Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 10 – 16 December 2020 Issue 1849

News

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1849

10 - 16 December 2020

AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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LIFELINE CALL

THE Andalucia Federation of Catering Businesses (Horeca) is calling for more support for busi­ ness struggling under new regula­ tions in a move it hopes will give the hospitality sector a boost be­ fore Christmas. It has asked the Junta de Andalu­ cia for permission for restaurants to open until 11.30pm. This, they say, will allow them to serve dinner and keep thousands of businesses alive and people in work. Current restrictions, which mean they can only serve on the premis­ es until 6pm, with another four hours until curfew, are leading to dangerous situations in which peo­ ple are gathering privately. This means there are no health measures and no control to pre­ vent coronavirus contagion, as bars and restaurants are closed, the federation has said. They report that people openly arrange, while still at bars and restaurants, to all go home togeth­ er once they close.

THE Junta de Andalucia has given the go-ahead for a new shopping centre in Malaga following two years of administrative procedures. The centre is planned on the Villa Rosa industrial estate, opposite Leroy Merlin and Decathlon. The environmental report for the project began two years ago, but the Junta de Andalucia Council for Sustainable Development hadn’t issued a positive response until now, with the approval of other regional departments. T he aim is to raise the land to prevent it from flooding, due to its proximity with the Guadalhorce river, and green areas are planned within the complex. With this permit in hand, the city hall can now go

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: But the hospitality sector needs a boost before Christmas.

Junta go-ahead for new shopping centre

LOCATION: The land is to be raised to prevent flooding.

ahead with the urban planning procedures needed until the project for the 9,220

m2 shopping centre project is approved. There are also plans for a

building to house businesses as well as 1,200m2 worth of facilities for them.

Profits have reportedly fallen by 70 per cent in the catering sector over the December long weekend, compared to the same holiday pe­ riod last year, due to the curfew, plus the bad weather. Combined, these factors pre­ vented many premises from using their outdoor terraces, while in­ door occupancy levels are allowed at only 30 per cent in most of An­ dalucia. In Malaga, the allowed rate is 50 per cent. In readiness for the announce­ ment regarding new measures ex­ pected from the Junta de Andalucia this week, Horeca has stressed that the survival of some 250,000 peo­ ple depends upon better condi­ tions for the sector. As such, it is asking for closing times to be extended until 11.30pm, as well as allowing higher occupation levels throughout the region. An agreement would be a huge boost for businesses and cus­ tomers alike.

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10 - 16 December 2020

NEWS

‘Insensitive’ council spending VELEZ­MALAGA Council has been criticised over ‘insensitive’ spending on Christmas lights when the money ‘could have been used to help those who suffer the most from the con­ sequences of the crisis.’ The Popular Party has accused the council of a ‘lack of sensitivity’ after €196,000 was budget­ ed for the annual Christmas lights ­ the same as

in 2019. Councillor Eva García has criticised the spending, questioning why the local govern­ ment “has not chosen, as many municipalities have, to install less lighting and allocate a high percentage of what was going to be spent on Christmas lights to directly benefit companies, businesses and families, who are going through a critical situation.”

But the council stands by its decision and tweeted: “The city is already prepared for Christmas. In these difficult times, let’s keep to the safety measures. It is the best way to be supportive. Let’s go to the stores in our neigh­ borhood that raise their blinds every morning. And on the way, as a family, let’s see the Christ­ mas lights.”

CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Almuñecar

XMAS LIGHTS: Money could have been put to better use.

Three days of mourning THREE days of mourning have been declared for a popular local mayor, Adela Ruiz Martin. There will be three days of mourning for the second deputy mayor of Competa who sadly died from Covid­ 19. After contracting the virus

several weeks ago and being treated in the ICU, she sadly lost her battle on Tuesday December 8. Adela Ruiz Martin was a mayor of the PP in Axarquia since 2007. A well respected mayor who left her mark on all Competenos and Compete­

Eco-glampsite A GROUP of private investors from Malaga and Madrid plan to sink €1 million into creating an eco-glampsite in Benagalbon - the first of its kind in the province. The Tabia Project, as it’s known, will see the creation of an ecological campsite, integrated into the landscape, with 30 accommodations made from recycled and refurbished transport containers. Almost 30,000 sqm of farmland will be transformed to include two buildings with common spaces, a restaurant, a reception and a shop. “It is the first eco-glamping establishment in the province and one of the first in Spain, which seeks to create synergies between tourism, nature, agriculture, recycling and renewable energies,” promoter Emilio Akl Sfeir told Diario Sur. The team hopes to open the site in early 2022.

nas. The period of mourning will be from 5pm December 8 to 5pm December 11 inclu­ sive. In addition, flags that fly at the town hall will be at half­mast for this period. All public events will be suspended at this time as a mark of respect to the family of Mrs Ruiz Martin.

Hip-hop hopes A GROUP from the Juan Pablo García de Almuñecar Academy group is vying for the Spanish Hip-Hop/Urban Dance Championship title. The dancers have submitted their entry via recording ahead of the competition which takes place at the weekend. Coordinated by Rocío Pulido, and support of Esther García Barbero and Roberto Joyas, the 13-strong dance group has roots in classical ballet - but are excited about the change of style. Councillor for Culture and Education, Alberto García Gilabert, said: “This group has worked so hard and has already given us joy by qualifying second to Andalucia. They are now opting for the national and of course the European championship, for which we wish him all the luck in the world.”

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NIBS EXTRA Battle on THE battle for the League of Legends Almuñecar title is on as 80 young people in 16 teams vie for a share of the €1,000 prize money. The online games competition aimed at 12 to 29-year-olds was launched by the council to ‘encourage them in a period in which the pandemic hinders leisure in the open air.’

Rat control NERJA has rolled out a new phase of its rat and insect control campaign. A specialised company is carrying out extensive disinfection and eradication of rats across the town, which will continue throughout December in Nerja, Maro and urbanisations, concentrating on public and parking areas, municipal offices, cemetery and schools.

Staff attack TWO people were arrested after two hospital staff were ‘brutally attacked’ by a patient’s relatives. A nurse was initially ‘assaulted and insulted’ before a doctor stepped in and was ‘cornered’ and ‘brutally beaten’ in a consultation room at Malaga City'’s regional hospital around 12.30am on Saturday, December 5.

New chief MOTRIL has welcomed Captain Francisco José Martín Fernández as new head of the Guardia Civil Command. He replaces Commander Manuel Pérez Santiago who has held the post for the last seven years, and whose ‘excellent’ work and ‘great enthusiasm’ has been praised by Mayor Luisa María García Chamorro.

Duo Dali DUO DALI will perform Almuñecar’s first musical event for December. The group will open its concert programme at the Casa de la Cultura de Almuñecar on Sunday, December 13, at 7pm, with reduced capacity, while the performance will also be streamed so that everybody can enjoy the show.

Passed away BUSINESSMAN Carlos Charters, who stepped in at the final hour and purchased the flailing Baviera Golf in July 2019, has died. The founder of Cititravel bought the golf club as it was in the process of bankruptcy, creating jobs and saving the only course in the area from closure.

ALMUÑECAR marked Interna­ tional Day of People with Dis­ abilities (Thursday, December 3) by lighting the façade of the Sexitano Consistory and the Puerta de Almuñecar in green. The town council and associ­ ations ALOJHA and ASINAL also launched an awareness cam­ paign. Under the slogan ‘Differ­ ent capacities, equal opportu­ nities,’ the aim is to promote the ‘rights and needs of people with disabilities,’ while empha­ sising the importance of ‘their active participation.’ After lighting the façade of the town hall and the Puerta de Almuñecar in green, coun­ cillor for Social Services, Maria del Carmen Reinoso, said: “We

10 - 16 December 2020

Disability day CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Almuñecar

NEWS

GREEN LIGHT: In support of people with disabilities.

A Day For All

MOTRIL celebrated Interna­ tional Day of Persons with Dis­ abilities (Thursday December 3) with an awareness campaign entitled ‘’A Day For All.’ “This year, the Covid­19 pan­ demic has placed this group of people with functional diversi­ ty in a more complicated situa­ tion because of their physical and social vulnerability. We cit­ izens must be aware of this,” said the council. “We have been working throughout the year to re­ spond and address the de­ mands of associations that work with people with func­

tional diversity. “We want to praise the great work that people and groups do in Motril for people with disabilities and their families, to give visibility and defend their rights.” The Consistory has joined the manifesto of the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI) for a better under­ standing and ‘full Inclusion.’ WHO estimates that more than one billion people, ap­ proximately 15 per cent of the world’s population, experience some form of disability.

Job prospects EUROPE has awarded €1 million to boost em­ ployment prospects in Velez­Malaga. Councillor for Busi­ ness and Employment, María José Roberto, said the cash from the European Social Fund ROBERTO: New programme. will be used to create an employment programme. “This will benefit almost 300 people; 225 participants, plus trainers, tutors, coordinators, as well as associated personnel for the correct development of the programme. “We also want to promote social inclusion, fight against pover­ ty and any other form of discrimination and for this, the Local Au­ tonomous Organisation for Integral Development of the Munici­ pality of Velez­Malaga (OALDIM) is on board. “It has designed a programme of integrated insertion itiner­ aries to create more opportunities for growth and employment, obtaining certificates of professionalism for different disadvan­ taged groups.”

illuminate hope in colour as a sign of support for the demand for a more inclusive society for people with disabilities.” Councillors and town hall of­ ficials together with a wide rep­ resentation of local groups ALOJHA and ASINAL attended the lighting event on Wednes­ day, December 2. Maria del Carmen Reinoso added: “An inclusive town must favour autonomy, pro­ mote equal rights, promote the creation of favourable envi­ ronments. It is everyone’s re­ sponsibility: public powers, pri­ vate institutions and society as a whole, to ensure that situa­ tions of inequality do not oc­ cur.”

Earthquake Santa Fe DID you feel the earth move in Santa Fe? An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter Scale was felt on Wednesday night, December 2 north west of Santa Fe, close to El Jau. According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN) the earth­ quake occurred at 00.09 and the epicentre was in the Granada town of Pinos Puente. Being only one kilometre deep, the quake was thought to have been felt very strongly by many inhabitants. Because of the intensity of the rumble, scientists at the Andalu­ cian Institute of Geophysics and Earthquake Disaster Prevention (IAGPDS) have asked anyone in the location at the time to complete a survey about how the quake felt. “Were the china and glassware moved? Did it wake up those who were sleeping? Did the neigh­ bours go out onto the street?” are some of the questions the Insti­ tute would like answered.

Extra free masks MORE free surgical masks will be distributed in Malaga Province towns with less than 25,000 inhabitants. The Diputación de Malaga has delivered a new shipment of 135,000 masks ­ 90,000 for adults and 45,000 for children ­ to local town halls. They will be given to providers of essential services and vulnerable groups, accord­ ing to their needs. Councillor Natacha Rivas said

this new shipment brings the to­ tal number of protective masks handed out since the start of the pandemic to 550,000, in addi­ tion to sanitary products. The Provincial Council has al­ so delivered protection material to the 32 Civil Protection groups in the province, which have been supplied with gel, masks, gloves, laser thermometers, dif­ fusers for internal disinfection, sulfate backpacks and safety glasses.

Winging it A CAR full of wild birds caught illegally was stopped by police in Malaga City. In the boot of the car, National Police discovered cages carrying wild birds and equipment used to capture them illegally. The ‘elusive behaviour’ of the driver, when questioned by police raised suspicions and officers from the Prevention and Reaction Unit decided to search the car. On inspection, they found more than 20 Finches, Canaries, Goldfinches, and other species. According to sources, they had been captured in a nearby field and two Spanish men, aged 32 and 35, are under investigation for an alleged crime against flora and fauna.

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Apollo Cloud

A NEW Apollo Cloud sys­ tem for greater efficien­ cy will ‘revolutionise the way the police work,’ claims Rincon de la Vic­ toria Council. The management tool features a wide range of applications such as per­ sonnel and vehicle man­ agement, messaging fa­ cility, connection to DGT and other authorities and organisations for consulting documents and licence plates, draft­ ing complaints, geoloca­ tion of officers and cam­ era management. There’s also an app that makes it possible for the different headquar­ ters to share information of police interest. Councillor for Citizen Security, Borja Ortiz, said: “The implementa­ tion of this system will revolutionise the way the police work, taking a substantial step in mod­ ernising and updating it.” Ortiz added: “With this installation we comply with another police and union demand from years ago.”

Carol service LUX MUNDI Torre Del Mar is inviting everyone to take part in its Special Christmas Carol Service with social dis­ tancing. The Ecumenical Christmas Carol Service will take place at the Parish Church of San Andrés in Torre del Mar from 5.30pm on Saturday, December 12. Social distancing and wearing of face masks will be required. Meanwhile, Lux Mundi has restarted its Friday cof­ fee mornings at the Torre del Mar centre. While enjoying a cuppa, guests can browse Christmas present ideas, home­made cakes, clothes and second­ hand items.

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10 - 16 December 2020

Valencia tourism budget

THE Generalitat Valenciana will increase the Viatgem Bonus bud­ get for 2021 by €2 million, taking it up to a total of €12 million, “so that it meets the double objec­ tive of stimulating internal de­ mand this winter and helping to maintain jobs and companies,” announced regional president, Ximo Puig. “The Consell is not going to

leave alone the fabric that directly feeds 15 per cent of Valencians and many more indirectly, be­ cause a decade ago, when we were having the worst time, tourism was a saviour of the Va­ lencian economy,” added Puig. The president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Carlos Mazón; the mayor of Benidorm, Antonio Pérez; the rector of the

Ryanair and Boeing

THE airline announced on Thursday, December 3, that it had signed a purchase agreement with Boeing for 75 new MAX­8200 aircraft, which increases its firm order for the Boeing ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft from 135 to 210, with a total value of over $22 billion (€20 bil­ lion). The announcement comes after the Boeing MAX aircraft was certified by the FAA to return to service with Ryanair expecting to take the first deliveries of these new fuel­efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft from early 2021. Ryanair and Boeing have agreed on revised delivery dates, and have also agreed to compensation for the direct costs incurred by Ryanair over the past 18 months due to these de­ livery delays, although some of this compensation has been factored into a modest reduction in the pric­ ing of this new aircraft order. The aircraft delivers eight more seats per flight, yet burns 16 per cent less fuel, and lowers noise emissions by 40 per cent and the 197 seat Boeing aircraft is the perfect sized plat­ form to allow Ryanair to expand and grow its low fare services across Europe over the next decade.

University of Alicante, Manuel Palomar; the vice president of the Valencian Community Hotel and Tourism Business Association (Hosbec), Federico Fuster, and the director of the ‘Pedro Zaragozá Orts’ Chair of Tourism Studies, Armando Ortuño met in Benidorm Thursday, December 3 to discuss the future of the re­ gion’s tourism.

DIGITAL VACCINE PASSPORT DECISION THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has decided Immunity Passports are not a good idea. The WHO announced on Thursday December 3, that it did not ap­ prove of countries issuing immunity pass­ ports for people who have had Covid­19 and recovered from it. It has however, said that it will investigate the possibilities of using electronic certifi­ cates containing vaccination details, which would allow free travel during the pandemic for the holder of that certificate. It was against immunity passports in theory. The European arm of the International Health Organisation of the United Nations, high­ lighted the need for some form of a digital or electronic certificate. Further discussions with the 53 member states will take place, and look at the securi­ ty of travel and the transmission in schools, colleges and universities.

Costly Christmas Tree THE Valencia City Council has paid 58 per cent more than in 2018 for the exact same Christmas tree. The PP Party have called on Valencia City Council to explain why the exact same tree, that in 2018 cost €12,670, has this year cost €20,000 ­ a More expensive. staggering 58 per cent in­ crease. The vice spokesperson, María José Ferrer San Segundo, demanded on Thursday, December 3 that “the Ribó government and the PSPV clarify why the price has increased.” Likewise, Ferrer San Segundo has asked why the bid price of the Christmas trees that are installed in the squares and central streets has increased by 47.6 per cent in the last two years, going from €3,520 to €4,300. Since 2017, the tree that has been tendered and fi­ nally installed in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento has the same dimensions and technical characteristics with a height of 20 metres and a width of 10 metres. The hiring of Christmas lighting, he pointed out, “has been done very late and hastily, which has caused us to be, on December 3 without the lights.”

NEWS

Spanish Covid Protection Gloves C O V I D protection gloves have been invented by a Spanish company in Rioja. T he gloves are the brainchild of J M P E ngineering and have the brand name ‘Guantelet.’ Much research has been done by the company, not only to make the gloves protect the wearer from Covid, but also make them antibacterial too. In addition to this they are designed to be comfortable enough to be worn all day and washable. T he gloves will still be able to maintain the Covid protection for up to 30 washes, and the technology used in the gloves means they will not have to be washed too often. The protection factor actually breaks down the virus in around an hour.

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10 - 16 December 2020

Cordoba Christmas Lights Tour Italian mafia in Tenerife THE coronavirus pandemic may have changed many aspects of Christmas 2020, but the iconic and much-loved tradition of El Paseo de la Ilusion will still take place this year, in a slightly altered form. The tradition of taxi drivers bringing older people around to see the Christmas lights and local festivities, which has been running in Cordoba for 16 years, will take place between December 14 and December 23. The president of Autacor, Miguel Ruano, explained that some 200 people will get to

XMAS LIGHTS: Taxi drivers will take older people around to see the festivities. enjoy the night-time tours, beginning at 7pm and lasting for just under an hour. Seniors will be collected from their homes in one of 20 daily trips and chauffeured around town in fully sanitised taxis with Christmas carols playing. Ruano is also conscious of

people living in care homes who cannot avail of this tour. For these residents, he has proposed a video of the spectacle be made for them to watch, as well as “collaboration with a company to give them a gift voucher and make Christmas sweeter.”

IN collaboration with the Castello di Cisterna Carabinieri Investigation Unit, three members of the Mariniello clan were arrested in Tenerife at the same time as another five members were arrested in Italy. The Italian authorities had Three members arrested. issued a European Arrest Warrant against them for belonging to a criminal organisation, blackmail and loan-sharking. The operation began in late 2018 when police learned of the presence of several Italians thought to belong to the clan, who were involved in a number of criminal activities. Once identified, they were put under surveillance, resulting in their arrests this week at the same time as the members in Italy were detained.

Guardia Civil Embarrassed Spanish Osborne THE Guardia Civil has come under fire for a TikTok video posted by the Benemerita Police Force in the Basque Country of officers dancing to the hit song, Jerusalema. The footage, which is just under one minute long, was originally posted by the group on October 12, but the Union de Oficiales de la Benemerita heavily criticised it on Monday, November 30 for portraying the force negatively. The video shows a number of officers in

hazmat suits performing the viral dance moves at an airport, seaport and heliport, and displaying a sign reading ‘Do you know where these Guard Civil officers are from?’ The unfortunate irony is that Bilbao can clearly be seen in the background shots. The Union has called the display an ‘embarrassing spectacle’ and refers to a ‘feeling of shame’ at what they view as ‘satisfying personal interests instead of looking at the good image of the force.’

Sales Rocket

THE Spanish based Osborne Company has seen online sales boom this year with the pan­ demic. The company’s internet sales have increased 150 per cent in 2020, and they say this is due to Covid­19 and restrictions that have prevented people buying products at supermarkets, or

pushed them to opt for the con­ venience of internet purchases. The Spanish based firm is ex­ pecting to see an increase of 120 per cent on Christmas sales in­ cluding spirits and wines. The company that is based in Cadiz owns brands such as Anis del Mono and the Iberian ham brand Cinco Jotas.

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Cash seizure

GIBRALTAR Customs stopped an individual who was entering from Spain in December 2019 and discovered that he was carrying banknotes of various denominations amounting to €85,940. When questioned, he stated that the money was not his but he was carrying it for a third party and when he declined to give the name of the owner, officers decided to hold the cash in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act 2015 in order to investigate the matter further. Although the owner reportedly contacted Customs through a legal representative, no evidence concerning the source of the cash nor its intended use was ever supplied. Following an application from Customs to the Magistrate’s Court, it ordered the forfeiture of the cash and as there has been no appeal against the decision, the money will now become part of Gibraltar Government funds.

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Dumbest Ever ‘Love Armed Robber jihad’

A 52­YEAR­OLD Spanish national was arrested for robbery, on Thursday, November 26, by Na­ tional Police, in Fuengirola, Malaga. After being stopped in the street, by two officers searching for a suspect who had carried out some robberies earli­ er in the evening, he blurted out spontaneously, without being questioned, “Officer, I haven’t robbed any supermarkets.” The suspect had earlier robbed two local supermarkets, only 30 minutes apart, the first one being the Maskom whilst wearing a mask similar to the

one used in ‘Money Heist’, at 8.30pm, and then, another, El Jamón, this time using a scarf to disguise his face, threatening the cashiers in both stores, bran­ dishing a knife to hand over the till contents, before fleeing. The officers obtained CCTV footage of the suspect, and went in search of him. He was spotted walking calmly down the street, and upon question­ ing, that is when he gave himself up so stupidly. Police discovered two knives on him, one with a three­inch blade, the other 11 inches.

Vaccine Live On Air FORMER US presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton have all agreed to get the coronavirus jab live on air in an attempt to dispel the concerns many have shown about the vaccination, with some 42 per cent of Americans saying they are unwilling to take the shot. The US leaders join UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and TV presenter Piers Morgan, who have all said they would consider taking the vaccine on air to improve public confidence.

law A MUSLIM man has been ar­ rested in India under a new law for allegedly trying to con­ vert a Hindu woman to Islam. After being arrested on Wednesday, December 2, the man ­ who claims he is inno­ cent and has ‘no link’ with the woman ­ was remanded into custody for 14 days. This is the first time the new anti­conversion ‘love jihad’ law has been used in Uttar Pradash, and four other Indian states are currently drafting the same legislation. ‘Love jihad’ is a term radical Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage. But the new law ­ which carries a prison term of up to 10 years ­ has been blasted, with critics calling it Islamo­ phobic.

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Squatter can stay THE Supreme Court has ruled against the eviction of a squatter who is a victim of gender vio­ lence. The Court considers that pro­ tective measures put in place were only for her two children and nothing had been done to protect the woman herself, and fears that if evicted, they would be at risk of domestic violence. The Community of Madrid wanted to evict the woman who had illegally occupied a house with her two children, who are in

a precarious financial situation, but the Supreme Court considers there was an “absolute lack of foresight” on behalf of the Ad­ ministration regarding adequate protection measures to the vul­ nerable family. The home is owned by the So­ cial Housing Agency. The judge ruled that although he cannot prevent a forced evic­ tion derived from a final adminis­ trative act indefinitely, he does have to consider whether the ad­ ministration has taken protective

measures to protect them, and in this case, the court believes that eviction is disproportionate. This ruling is against the Madrid High Court of Justice, which had approved the evic­ tion. The woman filed an appeal and the Supreme Court has said it was necessary to consider the circumstances when there are children involved and the nega­ tive impact which an eviction from their home could have on them.

Mother Detained in Elche A MOTHER has been detained in Elche after al­ legedly leaving her young son locked outside, alone in the rain. The incident occurred on November 27, at around noon when the boy aged two, was al­ legedly locked out in the rain and left with an um­ brella. He was found crying, wet and soaked in urine by the police after a neighbour reported hearing crying. The Local Police gained access to the child us­ ing a ladder. The boy was too young to be able to tell officers what had happened and the boy’s brother, aged 17 was found asleep inside. He had

ELCHE: Mother left her son in the rain. no explanation and did not know where their mother was. After returning home the mother was de­ tained for suspected abandonment of a minor.

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10 - 16 December 2020

Son help captive A SWEDISH woman in her 70s has been arrested on suspicion of keeping her son prisoner for 28 years. According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, the woman was detained on Monday, November 30, and accused of unlawful deprivation of liberty and grievous bodily harm. She allegedly kept her 41-year-old son captive at a flat in Stockholm. Prosecutors said the man was discovered “sitting on a blanket with no teeth and sores on his legs” surrounded by “urine, dirt and dust” on Sunday, November 29. On learning the mother had been admitted to hospital, a relative went to the property and found the door unlocked. She told the Swedish newspaper that “he spoke very fast and a little incoherent, but he was not afraid of me.” The son was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries where doctors contacted the police. The woman denies keeping her son captive and GBH.

Dogs trained to attack T W O animal associations have reported the recording and sharing of videos which show dogs brutally attacking a cow and a pig. Associations Libera and Familias polo Respeto Animal (FA R E) say that the dogs could have been trained and used by farmers in locations between Ourense and Zamora. In a statement, the organisations explain that in one of the videos, shared on WhatsApp, a cow can be seen tied up and being attacked by at least three dogs, “causing it

DANGEROUS: Dogs were attacking other animals. immense suffering.” Another video shows a dog attacking a pig, while a man shouts at it to “keep going.” The man has a strong accent which leads the associations

to believe they are in Galicia. They have requested citizen collaboration to identify and locate the organisers who record these events which “intend to promote the suffering of animals as if it were a show.” Environmental officers from the Xunta de Galicia will open an investigation to charge the culprits with animal abuse, with up to 18 months in prison and being disqualified from owning animals or practising professions related with animals for up to three years.

Largest Ever Man-Made Beach FINAL permissions have been granted for the €15 billion construction of Alovera Beach, in Guadalajara, just 50km from Madrid, where a 35,000m3 fresh-water inland lake, with 17,000m2 of imported sand, will make it the largest man-made beach in Europe, whilst creating over 300 jobs. The development, with the proposed completion date of 2023, will boast a capacity of 4,500 users at any one time, and will include typical water-park amenities including, water slides, a boating marina, beach bars, an artificial wave pool,

man-made islands, and family restaurants, and an estimated 250,000 visitors are expected, with an entrance charge of €10. Crystal Lagoons is the firm who won this prestigious contract, a company who constructed the famous lagoon in San Alfonso de Mar, Chile, which at the time went into the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest lagoon, only to break their own record with the building in 2015 of a 30-acre lagoon in Citystars Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

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Ryanair Extra Flights

THE airline announced on Tuesday, December 1, that it’s added even further addi­ tions to its Christmas sched­ ule as a result of increased demand across the network, commencing from Decem­ ber 16. In response to strong demand and as part of its commitment to bring fami­ lies and friends together this Christmas, Ryanair an­ nounced a total of 24 addi­ tional flights from Dublin, London Stansted, London Gatwick, Porto and Bari, which were available for booking until midnight on Thursday, December 3. This follows recent addi­ tional flights from Paris Beauvais, Manchester, Mala­ ga and Budapest to name a few. Ryanair has launched a very merry seat sale with cracking fares available from just £19.99 (€22.26) for trav­ el from December 16, 2020 ­ January 3, 2021.

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Eiffel Tower to reopen THE Parisian landmark the Eiffel Tower will reopen from December 16 it has been announced. Other museums and state monuments will also be open for the first time since October 30, which is when they were all closed due to the increase in coronavirus cases. The Eiffel Tower along with the Arc de Triomphe are the most iconic French capital structures, and President Macron will be keen to have them once again TOWER: Will reopen along with open for viewing. other French capital structures. The French public and of course, much-needed tourists as well will be welcomed back to view the iconic structures so important for tourism.

EASYJET CHARGE OVER YOUR HEAD

DO you put your bags in the overhead locker? Be careful, you may be charged for the privilege as easyJet now wants to charge flyers up to £24 each to store away their luggage. It’s seen by many as a quick way to make more money from passengers. The airline admitted from February 10, 2021 it will be halving baggage allowances, however, customers will be allowed to bring on a bag which must fit under the seat, if it does not they can store it safely above as usual, but at a charge of up to £24, each way! This decision by the company comes despite increased business when lockdown ends at Christmas, and the flight bookings soared. If you decide to pay for and choose your seat and or have extra leg room, you can bring a larger bag and store it above in the overhead lockers charge included.

Mercadona scam alert NATIONAL POLICE and Guardia Civil have warned of a new scam using the name of supermarket chain Mercadona. Beware if you receive a WhatsApp message claiming Mercadona is giving away free €180 coupons for Christmas. Clicking on the message leads to a fake website imitating Mercadona’s which includes a survey at the end of which, visitors are asked for their details. This will in turn be used by cybercriminals to obtain per-

sonal and banking data from internet users by a method known as phishing or by introducing malware. If you receive such a text, erase it, and let whoever sent it to you know that it is a scam. It has gone viral on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The supermarket chain has warned its brand name and image are being used without its consent and remind customers they do not run any type of promotions or raffles, nor do they give away vouchers.

Best’s Little Black Book Sold FOOTBALL superstar, George Best, famously had a string of high­profile romances and lovers, and now, his ‘little black book,’ containing names and phone numbers of his former lovers, has sold for £1,500, at an online auction, run by Stacey’s Auctioneers in Basildon, Essex,

who also sold George’s shirt worn on his debut for Northern Ireland, which went for £13,000. A spokesman for the auction­ eers said the book held “all his main contacts including, girl­ friends” with a note inside reading: “With love, from George.”

10 - 16 December 2020

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10 - 16 December 2020

THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS is urg­ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local through the lock­ down and for your Christmas shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super­ stores. This lockdown and festive peri­ od we challenge you to rediscov­ er your local high streets, mar­ kets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde­ pendent businesses in your area. Due to the Covid­19 pandem­ ic, you may have to support many local businesses by order­ ing online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate. The joy of shopping local means that independent busi­ nesses can help support the lo­ cal community. Although it may be a euro or

GO LOCAL

two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is actually going. By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than Christmas to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way. Many local stores support lo­ cal charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often

passed down through numerous generations. So be sure to pre­order your turkey from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us revive that community spirit and get to know our neighbours again. You could also consider pur­ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking outside the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a local studio, a hair cut at

a local salon or an online study course for someone looking to change their career path. As people are struggling with fi­ nances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift per­ haps pre­paying a family mem­ ber’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry, give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times. Choosing to spend your mon­

ey locally will really make a differ­ ence in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways. First, buying local keeps mon­ ey circulating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and invest in their employ­ ees. Data shows that local retailers return 52 per cent of their rev­

FEATURE

enue back into the local econo­ my, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers. Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce. First, they sell to a local restau­ rant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restau­ rant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour­ hood hardware store. This example illustrates how the recirculation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communities. Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportuni­ ties for people within our com­ munity.

FINANCE Another merger LATEST in the rush of Spanish banks looking to merge, sees Liberbank and Unicaja presenting their marketing plans to the European Central Bank (which is broadly in favour of stronger banks) as well as proposed structure.

Topo Chico AFTER testing consumer response in Japan, Coca Cola will be launching its first alcoholic drink in the Spanish market, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer which is a mixture of sparkling water, alcohol and gluten-free fruit flavours in March 2021.

Passenger insurance WITH a good record for few accidents, Spanish railway operator Renfe received just one bid in response to its tender for passenger insurance which was €4.1 million per annum for a two-year contract from American International Group (AIG).

Dark store LUSH, in Oxford Street, had to close but it had three storeys of soaps which needed to be sold so it was decided to turn this into a ‘Dark Store,’ closed to the public but accepting orders and using bikes for deliveries.

ECB backs cash THE European Central Bank (ECB is committed to ensuring that cash is readily acceptable around the euro area according to Board member Fabio Panetta even though there appears to be an overall increase in digital payments. Panetta warns however that people should keep in mind that digital payments can be relatively easily disrupted by power cuts, hackers and technical failures. He commented “In such situations, cash can support resilience in payments: owing to its unique features, it provides a crucial backstop and a trusted store of value.”

STAT OF WEEK

€91 million

is the amount of lost revenue that one of Europe’s richest football clubs, Real Madrid believes is attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spanish borrowing

Spain to invest funds in AI SPANISH Prime Minister Pe­ dro Sánchez has announced plans to invest €600 million into an ambitious new Artifi­ cial Intelligence (AI) strategy in an effort to transform the country’s economy and infra­ structure. He confirmed that the gov­ ernment will invest the mon­ ey into the development of a national AI strategy between 2021 and 2023, with the pos­ sibility of further funding “if things are done well.” The ambitious new strate­

gy will encompass the appli­ cation of AI in business, ad­ ministration, and education and will attempt to make Spain a global centre for the emerging tech field. Of the €600 million bud­ get, €275 million will be in­ vested directly into techno­ logical development. A further €133 million will be spent on integrating AI into the economy and production, while €100 million will go towards ap­ plying AI into public and

LEGALLY SPEAKING

government systems. The remaining funds will be invested into the promo­ tion of research, education and professional training that Sánchez promises will be spread across Spain’s regions and promote gender diversi­ ty in the tech field. The strategy will hope to see Spain emerge as a world leader in the growing field of Artificial Intelli­ gence, and extensive work will be put into making Spanish a working language

of the futuristic industry. He has also said that the government will develop an ethical framework to “rein­ force our individual rights and freedoms” in the rapidly changing context of technol­ ogy. The PM added that AI is a “transversal technology that covers health, agriculture, protecting the environment,” and said the new strategy will improve “systems of pro­ duction, design, and cyberse­ curity.”

A good track record

Can they stay longer? Many people who own properties in Spain would like to spend more than 90 days here during the year, but they are worried that they will be limited to only 90 days after the transi­ tion period expires on January 1, 2021. Some are ap­ plying for residency in the belief that this will allow them to spend more than 90 days in Spain and that they will not be liable to pay residents’ income tax unless they stay for more than 180 days in a year. Can you shed any light? M L (Costa Blanca)

First, the tourist stay in Spain is limited YOU AND THE LAW to 90 days in any IN SPAIN period of 180 days. After the stay of 90 days the tourist must leave Spain for 90 days before he can legally return. This is not new. It has always been the rule. Secondly, any­ one who holds a residence permit is liable for Span­ ish income tax. Period. And a person who stays in Spain more than six months without a residence per­ mit may also be deemed subject to Spanish tax on the grounds that Spain is the country where he spends the most time.

DAVID SEARL

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

AS Arcadia calls in Administrators, the 13,000 staff most of whom are on furlough, don’t know what will happen to their jobs although the action to bring in Deloittes has been to protect the group from creditors and there are currently no planned redundancies. In the meantime, Arcadia con­ tinues to trade online and the titu­ lar owner of the group, Tina

Credit: La Moncloa flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

www.euroweeklynews.com • 10 - 16 December 2020

12

2021 BUDGETS: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Pedro Sánchez recently met in Palma. usual multiannual budget pe­ A RECENT report from the riod as during the last MFF Italian Institute for Political which started in 2014 and Studies, the two main recipi­ ended this year, they used on­ ents of monies from the Euro­ ly a small part of the Euro­ pean Recovery Fund, Italy and pean Structural Investment Spain have a good track Funds available. record in obtaining funding Both spent as little as 10 from the European Union and per cent of the funds in the a poor one in spending it. first four years of their being Their recently presented available and then tried to 2021 budgets show that both play ‘catch up’ at the end of say that they will spend the the budget period, which indi­ allocated grants in full (Italy cates a clear lack of proper €87 billion and Spain €70 bil­ planning processes although lion) but whilst Italy expects in the case of Spain, the un­ to take advantage of the loan derspend was during the peri­ being offered, Spain does not od when the Partido Popular intend to use it until possibly was in control. 2024. Time will now tell whether According to the report, either country can face up to history suggests that both the challenge of planned countries have struggled to spending of the allocated plan and spend the European money. funds accessible during the

Arcadia continues to trade Green, has confirmed that having already paid £50 (€55) million to the pension fund, she is about to pay a further £50 million even though it wasn’t due until Sep­ tember 2021. Whilst in the long­term there are likely to be plenty of potential

purchasers for brands such as Top­ shop and Miss Selfridge, this does­ n’t mean that there will be any takers for the shops themselves or for the more staid brands such as Evans. Another knock­on problem has hit Debenhams who themselves

WHAT might have appeared earlier this year as panic borrowing by Spain as it looked to the European Central Bank (ECB) to help bail it out as the country veered into lockdown may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The ECB has already con­ firmed that it will effective­ ly underwrite all of the Spanish bonds to be issued and because of the spi­ ralling fall in interest rates, Spain may well find that the borrowing costs next to nothing. In the long term it will have to repay the principal sum, but possibly without interest.

Business rates relief IN these days of accoun­ tants and shareholders de­ manding profits almost over any care for consumers, four major supermarkets have confirmed that they will repay £1.39 billion (€1.53 billion) to the UK government in respect of business rates relief re­ ceived. The four companies, Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco all confirm that their sales have been much high­ er than expected and there­ fore they had no need to keep the funds, although cynics suggest that they have made the decision so they don’t have to face gov­ ernment financial review once the pandemic is fin­ ished. are in Administration and were hoping to see a rescue from JD Sports, but as much of the Deben­ hams business relies on conces­ sions from Arcadia brands, that deal has also fallen through. Spare a thought for shoppers in Gibraltar who have seen their BHS store close down and its replace­ ment, Debenhams likely to follow shortly.

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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 7

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3I Group 1.114,00 1.131,50 Admiral Group 2.802,0 2.844,0 Anglo American 2.522,0 2.537,0 Antofagasta 1.395,00 1.452,50 Ashtead Group 3.241,4 3.253,0 Associated British Foods 2.285,0 2.334,8 AstraZeneca 8.107,0 8.172,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 547,80 558,20 Avast 477,11 487,20 Aveva 3.247,0 3.255,0 Aviva 329,88 340,64 B&M European Value Retail SA468,39 476,62 BAE Systems 523,00 525,80 Barclays 144,46 149,22 Barratt Developments 621,00 653,40 Berkeley 4.478,4 4.818,0 BHP Group 1.916,40 1.933,00 BP 272,60 277,43 British American Tobacco 2.801,2 2.801,2 British Land Company 492,60 506,63 BT Group 130,83 135,80 Bunzl 2.382,0 2.389,0 Burberry Group 1.800,0 1.819,5 Carnival 1.514,5 1.531,0 Centrica 44,75 45,74 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.285,0 2.303,0 Compass 1.480,00 1.485,50 CRH 3.075,0 3.116,0 Croda Intl 6.124,0 6.230,0 DCC 5.694,9 5.769,8 Diageo 2.962,0 2.970,5 DS Smith 340,02 342,90 EasyJet 924,45 934,00 Experian 2.656,5 2.685,0 Ferguson 8.513,7 8.548,0 Flutter Entertainment 14.870,0 14.950,0 Fresnillo 1.135,00 1.140,50 GlaxoSmithKline 1.399,45 1.402,47 Glencore 236,10 240,02 Halma 2.265,5 2.290,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.424,00 1.444,00 Hikma Pharma 2.559,00 2.581,00 HSBC 414,15 415,85 IAG 169,33 172,29 Imperial Brands 1.487,26 1.488,61 Informa 569,00 575,60 InterContinental 4.959,1 5.004,0 Intermediate Capital 1.668,61 1.710,00 Intertek 5.710,0 5.724,0 ITV 97,96 102,80 J Sainsbury 210,74 215,55

% CHG. 1.113,50 2.794,0 2.520,5 1.391,00 3.224,0 2.285,0 8.053,1 546,40 477,11 3.191,0 329,80 466,90 522,60 144,46 619,17 4.470,0 1.916,20 272,60 2.744,0 492,20 130,20 2.363,0 1.793,0 1.482,5 44,69 2.285,0 1.461,00 3.075,0 6.120,0 5.694,9 2.946,5 339,30 911,80 2.649,0 8.507,7 14.680,0 1.133,00 1.391,40 235,86 2.253,0 1.417,78 2.549,00 412,17 168,00 1.463,00 568,20 4.923,4 1.668,21 5.676,0 97,83 210,14

NET VOL 70,34K 41,80K 47,09K 132,82K 3,19K 16,46K 21,64K 96,19K 10,09K 19,83K 300,31K 55,17K 233,31K 2,44M 119,76K 4,22K 394,38K 1,24M 32,60K 36,72K 3,45M 55,52K 32,12K 81,63K 745,23K 15,16K 103,82K 34,39K 12,35K 10,54K 261,68K 48,56K 134,20K 57,18K 1,73K 33,07K 37,38K 115,67K 516,23K 1,39K 32,08K 14,79K 234,84K 2,17M 25,02K 72,93K 1,72K 2,25K 16,83K 636,91K 90,50K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Johnson Matthey 2.303,3 JSC MMC Norilsk Nickel ADR 31,17 JSC VTB Bank DRC 0,985 Land Securities 695,69 Legal & General 252,20 Lloyds Banking 37,21 London Stock Exchange 8.640,0 Meggitt 446,20 Melrose Industries 162,81 Mondi 1.682,50 National Grid 859,40 NatWest Group 165,63 Next 6.602,0 Ocado 2.210,40 Persimmon 2.724,0 Phoenix 719,40 Prudential 1.242,50 Reckitt Benckiser 6.422,0 Relx 1.762,50 Rentokil 498,60 Rightmove 615,00 Rio Tinto PLC 5.457,0 Rolls-Royce Holdings 131,35 Rosneft 5,95 Royal Dutch Shell A 1.397,25 Royal Dutch Shell A 1.397,8 Royal Dutch Shell B 1.347,6 RSA Insurance 675,60 Sage 579,80 Samsung Electronics DRC 1.679,00 Sberbank 14,95 Schroders 3.257,0 Scottish Mortgage 1.112,32 Segro 893,60 Severn Trent 2.298,0 Smith & Nephew 1.532,50 Smiths Group 1.562,50 Spirax-Sarco Engineering 10.895,0 SSE 1.379,50 St. James’s Place 1.067,00 Standard Chartered 480,60 Standard Life Aberdeen 284,70 Taylor Wimpey 156,98 Tesco 225,26 Tui 473,24 Unilever 4.361,0 United Utilities 910,00 Vodafone Group PLC 131,22 Whitbread 3.235,0 WPP 771,58

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

2.360,0 31,53 1,007 726,40 262,55 38,59 8.678,0 449,80 164,90 1.696,50 862,00 171,15 6.768,0 2.237,00 2.898,0 725,60 1.251,00 6.518,0 1.774,50 500,80 627,40 5.493,0 133,19 6,00 1.412,50 1.411,2 1.358,6 676,80 583,60 1.686,00 15,21 3.313,0 1.116,39 904,60 2.309,0 1.541,50 1.586,00 11.000,0 1.389,00 1.090,50 488,90 289,80 161,32 228,50 486,80 4.365,5 921,80 132,24 3.315,0 785,60

2.303,3 31,17 0,985 695,69 250,92 37,16 8.626,0 442,93 162,81 1.680,50 856,60 165,10 6.600,0 2.202,00 2.718,0 718,20 1.239,00 6.400,0 1.762,50 496,40 610,20 5.447,0 130,40 5,94 1.396,00 1.396,4 1.345,0 675,20 576,26 1.678,00 14,90 3.254,0 1.106,00 891,88 2.283,0 1.527,00 1.562,50 10.860,0 1.378,50 1.065,00 480,60 284,38 156,18 224,80 464,60 4.332,0 908,20 130,76 3.235,0 771,58

8,15K 41,88K 37,61K 8,56K 328,76K 33,53M 20,21K 20,75K 158,26K 44,50K 473,44K 1,87M 18,56K 11,17K 270,26K 201,21K 193,88K 65,71K 22,90K 93,66K 164,32K 177,66K 4,06M 159,68K 421,73K 40,57K 113,02K 164,32K 31,84K 2,64K 623,49K 9,84K 228,31K 7,41K 56,53K 72,69K 1,45K 7,12K 15,30K 25,13K 337,54K 51,89K 494,10K 208,55K 289,43K 21,90K 75,03K 978,75K 50,76K 22,15K

0.9112

1.10352 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.20922 Japan yen (JPY)......................................126.075 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.08061 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.44307 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.7350

currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 7

COMPANY 3M Alphabet C Amazon.com Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Facebook Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com Tesla UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 172,46 1.827,99 3.162,58 229,21 122,25 232,71 182,21 93,28 44,38 53,85 279,70 239,58 263,99 212,68 127,20 51,99 150,27 122,34 210,74 81,94 214,36 137,19 137,47 225,86 599,04 349,89 61,55 212,68 148,91 154,14

CHANGE 173,16 1.833,16 3.198,21 230,33 122,86 238,18 183,81 93,45 44,51 53,87 283,46 239,75 268,73 212,89 127,38 52,65 150,31 123,29 213,38 81,96 215,38 137,40 137,86 228,60 599,04 351,47 61,80 212,72 149,51 154,68

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 171,54 2,66M 1.816,99 1,38M 3.158,76 2,91M 225,75 1,99M 121,52 78,26M 230,25 29,38M 175,62 6,09M 90,92 10,79M 43,89 17,32M 52,76 18,12M 279,30 10,88M 236,95 2,37M 262,82 7,73M 209,39 3,20M 123,64 5,52M 51,00 39,77M 149,27 6,75M 121,69 13,58M 210,10 3,15M 81,11 8,26M 213,18 24,67M 135,64 4,34M 135,87 6,62M 221,82 20,50M 585,50 29,40M 345,75 3,26M 61,27 10,50M 208,51 5,72M 147,58 6,96M 152,81 6,03M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 7

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+197.16% +2.78% +5.26% +1.35% +3.79% +2.59% +2.85% +93.22% +1.87% +3.29% +2.26%

3.39M 1,317 54,243 339,519 12,730 163,350 553,878 2.79M 505,430 1.76M 632,860

-0.76% -2.96% -3.45% -19.62% -9.82% -3.69% -1.28% -1.81% -16.15% -2.62% -3.01%

2.91M 480,537 2.71M 1.40M 8.52M 608,945 961,248 467,838 2.74M 4.36M 27.70M

Most Advanced Seer Inc. Cl A Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A Booking Holdings Inc. Atrion Corp. CoStar Group Inc. Intuitive Surgical Inc. Sigilon Therapeutics Inc. Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Lam Research Corp. Equinix Inc.

Most Declined Amazon.com Inc. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. Ulta Beauty Inc. Cortexyme Inc. Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. Quidel Corp. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Pool Corp. Cambium Networks Corp. Zscaler Inc. Moderna Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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Advertising Feature FUNERALS are mostly sad, dark and depressing but it really doesn’t need to be that way. They can be warm-hearted, wonderful, quirky, and most importantly personal, personalisation is a great way to turn a funeral into a celebration of life. Golden Leaves can help you pre-plan a funeral that is unique to you.

Be Bold

ONE of the most common requests from people who talk about their fu­ neral plans is ‘no black.’ While some will just ask for people to wear their favourite colour or their favourite sports team’s kit, many have more spe­ cific requests, such as Hawaiian shirts or even multi­coloured wellies. One Glastonbury fan had the unique re­ quest everyone who attended their fu­ neral wore wellies in honour of a shared love of the festival, one lady re­ quested the funeral service be decorat­ ed with fruits and vegetables in­ stead of flowers and why not... It’s your day af­ ter all. Arrive in style Unconven­ tional trans­ port is a pop­ ular request. Why have a hearse when you can arrive in an old fire engine, an old fashioned milk float or a horse drawn carriage? The Ashes What to do with the ashes is a question most people look to have sen­ timental meaning, people’s ashes being made into jewellery has become a very popular trend and with new technology it’s now possible that from your ashes can grow a beautiful diamond, or some­ times they’re put into a firework to ‘go off with a bang!’ Make it personal Most of us don’t like talking about death, and it is a conversation we’ll avoid, often until it’s too late. But, if you want a funeral personal to you, now is the time to make your plans, and the Golden Leaves team of experts are wait­ ing to help you, they are also offering €150 off all pre­paid funeral plans through the month of December making it even more affordable. The team at Golden Leaves have over 30 years’ expe­ rience, so no matter your requests we are sure they will be able to help you. Create a memory table One of the essentials of any person­

alised funeral service is a memory table. We love memory tables because you can do so much with them. You could even make multiple memory tables that are set­up like ‘stations’ to represent different chapters or passions in your life. The possibilities truly are endless here. Sow seeds of love In many cultures and traditions, plant­ ing a tree is a way of symbolising impor­ tant occasions, including birth, mar­ riage, and death. Embrace the tradition by either packaging seeds for a particular plant that ser­ vice guests can bring home to plant their memorial tree or flower, or gath­ ering atten­ dees together for a joint planting in someplace special. Create ‘Fun Fact’ Cards A funeral ser­ vice is a once in a lifetime chance to cele­ brate the life you’ve lived, tell your story, and share all of the unique details that made you who you were. But sometimes this is hard to do in just an hour­long funeral service. Fun fact cards are an interesting way to spice up your funeral programme, all you have to do is simply print them out and easily incorporate into your funeral service, or give them away at the wake afterwards to encourage positive con­ versations and memories. When you leave behind your loved ones, having a funeral plan in place pro­ vides not only peace of mind knowing they avoid the financial burden, but it allows them time to grieve and support one another without the stress of or­ ganising a funeral and trying to guess how you would like things. Whilst plan­ ning your funeral may appear to be a morbid thing to do, it can actually re­ move a huge weight from your shoul­ ders in knowing you have taken care of your family through what will be a very difficult time for them.

10 - 16 December 2020

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10 - 16 December 2020

Santa Claus ‘Essential Service’

THE Sevillian town of Coripe has declared the Three Kings and Santa Claus an ‘essential service’ to ensure that all the town’s children re­ ceive Christmas gifts despite the current coronavirus restrictions. Susana Lopez, mayor of Coripe has ensured that on Christmas Eve Santa Claus can move freely in the town and the same for the Three Kings on January 5. They are also guaranteed not to be stopped when entering neigh­ bouring towns of El Coronil, Morón de la Frontera or Montellano. All that is left is for the children of Coripe to do their part and keep behav­ ing well to ensure they receive their festive presents.

Graffiti artist finally caught A GRAFFITI artist has been charged with causing €56,000 worth of damage to trains in Malaga City as well as the Costa Blanca and Almeria. The Belgian, 28, was arrested in Malaga and is accused of van­ dalising 14 different trains. The ‘spate of criminal damage’ began in 2015, when police be­ came aware the same person

was responsible for a number of scrawlings on trains in four differ­ ent provinces. Officers from the National Po­ lice’s transport unit worked with Local Police in various towns to identify the suspect who lives in Almeria. According to the train compa­ ny, €55,956 worth of damage was caused.

FEATURE

Another conspiracy theory LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I THINK I’m losing track of the plot. Correct me if I’m wrong (and I KNOW you will) but didn’t we get all excited a few weeks ago with the announcement that the Brits had developed a new vaccine which was cheap, had a 90 per cent success rate and could be stored at normal fridge temperatures? Since it has been announced that the British government has decided to purchase the Pfizer concoction, which is not only more expensive, but has to be preserved at ­70 degrees it appears our British vaccine is ‘still having trials’ and only a success rate of 62 per cent to 90 per cent! I actually did think there appeared to be skullduggery afoot, but with the announcement that the UK version will be available from next week and the Queen is one of the first volunteers, I suppose a bit of revenue will be coming the Brits way after all. Ah well. I will probably have the ‘fix’ when it becomes available. When you

get to my age, ‘long term effects’ don’t have quite so much prevalence as they did in days of yore! What I did find even more disconcerting was some other information I received recently. What about this for a hackle raiser? I quote. ‘The Chinese biological laboratory in Wuhan is owned by Glaxo, which by ‘chance’ owns Pfizer. Glaxo, also by chance, is managed by Black Rock Finances. Black Rock manages the finances of the Open Foundation Company (THE SOROS FOUNDATION!). ‘Coincidently,’ Soros also owns the German company Winterthur who, strictly by ‘chance,’ built the Chinese laboratory in Wuhan, which was bought by the German Allianze which ‘coincidently’ has Vanguard as a shareholder, who are also shareholders of Black Rock’. (Are your eyes glazing over yet!?). Black Rock controls the Central Banks, about ONE THIRD of global investment capital and ‘incidentally’ is a major shareholder of Microsoft. Microsoft is, of course the property of Bill Gates, who just happens to be a shareholder of Pfizer and is also currently the first sponsor of the World Health

Organisation! Are you beginning to get the picture? If not, don’t bother, it’s actually another ‘conspiracy’ theory. More fake news, which is full of the half­ truths and outright fantasy that unfortunately riddles the social media in this day and age. These posts are not only damaging and misleading, but are a complete and utter waste of time and energy. They can also be quite dangerous when gobbled up and spread among the more gullible who want us to believe everything they read! I see the mealy mouthed Nicola Sturgeon has had the wind taken out of her sails by the EU, who stated last week that it was extremely unlikely that an independent Scotland would ever be considered by them for membership. Well of course it wouldn’t. Time to wake up to this incompetent woman’s politics of hatred and go forward together. I for one would hate to see a physical border and passports coming between me and the homeland of my many Scottish friends. After all, I am their favourite Sassenach DJ! Keep the Faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com. Expatradioscotland.com. Mon. Wed. Fri.

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

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10 - 16 December 2020

DAVID WORBOYS ALTHOUGH beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, there are many in­ stances where just about everybody beholds a concept or an image in the same way. How many men (or women) would genuinely find Ksenia Sukhinova (pictured) anything other than beautiful? Beauty is either created by God (by na­ ture) or by man. A colour, such as green, can be created by either. A beauty of nature may be short­lived or enduring, whether it is a fleeting sunrise, almond blossom, a tiger or a lake. The beauty in natural creations such as a rose or a red admiral will eventually fade, but it doesn’t date. Man­created beauty doesn’t either ­ it’s only fashion that becomes dat­ ed. The beauty of an island or a beach can be spoiled by human activity such as ‘de­ velopment’, but not dated. To almost anybody, surely, the natural mountains, forests and meadows of the Tirol are beautiful. The magnificent Alham­ bra Palace in Granada is man­made, while the lakeside village of Sirmione in Italy is a creation of man in a naturally exquisite set­ ting. It’s likewise, Portofino. Maradona’s 1986 goal in Mexico and

FEATURE

OH, YOU BEAUTY! New Aston Martin DVS Volante.

Ksenia Sukhinova is beautiful. Pete Sampras’s service are also sights of dramatic beauty. The beautiful song, ‘La Paloma’, was cre­ ated by its composer (Sebastian Yradier), as were the slow movements of Mozart’s Piano Concertos 20 and 21, while the voic­ es of Joan Sutherland, Edith Piaf or a great Welsh choir were temporary gifts of God, honed to perfection. From bespoke leather jackets to the Al­ hambra Palace, there are many beautiful human creations that withstand the test of time. For me the two most beautiful creations by man that I can think of both happen to be British engineering designs. The E­type Jaguar of the 1960s has a feminine kind of beauty that will never age. But I find even better the more rounded and sturdier de­

Most beautiful human creation. sign of the new Aston Martin DBS Volante (pictured). It’s not just fashion that makes me prefer the Volante; it’s progress. But my most visually beautiful human creation is a railway engine (pictured). The combination of aesthetic perfection, char­ acter and power is encompassed in the A4 locomotive of Sir Nigel Gresley of 1937. There is still much nostalgia for the age of steam, and when you behold this magnifi­ cent standard bearer, it is not difficult to see why.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

AMID the first pandemic for more than 100 years in which free societies have endured restriction of their civil liberties that few had thought possi­ ble, there was surely only one seri­ ous candidate for ‘word of the year’ for 2020. Yes, you guessed: ‘lock­ down’. Other pandemic­linked terms on Collins Dictionary’s 10­strong list in­ clude ‘furlough’, ‘key worker’, ‘self­ isolate’ and ‘social distancing’ as well as ‘coronavirus’. Non­virus related words to make the list reflect the so­ cial and political events of 2020. Run­ ners­up included the abbreviation ‘BLM’ (the Black Lives Matter move­ ment). And ‘Megxit’, to describe the ongoing story of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s efforts to extri­ cate themselves from royal responsi­ bilities for a new life in California. Slightly more obscure, perhaps, is ‘mukbang’, a term which literally means ‘eating broadcast’. It refers to a social media phenomenon that

10 - 16 December 2020

WORD OF THE

CENTURY started in South Korea and has since gone viral worldwide in which celebri­ ties and ‘influencers’, itself a short­ listed word of the year in 2019, film themselves consuming food to excess for the benefit of followers on plat­ forms such as YouTube and TikTok. Yuck! As for me, my vote goes to ‘bigly’, though isn’t ‘Trump’ a contender, too? Another ‘bigly’ popular term this past year has been ‘pivot’ (for in­ stance, restaurants ‘pivoting’ to home deliveries). Indeed, ‘world­beating’ dissemina­ tion of an effective vaccine (fingers crossed) will prove a ‘pivotal’ point in the saga of Covid­19 ­ once, that is, they ‘ramp up’ the distribution which will be an ‘unprecedented’ challenge. Let’s just hope it’s ‘baked­in’, ‘oven­ ready’ and they’re ‘doubling down’ on it right now... Personally, I’ve always hated the

word ‘lockdown’. But then I’ve always hated ‘dentist’. I had one called Payne and another called Skidmore (that slow drill hanging over me like an evil praying mantis). Plus a school friend who swore he went to a dentist called Dr Fang he never wanted to hear about again. But then there are certain words that enter common usage that you would NEVER want to hear again ei­ ther. ‘Brexit’ (2016) is one. ‘Lock­ down’ will surely be another... Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Land­ scape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora­johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99;£0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

EWN 21

Reptile Rescue G U A R D I A C I V I L have arrested three people on a farm in the Barcelona town of Sant Vicenç de Montalt for selling protected species of reptiles. Along with the arrests, a significant number of live animals were rescued including 19 turtles (Trochemys Scripta), two turtles (Centrochelys Sulcata), two snakes (Aspidites Ramsavi), a chameleon (Chamaleo Callyptratus) and three crocodiles (Crocodylus Siamensis), all of which have been determined that they were invasive species and protected by the C onvention on I nternational T rade in E n d a n g e r e d S p e c i e s o f W i l d Fa u n a a n d F l o r a (C I T ES). The animals have been moved to specialised centres where they are recovering.

Avoid PayPal Charges PAYPAL will be hitting users with the £12 charge in December for inactive accounts, unless of course you are registered in Ireland or in Hungary. Now is a good time to check your account as the charge will go out on D ecember 16 and will hit those who have not used their account in over 12 months. There are a few ways to avoid paying the charge and those whose accounts are

not linked to a bank account apparently cannot be charged as the fee will be taken direct from the bank. For users that currently have a balance, PayPal will be able to use this money, but if the balance is in the negative users should be safe. U sers with inactive accounts should have been receiving warnings of the upcoming payments direct from PayPal.

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EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.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.

TORY DRUM

I ALMOST bought a round after reading Loopy Lee praising the government on its performance over the last few months. The worst death toll in Europe, the worst financial crisis since goodness knows when. The most contradictory, confusing Coronavirus advice given to the British people. The shame of Cummins and his sidekick flouting the rules at will, then blatantly lying? Then the government blatantly backing him, disgraceful. I could go on but I don’ t have the time. Of course the media had a go at this government’s abject failure, however, it was not only the left media that totally slated them, the broadsheets got in on the act as well. Along with a good splattering of their own MPs. I notice Mr Lee failed to mention the government’s main tormentor and nemesis, ITV’s Piers Morgan. Boris daren’t go on there he would be totally humiliated. Good dodge Leapy it stops you getting a battering from the man himself. Philip

An immense shame that those in authority are deliberately in denial and try to minimise the concerns or sweep them under the carpet. Hope your comments are read and absorbed by those who can bring about a change in some of the new values which are so damaging our society. Regards R Martinez

Swallows

Songs

Whilst I appreciate how important it is for those that intend to live in Spain to get their news and advice re their future residence from you which has been extremely useful, please don’t forget us home owning swallows. Like many I am still working and running a business in the UK and also like many a residency is just not an option. So obviously we also appreciate all the latest updates. Great fan of your paper and of course Leapy!! AM Villamartin

Hi LL Just read your article and had to say it is spot on and reflects the real reality and not some imaginary view.

Hold Zimbabwean president to account to stop health tourist in neighbouring countries

OUR VIEW Working from Home

AT the beginning of the lockdowns, many of us saw working from home as a blessing. Lockdown meant increased family time, and it put a pause on commuting, which is both pricey and stressful. There was more downtime at home and far less money spent on work attire, working in my dressing gown on the sofa I’m not proud to say was a regular occurrence. Since the onslaught of the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of employees who prefer to work from home rather than the office. Fast-forward to the end of the year, Christmas is just around the corner and many of us have been working remotely for almost an entire year. You and your partner - or housemates - are sharing makeshift office space and, in a lot of cases, this means working at the kitchen table. Perhaps you’ve even begun to miss the mundane office chitchat and small talk. In the pre-pandemic world, remote work was not synchronous with social isolation measures, and in the current climate, any form of social interaction almost becomes a treat. I never thought I’d see the day that I’d welcome small talk of any form, but here we are. All of this got me thinking. Let’s suppose remote working is becoming the ‘new norm’, are we prepared for it? Could we finally be saying farewell to monotonous commutes? With less demand, what would become of our public transport systems and the individuals that work for them? Imagine the London underground without rush hour, without the stacks of professionals lined up like sardines rubbing shoulders. Personally, I’d love it, but I doubt the employees whose hours have been cut would feel the same.

CORRECTIONS

Dear Editor, World AIDS day in Zimbabwe is a painful reminder of the misery of orphans and the carelessness of the government to tackle issues that economically and socially affect people with HIV AIDS. The devastating effect of HIV AIDS in Zimbabwe is profound. In 2019, 40,000 people died due to AIDS related illnesses in Zimbabwe. This number could have been easily reduced if effective prevention measures were implemented. Nurses and doctors spend more time on prolonged industrial actions pleading for the government to pay decent salaries and improve the working conditions. It is obvious that the ZANU PF party has no remorse nor care for its citizens as till this day the cries and pleas of the nurses have gone unanswered even some being prosecuted for protesting. Who can blame the nurses when there is not enough resources to treat patients, no ambulances, no medication and to make matters worse many patients are transported to hospitals on wheelbarrows? The current harsh economic situation in Zimbabwe has prevented AIDS sufferers from buying appropriate medication and food because of high costs and unemployment. It is difficult enough for an able-bodied person to buy decent food let alone someone affected by AIDS. The Zimbabwean government should seriously and urgently revive the healthcare systems so that citizens will not burden other countries’ healthcare systems such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. President Mnangagwa should show strong leadership and improve healthcare systems otherwise he will be forced out by leaders of neighbouring countries when they fail to cope with Zimbabwean migrants invading their countries for treatments. M Tinarwo

HAVE YOUR SAY All letters by email or post should carry the writer’s address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.

COMMENTS FROM FACEBOOK No awards required, except boxing belts of course! Good for him, that BLM guy Hamilton will win anyway.

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Enslaved women rescued from ‘babymaking’ factory in Nigeria Who pays for these babies when there are absolutely 100s of them in Nigeria needing adoption?

KSL

First arrest under ‘love jihad’ anticonversion law India is a truly racist country, as an American I am an expert on racism and when you create new laws that prevent inter-faith marriages, you are headed down a dark path. India is the next Nazi Germany.

ER

The Chinese Farm Where You Can Have A Dog Cooked To Order As Sausages Makes my blood boil. I wish god would strike down these heartless murderers.

SA

Breaking News: Ryanair Orders 75 Boeing Max-8200 Aircraft (210 In Total) Not so hard up then.

TA

At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

25

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS ARIES (March 21 - April 20) It seems that you are putting a lot of effort into whatever you do without getting as much out as you would like. However, as the week goes by, you will realise that it is only a temporary situation. Sometimes, it takes others a period of adjustment before they are ready to accept changes of a personal nature.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) The brick wall that you start banging your head against this week is not an illusion. It is, indeed, true that others are not responding to you in an expected way. By Wednesday this wall will start to fall and people will be more receptive.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Everything seems an effort at the beginning of this week, but as energy levels pick up you will gain momentum. Tackle one thing at a time and realise that Rome was not, indeed, built in a day. As the weekend approaches you will begin to realise that you have been far more effective than you thought.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) You really do need to come to an understanding with friends over a social matter, although this may take a little effort this week. It is clear that there are those who are less helpful than others, but this could be because of a misunderstanding.

LEO (July 24 - August 23)

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) What a lovely surprise to find that something you have always wanted is coming your way at last. Keep a firm hand with finances and take control if you want to organise things for the better.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Be cautious this week with your money. You have been aware for some time now that a change in your finances is likely. You have this in common with many others in your situation. Seeking professional help can be free and can make a big difference.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) A special chance to try something new should not be passed over. No one expects wonders from you, they are happy just to see you enjoying life. A recent change in your attitude to your future is already showing. Luck is just waiting for you to invite her in.

HEXAGRAM The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (DETAIL) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ABOUND ANTHEM ASTUTE BEETLE BURLAP CATSUP CHASTE CRADLE DETAIL (10) ENTIRE NEWTON RAISED RASCAL RETIRE TELLER THEORY TIPTOE WEALTH WORTHY

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 5 December

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Your home life gives you the most satisfaction at the moment even though someone seems to be challenging you. Some things are best ignored until they go away of their own accord and that also often applies to people. There is a time for everything and choosing it will make a task that could be difficult that much easier.

13-38-47 51-52-59

Be a social animal this week and you will strengthen both people and business contacts. After being busy last week, you may be inclined to take it easy. If it is the case that you really are low on energy, then use the telephone or email to full advantage to keep in touch.

Involvement in a situation connected with someone close may not be the best option this week. Giving advice is all well and good so long as you are sure of your facts.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23)

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

Someone well and truly treads on your toes this week and it really puts your teeth on edge. There are some bridges that may not be mended at the present time and are best left alone. Show your generous side but resist the urge to give in on an important issue because you are likely to regret it later.

Some disruption to your plans annoys you but there’s no point getting in a huff. Outside influences cannot be stopped but you are able to keep calm yourself. Rising to the bait will play into someone else’s hands. Although a situation must be dealt with, do it in your own time and in your own way.

BONUS BALL

18

IRISH LOTTO Sat 5 December

3-8-10 20-43-44

BONUS BALL

40

EURO MILLIONS Tue 1 December

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

TIME OUT

BONUS BALL

4

14-20-29 47-49

12

Fri 4 December

BONUS BALL

14-20-27 34-38

1 11

EL MILLON: HGG28522 LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 3 December

BONUS BALL

02-14-19 30-32-49

16 9

JOKER: 7238443 Sat 5 December

BONUS BALL

03-14-28 31-40-49

20

JOKER: 8155390

6

TIME OUT

26

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CODE BREAKER

ENGLISH-SPANISH

The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 5 represents T and 23 represents Q, so fill in T every time the figure 5 appears and Q every time the figure 23 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Across 1 Alabanzas (7) 5 Palos (5) 8 Button (on garment, machine) (5) 9 Bison (7) 10 Columna vertebral (5) 11 That (5) 12 German (6) 14 Strawberries (6) 18 Prensa (5) 20 Lakes (5) 22 Conductores (7) 23 Mile (5) 24 Águila (5) 25 Bailadores (7)

Down 1 Poverty (7) 2 Before (5) 3 Smile (7) 4 Envelopes (for letters) (6) 5 Fishing (5) 6 Languages (7) 7 Cáscara (de huevo, nuez) (5) 13 Tarde (últimas horas) (7) 15 Regime (7) 16 Señales (7) 17 Cerrado (6) 18 Father (5) 19 Escena (5) 21 Resolver (5)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Available, 6 Early, 7 Ideas, 9/14 Tip off, 10 Luggage, 11 Measles, 16 Needs, 17 Erase, 18 Strangers. Down: 1 Alert, 2 Aeroplane, 3 Loyal, 4 Bring, 5 Waste, 8 Evaporate, 11 Mends, 12 Loser, 13 Stern, 15 Feeds.

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Stables, 5 Tiger, 8 Chapter, 9 Shawl, 10 Set-to, 11 Cushion, 12 Robins, 14 Sparks, 17 Flatter, 19 Organ, 22 Shear, 23 Cleaner, 24 Lathe, 25 Screech. Down: 1 Sacks, 2 Abaft, 3 Let down, 4 Struck, 5 Tests, 6 Glazier, 7 Relents, 12 Refusal, 13 Bravest, 15 Pioneer, 16 Wrecks, 18 Torte, 20 Genie, 21 North.

ENGLISH-SPANISH

BOGGLED

FUTOSHIKI

riot rota rotate rort iota itch itchy aitch aorta aortic teat tech techy tench oath tiro tori tour tore tort torte torc torch torr true thou thru throe thrice echo echt euro etch ecru retch recti hour houri hoer choir chou chore neat neath trot troth tribe tich cert cruet crotch cite citer rite rice ricer rich enrich ichor lite liter litre lice

Across: 1 Washing, 5 Swans, 8 Leather, 9 Offer, 10 Sonar, 11 Esmalte, 12 Abbots, 14 Thirty, 17 Maletín, 19 Sport, 22 Junta, 23 Oración, 24 Stare, 25 Tadpole. Down: 1 Wales, 2 Spain, 3 Inherit, 4 Garden, 5 Storm, 6 Alfiler, 7 Surgery, 12 Almejas, 13 Balanza, 15 Husband, 16 On foot, 18 Traje, 20 Óxido, 21 Tense.

CODE BREAKER

NONAGRAM deer doer dorm dorp drew drop ewer mere more peer perm pore prod prom prow redo reed rode romp rope were word wore worm doper dower emeer erode moper mower pedro pored power proem roped rowed deeper peered permed powder premed redeem romped weeder weeper wormed empower powered EMPOWERED

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 FILTER 2 CORRAL 3 UPTAKE 4 RELIEF 5 REPEAL 6 EMERGE 7 GENIAL 8 UMPIRE 9 ADVENT 10 GARDEN 11 PUPPET 12 INTENT 13 DIPOLE 14 INLAND 15 TEEING 16 CLOUDY 17 DIGEST 18 ILLUME 19 ENERGY

DINE MINE MILE MALE (MILL) MALL (HILL) HALL

KAKURO

or DINE WINE WILE WILL HILL HALL or

SUDOKU

DINE DIVE HIVE HAVE HALE HALL

www.euroweeklynews.com • 10 - 16 December 2020

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Axarquía TODAY

ARCHIDONA

WEATHER

CASABERMEJA VELEZ-MALAGA NERJA RINCON MALAGA DE LA VICTORIA

TOMORROW

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA VELEZ-MALAGA NERJA MALAGA

SATURDAY

RINCON DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA VELEZ-MALAGA NERJA MALAGA

S: Sun

C: Cloudy

Th: Thunder

RINCON DE LA VICTORIA

Cl: Clear

Sh: Showers

Sn: Snow

Malaga TODAY: MAX 18 MIN 8 Fri 17 10 Sat 15 10 Sun 14 9 Mon 17 8 Tues - 16 9 Wed 15 9

Alicante TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 12 Fri 16 10 Sat 17 13 Sun 16 12 Mon 16 11 Tues - 19 11 Wed 19 12

Almeria TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 7 Fri 19 9 Sat 15 8 Sun 14 10 Mon 15 11 Tues - 16 12 Wed 17 11

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 11 Fri 19 12 Sat 18 11 Sun 17 12 Mon 19 12 Tues - 17 11 Wed 17 159 Mallorca TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 11 Fri 19 13 Sat 17 12 Sun 17 11 Mon 18 11 Tues 17 12 Wed 19 11

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 10 Fri 17 9 Sat 16 11 Sun 14 11 Mon 15 10 Tues 16 13 Wed 15 15 Madrid TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 13 Fri 16 15 Sat 15 12 Sun 14 12 Mon 16 13 Tues 17 14 Wed 17 16

27

TIME OUT

FUTOSHIKI Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

BOGGLED How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? • The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. • Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. • No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. • No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 11 Fri 17 11 Sat 16 12 Sun 15 11 Mon 16 11 Tues 18 9 Wed 19 10

Euro Weekly News strives for accuracy, but cannot be held responsible for any errors in published forecasts

TARGET:

SCORING:

Average: 19 Good: 26 Very good: 37 Excellent: 48

4 letters: 1 point 5 letters: 2 points 6 letters: 3 points 7 letters: 5 points 8 or more letters: 11 points

KAKURO Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

CRYPTIC Across 1 Robert's musical wild animals (7) 4 Chews the fat in a church at suppertime (5) 7 Jumble sale including 10 vehicle parts (5) 9 Appetiser for a race official (7) 10 Weed holding deer as temporary prisoner (7) 11 Chef in kitchen returns with a weapon (5) 12 Fashioned an outhouse to keep a python initially (6) 14 Swan taking donkey round trees (6) 18 Join the French, become confused (5) 20 Fresh bread is cooked slowly (7) 22 Some slimmers eat duck (7) 23 Poet has a meal at the King's Head (5) 24 One taken in by my cash (5) 25 Moderates fits of anger (7) Down 1 Be taking pains to get to the seaside? (7) 2 Bighead lets out cuffs (5) 3 Part of embassy’s temporary procedure (6) 4 French Alka-Seltzer contains calcium carbonate (5) 5 Sit and read awkwardly with legs apart (7) 6 A merry frolic for drunken peers (5) 8 Criticise pub credit (5) 13 Awfully bad sign for stomach (7) 15 Saint has an old boat that is undecorated (5) 16 Unhappy winners are cruel people (7) 17 Not here, as bent out of shape (6) 18 Cab heading off to the centre of Rome? That's taken for granted (5) 19 Peer with a ponytail is ahead of schedule (5) 21 Flash flood ruins tapes (5)

TIME OUT

28

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SUDOKU

QUICK

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

Across 1 Quick (4) 3 Retail outlets (5) 8 Changed for something different (9) 9 Fixed look (5) 10 Utter a sudden loud cry (4) 14 Not easy (4) 15 Cooked in an oven (5) 18 Standing out (9) 20 Bring the foot forcibly down upon (5) 21 Unemployed (4)

Down 1 Known thing (4) 2 Structure that provides privacy and protection from danger (7) 4 Make whole and healthy (4) 5/19 Over eat (3,3) 6 Frightening (5) 7 Full-grown (5) 11 Chosen by vote (7) 12 Strips of potato fried in deep fat (5) 13 At some time in the future (5) 16 Motion picture (4) 17 Free from danger (4) 19 See 5

WORD LADDER Move from the start word (WRAP) to the end word (GERM) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.

WRAP

QUIZ There are 12 sovereign states that make up the continent of South America. This quiz is about 10 of them: 1. According to Michael Bond, the duffel coat wearing, marmalade loving bear, Paddington was sent by his Aunt Lucy from which country? 2. Founded in 1903, the sports club Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys is based in which country? 3. Hips Don’t Lie and Whenever Wherever were both UK hit singles by singer/songwriter Shakira, who was born in which country in February 1977? 4. In 1960 Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and which other country formed the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)? 5. Which country’s flag is made up of three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the centre of the flag? 6. Sucre is the constitutional capital and La Paz the seat of government of which landlocked republic? 7. The bossa nova, a dance similar to the samba was developed and popularised in the 1950s and 1960s in which country? 8. The guaraní is the national currency unit of which country? 9. Which country has a wine growing area called Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins Region, often shortened to O’Higgins Region? 10. Which country hosted and won the inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament in 1930? Not a lot of people know that… Guyana is the only Englishspeaking nation in South America and, at just under 165,000 square kilometres (64,000 square miles), Suriname is the smallest sovereign state in South America

BACK GERM

NONAGRAM

RACHEL AND FRIENDS

How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case B) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

Average: 14 Good: 19 Very good: 27 Excellent: 35

Answers 1. PERU 2. ARGENTINA (Rosario, Santa Fe) – they were named after the Essexborn teacher Isaac Newell, 3. COLOMBIA (Barranquilla), 4. VENEZUELA, 5. ECUADOR, 6. BOLIVIA (officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia), 7. BRAZIL (bossa nova means ‘new trend’ in Portuguese), 8. PARAGUAY, 9. CHILE, 10. URUGUAY

10 - 16 December 2020

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29

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Covid Pfizer Vaccine A C OV I D-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK, paving the way for mass vaccination to start. Officials said the vac­ cine will be made available ‘from next week’ as Health Secretary Matt Hancock de­ clared ‘Help is on its way.’ A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “The government has today accepted the recom­ mendation from the Inde­ pendent Medicines and Healthcare products Regula­ tory Agency (MHRA) to ap­ prove Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid­19 vaccine for use. The UK has already or­ dered 40 million doses ­ enough to vaccinate 20 mil­ lion people, with two shots each. Around 10 million dos­ es should be available soon, with the first doses arriving in the UK in the coming days. It is the fastest ever vac­

NEW VACCINE: ‘Help is on its way.’ cine to go from concept to reality, taking only 10 months to follow the same developmental steps that normally span a decade. Although vaccination can start, people still need to re­ main vigilant and follow coronavirus rules to stop the spread, say experts. That means sticking with the so­ cial distancing and face masks and testing people who may have the virus and asking them to isolate. Experts have drawn up a provisional priority list, tar­

geting people at highest risk. Top are care home residents and staff, followed by people over 80 and other health and social care workers. They will receive the first stocks of the vaccine ­ some before Christmas. Mass im­ munisation of everyone over 50, as well as younger peo­ ple with pre­existing health conditions, can happen as more stocks become avail­ able in 2021. It is given as two injections, 21 days apart, with the second dose being a booster.

FEELING stressed can lead to us making wrong food choic­ es as we’re more likely to grab a bar of chocolate than a carrot stick when feeling under pressure. Stress can trigger chemical changes in the body resulting in bad food cravings and whilst making you feel better briefly, it is bad news for those watching their weight. In stressful situations, the brain signals that it is under threat and floods the body with stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. If stress levels remain high, cortisol stays in the body long after the initial adrena­ lin rush, wanting energy rich foods as the brain’s attempt to balance out the physical and mental demands of stress. Cortisol also affects how fat is distributed around our bodies and it builds up in the worst place, around our mid­ dles making it harder to shift. So to beat the bulging waistline try looking at your stress levels and stay calm to help reduce the temptation of reaching for the chocolate.

Stress can pile on the pounds

TASTE THE TENSION: Chemical changes caused by stress has us reaching for the cakes.

Safe cleaning products Why having a Bipolar Crisis THE company which makes a range of cleaning products, SC Johnson, has released a list of the ingredients in the fragrances found in its European products. Their move comes to allay consumer’s fears as many say they worry about dangerous chemicals in their cleaning products. SC Johnson said this is

part of their long­term efforts to ‘transform ingredient transparen­ cy’ particularly in the fragrances, or ‘parfums’ which are commonly used in chemical sprays and plug­ ins. They have often been a source of controversy with some warning that they

can include hazardous substances which may cause lung damage and tumours and cause problems such as asthma. Last June SC Johnson released information on most of its ingredi­ ents but did not detail fragrances. They have now gone a step fur­ ther and created www.whatsinsid escjohnson.co.ukwhich lists all in­ gredients in its brands.

REVEALED: See what ingredients are in your favourite products.

Plan in situ is a good thing! MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED

THIS is something I have created for myself this week, not because I am unwell but because at this very moment I feel that I have control over my feelings and also the right frame of mind to know what I want in case an emergency intervention was needed in the future. This is to help them protect me, if I cannot. A bipolar crisis, like any other Mental Health Illness is when I am so unwell that I could be a risk to either myself or others, suicidal or reckless behaviour that could be brought on by a manic episode. If your trustee is a loved one, then they will already know what to look out for, but it would be a good idea to list warning signs. For example, my Mum knows that if I am on my third night of poor sleep then her antenna is up and she knows to watch me closely. First thing is to appoint a trustee , a person that will have your best interest at heart and a person you can trust to follow your wishes or your crisis plan. It’s not a legal document but if you have an action plan in place and you were to be taken ill, you will be able to focus on getting better, one less trigger and stress. List things like your Doctor’s name, the medica-

tion you are on at the moment, the names and quantities you are taking, also where these are kept in your home. Where your medical card is so they can find it easily, your important documents, bank cards, purse etc. List of things that may trigger an episode, such as life events, dates, travels. Warning signs such as paranoia, lack of sleep, worrying over insignificant things. Things that people can say to reassure you or calm you. Instructions on what they need to do, like lock up your house , if you have children - list important details about your day to day. School times, after school activities. Taking care of pets. Things they can do to help you through a panic attack. For example, my mum places ice on the palms of my hands and makes me hold it, makes me focus on my hands being cold rather than the panic. I was sceptic at first when I started writing my crisis plan down on paper, but by the end of it, I had a sense of control whilst my mind is clear. I would love to hear your ideas and what you would add to your crisis plan. Write to me or follow me on facebook @mswillowbipolar Love Ms Bipolar x

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

PETS

IF you are already thinking about plans for next year’s holiday you may be thinking that your furry friend could come with you. Well that’s one idea. Have you thought that it might be a better break for both of you if your pet stays safely at home in the care of pet loving sitters? They could take care of everything to do

30

www.euroweeklynews.com • 10 - 16 December 2020

SPONSORED BY

Pet plans for next year’s holidays? with your pet and home mainte­ nance, and you can have a won­ derful escape from the daily grind. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house­sitters if you

have trips planned next year, to see family and friends or just to get away. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a Homeowner on

HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house­sit advert stat­ ing your plans for next year’s holi­

Is your pet coming with you on next year’s holidays? If not then…

day Covid permitting. Do you need a pet­sitter in 2021? Then get started right now. How does it work? HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our net­ work for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and

then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House­sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ­ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ­ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house­sitter… HouseSitMatch found us a per­ fect house­sitter while we were away in Canada and we were de­ lighted with the care and atten­ tion that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ­ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch. com ­ Choose a membership plan ­ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to se­ cure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa

Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20 per cent discount using coupon code P2020 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

10 - 16 December 2020 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY

AWNINGS

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CHARITY Fellowship of Jesus Christ the King Whether you live in, or are visiting the Nerja area, we would be delighted to welcome you to the Fellowship of Jesus Christ The King. Our meetings are characterised by uplifting songs and relevant sermons and a modern but reverent service. Why not come along to praise God and meet and make new friends, Every Sunday at 11.00am Prayer Meetings are on Wednesdays at 11.00am

Pasaje San Miguel, Nerja , 29780. Email: fojctk@gmail. com www.facebook.com/FO JCTK

31

CLASSIFIEDS

DENTIST

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CHURCH SERVICES The Anglican Chaplaincy of Nerja & Almunecar. Every Sunday there is a Holy Communion service at midday in San Miguel church in Nerja. Every Wednesday morning at 9.30 we have an on-line ‘Zoom’ HC service - please contact Fr Nigel with an e-mail address if you would like to join us. Priest in Charge, Father Nigel Thomas. Tel: Church House - 951 815736, Mobile: 608695756, email: cofenerja@gmail.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

MOTORING

SOLAR 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 Improve Your Living Environment. ian@solarshadetint ing.com Tel Ian 958 496 571 / 644 546 176 (258409)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

INSURANCE

FOR SALE

FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

DAMP PROOFING 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 the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

RISING DAMP / ROOFING REPAIRS www.electroos.com info@electro-os.com 619 666 363 (287819) www.euroweeklynews.com

INSURANCE

WINDOW TINTING

NAUTICAL INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE: Courses held in English and starts soon. RYA VHF and Radar Courses. 626 245 098 (290545)

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbey gateinsure.com (2887610)

SITUATIONS VACANT

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MOBILE SERVICE. ITV Legal. Solar Reflective tint for glass curtains, balconies, yachts. Stop fading, heat & glare. 958 496 571 – 644 546 176 ian@solarshadetinting .com (287972)

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SPORT

32

10 - 16 December 2020

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Walking Football up-to-date news Victory for Fans AS was stated in last week’s edition of the EWN, the BAHA Whiskey Mini League was saved from being abandoned by a joint management decision to com­ plete the competition by play offs. These play offs will take place at the Finca Naundrup, Calahonda on Saturday Janu­ ary 9, 2021, the weekend before the offi­ cial league starts. Although Aston Viñuela were clear leaders they had played more games than the other teams, four of whom technically had an opportunity to win the League with their games in hand. It was decided the draw would be made up of the first play off being be­ tween the teams being three, four, five in the League. They were Athletico and Sporting Benahavis and Malaga C. Viñuela and Malaga A were seeded, being clear of the others at the top of the table. The first play off saw Malaga C v Ath­ letico Benahavis. (Sporting Benahavis direct to the Semi­ Finals) Semi­Final Play Offs: Aston Viñuela v Malaga C or Athletico Benahavis Sporting Benahavis v Malaga A So the two ‘Big Guns and Old Rivals’ avoided each other leading the way to a possible final between Viñuela and

A group photo of Malaga Walking Football Club including the ‘B’ team. Malaga A. All that remains now is for Covid to keep away from the Costa del Sol next year. This week’s profile team are another lot of ‘new boys’ to League Football, well not quite although they have been competing in the Mini League and have a play off to a possible place in the final. They will play under the title of Malaga B in the new League season but are cur­ rently Malaga C in the Mini League. The new Malaga B are part of the ever expanding Gray Salt Malaga Walking Foot­ ball Club sponsored by Hidromaster (Mar­ bella) . Formed mainly of players recruited during the past few months they have blended well and are optimistic about their debut in the South of Spain Walk­

ing Football League. “Our aim is to finish as high as possi­ ble,” said Team Captain Kevin Nelmes, better known from the Parasailing Boat Flights at Fuengirola Port, “it will be a tough league but we have experience of playing the other teams now so know what to expect.” Kevin formerly played for Benalmadena under the Walking Football Spain club banner and has plenty of walking football experience. Their forthcoming play off matches when they come up against the League’s top teams will be a guide to how they might fare in the new League. It only remains to be seen whether Covid recedes to allow these events to take place. Watch this space...

LIVERPOOL: Now level on points with Tottenham who sit top with a better goal difference. TWO THOUSAND fans watched Liverpool extend their unbeaten home record to 65 games following a clinical performance against Wolves, in a result that brings the Premier League champions level with Spurs at the top of the table. The returning supporters provided some great noise and were treated to a fine display from their Liverpool side who beat Wolves 4­0, in a result that leaves them in 10th. Mo Salah scored on 24 minutes after capitalising on a mistake from former Liverpool player Conor Coasy and meant that his side went into the break a goal up. The Anfield faithful were then treated to a free­flowing second half with goals from Georginio Wijnaldum (58), Joel Matip (67) and a Nelson Semedo own goal, which after a trademark Klopp celebra­ tion in front of the Kop, were sent home happy. Liverpool are now level on points with Tottenham who sit top with a better goal difference, while Wolves suffered a fourth league defeat of the season in an uncharacteristically sloppy performance.