Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 14 - 20 January 2021 Issue 1854

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The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1854

14 - 20 January 2021

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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MABS EMERGENCY

THE MABS Cancer Support Foundation shop in Alfaz’s main street, which does so much to help, now needs help itself.

It urgently needs volunteers now that many who helped in the past have returned to the UK, MABS told the Euro Weekly News.

“The shop, which is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 1pm is desperate for staff,” MABS explained.

The foundation needs volunteers who have some retail experience and are familiar with using a till or ‘just people with empathy and a sympathetic nature’ who can spare the time to help just one morning a week.

“Please help your local shop,” MABS said. “We may have to close if sufficient volunteers do not come forward to help this active and busy shop.”

The foundation fulfils many roles which include taking people to hospital appointments, providing interpreters and supplying equipment.

“We are here to help at any time,” said MABS, which also sends nurses to provide nursing or palliative care as well as support and counselling.

“If you can help us and the Alfaz shop in this really difficult situation, please call 664 266 991 or call at the shop

Photo credit: MABS

MABS SHOP: The cancer support charity is in desperate need of volunteer staff. and ask for Sue.” The foundations for MABS were laid in 1999 when five

ladies with breast cancer found there was no support during or after treatment.

Seeing a clear need for greater caring and services for cancer sufferers, these determined women created Marina Alta Breast Cancer Support, dropping the C to form the familiar M A B S acronym.

Current president, Jacqui Phillips M B E, was one of them and from 1999 this small group worked hard to attend those diagnosed with breast cancer, providing transport, counselling and assistance for hospital appointments.

As the initially small group grew in size and extended the area it covered, hospitals and medical personnel increasingly referred patients

with all types of cancer to MABS. In 2017, M A B S became the M A B S Cancer Support Foundation, recognising its status as an important organisation helping everyone living in Spain.

But now the Alfaz shop needs help to enable it to remain open so do please ring 664 266 991 or call at the shop and ask for Sue.

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January meeting Doing good in a bad year

CALPE U3A hope to hold their January meeting in the Salon Blau at the Casa de Cultura on Thursday, January 21, when Car­ ole Saunders will speak about what the future holds for every­ one in Calpe during 2021.

Doors open at 10am, with the meeting starting once the audi­

ence is assembled.

Meanwhile, Calpe U3A’s Ladies Dining Group, Just Us Girls (JUGS), have cancelled their Janu­ ary lunch as a result of the cur­ rent Covid restrictions.

More information is available on www.u3acalpe.org or the Calpe U3A’s Facebook page.

LOCAL freemasonry, in general, has not had a good year.

Virtually all meetings have had to be cancelled, along with social and charity events.

Oliva La Safor Lodge howev­ er, has had an even worse year.

Not only has it been closed down along with the rest of Spanish Masonry but, after on­ ly being able to have three physical meetings, their newly­ installed master, Colin Williams, passed away shortly before Christmas.

Following a number of virtu­ al meetings held online, it was decided that, in Colin’s name, Oliva La Safor Lodge would

BENIARBEIG DONATION: Ian Skipper and David Clarke present the Carrefour vouchers. make a charity donation of €800 to some of the area’s neediest people.

Four families in the village of Beniarbeig (Alicante), who were picked by the charity or­

ganisation Amigos de Beniar­ beig in association with local Social Services, received €400 in €100 vouchers for Carrefour.

They were given to Amigos in early January and immedi­ ately handed over to the fami­ lies in time to use the money for clothes and other items for the children for the Three Kings celebration. The donation was handed over by Ian Skipper, the Lodge charity steward, and brother David Clarke, who is a resident of the village.

The second gift will be given to other needy families in a Va­ lencia Province town at a later date.

Rotary Fellowship helps out IT was a tough Christmas for many, especially those who lost jobs or had incomes reduced due to the pandemic.

Wanting to help people who found themselves struggling, the Costa Blanca North Rotary Fellowship offered a €500 donation to their local Caritas lead in Moraira, Don Vicente, who gratefully accepted the cheque.

Rotary Fellowship has a small charity fund that they have built up from donations and activities run for

members and was very happy to donate to such a worthy cause. Under normal circumstances, Rotary Fellowship meet on Fridays in Casa Lili (Teulada­ Moraira) for lunch. There is often a speaker or quiz and always lots of good conversation and friendship.

“You can find out more by visiting our website www.rotaryfellowshipcbn.com,” said Rotary’s Helen Chapman. “If you are interested in joining, let us know by emailing info@rotaryfellowshipcbn.com so we can make you aware of when we restart.”

NEWS

A cold start THE Teulada­Moraira Fishing Club’s first post­ Christmas match was held, as usual, on the River Jucar in neighbour­ ing Valencia Province.

Nine members braved the freezing cold morn­ ing and a 0­degree tem­ perature which rose throughout the day to 10 degrees after the very cold start. Water temperature was 12 de­ grees.

Overall, it was a good day’s fishing, with only one dry net.

“We are a very friend­ ly club and always happy to welcome new mem­ bers,” said the club sec­ retary Jeff Richards.

“For further informa­ tion, please contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or frank.povey@btopen world.com) or call Ray Craig on 966 492 083.

NEWS

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NIBS EXTRA Snow joke ALICANTE Province municipalities most affected during the recent snowfalls included Alcoy, Castalla and Ibi, all of whose boundaries are temporarily closed by coronavirus restrictions. The central government’s sub-Delegation in Alicante warned that police would stop and fine visitors who breached regulations to take selfies.

Pet proposal ENRIQUE ESCRIVA, spokesman for the Ciudadanos party on Javea Council has suggested creating an Animal Welfare committee. This would act as an advisory body with the participation of all local associations and veterinary professionals to ensure protection and respect for local animals, said Escriva.

New name PEDREGUER councillors recently voted in favour of changing the name of Avenida Juan Carlos I to Avenida del Pais Valenciano. The motion was suggested before the end of last year after the father of Spain’s present king, Felipe VI, was involved in money-laundering and irregular commissions scandals.

Forum jabs RESIDENTS as well as staff at Alfaz’s Forum residential complex have all now received the anti-Covid vaccine. All of the 234 residents, a mix of nationalities but with a predominance of Britons, were consulted beforehand although none refused the vaccine, the Forum’s director Rafa Miro revealed.

Thumbs down TWO separate developers intending to build luxury villas on the Coveta Fuma cliffs will sue the town hall for rejecting their planning permission applications. Municipal sources revealed the decision was taken on the orders of central government’s Environment department, whose Costas department wants to extend protection to this part of the coast.

Fire scare TWO cars were almost destroyed in the early hours of the morning after they caught fire in a Teulada street in the town centre. The Benissa fire brigade prevented the fire from spreading to more vehicles but investigators later said the fire appeared to have been started deliberately.

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Something cheerful for gloomy times THE Jazz Minstrels Street Band’s debut performance in Orba raised €225 for Caritas.

Celebrating the jazz and good vibes found on the streets of New Orleans, the Plaza de la Pelota venue was supplied by Orba town hall, which also coordinated the seating.

Local musician and the Jazz Minstrels’ tuba player, Jose Angel Sendra, got everybody’s heads together, making it possible for experienced musicians from six countries to play together.

The band is the pet project of trumpeter Mike Summers, who lives in Pedreguer and plays and teaches jazz on the Costa Blanca.

The Jazz Minstrels include three British musicians, two from Spain and one each from Ger-

JAZZ MINSTRELS: Debut performance in Orba. many, Belgium and France and Holland.

Although the weather was cold and windy, a modest but enthusiastic crowd turned up and gave generously to Caritas Orba which has now received €245,

part of which was donated after the event by fans unable to come out in such cold weather.

Mike and the other musicians were very happy with the new band’s promising start.

“Something cheerful can

come out of these gloomy times,” Mike told the Euro Weekly News.

The Jazz Minstrels Street Band can be heard on Sound Cloud and YouTube and Mike Summers Jazz Fan Club on Facebook.

Pego Golf Society’s 2021 introduction

Nice and warm

“If you would like to play, please contact penelopebar den@gmail.com,” the club said.

“Pego Golf Society meet every Tuesday at Oliva Nova golf club, and if you would like to play please send an email to Penny Barden at pegohandicapsec@gmail.co m. We would love to see you.”

OLIVA Town Hall has acquired 2,300 ponchos for infant and pri­ mary pupils to wear in their un­ heated classrooms.

With windows kept open to prevent the spread of the coron­ avirus, the thick ponchos mean that the children will also be pro­ tected from the worst of the cold.

The ponchos were distributed during the Christmas holidays to the municipality’s state, state­ aided and private schools.

“These are unique and com­ plicated times for us all but with unity and social cohesion we can make life a little more comfort­ able in the classrooms,” Oliva’s deputy mayor Ana Morell said.

PEGO GOLF SOCIETY’S new season had a frosty start, with play delayed until greenkeepers felt it was safe to begin.

Twenty­three hardy play­ ers turned out for a Stable­ ford singles competition and the chilly start did not deter John Snelling from amassing a very creditable 39 points.

There were three ‘twos’,

one from Susie Snelling and two by Danny Heron, one of them a monster 25­foot putt. Danny contributed the prize money for the sec­ ond to the captain’s 2021 charity, the Gandia Rotary club.

Nearest the pins went to Donna Green on the 16th and the new captain, Derek Lindley on the fifth.

Getting U3A toy story bigger BENIDORM has 70,450 registered in­ habitants, 1,729 more than on Janu­ ary 1, 2020.

This is the first time the official population has topped 70,000 since 2014 and takes the tourist munici­ pality a step nearer its hoped­for 75,000 giving it large­city status and a larger allocation from the central government.

According to the town hall, the rise that was recently confirmed by the National Statistics Institute (INE) is partly due to the ‘residents­only’ parking permits which require a Padron certificate.

But Brexit also played a significant role, as British residents who had never bothered to register on the municipal padron, finally did so in order to retain the rights they for­ merly enjoyed as European Union citizens.

CALPE U3A responded with great enthusiasm and generosity to the seasonal Toy Drive appeal in support of needy local chil­ dren.

Over 25 large bags of toys and games were handed in and a further €700 was raised from cash donations, with more to count after the cheque was written.

These were then presented to Cruz Roja Calpe’s president Francisco Baldo, who revealed the organisation was working with three times as many families owing to the pandemic.

The Calpe U3A contributions were very welcome in making sure that no child was forgotten during the Three Kings holi­ day, he said.

Following the success of this very worthwhile project, the U3A committee is already planning to repeat it next year.

Collaboration from Valencia Masons THE Germanies No 8 Freemasons’ lodge in Valencia City col­ laborated, as in 2019, with the Tree of Desires project.

This is an initiative by the Ca La Mare charity, presided by Giovanna Rodríguez Tirado which operates mainly in the Catarroja and Albal areas, supporting children from disad­ vantaged families.

The lodge’s collaboration consisted of accompanying the charity’s representatives to buy toys and other items, always taking into account the children’s letters to the Three Kings.

Marina Alta Arts Society THE Marina Alta Arts Society first online lecture for 2021 is to be presented today, Thursday January 14 at 11am via Zoom.

The Arts Society took the de­ cision to hold Peter Akinson’s lecture, Guernica: the biography of a painting, owing to the rise in Covid­19 infections in the Mari­ na Alta and “concerns for the health and safety of members and guests,” a statement an­ nounced.

“The use of this medium may become the norm in the fore­ seeable future, until this dread­ ful situation is resolved,” the Arts Society said.

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Gandia Rotary Club doubled their money AS reported recently in the Euro Weekly News, the newly­ f o r m e d G a n d i a R o­ tary Club went into action just before Christmas.

The club began their fundraising ef­ forts over the festive season with the help of Pedro and Caroli­ na’s pharmacy, col­ lecting over €200, which was a splendid effort.

Later they found that Pedro and Car­ olina decided to dou­ ble the money raised, so the club had €400 for good causes.

This provided much­ needed food for the San Francisco de Asis shelter and toys for un­ derprivileged children who would not other­ wise have received Three Kings’ gifts.

On January 4, Reyes, Sandra and Yvonne met Brother Pepe and a colleague at the centre and presented them with nine boxes of assort­ ed fish, which will last the residents several weeks.

On the following day they went to a Gandia toy store and bought vouchers which could be ex­ changed for toys of the children’s choice.

For more informa­ t i o n a b o u t t h e R o­ tary Club of Gandia Ducal, contact Stephane Merit on the stephane.mer it@gmail.com ad­ dress.

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NEWS

Exams Will Still Go Ahead

THE University of Alicante has insisted that face-to-face exams will go ahead despite protests from thousands of students.

Bosses at the University of Alicante have insisted that all precautions have been put in place to ensure the safety of teachers and students for the first semester exams to take place face-to-face, despite a call from thousands to have the tests online.

Elche Hospital Pressure

A HOSPITAL in Elche has been forced to use the gym to treat non-Covid patients as wards are overrun with those with the virus.

The General Hospital in Elche in the Costa Blanca has taken the decision to repurpose their rehabilitation gym in order to treat nonCovid patients. As new coronavirus infections in the region continue to climb with a postChristmas surge expected, the beds in both the ICU and main hospital are quickly reaching capacity with coronavirus-positive patients.

Elche hospital officials reported that on January 6 they exceeded 100 admissions for the first time ever, owing in large part to people coming into contact with someone with the virus over New Year. At the end of December, the facility announced that it would be cancelling all non-essential appointments and surgeries in order to deal with the influx of Covid-19 patients.

The Student Council has collected more than 4,000 signatures to put pressure on officials to change the way the exams are held “after knowing the latest data on infections and cases of Covid-19 in the Community and more specifically the province of Alicante.”

President of the student council, Álvaro Asencio, insists it’s ridiculous that the gov-

ernment has said five people can’t sit together on an outdoor terrace, but more than 70 students are expected to be in a classroom to take an exam.

However, Amparo Navarro said that for now “things remain the same, because we had already prepared the teaching guides for the different scenarios and the exams are scheduled to be face-to-face.”

Dreams Come True THE festival of the Three Kings was made even more special for one lit­ tle boy who dreams of becoming a police offi­ cer when he grows up.

Four­year­old Lucas, who is in hospital bat­ tling cancer, received a surprise visit on January 6 from three police offi­ cers and was even given his own police suit so HAPPY LUCAS: Dreams of becoming a police officer. that he could practise being a man of the law.

Alicante mayor Luis Barcala took to Facebook to wish Lucas a happy Three Kings Day: “Because magic is found where one least expects it, today the Magi of the Alicante Lo­ cal Police had a surprise in store for Lucas. At four years old, he is a great little champion who is very clear that he wants to be a policeman. He conquered us all this Christmas when we met him at the visit organised by the Children’s Oncology Unit to the House of Santa Claus. A lot of strength for Lucas and his family!”

NEWS

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Euro Weekly Welcomes BBC News CEO of the Euro Weekly News, Michel Euesden, was interviewed by a BBC news team at the EWN offices on Friday. The short documentary was intended to explain just how life is changing on the Costa del Sol for the many thousands of expats the paper serves now that Britain has left the EU. The team, led by BBC journalist Gavin Lee, were welcomed back into the offices of the EWN after having been the subject of a previous BBC documentary filmed in Mijas, back in February 2020.

Michel starting the interview by thanking Gavin for choosing the EWN as their ‘go-to’ for any information regarding

INTERVIEW: Gavin with EWN’s Michel.

Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, while in the background, the full team of EWN staff were busy preparing content for the paper’s next six editions.

Everyone of course ob-

served the covid rules, with proper social distancing and wearing their red EWN masks it was quiet, but hectic!

Gavin asked Michel to explain the EWN headline for that week’s edition, ‘Better

Brexit Deal.’ She described how it affected the typical expat pensioners who, used to surviving on their fixed incomes, were now finding it harder with electricity pricing just experiencing a hike.

“You are either in one camp or another” said Michel, describing how Brexit would affect the daily lives of the thousands of expats that live on the Costa del Sol. The interview over, Gavin thanked Michel, Steven and the EWN team for their help and co-operation and looked forward to the next time they would visit, maybe to see just how Brexit has changed the lives of British expats living in Spain 12 months on.

Help needed for the Homeless FRIENDS OF THE STREET ASSOCIATION have been working hard to hand out thermal sleeping bags to the homeless people of Valencia to combat the low temperatures on the street.

The association goes out every night looking for homeless people and have up to eight different routes through the city of Valencia, identifying the areas where those who are unable to find shelter, live night and day in the open air.

The Association has 120 members of staff and more than 200 volunteers that focus on the homeless, according to the president of Amigos de la Calle, Jaime González, who explained: “Those who have been on the street for a short time usually accept shelters. This

is the case, for example, of young migrants who leave the juvenile centres with nothing and are completely unprotected when they turn 18 years old.

“Then there is another profile of homeless people who find it difficult to get off the street, although it is impossible to accept that they like living in those conditions,” he continued.

“During the day it is also very cold and in the end, the shelters are a resource, limited to a few hours that do not quite work, although they are very necessary,” Jaime González said.

The group has also purchased 1,200 bags of instant dry heat: “They are bags that shake and emit heat for six hours. Users put

it inside the bag and receive some heat. At the moment it is something experimental.

We do not stop trying different things to try to help someone who has nothing and who, on top of that, feels guilty about their situation. Keep in mind that no matter how much we distribute blankets or warm clothes, if it gets wet there is no solution. Even so, we distribute blankets, coats, sandwiches or hot soup,” he explained.

The association “urgently need more new underwear and comfortable shoes,” and is asking the government for more help and resource: “If they could go to a house or a place that they did not have to leave in the morning, the situation would change,” González concluded.

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Rescued by Angels SNOWED IN: Residents of Madrid had a difficult time.

STORM FILOMENA left Madrid covered in snow and emergency services overwhelmed. But residents called Snow Angels or ‘4x4 An­ gels’ have stepped up in a show of solidarity upon receiving SOS messages for urgent assistance or medical care. One example is Án­ gel Hernández, who is using the Telegram messaging network and his 4x4, which are scarce in the Madrid city centre.

After 061 emergency services were unable to send an ambulance immediately to Mari Luz, the Snow Angel stepped up. Within min­ utes of the family raising an SOS on the Telegram service, Ángel ap­ peared to the rescue in his 4x4, and successfully transferred Mari Luz to the Gregorio Marañón Hospital for urgent treatment.

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Cyclist Heaven THE Alicante Province city of Elche has been transformed into a cyclist’s heaven as it aspires to become the European Green Capital of 2030.

With a pleasant climate all year long and a flat landscape, Elche is a cyclist’s dream city. The council has recently added an incredible 29km of safe cycle lanes through the city’s urban core, with many more routes through the suburban districts. Anywhere in the city can reportedly be reached on bike within 30 minutes.

The local government team has received a €1 million grant from the EU sustainable city initiative to which it will add €200,000 from its own budget. The city’s ambitious plan is to connect all the cycle routes of the city to bring Elche closer to the coveted title of European Green Capital in 2030, says Elche’s councillor for Urban Mobility, Esther Díez.

“This extension is a key tool with the sustainable criteria that marks the European strategy to make Elche a green, sustainable and friendly city,” she told local media.

Alicante Hospitality Sues HOTELIERS in Alicante have warned that they will take legal action against the Minister of Health, and by extension, the rest of the government, if the president of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig, does not outline concrete plans to provide aid to the ailing hospitality sector. Representatives have given a deadline of January 18 before they file equity claims over the losses suffered due to restrictions implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a press conference at the Casa de la Festa in Alicante, the three main hospitality associations, Apeha, Alroa and Ara, insisted that the sector is “sinking.”

“We are talking about a covert shutdown, it’s what they do every time the data goes off. They send the message that the hospitality industry is the culprit and, in return, they give us symbolic and ridiculous aid. Our accounts are at zero,” Javier Galdeano, from Alroa, pointed out.

Free Training Courses VALENCIA EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE, Labora, has announced that it is opening up a registration process for over 500 free training courses to help upskill the region’s unemployed.

The initiative will offer certified training in customer services, hairdressing, hospitality, plumbing and IT, as well as several language courses.

In addition, Labora has decided to provide specific training to those wishing to open their own businesses, with training in business management and development on offer, as well as professional improvement courses in Excel and graphic design. A number of health and social care classes are also available.

The Ministry of Sustainable Economy, in collaboration with Labora, has invested €44 million in training initiatives for 2021, and most of the courses offer professional accreditation. A full list of the courses available, and instructions on how to register, can be found on the Labora website.

Supermarket comparison

BEST VALUE: Shopping wisely can save €1,000 a year.

SPANISH consumer agency OCU has released its annual report on which supermar­ kets are the cheapest for cus­ tomers.

During the 2020 Covid­19 pandemic, the OCU reports that many of Spain’s major supermarket chains were forced to lower their prices as many consumers found themselves out of work and tight for cash.

In their annual report, the consumer agency revealed which major chains will save customers the most money.

Despite having the largest market share of supermar­ kets in the country, Mer­ cadona is not the cheapest option. This title is awarded to Dani, followed by Tif ­

both popular and widespread in Andalucia. Alcampo is the cheapest nationally popular brand, while Madrid’s Sanchez Romero retains its ti­ tle of being Spain’s most ex­ pensive grocery shop.

Economy Cash and Cash Fresh both made the top five cheapest list, while con­ sumers are warned that Ula­ box, Surli Discau, and Suma will rack up the most expen­ sive.

The OCU claims that by opting to shop at the cheap­ est supermarkets, consumers will save an average of €1,000 annually. They also noted that, during the pan­ demic, online shopping has rocketed in Spain for gro­ ceries and household goods.

NEWS

Alicante truckers stranded MORE than 300 truck­ ers were stuck in the Bulilla Industrial Es­ tate in Villena in Ali­ cante for six hours on Friday, January 8 as the A­31 in the direc­ tion of Valencia was blocked to heavy vehi­ cles because of the heavy snow fall in the area.

The Red Cross ar­ rived on the scene at 6.30am and distrib­ uted hot drinks and food to the lorry dri­ vers as they waited until noon to get on the road.

Elsewhere in Ali­ cante, the AP­7 motor­ way between Ibi and Alcoy was cut off to lorries until noon, and several secondary roads were closed.

NEWS

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14 - 20 January 2021

And the winner is…

E L N I Ñ O lottery draw was held on January 6, and the winning number, with a first prize of €200,000 per ticket, was 19750.

The first prize was sold throughout Spain, leaving lucky winners in Andalucia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Madrid, Valencia, Cantabria, Galicia, La Rioja, Castilla y Leon, the Canary Islands, Murcia and Aragon.

The second prize was for number 03436, with €75,000 per ticket; and the third prize was for 05587, with €25,000 per ticket. The latter was sold in lottery administration offices throughout Spain, except in the Balearic Islands.

The total prize money for El Niño lottery is €700 million.

Check below if you’ve

won any of the smaller prizes: €350 per ticket: numbers 3350 and 3156 €100 per ticket: numbers 672, 432, 935, 173, 741, 159, 835, 926, 918, 010, 936, 521, 418, 491 €40 per ticket: numbers 07, 24, 41, 28, 69 €20 per ticket (money back): any ticket ending in 0, 7 or 4.

‘Clap For Heroes’ ‘CLAP FOR CARERS’ became a weekly ritual for millions of people every Thursday night at 8pm in the UK, for 10 weeks during the first lockdown, started by a

Dutch national, Annemarie Plas, who lives in South London, and now, a new ‘Clap For Heroes’ has restarted again this week, revived by Ms Plas.

Spain’s Record Temperatures IT’S a week for making history in Spain as La Llanca in Gerona only had a few hours to enjoy breaking the record for the coldest day ever recorded at a frigid -34.1C. On Thursday, January 7, Vega de Liordes in the Picos de Europa National Park registered a truly astonishing -35.6C, according to the Northwest Peninsular Meteorological Association (Noromet), making it the lowest temperature since records began.

This is not the first time the municipality of Posada de Valdeon has hit the headlines; back in 2016 the region recorded the lowest temperature ever seen at the time on February 19, -32.7C.

A long with a group of friends, they started the spontaneous idea of standing outside their homes, in their gardens, or on their balconies, clapping, some banging pans, others even letting off fireworks, as a sign of support to all the frontline workers who were battling the pandemic.

Ms Plas tweeted, “‘Clap for Heroes’ will take place on Thursdays at 8pm, the same as ‘ C lap for C arers’ during the previous lockdown. We are bringing back the 8pm applause, in our third lockdown. I hope it can lift the spirit, of all of us. Carers, teachers, home schooling parents, those who shield and ALL who are pushing through this difficult time! Please join and share! #clapforheroes.”

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Electricity Price Hike A WHOPPING 11 million people in Spain will feel the added pinch when the electric bill arrives at the end of January, as the price of electricity has jumped by 27 per cent compared with 2020. The timing could be a little bit better as the increase coincides with the cold snap affecting most of the

country thanks to Storm Filomena. The reason for the hike in consumer costs is that the price of electricity in the wholesale market has shot up to €94.99 per megawatt hour (MWh), the second highest increase in history, according to the Iberian Electricity Market Operator (OMIE).

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Hells Angel’s drama due to begin shooting FILMING of TV series ‘Marked The Unforgiven,’ based on the novel ‘Marked,’ written by the former president of ‘Hells Angels’ in Ventura (California), George Christie, will begin at the end of January in Almeria, Malaga and Marbella.

Communication agency ‘Hormiguea’ announced in a statement that a new addition to the cast is Cuban-American actress, Tracy Ann Hoyos Lopez.

“Hoyos Lopez, former TikTok sensation, has been cast as Samantha Aleja, a no-nonsense chief prosecutor for the organised crime task force investigating the motorcycle club ‘Marked The Unforgiven’ and his ties to the

SOME 3.5 million Spaniards suffer from ‘energy poverty’ and cannot afford to pay for heating this winter.

This represents 7.6 per cent of the population and more than 10 per cent of the total number of the Europeans (34 million) who will struggle to cover the cost of heating their homes, alhough this is a reduc­ tion of 2.5 per cent compared to four years ago.

Autonomous communities

TV SERIES: Is to be filmed in Almeria, Malaga and Marbella.

Chicago mob,” they explained.

“We are very excited that such a

talented and accomplished Shakespearean actress is taking on the role of Samantha Aleja. Over 1,000 actresses auditioned for the role, but in the end, we felt that Tracy was the best fit for this visceral real life drama of life,” said the director of distribution and administration of the production, Lucy Carver.

Casting took place in Malaga in July when 38 Spanish actors and actresses were chosen from over 2,000 applicants who attended auditions held at the Soho CaixaBank theatre owned by Antonio Banderas hoping to be offered one of the coveted roles.

Energy poverty Castilla­La Mancha, Ex­ tremadura and Navarra have the highest percentage of their population in a situation of ‘en­ ergy poverty,’ according to da­ ta from the Ministry of Ecologi­ cal Transition.

And in Madrid, 215,000 resi­ dents are in a ‘critical situation,’ reveals a study from the Span­

ish National Research Council (CSIC), which equates to 6 per cent of the capital’s population.

Energy poverty is defined as a situation in which households cannot access essential energy services.

“Energy inefficiency is preva­ lent in older buildings, located in vulnerable residential areas.

Many of them contain low­in­ come households that do not have the possibility of reducing their consumption if it is not through the deprivation of their basic energy needs,” explained CSIC researcher, Fernando Martín­Consuegra.

High unemployment levels, the concentration of older peo­ ple with low pensions and the high costs of energy bills are the main causes of ‘energy pover­ ty,’ according to the study.

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NEWS

Care home to pay €30,000

A RESIDENTIAL care home in Guaro, Malaga has been sen­ tenced to pay €30,000 in compensation to the family of a woman who was killed by another patient, aged 86.

Malaga Provincial Court acquitted the 91­year­old man accused of killing the woman and injuring another man in the early hours of August 2, 2018, at the Domus VI Sierra de las Nieves in Guaro. The court considered that due to his mental state he cannot be held criminally responsible for killing the woman, as he suffered from dementia with severe behavioural issues which totally annulled his facul­ ties.

However, the sentence found the care home responsible because the outcome could have been avoided had the staff taken precautions and been more vigilant in Sector 4, the area reserved for patients with behavioural disorders, where he and the victim were housed.

Staff on duty at the time did not see images from the se­ curity cameras which showed the patients walking the cor­ ridors and at around 3.20am, the man met the victim and attacked her. She died from brain trauma. The man had al­ so attacked his roommate, 86, who had several head in­ juries although they were not serious.

Although he is acquitted of manslaughter and injuries, the court ruled that he be sent to a psychiatric centre where his illness can be properly managed for 10 years.

The care home had already paid €25,000 in compensation in October, but the court has ruled that €5,000 more be paid as the dead woman was her daughter’s only living parent.

The sentence can be appealed in the Andalucia Superior Court of Justice.

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NEWS

Alicante’s Giant Nativity THE enormous nativity scene in Alicante, which made the Guinness Book of Records in December for being the largest nativity scene in the world, has been dismantled from its perch in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to be safely stored in a warehouse in the Las Atalayas industrial estate until its next festive appearance. However, city officials must look for a new spot to erect the statues next Christmas.

Mayor of Fiestas, Manuel

NATIVITY SCENE: The largest one in the world.

Jimenez, said that he was “satisfied” by the scene, both for the “hoteliers and merchants and for the image of the city.”

Equally, the builder of the nativity, Jose Manuel Garcia Esquiva said he hopes that when things begin to get back to nor-

mal it will attract even bigger crowds to the city.

“It has been a very strange year. After all the misfortunes, it has been difficult. It is not enjoyed the same. Let’s see if next year people from all over Spain can come to see it.”

Valencia Home Confinement PRESIDENT of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig, warned that nothing can be ruled out in the coming weeks when he spoke to RNE on Saturday, January 9. The president once again warned people “to stay at home” and insisted that everyone must be sensible because joint responsibility “is the only way to deal with Covid-19.”

Speaking about the possibility of a further tightening of restrictions and implementing home confinement, Puig said that “nothing can be ruled out; we are going to live some extraordinarily complicated weeks.”

On Tuesday, January 5, new restrictions were announced for the Valencian community, whereby bars and restaurants have to close at 5pm and the curfew was extended by one hour, from 11pm to 10pm. The government has asked that citizens have patience with the measures and adhere to them - “We are not going to put a policeman behind each person,” Puig said.

NEWS

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Trapped In Shopping Centre

AS many as 90 people were stuck in the Gran Plaza 2 shopping centre in Majadahonda in Madrid on Friday night, January 8, after Storm Filomena battered the city with the worst snow­ storm seen in half a decade. While most of those stranded were staff from the centre’s 190 stores, many customers were also forced to camp down for the night as the weather outside made getting home impossible. Photos on social media showed staff from the Zara store sleeping on flattened­out cardboard boxes.

One restaurant worker in the centre said in a statement to RTVE: “At six o’clock on Friday afternoon we tried to leave, people arrived by car at the Majadahonda roundabout and they stayed there because of the amount of snow and there was no longer any passage. We all had to go back to the shopping centre.”

Housing Health Workers THE Benidorm City Council and the Hosbec hotel association launched a joint initiative on Thursday, January 7, whereby accommodation was avail­ able to health professionals in the area in the mostly deserted tourist lodgings. This measure was also put into practice during the first wave of the coronavirus and allowed 34 health profession­ als to be accommodated for 45 days.

The initiative aims to ensure that health work­ ers providing services in the Marina Baixa regional hospital, Benidorm Clinic, IMED Levante and health centres can access safe accommodation.

SLEEP-IN: Staff slept on cardboard boxes.

Crypto Fraud

NATIONAL POLICE have arrested three people in Alicante and one in Cuenca on suspicion of fraud for operating a fake cryptocurrency company and stealing over €7 million in customer funds. The fraudsters hoodwinked victims by initially paying out interest on their investments to entice customers to buy more Bitcoin; once they had reinvested, their money disappeared.

Police sources report that more than 380 coins worth €19,250 each were stolen, totalling €7 million of robbed cryptocurrency. Two men and two women have been arrested and the investigation continues with examination of the perpetrators’ computers, tablets and phones. One of the detainees revealed he had fled to Cuenca to avoid increasing pressure from people he had scammed.

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NEWS

Elche Calls In The Army THE specialist biological hazard division of the Army, NBQ, has been called in to disinfect a nursing home in Altabix in Elche after a Covid outbreak resulted in almost 25 per cent of residents and staff being diagnosed with coronavirus.

The outbreak began on December 29 after a staff member tested positive and the Association for the Rights and Welfare of the Elderly announced in a statement on Sunday, January 10, that they intend to lodge a complaint against the Ministry of

Health because the centre wasn’t disinfected earlier.

Experts in biological control were finally deployed to the centre on January 10, where they began by disinfecting bedrooms before moving on to the communal areas of the centre.

Human Alicante’s Worst Thief Trafficking

A SPANISH national was arrested in Elda in Alicante on Sunday, January 3 for attempting to rob the same bakery twice in the space of three hours. The Elda National Police were alerted by a local who reported a man dressed in dark clothes trying to force the shutters at the front of the shop, but the culprit had disappeared by the time the police arrived.

Less than three hours later, the thief returned and tried once again to pry open the shutters, but he was surprised by a passer-by and ran to hide under a nearby car. Unbeknownst to him, plainclothes officers were standing guard, and the 46-year-old eventually gave himself up to officers. The robber, who has several previous convictions and had recently been released from prison, will face charges at the Investigating Court in Elda.

arrests

THE National Police have presented 2020 data showing that during the year 63 arrests had been made in relation to crimes regarding Irregular Immigration Networks and Human Trafficking.

The FRONTEX Agency worked alongside police and arrests were made for bringing people into Spain, and endangering life in the process, mainly using boats in bad condition.

There were also 41 arrests for social security fraud, where individuals had obtained benefits whilst working without having waited the correct amount of time to claim.

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FEATURE

New Court success as multi-currency mortgage overturned

Bank forced return the overpaid money

IN today's article we want to discuss a new judicial success for our law firm whereby nullifi­ cation of a multi­currency mort­ gage in Japanese Yen has been obtained from the competent court.

This was in to relation to a mortgage loan, sold by Banco Popular, (now Banco Santander) to our clients.

The case as argued The clients of our law firm worked for an airline.

It is known that Banco Popular offered these multi­currency loans, mainly in Swiss francs and Japanese yen and recommend­ ed this as a suitable product in order to reduce interest for their clients.

We established that the bank carried out customer campaigns among pilots, air traffic con­ trollers, SEPLA affiliates, and, in general, employees of airlines.

The bank did not however in­ form them about the great risks of this type of product as the fluctuation of foreign currency can mean: .­ That customers owe more than the original loan despite years of paying towards the mortgage if we take into account the equivalent in euros of the outstanding amount. .­ That the monthly instal­ ments of the loans, in euros can constantly increase.

The decision of the Special Court number 25 of Valencia.

The special court of Valencia, has agreed with our claim and this court decision may be viewed on our website Consequently, the clause for expenses, delayed interest, etc. has been declared void and also, the multi­currency clause (for­ eign currency) has been can­ celled.

The reasons are, as detailed by our law firm in our legal claim: .­Multi­currency mortgage loans, denominated in foreign currency, are complex and they are not subject to the MIFID reg­ ulations. .­The bank did NOT offer suffi­ cient information on the product mechanism. .­ The bank did NOT offer enough information about the risks regarding the fluctuation of the equivalent in euros of the outstanding capital and the monthly instalments.

Consequences for our client.

The ruling declared null and void the multi­currency clauses that refer to foreign currencies. It forces the bank to recalculate the mortgage loan into euros, re­ calculating the monthly instal­ ments.

Thus, the bank must return to our client, the money overpaid,

plus interest.

In addition, the court told the bank to pay the court costs.

Therefore, the bank must com­ pensate our client, for the lawyer and the procurator fees.

Conclusion.

If you are affected by a mort­ gage (loan) or bank product with abusive clauses including ex­ pense, floor or multi­currency clauses and if you want to re­ quest the cancellation of a multi­ currency mortgage in Japanese Yen, in Swiss Francs, etc. do con­ tact us for advice on banking law.

You can view on our website www.white­baos.com the ser­ vices we offer related to legal claims or you can stay informed through our Facebook page.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, it merely conveys in­ formation related to legal issues.

Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2020- All Rights Reserved.

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DGT issues reminder

THE Spanish Traffic Depart­ ment, DGT, has reminded drivers of the use of the V­ 16 emergency light, which will gradually replace trian­ gles by 2024.

Although the use of the light will not be mandatory until 2024, the DGT has recommended its use from March 2021, and until then, triangles should still be carried.

Once it is mandatory in 2024, failing to carry the new V­16 beacon will lead to a fine.

The reason for the change is that triangles present a danger for the driver and others because

NEW BEACON: To replace triangles if you break down. of having to get out of the car to put them in place, whereas the V­16 light can simply be put on top of the car without even getting out as they are magnetic and will stay in place. The 60­degree light will have a

parabolic reflector and be visible from approximately one kilometre. They will al­ so come with Bluetooth al­ lowing users to connect them to a mobile to send a request for roadside assis­ tance once activated.

NEWS

PM’s support for autistic boy THE Prime Minister of Spain has spoken out in defence of an autistic boy who was brutally at­ tacked.

The young man was attacked in Barcelona in the Can Batllo area of Sants, after a group cor­ nered him, attacked him and stole his phone and jewellery.

He subsequently managed to flee, crying and completely dis­ tressed.

The Mossos, Barcelona’s au­ tonomous police, have an ongo­ ing investigation into the inci­

dent. It transpires that one per­ son has surrendered themselves to police about the attack which has gone viral on social media networks.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social media of his sup­ port for the young man; he said that as a father I am outraged by crimes like this, our sons and daughters deserve more.

We must denounce this vile act and any subsequent ones, and he went on to say his sup­ port was with the boy and his

Women Can Read Mass THE Roman Catholic Church has made a ground­breaking deci­ sion on Monday, January 11, to change the laws to allow women to read the Gospel and serve as Eucharistic distributors, but has stopped short of permitting them the right to become priests.

Pope Francis said that after much reflection, he had made the decision to acknowledge the “precious contribution” women make to the church, as well as responding to the “needs of the times.” However, the Vatican was quick to point out that the change in the Code of Canon Law, called Spiritus Domini (the Spirit of the Lord), is “essentially distinct from the ordained min­ istry.”

“The pontiff, therefore, has established that women can ac­ cede to these ministries and they are attributed by a liturgical function that institutionalises them,” the Vatican said in a state­ ment.

family, furthermore, there is no need to be silent with these kinds of attacks, we will deal with the perpetrators, you can speak out.

The attackers were believed to be just children themselves and possibly immigrants to Spain with ages in their group from 12 to 17 years old. The autistic boy who was attacked is 13 years old it’s understood.

The video has been viewed on social media more than 3,500,000 times.

Police save baby NATIONAL and Local Police in Teruel saved the life of a two­ month­old baby.

The child was unresponsive and wasn’t breathing when they arrived at the family home locat­ ed in the Arrabal area of Teruel, so the officers performed CPR. The paramedics had been un­ able to reach the home because of the snow, so the police rushed him to the emergency department at the Obispo Polanco Hospital.

The doctors told the police of­ ficers that their actions had not only stabilised, but also saved the life of the baby.

The National Police receive training in first aid, as do the Lo­ cal Police, who will also be train­ ing in collaboration with Civil Protection and paramedics in the town so their performance can become even better.

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Bitcoin Cryptocurrencies Plummet BITCOIN and other digital coins tumbled on Monday, January 11, wiping some $190 billion from the entire cryptocurrency market with experts saying the sell-off could signal some profit-taking by investors.

The value of the cryp-

Bitcoins took a tumble.

Spain Colder Than Poland ON Saturday, January 9 Spain accumulated more snow in a mere three days than the traditionally colder northern European coun­ tries such as Poland. Storm Filomena had been battering the coun­ try since last Wednesday with heavy downpours, icy winds and un­ precedented snowfall, with Interior Minister Fernando Grande­Marlaska warning that we still face “difficult days” ahead.

Marlaska’s department activated a ‘General Emergency Plan’ for the first time ever with 31 provinces in Spain on alert for extreme weather conditions.

tocurrency market was $932.20 billion as at 8.10 GMT, down from $1.1 trillion a day earlier, according to Coinmarketcap. The world’s largest cryptocurrency, bitcoin, collapsed by over 16 per cent from a day earlier to $33,400.

The second-biggest crypto, ether, was down by more than 20 per cent to $1,072.19. The sell-off in cryptocurrencies comes after a huge rally and could signal some profit-taking by investors, analysts said.

Bitcoin hit an all-time high last week, rising to almost $42,000. It is still up over 340 per cent in the last 12 months.

More than 30 different dimensions of pine timber in green, brown and thermo treated.

Biggest selection of high quality joists, beams, t/g boards, planks and decking boards.

You have never seen such a large selection.

All planed and round edges.

NEWS

Amazon’s expansion plan AMAZON plans further ex­ pansion in Spain with a new logistics ‘megacentre’ in Cadiz.

Amazon will invest up to €6.5 million to build and equip the logistics centre in El Puerto de Santa Maria.

The almost 12,000 square metre warehouse will be built at ‘Las Salinas’ indus­ trial estate, on a 41,217 square metre plot.

The local mayor, German Beardo, has confirmed that this will be “one of the most important logistics fa­ cilities in Andalucia” in the company’s network.

The mayor believes that Amazon’s presence “will be

a boost not only for our town but also for the province” and represents “the largest business opera­ tion on industrial land that El Puerto de Santa Maria has experienced in decades.”

According to the mayor, approximately 100 direct jobs will be created.

Amazon has already started the work, with the forecast that it will take between eight and 10 months.

The facilities will have nine unloading docks for lorries and 43 for delivery vehicles, as well as a park­ ing lot for some 500 deliv­ ery vans.

Falls short SPAIN needs 70,000 more places in nursing homes to meet WHO standards.

The country falls short of the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of five places for every 100 people over the age of 65.

In Spain, there are 389,031 places in nursing homes for the elderly distributed in 5,542 centres, according to data from the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (Imserso), published after collecting information from the autonomous communities.

The Association of Directors and Managers of Social Ser­ vices, which has analysed the report for 2019, has warned more than 70,000 places would be necessary to comply with the WHO recommendation.

According to the report, three out of four centres in Spain are private and 62 per cent of the places are publicly funded (242,206).

Although since 2010 the number of people over 65 has in­ creased by 1.1 million to over nine million last year, residen­ tial places have only increased by 20,226.

In Spain, there are 4.2 places for every 100 people over 65, of which 2.6 are publicly funded, and 1.6 are privately fund­ ed.

Only five autonomies reach the recommended ratio: Castilla y Leon, Castilla­La Mancha, Aragon, Extremadura, As­ turias, and Cantabria.

The main shortages are in Andalucia and the Valencian Community.

NEWS

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14 - 20 January 2021

World’s Smallest Giraffes

THE smallest giraffes in the world have been born with dwarfism and are only half the size that you would expect.

The gorgeous animals were found by Conservation scien­ tists and were named Gimil and Nigel. Giraffes normally come in

at around 18 feet tall, but the Nubian is nine feet four inches, and the Angolan is a tiny eight and a half feet.

The scientists who were working for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Giraffe Conservation

€12million Pyramid Scheme THE Supreme Court has sentenced financial advisor Miguel Olague Roncal to five and a half years in prison for running the largest pyramid scheme in Navarra, reportedly swindling 53 people out of more than €12 million in his property scam. The unsuspecting victims thought they were receiving genuine financial guidance when they forked over their cash to purchase non-existent properties in Madrid, a fact that only came to light after Roncal ran out of money.

The scam has been run by the Pamploma native since 1994. According to court officials, Roncal would offer investments, sometimes as large as €2 million, on properties he had no authorisation to sell. He would then use the cash to pay interest to the longest-serving members of the pyramid scheme. Amazingly, when the scam artist realised he was running out of dosh he actually turned himself into police.

Foundation came to the conclu­ sion that both are dwarf ani­ mals. This is a condition that is seen in humans and animals, but is extremely rare in wild an­ imals. Gimil and Nigel are the world’s smallest and the only known dwarf giraffes.

The pair should have a nor­ mal life span, but it is feared that due to the stature and the fact the Nubian giraffe has short legs that decrease his mo­ bility, he may be at risk from predators.

Babies born in snowstorms EIGHT babies were born during the snowstorms in Spain, each one a miracle.

Each birth was a tribute to the new mothers and emergency services who braved icy cold conditions just to access the locations, let alone provide medical attention.

One woman gave birth whilst inside a trapped vehicle to a healthy baby girl ,who will repeatedly tell this amazing story when older.

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Catalonia considers postponing Elections ON Monday January 11, the Health Ministry of Catalonia warned that pressure on the region’s ICU capacity would reach breaking point prior to the planned February 15 elections.

Lawmakers in Barcelona will decide on Friday (January 15) whether or not to postpone the hotly contested Catalan regional elections.

Health experts warned that a large number of Catalonians

Over 50,000 Tons of Salt For Icy Roads IN the bay of Cadiz exists the largest salt mine on the coast of Spain, with some 2,500 hectares of marshes supplying the country’s needs, including other European destinations. The snow, ice and extreme temperatures that Spain is now experiencing has put the salt plant into full speed, working three shifts a day to meet demands.

José Luis Armenteros, commercial director of the company which employs 80 workers and generates annual sales worth around €15 million, said that the damage to the roads caused

by Storm Filomena has so far used up 50 per cent of their annual output.

The saline, brines and road salts, the company produces are destined for all of Europe. As yet, as he explained, the chemical reaction to ice and snow by salt is so effective that it has not yet been superseded by another product.

will not be able to cast their vote in person as they may be positive for the virus or have come in contact with an infected person. This has led to a call for mail-in voting to ensure the elderly and vulnerable will be able to participate in the election.

Spain’s central electoral board controversially denied a petition of the Catalan government to exclude those over 60 from being obliged to act as election workers, who are selected from a random draw of citizens. All above the age of 18 and under the age of 70 are eligible to be picked for the mandatory service. Many have warned that over 60s working at the polls may be exposed to a greater risk of contracting the virus.

Pro-Catalan independence parties are polled to lead the election race in one of Spain’s most politically volatile regions.

NEWS

Queen Vaccination Fan Uproar FANS have been in uproar as other royals received the Covid-19 vaccine before the Queen and Prince Philip.

The Danish monarch Queen Margrethe was the first to receive the vaccine and is set to have the second jab, in around three weeks.

Both the Queen and Prince Philip were vaccinated against Covid-19 at Windsor Castle on Saturday January 9, but this has caused an uproar amongst fans, as they were not first in the queue.

Fans took to Twitter and one tweeted, “Hot take, the Queen and Prince Phillip should have been first to take the vaccine to help public confidence in it.”

Another Tweeted in agreement, and said “The Queen should have been first.

“She is in the dangerous demographic and if the world is so certain there is nothing to fear from the vaccine then there is no problem, right?”

NEWS

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WhatsApp Scam Andalucia tops CYBERCRIMINALS are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to hack accounts and swindle money from the vulnerable.

Warnings have been issued of a new scam where fraudsters are taking over the accounts of unsuspecting WhatsApp users and they assume the identity of one of the victim’s contacts and send them a verification code; once the owner of the WhatsApp account clicks on the link, their account, along with all the information associated with it, is taken over by the scammer.

The Cybercrime police department has reported that some users have actually been contacted by the fraudsters demanding ransom money for the return of their accounts.

for vaccination ON Saturday, January 9 Juan Marin, vice president of the Junta de Andalucia, announced on social media that the region is number one in vaccination.

Juan Marin claimed on social media that one out of every four vaccines administered was in Andalucia.

We, he exclaimed, are the autonomous region that has administered the most vaccines.

So far in Andalucia 140, 295 vaccines have been received ready to use, and 69,445 of those have actually been given to the region’s citizens.

Reiterating that just under 50 per cent of all vaccines had been administered he said more were needed to continue the inoculation campaign.

Ryanair Numbers Down RYANAIR passenger numbers were down 83 per cent in December.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has confirmed that the airline has suffered a dramatic blow from the coronavirus pandemic and the travel restrictions associated with it. The company recorded an 83 per cent drop in passenger numbers in December alone, with the summer of 2020 showing the first loss for the airline since 1990.

The latest figures show that Ryanair only operated around 22 per cent of the usual Decem-

ber schedule in 2020 as Covid-19 measures continue to hammer the aviation sector, and the company has warned that ongoing issues could well mean only half of the normal flights will operate this year also. Marking the worst summer in 30 years, the airline reported a €197 million loss between January and September.

A new ‘jab and go’ ad campaign launched by Ryanair on Boxing Day, urging customers to book flights to continental Europe, has been slammed by consumers for being inaccurate and insensitive.

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Town Hiring ‘Street Informants’ THE town of Torredembarra in Tarragona is hiring ‘street informants’ to ensure that Covid restrictions are followed properly.

This year three ‘street informant’ jobs will be created with the dual aim of Covid-19 restriction moni-

toring, and helping employ people. The jobs will only be open to certain people, that have suffered financially due to the pandemic and are unemployed amongst other criteria.

The jobs will entail checking on street markets,

parks, playgrounds, restaurants and leisure areas to help keep the number of Covid-19 cases down.

The jobs will last for nine months and successful candidates will be trained for the job with 60 hours of training.

Delivery Driver Maskless Biter Arrested Traffic Rules POLICE officers in Malaga centre were forced to arrest a man on Monday, January 4 after he became extremely aggressive when they asked him to put on a mask.

The irate individual lunged at the Local Police, biting one on the thigh and attempt­ ing to grab the other by the genitals. Offi­ cers out on patrol spotted the culprit with­ out his mask strolling along Calle Juan de Padilla. When the police caught up, they in­ sisted on searching him, sparking a violent reaction resulting in three officers injured before the man was subdued and arrested.

Police sources reported the individual continued to attack officials once detained at the Provincial Police Station, where he is awaiting an appearance on assault charges and breaches to Covid­19 restrictions.

T H E Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced on Thursday, January 7, a wave of new traffic measures to improve the road safety of delivery drivers on bicycles and motorcycles.

Under the new rules, bicycle delivery people, known as ‘riders,’ will be required to wear a helmet at all times, while motorcycle drivers must wear gloves and will be allowed to drive on the hard shoulder if there are traffic jams, at a maximum speed of 30 km/hour.

In his statement, Marlaska said that due to their work, ‘riders’ “move permanently on the roads of our cities and their personal safety must be guaranteed.”

Prior to these new regulations, only cyclists under the age of 16 were required to wear helmets in cities.

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NEWS

Supermarket fears shortage STORM FILOMENA has led to fears that Spanish supermarkets could experience food supply disruption as heavy snowfall paralysed key infrastructure.

On Spanish social media, images of empty shelves in Madrid stores are circulating widely leading to fears that shortages could be felt in the coming days for some cus­ tomers.

A spokesman for Mercadona, Spain’s largest supermarket chain, has said that a “great effort” is being made to adapt the company’s logistics network so that the su­ permarkets most affected by the storm “maintain their normal activity.”

“The company is prioritising the replace­ ment of the most affected shops as they receive the different services,” the retailer

EMPTY: Problematic for customers. said in a statement.

Asedas, the Association of Supermarket Companies in Spain, warns that several su­ permarkets throughout badly hit storm ar­ eas are experiencing a “complicated situa­ tion” due to transport difficulties, but added that they are hopeful that supplies will face minimal disruption thanks to the work of staff and the government.

Company charged in death of driver FIVE business directors in Salou, Tarragona, have been charged in the death of a lorry driver in an accident.

They have been charged with severe reckless manslaughter, as the Mossos d’Esquadra consider that the man’s death was a conse­ quence of the worn tyres on his vehicle.

The accident occurred on July 3

last year, when the driver of an ar­ ticulated lorry travelling on the A­2 highway lost control of the vehi­ cle, crossed the third lane of the highway, collided with the con­ crete central reservation, smash­ ing an information panel and re­ sulted in the driver’s death.

The Central Department of In­ vestigation of Traffic Accidents certified that the reason for the accident had been the poor condi­ tion of the tyres of the damaged lorry and the investigation re­

vealed anomalies in the vehicle’s maintenance.

A careful investigation into the history of repairs and mainte­ nance of the damaged vehicle, a lorry that had travelled more than a million kilometres, was carried out. The semi­trailer did not have its MOT up­to­date and mainte­ nance was not adequate.

The Mossos charged those re­ sponsible for the lorry and found that such irregularities were com­ monplace in the company.

Emergencies soar MADRID hospitals saw emergencies soar this week with hundreds of patients admitted following falls due to treacherous weather.

From the start of an emergency shift at 8am and until mid­after­ noon on Monday, January 11, the Gregorio Marañón hospital had re­ ceived 380 patients ­ 144 were trauma patients.

Head of the emergency service, Juan Andueza, said that normally, these type of cases represent 16 per cent of those treated, but the fig­ ure has risen to 40 per cent with week.

And he attributed Storm Filomena for the increase as most injuries have been “breaks, due to putting hands out to break a fall, and hip injuries in older people.”

As of Monday, Madrid hospitals had 2,391 patients admitted to acute care units and 429 to ICU. Andueza warned that the situation is made more acute due to the coronavirus pandemic, and urged “the population take extreme pre­ cautions and limit travel because this situation [the snowfall] causes emergency services to collapse, in addition to patients with Covid and other pathologies.”

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NEWS

Mystery of Madrid dog sled

THE mystery puzzling social media after a man was seen out with a dog sled following the snow brought by Storm Filomena has now been solved.

The man is Javier Talanco, a resident in the Hortaleza area of Madrid, who is a musher and competes inter­ nationally in the sport which is neither well­known nor extensively practised in Spain.

After 30 hours of snow, he decided to take his dogs out for some exercise, and was caught doing so by residents in the area, who shared the photos and videos on social media, stirring up much

DOG SLED: Practising with his dogs in the snow. speculation on who he might be.

Aged 39, the car parts salesman said he has be­ come something of a celebri­ ty in the area where he lives with his dogs Snabb, Kimbre,

Largest Drug Haul THE National Police and Guardia Civil have concluded a year-long operation by seizing the largest amount of synthetic drugs in Spanish history in Barcelona on Friday, January 8. Officials arrested eight individuals, including the head drug lord, of different nationalities including Spanish, Dutch, Romanians, Colombians and Italians. The operation dismantled two sophisticated laboratories in Barcelona - one was used for storage and the other for manufacturing the drugs.

In total, police seized 827,000 MDMA pills, 76 kilos of amphetamine sulphate, 39.5 kilos of glass, 217 litres of liquid amphetamine, 310 kilos of hashish, 89 kilos of marihuana, 2,000 hits of LSD and 1.65 kilos of pink cocaine. In a statement, police said that, had the liquid amphetamine been used as planned, it would have resulted in around 738 kilos of speed.

The seizure represents the second largest ecstasy haul in Europe in the past 20 years, and most of the drugs are believed to have been headed to the Spanish market; however, the narcos also had close ties with the UK and Holland.

Haru, Lomu and Skunk.

He is not the only one who decided to practise their favourite winter sports in the snowy streets of Madrid, as many people got their skis out and enjoyed the snow.

Carlos Sainz wrong turn SAINZ from Madrid is fight­ ing hard in the 2021 Dakar, but lost the Stage 4 victory to Nasser Al­Attiyah in the end, after Sainz had led at the 43rd Kilometre. He suf­ fered from a series of navi­ gational issues in this stage.

Sainz said, “It is not easy. The stage went well, with many difficult places in terms of navigation. It is not easy, as we are having complications. We have had to turn around up to three times.”

Sainz won the Dakar’s first stage after making an amazing comeback.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2021

Advertising Feature

Buying a property on the Costa Blanca in 2021 INTEREST in buying proper­ ty on the Costa Blanca re­ mains strong, reflected in house price resilience dur­ ing 2020. The Covid vac­ cines make a route out of the pandemic now possible.

With Brexit finally done, we expect property interest to turn into purchases quickly as we head into spring. If you’re one of those people to make 2021 your year for buying in Spain, here’s a quick guide to what you need to know.

Money. Now the UK is outside the EU, a lender may ask for a larger deposit if you’re getting a mortgage to finance a purchase. Banks are covering a perceived risk of dealing with clients out­ side the EU. Currency is an­ other important factor. The UK was never in the Euro, but Sterling is about 10 per cent weaker against the EU currency compared to 12 months ago. The trade deal may bring more short term currency stability, helping to reduce price fluctuations between exchange and com­ pletion.

Travelling to Spain. You won’t need a visa to travel to Spain for up to 90 days in every 180. You will need six months left on your pass­ port on the day you depart the UK. Note that other trips to most other EU countries will count against the 90­ day allocation. If you want to stay longer, arrange­ ments exist, such as a Gold­ en Visa scheme. Spanish res­ idency to non­EU Nationals is possible with a property purchase in excess of €500,000.

Buying for rental. There is a marked change now the UK has left in relation to non­resident tax. Owners who rent their property can no longer deduct rental costs from their tax bill and the tax rate has risen from 19 per cent to 24 per cent.

Health and pets. EHIC (European health card) re­ mains valid until expiry. The pet passport scheme is no longer valid and is replaced by an Animal Health Certifi­ cate (AHC). The AHC appli­ cation can take a month to process.

SUN LAWYERS: Interest in purchasing a property is expected to increase now that Brexit is finally done.

Securing your dream Costa Blanca property starts by getting prepared. This means obtaining your NIE number and setting up a Spanish bank account. Existing restrictions means travel both within, and between countries, is difficult. But you can do a Spanish Power of Attorney from the UK, allowing us to get the NIE and the bank account set up on your behalf.

Contact admin@sun-lawyers.com for more details.

EWN 27

28 EWN

14 - 20 January 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

GERMANY

Flying high

Miss Germany

AT the start of the 20th century, the whiteeyed eagle was believed to have been exterminated in Denmark but following a reintroduction campaign in 1996, this elegant bird has had a remarkable rebirth with more than 1,200 having been recorded in the wild.

THE organisers of the Miss Germany contest have decided that it’s no longer correct to rank beauty over brains and having removed all men from the judges panel last year where the winner was a 35year-old mother, they have received 15,000 applications for 2021.

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE

Popular names

Lunch time

A REPORT by SVB Bank which distributes child benefits in Holland says that the most popular names registered up to November 2020 were for boys Noah (807) and for girls Emma (685). These were also the most popular names in 2019.

WITH France closing restaurants due to the pandemic and winter now bitingly cold in certain areas, the French government has authorised local councils to open public rooms to allow those who work outside to have somewhere warm to eat their lunch.

BELGIUM

NORWAY

Lucky escape

UN Security Council

A TRAIN crashed into a broken-down bus stuck on a level crossing in West Flanders but happily no-one was on the bus at the time and the four passengers on the train escaped unhurt, although the train driver suffered minor injuries.

PRINCE HAAKON took part in a digital meeting with the Norwegian team that will sit on the United Nations Security Council for the next two years. There are five permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the USA with 10 temporary members.

FINANCE Dropping out THE second largest oil company in Spain, Cepsa is repositioning its business and is passing all of its residential electricity and gas clients to Podo as it gets ready to completely reassess its business strategy for the future.

Triple whammy THE on/off takeover of Air Europa

by Iberia Airlines will have to obtain approval from three different bodies before any final deal may be done. Waiting to be contacted are the British Competition Commission, European Commission and Spain’s CNMV.

On strike STAFF working for British Gas went on a five-day national strike after the GMB Union accused the energy firm and its parent company Centrica of threatening to ‘fire and rehire’ engineers who did not agree to new terms and conditions.

Spanish aid TUBOS REUNIDOS the Spanish manufacturer of all types of metal pipes which trades all over the world has applied for financial support in the form of €115 million from the government as so much of its business has been frustrated by the pandemic.

Spain’s unemployment UNDERSTANDABLY, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of tourists, the number of Spanish adults registered as out of work has risen by 22 per cent during the year.

The information was revealed by the Minister for Labour and Economy, Joaquin Perez Rey who confirmed that the jobless total has reached 3.89 million which does not include more than 750,000 on state supported furlough.

Whilst accepting that this was the worst figure for four years, he indicated his belief that provided the pandemic is controlled, many will find work in 2021.

STAT OF WEEK

$38,519

(€31,420)

was the value of one cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the day after the Capitol building in Washington DC was stormed.

M&S possible acquisition

Shareholders approve merger PEUGEOT­CITROËN (PSA) shareholders on Monday, January 4, approved the merger of the French group with Fiat­Chrysler (FCA) to form Stellantis, the world's fourth largest automotive group.

During an online general meeting, PSA shareholders approved the mega­merger with Fiat Chrysler (FCA) by an overwhelming majority, fi­ nalising more than 99.8 per cent of the three resolutions concerning the merger.

The date for the merger has yet to be announced, however, it must be done "very quickly", according to the chairman of the manage­ ment board of PSA and fu­ ture Director General of Stel­ lantis, Carlos Tavares.

"We are ready for this merger," said Tavares who is from Portugal, adding that two healthy companies are merging. "This is a historic moment."

"I have rarely had the feel­ ing as much as today of living

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Who owns what?

a moment of history", de­ clared the emblematic chair­ man of the supervisory board of PSA, Louis Gallois, who is retiring following this merger.

This latest news comes af­ ter the European Union (EU) conditionally approves the mega­merger of car giants Fi­ at Chrysler (FCA) and Peu­ geot Citroen (PSA), on Mon­ day, December 21, after the firms agreed on commit­ ments to overcome competi­ tion fears.

The new association with major operations in Europe and North America will con­ sist of 14 brands, including Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, Chrysler, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth and Dodge.

Before the COVID crisis, Fi­ at Chrysler and PSA together sold around 8.7 million vehi­ cles per year and had a turnover of €170 billion. Only Volkswagen, Toyota and the French­Japanese Renault­ Nissan network were larger in 2019.

Paperchase losses Credit: Paperchase

BUSINESS EXTRA

www.euroweeklynews.com • 14 - 20 January 2021

30

Our response to the question of apartment block v townhouse community was incom­ plete. Our questioner understands that the apartment holders collectively own their block and the townhouse owners independently own their freeholds. So why must they contribute to the apart­ ment repairs?

D S (Costa del Sol) In fact the apartment owners also own their YOU AND THE LAW individual apartments IN SPAIN as freehold, and the community owns all the elements outside the walls, such as balconies. It is the same for the townhouses. Your individual garden areas are actually owned by the community. The apartment terraces and the townhouse gardens appear on your title deeds but in fact you have only ‘exclusive use.’ So the townhouses and the apartment block are under one community. The Law of Horizontal Proper­ ty specifies that community expenses shall be paid according to the cuotas or percentage shares of each owner. Because the townhouses are larger, their shares are larger. If the expense is unusually large and applies mostly to the apartment block the townhouse owners are still legally obligated to pay even if they do not benefit. This is clearly unfair to the townhouse owners and should be discussed at the AGM.

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.

THE German KfW IPEX­Bank which specialises in financing overseas companies is participating in the construction and operation of the Los Escuderos solar park near Altarejos (Cuenca).

The total value of the loan is €96 million to allow the construc­ tion which will start this year and 17 years of budgeted operation with the German bank placing €64

Paperchase is unlikely to remain in business.

IT appears that the latest UK High Street casualty will be Pa­ perchase which has been in business for more than 50 years and describes itself as the UK’s number 1 shopping spot for exciting and innova­ tive design­led stationery.

Having seen falling sales even before the pandemic, in 2019 it declared a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), a form of insolvency which al­ lowed it to close unprofitable stores and cut rents, in some cases changing them to a per­ centage of profit.

Now however with the lat­ est British lockdown and the burden of 127 shops and 1,500 staff as well as a number of in­ house concessions, it has had

to file papers at court as it plans to call in Administrators as this will protect the compa­ ny from its creditors for 10 days.

Originally a private compa­ ny with a single shop which was set up in London in 1968, the brand grew and eventually WH Smith invested in it, be­ fore it was sold to the Borders Group and then it was subject to a management buyout in 2010.

Online sales have increased but not by enough to balance the lack of sales through the stores and as up to 40 per cent of turnover traditionally takes place in November and De­ cember, Tier 4 restrictions were the last straw.

Green energy plans million and the balance coming from other lenders.

The project is being undertaken

by Spanish energy company Gren­ ergy Renovables SA and when completed, it will create one of the largest solar parks in Spain.

This plant will have more than

342,000 photovoltaic panels, will occupy an area of more than 350 hectares and, when it comes into operation, will prevent the emis­ sion of nearly 107,800 tons of CO2 per year.

The company will also be re­ sponsible for the subsequent op­

SPECIALIST publication Retail Sector reports that Marks and Spencer is apparently close to coming to an arrangement to take over the Jaeger fashion brand from the bankrupt Edinburgh Woollen Mill group.

The name Jaeger was al­ ways synonymous with high quality classic clothing and M&S has seen that its cloth­ ing business has suffered as the market has changed and it may have lost its under­ standing of what is required.

According to Sky News re­ ports, the purchase of the Jaeger stocks is part of a new vision to introduce third party brands to retain customers and attract new ones, which is why it was also interested in taking over the Victoria’s Secret UK business although that fell through.

Profits up IT has been an exceptional year for Sainsbury’s as its online grocery sales grew by 128 per cent in the third and Christmas quarter of its fi­ nancial year.

Sales were also good for its subsidiary Argos with its sales up by 62 per cent, sup­ ported by TV advertising and demand for electrical goods led the way.

The group which returned its business rates relief to the government (in line with other major supermarket chains) expects to see pre­ tax profits for the year to hit around £330 million (€363 million), well up on 2019 profits of £255 million (€280.5) million. eration of the four photovoltaic plants with an expected annual electricity production of around 385 GWh and for the first 12 years, the energy will be supplied to Portuguese energy company Galp.

After the contract expires, it is planned that the electricity pro­ duced will be sold on the spot market.

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2021

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

LONDON - FTSE 100

See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 11

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3I Group 1.166,50 1.176,00 Admiral Group 2.968,0 2.985,0 Anglo American 2.810,0 2.827,5 Antofagasta 1.558,50 1.563,50 Ashtead Group 3.652,0 3.670,0 Associated British Foods 2.235,0 2.240,0 AstraZeneca 7.510,0 7.559,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 596,20 600,80 Avast 545,00 557,00 Aveva 3.529,5 3.588,0 Aviva 350,35 351,65 B&M European Value Retail SA548,20 553,60 BAE Systems 496,60 502,20 Bank VTB DRC 1,007 1,010 Barclays 153,20 153,68 Barratt Developments 717,24 720,40 Berkeley 4.702,0 4.732,0 BHP Group 2.194,00 2.217,50 BP 297,65 298,65 British American Tobacco 2.793,0 2.804,0 British Land Company 465,63 466,50 BT Group 142,35 142,75 Bunzl 2.507,0 2.522,0 Burberry Group 1.845,5 1.861,5 Carnival 1.315,0 1.335,0 Centrica 49,29 49,67 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.427,9 2.432,9 Compass 1.453,30 1.468,00 CRH 3.427,0 3.447,0 Croda Intl 6.596,0 6.698,0 DCC 5.506,0 5.546,0 Diageo 3.010,0 3.034,5 DS Smith 403,40 404,80 EasyJet 789,41 808,54 Experian 2.865,0 2.882,0 Ferguson 9.428,0 9.478,0 Flutter Entertainment 15.730,0 15.955,0 Fresnillo 1.181,99 1.197,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.404,60 1.412,80 Glencore 273,84 275,32 Halma 2.616,0 2.637,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.656,49 1.728,50 Hikma Pharma 2.675,00 2.691,00 HSBC 413,05 414,20 IAG 154,30 156,00 Imperial Brands 1.639,00 1.643,00 Informa 558,00 566,00 InterContinental 4.799,0 4.843,0 Intermediate Capital 1.766,00 1.786,00 Intertek 5.830,0 5.878,0 ITV 112,80 113,48

% CHG. 1.166,50 2.967,0 2.780,0 1.534,00 3.650,0 2.197,0 7.483,0 590,80 545,00 3.527,0 346,10 546,11 491,20 0,987 151,42 714,48 4.689,0 2.164,00 294,91 2.784,0 462,26 140,70 2.501,0 1.845,5 1.313,0 49,12 2.424,5 1.451,10 3.424,0 6.596,0 5.500,0 3.017,8 401,40 786,21 2.861,0 9.410,0 15.731,8 1.181,50 1.401,60 271,20 2.612,0 1.647,47 2.673,00 410,95 153,79 1.632,00 557,00 4.787,0 1.766,00 5.830,0 110,83

NET VOL 56,71K 14,25K 237,08K 40,31K 26,01K 57,95K 11,16K 106,66K 102,23K 1,39K 76,91K 53,12K 52,59K 77,68K 1,83M 37,86K 14,73K 407,28K 725,57K 119,41K 4,37K 742,33K 24,36K 29,45K 15,30K 830,68K 3,74K 3,13K 24,24K 7,61K 3,48K 22,93K 56,05K 234,56K 60,67K 8,28K 0,30K 21,98K 45,52K 337,58K 25,27K 17,62K 6,51K 1,04M 1,18M 7,50K 95,56K 11,34K 8,36K 5,14K 263,81K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

J Sainsbury Johnson Matthey Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Banking London Stock Exchange Meggitt Melrose Industries Mondi National Grid NatWest Group Next Norilskiy Nikel ADR Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentokil Rightmove Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Rosneft DRC Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell B RSA Insurance Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Smith & Nephew Smiths Group Spirax-Sarco Engineering SSE St. James’s Place Standard Chartered Standard Life Aberdeen Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP

237,60 2.666,0 682,46 278,30 36,67 9.254,0 446,00 187,23 1.868,00 879,60 165,25 7.620,2 36,32 2.476,19 2.848,0 732,40 1.419,00 6.646,0 1.889,50 547,00 636,00 6.251,0 106,50 6,40 1.464,0 1.463,70 1.411,4 678,80 583,80 2.070,00 15,73 3.560,0 1.276,12 967,80 2.369,4 1.579,50 1.581,50 11.700,0 1.607,50 1.191,00 509,60 308,00 167,90 245,26 354,80 4.448,7 936,80 129,26 3.069,0 827,60

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

242,00 2.696,0 683,46 278,60 36,83 9.288,0 452,30 187,24 1.878,00 883,00 165,65 7.720,0 36,46 2.514,00 2.879,0 734,00 1.426,00 6.724,0 1.896,50 551,20 641,60 6.300,7 108,25 6,43 1.470,4 1.470,51 1.417,4 680,80 592,00 2.070,00 15,79 3.577,0 1.284,44 971,60 2.371,4 1.599,50 1.584,50 11.860,0 1.610,50 1.197,50 512,40 308,90 168,95 247,60 379,80 4.460,0 940,20 129,40 3.086,0 834,00

237,07 2.663,0 677,60 275,30 36,07 9.216,0 444,00 185,29 1.844,50 877,60 163,05 7.558,0 35,45 2.475,00 2.848,0 728,00 1.411,50 6.642,0 1.879,50 543,00 634,80 6.216,0 106,05 6,31 1.453,2 1.453,00 1.401,6 677,40 581,80 2.048,00 15,52 3.533,0 1.274,45 966,00 2.360,0 1.564,00 1.574,50 11.695,0 1.601,00 1.183,00 503,20 302,50 166,25 244,70 345,10 4.435,0 932,20 128,38 3.063,0 827,20

55,97K 15,41K 2,70K 492,61K 8,85M 8,78K 6,66K 46,33K 82,98K 349,32K 372,21K 1,87K 86,11K 16,38K 44,29K 63,23K 371,24K 45,39K 122,14K 160,74K 33,09K 18,85K 1,19M 54,94K 465,51K 41,55K 519,73K 256,19K 202,20K 5,06K 9,51K 3,31K 557,20K 41,25K 2,20K 94,03K 9,35K 3,33K 57,48K 15,01K 177,74K 317,37K 389,57K 176,93K 690,85K 10,88K 37,47K 1,61M 17,81K 83,68K

0.90339

1.10696 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.21938 Japan yen (JPY)......................................126.986 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.08202 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43686 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.3496

currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 11

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 166,62 1.807,21 3.182,70 238,49 132,05 209,90 194,26 91,08 45,06 51,08 267,57 290,08 269,09 210,03 128,53 51,65 160,04 136,02 215,87 83,03 219,62 146,35 138,79 222,04 880,02 363,39 57,80 215,45 146,63 178,69

CHANGE 169,54 1.809,84 3.190,64 238,86 132,63 214,10 195,26 92,43 45,41 51,13 268,95 292,28 270,73 213,41 129,32 52,53 161,10 136,35 216,12 84,37 220,58 146,82 139,06 222,32 884,49 367,49 58,36 216,12 147,00 180,02

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 164,61 4,81M 1.773,54 2,05M 3.142,20 3,54M 235,10 2,51M 130,23 105,16M 208,16 14,14M 191,32 3,19M 90,45 11,15M 44,25 20,94M 49,84 29,67M 263,18 18,53M 285,06 2,80M 267,00 3,76M 207,67 3,28M 126,98 4,68M 51,27 34,63M 159,88 8,23M 134,12 12,04M 212,23 2,64M 82,55 9,13M 217,03 22,96M 144,90 3,95M 137,00 7,45M 219,22 7,30M 838,39 75,06M 358,76 2,95M 57,37 28,41M 212,75 6,51M 145,81 8,16M 176,60 7,89M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 11

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+7.57% +7.84% +1.86% +4.30% +15.57% +11.68% +1.66% +1.32% +0.65% +1.12% +5.23%

737,457 75.06M 310,544 1.08M 22.77M 311,014 1,503 1.77M 3.54M 2.05M 8.41M

-51.29% -2.44% -6.74% -2.49% -2.69% -8.66% -4.21% -11.81% -10.59% -1.69% -6.73%

22.81M 42,498 52,124 1.44M 1.33M 1.02M 390,184 684,895 4.49M 560,187 596,137

Most Advanced MercadoLibre Inc. Tesla Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Baidu Inc. ADR WD-40 Co. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Alphabet Inc. Cl A Amazon.com Inc. Alphabet Inc. Cl C Roku Inc. Cl A

Most Declined Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A Cavco Industries Inc. Lam Research Corp.

SolarEdge Technologies Inc. Cerence Inc. Helen of Troy Ltd. Ontrak Inc. Fulgent Genetics Inc. SVB Financial Group LGI Homes Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Moonpic.com

Moonpig share issue likely

Moonpig has enjoyed significant growth.

ALTHOUGH registered as a UK company, Moonpig the online supplier of greetings cards and much more dis­ tributes product from its Guernsey base and business is booming.

Founded in 2000, it was the brainchild of Nick Jenk­ ins who sold it in 2011 for £100 million (€110 million) and finally ended up in the hands of Exponent Private Equity which according to a Sky News report is consider­ ing floating the company on the London Stock Market in the not­too­distant future.

The lockdown and various tier restrictions has been a financial blessing for the company as it makes much more sense to choose from one of its 16,000 cards on­ line rather than make one visit to a card shop and a

second to a post office and there is the added bonus of the availability of dispatch of flowers, chocolates and oth­ er relatively inexpensive gifts.

With a turnover of around £100 million (€110 million) and profits last year of £18.4 million (€20.24 million) the company can only expect sales to continue to increase over the coming months which makes it the right time to consider going pub­ lic.

According to Sky News, the likely value of such a public offering could see share sales of around £1 bil­ lion (€1.1 billion) but that would indicate a ratio of 10 to one on turnover and may be somewhat optimistic.

Nearest competitor is Funky Pigeon which offers a

New Renault division LOOKING to rationalise the Renault sales and manufacturing business in Portugal and Spain, a new division has been created combining the two countries which will be headed by José Vicente de los Mozos.

Born in Brazil whilst his Spanish father was working in that country, he is already world director of manufacturing and a member of the management committee of the French consortium of vehicle manufacturers.

His new role which includes the position of president and general manager of Renault Spain will see him chair a committee overseeing both countries.

similar range of product and is now owned by WH Smith.

BUSINESS EXTRA Bank closures SPAIN’S Santander bank continues with its plans to reduce overheads and after closing 1,150 of its branches during 2019, following the takeover of Banco Popular, it now plans to phase out a further 1,000 branches during 2021.

Vaccine FORMER Spanish government minister, now vice president of the European Central Bank Luis de Guindos, has said that the main hope for the recovery of the euro-based economy is the vaccine to fight Covid-19 and hopes that inoculation will be speedy.

Doc Marten’s SKINHEADS favourite boot Doc Marten’s continues to be popular around the world and now thanks to increasing online sales since the start of the pandemic, the Luxembourg based owners of the Northamptonshire company are floating the company on the Stock Exchange.

14 - 20 January 2021

EWN 33

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2021

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Get paid for living ‘The Good Life’ FOR those who can remember Fe­ licity Kendall and Richard Briers’ attempts to become totally self­ sufficient in the popular sit­com, The Good Life, the idea of living a sustainable life may not seem all that appealing.

But today, thanks to the removal of Spain’s infamous ‘sun tax’ it’s now possible to generate your own electricity and even get paid for any surplus you produce, without mak­ ing any changes to your day­to­day life.

Green energy company, Mari­ posa Energía has added solar PV panels to its range of green energy products, helping businesses and householders alike to save substan­ tial amounts of money, while also helping to save the future of the planet.

The process of installing and us­

GREEN ENERGY: Generate your own electricity.

ing solar panels is incredibly straightforward. As long as you own your own roof, the Mariposa

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over the roof ­ and design the whole installation.

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thing, from the installation itself to the registration of paperwork and maintenance of the solar panels. A 20­year fully comprehensive guar­ antee gives consumers peace of mind and low­cost financing op­ tions are also available.

Those who opt for solar panels see an instant reduction in their electricity bills and any surplus pro­ duced will be fed into the National Grid, meaning users also have the ability to generate cash from their solar panels.

Mariposa Energía CEO, Martin Tye said: “Solar PV panels are a fan­ tastic way to save money, not just in the short term, but in the long term. With 300 days of sun per year, Spain’s sunny climate pro­ vides the perfect environment for self­generating electricity through solar panels.”

To find out more about how you can save money and help to save the planet with solar panels contact the friendly San Pedrobased team on +34 951 120 830 at info@mariposenergia.es or visit the website www.mariposaenergia.es Not yet ready for solar panels? Mariposa Energía also offers cheaper, greener energy tariffs. Save up to 35% on your electricity bill simply by switching to the broker’s 100% certified green energy. Contact the team today to find out how much you can save.

Out of the frying pan...

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT JUST watching the start of the Arsenal v Newcastle match. Predictably the players have all just ‘taken the knee,’ with some also giving the closed fist ‘Black Power’ salute. The commentator then summed up all that is totally misconstrued about this blatant act of racist hypocrisy when he announced ­ ‘The players are once again showing there is no place in the sport for racism’!

You really couldn’t make it up. Can’t wait to see how long this provocative custom is allowed to continue when the fans are allowed back in the stadiums.

The BBC was once again also on fine typical form this week when they published photos of congestion at the ports, which subsequently turned out to be old images taken from their archives.

According to reliable reports there was no noticeable disruption in the traffic crossing the channel after the new Brexit regulations kicked in.

It truly is time this disgraceful bunch of public purse draining dangerous lefties was dismantled once and for all.

‘Scotland will have to get in line behind Turkey and Serbia.’ ‘Why should we take on Scotland, the last thing we want is another Greece?’ ‘Any EU negotiations with Scotland could go on for years.’ With all these reports and observations now emanating from the hierarchy of European members, the electricity bill they will be landed with, were they to comply with Nicola Sturgeon’s request for them to ‘keep the lights on for Scotland,’ could well land the EU in the bankruptcy courts!

No, I’m afraid this conniving, arrogant woman has only one agenda; separation from the English at any cost. She is not a fool, she is fully aware that Scotland’s acceptance into the EU would be close on a miracle; she is merely banking on conning Scottish ‘remainers’ to vote yes in a new independence referendum.

Independence? Sounds more like out of the frying pan to me! All that may become a moot point anyway. When the fishy scandal surrounding the Salmond affair is finally thrashed out, she could be

looking for a new job herself!

And finally, with the UK’s Brexit now a reality, British citizens who wish to take up employment in other European countries, will need to go through all kinds of legal shenanigans to obtain permits. This of course also now applies to entertainers. Apparently Ms Patel has refused to make entertainers an exception and without a reciprocal agreement, foreign acts will also have to complete a whole host of legal requirements before being allowed to work in the UK. One of the stipulations is that all performers are required to prove they have access to £1,000 ­ which may mean nothing to the likes of Lionel Ritchie, but to a small Scandinavian or even southern Irish band just popping over to do a few pubs and clubs, it can be an extremely daunting prospect. Also be prepared for a gross shortage of British acts in Spain; only those with residency will be eligible for work. I feel a positive glut of Flamenco acts coming on.

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.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

New Year sales

RESEARCH conducted by the Union de Consumidores de Andalucia (UCA) has revealed that average consumers will spend €87 during the New Year sales.

This marks a decrease of 8 per cent from 2020 when the average shopper splashed €95.

The top categories of goods purchased by consumers are expected to be clothing, mak­ ing up 54.96 per cent of shop­

ping with the average shopper expected to pay just under €50 on textile goods.

Footwear and accessories will take a share of 16.62 per cent of sales spending, with around €16.62 spent by most shoppers.

Household goods come in at 25.9 per cent, while around 30 per cent of sales are expected to take place through online e­ commerce platforms.

Dad’s Army

THE BBC has come under fire for airing an episode of the much­loved series that contained what is believed to be an offensive word for Asian people.

The 1974 radio special of the series included the word Ch*** twice without a previous underlined warning or pre­airing warning.

The episode featured on Radio 4 Extra, and unlike other episodes aired, did not have a specific warning similar to a 1971 episode which featured the phrase ‘Fuzzywuzzys,’ a term used by soldiers of the British army for military personnel from Sudan.

Fans complained that issues were being made where there weren’t any. The BBC spokesperson said we warn viewers so the content does not surprise them, with phrases they may not understand. If rules are broken, an independent investigation must take place.

14 - 20 January 2021

EWN 35

Advertising Feature

Neater Heater. A style to suit everybody NEATER HEATERS have been warming Spanish homes for over a decade. In that time, they have made great improvements in design, diversity and tech­ nology, while still keeping the original simplicity that has given them the edge over their rivals in both economy and efficiency.

Using the conductive ef­ ficiency of extruded aluminium, their cleverly designed Elements make Neater Heaters among the most effi­ cient wall, or floor mounted electric convection radiators on the market.

Recognising the varied needs of their customers, particularly when it comes to controls, Neater Heater offer a wide range of operating systems that should suit everybody from the world’s most devout technophobe to the most up­to­ date techno­wizz.

All Neater Heaters can just be plugged in and turned on with a light in­ dicating that they are working, and the desired thermostatically controlled temperature being set manually with either press buttons or a dial. However,

NEATER HEATER: Click, select, pay.

on many of our newer models the man­ ual settings can be over­ridden with ei­ ther an internal digital timer, or with Wi­Fi connectivity that allows you to

control your heaters remotely via an App on your smart phone.

Neater Heaters are slim, discrete and silent, and some models come with a choice of colour.

To find out which model would be most suitable for your lifestyle and whether there is a Neater Heater agent in your area, visit our website www.neaterheater.es.

Here you will also be able to find answers to our customers’ most Fre­ quently Asked Questions, as well as be­ ing able to purchase heaters directly through our online shop with free deliv­ ery to your home. We usually have good stocks of our most popular mod­ els, with deliveries regularly arriving from the manufacturers.

NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA NORTH MORAIRA: S&W, The Tool Bar. ALTEA: Leo’s Superstore.

Tel. 965 745 805 Tel. 965 844 848

Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery.

WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171 (WhatsApp available)

Advertising Feature

An amazing start to your hearing aid journey HAPPY NEW YEAR! After such a challenging 2020, why not start 2021 with a new resolution ­ A Bet­ ter Hearing Health? And let us at Apple Hearing & Healthcare help you towards achieving this. Hear­ ing is one of the senses often over­ looked but the part it plays in our daily lives should not be underesti­ mated.

In this modern world, living with an impaired hearing can be debili­ tating and lonely. More so than ever, communication plays a signifi­ cant role in our lives and hearing and understanding is central to this.

It is quite common that people with hearing difficulties have an above average chance from suffering with depression and has been proven that healthy hearing is directly con­ nected to our overall health and well­being.

An international study which was presented at the Alzheimer’s Associ­ ation International Conference in London emphasised the importance of looking after your hearing.

At Apple Hearing & Healthcare,

IMPAIRED HEARING: Contact Apple Hearing for a free hearing test. we are truly passionate to making sure our customers experience an improved quality of life and led by our very experienced audiologist, Mr Gary Hagerty and working close­

ly with our manufacturer, Starkey Hearing Technologies, we know we can help to improve your hearing.

We endeavour to provide relief to those with the most severe hearing

impairments and other related hearing condition such as tinnitus.

So, if you find yourself struggling to understand conversations or you find yourself putting up the volume on the television too high, contact us on 965 020 813 or visit our web­ site: www.applecares.eu to book our FREE, NO OBLIGATION hearing test.

We offer flexible appointments to our clients which cover the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida regions. In most cases, we can guarantee your hearing will improve significantly and with our promised 30 days money back guarantee, we ensure that our customers are fully happy with their chosen devices. Further­ more, we pride ourselves in provid­ ing the best after care service which means that our relationship with our customers does not end at the point of sale, but we strive to con­ tinue taking care of the servicing,

Tel: 965 020 813 • Email: info@applecares.eu • Website: https://www.applecares.eu/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApplecaresSpain/ OPENING: Monday to Friday – 10am to 2pm • QUESADA ONLY – Saturday – 10am to 2pm

testing and repairing of the hearing aids as and when necessary. We are on hand to make sure you are satis­ fied with the aids and our life­long six­monthly check up will also en­ sure you are kept updated with the latest technology and servicing of your aids.

Let us show you an amazing start to your hearing aid journey. We know it will be a great beginning.

CIUDAD QUESADA Calle de Los Arcos 5 03170 Ciudad Quesada BENIDORM Avenida Doctor Severo Ochoa 7 03503 Benidorm CABO ROIG Calle Isla Tabarca 15 Urb. La Regia 44 03189 Cabo Roig

36 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2021

FEATURE

GO LOCAL THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to support local businesses in the commu­ nity by going local through the lockdown and for your Christ­ mas shopping this year, in­ stead of feeding online giants and superstores.

This lockdown and festive period we challenge you to re­ discover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengro­ cers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent businesses in your area.

Due to the Covid­19 pan­ demic, you may have to sup­ port many local businesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate if you are un­ able to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restric­ tions.

The joy of shopping local means that independent busi­ nesses can help support the lo­ cal community.

Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is actually going.

By shopping at an inde­ pendent 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 mak­ ing a small gesture and shopping in this way.

Many local stores sup­ port local charities, sup­ port 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 numer­ ous generations and support not just the current owner, but the generation before.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros

spent there are supporting someone’s dream and ambi­ tion, and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an independent store and compete with the multi­na­ tional and chains.

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 neigh­ bours again.

You could also consider purchasing 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 lo­ cal studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an online study course for someone look­ ing to change their career path.

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre­paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a bet­ ter gift. Helping people alleviate

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2021

BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.

stress and worry, give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times.

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays lo­ cal, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circu­ lating within the local econo­ my. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned sup­ ply chains and invest in their employees.

Data shows that local retail­ ers return 52 per cent of their revenue back into the local

economy, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain re­ tailers.

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 restaurant, which in turn pre­ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restaurant uses rev­ enue from sales to buy sup­ plies from a neighbourhood hardware store. This example illustrates how the recircula­ tion of money in the local economy leads to a stronger fi­ nancial foundation for our

neighbours and communities.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job oppor­ tunities for people within our community. Studies show, locally owned busi­ nesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more employees over time.

While buying local is finan­ cially compelling to our com­ munities; the benefits to our environment are equally im­ pressive. Buying locally reduces the processing of goods, pack­ aging and transportation waste, which leads to less pol­ lution.

EWN 37

38 EWN

14 - 20 January 2021

BUYING LOCAL: Helps keep money circulating within the local economy.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2021

EWN 39

SPENDING LOCALLY: Will make a difference to the local economy.

There’s a massive cultural shift under­ way redefining the way people make buying decisions. We’re seeing more individuals con­ cerned about the environ­ ment, about how products are made and sourced, where ma­ terials come from, and a com­ pany’s overall social and envi­ ronmental impact.

Many businesses are joining our Go Local campaign by of­ fering customers special offers and discounts throughout the festive period, more details to follow here soon.

Just remember to follow the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep everyone safe.

THURSDAY 4:00pm 4:45pm

14 JANUARY

FRIDAY 15 JANUARY

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY

SUNDAY 17 JANUARY

MONDAY 18 JANUARY

TUESDAY 19 JANUARY

WEDNESDAY

5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:40pm 9:10pm 9:40pm 10:00pm 5:30pm 6:10pm 6:40pm 6:50pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:50pm 9:30pm

5:50pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Garden Rescue A Question of Sport EastEnders Would I Lie to You?

2:00pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:45pm

5:50pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:10pm 10:10pm

Final Score Garden Rescue BBC News BBC London News Weather Celebrity Mastermind Catchpoint Pointless Celebrities Casualty Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

12:00pm 1:00pm 1:30pm

2:50pm 3:50pm 4:50pm 5:35pm 6:35pm 6:50pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Escape to the Country Money for Nothing Garden Rescue A Perfect Planet BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow A Perfect Planet The Serpent

12:30pm 1:00pm

4:45pm

The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Panorama EastEnders My Family Traces

4:00pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Holby City The Crash Detectives Traces

4:00pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

Father Brown The Hairy Bikers' Comfort Food Escape to the Country President Biden: The Inauguration BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show The Bidding Room The Repair Shop The Truth About...

2:00pm

5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:05pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 2:45pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

20 JANUARY

Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Pooch Perfect Death in Paradise

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

2:15pm 4:40pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 11:20pm

2:00pm 6:15pm 7:15pm 8:00pm 11:30pm 1:10am

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm

4:00pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:45pm

Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Live Snooker: The Masters Saving Lives at Sea QI Mock the Week Live at the Apollo Newsnight

4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

10:00pm

ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live The Pembrokeshire Murders

Live Snooker: The Masters Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Live Snooker: The Masters Gardeners' World Dolly Parton - Here I Am

2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm

ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Endeavour

4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

This Farming Life Food & Drink David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities The Nun's Story Flog It! Live Snooker: The Masters The Real Marigold Hotel Saving Lives at Sea Live Snooker: The Masters 99 Homes

3:30pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:30pm 11:00pm

Tipping Point The Chase Lingo ITV News and Weather ITV News London Celebrity Catchphrase The Masked Singer The Voice UK Paul Sinha's TV Showdown ITV News and Weather

1:30pm

Rick Stein's Cornwall The Hairy Bikers' Best of British Live Snooker: The Masters Flog It! Ski Sunday Live Snooker: The Masters Mississippi Grind Heroes

3:40pm 5:25pm 5:45pm 6:00pm

Hotel Transylvania 2 ITV News and Weather ITV News London The Chase: Celebrity Special Dancing on Ice Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Finding Alice ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather

1:55pm 2:20pm 2:50pm 3:15pm 5:15pm 7:15pm 7:45pm 8:45pm

Live International Bowls Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge Cornwall: This Fishing Life

4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad Coronation Street Long Lost Family

4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Live International Bowls Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Back in Time for...

Winterwatch 2019 Silenced: The Hidden Elis James: Funny Nation Comedians: Home Alone Newsnight

4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale South Africa with Gregg Wallace Martin Clunes: Islands of Australia

Learning from Home with BBC Bitesize Live International Bowls Pointless Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Back in Time for...

Winterwatch 2019 Disability Hate Crime Top of the Pops Newsnight

4:59pm 5:00pm

ITV London Weather President Biden: The Inauguration ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Cornwall and Devon Walks with Julia Bradbury Coronation Street The Bay

11:40pm

7:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:14pm

9:30pm 10:00pm

9:00pm

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

9:30pm 10:00pm

Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Junior Bake Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

3:20pm

A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Junior Bake Off The Simpsons The Simpsons Channel 4 News Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast The Last Leg The Big Fat Quiz of Everything

2:45pm 3:20pm

Heineken Champions Cup Rugby Union A Place in the Sun Escape to the Chateau: Make Do and Mend Location, Location, Location Channel 4 News Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Equalizer 2

4:00pm 5:00pm 6:55pm 7:00pm

The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Rise of the Guardians Ferdinand Channel 4 News A Place in the Sun The Great Pottery Throw Down The Great Gogglebox

4:00pm 4:40pm 5:40pm 5:45pm 6:30pm 6:40pm

A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Junior Bake Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Devon and Cornwall 999: What's Your Emergency?

Shut-Ins: Britain's Fattest People

3:15pm

1:30pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Junior Bake Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Lose Weight Like Me 24 Hours in A&E First Dates

4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Junior Bake Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Grand Designs Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

3:15pm

10:00pm

10:00pm 11:30pm

4:10pm 4:55pm 5:55pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 10:00pm

10:00pm 11:05pm

11:00pm

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4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

8:35pm 9:30pm 10:30pm 11:45pm

8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm

4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Killer in Law 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Susan Calman's Grand Day Out Natural History Museum: World of Wonder

1:30pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:30pm

The Football Show Transfer Talk Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Transfer Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Transfer Show Live Premier League Sky Sports News

Neighbours The Nightmare 4:10pm Secrets that Kill 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The World's Most Expensive Cruise Ship Susan Calman's Grand Day Out

2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:30pm

Transfer Talk Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Transfer Show Sky Sports News The Women's Football Show The Transfer Show Live FNF Sky Sports News

A Year in the Wild World War II in Numbers 5 News Weekend Cruising with Jane McDonald Posh Hotels with Sally & Nigel Secrets of the Royal Palaces Wallis Before Edward The Best of Bad TV

5:30am 7:00am 1:00pm 3:30pm 6:00pm 8:45pm 11:00pm 2:00am 5:30am

Live Test Cricket Live Test Cricket Live EFL Live Premier League Live Premier League Live EFL Live NFL Live NFL Live Test Cricket

Johnny English Evan Almighty 5 News Update Evan Almighty 5 News Weekend Luxury Brands That Made Britain Filthy House SOS Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun Rich Holiday, Poor Holiday

7:00am 1:00pm 3:00pm

Live Test Cricket Scottish Premiership Live Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live NFL Live NFL Live Test Cricket

The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Murder, with Love: Hailey Dean Mysteries 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys Police Interceptors

7:00am 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 11:00pm

Live Test Cricket Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live MNF Live NBA: Phoenix @ Memphis 18.01

A Deadly Bridenapping 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight How to Lose a Stone in a Month Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:45pm 12:45am

Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live European Tour Golf Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Premier League Driving Force My Icon

The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard Inside the Tower of London The Thames: Britain's

10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 9:15pm 11:30pm

Sky Sports News The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Premier League Scottish Premiership Live Live PGA Tour Golf

5:00pm 8:00pm 10:30pm 2:00am 5:30am

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

41

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Although things are going pretty well, there are some things that could be just a little better organised. The time and money that this saves could be small, but it’s the ongoing positive attitude that counts. There have been times recently when you have wondered if your progress on a certain matter would ever start up again.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) It is better if you don’t get involved in any high profile, high risk business deals. Success is not assured. This is a time for financial consolidation. Count your pennies and see the pounds collecting in the future. On a cold winter’s night it can give a pleasant glow to realise your action during the summer is keeping you warm.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Partnerships see you leap ahead on something that was a bit stuck in the mud. A leap in your bank balance follows. Some quick decisions may be called for so it is better to share responsibilities, whatever the outcome. You have a chance to show just how clever you can be, but do it because it gives you personal satisfaction rather than to impress.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) After a hectic start to the week, things seem to have slowed down.

Look carefully at what has happened, but remember that there is no point in worrying over something that you cannot change.

Sitting tight and waiting for this period to pass could be the best solution. Certainly, it will prove less stressful than fighting a losing corner.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Money is good and this can make you over-confident. Beware bank managers offering loans in large amounts. Nothing is for free and you need to look carefully at interest rates right now. Another, more personal, investment also needs looking at right now. Are things going exactly the way you want them to?

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Aim a bit higher than usual and you may be surprised at your success.

When seeing the bigger picture, you realise that it is not so daunting after all. If one person can do it, then so can another. It is a matter of how you approach it. What you have to ask

yourself this week is why you should accept the minimum when the maximum is so close by.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) This should be a great time for your finances. Any glitch is likely to be because you have overspent. Even if things still need close attention, you can win if you concentrate. A bit of plotting and planning can work wonders at the moment. Most of your big expenses are behind you and if you can just tighten that belt a wee bit more.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Although things seem fine, this is not a time to overstretch your finances. Spending a lot this week without thought is problematic later. This is a week of shifting and changing and that certainly means your finances. The other area is your social circle, where people come and go, sometimes without warning.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) This is not a particularly lucky week for you, so I would certainly advise caution. Gambling is not recommended. Being clever with money is as much about not spending it as about how you spend it.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Look at the long-term picture when considering money matters. What seems like a good deal now may not be so a few years down the line. Someone who appears to be telling a lie may simply have either misunderstood or have the wrong information.

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 (MATURE) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ARTERY ASSERT BEHEST COARSE EASIER EUREKA HEREIN INHERE MATURE (10) NETTED REMARK RESCUE SHEAVE STEREO SWEATY TEETHE THIRTY TRIUNE WARMTH

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 9 January

9-21-23 30-35-38

This is a time to consider finances and keep your options open. Someone who tries to get a fast decision out of you by pushing you into a corner is doing you no favours. You will decide what (if anything) needs to be done when you are good and ready.

BONUS BALL

53

IRISH LOTTO Sat 9 January

10-17-42 43-45-47

BONUS BALL

37

EURO MILLIONS Tue 5 January

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

BONUS BALL

1

12-34-37 38-42

3

Fri 8 January

BONUS BALL

18-23-37 41-42

4 6

EL MILLON: JPG89766 LA PRIMITIVA

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Keep things simple. Getting involved in other people’s problems is not for you at the moment. It may be necessary to delay a decision to give yourself time to think. Could you manage a few days away somewhere?

Maybe you could stay with a friend or relative. You need some peace and quiet on your own.

TIME OUT

Thurs 7 January

BONUS BALL

18-24-32 33-35-46

19 3

JOKER: 1016895 Sat 9 January

BONUS BALL

8-13-19 25-29-38

32

JOKER: 0151226

2

TIME OUT

42

www.euroweeklynews.com • 14 - 20 January 2021

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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, 6 represents P and 13 represents V, so fill in P every time the figure 6 appears and V every time the figure 13 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 Tazón (cuenco) (4) 3 Storm cloud (8) 9 Shell (of egg, nut) (7) 10 Ceiling (5) 11 Bitch (female dog) (5) 12 Tijereta (insecto) (6) 14 Carnation (6) 16 Proof (6) 19 Servilleta (6) 21 Boina (5) 24 Aeroplane (5) 25 Más barato (7) 26 Librería (8) 27 Ojos (4)

Down 1 Mochila (8) 2 Más sabio (5) 4 Once (3,3) 5 Después de (5) 6 Recibir (7) 7 Mediodía (4) 8 Daño (6) 13 Shepherds (8) 15 Fan (hand held) (7) 17 Goma (6) 18 Beginning (6) 20 Reyes (monarcas) (5) 22 Respuesta (5) 23 Cordero (4)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Sketch, 3 Swim, 7 Loan, 8 Yelled, 10 Replied, 13 Central, 16 Target, 17 Fade, 19 Severe.

Down: 1 Solo, 2 Erased, 4/18 Wolf down, 5 Modern, 6 Beneath, 9 Altered, 11 Hunted, 12 Garage, 14 Crew, 15 Here.

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Transept, 4 Fare, 8 Recur, 10 Steroid, 11 Convent, 12 Seem, 14 Adhere, 16 Prefer, 19 Grit, 21 Peasant, 24 Oration, 25 Cares, 26 Else, 27 Kestrels.

Down: 1 Turncoat, 2 Surge, 3 Peseta, 5 Alone, 6 Eddy, 7 Teaser, 9 Cinch, 13 Protests, 15 Retain, 17 Flair, 18 Sponge, 20 Reaps, 22 Ascot, 23 Bore.

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Towel, 3 Helmets, 6 Arrives, 8 Tapón, 10 Visor, 11 Adaptar, 14 Afuera, 15 Ostras, 17 Mistake, 20 Stove, 21 Guapo, 22 Píldora, 23 Alergia, 24 Sound.

Down: 1 Tranvía, 2 Liver, 3 Hasta, 4 Letra, 5 Señor, 7 Respuesta, 9 Petirrojo, 13/12 Back door, 16 Steward, 17 Magia, 18 Among, 19 Espía, 20 Sells.

CODE BREAKER

BOGGLED

FUTOSHIKI

neon efts nogs noun root roots rood rouge rout routs round gone goon good gout gouts guts otto outs outgo cone congo coot coots crone croon crouton couth count stone stood stout stun stung stunt shut shun shun shunt shot shotgun tone tong tongs toon togs tout tugs tung thug thugs thong undo undone unto gong gongs gouge done donor dong dongs door huge hugs huts hung hunt hong holt tuts nuts phon lotto loth long blot blotto blond

NONAGRAM ante arty cant cart cent cert etna neat rant rate rent rete tare tarn tear teen tern tray tree trey tyre anent antre canty caret carte cater crate eaten eater enact enate enter entry erect react recta teary teeny terce trace canter center centre create eatery neaten neater nectar recant recent rennet tanner tenner tenrec trance canteen centare crenate nectary reenact tannery tenancy entrance CENTENARY

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 POTENT 2 GORGON 3 SIESTA 4 SEARCH 5 INGEST 6 TRIUNE 7 SECOND 8 ARTERY 9 SHEATH 10 DIRECT 11 TREATY 12 MASTIC 13 HEATER 14 NUTMEG 15 HEROIC 16 EASILY 17 COERCE 18 CHEERY 19 HEREBY

ITEM STEM STEW STOW SLOW GLOW

KAKURO

SUDOKU

43

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Costa Blanca TODAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA

WEATHER

BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

TOMORROW

DENIA JAVEA CALPE

Malaga TODAY: MAX 13 MIN 3 Fri 13 3 Sat 11 2 Sun 11 2 Mon 8 2 Tues - 10 3 Wed 11 4

Alicante TODAY: MAX 12, MIN 4 Fri 12 4 Sat 11 3 Sun 11 4 Mon 11 3 Tues - 12 4 Wed 11 4

Almeria TODAY: MAX 12, MIN 2 Fri 14 2 Sat 13 4 Sun 12 5 Mon 13 4 Tues - 13 4 Wed 14 5

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 12, MIN 4 Fri 12 4 Sat 13 4 Sun 13 4 Mon 13 3 Tues - 12 3 Wed 14 3

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 11, MIN 1 Fri 11 2 Sat 12 2 Sun 12 1 Mon 11 1 Tues 11 2 Wed 10 2

Mallorca TODAY: MAX 11, MIN 3 Fri 11 3 Sat 11 3 Sun 11 3 Mon 12 4 Tues 12 4 Wed 11 4

Madrid TODAY: MAX 10, MIN 2 Fri 11 2 Sat 12 3 Sun 12 3 Mon 11 3 Tues 11 4 Wed 10 5

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 13, MIN 3 Fri 13 3 Sat 12 3 Sun 12 2 Mon 13 2 Tues 13 2 Wed 11 3

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.

ALTEA BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

SATURDAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

S: Sun

C: Cloudy

Th: Thunder

Cl: Clear

Sh: Showers

Sn: Snow

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

TARGET:

SCORING:

Average: 15 Good: 21 Very good: 30 Excellent: 38

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 Wild parsley for team members (7) 5 Shout in praise of festive food and drink (5) 8 Nick is refusing to have letters on taps? (5) 9 Again order right sort of ale and gin (7) 10 Pardon that's set many loose! (7) 11 Bird with the French name (5) 12 Cunning vessel reaches end of motorway (6) 14 Marks football results (6) 17 Arrange deal after parking part of bicycle (5) 19 Against having work set? (7) 22 Prepared for different trade-in (7) 23 One less spoilt in the Hebrides, say (5) 24 Folding money sounds musical (5) 25 Ageing tree starts to look yellowish (7) Down 1 President and African leader's animal (5) 2 Worker takes princess back to get her aerial (7) 3 Those produce morals (5) 4 Ringleader stops outside or wanders off (6) 5 To a chic sort, appear disorganised (7) 6 To be former partner is Middle Eastern (5) 7 Beans for athletes? (7) 12 Windlass disturbed catnaps (7) 13 Stories about New Testament gifts (7) 15 A cattle thief makes little sound (7) 16 Dog with dog's head in a Dorset resort (6) 18 Traded in handmade altarpieces (5) 20 Lions, we hear, were nosy (5) 21 Dirty, untidy study (5)

TIME OUT

44

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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

Down 1 Deficiency (4) 2 Come after (7) 3 Stores (5) 4 Bottom of shoe or boot (4) 8 Woodworker (9) 5/19 Hold back to a later time (3,3) 9 Smaller number of (5) 6 Short in duration (5) 10 Wagers (4) 7 Hold firmly (5) 14 Conceal (4) 11 Most effortless (7) 12 Strips of potato fried in deep fat (5) 15 Small rodent (5) 13 Detected (5) 18 Say a word in a certain way (9) 16 Not at all or in no way (4) 20 Frequently (5) 17 Smile broadly (4) 21 Make senseless or dizzy by a blow (4) 19 See 5

WORD LADDER

1 Fail to keep or to maintain (4)

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

SENT

QUIZ BACK CLAN

THERE BE DRAGONS 1. A dragon named Smaug is the principal antagonist in which children’s fantasy novel, first published in 1937?

2. According to Peter, Paul and Mary, where did Puff, the Magic Dragon live?

3. Created by Oliver Postgate, which British cut-out animation television series featured the character Idris the Dragon?

4. Druk yul (the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’) is the official name of which landlocked principality in the Himalayas to the north-east of India?

5. Enter the Dragon is a 1973 martial arts film starring actors John Saxon, Jim Kelly and which famous Hong Kong/American actor, director, martial artist, martial arts instructor and philosopher?

6. The komodo dragon is the world's largest living what?

7. What is the colour of the dragon that features on the national flag of Wales?

8. What is the title of the British television show presented by Evan Davis that allows several entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their varying business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors and pitch for financial investment while offering a stake of the company in return?

9. What was the name of the Swedish author and journalist who wrote the international bestselling psychological thriller novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, first published in 2005?

10. Which French rugby league team based in Perpignan defeated Warrington Wolves 20-14 in the 2018 Challenge Cup Final, to become the first non-English team to win the competition?

Not a lot of people know that… according to its creator, J K Rowling, the motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, ‘Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus’ translates as ‘Never tickle a sleeping dragon.’

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 R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

Average: 8 Good: 11 Very good: 16 Excellent: 21

Answers 1. THE HOBBIT (full title THE HOBBIT, OR THERE AND BACK AGAIN, 2.

BY THE SEA or A LAND CALLED HANALEI (accept either), 3. IVOR THE ENGINE, 4. BHUTAN, 5. LEE JUN-FAN, better known as BRUCE LEE, 6. LIZARD, 7. RED, 8.

DRAGONS’ DEN, 9. STIEG LARSSON, 10. CATALANS DRAGONS

HEALTH & BEAUTY

14 - 20 January 2021

46 to read more visit

www.euroweeklynews.com

By Clinica Britannia

Let us help to put your mind at rest SKIN CANCER is the abnormal growth of skin cells and is often the result of overexposure to the sun and harmful ultraviolet rays, although well-covered areas of the body, like your palms or genital area, also can be affected.

All skin pigmentations whether dark or light are subject to skin cancer.

There are three main skin cancers: Basal cell carcinoma: This may appear as a pearly or waxy bump, a flat, flesh-coloured or brown scar-like lesion or a bleeding or scabbing sore that heals but returns.

Squamous cell carcinoma: Will appear as a firm, red nodule or a flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface.

Melanoma: Signs include a large brownish spot with darker speckles, a mole that bleeds regularly or changes in size or colour, a lesion with irregular

borders that can be pink, white, blue or blue-black in colour or a painful itchy lesion. Lesions found in the membrane of the mouth, nose, vagina or anus can also be the sign of melanoma.

A skin biopsy can be easily performed by our specialist to diagnose any suspicious growths and with results immediate treatment can be given.

If you notice any abnormal skin growth or changes to your skin then contact us at Clinica Britannia, to help put your mind at rest.

Appointments Landline: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851 • 24H/365D Emergency Number: (+34) 607 255 755 • Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 9:00am / 5:00pm

Clinica Britannia Calpe Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe

Are you still dry this January?

HOW are you doing now we are nearly midway through Dry January? Have you given up al­ ready, is there really any bene­ fit to giving up alcohol for the month?

Many people go dry in Janu­

ary in an attempt to make up for the excesses of Christmas with many medical profession­ als encouraging the move. It comes as a report by Public Health England reported that more than 10 million Britons are drinking to harmful levels and are regularly exceeding the rec­ ommended maximum of 14 units a week.

Alcohol not only is high in calories but it can contribute to high blood pressure and choles­ terol and in severe cases of ex­ cess drinking it can lead to liver damage.

This is such a concern that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK, proposed that all heavy drinkers should have a scan to screen for liver dis­ ease. These ‘heavy drinkers’ were classed as women who drank more than 35 units a week and 50

units for men.

By having a month off it helps the liver recover and detox.

Many see it as a good kick start to promoting a general overall healthier eating and lifestyle programme as well as saving cash during the month.

According to UK charity Alco­ hol Concern, which promotes Dry January, of those who took part last year, almost half (49 per cent) reported they had lost weight and 70 per cent were sleeping better and 65 per cent of participants said they carried on drinking much less than nor­ mal for the next six months.

Last year, the charity report­ ed that 14,000 downloaded the Dry January app to help them give up drink.

NO ALCOHOL: Helps the liver to recover and detox.

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.

LICENCE DIFFICULTIES From our Facebook THE alleged ‘simplification’ of the DGT’s process for swapping our British driving licences sounded great in theory, but the practice has proved to be very different, at least for those who had the misfortune to be outside Spain at the end of the Brexit transition period. The DGT website simply produced error messages continually for those trying to register prior to the deadline, the 060 number is inaccessible for callers outside of Spain and the telephone numbers quoted on the DGT website merely provided a recorded message telling callers to (guess what?) ‘dial 060.’ In my case I resorted to sending them an email but it seems they didn’t even bother to look at it until the deadline had passed, and now I am told it is too late for them to confirm details with the DVLA and I must sit a Spanish driving test in order to continue driving in my country of residence, after 36 years at the wheel. What a complete shambles. Am I the only one with this experience?

Tony Almería

Well done Leapy, It was almost like reading my own comments in this week’s EWN column. Your comments about racism are long overdue. I have been saying exactly the same about racism for many years. It is totally a One-Way system.

OUR VIEW Winter fuel payment

THIS recent bout of cold weather has seen readers asking about the rights of UK pensioners now domiciled in Spain to claim this one-off payment that ranges from £100 (€110) to £300 (€300) depending on the severity of the cold.

There is also an additional cold weather payment which some pensioners living in the UK may receive at the UK government’s discretion, if there has been a particularly harsh or cold winter.

There is an amount payable if you live in Switzerland or other EAA countries and were born before April 1954 but there are exceptions to the rule with certain ‘warm countries’ excluded.

This means that if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain it is considered unlikely that you will need to pay for heating as the temperature is generally higher than in other EAA countries or the UK. This arbitrary decision means that if you live on the Italian Riviera then you are more than likely due to receive the financial support, but if you live in a property in rural Spain with no double glazing, marble floors and no central heating, you are not eligible.

It is not as if this has ever been an inalienable right as the Winter Fuel Payment was only introduced in 1997, but it certainly does seem rather unfair that despite the amount any individual may have paid by way of National Insurance and tax, whole countries are judged to have no problem with cold weather.

Arguably, it has been known since its introduction that there were areas where the payment would not be made, so our choice to live in Spain has left us at a financial disadvantage.

CORRECTIONS

Malaga Provincial Traffic Headquarters.

I was once, way back in the early 60s, hauled in front of the works manager for alleged racism. The fact was there was only one of six machine managers who kept having trouble with a certain component that I was responsible for maintaining. Three times he complained it had broken down. At the third occurrence, I went to his machine and showed him that he had the machine settings wrong. After that I never saw him again until I was hauled into the manager’s office where this guy accused me of ‘having a go’ at him because he was black!!

Anything that I may have said to him would have been exactly the same that any of the machine operators would have been told.

With regard to your comments that nearly all adverts, presenters, etc are non-white is spot on. The relativity of the races is blatantly non-white biased.

Hopefully one day the politicians etc may come to their senses and correct this situation. I’m not holding my breath though.

Keep up the good work.

B Weston

Disaster for the coast With the Covid restrictions now in the Hospitality Sector here in Orihuela Costa they might as well come and close us down as it’s virtually impossible to cover costs, let alone turn a profit. It appears the Spanish government does not want to ask us to shut completely as this would force them to pay ERTE to all staff.

In the UK they are now giving a £9,000 non refundable grant to businesses that have been forced to close plus a further £3,000 payment per month to cover survival expenses. The Irish government are also doing something similiar to assist business as they see the importance of preventing companies going out of business resulting in massive job losses.

The question is this. Why is the Spanish government not doing this to assist business here given they have received €200 billion from the EU in Covid help. Another question which really needs to be asked is what has our mayor and the councillor for tourism done to help, have they come to the coast and asked “what can we do, what do you need,” they have forgotten that it’s in their interest to help us as nearly 50 per cent of their overall revenue comes from here in money terms, roughly €55,000,000 a year.

Has anyone put this to the Valencian and Madrid authorities and are there any sensible answers?

P Houghton

Maureen Pearson Looking down to Granada

Karl BakerMongey Sierra de Mijas from Campo Mijas this morning

Michael Hunka Jete

Eve Honeywood Frigiliana

Maureen Pearson Cumbres Verde today Granada

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.

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

14 - 20 January 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

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49

PETS

Care for our beautiful pets Dog Marleys

SPENDING more time recently with our beloved pets has meant that they have become even more dear to us, if that were possible. Looking for­ ward with new energy you may be planning a couple of trips for later in the year.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house­sit­ ters 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 homeown­ er on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac­ count (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the

PLAN AHEAD: Show them you care. house 4. Post a house­sit advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday 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

network 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 perfect house­sitter while we were away in Canada and we were delighted with the care and attention that HouseSit Match took in helping us find the right person.

Ros Morris ­ Dog owner How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com ­ Choose a membership plan ­ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on sub­ scription to secure 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.

Advertising Feature THERE is no a single cause. Fac­ tors that can cause it: Nutritional problems can play a major role in heart conditions.

Ageing is the most common reason dogs develop heart con­ ditions, but other factors like heartworm can also lead to heart disease. Other factors which can contribute include: Body condition: Overweight dogs are more likely to develop heart disease.

Breed: In dogs, chronic valvu­ lar disease is more common in small breeds such as Yorkshire terriers, Pomeranians, Miniature Poodles, Schnauzers, Cocker Spaniels. In large and giant dogs Myocardial disease is more com­ mon.

The following symptoms may indicate a heart problem in your dog: • Shortness of breath • Tired or lack of energy • Collapsing • Frequent coughing • Refusal to exercise Costablanca Norte: Anicura Hospital Veterinario Marina Baixa

Heart Diseases in dogs What causes heart disease?

• Swollen abdomen • Reduced appetite and/or noticeable weight gain or loss.

A proper diagnosis begins with a thorough physical exami­ nation and history.

A presumptive diagnosis of a heart disease can often be made this way, however other testing, such as an echocardiogram, is required for a definitive diagno­ sis.

want reggae A STUDY carried out in Scotland by the SPCA and the University of Glasgow has revealed that reg­ gae and soft rock are the preferred sounds of dogs in shelters.

Heart monitors were used on shelter dogs to keep track of their stress levels while different musical genres, including Motown, pop, soft rock, classical and reggae were piped through the ken­ nels.

Although in a similar way to humans the results showed that different dogs preferred different musical styles, hinting that hounds have their own tastes for more than just lamb chops, reggae came top of the list for reducing stress levels.

Professor Nell Evans said: “Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that our canine friends have their own individual preferences. That being said, reggae and soft rock showed the highest positive changes in behaviour.”

Following the study, the SPCA is planning to in­ stall sound systems in its kennels.

As Evans pointed out, this will help dogs cope better with the stress of institutionalisation.

50 EWN

14 - 20 January 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

AIR CONDITIONING

PLUMBERS

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

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SERVICES

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PLUMBERS

REMOVALS & STORAGE

14 - 20 January 2021

EWN 51

TV & SATELLITE

52 EWN

14 - 20 January 2021

REMOVALS & STORAGE

INSURANCE

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SERVICES

CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS

APP REPAIRS WASHING MACHINE BROKEN? Call Bluesky Repairs for ALL your domestic appliance repairs. 626 430 671 (Whatsapp) (290860)

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CAMPING

THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome. Come as you are!

For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzimmer er@hotmail.com, www.cen trosaron.com (10008) www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396 We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members.

We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market. Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidrom tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8 We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis. (288658)

El Campello Christian Community Evangelical Church Life and Family Sunday Service in English at 10.00 a.m. and a Spanish Service at 11.45am. C / San Bartolomé 35 bajo, No.6 campellocc@gmail.com www.elcampellochristiancom munity.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop - 610 63 94 26 (English)

CARS WANTED

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Miquel 655 282 175 www.mbelectrics.es (288732)

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

GARDENING SERVICES DAVID THE TREE GUY Cutting, trimming & removal of trees. Torrevieja, Alicante, Benidorm areas. 722 652 173 (290501)

GENERAL SERVICES MISTER Fix-it handyman, available in Jalon Valley area, hourly rates, 657189519 (290302)

GOLD WANTED

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SPIRITUAL FRIENDS Costa Blanca is a non-religious group of spiritually minded people who meet on Wednesday afternoons. Each week different - clairvoyance, discussions, talks and demonstrations on spiritual or holistic subjects. email sp.fr.cb@gmail. com website www.spiritualfriendscostablan ca.com or contact Jan. 600 837 054 (10000)

COMPUTERS COMPUTER REPAIRS – Laptops/PC`s Qualified Technician –648 065 224 No Call Out Charge No Fix No Fee andy@wizard-comput ers.biz (290467)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

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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)

SITUATIONS VACANT

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POOL REPAIRS

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14 - 20 January 2021

to read more visit ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack HAVING driven so many cars over the years I have even been around when some car compa­ nies were formed, admittedly I was young at the time.

Dacia began life in the mid­ 60s producing Renault models such as the 8 and 12. The com­ pany was eventually sold to Re­ nault and has given the French company the perfect base for their bargain car range. Howev­ er don’t think that because it’s the entry level brand it’s some­ how less worthy. Dacia has amassed a huge following in this country, and many others, for their practicality, affordability and style. Yes style!

The SUV craze has been ongo­ ing for some years and one of the most popular models in the Dacia range is the Duster SUV. A clever advertising campaign and high satisfaction ratings mean that second­hand Duster mod­ els hold their price. New, the range starts at €13,121 (£11,745) and reaches its peak at €22,672 (£20,295). There’s a choice of

www.euroweeklynews.com

MOTORING

Dacia Duster Bi-Fuel both petrol and diesel engines, plus Bi­Fuel power from petrol and LPG, along with two and four­wheel­drive and a choice of five or six­speed manual gear­ boxes depending on the model.

If you head for the entry level model it is, well, basic. White is the only colour, you get ‘un­ dressed’ steel wheels, black trim eg door handles etc, one engine and two­wheel­drive. That said it’s €13,121 (£11,745)!

Move up just one level and equipment comes in fast and fu­ rious, with more options too.

My Duster was the Comfort TCe 100 4X2 Bi­Fuel. Essentially mid­ range, two­wheel­drive a 1.0­ litre, three­cylinder, tur­ bocharged petrol/LPG engine.

Priced at €17,042 (£15,255) in­ cluding optional €625 (£560) Iron Blue metallic paintwork the Bi­Fuel element is an interesting option. The conversion can claim some environmental cred­ it and is a more financially at­ tractive conversion for Dacia

than electric Hybrid and or full electric. Although for Europe there will be the new Dacia Spring Electric.

Changing from petrol to LPG is easy with a simple dash switch and the actual switch­over is seamless. Apart from an in­

creased range, Dacia claims 620 miles, LPG is also cheaper at the pump. A simple screw­in adap­ tor apart, the fuelling process is

as easy as petrol.

On the road the Duster drives smoothly and rides even the worst roads in comfort. A de­ cent amount of standard kit and a finish that looks much more than its price would suggest shows why it’s been such a suc­ cess. I was mightily impressed.