Costa del Sol 3 - 9 November 2022 Issue 1948

PHOENIX RISING

PARTYGOERS from the Cala Lions group raised a stunning €1,190 at a themed 60s and 70s music night. The group hosted the party at The Village Inn in La Cala on October 11.

Performers Mama Cath and the Soul Sisters put on a wonderful evening of live entertainment, as lo cal residents gathered to sing, dance, socialise and reminisce. The group’s outgoing president, Wynson Beswick

Delightful decades night

and next year’s president, Sarah Montalbano thanked everyone who helped to organise the event and those who attended, making it a re sounding success.

The donations that were raised during the evening through ticket

sales and other events will help the local community in La Cala through various initiatives coordinated by The Lions group.

La Cala Lions are part of the Lions Club International and regularly meet for social activities and to raise

money for various social causes in cluding disaster relief and youth ini tiatives. It is the world’s largest ser vice initiative with more than 1.4 million members worldwide. La Cala Lions is the largest English majority Lions club in the local area.

Christmas fair

Front

AFTER the devastating fires last year that saw ADANA dog charity desperately evac uating 100 dogs in just three hours and which caused significant damage to fences, cutting off the shelter’s water sup ply system as well as totally destroying supply stores, ADANA is rising like the phoenix and will be holding its first festive Christmas Fair in two years.

ADANA needs your help and they are seeking volunteers for its fundraising event in Estepona on Saturday November 20. The Christmas fair will be packed with fantastic stalls selling festive gifts, face painting, home‐made mulled wine and

mince pies. Shoppers will be able to find excellent gifts while enjoying the Christ mas atmosphere. Father Christmas is also set to make an appearance to greet Christmas shoppers and children. Dogs up for adoption at the shelter will also be around at the fair for shoppers to meet.

Volunteers will help to support with setting up, packing away and running the event later this month. The fair takes place from 10.30am until 4pm in the Pala cio de Congresos in Estepona. There are also several spaces left for anyone wish ing to run a stall.

Those wishing to volunteer can contact Nan by email for more information at: adanaevents@gmail.com.

‘Remember the Days’

A NOSTALGIC afternoon of well‐known sing‐a‐longs and delicious food will mark Armistice Day in Fuengirola. The Cudeca Goldies are hosting ‘Re member the days’, a com memorative lunch on Sun day November 13, while raising much‐needed funds for their local hospice.

The group are putting on a dazzling afternoon of mu sical nostalgia with top wartime tunes performed by ‘A Touch of Class’, as well as exciting activities in cluding a raffle. Guests are asked to get into the cele bratory spirit, with a Cham pagne prize for the best 1930s costume!

Events start at 1pm at Vinea Restaurant with a complimentary welcome drink, followed by a three‐course lunch.

Tickets cost €25, which includes a €7 donation to Cudeca Hospice, to fund the organisation’s vital pal liative care work. Email: cudecagoldies@gmail.com

Roman ruins

A NEW archaeological discov ery has revealed that Fuen girola was a commercial hub during Roman times. Archae ologists on an excavation pro ject that began in 2018 in the ancient city of Suel near to Fuengirola announced the re sults of their findings this week.

Trending tourism

REPORTS from regional tourism agencies revealed a major revival of the sector in the Costa del Sol during September. The hospitality in dustry in the Costa del Sol re ceived 1.8 per cent more tourists during the month than in 2019, pre‐pandemic.

Bank holiday

TOURISM industry leaders an nounced that the Costa del Sol reached a whopping 70 per cent hotel occupancy rate during the bank holiday weekend for All Saints’ Day, making it one of the top desti nations in the country for an escape.

Travelling turtles

SCIENTISTS from the Bioparc in Fuengirola have tracked turtles that were cared for in its conservation centre back to the Mediterranean Sea. The five turtles that were re leased last year were tracked to different locations as far as Malta and Tunisia.

Diwali light

HINDU communities through out the Costa del Sol celebrat ed events for Diwali last week, welcoming light and hope at the start of the new year in the religious calendar. Tem ples in Malaga and Benal madena held colourful cele brations with fireworks and fun.

Tennis tourists

AS the Costa del Sol gears up to host tourists for the Davis Cup later in November, local tennis representatives from Marbella visited the ATP in Antwerp to promote oppor tunities in the city for tennis athletes seeking a warm train ing climate.

MIJAS won a prestigious na tional award at the inaugu ral Premios Fest festival award ceremony held in Bil bao on October 26. Mijas re ceived the honour in the na tional competition for its Festival Revelación which took place in August.

More than 107,000 con cert lovers from more than 50 countries danced until sunrise at the Festival Rev elación earlier this year at the Sonora Mijas venue. Al though this was the first edi tion of the festival, its popu larity has ensured its place on the national festival cal

Festival first

endar, with dates already announced for next year.

Mijas Council worked

Google Malaga

closely with festival organis er, Last Tour, to put on the festival earlier this year. The

mayor of Mijas explained “Revelación Festival has put Mijas on the musical map, not just nationally, but also internationally. This first edi tion of the festival served as an excellent example of what Mijas has to offer, and I’m sure the next edition will be even bigger and better.”

The festival won an award for its sustainable fo cus, originality, excellent fa cilities and innovative musi cal experiences, after receiving the most votes in both public votes and from a committee of festival in dustry professionals.

Fuengirola gets festive

Paloma Park

LA PALOMA park is currently undergoing a transformation in a bid to make it more acces sible.

The councillor for Parks and Gardens, Joaquin Villazon, confirmed on October 26, that: “The works have a cost of around €160,000 and in volve renovating many artifi cial gravel paths that had dete riorated with new cobbles therefore improving the ac cessibility to the park.

“Fifteen benches will also be added along pathways making it easier for people with reduced mobility to use them, and steps that were previously present have been removed,” the councillor con firmed.

The technology giant’s new Google Safety Engineering Centre (GSEC) will open in Malaga next year and the multi national company is hoping it will become a benchmark throughout Europe.

The company’s President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, shared the video which unveiled details of the facilities, which will be a key global hub for the group’s cyber defence strategy.

“This is going to change the rules of the game: In 2023, Malaga will become our new Google Security Engineering Center, a global centre for cybersecurity and malware re search,” he said.

Back in 2021, Google announced that it intends to invest more than £470m ($650m) over five years in Spain, including the installation of the GSEC, in an old military government building located on the Paseo de la Farola in Malaga.

Speaking at the recent Google Cybersecurity Summit event in Madrid, Walker said that “this centre in Malaga will be essential for establishing local and regional associations in cybersecurity in the coming years.”

A DAZZLING Christmas market is set to return to Fuengirola in time for the festive period. The fair will be held from November 25 to December 18, helping lo cals get a head‐start with Christmas shopping!

Authorities in Fuengirola want to boost investment in the local economy and are offering spaces in 17 market stalls to local busi nesses to sell Christmas products.

Businesses that are suc cessful in their applications will be offered a wooden log cabin at the market in Plaza de la Constitución to sell artisan products and Christmas gifts including handmade crafts, art, food and drink.

Local councillor, Francisco García Lara described the event as an opportunity to

Remembrance Service

THE Coin Branch of the Royal British Legion will hold its Annual Service of Remem brance from 11.30am on Friday November 11 to coincide with the chimes of Big Ben in London.

The ceremony will be held at the Coin Cemetery Chapel and members of the public as well as those affiliated with the

Royal British Legion are invited to attend.

Features of the service include the Bell ceremony, reading of the names of the fall en known to the Coin branch, two min utes’ silence, Last Post, and Reveille as well as laying of wreaths.

Music will be provided by the TAPAS choir.

“enhance, promote and en courage local business in our town, bringing business clos er to the public.”

Fuengirola Council are of fering a bumper schedule of Christmas events this year. In addition to the Christmas Market, the Christmas light switch on will also take place on November 25, with ‘artifi cial snowfall’ to welcome in the festive season.

Business owners wishing to participate in the fair can submit an application by email by today, Thursday November 3 to: comercio @fuengirola.org.

“In addition, improvements have been made to the elec trical network, incorporating earth sockets to the lamp posts thereby improving safe ty.

“New cobblestones have been added in landscaped ar eas which were previously not usable providing more space for visitors to enjoy. In total, seven paths in the park have been improved, and the work is expected to be completed by mid‐November,” he added.

The paths near the area around the Spanish flag com memorating the Constitution have been improved in the popular area that was suffer ing from several sinkholes and uneven kerbs.

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Photo credit:

Kent Walker/Twitter

NEW CENTRE: Hoped to be a benchmark throughout Europe.

FESTIVAL REVELACIÓN: Revellers enjoyed original music and danced the night away in Mijas this summer.

A VIDEO released ahead of Google’s cybersecurity centre opening in Malaga next year has caused some excitement on the Costa del Sol.

Gift campaignExcitement mounts

ADVENTURE delight in Es tepona as the council an nounces the construction of a new climbing wall centre. The council made the an nouncement on Wednes day October 26, with the new centre set to be built in the sports complex at the Parque Ferial.

As well as being a leisure centre for residents to exer cise and socialise, the space will also host national and international climbing com petitions, boosting the local economy in Estepona.

The rock climbing centre will be the first of its kind in the local area, offering top quality facilities for people to develop their climbing skills at every skill level. With a budget of €1.2 mil lion, the outdoor centre will

offer three different zones for climbers. It will also have a roof for protection against the elements and lighting for night climbing.

The mayor of Estepona, José María García Urbano explained the significance of the development, “After

the success of the Spanish climbing team at the Tokyo Olympics, we want to open new horizons for the sport.”

Construction is set to get underway shortly as the council put the contract out to tender.

SPECSAVERS ÓPTICAS in Fuengirola has teamed up with The Food Fairies once again to collect Christmas gifts for under privileged children along the Costa del Sol.

The Fuengirola store on Avenida Ramon y Cajal 6, will be an official drop‐off point for The Food Fairies, making it easier for customers and local residents to support the campaign. People are being encour aged to buy an extra gift, wrap it, and label it with the gender and age of the child. Then take it into the store or another offi cial drop off point by Saturday December 10.

Judy Borland, store director of Spec savers Ópticas Fuengirola explained: “Un fortunately, there are even more families struggling to put food on the table and pay for essential expenses, as food, fuel and electricity have increased in price over the last year and mortgage payments and oth er costs are continuing to rise.” Judy added “At Christmas, it can be even harder for these families, which is upsetting for both the parents and children, so we’re delight ed to be able to support The Food Fairies Costa Christmas Collection.”

You can drop off your gift any time dur

ing opening hours, until 2pm on Saturday December 10. Check the website for open ing times www.specsavers.es. A full list of drop off points and more information can also be found on Facebook or Instagram @HadasCaradas.

€400,000 investment injection

A HUGE investment in digital services in Torremolinos is set to improve accessibility to council services for residents and make tourists aware of local attractions. The town council announced the in vestment of nearly €400,000 in digital services on October 28.

The investment will fund two different projects, to im prove council electronic ad ministration services and the ‘Smart Beach’ tourism project to highlight the sustainable at tractions available to tourists

in Torremolinos.

To make council services more efficient and oriented towards residents and busi nesses. Digital services will of fer better features and use

improved internet servers, to deal with enquiries and ad ministrative requests more quickly.

The projects have been partially funded by Torremoli nos Council, at 20 per cent of the budget and received 80 per cent of its funding from FEDER, in line with the coun cil ‘Strategy for Sustainable and Integrated Urban Devel opment’.

The improvements to digi tal services are set to take place in the coming weeks, so residents and visitors can make use of them.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS: David Costa out side the Fuengirola branch.

Credit: Shutterstock.com/AndreiNekrassov

Administrative services and tourism information in Torremolinos are set to be improved with a large investment.

SPORTS COMPLEX: A climbing wall centre will boost the facilities on offer in Estepona.

THE next meeting of the Es tepona Floral Arts Club will be held at El Paraiso Golf club on Tuesday November 15.

Running from 3pm to 5pm, demonstrator Andi Openshaw will show a number of innovative ideas for decorating at Christmas and those attending will have the chance to have a spot of lunch if they want to either before or after the demonstration.

The annual Christmas lunch will take place at the

Floral arts

popular La Grappa restau rant in Benavista from 2pm on Tuesday November 29 and members and guests will be welcome to attend, but they must book with the club in advance.

The club is also arrang ing a coach trip to the Christmas lights in Mala ga on Tuesday December 13 and anyone will be

welcome to join.

Annual membership is €60 and will give members entry to six demonstrations and a reduced price for trips and events, whilst visi tors are welcome to demonstrations at a cost of €15.

To find out more email esteponafloralartclub@hot mail.com.

Portuguese tourists

COSTA DEL SOL went in search of Portuguese holidaymakers with pro fessional conferences in the Por tuguese cities of Lisbon and Porto.

The conferences last week became the meeting point for more than 20 companies from the Costa del Sol and more than 100 Portuguese travel agents.

The councillor for Tourism, Margari ta Del Cid confirmed the importance of the Portuguese market as “it is a client who is very interested in An dalusia and the Costa del Sol as being one of their favourite tourist destina tions.

“They show a great interest in our culture, sun and beaches.”

Del Cid insisted that “due to the ge ographical proximity to Andalucia and the Costa del Sol, Portuguese tourists

tend to travel in mid and low season, making Portuguese tourists the per fect target for low‐season tourism.

“As for the Portuguese market, in 2021 the main motivation of Por tuguese tourists who visited the Costa del Sol was leisure (70 per cent of the total) followed by business trips (17 per cent).”

Firefighters honoured

THE Simply Thriving Group have produced 1,000 calendars in appre ciation of the work of the firefighters who fought bravely and tirelessly for several days to protect lo cal people and save the countryside this last sum mer. However, it is not possible to give the fire fighters a donation direct ly as they are employed by the government.

Therefore, the plan was to produce the calendars which will remind people of the devastation and to make people aware of what to do if they see a potential fire. Sponsors and events were arranged to pay for these calen dars.

At present outlets are sought for the sale of the calendars selling at €3 each or two for €5. Al ready Yorkshire Linen have offered to help and the group would like more outlets, so all calen ders can be sold by Christ mas.

Free calendars were handed out to sponsors and firefighters and once the rest are sold the total raised should be around €2,000. This will be a do nation to the Reforesta tion Project in Andalucia, details of which you can find on Google.

Please help to make this project a successful one. Calendars will be on sale at SeaView at the

port at the quiz on Thurs days and hopefully more outlets will be announced soon. Your help is very much appreciated.

Many thanks to all who sponsored one month of the calendar, and anyone else who came to the af ternoon tea at La Sierra, where €5 per person was available for the calendar thanks to Jeremy of La Sierra. Thank you to Steve Desson for producing all the photos and Linda Bar nett for her help and ad vice. All the publicity and support received from Eu ro Weekly helps to make the group more success ful. Simply Thriving Group are so grateful to every one.

Image: /ViktoriyaniShutterstock.com

PORTUGUESE: Like sun and beaches.

Lovely La Cala

LA CALA will soon be looking in top form as work has begun on the complete remodelling of Calle Benadalid.

The councillor for In frastructures and Works in Mijas, Jose Carlos Mar tin, announced that the works began on Wednes day, November 2, after the All Saints’ Day holi day. The councillor said: “We are investing €451,000 in this project, which will take four months to complete and will improve the quality of life of the residents.”

The councillor con firmed that: “We are go ing to change all the pipes. The works have a separate network for rainwater and sewage

which will allow a leap in quality in sanitation and prevent flooding as rain water will have its own pipe to evacuate. In the event of flooding, we will now have greater capaci ty.”

The councillor also de tailed other services that will be renewed such as the supply network, elec

tricity, street lighting and telecommunications, among others.

Martin also clarified that “the car parks are going to be maintained and, in addition, archi tectural barriers are go ing to be eradicated, making the area accessi ble to people with re duced mobility.”

Tourism thriving

TORREMOLINOS hits the ground running for the winter tourism season after recording a hotel occupancy rate of more than 80 per cent for the bank holiday weekend of October 29 to November 1. New figures from the Costa del Sol hotel agency, Aehcos also revealed a huge hotel occupancy rate in the town for the month of Oc tober, at nearly 90 per cent. With a rate of 89.67 per cent

hotel occupancy during the past month, Torremolinos leads in the Costa del Sol tourism industry and even sur passes pre‐pandemic figures from 2019, showing an aston ishing recovery.

Aehcos also announced that international tourism was making a comeback during the Halloween and All Saints’ fes tivities in Spain, saying that sea sonal tourists from the United

Kingdom were expected to spend the weekend in the town. Preliminary forecasts for November expect an occupan cy rate of at least 58 per cent, based on hotel reservations that have already been made.

Tourism industry figures want to stop tourism from be ing restricted to the summer season, by promoting the year‐round opportunities for visitors in Torremolinos.

ON Saturday December 3 running from 10am to 4pm there will be a special Christmas Market at the Agora Restau rant Mar Y Sol Commercial Centre in So togrande to raise funds for the SOS Ani mal Shelter.

There will be festive gifts, pre‐worn clothes for ladies and children, food and drink, raffles, carol singers and a selec tion of dogs from the shelter hoping to

SOS market

find their own Santa Claus.

Based in Los Barrios (Cadiz) SOS (Spay Our Strays) was founded on the Costa del Sol in 1997 and gained official chari table status two years later.

To find out more about the charity vis it https://www.sos‐animals.org/.

A total of €451,000 will be spent on the project.

Malaga Jazz Festival

THE Annual Jazz Festival returns to Malaga’s Cervantes Theatre and runs from November 3 to November 9.

Opening the event today, Thursday November 3, trumpeter Paolo Fresnu and his band will be performing a selection of jazz adapted David Bowie numbers.

Friday November 4 welcomes Japanese award-winning pianist Hiromi Uehara who is a regular visitor to Spain over the years.

Saturday November 5, the fireworks will be coming from the Israeli bass player Avishai Cohen who has played with Chick Corea, but on this evening his quartet will be performing numbers from his latest album, Naked Truth.

Sunday November 6, it’s the turn of Span ish flautist and saxophonist Jorge Pardo who is currently celebrating 50 years of performing his own fusion of flamenco jazz with a band of seven top musicians.

Monday November 7 brings together a quartet of international jazz musicians: Dave Holland from Britain on double bass, Ameri cans Chris Potter on sax and Eric Harland on drums, alongside Benin guitar player Lionel Loueke.

Tuesday November 8 welcomes possibly North America’s current best saxophone and flute player Kenny Garrett and together with four exceptional musicians, they’ll be high lighting tracks from his latest album, Sounds from the Ancestors.

Closing the Malaga Jazz Festival the follow ing night will be 93-year-old jazz legend,

ONE of Ireland’s most popular brass bands is undertaking its first ever tour of Spain.

The Clonakilty Brass Band will be ap pearing in a free concert at El Calvario Park in Estepona on Saturday Novem ber 5 from 6pm under the direction of Gerard Condon. The band, formerly known as St Patrick’s Brass Band, was founded in 1982 and is made up of

American singer Sheila Jordan, who will be presenting On the Road, a mixture of music and literature (based on Jack Kerouac’s work).

To book tickets visit https://www.unien tradas.es/

Two crazy ladies

ON Friday November 11 at 7.00pm, Two Crazy Ladies (Nina Valdes and H Vali) pre sent the grand opening and art exhibition of Casa de Art at Parque Botanico Resort and Country Club, Las Lomas de Guadalmina, Benahavis.

During the event there will be a book signing of Nina’s latest book, an abun dance of art including a Salvador Dali statue and a celebratory glass of cava.

To RSVP or for further information please email: ninavaldes60@gmail.com or hajnalarts@usa.net.

Irish brass band

around 50 musicians of different ages, with the youngest being 10 years old. They travel around Ireland playing at charity events and special holidays such as St Patrick’s Day and during this performance will be playing a selection of pop, jazz, Irish and film music.

Sevillian superstars

FORMED in 1984 by two brothers and two friends who had grown up togeth er, Ecos del Rocio (Echoes of the Dew) have now re leased nearly 40 albums true to their Sevillanas roots and are on tour in Spain. They arrive at the Felipe VI Auditorium in Estepona on Saturday November 5 where with the sponsorship of the local council they will be performing to help raise funds for the charity UBUN TU Estepona.

The word ubuntu de scribes a South African phi

losophy focused on loyalty to people and their way of relating and the charity ex ists to help vulnerable peo ple of all types in the munic ipality.

PIANIST: Hiromi Uehara appears on Friday November 4.

Credit: Hiromi Uehara Facebook

Tickets cost €36 and are on sale at www.eternidade ventos.com and at the box office, from two hours be fore the start of the 10pm show.

UBUNTU: The charity helps vulnerable people of all types.

That’s rubbish

YOU will probably spy more and more brown bins popping up around Fuengirola for the collection of organic waste.

The councillor for Cleaning, Javier Hidal go, explained: “In the first instance and af ter having held meetings with technicians and businessmen from different sectors, brown bins will be placed in hotels and su permarkets. We will also place them in the rest of the city during the coming year.”

The councillor added that: “Hotels and supermarkets are the commercial establish ments that generate the most waste of this

A 76-YEAR-OLD woman was injured on Thursday, October 27, after alleged ly being run over by a school bus in the Malaga municipality of Alhaurin de la Torre. According to local news sources the in cident occurred at No58 Avenida Reyes Catolicos.

The 112 Emergency ser vice received a call at around 4.50pm informing the operator that a wom an was in need of medical attention after being in jured when she was hit by

type. In the case of a hotel, it is considered that 70 per cent of the waste generated is organic, hence we have decided to start by installing these containers.”

A major awareness and information cam paign will be carried out in the near future so that residents are clearly aware of the correct use of this new container for the re cycling of organic waste. The brown bin saves the organic waste that makes up 44 per cent of our daily rubbish which amounts to 180 kilos of waste per inhabi tant per year.

Bus incident

a bus. They immediately deployed an ambulance from the 061 Health Emergency Centre, along with patrols from the Lo cal Police.

According to sources close to the victim of the incident, she apparently suffered injuries to both feet and was transferred to the Virgen de la Victo ria Clinical Hospital in Malaga.

Alhaurin de la Torre Lo cal Police officers are said to be maintaining an open investigation while they try to clarify exactly what happened.

The first indications sug gest that the accident could be due to an over sight on the part of the bus driver. After the inci dent, witnesses said the driver “was very coopera tive.”

Stand-up comedy

POSSIBLY more fun than a barrel full of monkeys, stand‐up comedy returns to the Costa del Sol this De cember with four top En glish‐speaking comedians taking part.

There are three shows in Spain and one in Gibraltar confirmed so far, although there is a possibility of a fourth Spanish show.

As usual, the organiser and popular fast paced co median Nik Coppin will be acting as MC and present ing his own act which in variably includes banter with regular attendees.

This latest show high lights the talents of one of Scotland’s fastest rising co medians, the multi award‐winning Daisy Earl, former Tinky Winky actor Dave Thompson who is also a writer and actor and Indian comic who is now based on the Costa, Kirthy Iyer.

The four shows take place at the Cazbah Live Lounge in Mijas on Tues

day December 13, Louie Louie Estepona on Decem ber 14, Restaurante Green House ‐ Doña Julia Golf on December 16 and Ivy Sports Bar Gibraltar on De cember 17.

Early bird tickets for all shows are available at a re duced price until Sunday November 13 from www.

eventbrite.co.uk.

Prior to that, if you are looking for something dif ferent for the children, there are two Comedy for Kids morning shows at the Cazbah Live Lounge on Sat urday November 19 and Sunday November 20 with tickets costing just €7 per person.

RISING TALENT: Enjoy award-winning Daisy Earl.

Credit: Daisy Earl Facebook

All geared up at gym

MARBELLA City Council on Wednesday November 2, sup ported the collaboration agreement between the Glob al Gift Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of Marbella Nuevo Amanecer (Ampemna), which will allow its users to carry out therapies in the Casa Ángeles gym.

During the signing of the agreement, the councillor for Social Rights, Isabel Cintado, highlighted the important work carried out by both enti ties and emphasised that “they will have first‐rate facili ties that will improve care pro grammes for people with mul tiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative patholo gies that Ampemna has been developing for 20 years.

“This synergy reflects the strength of solidarity and the social fabric of our municipali ty,” said the mayor, who ac companied the president of the foundation, María Bravo, and her counterpart from Am pemna, Úrsula Hervás, at the event. Bravo celebrated that the gym “is going to have some new visitors every day” and recalled that this space, designed especially for cystic fi brosis patients, “is the only room in Spain completely cov ered with copper to prevent the transmission of germs. We have made a great effort and it makes us very happy that it will have this new use,” she added.

84 Charing Cross Road

THEATRE buffs will want to be at La Sala Banus on Tuesday November 29 to welcome the return of the Supper Theatre Per formance in the Live Lounge.

The evening will start with supper at 7pm and is priced at just €40 per person which includes a welcome glass of cava, sharing platter, main course and water as well as a performance of 84 Charing Cross Road pre sented by Curtain Up Production featuring lo cal actors Veronica del Cerro, Miles Rendle, An drew Gommersall and

June Rendle, who is also director.

This is an exceptional play about struggling New York writer Helene

Parking galore

PLAYERS and fans will be much happier now that parking has become that bit easier at Bahia’s rugby field. Marbella Town Hall has confirmed that 50 parking spaces next to the Marbella rugby field have recently been created on a municipal plot of land.

The mayor, Angeles Munoz, confirmed: “This has turned work that was highly demanded by the Marbella Rugby Club into a reality. Players, fans and also the parents of the children who come to

train can now enter through a properly marked lane. They are now able to park their ve hicles in a regulated and safe way in one of the created and paved park ing spaces.”

The mayor added that four new tree species have been planted and, according to a study by the University of Sevilla, are great CO2 sinks as well as being charac terised by having a more vigorous and rapid devel opment.

Incredible weight loss

JAMES ARGENT proudly showed off his incredible 14 stone weight loss while entertaining fans in Marbella on Thursday October 28.

The former TOWIE star danced the night away and posed for pictures with fans eager to be seen with the singer at his pal Elliott Wright’s restaurant and bar, Olivia’s in La Cala.

It comes after the TV personality, 34, found love again, with Italian ac tress Stella Turain, after his turbulent on-off relationship with Gemma Collins. Reportedly the star is preparing to take things to the next level with Stella by jetting off to get the seal of approval from her parents and returning the gesture by meeting his nearest and dearest in the coming days.

Looking trim in a cool pink shirt and white chinos the star smiled from ear to ear as he sang his heart out while partygoers took snaps and danced the night away.

James was told by doctors that he was putting his health at risk when his weight tipped the scales at 27 stone. After several years of battling with his weight the star decided to opt for gastric sleeve surgery last year, with extraordinary results.

84 Charing Cross Road in London.

The story mirrors the social changes that oc curred during the time, in 1949 British food was still rationed, and foreign travel was very limited.

It is a play full of en chantment and charm, funny, poignant, warm, and compassionate.

Marbella’s luxury leap

MARBELLA is re‐establishing it self even further as one of the world’s most prestigious luxu ry destinations with the launch of 33 new villas in Palo Alto in a move likely to increase in vestment in the area.

Hanff who started a se ries of exchanges with Frank Doel the manager of Marks & Co, antiquari an booksellers located at

Places to this event are limited and early book ing is recommended, so reserve your place for this charming evening by contacting La Sala Puerto Banus on 952 814 145 or via email: reservations@ LaSala Banus.com.

Following the area’s recent successes attracting big names including the Hard Rock Hotel and Club Med, the new devel opment, The Gallery by Minot ti Marbella, was announced on Wednesday, November 2. The project’s architect Ma tia Villaroel told the Euro Weekly News: “There is no better place for young profes sionals or families to live, with the 10 best schools close by, the environment and organic nature of the project gives a peaceful ambiance with fan tastic opportunity. It is conve nient both to the city centre and airport while leaving enough space for privacy and security.”

The luxury villas will come in four designs, Klimt, Van Gogh, Pollock, and Monet and will be surrounded by resort‐style amenities including a farmers’ market, owners’ club and restaurant.

She also detailed that more than 780 cubic me tres of gravel have been deposited to settle the

land on which the car park has been built and kerbs have been placed along 750 linear metres.

Sun kissed star

TOWIE star Yasmin Oukhellou has enjoyed a sunsoaked Hal loween with friends in Marbella and wowed her fans with sensa tional snaps posted to her Insta gram account on Tuesday, November 1.

The TV personality, 28, looked sun kissed as she posed in a plunging grey one‐piece swimsuit on a balcony in a lavish villa in Puerto Banus. Yazmin wrote on her story: “The sun just makes everything a little bit better, I swear.”

The holiday has been a much needed distraction after her boyfriend, businessman Jake, 33,

was tragically killed on July 3 when his car plunged from a mountainous road down a ravine in Bodrum, Turkey ‐ while Yazmin who was in the passenger seat was seriously injured.

In a raw interview last week with a national news outlet, Yazmin she said she was “torn apart by grief” for Jake and told of the horrific trolling she has re ceived from people for moving on with her life.

The photos on Instagram also showed the physical scars of the crash which she captioned “every scar is a reminder that you sur vived.”

“Where owners are offered not only a villa but also the de sired way of luxury living with all the amenities, they could normally enjoy in a five‐star re sort,” said Smadar Kahana, Managing Director of Engel & Völkers Marbella.

THEATRE PERFORMANCE: Another reason to visit La Sala Banus.

Yazmin Oukhellou in Marbella.

Credit: Alaina

Yazmin Oukhellou/Instagram

Image: Marbella City Council

RUGBY CLUB: Fifty parking spaces have been created.

A DEFECTIVE DGT speed camera could result in speed ing fines for thousands of people in Spain being an nulled and refunded.

A Spanish judge ruled on Wednesday, October 26 that a radar located at 13.4 kilo metres on the A66 between Gijón and Avilés, was not compliant and therefore the fines issued using the equip ment were not enforceable.

At issue in the case which began back in February, is the number of photographs taken by the camera. In terms of the law all speed cameras are required to take a minimum of two images, with this unit only taking one at a time.

The driver who took the DGT to court, was fined for

driving at 133 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. He was caught on camera, but when the fine arrived he realised it had only one picture on it and not

two as prescribed and a court has now cancelled it.

The case now calls into question all fines issued by the radar unit, as it does

Ryanair strikes

RYANAIR ground staff an nounced on Wednesday, October 26 they will be striking throughout November and December, with two strikes also con firmed for January.

Speeding refunds Denim death

more than 7,000 objections raised regarding the legality of fines. That means the DGT could have to repay €737,600 in fines.

from midday to 3pm and 9 to 11pm.

Airports including Mala ga, Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, Mallorca and La Palmas, will all be affected.

A statement issued by the union said that the col lective agreement needed to be renegotiated with discussions having been put on hold since 2020.

Partial stoppages will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in November from 4 to 7am,

Similar strikes will be held in December on 6, 10, 16, 17, 18, 22 and 23, whilst 24‐hour strikes will take place on December 8, 30 and 31.

Finally 24‐hour strikes have been called for Jan uary 6 and 8.

Unions have demanded the regularisation of al lowances and shift publi cation to provide regular days for full‐time workers, as well as paid leave for at tending medical appoint ments and court cases.

Similar strike action will also be taken by staff at Vueling Airlines.

Northern blazes

SPAIN was once again ablaze with firemen fight ing at least 10 forest fires across the north of the country after two new in fernos broke out on Friday, October 28 in the Basque Country, adding to others in Cantabria.

Eight villages were evac uated in Berango as a re sult of the fires in Vizcaya.

The first of the latest fires was reported around 3.40am in Peñas Negras.The second started some three hours later in the area of Sustatxa Bidea

on the slope of Mount Unbe. Residents were evacuated and firefighters with support from two air units of the Army’s Mili tary Emergency Unit (UME) worked to extin guish the blaze. In the week starting Monday, Oc tober 24, Cantabria record ed some 20 new forest fires over 12 hours. Au thorities in the region once again highlighted the issue of arsonists and have called on everyone in the area to help identify and report those involved.

THE man who gave den im to Spain, Manuel Sáez Merino, has died aged 98 at his home in Valencia. The death of the Lois founder was announced by the city council of Millares, his hometown, on Wednes day, October 26 saying that he had passed away on Monday, Octo ber 24.

Merino along with his brother Joaquín pio neered the use of den im in Spain turning the Lois brand into an in ternational icon.

Developed during the Franco regime and be fore the arrival of the American multinational Levis, Lois became the leading denim brand in Spain. Starting out in a humble family store in their hometown of Mil lares in the early 50s, the brothers manufac tured the denim clothes themselves us ing a second‐hand loom. With the market for denim growing, the pair launched the Lois brand in 1962, after which it achieved strong growth expand ing across Europe and into America and Japan.

SPEED CAMERA: Found to be not compliant.

THE International Club of Es tepona (ICE) will be holding its annual Christmas Fayre at the clubhouse in Urbanisa tion Bahia Dorada on Satur day November 12.

There is a huge amount go ing on with photo and cake competitions, flower arrang

ICE event

ing, darts, tombola and table sports.

Stands will be offering a range of different items in

cluding crafts, cards, Christ mas gifts, Avon goods, jew ellery, jams and much more.

The bar will be open for drinks and you can enjoy ba con or sausage butties from 11am onwards.

Prior to that, but already sold out, there will be a din ner at La Duquesa Golf Club to celebrates ICE’s 34th an niversary, so if you want to be part of this friendly club for English speakers visit their website https://www.theice club.es/.

Til death us do party

ON Monday, October 31, La Sala held its annual Hal loween party, filling the venue with guests kitted out in their spookiest cos tumes as well as great music from Wall Street Band

Staff were in the full fes tive spirit with faces paint ed just for the occasion, while the restaurant had been festooned with bats, pumpkins and cobwebs galore.

Guest Kasie Della‐Rum ball, who was at the event with a local women’s net working group, told the Eu ro Weekly News : “It’s great, we can be some thing different. Not be mothers, not be at work and just have fun for the night.”

Fellow attendee Claudia Krackow said: “I’m in Mar bella visiting friends and

a lovely night.”

The Wall Street Band told the EWN: “We’re de lighted to be here every year! The place looks love ly and the decorations are amazing.

“We play from Nerja to Cadiz and this is one of our favourite places.”

GUESTS were dressed in their most ghoulishly good Halloween outfits at the Marbella event, including TOWIE star Ferne McCann. She told the Euro Week ly News: “I have had the most amazing stay at the Puente Romano, I have not had to leave the whole time, there is so much to do, and I am honoured to be in vited to such an event and use my plat form in an amazing way. Being able to help children is so close to my heart, es pecially having children of my own. It is very important.”

Football star, Robbie Keene was also in attendance, he said “The Children’s Trust is such a great cause and congratu lations, I appreciate everything you do.”

John Thomson, Puente Romano’s manager, said: “I am so happy to help and support The Children’s Trust, on their seventh anniversary. Such a won derful cause to help children with reha bilitation in London that is so especially important, with all proceeds from tonight going directly to them.”

Angie Turner, Head of Philanthropy at The Children’s Trust added: “Thank you so much to Daniel Shamu for the sup port tonight and all the organisers. Over the last four years we have been able to raise over €100,000.”

The Halloween Gala was a consider able success, described by guests as “Paradise by the Puente Romano light.” With entertainment from the best of London’s West End theatres.

On Saturday, October 29, hundreds gathered for a sparkling charity Halloween Gala at Puente Romano, Marbella, for The Children’s Trust, which is the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury. A remarkable €25,000 was raised.

Image:Shutterstock

GHOULISHLY GOOD: The celebrity spooktacular at Puente Romano’s sparkling Halloween gala in Marbella.

Image: EWN

Celebrate Thanksgiving at our sumptuous Sea Grill feast

WITH the autumn season now in full swing, Sea Grill at Puente Romano is celebrating the rich gifts of land and sea at a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday November 24. Thanksgiving is always held on the last Thursday of November every year, and although the date may change, the day never does.

This annual festival is a way of giving thanks for the abundance of the recent harvest on land, but at Sea Grill, with its spectacular Mediterranean views, we are also reminded that the produce caught in its waters plays an important role in our local cuisine, even if fish is not a part of the menu on this occasion.

The menu respects and elevates the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, offering a rich, roasted and creamy pumpkin soup, succulent roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by a sumptuous dessert of pumpkin walnut cake and Bourdon vanilla ice cream.

Join us with your family and friends for this wonderfully, indulgent feast that celebrates the produce which our world-class chefs turn into delectable dishes.

A MILESTONE was reached on Octo ber 26, as Spain announced it has now welcomed more than 150,000 Ukrainians fleeing war following the Russian invasion.

The announcement means that Spain has been one of the most wel coming countries to Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

Landmark for Ukrainians

More than 64 per cent of the Ukrainian refugees granted asylum in Spain are women, and almost 35 per cent are children according to fig ures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. A total of 150,078 asy

lum applications have been pro cessed and granted in the eight months since the scheme opened on March 10.

Statistics revealed the Valencian Community led in terms of numbers

Economic excitement

SPAIN is set to eventually recover pre‐pandemic economic activity levels, in 2024. The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (Airef) announced its forecast on Monday October 24, as part of its macroeconomic analysis and bud get report.

The authority predicts that the Spanish economy will enter a tech nical recession in the fourth quar ter of this year, and will continue to experience a falling GDP in the first quarter of 2023.

However, it expects the econo my to make a recovery to end 2023 with a 1.5 per cent growth rate in GDP and recover pre‐pan demic economic activity levels by 2024.

The Director of Economic Analy sis, Esther Gordo explained that the technical recession does not mean that the Spanish economy is actually in recession, highlighting that employment is increasing and

GDP has grown this year. With falls in GDP being forecast for other European countries in 2023, including Germany and Italy, Gordo added that it will be hard for Spain to avoid the trend.

of Ukrainian refugees resettled with 38,873. Catalonia closely followed with 34,070, then Madrid with 22,002 and Andalucia with 21,305 Ukrainians welcomed. An emergen cy scheme to deal with asylum re

quests created in March has been re sponsible for the rapid resettlement. Authorities have a maximum of 24 hours to decide the outcome of asy lum applications from Ukrainian refugees which has sped up the pro cess. Temporary protections granted to successful applicants include resi dency and a work permit.

Cancer breakthrough

Betty Henderson

A MONUMENTAL moment was achieved for cancer research on October 27 as scientists in Barcelona developed a drug that successfully targets a cancer causing gene. The drug showed promising results in phase one clin ical trials.

The drug targets the gene ‘MYC’, which causes and maintains most com mon types of cancer, including breast, lung, ovarian and prostate cancers.

Scientists at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona devel oped a mini‐protein called OMO‐103 which can reach the nucleus of cells. It entered clinical trials in April 2021 and was tested on a range of cancers.

Dr Elena Garralda, Director of the Early Drug Development Unit at the oncology institute explained why the finding was significant saying, “To date, no drug that inhibits MYC has been approved for clinical use.” The drug will now progress to phase two clinical trials, which is unprecedent ed.

The drug does not have any significant side effects except one case of pancreas inflammation which will be further tested.

Scientists said that cancer is most effectively targeted through a ‘multi‐pronged approach’ and a drug like this could be revolutionary.

FORECAST: The Spanish economy will make a steady recovery to pre-pandemic levels according to a new report.

SPANISH fashion retail group Inditex has sold its Russian stores after suspending sales in March of this year following the invasion of Ukraine. It has now written to the National Se curities Market Council advising that it has reached an initial agreement for the sale of its business in the Russian Federation to Daher group based in the United Arab Emirates.

Daher has significant interests in the retail and real estate industry and the currently un released full terms of the transaction, which is subject to government approval, will enable

Out of fashion

the preservation of a substantial number of jobs generated by Inditex Group in Russia. This is not a simple way of ‘white washing’ contin ued trade in Russia by supplying branded goods to Daher and the agreement anticipates the takeover of the 515 stores and their staff.

Daher will (subject to agreement) rename the stores and stock their own brands which are completely unrelated to Inditex.

Ukraine gives thanks

UKRAINE’S Defence Minis ter Oleksii Reznikov has thanked Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles for the new support from the Spanish military.

Speaking at a news videoconference meeting between the two on Thurs day, October 27, Reznikov and Robles discussed the current situation in Ukraine and various aspects of the Spanish military support provided to the war‐torn country since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Spain’s Robles gave an update on current ship ments of material and

equipment and detailed the forecasts for future de liveries over the coming weeks. She said that Spain would maintain “all the necessary effort, as it has been doing throughout these eight months of war” and revealed that Spain “feels very proud of the

courage of the Ukrainian people and armed forces.”

Reznikov shared his grati tude to Spain for its support over the past eight months.

He added that he “great ly appreciated the speed of Spain’s reaction to the new needs that have arisen on the ground.”

Accidental fall

THE death of a schoolboy who fell from a seventh‐floor window on an exchange trip in Cordoba has been ruled ‘accidental’ at an inquest held on Monday October 24, at Avon Coroner’s Court.

Max McMullen, aged 15, fell out of his host family’s apartment on October 19, 2019 while on an exchange trip in the An dalucian city, an inquest heard.

It is understood that the pupil, from Beechen Cliff School in Bath, might have been trying to fix a window shutter before he fell to his death. The court heard how Max seemed to be a happy young man who loved sports and had met with friends in a local park the night he died.

Max’s family said in a statement outside Avon Coroner’s Court that he was an “amaz ingly talented and special person” but added

that they will “never forgive” what hap pened.

They added “The trauma of the past three years preparing and waiting for the inquest has been more emotionally draining than ever imaginable. Max will never be forgot ten by everyone who knew him.”

ACCIDENTAL: Death of schoolboy who fell from 7th floor window in Córdoba

Credit: JustGiving.com.

DEFENCE: Ukraine thanks Spain for continued support from Spanish military.

Image: Ministerio de Defensa/Flickr

Forecast fortunes

Betty Henderson

SPAIN’S famous weather boy, Jorge Rey, has released his weather predictions for the upcoming winter. And we don’t have long to wait for rainfall and even snow, which is due in November ac cording to the aspiring mete orologist.

Appearing on Telecinco on October 24, Rey announced that he expects ‘significant’ rainfall during November that will put an end to months of drought in some areas of the country. He also expects some snowfall in

medium to high altitudes during November.

He expects further snow fall in December and Janury, hinting at the possibility of a repeat of 2021 Storm Filome na which brought unusually high snowfall to Spain and Portugal.

The 16‐year‐old from a

A FUTURISTIC aero‐taxi service was tested in a town in Jaen on October 26. The air taxi proto type is part of the European Uspace4UAM pro ject, which advocates for sustainable and alter native forms of public transport.

The drone‐like air taxi has been developed by Umiles Next and Tecnalia technology com panies and took its maiden public flight at the Atlas Experimental Flight Centre in Villacarrillo.

Air taxis could speed up journeys and could be particularly useful for emergency services.

The aero‐taxi has been developed with in vestments from the European Horizon 2020

small town near Burgos has a passion for the weather and has been rapidly gaining fans from all over the country with fascinating predictions.

His methods of prediction are not scientifically‐sound, opting to use the traditional cabañuelas system of pre dicting the weather by ob serving nature, but that hasn’t stopped him from amassing more than 14,000 social media followers.

Rey learned the ancient system from a local shepherd and has been developing his passion ever since.

THE Spanish property market defies Euro pean trends of property value, as values in Spain remain high despite European dips in value.

Economists at the European Central Bank reported a general fall in house values in the Eurozone in early October, but Spain is flout ing the trend as property values remain sta ble.

The news comes as a report revealed that non‐resident foreigners are still keen to spend money on Spanish property, and pay a lot more than foreign residents or Spanish

Persistent prices Traveller arrested in Iran

nationals on property. Furthermore, proper ty experts in Spain say that supply of proper ties is likely to remain below demand, so a steep drop in property value will be avoided in Spain.

A report by the Spanish Notary Council re vealed that foreign non‐residents spend an average of €2,522 per square metre on property in Spain, compared with foreign residents who spend an average of €1,622 per square metre, and Spanish nationals who pay €1,560 per square metre for prop erty.

Flying taxi

fund as part of the European U‐Space system which is investigating ways that drones could be used in urban environments for everyday tasks.

Representatives from technology and trans port industries watched the aero‐taxi launch alongside members of the regional govern ment, including Luis Miguel Carmona, who highlighted that safety is a priority with the in ventions.

A MISSING Spanish adventurer was reportedly found in an Iranian prison on Wednesday October 26. Santiago Sánchez Cogedor was allegedly arrested alongside his translator after visiting the tomb of Mahsa Amini, the 22‐year‐old Iranian woman murdered at the hands of the country’s morality police.

The Real Madrid fan was undertaking the epic journey from Madrid to Doha on foot, to watch the World Cup in November, when he went missing around three weeks ago. Sánchez Cogedor was thought to have gone missing on the border between Iraq and Iran

A national TV channel then broke the news of his arrest, saying he was arrest ed in Saqez, a border city in Iranian Kurdistan. Reporters later alleged that the adventurer had been taken to the Sanandaj Prison near to the border, “which is where they usually send foreigners.”

Weather boy is forecasting significant rainfall.

15 mins of fame

Peter McLaren-Kennedy ANDY WARHOL said that ev eryone gets 15 minutes of fame, but according to Ra mon Hervey II, whose new book is out, he said that is not quite true.

Ramon, a publicist turned artist and brand manager, has worked with some of the best that the world of acting, mu sic and sport have to offer. Speaking exclusively to Euro Weekly News he said that there was some truth in what Warhol said in that fame can arrive in an instant, but it can go just as quickly.

Speaking about how the entertainment world has changed, he said “it now takes much more than talent to become famous.”

For a starter he said fame doesn’t come by accident. It takes hard work, dedication and an understanding and commitment to what comes with being famous. And that commitment he said is some

@delphinediallo

thing not everyone is willing to make. Ramon said that over the years he has turned down many artists either be cause they have not given any thought to the steps that need to be taken to be fa mous, or because their obses sion with fame got in the way. Artists he said, are the en tertainment world’s business es. That means having an un derstanding of where you want to be and how you are going to get there. Drawing on his experience with the likes of Mohammed Ali, Bette Midler and Quincy Jones, Ra mon outlines in the book how

you can achieve fame and most importantly how you can nurture it. When asked what advice he would give someone who is starting out, he said “you need to under stand what fame involves and you need to be comfortable with that.” He said that is par ticularly important in today’s world where fans want access to artists they never enjoyed before.

The rise of social media means that fans want to know everything about you, where you have been and what you do and that he said, is not for everyone. Having a good manager who can part ner with you in planning your path and in managing your fame can help you through the ups and downs of the en tertainment business.

The book - ‘The Fame Game - An insider’s playbook for earning your 15 minutes’ is out now and is available from book stores and online.

RAMON HERVEY II: His new book is available from book stores and online.

Prince Andrew’s reprieve

KING CHARLES has moved to increase the number of working royals by extending the number who can act as counsellors of state in a move that could act as a re prieve for Prince Andrew.

Announced on Wednes day, October 26 it is be lieved that the move is de signed to bring about greater family harmony by not replacing those that have been disgraced or side‐lined.

According to sources, the Regency Act is expected to be amended to allow the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal to take on counsellor roles.

That means the king will not have to relieve either Prince Harry or Prince An

drew of their duties, whilst maintaining the level of sup port that the king needs in conducting official business and in his absence, using let ters patent.

The Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953, says that the spouse of a monarch and the next four in line to the throne aged over 21 can act

as counsellors. Currently that is the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice, however this move would now allow the Earl of Wessex and Princess Royal to take on counsellor roles without re placing Princes Harry or An drew.

84 years too late

A BOOK that was borrowed from a library back in 1938 has finally been returned af ter 84 years, as reported by a national news agency on, Thursday, October 27. The grandson of the man who took the book out was sub sequently hit with a fine of £18.27 for bringing it back late.

Captain William Humphries originally bor rowed a copy of the nature book ‘Red Deer’ from the Earlsdon Carnegie Commu nity Library in Coventry. He took it home for his daugh ter Anne to read and went unnoticed on the shelves of his home.

MORE of the UK’s foreign aid budget is being spent in Britain rather than in poor developing countries, according to a report by the Centre for Global De velopment (CGD).

The report released on Saturday, October 29 said that is because a large per centage of the money set aside for aid is being spent on housing and supporting refugees. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when Chancel lor, changed the rules slashing the budget from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent

Charity at home

Mr Humphries passed away in 1957, and his daughter also died recently. While going through his grandfather’s belongings, Paddy Riordan happened upon the book. He prompt ly returned it to the Coven try library where he was in formed of the fine of one old penny for each week that the book was overdue.

If a fine had been issued at today’s current rate of 25p per day a book is over due, then Paddy would have faced a stiffer penalty of £7,673.

A copy of the same book can be found on Amazon for just under £4.

as well as allowing the Home Office and other de partments to redirect funds intended for inter

national aid. That meant these funds can be spent locally, but still be classified as international aid.

KING CHARLES: Increasing number of working royals.

REFUGEES: More funds are being spent in Britain.

PRESSEUROPEAN

DENMARK

Green question

THE European Union has granted €8.5 million to researchers from the University of Copenhagen to help them investigate how long-ago Greenland was actually green as by drilling deep ice cores, they can gauge when there were forests and what trees they consisted of.

THE NETHERLANDS

Asian invader

MODERN technology is being used in the Dutch Government’s fight against the invading Asian hornet which kills and eats honey bees and other insects, as for the first time ever scientists managed to attach a tiny transmitter to an individual that returned to its nest.

BELGIUM

Chip crisis

INFLATION has hit one of the nation’s favourites as the president of the Belgian Frites Association has announced that the price of a single portion of frites will probably rise by between 10 and 20 per cent by the end of this year.

GERMANY

High time

TAKING over from Holland as the most liberal country with regards to cannabis in the European Union, the German government has announced that it will legalise the possession for personal use of up to one ounce of cannabis as well as allow its sale from regulated shops.

FRANCE

Supermarket sweep

POLICE in the south-west town of Lons were called to a supermarket where staff had discovered that a 47-year-old Parisian man had stayed there overnight, consuming prawns, crisps, sausages and a bottle of whisky before trying to abscond with six computers worth €3,000.

NORWAY

Suspected spy

POLICE have arrested an academic working at the University of Tromsø in the Arctic Circle on suspicion of secretly spying for Russia and they have told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that although he claims to be Brazilian, they believe he is a Russian with fake papers.

FINLAND

Gender equality

THE most recent index compiled by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has ranked Finland fourth in the European Union trailing Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, but still significantly higher than the EU average and a significant advance on 2010 results.

IRELAND

Open all hours

A SUDDEN decision reportedly made by the Irish Justice Minister to recommend that nightclubs in the Republic be allowed to remain open until 6am without apparently any consultation with the Gardai (police force) is causing significant concern as officers fear that they will be under resourced.

ITALY

Cliff hanger

PERHAPS he was watching the movie Speed but a bus driver on Rome’s 32 bus service has been suspended without pay by public transport company ATAC after a passenger posted a video of the driver watching a film as he manoeuvred through Rome’s busy streets.

PORTUGAL

Brewers droop

BREWERS and beer drinkers are not happy with the Portuguese government as beer currently carries a 23 per cent tax as opposed to wine which is 13 per cent, but a 2023 proposal sees a further 4 per cent added to beer prices whilst wine escapes.

UKRAINE

Twin towns

VISITING Kyiv and having to spend time in an air raid shelter due to fear of attack, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced that the Bavarian town of Waldkirchen, would become twinned with Koriukivka in Chernihiv as a sign of German support and friendship with Ukraine.

SWEDEN Snakes alive

PROBABLY the most venomous reptile in the world, a King Cobra initially named Sir Vas (Sir Hiss) and now known as Houdini has escaped from the Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm after discovering that newly installed low energy bulbs were not too hot to squeeze past.

STAT OF WEEK €4.84 billion

is the amount that Spanish bank BBVA earned in the first nine months of 2022, an increase of 46 per cent over the previous year.

ECB rate hike FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

50p coin

THE UK Royal Mint has start ed producing the first coin featuring the effigy of King Charles III to be put into gen eral circulation. The 50p coin which carries the same de sign as the Queen’s Corona tion coin of 1953 on its re verse will start to circulate in December.

GDP stalls

THE initial forecast from the National Institute of Statis tics (INE) suggests that busi ness growth in the third quarter of 2022 has almost stalled and Spain’s GDP has increased by just 0.2 per cent even though the summer saw a large influx of tourists.

Empty shops

ALTHOUGH some UK High Streets especially in the North and Wales are a little like ghost towns, a report by BRC and Local Data Compa ny suggests that there are slightly fewer empty shops in the third quarter with the figure standing at 13.9 per cent.

Saudi relations

THE third Saudi‐Spanish Joint Committee meeting in Madrid ended with a com mitment from both govern ments to continue to work together to allow Spanish companies to assist Saudi Arabia in increasing its indus trial and technological base and for Saudis to increase in vestment in Spain.

M&S news

THE ongoing question con cerning the flagship Marks and Spencer building in Ox ford Street continues as the company has now warned an enquiry that it will close its shop location if its plans to demolish and rebuild the property are refused, accord ing to the BBC.

Spain’s 2023 budget

THOSE with money to invest in the eurozone will be pleased that on Thursday October 27, the Eu ropean Central Bank (ECB) decid ed to raise interest rates again to try to stem the problem of infla tion.

Adding 0.75 per cent to make the new loan rate of 1.5 per cent the highest since 2009, the ECB in dicated that there is likely to be at least one further increase before the end of the year.

In addition, and as forewarned by the Governor of the Bank of Spain, the bank is also trying to call in loans taken at low rates by commercial banks throughout the 19 eurozone member states.

Girl’s best friend

SPAIN’S 2023 Budget overcame its first approval hurdle on Thursday October 27 when proposed amendments were rejected by the Lower House.

Having to rely on the support of po litical parties that do not form part of the government is to some extent a gamble but it appears that at the mo ment the government can rely on support from the minor parties.

In Parliament the Minister of Fi nance and Public Administration, María Jesús Montero, thanked the political groups that voted against the amendments to the public accounts and said that she would continue,

during the coming weeks, to negoti ate with those parties in order to en sure approval of the Budget, incorpo rating any improvements that may be agreed upon during the process.

During the full debate that took place in Congress, Minister Montero argued that the 2023 General Bud gets are essential to send a message of economic stability in a context of uncertainty due to the Russian inva sion of Ukraine.

It prioritises social justice, by strengthening the Welfare State and will allocate six out of every €10 to so cial spending and economic efficiency

that will promote inclusive growth, the creation of quality employment and the transformation of industry thanks to the European Recovery Fund.

During her speeches, the minister made it clear that the 2023 Budget valued as €274.445 billion include measures that benefit the middle and working class, protect vulnerable groups and help the productive fabric.

At the same time, the accounts maintain the commitment to fiscal consolidation by reducing the deficit and public debt, which will continue their downward path.

Quirky idea that might sell

A UNIQUE new sparkling wine will be available in Spain in the New Year as it comes in three forms, Sin gle, Married and Divorced.

This is a new private label sparkling wine from France created by Irene Patar who believes that everyone should be encouraged to celebrate their relationship status.

Launching first in the USA for the Holiday Season and New Year, Patar said “I con ceptualised Single Married Divorced as a way for all of us to raise a glass to cele brate who we are. I know it’s not easy out there. I know. I’ve been married to my husband for almost 20

years and sometimes I feel like all three in one day!”

She laughingly added “Nobody’s perfect. But de spite all that, I believe it’s

time for all of us to live it up and celebrate who we are and be proud of it!”

Speaking about the jour ney to create the label, she

explained “In the last 20 years, I’ve evolved so much.

“In the beginning of my marriage, I lived my life through my husband’s eyes. I wasn’t being me. Eventual ly I had an awakening and started taking control of my life and the person I wanted to be. And I celebrate that every day.”

Regardless of your rela tionship status, if you need to celebrate or commiser ate, then you can choose to enjoy being Single, Married or Divorced with the fizz which will be available in Spain from Bodega Maes trazgo in Barcelona from next year.

THE two words ‘blood diamonds’ brings to life the horror of coun tries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone torn apart by civil war, with diamonds being one of the main targets of rebels.

In theory, a code exists where by jewellers can trace the history of a diamond to ensure it hasn’t been extracted by slave labour, but a company in the UK Opsydia is now able to use its invention to penetrate the surface of any dia mond and micro engrave its provenance.

This is even more important now that man made diamonds are so good that they can easily confuse all except for experts.

Taking off

DESPITE all of the doom and gloom forecast by airlines dur ing the pandemic, the latest fig ures from IAG which owns Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling make good reading for shareholders.

Leisure travel has bounced back in the first three quarters of 2022 and the group has de clared an operating profit of €770 million as opposed to a loss of €2.487 billion in the same period of 2021.

Income continues to grow even though it has been restrict ed in the number of flights that it can run out of London Heathrow and many of the Asia‐Pacific routes are still closed.

YOU: Minister Montero in black dress celebrates the vote.

3I Group 1.177,50 1.179,46 1.162,00 21,31K

Abrdn 155,30 155,75 153,55 371,25K

Admiral Group 2.013,0 2.013,0 1.970,5 37,99K

Anglo American 2.715,5 2.730,0 2.674,0 312,88K

Antofagasta 1.218,50 1.230,50 1.203,50 169,14K

Ashtead Group 4.516,0 4.560,0 4.429,0 92,48K

Associated British Foods 1.371,5 1.374,0 1.360,0 79,90K

AstraZeneca 10.010,0 10.097,6 9.984,0 10,57K

Auto Trader Group Plc 528,60 528,60 515,40 151,82K

Aveva 3.143,0 3.147,0 3.128,0 31,08K

Aviva 416,10 416,80 412,70 493,83K

B&M European Value Retail SA328,10 328,10 321,70 191,89K

BAE Systems 807,41 818,60 807,20 294,52K

Barclays 150,20 151,30 148,94 3,83M

Barratt Developments 382,20 382,40 373,80 352,18K

Berkeley 3.593,0 3.591,0 3.526,0 18,09K

BHP Group Ltd 2.174,50 2.202,50 2.172,00 267,45K

BP 473,70 478,80 466,45 7,90M

British American Tobacco 3.442,5 3.456,0 3.417,5 205,61K

British Land Company 370,00 370,00 361,80 345,50K

BT Group 126,50 127,10 125,95 843,24K

Bunzl 2.851,0 2.850,0 2.815,0 33,84K

Burberry Group 1.885,2 1.884,0 1.866,5 44,56K

Carnival 674,7 676,4 664,0 204,09K

Centrica 70,00 70,16 69,46 446,32K

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.903,0 1.907,0 1.875,0 61,88K

Compass 1.844,00 1.847,00 1.830,50 140,37K

CRH 3.075,5 3.080,5 3.049,5 40,63K

Croda Intl 6.932,0 6.954,0 6.866,0 15,91K

DCC 4.937,0 4.944,0 4.889,0 18,09K

Diageo 3.588,5 3.603,5 3.557,0 200,33K

DS Smith 294,81 295,70 291,80 684,61K

EasyJet 340,95 341,30 331,00 460,09K

Experian 2.797,0 2.800,0 2.766,0 102,87K

Ferguson 9.562,0 9.668,0 9.514,0 62,73K

Flutter Entertainment 11.580,0 11.605,0 11.325,0 16,42K

Fresnillo 748,00 749,40 736,00 46,35K

Glencore 510,50 515,60 508,70 3,81M

GSK plc 1.394,39 1.398,00 1.388,00 291,86K

Halma 2.189,0 2.197,0 2.168,0 82,86K

Hargreaves Lansdown 774,00 780,60 772,00 23,43K

Hikma Pharma 1.256,50 1.256,50 1.244,00 38,90K

HSBC 447,75 448,65 442,50 3,68M

IAG 119,93

116,98 1,68M

Intermediate Capital 1.071,00 1.071,50 1.043,50 75,90K

Intertek 3.843,0 3.846,0 3.756,0 29,42K

ITV 69,06 69,12 67,62 885,17K

J Sainsbury 195,65 195,80 191,80 468,03K

Johnson Matthey 2.038,0 2.043,0 2.016,0 37,21K

Land Securities 580,60 580,60 564,40 230,06K

Legal & General 233,70 233,80 231,20 1,44M

Lloyds Banking 41,91 42,32 40,87 43,09M

London Stock Exchange 7.524,0 7.536,0 7.473,0 2,75K

Melrose Industries 112,65 112,85 111,10 1,02M

Mondi 1.515,00 1.522,50 1.507,00 64,36K

National Grid 934,80 936,12 925,40 36,26K

NatWest Group 243,60 244,50 240,00 1,10M

Next 5.150,0 5.156,0 5.062,0 26,66K

Norilskiy Nikel ADR 9,10 9,10 9,10 0

Ocado 503,40 506,00 495,20 181,27K

Persimmon 1.329,0 1.331,0 1.297,5 148,82K

Phoenix 550,00 550,40 544,80 257,72K

Prudential 822,60 822,60 807,60 389,70K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.610,0 5.702,0 5.597,5 13,38K

Relx 2.332,00 2.334,00 2.307,00 223,00K

Rentokil 542,00 543,60 535,40 802,72K

Rightmove 507,00 507,00 500,60 203,53K

Rio Tinto PLC 4.722,5 4.785,0 4.709,5 361,68K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 75,17 75,23 73,88 3,44M

Rosneft DRC 0,20 0,20 0,20 0

Sage 739,60 741,80 735,40 111,92K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.041,50 1.043,50 1.034,00 4,23K

Schroders 398,3 398,9 394,6 81,28K

Scottish Mortgage 748,30 750,00 740,60 177,83K

Segro 808,20 809,80 784,40 438,23K

Severn Trent 2.466,0 2.466,0 2.437,0 21,36K

Shell 2.370,0 2.401,0 2.293,5 428,61K

Smith & Nephew 1.019,50 1.021,00 1.012,00 101,91K

Smiths Group 1.554,00 1.560,00 1.547,50 85,72K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.115,0 11.130,0 10.890,0 12,11K

SSE 1.523,59 1.529,00 1.510,00 133,56K

St. James’s Place 1.070,50 1.073,00 1.053,50 136,03K

Standard Chartered 534,20 535,20 523,40 748,68K

Taylor Wimpey 97,16 97,41 95,22 578,31K

Tesco 214,80 214,80 211,00 1,17M

Tui 130,35 131,30 129,40 389,15K

Unilever 3.868,5 3.908,0 3.849,0 464,88K

United Utilities 931,80 931,80 918,60 133,47K

Vodafone Group PLC 98,97 99,57 98,43 7,48M Whitbread 2.605,0 2.613,0 2.567,0 54,59K WPP 755,60 760,60 750,00 408,72K

DOW

3M 122,70 123,29 4,62M

American Express 146,88 149,50 146,47 3,36M

Amgen 266,66 267,98 261,51 3,00M

Apple 149,35 151,99 148,04 87,53M

Boeing 133,79 150,14 132,21 29,31M

Caterpillar 196,96 199,58 194,57 3,54M

Chevron 177,09 178,48 175,17 6,85M

Cisco 44,38 45,23 44,28 20,04M

Coca-Cola 59,39 59,78 58,86 15,81M

Dow 47,99 48,55 47,89 6,02M

Goldman Sachs 335,69 338,67 334,14 2,17M

Home Depot 290,15 291,87 286,17 2,61M

Honeywell 190,27 192,95 189,76 4,20M

IBM 135,01 135,86 132,81 5,10M

Intel 27,21 27,80 26,99 36,93M

J&J 172,21 172,57 170,52 6,11M

JPMorgan 124,11 125,20 122,88 10,74M

McDonald’s 256,61 260,69 256,12 3,58M

Merck&Co 98,41 99,28 98,00 10,37M

Microsoft 231,32 238,30 230,06 82,20M

Nike 92,39 94,35 90,70 8,54M

Procter&Gamble 131,78 132,57 130,40 6,60M

Salesforce Inc 159,91 164,12 158,70 6,54M

The Travelers 176,40 177,24 174,10 1,93M

UnitedHealth 543,17 547,64 540,21 2,70M

Verizon 36,43 36,71 36,20 20,24M

Visa A 203,33 206,37 196,50 15,45M

Walgreens Boots 35,51 36,13 35,44 5,66M

Walmart 141,14 142,04 139,82 6,91M

Walt Disney 104,63 107,43 103,53 9,15M

Most Advanced

ESSA Pharma +180.23% 115.17M

SVF Investment +47.95% 48.71K

Natural Order Acquisition +46.00% 65.53K

Oneconnect Fin +45.78% 5.72M

RLX Technology +42.98% 68.24M

Cipher Mining +42.56% 2.50M

Epiphany Technology Acquisition +39.64% 46.13K

Loyalty Ventures +39.60% 4.39M

Eqonex +38.24% 2.87M

Mobileye Global +37.95% 27.97M

Freight Tech +37.44% 11.94M

Most Declined

Golden Falcon Acquisition -53.57% 74.86K

Thermogenesis Holdings -49.56% 14.71M

Fednat Holding Co -30.98% 7.26M

Stride -29.35% 4.42M

Taysha Gene -27.52% 8.64M

Y mAbs Therapeutics -27.42% 2.10M

Sierra Metals Inc. -27.42% 1.76M

Meiwu Technology -22.27% 914.38K

Healthcare Triangle -21.50% 1.44M

Revelation Biosciences -21.41% 4.42M

Starry Holdings -19.64% 3.37M

Currency outlook: Pound rocked by UK fiscal and political turmoil, Euro undermined amid escalating Ukraine conflict

Euro

EUR/GBP: Down from £0.89 to £0.86 EUR/USD: Up from $0.96 to $0.98

The euro has struggled to attract support over the past month amid renewed concerns over the conflict in Ukraine.

Given the pressure the war has already placed on the Eurozone economy, EUR in vestors were unsurprisingly spooked by the ap parent escalation of the conflict in recent weeks.

Also weighing on EUR sentiment were fresh concerns over European energy security, follow ing an apparent attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

However, helping to temper the euro’s losses has been the expectation that the European Central Bank (ECB) will deliver another aggres sive interest rate hike at the end of October.

Looking ahead, the immediate focus for EUR investors will be the ECB’s upcoming interest rate decision. With a 75bps hike largely priced in, any movement in the euro is likely to be tied to the bank’s forward guidance. Signals the bank will continue to raise rates aggressively could bolster the single currency.

Pound GBP/EUR: Up from €1.11 to €1.14

GBP/USD: Up from $1.08 to $1.13

It’s been an eventful few weeks for the pound, which traded with extreme volatility since the unveiling of the government’s much criticised mini-budget.

The initial fallout of the budget saw GBP/USD strike a new record low, with a full-blown Ster ling crisis only being narrowly avoided following a timely bond market intervention from the Bank of England (BoE).

A series of U-turns regarding the budget in fused further volatility into GBP exchange rates through the first part of October. As the govern ment sought to calm market jitters.

The sacking of Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and the scrapping of almost the entire budget by his successor Jeremy Hunt, offered some respite for the pound. Before Liz Truss’s resigna tion as PM injected fresh volatility into the cur rency.

The coming month is likely to see trade in the pound remain highly erratic. Political uncertainty remains a key risk to Sterling, while an oversized interest rate hike from the BoE could also infuse volatility into GBP exchange rates.

US Dollar

USD/GBP: Down from $0.87 to $0.88 USD/EUR: Down from €10.3 to €1.01

UK Budget postponed

In work

THE number of people em ployed in Spain increased by more than 514,00 during the last year and by 77,700 in the third quarter, which allowed employment to reach 20,545,700 workers, the highest since 2008.

Keep calm

WORRIES about how to pay for essentials, let alone luxu ries in the UK has, according to ITV and the Retail Trust, led to reports of a rise in abuse by the public on shop workers with some 70 per cent of employees saying things were getting worse.

Expansion

THANKS to booming turnover and profits, Span ish energy company Repsol continues to expand and has just announced it has ac quired a 27 per cent stake in the waste management company Acteco.

NO scary UK Halloween budget as it is postponed until November according to a release from Downing Street on Wednesday October 26.

Clearly new PM Rishi Sunak who has decided to continue to support Jeremy Hunt as Chancel lor won’t fall into the trap of a hurried budget, but wants to en sure that he will have input into the plans.

Having spent so long as Chan cellor himself and having stood against Liz Truss as the tax pru dent face of the Conservative Par ty, he will want some input espe cially as Jeremy Hunt has no background in finance, but is gen erally thought to be in favour of orthodox Treasury thinking, look ing to balance budgets and follow fiscal discipline.

Following confirmation that he would remain Chancellor, Hunt tweeted “It is going to be tough. But protecting the vulnerable ‐and people’s jobs, mortgages and bills ‐ will be at the front of our minds as we work to restore sta bility, confidence and long‐term growth.”

The decision to postpone the

autumn statement until Novem ber 17 was announced at the first full Cabinet meeting with the Chancellor sitting next to the Prime Minister, where it was also confirmed that there would be a new set of economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Re sponsibility.

Whilst this decision gives the government breathing space to

tweak the plans, which may in clude a review of stamp duty cuts as well as affordability of the triple lock pensions, it has put the Bank of England in a slightly diffi cult position.

Their next interest rate review is due today, Thursday Novem ber 3 and will have to be decided without the benefit of knowing all of the government’s plans.

The US dollar continued to draw support over the past four weeks, as skittish investors continued to favour the safe-haven currency.

This souring mood was attributed to the UK’s fiscal chaos, ongoing global recession fears and concerns over the war in Ukraine.

Federal Reserve interest rate hike bets also continued to underpin demand for the US dollar in recent weeks. USD investors expect the Fed to continue raising rates aggressively through the end of 2022.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the ‘greenback’, with some underwhelming US data releases weighing on USD exchange rates at certain points throughout the month.

Going forward, the US dollar is likely to re main well supported as global recession fears continue to dictate market sentiment, with the prospect of another 75bps rate hike from the Fed also likely to underpin USD exchange rates.

Currencies Direct have helped over 430,000 customers save on their currency transfers since 1996. Just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more about how you can save money on your currency transfers.

Back to Africa

Accompanied by Spanish Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto and a delegation of business men, this was a two‐nation whistle stop tour to promote friendship and the interests of Spanish companies.

On Wednesday October 26, the Spanish delegation met with Kenyan President William Ruto and expressed their joint support, signing several memorandums of un derstanding.

Then off to a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa as the following day they were in South Africa, an impor tant market for Spanish companies as 150 have invested in that country and bilateral trade between South Africa and Spain has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years.

Coping with prices

SPEAKING at a conference run by Spanish supermar ket chain Consum, Bernardo Rodilla, retail business di rector at Kantar which specialises in data analysis said that just over two thirds of Spanish households are ac tively trying to save money due to the cost‐of‐living crisis.

With prices on average increasing by 12.7 per cent so far this year, Rodilla indicated that in the grocery world, companies are trying to make foodstuffs as af fordable as possible and the cost of around half of all basic necessities has only risen by around 8 per cent.

Another way in which Spaniards are approaching the problem is to try to ensure that less food is wasted thus reducing their spend.

PRESIDENT Pedro Sánchez visited Kenya and South Africa as he continued to attempt to align Spain with countries across the continent.

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt at the first Cabinet meeting.

Credit: Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street flickr

SINGLE CURRENCY: Could be bolstered by continuing to raise rates aggressively.

LEAPY

BY the time you read this British poli tics will probably have completed half dozen new triple somersaults. Re selecting Boris, whose ambi tions were quashed by the Covid pan demic, would of course have been one of the best decisions the Conser vatives ever made. Gleefully support ed by the BBC, they actually managed to rid themselves of the biggest dan ger the Labour party would have had to contend with in the next election.

Have no doubt; this antigovern ment media rhetoric is all a part of the left wing hierarchy plot to achieve victory. Their incensed bias reporting has become relentless. Sub jects and situations they can plausibly blame on the government, are filling their analyses to such an extent, that any news item capable of possibly raising optimism among the British public, is relegated to the bottom of a barrel of leftie gluttony, that can only be scraped up after all its contents of doom and gloom are totally dished out.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe the whole system is in complete chaos.

No vote from me

Frankly I wouldn’t vote for any of them. As an almost lifelong follower of spiritualism, I have always be lieved that the whole misinformed process of guiding and cultivating the inhabitants of our planet is wrong.

I believe we are still in the dark ages of human evolution; the solu tions of which will probably, assum ing we last that long, not be accom plished for at least another thousand years.

British TV has of course, just about hit rock bottom. Recently I watched repeats of ‘The Kenny Everett Show’, ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ and a number of others. These brilliant presenta tions, showed just how low the pre sent offerings have now sunk. All that you see for your licence fee these days are a multitude of quiz pro grammes, cooking twaddle, garden ing manure, housing purchases and utterly racially influenced vote seek ing adverts, screening mixed mar riages living in luxurious homes.

Almost unbelievably last week the long running series ‘Loose Women’ was substituted by ‘Loose Men,’ actu ally presented by four men!

Just how much longer are we going to put up with all this objectionable twaddle, which continually insults and demeans the majority of UK citi zens that are allowing themselves to be lured into surrendering their much loved country to the left wing hierar chy by a bunch of shadowy traitorous individuals, fully aware the majority of the British public are right wing supporters?

This power mad squad are utterly mindful that the only possible way to reverse the destruction the Conserva tive party inflicted in 2019 was to get shot of Boris and subsequently turn the country into a mixed culture soci ety they can inveigle into voting for the left.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com. Expatradioscotland.com.

Mon. Wed. Fri.

Big, splashy weddings

NORAJOHNSON

THE average cost of a British wedding last year was £17,500, according to wedding website Hitched, while the average house price was around £300,000 this April, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Post‐lockdown, ev eryone deserves a party but if, with the cost‐of‐living crunch, it’s now a choice between a big wedding or house de posit, I know what I’d choose.

Expensive weddings are a rip off. The bride and groom are a sales person’s dream and the more add‐ons they can sell you the better their bonus. Who needs bits and pieces on the tables and fancy chairs. None of

that will make you happier or the day more memorable. Unless you can easily afford the expense, keep it small and simple and make sure it’s relaxed and fun.

Anybody who considers a big, splashy party to be more important than a roof over your head is bad news. A wedding day only lasts 24 hours. A marriage can last a lifetime (though frequently doesn’t). It makes far more sense to spend potentially limited funds on property as the length of marriage is invariably inversely proportional to the amount spent on the wedding itself. Sim ples!

Nora Johnson’s criti cally acclaimed psy chological crime thrillers (www.nora‐johnson.net) all avail able online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audio books, paperbacks at Amazon etc.

Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

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Nora’s latest thriller.

Sewer trolls

BILL ANDERSON A PUBLIC SERVANT

I CAN’T stand trolls. No, I am not refer ring to the fearsome mythical humanoid giants from Scandinavian folklore. They were always portrayed as ugly to the point of deformation, but I do recall my sister having a troll doll, probably back in the 60s, which was ugly to the point of being cute.

No, I am referring to something far uglier which doesn’t even reach near to cute. I am talking about the faceless, un known, provocative cowards who inhab it not the caves or underside of bridges, but the crowded corridors of cyberspace, and who go about their insulting, annoy ing, offensive, and confrontational busi ness behind the image of some poor soul who probably doesn’t even know their face has been stolen.

Internet trolls are, in my opinion, the dregs of the social media sewers. Trump spoke of draining the swamp, but trolls are what is left once the swamp has been drained. I accept that people don’t need to be trolls to be offensive on social me dia.

Many can do this without shame in their own names, knocking people for misspelling or poor grammar, or calling them idiots for not knowing something which may or may not be obvious. But, at least these people have the brass neck to let themselves down under their own profile with their own picture, unlike the trolls.

Trolls exist to irritate, to insult, to cre ate controversy for the sake of it, to slur, but they don’t have the guts to do it un

der their own name. I get regular friend requests from people whose Facebook profile is only a few hours old and who clearly are not real people. If they even take the time, there are a couple of ran dom posts on their page but rarely even a real profile picture. There’s a dog, a tree, or a cartoon figure. I report it and block them but some of my friends just accept the invitation without question.

What I find even more sinister, howev er, is that there are politicians who have their own troll profiles. They have been cultivating them for years and they get into the opposition pages, whichever the opposition is in their own case and try to create havoc.

Just a week or so ago one commented on opposition councillors in Mijas getting paid. This was agreed at the beginning of the 2019 legislature and was hardly news, but the implication was that we get paid for doing nothing. It is true that I receive a salary of €27,000 a year, which is substantially less than I earned as a university lecturer, but I find myself working seven days a week and as many hours in the day as it takes to get every thing done.

It is up to the people of Mijas to decide whether I and my opposition colleagues are worth our salt, not some highly paid government councillor (€54,000 ‐€57,000 a year) who doesn’t even bother to respond to emails but who never misses a photo opportunity: usually a ‘fir ing squad’ photo which says nothing more than ‘Look at me, and where I am’.

By all means criticise those of us who get a salary in opposition but at least have the b***s to do it under your own name, and own it. There is nothing uglier than a troll.

INTERNET

Lowering the pressure

HIGH blood pressure, or hy pertension, is a very common disease throughout the world and affects one third of the Spanish population aged over

18. It affects over 20 per cent of adults aged between 40 and 65 years and as much as 50 per cent of those aged over 65, but you can help keep it

under control by eating healthily.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, spring greens and watercress, should be eaten daily with a serving classed as around half a cup.

Spring greens; kale, young salad greens, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard. Two servings a day is the preferred amount to keep blood pressure lower. A serving is one cup raw or half a cup cooked.

Try eating two portions a day of asparagus, beetroot, pep pers, carrots, corn, courgettes, garlic, mushrooms, okra, onions, pumpkin, sugar snap peas, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and a serving (half a cup) of berries such as grapes, raisins, blackberries, cherries, raspberries and strawberries.

Flaxseeds and nuts are also ideal to snack on throughout the day. One study found that eating just a few tablespoons

Restless sleep

THERE is nothing worse than lying in bed, feeling exhaust ed, but unable to sleep, toss ing and turning for hours.

Removing electronic de vices from the bedroom and avoiding caffeine late at night are all popular recommenda tions to assist in a peaceful night’s sleep, but there are other things you can do:

Get a routine:

Try and manage your day so that you get into the rou tine of finishing everything within 16 hours, so you can have the all important eight hours sleep.

The body clock thrives on regular habits so try and keep to the same bed time.

Limit stress:

It can be easier said than done, but try leaving your work or any big issues out side of the bedroom. Deal with the day’s problems in the day and put the day to

bed before you go to bed.

Healthy lifestyle:

Exercise and a healthy work‐life balance is key to a restful night’s sleep, but try and avoid exercise too close to bedtime as it can be too stimulating.

Don’t eat late:

The Spanish are famous for late night meals and eat ing late is preferable during the long hot summer months, but be careful what

you eat. Big heavy meals do not aid the sleep pattern and can cause indigestion too close to bed.

Bedroom: Reserve the bedroom for sleeping and marital affairs and avoid watching TV or be ing on electronic devices. This will help program the brain into knowing that the bed is for sleep. Keep the room cool and dark for comfort and a better night’s sleep.

INABILITY TO SLEEP: Deal with the day’s problems before you go to bed.

A GOOD skin care routine is not exclusive to women, men need one too. Only cleansing and moisturising is not enough to keep male skin healthy and clean.

Men tend to have oilier and thicker skin, so it’s advisable to choose a good facial cleanser that works on all kinds of skin.

Cleansing sanitises and eliminates dead skin cells without drying. It also helps to avoid whiteheads, blackheads and acne. Toning balances and tightens. Moisturising prevents cracks and dry and

Well groomed

dull skin, and sunscreen is a must, with a minimum SPF of 30.

Exfoliation is crucial to eliminate dead skin cells from accumulating and causing bacteri al infection. Used once a week, a gentle but granulated face scrub will smoothen skin,

eradicate dullness and soften hair follicles for a smoother shave

The skin around the eyes lacks in sweat and oil glands, making it highly susceptible to under‐eye dehydration. This shows itself as fine lines and wrinkles. Dabbing a little

hydrating eye cream each morning and be fore bed can help prevent this.

A good lip balm with a high SPF is a must to help keep them soft, supple and protect ed from the sun.

Clean beards are more likely to be soft beards. Beauty experts advise using face wash or shampoo when cleansing facial hair, taking care not to over shampoo as this can strip the hair of natural oils. Try ap plying beard oil with fragrance after wash ing.

A woman’s beauty

however negative

beauty is the most beautiful and sensitive part of

cause

am not good enough”. These

can some

advice is be natural.

The experts in rest give you tips for sleeping with back pain

IF our state of health depends on our mental and physical well‐being, we would agree that adequate rest is essential. During sleep, we restore our energy and it brings us many benefits. So, here are our tips for getting the best rest and preventing back pain or reduc ing back pain during sleep.

We are coming up to the Christmas sea son, a season of parties, excesses and changes in our habits. We suggest you take a break and read these tips to sleep without back pain and face the return to routine in the best possible way ‐ achieving quality and restorative rest for you and your family.

• The best rest for your back: The er gonomic one

The basis of your rest is the mattress, and this must be ergonomic, that is to say, it must be designed and manufactured with the necessary features to offer optimum support for your body as well as being com fortable. An ergonomic mattress is the first measure you should take to prevent muscu loskeletal injuries.

In this line of products, Malaga is a pioneer in the development of mattresses that are

not only ergonomic, but also developed to adapt your rest according to the back prob lem you suffer from. Thanks to the company

NESSEN, an exclusive and successful compa ny belonging to the MiColchón group, we provide a range of products with up to 15 years of guarantee and 101 nights of testing.

• The best sleeping position for your back pain

In addition to the mattress, we must also take into account the position in which we sleep. To maintain our well‐being there are two recommended positions, according to the expert Mattressologists at MiColchón:

‐ Sleeping on your side with your legs bent.

‐ Sleep on your back with an ergonomic cushion or pillow under your knees.

• A back is healthy when it is strong, flexi ble and pain‐free

If you suffer from a diagnosed back ail ment such as osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, hernias, lumbago, scoliosis, spondylitis or cervical problems, you should first get advice from your doctor or physiotherapist, and then from experts in rest who know how to indicate the ideal material and model of mattress.

• Other tips for a good night’s sleep

‐ Take care of your posture when perform ing any task, such as lifting, sitting or while doing your job.

‐ Always maintain the correct position of your spine.

‐ Avoid sleeping or resting on sagging or weather‐beaten beds or sofas.

‐ Take care of your neck and cervical verte brae with a suitable pillow.

Interested in finding out more? Go to the specialists at MiColchón, where you will be attended by Mattressologists ‐ professionals with experience and training that will help you choose the best rest equipment for you and your family.

Private

insurance alternative

vention, diagnosis, treatment, physiothera py and emergency transfers are covered.

AT my law firm I act for a number of clients seeking residency here in Spain, usually when they are buying a property in Spain. To have residency you need a visa if you are not an EU citizen. Usually this is the non lu crative visa sometimes abbreviated to the NLV. To obtain any visa or residency as an EU citizen in Spain you also need private health insurance.

If you been a resident in Spain for more than one year you may be entitled to apply for ‘Convenio Especial’ which translates as special agreement, it is an agreement that you can have with the Spanish health sys tem if you are already legally resident in Spain, and you are not covered by the health system of your own country. (Eg if you are a UK pensioner you may be covered under the S1 agreement). You can pay the Spanish health system a fee and be covered by the health system here.

This applies to anyone in the world, and it allows them to have access to the health system with almost the same service as a Spanish citizen in your particular region, pre

You have to pay for your prescriptions in full at the chemists, orthopaedics and prosthet ics and non‐emergency transport. If you visit another region on a temporary basis, you are also covered.

What are the requirements? You need to be a legal resident for a year before making the application, to be registered on the padron in your town hall in the same region and to not have any other public health cov erage. So if you are not resident here in Spain you will need to have private health care insurance for at least the first year of your residency.

The cost of the health ‘Convenio Especial’ is around €60 a month for people aged un der 65 and €157 a month for people aged over 65 (2022 prices). Of course, check your private health insurance as it may be cheap er. Always take advice from a Spanish lawyer like myself and always get their bar registration number.

Marisa Moreno Castillo senior lawyer at Just Law Solicitors and Consul for Denmark. www.justlawsolicitors.com

- Malaga - Fuengirola - Marbella

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: euroweeklynews.com

Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

PLEASE COVER UP

CAN somebody in authori ty in Mallorca explain to me why it is legal for Ger mans to strip naked on beaches in front of chil dren! Surely indecent ex posure is a crime !

Mallorca has nudist beaches all over the island. This obscene practice is to tally outrageous. Spain is beating the drum for peo ple to dress ‘appropriately’ ie no bikinis whilst walking around certain areas, yet these people stand there naked and I mean MEN AND WOMAN!

I have owned property on the island for 40 years and have watched this practice increase every single year.

Is indecent exposure in Mallorca a crime ? If not, WHY NOT?

Susan Farrell Hannah

Do the sums

His maths are as accu rate as Johnson, his 102 was actually 60 and Leapy Lee claims thousands of our soldiers were killed in Iraq, 179 British service personnel died, but that gets in the way of his rant.

Garry Turner

Just saying

I totally agree with the comments made in your article Complete chaos. I find your views honestly refreshing. You are not scared to say what most of us are thinking. Maybe if politicians adopted your policy of saying it

how it is, and not worry ing about political cor rectness, the UK would be in a far better national

and global position. Keep up the good work.

Bill Johnstone

OUR VIEW

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

WORKERS in Spain enjoy 12 National Holidays, plus some extras depending on which Province, City, Town or Pueblo they live in.

Of the National Holidays, eight are religious holidays based on Catholicism, which in today’s multi-cultural society may seem to be somewhat outdated.

Most European countries celebrate Easter and Christmas, but for Spain to add the Three Kings, As sumption of Mary, All Saints’ Day, and the Immacu late Conception may appear to be somewhat unbal anced in what is heading towards being a secular society.

No-one (except perhaps some employers) wants to reduce the number of days people can take off, but in a modern industrial country to then have additional days off for local Saints and to practise the concept of puente (bridge) to make an extra-long weekend can’t be beneficial to the economy.

The Spanish love to party and of course there is nothing wrong with that and they have now adopted Halloween, so at least they can recover on All Saints’ Day!

This leads us to Christmas and in this time of everincreasing costs as well as potential electricity shortages, one must consider whether councils should put up their Christmas lights and if they do whether they should only keep them on for a limited number of hours each night.

Families are finding it difficult to cope, yet many children now expect a Christmas present as well as one on Three Kings night and will be disappointed if they don’t receive both.

This year, as in the past, many charities and con cerned individuals will be collecting toys for those chil dren whose parents genuinely can’t afford them, so please help if you can.

MARBELLA MOMENTS

BY NICOLE KING

I’VE been lucky to be invited to some lovely ‘new’ restau rants over the past few weeks; places I would proba bly not have thought to go to

Within those walls

of my own accord.

One of these venues is Bo ho Club, located in what used to be the Central Forestal Sue co; nestled behind large walls

at the end of the Golden Mile, direction Puerto Banus.

Thanks to Pilar Candil of Li ma Comunications & Events I was part of a press lunch there and had the opportuni ty to really appreciate not just what they have to offer, but also how keen they are for us residents to visit them and ex perience what they’ve achieved.

They’re rightly proud, what they’ve put together is wor thy of us taking a moment to pop by and see for ourselves. If you want to feel ‘five star’ or impress a guest, this place is suitably formal and yet still welcoming, cosy and deli cious.

Until my visit I had as sumed, like many still do, that it is a private club so I had nev er even considered going there and had little idea what it was all about.

To clarify: Boho Club is a boutique hotel that opened four years ago. It boasts a restaurant that opens all year round, serving meals from 8am to midnight daily and seems to tick all the right box es, at least for me. Firstly, it has its own car park.

The gardens are lush and extensive, dotted with tokens of modern art. There are sev eral terraces with elegant but comfy seating making for

great hang out spaces for guests and visitors to relax or work in luxurious style. The restaurant areas, in and out, are beautifully decorated with much attention to detail. They have a very impressive wine list and sommeliers that explain every nuance of origin and flavour.

Diego del Rio is the head chef and oozes enthusiasm for his signature dishes and the variety of cuisine served;

predominantly based on local produce. I had the pleasure of interviewing Diego for Mar bella Now #MN369 and you can literally feel his passion for where he works and what he does. I would say that this is the general consensus from all the staff; they’re visibly proud.

The place isn’t cheap but is certainly good value for mon ey and to encourage guests of all budgets to visit they now offer a fabulous two‐course lunch menu for €28 with a glass of wine, water and a cof fee. Dogs are welcome too.

I have driven past Boho al most daily since it opened and yet had no idea what went on ‘behind those walls’. Hopefully I’ve now shed some light on the matter for many of you too. I don’t think we got particular ‘press treat ment’ that would be different with other guests, but there again you never know.

If you do go by to check them out perhaps you can let me know how it goes.

RDMC’S is a well‐established and family‐run business with extensive knowledge and experience in the glazing, construction and steel in dustry. They have now been in business in Mijas Costa for over 20 years and cover everywhere along the coast from Nerja to Gibraltar.

RDMC’S started their business in a small locale in Las Lagunas, man ufacturing double‐glazed units for windows and door companies. Due to their increasing success, they had to expand and move premises, and now occupy two huge 650sqm factories on the low er Camino de Coin road.

When they moved to their new premises they installed a toughen ing plant, manufacturing glass for other glass curtain companies, this gave them the perfect opportunity to look at different systems avail

able on the market and make a professionally informed decision as to which sys tem to choose to distribute. The

team decided on the German system Sun flex and, in 2007, they were award ed the official distribution to man ufac ture.

RDMC’S are also the official manufac turer and distributers of Cortizo.

As spe cialised manufacturers of glass cur tains and stainless steel windows and doors, RDMC’S provides clients with solutions to all of their

construction needs to the highest quality standards, using the best materials including marine grade stainless steel that diminishes cor rosion problems meaning your product will stand the test of time.

They are the leading manufac turer of the latest and most inno vative Crittall style windows and now supply warm edge double glazing for windows that are more energy efficient. They also supply the new slim‐line thermal break aluminium windows and doors that are more pleasing to the eye and will enhance any home or business.

As glass manufacturers, they al so have their own glass toughening plant meaning that the complete glass curtain system, including the glass, is produced under one roof with their own fitters ‐ meaning

that when you choose RDMC’S, you will deal only with their staff from the beginning to end of your project ‐ ensuring a smooth and problem‐free service.

RDMC’S also manufacture UPVC and aluminium windows and doors, specialises in bi‐folds (con certinas), and can manufacture roofs including sliding (electric or manual) and bioclimática, com plete steel structures, acoustic glass for bars, mirrors, table tops, sealed units, splashbacks, shop fronts, shelves, walk on glass, stairs, glass balustrade, pool surrounds…

In fact, they can assist you with all of your glass needs!

RDMC’S also has a new service to add to their already impressive portfolio which will be announced in the new year, so keep an eye on their website and social media!

GOING from a life filled with alcohol and drugs, feeling like he had no fu ture and no hope. Clifford (25) talks about how his life now has meaning and purpose, and his family says the difference is like night and day ‐

“My name is Clifford and when I came into Alcoholics Anonymous, I thought my life was over. I used co caine regularly and was in debt to the tune of hundreds of euros, owed to bars, clubs, friends and my dealer. I suffered from extreme anxiety, made worse by the drugs, so I drank alcohol constantly to cover it up.

I never looked after my personal hygiene, and people told me I was greasy or that I smelled (which was true) but rather than do anything about it I would go off on benders for days at a time to try and make myself feel better. Often waking up after three or four days in a random stranger’s house or getting picked up by the police. I lost relationships, homes, jobs, and family due to my alcoholism.

My closest friend died from alco holism, and I used drugs and alcohol for a week straight to try and deal with the feelings and emotions

Sober and happy: my life without alcohol or anxiety

around it. My family could no longer deal with me, I was 25 years old, and I had no future and no hope. My boss told me about Alcoholics Anonymous and suggested they might be able to help.

From the second I set foot in AA my life changed for the better. Ad mittedly when I went along to my first AA meeting my initial impres sion was ‐ these people are nice, re ally nice, what do they want from me? It was the most welcomed I have ever felt. I was so distrusting, but that is what AA is like. At the end of the meeting three people gave me their phone numbers and told me to call them any time of the day or night, and they meant it!

There were people from all walks of life, male, female, and non‐binary. I was amazed that all these people were alcoholics yet looked so NOR MAL! My first time talking about my experience and my life was surreal!

The people listened and genuinely cared, I had never experienced this

before, and it felt like a weight was lifted almost immediately.

In just six months my life has transformed completely. I found a crazy bunch of people who con stantly make me laugh and who will love and support me through any thing. I have real friends now. My family says the difference in me is like night and day. My life has mean ing and purpose, I don’t need to fill it with alcohol and drugs, and I don’t need to feel awful every day. I now wake with a heart full of gratitude, happy to be sober.

Whatever idea you may have of AA in your head, get rid of it because it is not what you expect at all. It is life changing and it makes me happy to be alive every single day!”

There are meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, with friendly people who will understand, held daily throughout the Costa del Sol. Meet ings are free to attend, and anyone who thinks they may have a prob lem with alcohol is welcome.

Swatters ready

FLY season is definitely upon us, hopefully with the cooler weather set ting in flies will become less of a problem. Spotting a random fly in your home is pretty normal. But when you suddenly start seeing the buzzing pests everywhere, it’s time to take action.

It is very rare for flies to breed inside your home, they typically come from outside, with flies making their way in through torn window screens and open doors, and they love to linger around rubbish bins. Try and keep doors, windows and insect nets closed, however on warmer days this is not an ideal solution.

A fly swatter is useful if you are patient and quick handed or happy to dance around trying to hit one. There are however other solutions.

If you mix equal parts of washing up liquid with apple cider vinegar and add a pinch of sugar, the solution will give off a fermented smell which attracts the flies, however it is the washing up liquid which affects the flies’ digestive tract and kills them.

If you just want to deter the flies ,maybe try a little eucalyptus oil on a strip of paper hung by a window which will repel flies as they don’t like the scent.

Plant therapy

ONE of the most popular house warming gifts, the humble house plant can go a long way when it comes to sprucing up not only your house, but also your mental health. Studies have shown that just seeing a plant can subcon sciously make you feel calmer and more relaxed. Furthermore, peo

ple who spend time taking care of plants show increased compas sion, optimism and well-being. It is so successful that some people practise Horticultural Therapy for its rehabilitative use, so consider revamping your living space with a few new houseplants and see if you feel the benefits.

USEFUL RIPOSTES

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING

I HAVE heard a number of wonderful ri postes in person, while others have been recited to me second‐hand. Some of them are probably well rehearsed and used repeatedly and others are the result of quick thinking. Some are thor oughly justified put‐downs while oth ers are a bit unkind.

I first became aware of the concept of a ‘riposte’ when I read a ‘joke’ on an England’s Glory matchbox at the age of about nine. ‘You’re wearing odd socks’. ‘Yes; this kind of thing can happen when you have more than one pair’.

One of my favourites is the response of a Scotsman whose sexual attraction was called into question by a male col league saying. “I can’t imagine you making love”. “Well, you don’t have to; maybe you can find something else to dream about.”

There are also suitable reactions to attempted cultural points‐scoring. I was with a classical music enthusiast who knows that I like Beethoven. He

asked me: “What do you consider his greatest symphony?” As he had asked me the same question before, in order to demonstrate his admittedly consid erable knowledge, I had worked out a response this time.

I replied “For me the greatest is the one that I like the best.” “Which is that?” “The one I am listening to now.”

“But you are not listening to any.”

“Then, the one I last listened to.” “Even if it’s the First?” “Yes; because when I listen to the First, the others are not in my mind; therefore I can’t sense them.” In fact, the simple answer is that it depends on my mood at the time.

An unsavoury England international footballer, when arrested for hooligan ism and assault in Greece, allegedly said to the police; “Do you know who I am?” To anybody with that kind of ego, there is only one response, and I heard this: “I don’t care who you are, but I can see what you are.”

Court clerk to bee keeper

JON WHEATLEY started off in Sheffield and claims the right to a Yorkshire passport and after University, despite his best efforts, was re cruited into the Courts system, possibly because he turned up looking a bit like Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden and the interviewer was Dickinson’s aunt.

He started at the bot tom and gradually worked his way into the front end of the courts, although he says that learning the then court etiquette was no mean feat. He reckons that a book in the line of James Herriot could easily have been written, entitled ‘It Shouldn’t Happen to a Court Clerk’ after years of exposure to the crimi nal and offender class.

He decided that the prospects in the court business were limited and took up a teaching

post at University which was brought to the brink by 9/11 when students from Asia had their trav el limited. So, he went into Marketing.

Becoming unsettled in the UK he and his wife decided to move to Spain, packed up their things and came to An dalucia with no job and no idea how they were going to make a living.

He says that the reality of working life in Spain is that it is longer and more demanding than people think, and it’s not all beach and relaxation at all. Having said this

Jon feels that the lifestyle compensates for the harder working life. Jon doesn’t have pets in his countryside home so much as a small zoo, with parrots, ferrets, seven dogs, all rescued, and an inherited 15kg tortoise which is 52 years old. But his passion is his bees. He had until recently around 70 hives. He and his wife swear by the qualities of natural honey. He can be found on the following website and they are of ten around local mar kets. https://villacarmen bees.com

Decorating a small bathroom

WE are not all blessed with spacious bathrooms, but luckily it’s easy to make your small bathroom seem much bigger. Here we share some top tips and tricks to get the most out of small bath rooms.

Small bathrooms often look smaller due to a lack of lighting. If you have no natu ral lighting in your bath room, don’t panic. The first step to making your bath room look bigger is the ma

terials you use. Interior de signers suggest adding shiny surfaces or tiles that will give a room more depth and brightness.

Choose white or bright tones when decorating. Light tiles can make your walls seem longer giving the look of more space.

Designers also recom mend consistency in bath room colourings. Keep furni ture the same colour where possible and your bathroom

PESTS in the garden can devastate plants and ruin months of hard work and planning. But poor pest control can be ineffective and you can even inadvertently harm your own health or visitors to your garden like birds and cats. Follow these top tips from garden ers to protect your plants without damaging the environment or your health.

Use eco‐friendly pesticides or natural remedies

Many pesticides contain nasty chemicals that can harm plants or the soil in your gar den, making it harder to continue growing. Buy eco‐friendly pesticides that are low in chemicals or use a natural remedy like garlic water or eucalyptus oil to keep pests at bay.

will look less crowded. Mirrors are your best friend. Play with lighting by adding a mirror. Not only do they add another dimension, making the bathroom seem bigger, but they reflect exist ing light which makes your bathroom seem bigger.

Keep bathroom supplies out of sight. Shampoo bot tles and soaps everywhere not only looks messy, it makes your bathroom feel cramped.

Garden pests

Plant in the right place

Planting in the wrong place can lead to weaker plants that are more vulnerable to pests. Research plants’ needs before plant ing them. Grow resilient plants in full sun while reserving shaded areas for plants that need lots of water.

Attract beneficial bugs

Beneficial insects prey on pests and take the pressure off you. You can also choose native plants such as lavender or honey suckle to attract pollenating insects, like bees.

Entertaining pets

A leopard gecko is one of the easiest reptiles to look after and make friendly and fascinating pets. They do not require a great deal of space and are happy liv ing in a size appropriate terrarium.

They do like a warm cli mate so you will require a

schedules is needed.

You will need to put a substrate (reptile carpet) on the floor of the terrari um and have a hiding place, climbing material and rocks in order for the terrarium to feel more like home.

Leopard geckos eat main

along with a reptile multivi tamin once a week for younger geckos and twice a month for adults.

Leopard geckos drink water from a large shallow dish and will also bathe in their dish to maintain hy dration. Be sure you empty, clean

every day.

Some interesting facts: they can live for as long as 20years and can grow to 10inches in length. They don’t have ‘sticky’ fingers and toes like other geckos and they are not able to climb or walk on oth er vertical sur

Doggie dental care

IT is recommended you clean your dog’s teeth at least once a day, although research suggests only a third of owners bother to do so.

Two‐thirds of vets say that owners are risking their dogs’ health by neglecting to keep their teeth clean, with one in seven suggesting a twice daily brushing.

This may seem extreme, but fewer than 30 per cent of owners say they brush their four‐legged friend’s pearly whites at all, which can lead to problematic, and expensive, doggy dental care.

Although many dog owners assume that halitosis comes with the territory, it is often the first sign of tooth and gum disease, and can be easily prevented via regular brushing and an improved diet, ac cording to vets.

Poor nutrition is the leading cause of periodontal issues, which can induce more serious issues such as tooth loss, blood poisoning, and even disease in other organs.

It seems that many owners believe that a chew stick is a suitable alternative to getting stuck in with the toothbrush and paste, of which specialised products are available, while others say that the process is too time‐consuming, or that their dog only receives dry food so there is no need.

Please ensure you buy toothpaste and brushes that are doggie friendly as human toothpaste can contain fluoride, sodium lauryl sul fate and a sugar substitute called Xylitol, all can be toxic to your dog.

IF you are a cat owner in Spain, chances are you have seen your beloved pet chase, maim or even consume a cock roach or two along the way. The UN may encourage the human race to eat insects to help save the planet, but just how good are creepy crawlies for our four‐legged com panions?

Cats have a prey instinct that encourages them to chase down and often eat creatures that draw their attention and the fact that cockroaches are mainly active at night means that there is often little we can do to prevent this occurring.

A vet said:

“It is normal for a cat to chase down and eat its prey. It is their hunting instincts from their feline cousins. They might eat cockroaches and vomit the exoskeleton. It can be gross to look at, but it’s alright. All in all, you should not be worried about your cat.”

It is advised that you use insecticide sprays sparingly, but if your feline has consumed a roach which you believe to be poisoned, you should take them to the vet to be on the safe side.

Smile for the camera.

Image: Shutterstock.com/DWI YULIANTO

DRAINS

GATES

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

WINDOWS

SWIMMING POOLS

AIR CONDITIONING by Cool and Cosy. The family compa ny that cares. Installation

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QUALITY Air Conditioning In stallations. Economical to use, & silent in operation. 26 Years installation history in Spain. EnviroCare. All Areas

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MR COOL - Air Conditioning, Re frigeration, Heating Systems, Sales & Service - Call Christian +34 629 527 587 or Nick +34 618 678 853 – www.mrcool.es (302027)

AWNINGS

ACE OF SHADES – All colours available. Urbanisations catered for, electric and manual operation; also re covery service available, largest selection of colours and designs on the coast. Tel: 951 273 254 / 671 732 204 / info@aceofshades. design T1(101730)

SUNSHINE AWNINGS/BLINDS

Awnings, Persiana, Shutter & Re jas Specialist. New & Repairs. 25yrs on the coast. 680 323 969 / 952 199 640 (301310)

BLINDS

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SOLAR BLINDS

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& SELL

HOUSE CLEARANCE SPE CIALISTS , FULL OR PART CLEARANCE. ALL FURNI TURE WANTED, WE PAY MORE. TEL 634 324 914 OR EMAIL houseclearance man@hotmail.com (295827)

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METALWORK

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ALHAURIN FURNITURE EMPORIUM Buyers & Sell ers of quality furniture. Top prices paid. Also buy cars, campervans, boats & bikes. 697 511 071 (1296155)

QUICK AND URGENT House Clearance For All Jobs Big and Small - Tel: 622 647 602 (296421)

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BENALMADENA Elim Family Fellowship. Elimfamilyfellowship. com or call 951 912 525 or 952 446 627. (10011)

CALAHONDA: Encounter Church (Elim), Family church with kids’ activities, Iglesia San Miguel, Sundays 4.30pm, Rev. David Hodgson, 695 115 496

THE Ark Christian Church. We meet at The Ark Christian School, Calle Río Darro 2 y Plaza Juncal, 29651, Mijas Costa (the road be hind the Mijas Aquapark) on Sundays at 11.00am. Pastor, An drew Seale Tlf 682 713 491 www.thearkspain.com (293850)

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IRISH mural artist & restorer, for internal/exterior designs & old paintings 654 866 393 (302099)

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CARS, Vans, Bikes wanted. Any Reg, Anything Considered Call or WhatsApp 687 049 592 (301400)

CAMPER VANS , CARAVANS, MOBILE HOMES, BOATS AND ALL PLANT, DIGGERS, DUMPERS, MOTORBIKES, CARS AND COMMERCIALS WANTED. BEST PRICE PAID, CASH TODAY, ANY REGISTRATION WITH OR WITHOUT PAPERS. PLEASE CALL 678 808 837 (290739)

ADVANCED Cleaning Services. Professional carpet, upholstery cleaning, 27 years’ experience, wet/dry clean. Honest, reliable service 678 808 837 / 952 669 701 or email acservs@outlook. com (290739)

CONEJO CLEANING & Prop erty Management. Est. over 25 years. Rentals manage ment, one-off cleans. New Property set up service. Wendy 635 630 370 / 952 964 407 www.conejoclean ing.com (302025)

STARLIGHT Cleaning Ser vices. All types of cleaning. Any size of property. All Areas. Resi dential & Holiday Lets. Deep Clean for Bars & Restaurants. We also do a professional Chimney Sweeping service. 682 636 451 www.starlight-spain.com (301262)

LIMPIEZA PREMIUM – Façade Cleaning. General cleaning and window washing. Polishing mar ble. 604 305 160 / 677 562 267 (302316)

DOMESTIC Appliance repairswashing machines, fridges, cook ers, ovens, water heaters, gas / electric, professionally repaired. Christian 608 337 497 (296265)

BLOCKED DRAINS? Leak de tection, CCTV survey, root re moval, Tel 952 568 414 / 661 910 772 / drainspain.com (292976)

CLEARFLOW – Unblocking, CCTV inspection, repair and in stallation. Tel: 630 200 600 / 952 885 661. www.desatoroscle arflow Facebook: DesatorosCle arflow (301154)

ANTHONY’S ANTIQUES JEW ELLERS AND PAWNBROKERS IS NOW BUYING ALL TYPES OF WATCHES AND JEWELLERY IN ANY CONDITION, ALSO, SILVER, ANTIQUES AND THE UNUSUAL. WE BUY, WE PAY MORE, WE PAY CASH. FOR MORE INFORMA TION, PLEASE CALL ANTHO NY ON +34 609 529 633

WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

YOUNG MAN available for labouring work, heavy lifting & support with removals. Can sup ply trade contacts. Native English speaking and also fluent in Span ish. Please call or WhatsApp me at +44 7707 557342 (302048)

CURTAINS

GLASS CURTAIN repairs, specialist in replacement of discoloured plastic strips that act as a seal between the glass panels. Call Julian 655 825 931 (301104)

FURNITURE wanted, same day collection, also house clearance and removals. Also buy cars, campervans, boats & bikes. 697 511 071

LIT ELECTRICIANS for all your Electrical & maintenance needs, no job too small for a FREE Quote. Call Craig on 604 106 414 or Ben 711 004 350 (301214)

ELECTRICAL TYPES of work undertaken Malaga to Mar bella & Inland Frank Tel. or Whatsapp 650 561 629 (302309)

PROFESSIONAL garden ser vices from Fuengirola to Es tepona. All aspects of gar dening and full maintenance and landscaping, free quotes, competitive prices. Contact Andrew 600 259 981 Andrew@garden-profession als.com (291784)

IRRIGATION

GUTTERING: Protect your property from rain damage. Quality guaranteed. 26 years installation history in Spain. Envirocare. All areas cov ered 952 663 141/670 409 759 info@envirocarespain. com www.envirocarespain. com (301178)

CHIROPRACTOR

FUENGIROLA, Myofascial Re lease. J Schaegen, spe cialised in treating neck, back & extremity disorders, 30 years in practice. 652 291 224 www.bodywork.es (301414)

COLLECTIVE CALLING are ur gently requesting donations of clothing, shoes, handbags & homeware. We sell good quality items, which then supports lowincome families and the home less in the community. These items can be dropped directly to our charity shop Tienda Soli daria: Av. Pablo Ruiz Picasso, 4, San Pedro de Alcantara, alterna tively, call us to arrange collection on +34 711 006 961 (295137)

RAINBOW Pinturas . English Painters & decorators. All as pects. Interior/exterior, private residential, commercial & com munities. Spraying: door, kitchens & furniture. Light con struction. Call/WhatsApp: Daniel: 628 066 308 www.rainbowpin turas.com (301113)

ATD DECOR. British Painter. 30 Years’ Experience. Punctual. Great Rates. Call for free quote. 603 132 783 Facebook: @ATD DecorMalaga (1296161)

MARBLE FLOOR (2.50€/m2) WHY PAY MORE. WE CLEAN, CRYSTALLISE, SEAL THEN POLISH YOUR MARBLE TO HIGH GLOSS, NON-SLIP. PROFESSIONAL GUARAN TEED, FAST SERVICE. 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE. ALSO REPAIRS DAMAGES TO MAR BLE, CLEAN AND SEAL TER RACOTTA TERRACES, COV ERS ALL COSTA DEL SOL. TEL: 671 244 683 (295522)

MARBLE FLOORS polished high shine non-slip. Fast Service Reli able, family-run business. TER RACOTTA CLEANED and sealed. No job too small. Cleansol 10am

IRIS-IRRIGATION and land scapes. TRENCHLESS NO DIG Irrigation installation, Cables, Fibre Optic, Electric & Lighting Cables. New Instal lations & problem-solving. Turf (supply and laying). Garden constructions. Tree surgeon. Clearing. Astro Turf (Free Quotation) 676 747 521 (301097)

BE PROACTIVE: Electric/Gas fires, Wood Burning Stoves. Quality guaranteed. Enviro Care. All areas covered. 952 663 141/670 409 759. info@envirocarespain.com www.envirocarespain.com (301178)

ELECTRIC GATE/GARAGE

DOOR automation repaired. Free, no obligation quota tion. Call Colin - 636 394 641

VINYL

CHIMNEY SWEEP. Clean reli able professional. All types, spe cial price for more than one. Chris 608 337 497 (296265)

APEX CHIMNEY SERVICES , professional chimney sweeping

HOT TUBS new used, bought, sold, hired. Also move & repairs. Used good Hot Tubs for sale. 691 973 131 / +44 7836 379122 (295835)

HOT TUBS AND SPAS HOUSE CLEARANCES

ALHAURIN FURNITURE EM PORIUM furniture wanted, same day collection, also house clearance and re movals. Also buy cars, campervans, boats & bikes. 697 511 071 (1296155)

HOUSE CLEARANCE. After Clearance Cleaning, 24/7 Costa del Sol. Whatsapp: 624 370 721 (302307)

INSURANCE

MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in En glish call Linea Directa on 952 147 834, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 952 147 834 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insur ance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygatein sure.com (291234)

LOCKSMITH emergency / ap pointment. Doors opened with out damage, locks changed, pa tio doors and windows secured, 24 hour honest, fast and reliable service. Call Paul 657 466 803 (288129)

ENGLISH 24/7 LOCKSMITHS AND SECURITY COMPANY, FREE HOME SECURITY SUR VEY. 636 770 865 / 952 660 233 WWW.SECURITYOF SPAIN.COM CONTACT DAREN (294126)

SAN PEDRO. Sandra. Profes sional relaxing, tantric massage. Young, slim, work alone, unfor gettable moments. Nueva An dalucia. 641 346 278

BEAUTIFUL relaxing Tantric massage, I only answer via pri vate message. Tel 664 806 403 (301452)

MATURE elegant lady. Offers tantric and other massage. Per sonal home visits. 687 387 680 (286295)tp3

RELAXING Massage for Men & Couples. Feel free from tension & stress. Call Dany 603 202 758 (302065)

PURE RELAXATION in Nueva Andalucia with attractive inde pendent masseuse. Tantric and other special massages in private apartment. For gentlemen and couples, with no rush attention to your needs 656 350 401

ENGLISH ELEGANT affection ate lady gives a sensual massage in private apartment. Call 680 177 569 (302312)

ASIAN masseur mature, sweet, independent. Marbella. 602 415 351 (MI 534)

ASIAN masseur, affectionate unique, complete massage. Elviria. 604 143 788 (MI 533)

UKRANIAN lady tall, slim, pas sionate & relaxing massage. Mar bella. No rush. 613 229 769 (MI 538)

FUENGIROLA. Carolina, blonde, elegant, relaxing and tantric massage. Phone 634 797 230 (FU 2772)

CASSIE. Mature English Masseur. Fuengirola. 667 914 732 (FU 2747)

MASSAGE! Outcalls everywhere in Costa del Sol! Gentlemen, ladies, couples are welcome! 604 256 336 (FU 2781)

PHILIPINA, Thai, indulge relax ing massage. Private Elviria 679 126 231 (MI 532)

ORIENTAL masseur tantric, massage relieving service, villa. Elviria, Marbella. 604 428 812 (MI 536)

ASIAN authentic therapist relieve pain stress, satisfaction guaran teed. Villa luxury atmophere. Elviria. 633 705 558 (MI 535)

NEXT TO SAN PEDRO . MAS SAGE. UNFORGETTABLE EXPERI ENCE. POLISH BLONDE LADY. 617 700 999 (302085)

MARBELLA CENTRE - the ideal place for relaxing massage in the city centre. Available 24h and prices from €50. For reservations and information call 620 366 817. (295192)

PROFESSIONAL MALE mus cled masseur. Full-body relaxing, deep tissue and therapeutic mas sage. In/outcalls. WhatsApp me 607 595 906 (301288)

VICKY full body massage great satisfaction and good results. I wait for you to call me and make an appoint ment. Torremolinos 621 395 221 (302094)

ASIAN MASSEUR Massage re laxing & therapeutic, to release tension and stress. Fuengirola. Call 634 103 607 (301171)

BENALMADENA lovely lady , offering you a very relaxing body massage. Call for an appoint ment 634 209 427 (302040)

FUENGIROLA. Vero Venezuelan masseuse, very friendly, deep re laxing massage. 603 366 841 (FU 2792)

FUENGIROLA. Japanese Shi atsu & Zen Ki relaxing and therapeutic massage. Excel lent service guaranteed. Home Visits. WhatsApp for appointment 693 988 340

MAYOR

ONE PIECE FILM RED THURS, FRI: 17:00, 18:30 SAT: 13:15, 17:00, 18:30

SUN, TUES, WED: 17:30, 22:20 MON: 20:00, 22:20

BLACK ADAM SAT 13:20

AMSTERDAM MON: 17:05

BLACK ADAM MON, WED, THURS, FRIDAY: 16:30, 19:00, 21:30 SAT & SUN: 12:00, 15:00, 17:15, 19:40, 22:00

BROS Every day: 19:10

CHICKEN HARE AND THE HAMSTER Every day: 17:15

SAT, SUN: 12:30, 15:30

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER‐PETS SAT & SUN: 12:00

LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE MON, TUES, WED, THURS, FRIDAY: 17:15 SAT & SUN: 12:00, 15:15, 17:20

PRIZEFIGHTER: THE LIFE OF JEM BELCHER MON, TUES, WED, THURS, FRI: 16:30, 18:40 SAT & SUN: 15:15, 19:30

SMILE MON, TUES, WED, THURS, FRI: 17:00, 19:20, 21:40 SAT & SUN: 15:00, 17:15, 19:30, 21:45

NATALIA, Tantric massage ser vice. Guaranteed service. Feel free from stress. English speak ing. Visit me or home visits avail able. +34 632 801 194 Costa del Sol (301432)

FUENGIROLA . Private place, young masseuses. Relieve stress, massage, relax. 603 366 841 (FU 2792)

ESTEPONA AREA Attractive Asian Masseuse, Body Muscle Relax. Relieve Pain 642 371 536 (2793)

NEW FUENGIROLA Sara Latin masseuse, friendly caring profes sional. 603 366 841. (FU 2792)

THAI Benalmadena Costa. Body-body full massages. Hotels. Visits. WhatsApp 689 387 448 (MI 537)

WWW.LAILALYNCH1.COM Heated pool, Jacuzzi and private bar. Inland private retreat with a full massage service. 662 913 428 (FU 2767)

3 ORIENTAL friendly beautiful passionate & sensual massage, private, comfort, relaxation, luxu ry atmosphere, villa discreet. Elviria. Marbella. 679 126 231 (MI 539)

FUENGIROLA. Amazing full body massage by spectacular blonde lady. 657 697 397 (FU 2776)

ESTEPONA . Next Cancelada, Kannika, Complete Massage, Re lieve Stress, makes you content ed and more. 602 427 095 (FU 2786)

ESTEPONA. Susana, Latin Girl sculptural body, trained for deep relaxing massage. 697 705 304 (FU 2786)

ESTEPONA . Laura majestic masseuse , very friendly, deep body massage and stress relief. 600 213 967 (FU 2786)

FUENGIROLA. Russian blonde lady, professional tantric mas sage. 674 819 249 (FU 2790)

BENALMADENA Costa by the windmill rondabout, Sabrina Of fers all type of services. For more info 658 336 295 (FU 2791)

MASSAGE and fun!! Genuine trained male tantric masseur. 602 098 606 Marbella (fu 2789)

SAN PEDRO BEACH. RELAXING AND SENSITIVE MASSEUSES WELCOME YOU IN A PRIVATE AND DISCREET PLACE. YOUNG AND PLEASANT. WITH APPOINT MENT. EASY, PRIVATE PARKING. TEL. 677 678 757 - 666 194 079 (302345)

ASIAN wellness massage Nice area west Marbella. Guaranteed results. 623 554 233 or 623 594 699 (301500)

MARBELLA centre – Carmen re laxing massage – Calle Alonso de Bazan 5 – Tel: 642 867 799 (302346)

LATINA Masseuse, brunette ex pert in stress relieve, unwind with deep massage relaxing techniques. 631 925 759 ( FU 2794)

BENALMA�DENA. FRIENDLY attractive masseuse, relieve muscle tension. From 50€. 612 503 055 (fu 2788)

GIOVANNI Italian masseur. Full body unisex massages. Visits, hotels. 631 554 667. (MI 540)

JESSICA 28, Estepona. Full tantric massage. High class ser vice. Private apartment. 711 030 670 (302323)

MEETING POINT

ENGLISH ELEGANT, attractive & classy lady in her late 40s, would like to meet a gentleman for friendship, lunches & dinners. Interested in Golf. Need a com panion. Call 680 177 569 (301417)

the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 952 147 834. (200726)

CAR SERVICES

MOBILE MECHANIC will come to your home or work. Servicing, repairs, ITVs & diagnostics. Call Mick on 617 553 072 (301275)

ENGLISH bodyshop, fully equipped, Mijas Costa. No Job Too Small. 952 667 074 (296043)

WANTED

ALL CARS / Commercials want ed, runners or non-runners. Cash. Buyer collects. Transfer in cluded. 605 109 796 (301158)

MISCELLANEOUS MOSQUITO SCREENS

GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

WANTED, wanted, wanted!! All cars, all years, all models… from exotic to classic. Spanish, En glish, Dutch plated. Call us on 951 977 329 or 606 647 597. (301127)

ACE OF SHADES - Don’t let the bugs get you! Available in enrollable, slider and pleated. Large choice of colours including wood ef fect. Tel: 951 273 254 / 671 732 204 / info@aceof shades.design (101730)

MOSQUITO Screens for win dows, doors and a high-qual ity sliding patio door screen. All finishes available. Quick service. All areas covered. Call Julian 655 825 931 (301104)

MOSQUITO screens, sliding, pulldown, pleated, colours, call Mosquito Nick 647 072 861 www.mosquitonick.ws (295855)

CAMPER VANS , CARAVANS, MOBILE HOMES, BOATS AND ALL PLANT, DIGGERS, DUMPERS, MOTORBIKES, CARS AND COMMERCIALS WANTED. BEST PRICE PAID, CASH TODAY, ANY REGISTRATION WITH OR WITHOUT PAPERS. PLEASE CALL 678 808 837 (290739)

CAR , VANS BOUGHT WITH/ WITHOUT PAPERS. CASH WAIT ING 678 808 837 (290739)

CARS , VANS UK OR SPANISH BOUGHT FOR CASH. FREE COL LECTION IN SPAIN/UK. PLEASE CALL 678 808 837 OR 952 669 701 (290739)

CARS , VANS, ANY REGISTRA TION, INSTANT CASH, FI NANCE/EMBARGO UK OR SPAN ISH 685 524 921 (290739)

WANTED CARS AND VANS, FREE COLLECTION, SAME DAY 685 524 921 (290739)

IMPORT / TRANSFER

CARS transferred, history checks, Imports and Embargo problems. Change of use and lost papers. Change your car to Spanish plates, simple efficient service. Cars bought and sold. Please call 678 808 837 Or email carsinspain@live.co.uk (290739)

MALE/Female

FOR SALE –

WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For

PAINTERS / Decorators - Mar

Estepona,

call Albert 663 681 012 (302057)

SOLUCIONES RAPIDAS - We will Paint your apartment in max imum 2 days. 640 350 479 (301298)

If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386

UK & IRISH Passport renewals including photos. Complete Ser vice. Cath’s Cards. 952 885 759. www.cathscards.es (295683)

COCKROACHES, ANTS, insects, fleas, mice, rats, wasps, termite specialists. Fumigations, bars, restaurants, houses, etc. Sanitary department officially registered certificates. Serving the coast since 1985. Only legal English owned pest control company on the coast. If you want the best then phone N.P.S. Paul 676 700 370 (293982)

our work and how you may be able to help. Run solely by a small team of dedicated volun teers, the Centre is located be tween Alhaurin el Grande and Coin in Comm. de Viña Borrego behind Venta Miralmonte. For more information and directions see our website www.horseres cuespain.org, our Facebook page Centro Andalusi de Rescate de Caballos or tel. 610 845 491 or 656 935 613 (93322)

POOLS

PROP MAINTENANCE

STARLIGHT PROPERTY . All Areas. Residential & Holiday Lets. 689 819 592 www.starlight -spain.com (301262)

PROPERTY TO LET

ROLLER SHUTTERS

WELL-established and thriv ing pet transport business for sale For more info, please contact rsim7445@yahoo.es (302308)

KENNELS

CAT & DOG World Kennels and Cattery. 952 112 978 / 630 197 435. www.catanddogworld.com (302318)

CHARITY

ACE CHARITY ‘El Refugio’ in La Cala de Mijas is a registered charity. We have on average 275 dogs in our care and we receive no help from the town hall or the Andalucian government. We des perately need foster homes and adoptants for our many dogs, es pecially the small ones and pup pies who do not do well in a big shelter. We are grateful for any help offered, including donations of food and blankets. Visiting times are from 13.00 to 15.00 and you can always turn up or make an appointment by calling Denise on 669 018 736. Our website is www.ace-charity.org where you can view all the dogs in our care. (93320)

ADANA THE ANIMAL SHELTER IN ESTEPONA. We always need volunteers to walk and so cialise with our dogs and help with cleaning. We also need good homes for our animals that you can see on www.adana.es. Kennels open every day 10-1.30, Camino de Casares, near Parque de los Pedregales, Estepona. (5 minutes from the Poligono) For more information call 952 113 467, available from 10.00am until 2.00pm. (93319)

ANIMEX Foundation offers free will upgrading when leaving something for abandoned ani mals. Contact animexfounda tion@gmail.com or call 692 166 434 now for this absolutely free service (288287)

ARCH - The Andalucian Rescue Centre for Horses, registered charity 8448, the Centre is open to visitors every Sunday from 9am until 2pm. Working closely with the Spanish authorities, we rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abused and abandoned horses and donkeys. Come and meet our current rescues, learn about

SEPE the horse and donkey charity is open to the public at weekends from 10.00 to 5.00. Volunteers are much needed in all departments and are welcome at any time. For our riding for the disabled classes, we are also in need of extra helpers. We are nationally registered by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior (164640) but only with your sup port can we give the equine a voice. If you can just commit to 2 or 3 euros a month it will really help make a difference. You can find us at Lauro Golf Equestrian Centre, Alqueria, Alhaurin de la Torre. Tel. 608 258 950 info@sepeonline.net www.sepe online.net (93321)

SOS ANIMAL REFUGE we have dogs, young and old look ing for homes. Some of our dogs have been with us for some time and would love to find a cosy spot to curl up in and a knee on which to rest their heads. If you have room in your heart and home we would love to hear from you. We do not put our dogs to sleep - no matter how old, they are safe with us. For day to day needs and to pay for veterinary care, we much appre ciate the support we receive. We desperately need items to sell on our market stall to help raise funds and are happy to come and collect. So, if you are having a clear-out, please contact us on 605 227 155. If you would like to know more about rehoming, please call 653 257 875. Visit our website www.sos-animals.org or please phone Sandy on 952 385 923 or 666 814 056 if you would like to make a donation or help in any way. (93317)

WANTED

SELLING UP?? Why not give us a call and let us give you an hon est and realistic valuation of your property. List with us and let us take the stress out of selling your home. No sale no fee!! English agent on the ball with clients waiting. Please call 685 524 921. (290739)

THINKING of selling your property or interested in a current valuation? We have clients actively looking for properties from Torremolinos to Calahonda. List with us and let us sell your property. Call Joe 626 864 683 (301427)

WWW.INTERMARBELLA.CO

M Costa del Sol Property Sales & Long term rentals wanted. All ar eas / All budgets / All types. Spain +34 951 708 422. UK +44 208 144 5008. Email info@inter marbella.com (295509)

LONG TERM RENTALS AVAILABLE and also wanted. Super prices. Apartments, townhouses, villas, fincas, shops, offices, bars, restau rants. Coast & inland. Tlf 679 111 522 (301410)

WWW.INTERMARBELLA.CO M Costa del Sol Property Long Term Rentals All areas / All bud gets / All types. Spain +34 951 708 422 UK +44 208 144 5008. Email info@intermarbella.com (295509)

FUENGIROLA CENTRE APARTMENT for 1 person, 1 bedroom beautifully furnished long-term for senior citizen or a very responsible retired pension er - min 1 year contract - 550€ per month - Tel. 667 655 648 or 608 337 300

BANUS 3 bedrooms, long/short term, south facing, by marina, private garden, pools. Pho tographs available: bravoele zovic@gmail.com Owner 34 637 439 222 (302314)

REMOVALS/STORAGE

15 CUBIC metre van return ing to the UK 18th November 2022. Space available each way. Tel. 639 928 090 (295249)

MAN AND VAN

MAN & VAN, 20€ ph. Removals, Rubbish & House Clearances. Paul 634 112 677 (291430)

2 MEN, Van €30 p hour. House Clearances & Storage. 651 081 610 (301134)

moveit-storeit.com Tel David 696 810 618 (293101)

ACE OF SHADES - PERSIANA (security shutter) electric and manual, various colours available including wood ef fect, we also offer a repair service. Make your home more secure! Tel: 951 273 254 / 671 732 204 / info@aceofshades.design (101730)

ROLLER shutter repairs, 7 days a week, conversion from manual to motorised, new installations. All areas covered. Coast and inland. 655 825 931 (291815)

SERVICES

FURNITURE

FRENCH POLISHING RE PAIRS, restoration etc. restore your valuable furniture to its for mer glory. Tel 647 579 519 / 952 499 944 (285318)

covered. Quality Guaran teed. 952 663 141/ 670 409 759 info@envirocarespain. com www.envirocarespain. com (301178)

detection & blocked drains. Tel 952 568 414 / 661 910 772 / drainspain.com (292976)

WWW.INMOANDALUZ.COM.

Bargain inland properties for all budgets, fincas, village homes, apartments and vil las. Legal building plots. 952 491 609 / 685 514 835 (295954)

WWW.INTERMARBELLA.COM

Costa del Sol Property for sale. All areas / all budgets / all types. Spain +34 951 708 422. UK +44 208 144 5008 Email info@inter marbella.com (295509)

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL LOCAL RE MOVALS AT AFFORDABLE RATES. 1/2 DAY FROM €90. FULL DAY FROM €175. WE ALSO PROVIDE A FORT NIGHTLY DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE TO UK AND EU ROPE (INCL SCOTLAND). WORLDWIDE SHIPPING TO USA, AUSTRALIA, ETC AND FULL STORAGE FACILITIES. TEL (0034) 952 578 507 OR (0034) 637 892 278 / EMAIL garymoveit@yahoo.co.uk

JDS EURO TRANSPORT & RE MOVALS - Regular trips throughout Europe. Call or WhatsApp Julian 0044 7884 908 929. See Facebook Page for recommendations moveit-storeit.com Tel David 696 810 618 (293101)

STORAGE moveit-storeit.com Tel David 696 810 618 (293101)

SALES PERSON needed to oc cupy a Promotional Stand at a store in Puerto Banus, for Friday & Saturday. Hourly pay. Excellent commissions. Must have own car. Call Graham 711 008 028 (302321)

SITUATION VACANT SOLAR

SOLAR Hot Water heating: FREE HOT WATER. 26 years installation history in Spain. Envirocare. All areas covered. Quality guaranteed. 952 663 141/ 670 409 759 info@en virocarespain.com www.en virocarespain.com (301178)

ENERGY

SOLAR BLINDS ES Ideal for Large Glazed Areas to Reflect Heat / Glare And Stop Furniture Fading And Still Keep The View. Save Heat in The Winter to Im prove Your Living Environment. ian@solarshadetinting.com Tel Ian 958 496 571 / 644 546 176 (292919)

SOFT FURNISHINGS

CURTAINS, blinds, cushions and much more. Free estimates and home visits. Tel 657 369 343 or rosannacarmella8@gmail.com (301301)

SWIMMING POOLS

POOL MAINTENANCE, & Re pairs, including heaters & re grouts. Friendly & reliable ser vice. Malaga to Estepona & inland areas. 678 791 495 / 951 536 389 www.sparklenripple.net (291440)

WESTARPOOLS. Pool construc tion, renovation, repairs and heating. 619 246 372 / www.westarpools.com (301120)

SWIMMING Pool Heating Pumps, Pool Covers, Rollers, Filtration Systems. 26 years installation history in Spain. Envirocare. All areas

TRANSLATORS UPHOLSTERY

OFFICIAL TRANSLATIONS All Languages. 952 789 204 Mobile 654 613 094 sanpedrotransla tions@gmail.com (295071)

ADVANCED Cleaning Services. Professional carpet and uphol stery cleaning, 28 years’ experi ence, wet/dry clean. Honest, reli able. 678 808 837 / 952 669 701 acservs@outlook.com (290739)

CARPETS AND SOFAS cleaned. Reliable, fast service. Family run. Cleansol 952 930 861 / 607 610 578. 10am - 10pm 7 days, all ar eas Discount Code: EWN 1 CLEAN (206437)

UPHOLSTERY including leather cleaned also carpets. 685 524 921 (290739)

WATER HEATERS

Electric & Gas Water Heaters. Quality Installa tions. 26 years installa tion history in Spain. Enviro Care. All Areas Covered. 952 663 141 / 670 409 759 in fo@envirocarespain.com www.envirocarespain.com (301178)

WINDOWS

DREAM Windows & Building Services UPVC windows & doors. High quality at great prices 15yrs on the coast. All work guaran teed. Also offer Aluminium win dows, Mosquito screens, Per sianas, Glass replacements, shower screens & much more. Call us on 619 604 562 dreamwindow1@outlook.com (301215)

WINDOW TINTING

MOBILE SERVICE. ITV Legal. Solar Reflective tint for glass cur tains, balconies, yachts. Stop fad ing, heat & glare. 958 496 571644 546 176 ian@solarshadetint ing.com (292919)

WINDOW CLEANER

TRADITIONAL Window Cleaner. Give your windows and doors that professional finish at affordable prices. Call Chris 711 007 665/ 952 638 548 (295821)

ROAD TEST byMarkSlack

THERE was a time when driving a Korean car meant most drivers would look at you with either pity or the view that you don’t have much money or taste in cars. Move for ward and today Kias are trendy, cutting edge with hybrid and elec tric vehicles and a well‐deserved reputation for reliability and build quality.

The Kia look has evolved into one which is striking and head turning with many less informed drivers thinking they are far more expensive than is actually the case.

Kia’s range is a wide one with everything from a small city car in the Picanto through to a large SUV in the Sorento and the won derfully named Stinger that

Kia Sportage - head turning

looks like a futuristic GT car with added practicality.

In the latest Sportage Kia’s mid‐size SUV strikes a head turning pose and of fers a myriad of power op tions which encompass petrol, diesel, mild hybrid (even in diesel form) and plug‐in hybrid along with manual and automatic gears plus two and all‐

wheel‐drive.

Prices start from a mod est €32,343/£27,750 and in lead‐in form comes with LED lighting, front and rear parking sensors, auto lights and wipers and more.

My mid‐range ‘3’ with manual gears and two‐wheel‐drive doesn’t benefit from hybrid power but does have an impressive ar

ray of standard equipment that includes heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, multi‐zone cli mate control, cruise control and neat lit tle touches like hooks on the back of the front seats. Priced at €37,239/£31,950 this version offers enough equipment to make you feel comforted, but at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

On the road the Sportage’s 1.6‐litre petrol engine offers useable per formance and mpg with a nicely slick six‐speed manu al gearbox. Soaking up the worst of the bumps the Sportage is never going to live up to its sport moniker,

but nonetheless it’s far from disappointing on cross country roads.

The car comes with auto hold, a useful feature that requires one press of the footbrake to hold the car stationary without apply ing the handbrake. Which is a good job as the hand brake is operated via a but ton on the right hand side of the dashboard. It’s the

one thing that feels awk ward and unnecessarily fussy.

The Kia is a delight to live with and very easy and un fussed to drive. It also turns heads as one of the more striking cars you’re likely to see on our roads, and wonderfully doesn’t conform to the norm where all cars tend to look the same.

Facts at a Glance

Model: Kia Sportage ‘3’ FWD Manual

Price: €37,239/£31,950

Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol developing 148 bhp

Gears: 6-Speed manual

Performance: 0-100 kmh (62 mph) 9.9 seconds/ Maximum Speed 182 kph (113 mph)

Economy: 6.8l/100km (41.5 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP)

Emissions: 154 g/km (WLTP)

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

MOTORING

KIA RANGE: With everything from a small city car to a large SUV.

Oldest goalscorer

KAZUYOSHI MIURA has become the oldest goalscorer in the history of the Japan Football League, as reported on Sunday, October 30.

After Kazuyoshi Miura, nicknamed ‘King Kazu’ in Japan, converted a penalty for Suzuka PG, he became the JFL’s (Japan Football League) oldest goalscorer at 55 years and 246 days.

The 55‐year‐old striker scored his first goal for JFL Suzuka Point Getters (fourth division and semi‐professional level) from the penalty spot and helped the Mie side to a 3‐1 win over Tiamo Hirataka.

As noted by top sports journalist Dan Orlowitz, Miura’s record is “just a slight improvement over the previous record of 42 years and 50 days set by current Vissel Kobe sporting director Hideki Nagai!”

Kazuyoshi Miura has also been part of the national team, being a regular player in the footballing boom experi enced by the country in the 1990s and was the poster boy of the newly launched league in 1993. He also was part of the Japan squad that won the 1992 Asian Cup.

Miura started his career with San tos in Brazil in 1986 and has played

Immediate ban

IRAN should be kicked out of the 2022 Qatar World Cup insisted Shakhtar Donetsk’s gen eral director, Serhiy Palkin.

Serhiy Palkin, the gen eral director of Ukrainian football club FC Shakhtar Donetsk addressed FIFA and the football commu nity on Thursday, October 27, suggesting that the national football team of Iran has no right to partici pate in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Due to terrorist attacks on Ukraine by Iranian drones, Iran’s place at the tournament ‐ which will start in less than one month’s time ‐ should be taken by Ukraine, claimed Palkin, as reported by a national news outlet.

Rinat Akhmetova, the Ukrainian club’s manager, said that while the Iranian leadership will have fun watching their team play at the World Cup, Ukraini

ans will be killed by Irani an drones and Iranian missiles.

“Already, almost 250 such drones have at tacked peaceful cities of Ukraine. Each of them was made and delivered by the Iranian authori ties,” read the appeal to FIFA.

Palkin called on FIFA and the entire interna tional community to seek an immediate ban on the participation of the Irani an national team in the World Cup for their direct participation in terrorist attacks against Ukraini ans.

for Genoa in Italy and Dinamo Za greb. He also had stints in Croatia and

Australia as well as at other Japanese sides.

Image:

Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura aka ‘King Kazu’ breaks another record.

WORLD CUP: Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Credit: Google mapsHamim tube

The season is hotting up

MALAGA and El Cañadon took teams at the weekend to the first international Tor revieja walking football tour nament. Both sides were decimated by injury and sub sequently only had one sub stitute each. It was decided that they would just go and enjoy the weekend. And how they did...

El Cañadon in their first tournament got to the final after beating Athletic Club de Bilbao in the semi final, hav ing been unbeaten in the group stages. Eventual win ners were Portobello from the Costa Blanca in an excel

lent final. Malaga had a team of over 60 players and ac quitted themselves well in a very tough group. Malaga meet El Cañadon this week

in the first round of the BA HA Irish Whiskey Cup.

This should be a good game and a good bench mark for El Cañadon against

last week’s finalists. All teams are still seeking play ers for the new season. So if you live in or near Viñuela, Torrox, Nerja, Competa, Malaga, Calahonda, Mijas Costa, or Benahavis don’t worry we have a club for you.

The Costas have a new team! Mollina WFC from Malaga Province.

They take on El Cañadon on Tuesday November 8 in their first competitive game. TheWalking Dead are the early runners in both leagues as they were last season, with a superb start to the leagues, but there is a long way to go and a lot of games to be played, and this season will certainly be tighter than last year where two clubs ran away from the pack very early on and stayed there.

For all information about walking football, visit walk

Charges dropped

PSG star Neymar has been cleared of fraud and corruption charges over his high‐profile Barcelona transfer.

The charges against foot baller Neymar, aged 30, and eight others accused in a trial over the Brazilian’s 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona have been dropped by Spanish prosecu tors.

They initially sought a two‐year prison term for Neymar ‐ who is currently preparing to head to the World Cup in Qatar with Brazil next month ‐along with a fine of €10 million, a case brought by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40 per cent of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos.

The firm claims that Neymar, Barcelona, and the Brazilian club colluded to mask the true cost of his transfer thereby defrauding it of its legitimate financial interests, reporte a na tional news site.

Barca said the transfer was valued at €57.1 million, of which €6.8 million was given to DIS, but Spanish prosecutors believe the actual value was at least €83 million. DIS is seek ing to recover €35 million.

Prosecutor Luis Garcia Canton declared that “there is not the slightest hint of crime” and asked for all defendants to be acquitted at the trial in Barcelona.

EL CAÑADON: Captain Sean McVitty and the guys celebrating.

PSG star Neymar cleared of fraud and corruption charges over Barcelona transfer.

Credit: Aliza Studios/Shutterstock.com.