searches for information per every 100,000 people.

Spain, with a monthly 907,000 searches was ranked sixth, with around 1,927 searchers for every 100,000 inhabitants.

Luxembourg was the secondmost interested country with a monthly average of 2,634 searches, ahead of the Netherlands which sees 2,608 cryptocurrency searches for every 100,000 people although Holland is one of the few countries which taxes unrealised gains.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank calculated that parents would remove around 40,000 children from paying schools. These would then enter the UK’s state system, costing the taxpayer another £300 million (€350 million) annually.

The IFS also warned that the proposed tax raid could encourage tax avoidance as schools and families looked for loopholes that would enable them to cut bills.

Big surprise

IGNACIO GUTIERREZ­ORRANTIA will not, after all, be moving to the Spanish gas and electricity company, Naturgy.

Gutierrez ­ Orrantia has informed Citigroup that he plans to remain at the bank in his current role as the Londonbased head of the Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory Division for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Gutierriez­Orrantias’s decision, announced by Bloomburg on July 11, was met with generalised surprise as his move to Naturgy as chief executive, where he was to have shared executive powers with company president Francisco Reynes, was regarded as a certainty.

Indian buyer

INDIAN businessman Kabir Mulchandani is buying Pacha nightclubs and hotels through his Five company. The nightlife and tourism group, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, will pay a little over €320 million according to reports published in a local news outlet on July 12.

Initially, the Trilantic, GPF and MCH private equity funds, which owned the discos and hotels, had asked for more than €500 million, before accepting a significantly lower amount.

Trilantic, GPF and MCH, which entered Ibiza’s nightlife sector in 2017, are divesting themselves of Pacha after having survived Covid­19 thanks to a bailout using public money.

INDITEX RESULTS: Chairwoman Marta Ortega and the board praise ‘incredible work’.

THAMES WATER: 15 million clients in London and southeast England.

Photo credit: Inditex.com

Photo credit: Thames Water

LONDON - FTSE 100

DOW JONES

Uber fast

WAITROSE has joined forces with Uber Eats in a deal that will deliver grocery orders in just 20 minutes. Available at present for online London shoppers in Finchley Road, West Hampstead, Clerkenwell, St Katharine Docks and Greenwich, the service will extend to more than 200 stores throughout the UK by the end of August.

Selling up

THE US real estate investment firm AEW is putting 22 Carrefour supermarkets up for sale in Spain in an operation expected to top €120 million. The majority are located in Madrid and Catalonia and some, which are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, have an ‘enormous turnover’ according to industry sources.

Petrol still going strong

Linda Hall

CCAR manufacturers Renault and Geely announced a €7 billion joint venture to build engines for hybrid and petrolpowered vehicles, Renault and Chinese firm Geely, which owns Volvo and holds shares in Aston Martin and Mercedes, intend to produce an annual five million internal combustion, hybrid and plug­in hybrid engines and transmissions.

The newly­formed company will focus on becoming the leader in next­generation hybrid and highly efficient powertrain solutions to meet worldwide demand for the

Accentuating technology

KUTXABANK has engaged 94 professionals on permanent contracts, with more appointments expected before the end of the year.

Anton Arriola, chairman of the Bilbaobased bank, announced that more than half of the new employees will be assigned to the group’s network of branches to improve levels of personalised services for customers.

As with earlier recruitment drives, the majority ­ in this case 65 per cent ­ of the new workers are women.

When further staff are taken on later this year, they will have a ‘more technological profile’, the bank explained, to meet digital transformation objectives set out in the government’s Acelera plan.

Breakup

years to come, a Renault statement announced.

The company will supply engines and other components to several global brands, including Volvo, Nissan and Mitsubishi, as well as Renault and Geely’s own vehicles.

The initiative will provide work for around 19,000 people, with 17 factories and five research and development centres located in three continents, would have an expected annual revenue of €15 billion, according to a Reuters report in March this year.

The initial organisation will establish two operational centres in charge of the respective operations, with Renault based in Madrid and Geely in Hangzhou Bay on the East China Sea.

An executive team will be based at the new company’s headquarters which Renault revealed would, in principle, be located in the UK in order to consolidate operations and define future plans.

BRITISH defence group Cobham’s fragmentation continued as its US private equity owners sold the company’s Aerospace Communications division to French firm Thales in a £850 million (€993.25 million) deal. The Paris­based company, which has been part of the Cobham group since 1989, makes aircraft antennas and communication systems and expects revenues of £154 million (€180 million) this year.

Charged up

ANFAC, Spain’s vehicle manufacturers’ association, is working on proposals to improve the Moves III subsidies plan introduced to boost electric car purchase. It was a great programme, Anfac said, but because it was “enormously complex,” the association was contacting political parties in hopes of introducing a “much more efficient substitute” when Moves III ends on December 2023.

RENAULT CHAIRMAN: Luca de Meo announced €7 billion joint venture with Geely.

Photo credit: Renault Group

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LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

THOUSANDS of black Christian men women and children are still being slaughtered and enslaved in Nigeria. Black genocide is still a daily occurrence in many parts of the world and even in the UK black youngsters are being killed on the streets in ever increasing numbers. All in all it is an appalling and utterly tragic situation.

But why are we seeing no demonstrations concerning these issues? Where are all the marchers and protesters? What’s happened to all the black leaders appearing in the media, decrying the situation and urging government to ‘do something’?

Personally I only discovered most of these facts with research. So can anyone please enlighten me why it is that black lives only appear to really matter when members of the white community are involved? It simply doesn’t make sense; is there is some ulterior motive afoot? Ah well, only time and tide will answer that question.

Personally of course I have

It’s got worse

watched the whole situation deteriorate almost from the beginning, certainly in London. During the1950s with the influx of Windrush immigrants into the Bayswater area, where I resided, Rackman was renting large numbers of run down Victorian houses to these early immigrants.

Never the less, we all seemed to be enjoying the diversity and I even witnessed the early beginnings of the Notting Hill carnival. In the back of my little Portobello shop, I also had quite a merry fling with a bouncy happy faced lady from Nigeria ­ but we won’t get into that!

What is more worrying is the fact that some years later, after I had achieved some recording success, I decided to take a taxi and peruse some of my old Bayswater happy hunting haunts. To my amazement the taxi driver utterly refused to even drive down my chosen road.

Somewhat puzzled but still undeterred, I subsequently decided to walk down and visit one of my past favourite pubs; an establishment I had on many

an occasion enjoyed with an interesting mixture of the new immigrants and locals. Gazing around, with a warm feeling of déjà vu, I observed the whole pub was now in fact completely dominated by black clientele. You could also cut through the haze of marihuana with a knife. As I began to make my way to the bar a number of heads began to turn in my direction. Slowly and almost unbelievably the whole room began to sink into an extremely ominous silence. Not even getting close to the bar, I definitely had no choice but to turn towards one of the handy side doors and leave as quickly and carefully as I could. Not exactly the wonderful diversity the media keeps trying to brainwash us with was it?

Nothing’s changed; it’s actually got worse. And a few of the readers have the audacity to call this ol boy a racist? Give me a break.

Keep the Faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. Fri. 1pm till 4.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WRITE OUR VIEW

THE hysteria on social media following the allegations that an unnamed BBC presenter had behaved improperly with a person apparently aged 17 saw the worst of some people reflected in their posts.

Immediately, there were a flood of ‘suggestions’ of who that person could be and suddenly BBC presenters including Ryland, Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell and Graham Norton were being wrongly ‘named and shamed’ by ignorant members of the public. The word ignorant has several meanings but ill­informed and rude are probably those which are closest to the truth about those naming names

They were ignorant for two reasons, firstly because they were simply speculating and had no knowledge and secondly because they don’t understand the fact they lay themselves open to civil lawsuits whereby they could end up bankrupt.

Once something is published (and this is true for social media and websites as well as in the press), any wrong and malicious statement could be argued in a court of law to be either libel or defamatory.

As the world changes, so more celebrities are turning to the law to sue those maligning them and some large sums have been won by those taking such action.

We at Euro Weekly News made sure that we didn’t join the ‘feeding frenzy’ and didn’t suggest any names until the wife of Huw Edwards confirmed it was him.

This is clearly responsible reporting and we ensure that any comments on our website are checked by a human being before being posted to ensure that no libel, profanity or even hurtful statement appears.

Be careful what comments you put on Facebook or similar, because it’s now open war against the trolls.

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

In response LETTERS

I refer to Tony North’s letter. My apologies; it was an editing slip on my part.

I missed out the word WESTERN (Europe).

None of the countries listed by Tony North is in Western Europe (apart from the UK).

I agree it is misleading, so thanks for bringing this to my attention. My apologies to you and all the other readers for this. However, you may have noticed that my name was misspelt it is Worboys, not Worboy.

David Worboys

In favour

Morning Leapy,

I have just read your latest piece and particularly like the bit about the idea of having separate areas in London for blacks and whites.

I personally think that is a great idea and would be all in favour of it being put into place, as it could be the way to solving a lot of problems.

I seem to remember that many years ago this did actually happen in a country somewhere, and as far as I know it worked perfectly well. Not sure if it still is in operation or not.

I think in that country it was the whites that put it in place, but I get from the sound of it its the blacks who are wanting to put it in place in London.

Anyway look forward to reading more next week.

Jacob

Passenger habits

I used to fly from Frankfurt to Malaga in the 70s.

Often there was a round of applause on touchdown.

I assumed that, rather than relief at survival, it was celebration of deliverance into the sunshine.

David Worboys

Traffic cops

You lose points from your driving licence in Spain as a penalty, you only gain them for experience and training (if you commit certain offences you can take a specific driving course and win some lost points back). A new driver starts with eight points, which, if they don’t commit any offences, goes up to 12 as you pass the three year mark. Then, if you continue without any infractions for three more years, you gain another two points = 15, which is the most you can hold.

Concha

Confusing signs

Yes, agreed for those junctions where there is a sign, a line, and the white wording on the road. But when turning left from a main road, often via a slip lane… yes a line in the road…

...yes a stop wording in the road, but no stop sign, on the (absent) post, arguably needed to authenticate the legal requirement.

So many of these particular turnings, cause confusion, rights of way inconsistencies and so many drivers just not stopping at all. So, come on... what IS the legal requirement ?

Beiderbeck

Chelsea move

Bravo Aaron, you are the first honest British writer who is telling the truth about our Moroccan star Ziyech, and I quote “his confidence has taken a beaten since joining Chelsea being shunned by several managers over the years.”

Too many British newspapers are blaming Ziyech. While it’s the favouritism that’s taking place in Chelsea and football generally. I would advise any Moroccan football star to stay away from English football.

Destroyed Boufal, Chamakh before and Ziyech now … what a trap.

Mourad Oumouh

Hot wind

Last night here in Sax, Alicante, we had a gale for about an hour. I managed to record a wind temperature of 38.6ºC. No damage here but it did do some damage nearer Alicante. I can’t remember feeling that hot a wind before.

Mike Curtis

Bull runs

I totally agree. I can’t sleep during these festivals as I’m so worried about the mistreatment of the bulls.

I wish to join a group to help stop these.

Catherine Kerr

The truth

Hi Lee

I’ve just read your piece headlined ‘British Media’ and was shocked to read it, because I’ve at last found someone who’s got the balls to spell out the truth with what’s going on in the UK.

I used to love England but we have been betrayed by politicians who have lied to us along with the MSM and have decided to come and live in Spain where we feel safer and just wished I had done it earlier because the country is quickly going downhill and anarchy is just round the corner.

Thank you for spreading the truth with what’s going on because there’s not many out there that are willing to do that and it’s really sad to see that the UK’s now fallen.

Regards ,

Andy Walsh

PETS

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TRAVELLING with pets through Spain has become smoother and simpler, as the nation evolves its regulations and facilities to accommodate animal passengers.

Taking your pet on a road trip through Spain? Not a problem. More and more roadside hotels are now pet­friendly. Taking a

DID you know your lovable fur­ball at home could double up as a healer? Yes, our four­legged friends are making headlines, not just for their Instagram­worthy antics, but also for their powerful therapeutic abilities.

Just imagine, you’ve had a tough day, and when you get home, there’s that wagging tail and those trusting eyes. Right away, it feels like your burdens lighten a little.

Research shows that hanging out with pets can lessen anxiety, lower blood pressure, and can even help us bounce back from surgery faster. Many schools and hospitals are catching onto this. They’ve been inviting volunteers with their pets for ‘pet therapy’. These pets aren’t your regular housetrained sweethearts. They’ve gone through special training to be patient, friendly and comforting in various settings. Max is a therapy dog

Pet passport

flight? Airlines are upping their pet ­ friendly game too. Ferries are joining in, with many now providing specific cabins for families travelling with pets. Be ­

fore you start packing those doggie bags, remember that Spain, as a part of the EU, mandates a pet passport for each travelling pet. This pass ­

port verifies that your pet is microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, ensuring your dog’s smooth entry and exit. One traveller and pet owner,

Can be great for your mental health.

who works in a hospital. Every Thursday, he’s there in the paediatric ward, working his magic. His handler, Lisa Taylor, said, “It’s nothing short of incredible. Kids just light up when they see Max, and the ripple of that joy spreads to parents and staff. The whole place feels differ­

shared her experience, “Taking my lab, Molly, along on our family holiday was a breeze. From rest stops to accommodations, Spain has truly become a pet ­ inclusive nation.” Local transport services aren’t far behind.

Many public buses and trains now allow small pets in carriers, and some even al low leashed dogs during off ­ peak hours. Travelling through Spain with your pets no longer means compromise or

ent.” The very presence of these furry companions sparks social connections, which is great for mental health. So next time you’re scrolling through pet videos online, remember they are more than just cute; they could be your next therapy session.

hassle. It’s about sharing the joys of discovery, culture, and cuisine with your loyal companion.

THERAPY DOGS:

A pet passport is essential for travelling.

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Alcaraz wins Wimbledon final Tour de France triumph

SPANISH cycling fans can rejoice as one of their countrymen has ended a five ­ year drought by winning a stage in the Tour de France.

Tuesday, July 11, saw Spanish rider Pello Bilbao Lopez, riding for the Bahrain Victorious team, win the 167 ­ kilometre stage 10 of the Tour de France, something that fans had had to wait a long time for.

The last Spaniard to win a stage was back in 2018 when Omar Fraile took the honours, 99 stages later and Bilbao has finally given fans something to cheer.

This year’s Tour started in Bilbao in the Basque Country, and namesake Pello was the star of the Grand Départ, getting an extra loud cheer when his name was announced.

On July 11 he repaid the favour many times over by claiming his first ever Tour de France victory in Issoire.

The 33 ­ year ­ old rider from Guernica outsprinted Georg Zimmermann and British rider, Ben O’Connor, to clinch victory.

In the final 3km of this stage, a small group of riders had broken away. Bilbao takes up the story: “I knew I was the fastest man. With cold blood I let Zimmermann do his attack… and I sprinted without thinking of anything. I went with everything I had, with all energy I had, remembering the reason I was riding ­ for Gino.” Pello’s teammate Gino Mader was tragically killed in last month’s Tour de Suisse, something which no doubt inspired him on the day.

This win sees Bilbao lying in fifth place in the general classification, over four and a half minutes behind Yellow Jersey Jonas Vingegaard.

There are three British riders in the top 10 overall standings, Adam Yates, Simon Yates and Yorkshireman, Tom Pidcock.

CARLOS ALCARAZ is the new king of Wimbledon after completing a stunning five ­ set victory over Novak Djokovic on Sunday, July 16.

The young Spaniard took revenge for the defeat inflicted on him by the Serb in their last encounter in the French Open semi ­ final at Roland Garros.

Following that loss, the Murcian admitted that nerves had got the better of him, but on today’s showing, he had well and truly psyched himself up for the challenge.

An epic five ­ set thriller saw Djokovic lose his head with the scores level as they entered the final set. Alcaraz broke the legendary player’s serve which resulted in the usually so level ­ headed 36 ­ year ­ old Serb receiving an umpire’s warning after smashing his racket against the net’s post, leaving a dent.

Djokovic was seeking a recordequalling eighth title on the All England Club’s famous Centre Court on Sunday afternoon. He was also aiming to equal the Australian women’s tennis star Margaret Court’s all ­ time record of 24 Major singles titles.

After winning the first set with

ease at 6 ­ 1, it looked like a no­ contest, and he was well on the way to continuing his 46 ­ match winning streak at SW16 that has lasted an incredible 10 years.

However, Alcaraz fought back in dramatic fashion to finally win 1 ­ 6 7 ­ 6 6 ­ 1 3 ­ 6 6 ­ 4 in an astounding comeback. With the crowd firmly on his side, he played some tennis that was truly outstanding.

Umpire Fergus Murphy Djokovic eventually handed Djokovic a time violation for delaying his serves, which was met with great joy by the fans.

The US Open champion also ended Djokovic’s run of 15 consecutive Grand Slam tie ­ break wins. Then came an unbelievable game in the third set that lasted a full 26 minutes. Finally breaking the reigning champion’s serve, it included 13 deuces.

The new Wimbledon champion played under the watchful eye of Spain’s King Felipe VI, with his press office issuing a statement prior to the match.

Alcaraz was presented with the iconic trophy by the Princess of Wales.

STUNNING VICTORY: Carlos Alcaraz winning Wimbledon 2023.