Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 28 January - 3 February 2021 Issue 1856

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The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1856

28 Jan - 3 Feb 2021

AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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HONORARY APPOINTMENT

SPAIN’S queen, Queen Letizia, has accepted an honorary appointment from a religious brother­ hood in Torre del Mar, Malaga. The royal was recog­ nised as ‘camarera mayor honoraria’ by the Her­ manadad de la Virgen del Carmen in the Axarquia town. The position was rati­ fied in a letter sent to the brotherhood by the queen’s secretary, Jose Manuel Zuluera. The ap­ pointment had previously been suggested at a gen­ eral meeting of the Her­ manadad in October 2019, before being sent to the royal palace for its ap­

QUEEN LETIZIA: Has accepted an honorary appointment.

Much better visibility VELEZ­MALAGA Local Police vehicles have been adapted to European regula­ tions and equipped with new markings to improve their visibility. The new markers aim to ‘ho­ mogenise the image of emergency ve­ hicles’ to make stand out more and ‘ensure greater safety of officers and pedestrians, especially when signalling any emergency.’ However, the move, which is includ­ ed in the Local Police Improvement Plan which the municipal government has been working on since the launch of the legislature, has not gone down well with all parties. The PP has demanded to know why the council has spent €12,000 in la­ belling the vehicles. Spokesman Delgado Bonilla wants to go “to the end” to clarify the matter and regrets that funds are allocated to secondary issues “instead of dedicating them to solve the serious needs of the body.” He expressed his “indignation” that the government team is focused on spending for such issues “instead of solving the chaos that force is in, with an alarming lack of staff, a huge disor­ ganisation, lack of materials and poor

LOCAL POLICE: Vehicles have been equipped with new markings. facilities and endangering the health of officers.” Presenting the new badges for the fleet of 10 cars and seven motorbikes, town mayor, Antonio Moreno Ferrer, said other improvements include new

equipment and uniforms; the acquisi­ tion of bulletproof vests; the renewal of the vehicle fleet; a new comprehen­ sive management computer system to streamline services and the acquisition of next­generation teletransmitters.

proval in January 2020. The Hermanadad de la Virgen del Carmen wel­ comed the news, saying: “We would like to show our deepest gratitude for the great honour we have received and declare once again our agreement with, respect for and total loy­ alty to the Crown of Spain in moments of transcen­ dental importance and hardship in the history of our country.” The group also asked, “Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin of Carmen, to inter­ cede for all before her Di­ vine Son and put an end to this terrible pandemic that is causing us so much damage.”

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28 January - 3 February 2021

‘Bedside’ PCR Testing Restricted visits THE Vithas Granada Hospital is using ad­ vanced technology to keep pace with the de­ mands of testing patients for Covid­19. With the global pandemic rapidly growing and new, mutant variations appearing around the world, the availability of quick and accu­ rate tests is essential. The hospital now has new machines that

can test for Covid­19 at the bedside, and re­ turn the result in only 30 minutes. The ma­ chines are small which makes them portable around the hospital and weigh in at less than 10 kilos. The technology is completed by voice instructions for the user and a touch screen, making them suitable for use by any healthcare worker.

THE Regional Hospital of Malaga has restricted visits to guarantee the safety of patients, users and staff. In light of the current situation of coronavirus transmission and, at the request of clinical experts, hospital management have de­ cided to limit the accompani­ ment of hospitalised patients and reduce the traffic of people at the health centre. Patients can be accompanied by a single previously identified person, the visit and accompani­ ment of hospitalised patients in non­Covid areas is restricted to an hour and a half a day at a time established on each ward. However, aware of the situa­ tion of vulnerability and depen­ dence of certain admitted peo­ ple, ‘their accompaniment is contemplated as long as they are authorised by the care team re­ sponsible for the patient under

strict protection and safety regu­ lations.’ The designated visitor/com­ panion will be given an identifica­ tion and must wear a surgical mask, practise good hand hy­ giene before entering the room and avoid physical contact with the patient, in addition to avoid­ ing social contact throughout the hospital. This measure is part of the ‘Safe Hospital Plan’ which aims to ‘preserve the safety of profes­ sionals and patients with the aim of reducing traffic in the health centre.’ Following the announcement, hospital management thanked patients and visitors for their ‘un­ derstanding’ of these temporary and exceptional measures, as well as the health and non­health professionals ‘for the effort and willingness in carrying out their work daily.’

Female entrepreneurs COCA­COLA is sponsoring free training for female entrepreneurs in Nerja. Trraining sessions for the fifth edition of ‘The Coca­Cola Women Ac­ company You Tour’ for female entrepreneurs will take place from Feb­ ruary 15 to April 16, electronically. As in previous years, the initiative, launched at national level by Coca­ Cola, has the collaboration of the Provincial Council of Malaga. “The main objective is to elect 15 businesswomen who will receive 18 free training hours, aimed at implementing a model of business re­ sponding to their needs, thus promoting female entrepreneurship,” said councillor for Equality, Gema Laguna. Any women interested in taking part should do so before February 9 through the website https://preinscripcion.giramujeres.com/ “On behalf of the council I encourage all women in our municipality who want to start a business or who already have one in operation, to take advantage of this opportunity to develop their talent and capabili­ ties through this training programme,” added Laguna.

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Blue zone parking VELEZ­MALAGA has suspended ‘blue zone’ parking fees in commercial areas af­ ter the Junta de An­ dalucia ordered the closure of non­es­ sential businesses in the town. The parking spaces can still be used, but free of charge. Councillor for Mo­ bility, José María Domínguez, said that “it is understood that if businesses are not operating, neither should these parking meters. “We are undertak­ ing those obligations that are required of us and appeal to the public to stay at home. In the event that it is necessary to leave, do so with all the necessary precautions.” The council has met with the Local Police to increase the number of offi­ cers on the streets, both National and Local, to monitor compliance with the anti­Covid measures established by the Junta de Andalucía.

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NIBS EXTRA Library opens THE Department of Culture in Rincon de la Victoria has announced that, after carrying out disinfection tasks at the Antonio de Hilaria Municipal Public Library in the town, the facilities will be reopened to the public on Tuesday, January 26, from 9am to 2pm and 4pm at 6pm.

Bleak start AXARQUIA this week exceeded 100 Covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic. In its update following the weekend, the Junta de Andalucia reported on Monday, January 25, 453 new infections and six deaths in the region, taking the totals at the start of the week to 6,876 and 104.

In advance NERJA Council is reminding residents that if they have to do an in-person procedure at the town hall you must request an appointment through the Municipal Office of Citizen Attention on 952 548 400, by email omac@nerja.es, or by contacting departments directly with details at: https://www.nerja.es/ el-ayuntamiento-adopta-nueva mente.

Grow safely THE Antonio Checa Public School in Torre del Mar is taking part in the 19th campaign ‘Learn to Grow Safely’ which aims to raise awareness about accident prevention among children, parents and teachers. The campaign is being carried out electronically to avoid a gathering of people outside the educational centre.

Green light THE town hall in Torrox has given the green light to the official appointment of new streets or roads on which it has built in El Morche in recent years. Torrox is one of the municipalities in the province of Malaga that has experienced the highest population growth with 17,943 inhabitants, up 709 in a year.

Speed up VELEZ-MALAGA plans to speed up the granting of more than 1,000 urban licences for new homes to reactivate the local economy. The construction of new homes in Baviera Golf in Caleta de Velez and an expansion at Torre del Mar are among projects on the table.

SOME 6,550kg of non-perishable food collected during the ‘January Solidarity 2021’ by the Popular Party of Nerja has been delivered to the Cáritas and Nerja Solidaria associations. President of Los Populares, José Alberto Armijo, expressed his “most sincere and profound gratitude for the great generosity of militants and supporters, groups, associations, companies and neighbours who have made a huge solidarity effort in these especially difficult times. “They have provided food that will go to needy families in Nerja and Maro who are being

28 January - 3 February 2021

Food campaign CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Nerja

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SOLIDARITY: A huge effort in these difficult times. hit by the health crisis caused by the coronavirus,” he added. Armijo also recognised the ex-

AXARQUIA is embarking on an ambitious project to give 31 towns the necessary ‘tools for sustainable tourism.’ The Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol­Axarquia will launch from Friday, January 23, until May 15, an extraordinary coaching programme to teach the basic concepts that make up the United Nations 2030 Agenda. They will be given the necessary tools for sustainable tourism in line with the Sustainable Goals Development (ODS). Councillor for Training, Aroa Palma, said: “These courses are intended to pro­ vide tools to make effective work around

Tourism

tools

the implementation of the sustainable goals.” She stressed it is “essential to moti­ vate critical thinking to support the ac­ tions being taken by the different gov­ ernments.” The three courses will be taught in vir­

Tougher measures RINCON DE LA VICTORIA Council is implementing tougher measures to avoid reaching 1,000 infections. “The priority is to protect the municipality as much as possible, detecting rapid positives and limit­ ing internal mobility to avoid reaching the figure of a thousand infections,” said Rincon de la Victo­ ria Council. The statement comes as the lo­ cal authority activates new mea­ sures to stop the evolution of the pandemic in the municipality. The first measure to be carried out, explained councillor for Citizen Security, Borja Ortiz (PP), is “to cre­ ate a joint device between the Lo­ cal Police and the Civil Protection Group that will make it possible to carry out more constant mobility controls.” For this, police officers will change their normal shift patterns and suspend holidays and permits to create bubble groups within the workforce and constantly main­

traordinary work carried out by the social entities Cáritas and Nerja Solidaria since the begin-

tain more patrols throughout the day. “In turn, Civil Protection volun­ teers will control mobility at the entrances to the municipality through the Paseo Marítimo, and will be present on the streets, handing out more than 5,000 masks and reporting on the new council protection campaign,” added Ortiz. Town mayor, Francisco Salado (PP), has called for “maximum cau­ tion advising that mobility be limit­ ed to the bare minimum.” Salado, like other mayors of municipalities in the province, has recommended residents adopt “a voluntary confinement from 8pm.” In addition, a massive screening has been requested in the munici­ pality. Tents have been erected in Calle Cinemas to facilitate the perfor­ mance of PCR tests at the Health Centre.

ning of the pandemic in the municipality, helping families from Nerja and Mareñas who visit their HQ daily. Finally, he highlighted the work carried out by those responsible for the campaign, the party’s general secretary, Francisco Arce, the organisation’s deputy secretary, Jonathan Méndez, along with Charo Villasclaras and Javier López, and the team of volunteers from the Popular Party of Nerja that have collaborated during these weeks, ‘not only providing food, but also classifying it and organising the distribution.’

tual format by Cifal Malaga, and have a permanent forum so that students can interact with the trainers. “The dynamic of the courses allows each student to complete the different modules at their own pace, although they will have to finish before May 15,” said Palma. Those who complete the training satis­ factorily, answering 80 per cent of the fi­ nal evaluation questions correctly, will receive a certificate of completion from Cifal Malaga­Unitar and the Association of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol­ Axarquía.

Explosive find A GRENADE was found during a clean­up after a fire at a house in Velez­Malaga. On making the discovery, a woman who had been clearing the property following a blaze contacted the Na­ tional Police on Tuesday, January 19. Explosive experts from the force’s TEDAX Unit were de­ ployed and after inspecting and analysing the device, con­ firmed it was a fragmentation grenade and it was re­ moved safely. Fragmentation grenades have a heavy metal casing that shatters, on exploding, into fragments which travel at high speed and with great force. TEDAX officers recommend taking a series of security measures in the face of this type of finding: • Avoid handling the object, picking it up or transfer­ ring it to another place. • Establish, as far as possible, distance from the object. • Immediately notify the Security Forces and Bodies, through the CIMACC­091 or the AlertCops application for mobile telephony of the Ministry of the Interior, provid­ ing the address, characteristics of the place where you are or some identifying information about the position­ ing. • Do not trust its deteriorated appearance, in many cases the interior is intact and can cause personal and material damage.

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Great resistance A WOMAN assaulted officers and refused a breathalyser test after allegedly causing a car crash in Nerja. The middle­aged motorist, of foreign nationality, was arrest­ ed at the scene on Sat­ urday, January 23, for refusing to take the test and ‘showing great resistance’ to be­ ing detained, ‘even hit­ ting the Local Police of­ ficers.’ The detained was unhurt in the traffic ac­ cident at the junction of Calles Arropieros and Angustias, where there are lights, re­ ports SUR. The woman, who re­ portedly showed ‘clear symptoms of drunken­ ness,’ ignored the stop signal and drove across the junction ‘at excessive speed,’ col­ liding with another ve­ hicle. The driver of the other vehicle was slightly injured. Two Local Police pa­ trols quickly moved to the scene, and all of the officers were needed to detain the driver, ‘as she showed great resistance to be­ ing detained, hitting two of the officers on several occasions.’ A municipal source told the publication on Monday, January 25, that the driver, of which no further de­ tails have been given, “had symptoms of having consumed alco­ hol and refused to take the test, so offi­ cers took her away to put her at the disposal of the judicial system.”

Malaga man reported missing last seen at bus stop A MAN, 76, has been reported missing from the Palma­Palmil­ la district of Malaga City. Salvador Pareja Parraga is 1.70m tall, weighs 85 kilos and

has black eyes and balding hair. He is of large build and has a round face. When he was last seen he was wearing jeans, a blue jacket and sunglasses.

He was waiting for the bus in Calle Eume at around 7.20am on Monday, January 25 to go into Malaga City cen­ tre when he was last seen by

residents in the area. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact 642 650 775 or 649 952 957.

Meanwhile, Hanae Bensassi, 14, who had been reported missing from El Ejido in Almeria on January 22, has been found safe.

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28 January - 3 February 2021

Microsoft Phone Scam POLICE in Alicante have arrested two men, aged 47 and 48, for posing as Microsoft technicians in order to swindle cash out of unsuspecting victims. The scammers phoned up their marks and told them there was a virus on their computer or phone and convinced them to download a program to fix it. This program then gave the fraudsters complete access to their victims’ devices, including their bank account. The two men will be charged with a crime of fraud after swindling €27,000 with the scam. The operation began after a woman reported that she had been contacted by a technician and was subsequently robbed. It was then picked up by the Alicante Judicial Police. National Police have issued a warning about an increase in this type of scam throughout the country, and have advised potential victims that Microsoft never make unsolicited calls.

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Clean record FFP3 masks most effective protection AN elderly residence with a ‘clean record’ has completed its vaccination programme. The Fuente Ariza de Algarrobo Residential Centre - which has had no cases throughout the pandemic - announced on Saturday, January 23, that it has received and administered the second dose of the vaccine against Covid-19. The process has been widely accepted by its workers, residents and families, achieving a vaccination rate of 97 per cent of residents and 95 per cent of workers. The residence claims it has had no cases of coronavirus among its residents and workers throughout the pandemic ‘thanks to the effort made to guarantee the safety and well-being of the employees, and the commitment of residents, family and friends.’ Algarrobo is one of the municipalities of the Axarquia with the highest incidence of the virus and has been confined to the perimeter since Sunday, January 17. The town has a rate of 869 cases with active infection (PDIA) per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, according to data published on Friday January 22 by the Ministry of Health and Families of the Junta de Andalucía.

YOUNG explorers from the Rincon Mountain Club (CMR) have un­ earthed several species of a ‘very rare and endangered’ mushroom. The fungus ‘Myriostoma col­ iforme’ is a species classified as ‘threatened,’ ‘very rare and pro­ tected’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The young explorers discovered several ‘carpophoros,’ mushrooms of the fungus ‘Myriostoma col­ iforme,’ also known as ‘salt shaker’

THE Head of the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Centre, Fernando Simon, has said this week that the most effective mask for self-protection against Covid-19 is the FFP3. Simon, an epidemiologist, explained that the FFP3 mask is the most effective to protect oneself, while the FFP2 mask is slightly less effective. The FFP3 mask is an Individual Protection System with a filter efficiency of 98 per cent to protect the person wearing it and those around them as long as it doesn’t have a valve.

FFP3: Most effective. Despite this, the traditional surgical mask is still slightly more effective in preventing people who have the virus from transmitting it to others, as they are designed to filter

Rare and endangered due to its similarity to this kitchen gadget, as part of their ‘Biodiversi­ ty and History Education Project.’ The mountain club is delighted with the find, explaining “this is a one of a kind of mushroom of which there are very few citations in the province of Malaga.” This species is listed in the IUCN catalogue of threatened flora, so its collection and commercialisa­

tion is prohibited. The unique fungus is similar to the one known as ‘Astraeus hygro­ metricus’ or ‘Earth star,’ but in this case, the ‘Myriostoma’ found in Rincon de la Victoria is much larger and with many stomata or pores instead of just one. FUNGUS: A very rare mushroom.

exhaled air. Meanwhile, the FFP3, FFP2 (92 per cent efficient) and FFP1 (78 per cent efficient) are more effective at filter inhaled air. He added that hygienic masks have a similar efficiency to the others. FFP3 masks are designed for a single four to eight hours use, like the FFP2 and FFP1 masks. They can be purchased in pharmacies, specialised shops and large shops, at a price of between €3 and €5. Meanwhile, a pack of 50 surgical masks generally costs around €10. CREDIT: Rincon Mountain Club Facebook

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Goya Awards Press Conference Postponed SECOND Dose For 445 Residences

THE Film Academy has had to postpone the Goya Gala press conference that was due to take place on Tuesday January 26 in Malaga, due to Antonio Banderas having the flu. Antonio was scheduled to appear, along with the Catalan journalist, María Casado and Mariano Barroso, the President of the Academy, but to give the Malaga actor time to recover, the Academy has rescheduled the press conference for Tuesday, February 2. The 35th edition of the prestigious Goya Awards will be staged in the Teatro del Soho CaixaBank in Malaga, on March 6, featuring Antonio Banderas and María Casa-

BANDERAS: Currently has flu.

do as the joint masters of ceremony, and they will also write and direct the event. Just last week, Mariano Barroso announced that the Goya Awards will go ahead despite the pandemic, saying, “The Goya is going to be celebrated if nothing prevents it, but in an extremely restrained and extremely responsible manner,” with only the nominees and the awards presenters being invited to attend the event. Barroso added, “We are going to minimise the risk, it is our obligation,” stating that all those attending the gala, nominees, and production team, will undergo a PCR test during the days before the event.

‘Safe Shopping’ Project Launched THE city council of Granada has joined forces with the Provincial Federation of Commerce in order to promote the new ‘Safe Shopping’ project in the hope of boosting business in Granada. Small businesses in the capital will see the benefit of the distribution of some 2,000 units of hand gel and a further 2,000 masks. The aim of the project is to help support local businesses and show residents that the local shops are safe to use, and that they are ready and waiting for them. The initiative was presented on Monday January 25 by Miguel Moreno, secretary of the Provincial Federation of Commerce and Manuel Olivares, councillor for Commerce, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Granada. Olivares said that it is “a key moment for local commerce and

with this collaboration we are doing one more bit of help to support this important sector for the city of Granada. We know that it is not enough and that they are making a great effort.” He also highlighted the fact that “we understand that the government team must collaborate and give them all possible help.” The city of Granada also has other measures in place to promote local businesses and encourage trade. This includes thousands of vouchers for the use of public transport, and parking. Local residents can also have home deliveries made free in some circumstances. A further initiative allows businesses to promote offers by the use of Bluetooth technology so that shoppers can learn about all the restaurant and commercial offers available in the area.

THE Junta de Andalucia’s Ministry of Health and Families announced on Monday January 25 that their health authorities plan to vaccinate residents of 445 care homes and health centres in eight provinces this week with their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. With this process completed, they say that it will bring the total number of people in this priority group to be immunised, up to 25,000, throughout the region, joining the 25,509 specialist health care workers who have already received their second jab. The Board state that there are already a total of 226,666 people who have received the vaccine, out of the 251,420 doses that were delivered to the region, and those supplies will be boosted this week by the arrival of another 79,560 new doses of the Pfizer vaccines, to add to the remaining 9,000 Moderna doses still in stock, in order to be able to continue with the steady progress.

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28 January - 3 February 2021

Fines For Expired ITV DUE to the restrictions over the last year, many have not been able to ITV (MOT) their vehicles. Tráfico now requires the driver to prove “that he has an appointment for the vehicle’s ITV that was requested in advance of the expiration date that appears on the ITV card,” explained Francisco de las AlasPumariño Linde from the DGT (Directorate-General for Traffic) which is the government department responsible for the Spanish road transport network. Thousands of citizens are liable to receive fines for driving with an expired ITV, however, the appointments are being given three and four months late due to the collapse of the system. Tráfico has ordered that fines be filed for citizens who are penalised for driving with an expired ITV when they cannot show documentary evidence that they requested an appointment for the inspection of their vehicle in advance of the expiration date.

The DGT has issued the following instructions for ‘cases in which the ITV has expired after the end of the State of Alarm and for those provinces where it has been proven that it was not possible to attend the appointment requests for the ITV review’: • The sanctioning procedure will be dismissed when it is proven an appointment is available for the ITV review of the requested vehicle in advance of the expiration date that appears on the ITV sticker, stating the reason in the ‘observations’ section. • Penalty procedures for expired ITV will continue when the appointment has been requested after the expiration date that appears on the ITV card. So book your ITV NOW. Go to https://www.itvci ta.com. Add your licence plate number and date of registration for the vehicle and fill in the details. You will be given a number (in red), that is your appointment number. Print the document or store on your mobile phone in case you get stopped by the police.

Self-Employed Aid

THE Spanish government has offered a glimmer of hope for self-employed people (autonomos in Spanish) by making two amendments to their Covid relief efforts for freelancers, sole traders and business owners. The original coronavirus aid package introduced by the government in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, required the self-employed to show that they had suffered a 75 per

cent loss in earnings compared with the same quarter the previous year. This was in direct contrast with those who were employed on contracts, as they were entitled to a standard ERTE payment of 80 per cent of their gross pay initially. Under new government regulations, however, the self-employed will only have to show a 50 per cent loss of income due to Covid restrictions.

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EURO WEEKLY NEWS: The UK’s trusted source for Spanish news THE major UK news out­ lets in the UK are now looking towards the Euro Weekly News to provide the latest stories that affect expats in Spain and holidaymakers alike. On Friday, January 22, news giants Sky News, the Metro and the Daily Mir­ ror quoted the Euro Week­ ly News publication, show­ ing it as the most trusted source for Spanish news. The Euro Weekly is Spain’s largest free local newspaper in English, and because the compa­ ny prides itself on bring­

ing the most up­to­date Spanish news to the ex­ pat and tourist commu­ nities, it is read by over half a million people every week. As well as covering UK and international hap­ penings, the Euro Week­ ly endeavours to provide all the information that expats living in Spain need to know. As well as the UK dailies looking to the Eu­ ro Weekly for Spanish news, BBC Radio makes it their first port of call to get the low­down on

what’s really happing on Spanish soil. Euro Weekly’s very own CEO, Michel Eues­ den is a regular guest, trusted to give an ex­ pat’s perspective on life in Spain. Michel was recently interview by BBC Radio Merseyside to give an insight into how Brexit has affected the lives of the many thousands of expat residents in Spain. For news that all the UK papers trust, visit Eu­ ro Weekly’s website or find us on Facebook.

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28 January - 3 February 2021

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All residents of Spain are eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccine

VACCINATION against Coronavirus in Spain began on December 27, and at the time of writing, 1,103,301 people had received the first dose and more than 49,000 have re­ ceived the second dose. If you are wondering whether you will have any problems getting the vaccine in Spain because you’re not Spanish, the an­ swer is no. The Spanish Ministry of Health made it clear in the Vaccination Plan that there will be no distinction between Spanish citi­ zens and foreigners, and that they will give the jab to everyone living in the country regardless of their legal status. This includes illegal immigrants, home­ less people and anyone not registered on the Spanish Social Security System and/or without a health card, although it is un­ clear how they will be alerted. However, it is not likely to include tourists or owners of holiday homes in Spain. The government has also made it very clear that the vaccine will be FREE, and there will not be priority for people with

private health insurance. The government has stressed that peo­ ple should wait to be contacted by the Health Authorities of the region in which they reside. It is as yet unclear how people will be alerted that their time has arrived to re­ ceive the vaccine and where they need to go to get it, but to make sure you are in the system, ensure that you are on the padron (the local population census at your town hall), that your documents are updated with your current address and that your local health centre has you on their register. You will also most likely be asked to provide proof of identity and resi­ dence when you are given the vaccine. The only group that is unlikely to be vac­ cinated against Covid­19 in Spain are chil­ dren. A register will be kept of people who are called to get the vaccine but do not wish to do so. The regional health authorities will be updating information periodically and we will publish more details as we have them.

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Ryanair To Withdraw ‘Jab and Go’ Adverts R Y A N A I R has agreed to withdraw its ‘jab and go’ campaign after hundreds of complaints were made to the advertising watchdog. The budget carrier is under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority over the promotion which encouraged potential holidaymakers to ‘jab and go’ following last month’s rollout of the Covid vaccine. The Boxing Day promotion reportedly attracted more than 1,500 complaints to the A S A , who are now examining the campaign to see if any rules were breached. The airline said in the ad: “Covid vaccines are coming so book your Easter and summer holidays today with R yanair.” I t added that with a number of destinations on offer, customers “could jab and go.” The ASA in Ireland (ASAI) ruled last week that the ad should not run in its current format again. The ASAI received 59 complaints about the Ryanair advert which encouraged consumers to book Easter and summer holiday flights as “vaccines are coming.” The ASA in the UK, however, has still yet to publish a ruling on the advertising but Ryanair appeared to pre-empt a decision by saying said it “respectfully disagrees” with a ruling by the watchdog, though describing the advert as both “factual and accurate.” A Ryanair spokesperson said: “The A S A’s ruling flies in the face of the UK’s successful vaccine rollout, however, even though this ruling is baseless, Ryanair will comply with it and the Jab & Go adverts will not run again.”

28 January - 3 February 2021

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Sanchez asks for Unity PRESIDENT, Pedro Sanchez, has called for national and Eu­ ropean unity to overcome the pandemic while pledging to implement the EU’s recovery fund to save the Spanish econ­ omy. Speaking at the ‘European Funds, the Key to Recovery’ fo­ rum in Madrid, Pedro Sanchez said that the continent would need to collaborate in order to successfully recover from the Covid­19 pandemic. The President said that Spain was working to success­ fully implement the €140 bil­ lion recovery fund, which re­ quires the country to implement major reforms in its tax regime and employment legislation. “Spain is capable, not only with its companies but also with its highly quali­ fied public officials, to be able to manage the funds in an op­ timal way,” he asserted, as some critics have questioned the country’s ability to effec­ tively manage the EU’s money. “Unity saves companies, unity saves jobs, and without a

doubt, it saves lives,” said Sanchez, who has spearhead­ ed Spain’s government since 2018 as leader of the centre­ left PSOE party. The Madrid­native praised the EU for its assistance to the PEDRO SANCHEZ: Speaking at the forum in Madrid.

bloc’s economic and social re­ covery from the pandemic. “What we could not accept was to have a single market in which we have first, second or third class countries,” he said, highlighting the “positive re­ sponse” that the EU and the Spanish government has im­ plemented.

Guardia Civil’s TikTok growing IN the three months since its launch, the Guardia Civil official TikTok account has got 237,000 followers. The Guardia Civil said in a statement when the profile was launched that the aim was to reach out to younger generations, as TikTok is most popular with youths, and transmit messages to them using their own language and media to highlight the work done by the force and guide those who might want to join. The account now has around 80 videos and 1,800 messages, of which 98 per cent are positive and deal with matters such as fraud, gender violence, road safety, racism, safety, confinement and the use of masks amongst other subjects. The Guardia Civil believe that it is important to be on the social network to get tips

and information to young people about things that interest them and warn them in a fun way of the dangers that can be caused by an incorrect use of social media. They say that the reactions to their content have been very positive, however there has been some controversy, especially one video shared in December where officers were seen dancing to the song Jerusalema. This video was criticised, when the Professional Guardia Civil Officers Union issued a statement saying that they felt “ashamed” of it. They referred to the union being used to share videos which have “nothing to do with the work of the G uardia C ivil” and complained that it was done to “satisfy personal interests instead of portraying the force in a good light.”

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FEATURE

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to support local businesses in the com­ munity by going local through the lockdown and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super­ stores. This lockdown and with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day upcoming, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butch­ ers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde­ pendent 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 unable to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restrictions. The joy of shopping local means that independent busi­ nesses can help support the local community. Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is actually going. By shopping at an independent

store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way. Many local stores support local charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actu­ ally much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous gen­ erations and support not just the current owner but the generation before. For those stores which are new, that extra couple of eu­ ros spent there are support­ ing someone’s dream and am­ bition, 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 multinational and chains. So be sure to pre­order your meat from a local butch­ er and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us re­ vive that community spirit and get to know our neigh­ bours again.

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

You could also consider purchasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, think­ ing 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 looking 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 pre­ paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times. Choosing to spend your

money locally will really make a difference in the re­ covery of the local economy. When we buy local, our mon­ ey stays local, and it strengthens the local econo­ my in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and invest in their 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 retailers. Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For exam­ ple, 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 supplies from a neighbourhood hard­ ware store. This example illus­ trates how the recirculation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communities. Buying local also fuels new

employment and job oppor­ tunities for people within our community. Studies show, lo­ cally owned businesses em­ ploy more people per unit of sales and retain more employ­ ees over time. A fantastic example of how to support your local commu­ nity is with a Charity Gift cer­ tificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause. Just remember to follow the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep everyone safe.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

28 January - 3 February 2021

EWN 11

Giant Fireball Over Madrid Organ Donation Network

STUNNING: Streaking across the sky.

Counterfeit Rum THE Guardia Civil’s Operation HITSMO has dismantled a mas­ sive international criminal gang who specialise in smuggling counterfeit alcohol into Spain. The operation began in Cadiz back in 2019 when officials spotted bottles of fake rum in a wholesalers, and an investiga­ tion by the laboratory of the Criminalistics Service of the Guardia Civil found that these same counterfeits were in re­ tail outlets throughout the country. The operation led to the seizure of more than 225,000

bottles of counterfeit rum, val­ ued at €3.5 million, and the ar­ rests of 24 people charged with crimes against Industrial Prop­ erty. The investigation, con­ ducted in conjunction with the European Anti­Fraud Office (OLAF), discovered that the booze was produced in the Do­ minican Republic, bottled in Honduras and then shipped to Spain, complete with fake la­ bels from China. The counterfeit plonk was then distributed to large wholesalers throughout the country.

EARLY in the morning on Thurs­ day January 21, an asteroid hit the Earth’s atmosphere, at the staggering speed of 120,600 km/h. This then created a sight that could be seen in many parts of Spain, a giant fireball flying through Madrid’s sky. While a stunning sight, it was not entirely unusual as on Janu­ ary 13 another fireball was spot­ ted streaking across the sky over Andalucia and towards Moroc­ co. This ball of fire passed through the sky at a speed of 65,000 km/h, at a much more viewer friendly hour than the Madrid one. The Andalucian meteor was seen at just after 10pm. Madrid’s ball of fire shot thought the sky at 3.56am and was detected by the La Hita me­ teor observation station in La Puebla de Almoradiel which is in Toledo. The SMART project which is part of the Andalucia Astrophysics Institute (IAA­CSIC) recorded the event. They aim to study how the Earth’s atmos­ phere is effected by objects in space and they use constant sky monitoring to accomplish this.

THE Covid­19 pandemic has had many negative effects in the health sector but one not on everyone’s radar is the delay of the integration of private health­ care into the Spanish network for organ donation. Organ dona­ tion cannot be overlooked as it saves many lives each year. In 2019 the Spanish National Transplant Organisation (ONT) celebrated its 30th anniversary and in January 2019 the Minister for Health, Consumption and So­ cial Well­being, María Luisa Carce­ do said “The ONT is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019 and do­

ing so by beating its own record once again after reaching a rate of 48 donors per million population and surpassing 5,300 organ trans­ plants, including all­time highs in kidney and lung transplantation. “Donations from non­heart­ beating donors also increased by 10 per cent, consolidating their position as the main driving force behind the increase in organ do­ nations: one in three donors are now asystolic donors.” The integration agreement was made in February 2019 and later approved in September, but the pandemic has delayed

the project. On Monday Secretary of State for Health, Silvia Calzón said that she is working on the integration. According to forecasts the inte­ gration would increase the num­ ber of organ donations by 10 per cent, which would result in an ad­ ditional 400 transplants each year. The pandemic has severely hit Spain and that has had a knock on effect on the number of trans­ plants carried out. According to the ONT in 2020 over 1,000 fewer transplants oc­ curred than in 2019, and dona­ tions have fallen drastically.

Polish retail giant arrives BUDGET shoppers and job seekers alike will rejoice at the news that Polish retail giant Pepco is opening two new stores in Spain, one in Alicante and the other in Castellon, set to be up and running in the spring. The store, often called a Polish version of Primark, offers affordable clothes for men, women and children, as well as household items, toys and accessories. Pepco opened its first store in 2004 and has since expanded all over Europe, with more than 2,100 outlets in Italy, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia and may more.

Pepco’s Director of Operations, Marcin Stanko, said that “Spanish consumers will have the opportunity to visit our stores and we are sure that our products will attract their interest and meet their expectations.” The low-cost company currently employs around 20,000 people throughout central and northern Europe, and the immediate plans are to open 10 stores in Spain, creating more than 100 jobs. Pepco is currently looking for commercial premises in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.

12 EWN

28 January - 3 February 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

EUROPEAN NIBS Merca-donations DENMARK

GERMANY

Unfair trade

Male chicks

TRADE bodies in Denmark are complaining to the government about what they see as unfair advantages given to supermarkets which are increasing their ranges of non-food goods to the financial detriment of small local shops which are tied up in red tape.

CHICKEN farms across the world slaughter male chicks after hatching as they are not suitable for eating but in 2022, Germany will be the first country to ban this practice and farmers will have to identify and destroy eggs bearing males.

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE

Heading home

High times

MANY were caught out by the sudden lockdown across the world and the Dutch Government has announced that during 2020, its diplomatic missions managed to assist 50,000 people to return back home after being stranded abroad compared to zero in 2019.

POLITICIANS from across the political spectrum are launching a public consultation to discover the general view of whether cannabis should be legalised and if, as they suspect, the response will be overwhelmingly in favour, they plan to lobby parliament for a change.

BELGIUM

NORWAY

Biden bonus

Skål

FOLLOWING the election of Donald Trump, the Café Zeezicht in Antwerp stopped the sale of all American products including Bourbon, Coca Cola and Tabasco, but has now announced that with Joe Biden elected as president the ban has finished.

FACING significant opposition in Parliament, the government has reversed its nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants, although the ban will continue in bars which don’t serve food and a final decision may be made by local councils.

MERCADONA donated the equivalent of 283,000 trolleys of food to almost 300 soup kitchens and 60 food banks in 2020. The supermarket giant doubled its donations of food to social entities projects compared to 2019, gifting 17,000 tonnes of products to soup kitchens, food banks and other charities across Spain and Portugal.

The company also made additional donations throughout the year, such as the deliveries made in March and April to the Field Hospital set up at the Ifema Fair in Madrid to cope with Covid demand. “Part of Mercadona’s Social Responsibility policy is to return to society part of what it receives from it. Thanks to this commitment, different institu-

Germany bans use of fabric face masks GERMANY has banned the use of fabric masks and will insist upon the use of either surgical masks or FFP2 to access public transport, shops or any of the few administrative offices which remain open. Following a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional presidents, it was decided that only professional masks offer acceptable levels of protection. The French government has also recommended not using fabric masks. Lockdown in Germany, affecting the catering sector, leisure, culture, sports and commerce except supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as schools and nurseries, will remain in place until at least February 14.

tions and social entities throughout the territory receive the support and collaboration of the company to help those who need it most,” said the supermarket chain in a statement. In Spain, Mercadona collaborates with the Spanish Federation of Food Banks ( FESBAL) and the Banco de Productos Acompartir

VAT Cut N’ Snip

THE owners of beauty salons, hairdressers and barbers on Wednesday, January 20, sent a manifesto to the Subdelegation of the Government demanding a reduction in the VAT rate from 21 per cent to 10 per cent. Owners have appealed to the government to grant concessions that will allow them to keep their businesses open. The beauty sector as a whole has planned a protest involving 77 Spanish cities on January 20 as a plea to the Executive to aid the ‘agonising situation’ they find themselves in.

FINANCE Closed down THE hospitality industry in the UK has taken a knock in 2020 with 9,930 pubs and restaurants closing but perhaps surprisingly, 3,995 new venues having opened and it appears likely that major companies such as Wetherspoons are ready to pick up cheap fitted premises.

American interest US investment group Fidelity which owns a lot of Spanish stock has revealed that it has, for the first time, purchased shares in Endesa and now controls 1 per cent of the energy giant’s stock with its holding valued at €230 million.

Double standards THE cancellation of this year’s Glastonbury Festival has raised the matter of why the UK Government has introduced Covid-19 indemnity for films but not for music festivals which are currently unable to obtain cancellation insurance.

GDP forecast ANALYSTS at Spanish bank BBVA have lowered their growth forecast for Spain’s 2021 GDP from 6 per cent to 5.5 per cent but believe that the fastest rises by autonomous communities will be seen in the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Pets at Home UK specialist retailer Pets at Home with more than 450 stores seems to be riding the Covid-19 storm as trading figures for the last quarter of 2020 have improved by 18 per cent. Income for that period was £302 million (€332 million) and the group has adapted to the lockdown by giving customers greater choice and flexibility. As a designated essential retailer, they have launched a one-hour Click and Collect service across all of their stores and a Deliver to Car service across more than 150 outlets.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 28 January - 3 February 2021

€300 million

is the amount raised for the MAPRE and Abante infrastructure fund, €100 million more than anticipated when first launched.

Competitive mortgage rates

Spain’s top tourist fair returns FOR many years, the FITUR international tourism fair has taken place in Madrid in January with partici­ pants from all over Spain as well as overseas. Due to the Covid­19 pandemic the 2021 fair had to be postponed, but thanks to the fact that the national government has declared FITUR an Event of Exceptional Public Interest it will, subject to any last­ minute hitches, run from May 19 to 23 at the IFEMA

centre in Madrid. So important is the tourist industry and this fair to the Spanish econo­ my that the declaration was included in Spain’s Na­ tional Budget and will be applicable for the next three years, although it can be extended. This special legal status will enable FITUR to pro­ mote private sector partic­ ipation and will also help strengthen public­private cooperation links, bringing

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Can they reside nowhere? My wife and I are British subjects. We have been travelling around Europe for the last three years, simply as tourists. We have no wish to register as resident anywhere, especially not where that will give us a taxation obligation. I as­ sume that British subjects can still visit as tourists to Spain? We last arrived in Spain 4½ months ago and have been pretty much locked down since then. We now wish to travel to London to get Covid vaccinations, and then go from London to Dubai and back to Spain. Having been vaccinated, will we be allowed back into Spain before driving to Portugal? We will have spent less than 90 days from the beginning of the year in Spain. Will we have any problem enter­ ing Portugal? Thank you for any clarification. S L (by email)

Your 90­day stay in Spain is not based YOU AND THE LAW on the calendar IN SPAIN year. It is 90 days in a 180­day period. You have already exceeded that limit. Further, this is an EU rule so you should not be al­ lowed to enter another EU country, like Portugal, until you have been absent from the entire EU for 90 days.

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 total market value of all cryp­ tocurrencies went down by about €82 billion over a 48­hour period after the world’s top digital asset, bitcoin, slumped around 10 per cent last week. Bitcoin was trading at €25,776.29 per token having lost nearly 10 per cent day to day, according to Coin­ marketcap.com. The world’s num­ ber­one cryptocurrency dropped al­

companies together to support recovery that has already produced such positive results in other ar­ eas of the economy. IFEMA is working on the contents of FITUR Especial Recuperación Turismo (FI­ TUR Tourism Recovery Special Edition) and the fair will focus on the need to revitalise Spain’s lead­ ing industry to enhance its position as one of the foundations of the econo­ my.

The organisers say that it is important to empha­ sise how, over its 40­year history, FITUR has grown and consolidated its posi­ tion as one of the most ef­ fective tools for promot­ ing, developing, innovating and boosting the tourism industry in Spain. Last year it attracted 11,040 companies from 165 countries and regions, 150,089 trade visitors and 111,089 visitors from the general public.

Raising living wages MULTINATIONAL brand Unilever has announced a wide­ranging set of commit­ ments and actions to help build a more equitable and in­ clusive society by raising living standards. Unilever’s main commit­ ments include: Ensuring that everyone who directly provides goods and services to the company earns at least a living wage or income, by 2030. Spending €2 billion annually with suppliers owned and managed by people from un­ der­represented groups, by 2025. Pioneering new employ­ ment models for our em­ ployees, and equipping 10 million young people with essential skills to prepare them for job opportunities, by 2030. Alan Jope, Unilever CEO, ex­ plained, “The two biggest threats that the world current­ ly faces are climate change and social inequality. “The past year has un­ doubtedly widened the social divide, and decisive and collec­ tive action is needed to build a

Credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

14

Alan Jope Unilever CEO committed to change. society that helps to improve livelihoods, embraces diversi­ ty, nurtures talent, and offers opportunities for everyone. “We believe the actions we are committing to will make Unilever a better, stronger business; ready for the huge societal changes we are expe­ riencing today ­ changes that will only accelerate. Without a healthy society, there cannot be a healthy business.” This is the first major com­ pany to make this commit­ ment and the announcement was welcomed by Oxfam who are now dedicated to work alongside Unilever to assist in the implementation of the new programme.

WITH 1.4 million cus­ tomers, Openbank, the on­ line bank which is owned by Grupo Santander is look­ ing to increase its share of the Spanish mortgage mar­ ket. Its latest offers, sees a se­ ries of different fixed rates depending on the size of the loan against the value of the property. The offers include an in­ terest rate from 1.45 per cent for those who finance up to 50 per cent of the val­ ue of the property for a max­ imum term of 10 years, then from 1.6 per cent for those borrowing between 51 and 70 per cent and interest of 1.7 per cent for those who wish to finance up to 80 per cent of the value.

John Lewis Partnership THE John Lewis Partnership has announced the early re­ payment of the £300 million (€330 million) HM Treasury and Bank of England Covid Corporate Financing Facility which was due for repay­ ment on March 15. Despite the problems of the last year when John Lewis stores were closed for several months, the Partner­ ship believes it has sufficient liquidity going forward. Trading during the peak months which included Black Friday and the Christ­ mas period, held up better than anticipated and as a re­ sult, they expect full­year profits to be ahead of expec­ tation.

Cryptocurrencies down most 18 per cent over the week. Bitcoin has seen a wild rally in re­ cent weeks, briefly hitting $41,940 (€ 34,447.63) earlier in January be­ fore its recent sharp drop and the second most expensive cryptocur­ rency by market value, ether, was

also down around 10 per cent dur­ ing the same period. Despite the latest drop, bitcoin has still seen rises over 150 per cent in the past three months. Experts tied its rally to a number of factors, including growing inter­

est from large institutional in­ vestors. Bitcoin’s recent price surge was also boosted by massive investor outflow from gold, which is com­ monly the preferred inflation hedge for traders.

16 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

28 January - 3 February 2021

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C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 25

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3I Group 1.153,50 1.153,50 Admiral Group 2.959,0 2.959,0 Anglo American 2.633,7 2.650,0 Antofagasta 1.515,50 1.519,00 Ashtead Group 3.846,0 3.853,0 Associated British Foods 2.264,3 2.264,3 AstraZeneca 7.860,0 7.853,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 581,60 584,00 Avast 528,50 528,50 Aveva 3.851,0 3.852,0 Aviva 350,60 352,50 B&M European Value Retail SA523,40 523,40 BAE Systems 477,89 481,94 Bank VTB DRC 0,957 0,957 Barclays 143,47 145,25 Barratt Developments 693,35 698,00 Berkeley 4.460,0 4.478,0 BHP Group 2.115,50 2.129,00 BP 289,33 291,30 British American Tobacco 2.753,0 2.755,0 British Land Company 438,00 443,20 BT Group 135,20 135,25 Bunzl 2.426,2 2.445,2 Burberry Group 1.748,0 1.764,0 Carnival 1.254,6 1.275,0 Centrica 50,12 50,68 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.275,0 2.282,0 Compass 1.378,50 1.395,50 CRH 3.230,0 3.233,0 Croda Intl 6.510,0 6.548,0 DCC 5.840,0 5.858,0 Diageo 2.915,7 2.918,2 DS Smith 385,50 388,00 EasyJet 741,38 770,61 Experian 2.627,2 2.647,0 Ferguson 9.152,0 9.182,0 Flutter Entertainment 14.390,0 14.455,0 Fresnillo 1.100,38 1.101,59 GlaxoSmithKline 1.395,39 1.397,40 Glencore 273,50 274,85 Halma 2.591,0 2.591,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.668,50 1.681,00 Hikma Pharma 2.519,74 2.519,74 HSBC 403,80 404,05 IAG 144,49 149,20 Imperial Brands 1.661,00 1.661,00 Informa 512,20 516,40 InterContinental 4.694,0 4.739,0 Intermediate Capital 1.743,79 1.746,57 Intertek 5.610,0 5.610,0 ITV 105,94 106,75

% CHG. 1.143,50 2.945,0 2.633,5 1.507,50 3.839,0 2.245,0 7.803,4 576,60 527,00 3.833,0 349,85 521,00 477,40 0,957 143,30 693,35 4.451,0 2.112,50 289,30 2.735,0 438,00 134,45 2.420,3 1.746,5 1.254,6 50,10 2.269,0 1.378,50 3.200,0 6.474,0 5.832,0 2.905,9 383,30 735,80 2.627,2 9.128,0 14.355,0 1.094,50 1.385,60 273,50 2.569,0 1.649,00 2.481,00 403,45 143,82 1.650,91 512,20 4.694,0 1.742,41 5.600,0 105,94

NET VOL 26,30K 2,51K 3,51K 5,73K 8,78K 0,07K 4,31K 93,55K 0,13K 2,87K 43,09K 24,30K 4,74K 0,11K 138,21K 3,39K 0,51K 112,76K 132,99K 46,11K 24,42K 545,95K 0,55K 7,50K 5,75K 145,65K 5,07K 0,62K 13,12K 4,01K 1,59K 3,13K 9,83K 124,20K 0,35K 2,78K 18,82K 1,37K 22,55K 47,47K 6,10K 11,07K 0,38K 28,84K 1,22M 3,91K 0,73K 9,03K 0,59K 0,95K 24,85K

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

249,10 3.020,2 630,80 266,10 34,95 9.152,0 422,10 175,14 1.828,50 881,00 156,05 7.892,0 35,16 2.702,61 2.713,0 702,60 1.394,50 6.282,0 1.859,50 531,40 631,80 5.913,0 101,50 6,60 1.412,81 1.412,0 1.351,4 678,00 620,21 2.022,00 14,44 3.497,0 1.298,84 978,20 2.352,0 1.661,50 1.504,00 11.755,0 1.552,32 1.193,00 466,00 309,80 158,01 243,64 343,75 4.392,0 935,00 128,54 3.085,9 793,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

249,46 3.020,2 636,20 267,25 35,27 9.152,0 424,50 177,30 1.832,50 881,20 156,85 7.910,0 35,28 2.704,00 2.720,0 702,60 1.399,00 6.294,0 1.862,00 531,40 632,80 5.926,0 103,90 6,62 1.418,11 1.421,6 1.363,0 679,00 625,00 2.024,00 14,57 3.508,0 1.298,84 978,40 2.352,0 1.661,50 1.508,00 11.755,0 1.559,50 1.198,50 468,90 310,80 159,84 244,20 372,82 4.395,0 935,60 129,10 3.137,0 800,00

248,17 3.005,0 630,80 265,80 34,89 9.092,0 417,60 175,14 1.828,50 872,20 155,75 7.874,0 35,09 2.691,00 2.705,0 698,60 1.391,00 6.276,0 1.855,00 528,60 628,60 5.903,0 101,43 6,56 1.405,51 1.406,0 1.350,0 677,80 617,77 2.018,00 14,41 3.486,0 1.289,00 975,00 2.341,0 1.651,00 1.502,42 11.700,0 1.551,70 1.186,50 466,00 307,90 158,01 242,34 342,38 4.365,0 931,80 128,28 3.080,0 792,60

34,07K 2,92K 20,02K 82,45K 2,83M 3,92K 2,07K 35,40K 0,06K 208,82K 77,74K 0,12K 7,38K 4,16K 5,84K 7,39K 7,67K 13,94K 62,78K 34,39K 11,85K 2,31K 569,59K 219,50K 45,70K 139,59K 7,34K 7,29K 47,78K 2,06K 326,44K 2,33K 157,28K 10,18K 2,23K 12,30K 0,49K 0,86K 3,86K 9,21K 4,35K 47,53K 22,73K 105,57K 227,00K 86,07K 8,49K 641,65K 2,77K 62,98K

0.88812

1.12297 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.21771 Japan yen (JPY)......................................126.317 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.07796 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43972 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.2961

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 25

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 169,04 1.901,05 3.292,23 253,50 139,07 205,84 191,94 91,73 44,77 48,49 274,50 289,39 284,00 202,25 118,61 56,66 163,55 133,79 213,38 80,98 225,95 139,35 130,00 225,77 846,64 347,55 57,47 202,02 146,33 172,78

CHANGE CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 170,20 167,24 2,35M 1.910,95 1.881,76 1,27M 3.321,91 3.283,16 2,82M 255,23 250,56 1,87M 139,85 135,02 114,46M 206,70 204,27 7,51M 192,82 189,31 2,03M 92,03 89,83 7,81M 44,89 44,23 14,64M 48,94 48,49 15,40M 278,47 272,00 21,95M 290,59 285,50 2,57M 285,08 277,87 4,50M 204,46 201,39 3,50M 120,70 117,36 38,06M 59,62 56,65 85,73M 165,16 161,87 8,14M 134,40 132,20 12,93M 214,14 211,17 2,20M 81,43 80,76 9,00M 230,07 225,80 30,17M 141,88 139,31 4,15M 131,47 129,99 7,20M 227,79 223,75 10,19M 848,00 828,62 20,07M 354,62 347,54 2,59M 57,69 56,76 16,36M 205,33 201,80 7,32M 147,34 145,12 6,41M 175,25 171,89 9,52M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 25

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+10.87% +5.40% +1.28% +5.39% +11.08% +5.67% +4.90% +6.92% +18.07% +10.08% +3.51%

1.13M 7,688 515,839 710,669 1.75M 2,818 292,828 1.25M 7.10M 4.34M 214,047

-6.84% -2.07% -5.98% -1.74% -0.45% -2.53% -2.91% -1.79% -2.99% -6.12% -2.38%

1.77M 356,695 186,113 296,521 2.82M 7.55M 495,373 690,685 290,243 171,956 2.59M

Most Advanced MicroStrategy Inc. Atrion Corp. MercadoLibre Inc. SVB Financial Group Appian Corp. Cl A Daily Journal Corp. BeiGene Ltd. ADR Quidel Corp. Stitch Fix Inc. Cl A Affirm Holdings Inc. Cl A Amedisys Inc.

Most Declined Intuitive Surgical Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. Credit Acceptance Corp. CoStar Group Inc. Amazon.com Inc. Netflix Inc. O'Reilly Automotive Inc. Align Technology Inc. Universal Display Corp. World Acceptance Corp. Autodesk Inc.

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Credit: Sint-Sixtus abbey

Trappist beer available

Trappist Westvleteren ready for shipping. FOR years, beers brewed by Trappist Monks of the Bene­ dictine order have been con­ sidered some of the best in the world, but sales have been hit by the pandemic. The monks of the Sint­Six­ tus abbey in Westvleteren in Belgium are to start deliver­ ing their beer although it is rationed to a crate of 24 bot­ tles for any one order. It is only 18 months ago that they went online but still required customers to regis­ ter, place an order and collect their beer by car at appointed times having first confirmed their car registration number. Then because of the lock­ down, the monks, who have the motto ‘brew to live, not live to brew’ had to suspend sales for several months. Now they are back brewing sufficient to cover the needs

of the monastery and are also allowing collection again on the same terms although those who come to the monastery grounds, will be allowed 48 bottles. There are just 14 monaster­ ies allowed to brew and sell Trappist beers, six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands and one each in Austria, Italy, the UK, France, Spain and the United States. Although not as well­ known as the Chimay monastery which brews beer and sells cheese, the Trappist Westvleteren brew has achieved an aura of quality around its three different styles of beer, one blonde and two dark. With relatively small pro­ duction, the monks will only sell their beer to private indi­ viduals in order to ensure

Foreign investment SPAIN’S Trade Secretary, Xiana Méndez, took part in the Eleventh Spain Investors Day (SID) economic forum in which she encouraged foreign companies to invest in Spain. A new website has been set up encouraging investors to discover more about the way in which the Spanish economy is finding its feet again following a difficult 2020. According to website eurasia.com, the minister said “In terms of Spanish international trade, the downward trend of our exports is moderating. In October 2020 (latest monthly figures available), exports grew by 8.74 per cent on the previous month.”

that as many as possible can enjoy their product at reason­ able prices.

BUSINESS EXTRA Back in business BANK OF ENGLAND Governor, Andrew Bailey speaking online said he expects that Britain’s economy will recover strongly as the country rolls out the vaccination programme at gathering speed suggesting that Britain will therefore be back in business quickly.

Solar power SPANISH energy supplier Iberdrola has struck a 10-year deal to supply solar powered electricity to French food manufacturer Danone’s 29 locations in Spain at a sum estimated at several million euros from a new facility currently being built.

Falkland Islands ONE result of Brexit is that as the UK Overseas Territories were not included in the Withdrawal Agreement, the Falkland Islands will see an immediate cut in EU subsidies and it is likely to encourage Argentina to renew its sovereignty claims.

28 January - 3 February 2021

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Expat Military Permission BREXIT is set to cause yet more complications for British expats in certain areas of Costa Blanca as a pre-constitutional law known as the Francoist law will require property buyers to apply for special approval from the military. The Provincial Association of Promoters (Provia) warned on Wednesday, January 20, that non-EU citizens wanting to purchase properties in areas of military interest will require a special permit issued by the Ministry of Defence, which could delay the sale of some 800 homes per year. According to Provia, most of these properties are located in Torrevieja, Orihuela, Pilar de la Horadada and San Miguel de Salinas.

Portable Chapel Lost THE Granada town of Montefrio is mourning the loss of its rather unique, centurylong tradition. For more than 100 years, a ‘portable chapel’ of patron saint of the municipality Virgin de los Remedios, travels from home to home, spending two hours in each house before being passed on to a neighbour. Sadly, during the coronavirus lockdown in

March, the Virgin went missing, and locals fear she may be forgotten in a house of someone who passed away from Covid. Local women, Concepción Pérez and Pilar Carralcasar, both aged 75, have launched a Facebook campaign to locate the effigy so that she can once again visit homes in the municipality and offer comfort to those who are unwell.

FEATURE

Feel free to speak freely LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT QUITE frankly, I believe the new Netflix series of Bridgerton is a long way from the lighthearted ‘bit of fun’ the makers and actors would have us believe. This grossly inaccurate ‘historical’ piece, sets yet another precedent of dangerous appeasement which now seems to have no bounds in its relentless erosion of British history and its heritage. In this series, set in the Regency period, many of the main characters are depicted as black aristocracy. Even the Queen Charlotte is portrayed by black actress Golda Rosheuvel. To me the whole presentation is misleading and offensive. With the exception perhaps of Dido Elizabeth Bell, who was the daughter of a British naval officer and a Caribbean slave, (and is herself the subject of a new historically correct movie to be released later this year) there were no black members of British aristocracy at that time, or even any other historical period, unless you

count the occasional Moor in the Tudor era. It’s all very well for those responsible to shrug it off as ‘a bit of fun’ or ‘we were all simply having a laugh,’ they fail to take into account that to many of today’s youngsters, movies and presentations of this ilk are the nearest they get to learning anything at all about the culture and heritage of the country they live in. You simply cannot trust the woke and left wing influenced teachers that abound in the British education system, to teach its ever increasing ethnic pupil base the true historical past of the UK. They are too busy being ‘ashamed’ and trying to erase or airbrush the more dubious actions of our ancestors, instead of proudly teaching of the magnificent achievements and constructive input they have given to the world. Don’t take my word for it. Leicester University has just announced they are planning to decolonise their English language studies by shelving works of English literature that they consider ‘too white’! Chaucer and his important works of Canterbury Tales and Beowulf are among the first to

go. You really do wonder where it is all going to end. Briefly returning to the casting of the farcical Bridgerton, can you imagine the furor and protests that would have ensued should they have cast a white woman in the role of Whitney Houston? Or Benedict Cumberbatch as Mandela? Ludicrous? No more than casting a black woman as the Queen of England! Once again, I’m fully prepared for the accusations of racism I am bound to receive for this piece. The irony is that I am so utterly against racism, I cannot help but speak out when I see it, this evil doctrine constantly practised under the guise of the so­called diversity and equality which is utterly destroying the heritage of a once great country; and in doing so not only biting the hand that feeds it, but positively gnawing on it. Thanks for all your comments. Feel free to speak freely. And whatever you do always ­ 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

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28 January - 3 February 2021

EWN 19

Advertising Feature FUNERALS are mostly sad, dark and depressing but it really doesn’t need to be that way. They can be warm-hearted, wonderful, quirky, and most importantly personal, personalisation is a great way to turn a funeral into a celebration of life. Golden Leaves can help you preplan a funeral that is unique to you. ONE of the most common requests from people who talk about their funeral plans is ‘no black.’ While some will just ask for peo­ ple to wear their favourite colour or their favourite sports team’s kit, many have more specific requests, such as Hawaiian shirts or even multi­coloured wellies. One Glaston­ bury fan had the unique request everyone who attended their funeral wore wellies in honour of a shared love of the festival, one lady requested the funeral service be deco­ rated with fruits and vegetables instead of flowers and why not... It’s your day after all. Arrive in style Unconventional transport is a popular re­ quest. Why have a hearse when you can ar­ rive in an old fire engine, an old fashioned milk float or a horse drawn carriage? The Ashes What to do with the ashes is a question most people look to have sentimental mean­

Be Bold ing, people’s ashes being made into jewellery has become a very popular trend and with new technology it’s now possible that from your ashes can grow a beautiful diamond, or sometimes they’re put into a firework to ‘go off with a bang!’ Make it personal Most of us don’t like talking about death, and it is a conversation we’ll avoid, often un­ til it’s too late. But, if you want a funeral per­ sonal to you, now is the time to make your plans, and the Golden Leaves team of ex­ perts are waiting to help you, they are also offering €150 off all pre­paid funeral plans through the month of December making it even more affordable. The team at Golden Leaves have over 30 years’ experience, so no matter your requests we are sure they will be able to help you. Create a memory table One of the essentials of any personalised funeral service is a memory table. We love

memory tables because you can do so much with them. You could even make multiple memory tables that are set­up like ‘stations’ to represent different chapters or passions in your life. The possibilities truly are endless here. Sow seeds of love In many cultures and traditions, planting a tree is a way of symbolising important occa­ sions, including birth, marriage, and death. Embrace the tradition by either packaging seeds for a particular plant that service guests can bring home to plant their memor­ ial tree or flower, or gathering attendees to­ gether for a joint planting in someplace spe­ cial. Create ‘Fun Fact’ Cards A funeral service is a once in a lifetime chance to celebrate the life you’ve lived, tell your story, and share all of the unique details that made you who you were. But some­ times this is hard to do in just an hour­long

funeral service. Fun fact cards are an interesting way to spice up your funeral programme, all you have to do is sim­ ply print them out and easily incorporate in­ to your funeral service, or give them away at the wake afterwards to encourage positive conversations and memories. When you leave behind your loved ones, having a funeral plan in place provides not only peace of mind knowing they avoid the financial burden, but it allows them time to grieve and support one another without the stress of organising a funeral and trying to guess how you would like things. Whilst planning your funeral may appear to be a morbid thing to do, it can actually remove a huge weight from your shoulders in knowing you have taken care of your family through what will be a very difficult time for them.

www.goldenleavesinternational.com • info@goldenleavesinternational.com • Facebook: goldenleavesspain

A Lesson to be learnt here MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man HERE’S a horror story! My daughter want­ ed to spend Christmas with us. She booked flights which got moved from Gatwick to Heathrow. She got her nega­ tive Covid test and decided to come a day early and only had a few hours to sort out travel arrangements to the airport. She decided to drive and park for 10 days using a meet and greet service. Top of Google was Nationwide Airport Parking Ltd which said that all cars were kept in a secure compound. When she arrived at the terminal the meet and greet desk in­ side didn’t have any record of her booking and said she should look outside for a dif­ ferent company. She had a red light mo­ ment but then thought she hadn’t read the ad properly but was desperate to come home so found the guy who took her car. She finished up staying for a month and kept extending the parking. Trip over she flew home and a driver turned up with her car but didn’t get her to sign anything and left sharply. I got a call saying she thought her door was dented but couldn’t see properly and

would check when she got home. She called again, in bits, as she had received a letter from Slough police saying her car was reported being left in the street and had all four tyres slashed, every door pan­ el kicked in, a window smashed and a wing mirror hanging off and sent photos. Nationwide had put four tyres on, re­ paired the window and glued the mirror and never told her! She ‘phoned the com­ pany straightaway who just said send an email. Since then there has been no re­ sponse from Nationwide. Fortunately she is insured. Police, insur­ ance company and trading standards are all going after Nationwide and I’ve sent details to BBC Watchdog. Had she looked at Trustpilot she would have seen terrible reviews bar four or five from Pakistan where selling reviews is a big business. I spoke to Trustpilot about bogus reviews and Google about removing their ad. Google would not give me any informa­ tion as ‘it breached data protection.’ I love how these scum are protected but the public isn’t! She also got in touch with her credit card company and looks like they will refund her and take away Nationwide’s credit card account. Lesson to be learnt here ­ before you book any­ thing online do your research first. Email:mikesenker@gmail.com

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CORREOS SCAM RE the scam of the Correos texts, I had two last Monday 18/Tuesday19 telling me my shipment was on its way. Two different numbers, I thought it was a scam, as Correos wouldn’t text, they leave notification in my mail box, plus I wasn’t expecting anything, I text back, no texts, call me, no one did. I rang from an outside landline, and both numbers, were unavailable, I heard no more, but on Friday 22/ Saturday 23, another two texts, different numbers, telling me from DHL, a packet was on its way, click here to track, of course I didn’t, and just deleted. So just a warning, they will try different ways and I was quite happy when I saw in your paper that the police were aware. Let’s hope people stay aware of these scammers. Thank you. V Imosdi

OUR VIEW Overcome frustration IT seems that frustration is becoming more and more of an indicator of the mood of people not just in Spain but around the world. For almost a year in Europe, we have had to cope with the problems of the Covid-19 pandemic and there is no doubt that politicians made a number of mistakes as they went through the learning process of coping with the effects. Despite those who declare that the vaccine is potentially more dangerous than the illness and that it is a secret way of injecting microchips into people’s bodies, this has to be the way forward. We need protection against the virus and although there will doubtless be some who suffer serious side effects, the majority are likely to benefit from the protection that it is claimed that the vaccine will give. If we have any hope of returning to some form of normality then we do have to act responsibly and not ignore the restrictions which whilst irritating, are more likely to protect lives than make them worse. Violent demonstrations achieve nothing and just go to make matters even worse, although to peacefully demonstrate about lack of work or assistance from local or national government is in many ways healthy for society provided some form of social distancing takes place. Therein lies a problem - how do you persuade say 1,000 demonstrators to keep apart from each other in order for their right to free speech to actually mean something rather than become a fuse for yet another spike in infections? There is no correct answer to dealing with the pandemic, but there are plenty of incorrect ways of making it worse.

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

Jackie Butcher Yes asap.

Ello! Hope you’re well boss. I was pleased to read your piece in the Euro Weekly News. You’re right to raise questions about Covid vaccines. My sister has worked as a senior researcher at one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world for over 20 years and this is what she said about Covid vaccines recently: “I’ve said to loads of people who’ve asked me that there is no way in the world that I would have a vaccine that has been rushed through the process in a year or two. “I’ve never worked with vaccines but traditional chemical medicines eg Ibuprofen typically take at least 10 years from first concept to patient. Even with pharma companies ‘streamlining’ the process in the last decade it still always takes at least six years. That’s mainly because proper 3-phase clinical trials take time - time to actually perform them, and time to evaluate them and monitor them for potential adverse events. “The world has gone mad and people are generally too trusting and a bit silly!” Love your work! Regards, Kevin

Vaccinations Dear Leapy While I usually agree with most of what you have to say and applaud you for having said it, I really do think that you should have kept this week’s comments to yourself. I speak to you as an 80-year-old when I say that I think you are being a complete woos but, more to the point, a dangerous one. The statistics you quote are minuscule when compared to the number of vaccinations carried out and the sooner the majority get it the better for us all. There are enough ignorant nutters out there spreading dangerous clap-trap and the last thing we need is such an influential voice as yours adding to the disinformation! Regards K Turner

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.

Frances Fearnley Have it.

Sue Peers Yes definitely would... only way we will ever get out of this nightmare although when will the over 60s be getting it in Spain?

Isabel Papa Bauset Definitely not. I have so many allergies so I would probably delay it as much as I could. I know Phizer and Moderna is a no no for me.

Paula Wilkes Definitely have it, the sooner the better.

Maureen Watson Yes god knows when we’ll get it out here in Spain, the sooner the better, got to get things sorted so everyone can open up again for business.

Brent Wilkinson Try the UK government. Already vaccinating prisoners!! Not the officers... or the law abiding public. You really couldn’t make it up.

Linda Freese Of course! The best scientists in the world have worked on producing this vaccine. It’s the only way out of this pandemic.

Tina Fisher I would have it, I wish it was available six months ago, then maybe the four members of my family that died might have had a fighting chance.

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

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28 January - 3 February 2021

Museo El Prado

T H E world-famous Prado Museum in Madrid has planned an enormous overhaul in 2021 which will see more works by women displayed in order to create a “more inclusive” Prado, according to the museum’s director, Miguel Falomir. In all, collections from 18th century Europe, the Goya collection and paintings from the 19th century will be subject to a complete revamp. The increase in more

works by women will be confined to the 19th century section and it’s understood that many will be new acquisitions, although officials haven’t released specific information yet. Over the years the museum has made a big effort to display more work by women, including its current exhibition, Guests; however, many feminist groups have criticised the Prado for not going far enough to celebrate female artists.

BBC Line Up Jason Manford JASON MANFORD has morphed from a very funny standup comedian, into an all-round entertainer, with acting roles in TV sitcoms ‘Scarborough’ and ‘Benidorm’, through to theatre stage work in ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Producers’, onto a daytime quiz, ‘First And Last’ on BBC1. Now Manford has been lined up by the BBC to host its brand new daytime quiz show ‘Unbeatable’, due to be screened later this year, where four contestants have to compete to give the best answer to a series of questions, according to The Sun. Jason admitted to being a lover of daytime TV quizzes, saying, “I know how important daytime quizzes are for a lot of people. I used to sit with my Nana Manford and mum watching them.”

DAVID WORBOYS IN the late 90s I saw a Bentley Continental with Swiss plates parked right in front of the entrance to the prestigious Negresco Hotel in Nice. The registration number sent out as much of a statement as the location and the automobile itself: GE 1. This scene encapsulated everything to do with wealth, privilege and status. But was the owner entitled to park in this cov­ eted spot or just flaunting his or her im­ age? Was he or she a person of consider­ able means and influence or a high­ ranking official in Geneva? And had such status or wealth been acquired ethically or to the detriment of others? The issue of ‘personalised’ number plates is particularly interesting in the UK. Today motorists pay obscene sums for the unashamed flaunting of ‘success.’ The genuinely successful Richard Fauntleroy­ Clavering may feel in need of an extra ego­ boost and therefore pay over £100,000 for RFC 1, possibly unaware that this tribute to himself could feed a needy family of four for several years. Or it could buy an Aston Martin for a less successful but loyal friend. There was a time when the objective seemed to be inspired by humour. As the

FEATURE

VANITY PLATES

PERSONALISED PLATES: If find them a distasteful waste of money. figure 1 was virtually indistinguishable from the letter I, those able to afford it would buy registration numbers such as HOP 1N, COM 1C, NAT 10N and SOD 1T. It may be acceptable to substitute I with 1 and O with 0 but these are surely the only reasonable interchanges. What is truly pitiable is the public ad­ mission of failure by those unable to af­ ford the real thing. The recently advertised asking price for COL 7N was £55,000. It seems obvious that the 7 is meant to rep­ resent the letter I in Colin. But the price for COL 1N would probably be unaffordable to Colin. Similarly, Allan, who cannot stretch to ALLAN, will have to make do with ALL 4N, hoping that his peers will in­ terpret the 4 as an A. Likewise S is substi­ tuted by 5, G by 6, Z by 2 and H by 8. LA66

ARD is a desperate attempt at the word ‘laggard.’ GL45 SES means ‘glasses’ and it’s yours for £3,495. The statement sent out is ‘I’ve fallen behind. I’d like to have a meaningful vani­ ty plate that spells an actual word or name but I can’t afford a proper one. This is the best I can do.’ Even assuming any friend or neighbour to be impressed by this, what is the point? There is, of course, nothing wrong in owning an expensive car ­ or any other quality possession ­ so long as it is honestly earned and not flaunted. The sole purpose of a costly number plate is self enhancement and, given our growing awareness of the billions of des­ perately underprivileged fellow beings worldwide, I find this particular waste of money distasteful.

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) 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. 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. 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 - May21) 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 - Juny 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.

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

ARDENT DOCTOR (10) ECHOES FERRIC HECTOR HORROR METEOR MOROSE RASTER RETORT SCANTY SPEEDY SPOTTY STANCH STEREO TEETHE TERROR TETHER THIRST

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) With so much going on, you are in danger of burning yourself to a frazzle. You won’t realise until you have done it, so make a point of getting some peace and quiet, preferably both of them at the same time. Relax and don't even think about things that are unchangeable. Time will sort out most things for you.

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. SAGITARIUS (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.

TIME OUT

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 23 January

1-6-25 45-49-52

BONUS BALL

56

IRISH LOTTO Sat 23 January

5-11-15 19-33-40

BONUS BALL

8

EURO MILLIONS Tue 19 January

BONUS BALL

5

25-27-31 35-43

6

Fri 22 January

BONUS BALL

08-16-42 44-47

6 7

EL MILLON: JXW44709 LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 21 January

BONUS BALL

08-14-31 42-43-44

20 4

JOKER: 8514098 Sat 23 January

BONUS BALL

5-11-22 28-30-42

26

JOKER: 7747157

7

TIME OUT

26

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CODE BREAKER

ENGLISH-SPANISH

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

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 1 represents J and 20 represents W, so fill in J every time the figure 1 appears and W every time the figure 20 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 Food (things to eat) (6) 3 Dormido (6) 8 Links (7) 10 Seaweed (plural) (5) 11 Meadow (5) 12 Refugiado (7) 13 Used (stamp, syringe) (5) 15 Command (5) 20 Octubre (7) 22 Chupete (de niño) (5) 24 Bit (piece) (5) 25 Lamb (7) 26 Currency (6) 27 Garganta (6)

Down 1 Body (of person, animal) (6) 2 Fine (legal) (5) 4 Personal (personas) (5) 5 Ocupado (7) 6 Cartel (6) 7 Usuarios (5) 9 Nube (de humo, insectos, polvo) (5) 14 Sentarse (3,4) 16 To burn (5) 17 Fondo (de mar) (6) 18 Ladrillo (5) 19 En barco (2,4) 21 Ancho (5) 23 Fear (5)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Swamp, 4 Bible, 7 Abandoned, 8 Song, 9 Helped, 12 Settee, 13 Toes, 16 Immediate, 18 Enter, 19 Sorts. Down: 1 Shoes, 2 Against, 3 Peak, 4 Badger, 5/17 Bon mot, 6 Ended, 10 Pioneer, 11 Leader, 12 Spine, 14 Shuts, 15 Cats.

BOGGLED

ENGLISH-SPANISH

onion noon ninth nice neve nebs neep neeps vino vine vice venin vein vees veep veeps beige beiges bees beep beeps beef begin beget beet been befit seven seen seep once incite icon evict eves evince even peen peeve peeves petit none nine cone coin confit conte cine cite give given gives genic gees gift feet fees thief teen tees tepee titi ethic

Across: 1 Parecido, 4 Crow, 8 Acera, 10 Seagull, 11 Cremosa, 12 Moho, 14 Apoyar, 16 Lluvia, 19 Foam, 21 Equator, 24 Oriente, 25 Farol, 26 Ears, 27 Montañas. Down: 1 Planchar, 2 Clavo, 3 Desear, 5 Rough, 6/23 Well done, 7 Marmol, 9 Enero, 13 Barriles, 15 Almond, 17 Voter, 18 Cerezo, 20 Odiar, 22 Unfit.

NONAGRAM

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Slap, 3 Sanction, 9 Enforce, 10 Rapid, 11 Aglow, 12 Tripod, 14 On call, 16 Sleeps, 19 Leeway, 21 Three, 24 Loafs, 25 Ringlet, 26 Disperse, 27 Dyed. Down: 1 Sheraton, 2 Awful, 4 Averts, 5 Corgi, 6 Improve, 7 Nods, 8 Trowel, 13 Assented, 15 Cretans, 17 Litany, 18 Cyprus, 20 Waste, 22 Rally, 23 Fled.

CODE BREAKER

FUTOSHIKI

acne aeon ante aunt cane cant cent cone corn cran earn etna narc near neat note once rant rent roan rune runt tarn tern tone torn tuna tune turn unco unto acorn antre atone caner canoe canto cento conte cornu count crane crone enact nacre narco noter oaten ocean ounce recon reran rerun tenor toner tuner canter cantor carton contra cornea corner cornet craton errant nature nectar octane ornate outran rancor ranter recant return toucan trance turner centaur counter courant currant current enactor rancour recount trounce uncrate courante RACONTEUR

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 CONVEY 2 BICKER 3 GEYSER 4 FORMAL 5 SPARKY 6 KAISER 7 MERCER 8 SWAMPY 9 CARROT 10 CAMERA 11 TWINGE 12 BUREAU 13 IDEATE 14 FOURTH 15 ABSURD 16 SLEEPY 17 SUPERB 18 DERAIL 19 HUBRIS

WOOD WORD WARD CARD CARE CAGE or

KAKURO

SUDOKU

WOOD WORD WORE WARE WAGE CAGE

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Axarquía TODAY

ARCHIDONA

WEATHER

CASABERMEJA VELEZ-MALAGA NERJA RINCON MALAGA DE LA VICTORIA

TOMORROW

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA VELEZ-MALAGA NERJA MALAGA

SATURDAY

RINCON DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA VELEZ-MALAGA NERJA MALAGA

S: Sun

C: Cloudy

Th: Thunder

RINCON DE LA VICTORIA

Cl: Clear

Sh: Showers

Sn: Snow

Malaga TODAY: MAX 19 MIN 8 Fri 16 8 Sat 17 9 Sun 18 9 Mon 19 10 Tues - 17 10 Wed 17 11

Alicante TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 9 Fri 16 8 Sat 16 8 Sun 17 8 Mon 17 9 Tues - 19 9 Wed 19 9

Almeria TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 9 Fri 19 9 Sat 19 10 Sun 19 10 Mon 20 11 Tues - 19 11 Wed 19 13

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 9 Fri 19 9 Sat 18 9 Sun 17 8 Mon 19 8 Tues - 17 10 Wed 17 8 Mallorca TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 7 Fri 16 7 Sat 17 8 Sun 17 8 Mon 19 9 Tues 19 7 Wed 19 8

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 5 Fri 16 9 Sat 16 9 Sun 14 8 Mon 14 8 Tues 14 9 Wed 14 8 Madrid TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 8 Fri 14 8 Sat 14 7 Sun 15 7 Mon 15 8 Tues 16 9 Wed 16 10

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TIME OUT

FUTOSHIKI

BOGGLED

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.

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.

2 6

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

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: 39

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 Interwove bits of wasp, lice, dragonflies (7) 5 Sun comes back behind motorway takeaway (5) 8 Poison found in additive? No matter (5) 9 Noticed it's blemished (7) 10 Taking a chance, hide in oil platform (7) 11 Former international the French deport (5) 12 Weary Judge's dead weird (5) 14 Grim extract from a Boris Pasternak novel (5) 19 Defamatory statement in journal, I believe (5) 21 Former lover sat for a photo uncovered (7) 23 American university found a revised version in a solid condition (7) 24 An agreement to let easel out (5) 25 Catches wriggling sprat (5) 26 A thousand flowers for teachers (7) Down 1 Cut-off by northern river (6) 2 Joins the golf club (5) 3 Get together for the harvest (7) 4 Possibly signed drawing (6) 5 Some worried about round animal (5) 6 Navy attire designed to be more dapper (7) 7 Wet patch of turf on animal's lair (6) 13 Bishop's warning about a prairie province (7) 15 Drinks spilt, EP ruined (7) 16 Out-of-date pork-pie perhaps (3,3) 17 Rarely sold me mince (6) 18 Vipers' counting machines (6) 20 Lends cash to build salon (5) 22 Georgia, for example, in poor taste (5)

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SUDOKU

QUICK

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

Across 1 Despise (5) 4 Bowl for washing (5) 7 Cease (9) 8 Twilight (4) 10 Rebukes (6) 12 Poem of 14 lines (6) 13 Dull and dreary (4) 16 British army rank (9) 18 Fixed (5) 19 Assistants (5)

Down 1 Steer clear of (5) 2/17 Souped-up car (3,3) 3 Uncommon (4) 4 Intelligent (6) 5 Defamation (7) 6 Requirements (5) 9 Carrying a tune (7) 11 Honour (6) 12 Not drunk (5) 14 Additional payment (5) 15 Prima donna (4) 17 See 2

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

HALT

QUIZ BACK KITE

SHARK ATTACK 1. ‘Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear and it shows them pearly white’ are the first lines of which Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht song, a 1959 UK number one hit single for Bobby Darin? 2. What name is given to a young shark: calf, kit or pup? 3. Which 1957 Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage New York street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds? 4. Which 1980s British television game show hosted by Bruce Forsyth was based on, and played similarly to, the American show Card Sharks? 5. Which Australian golfer was nicknamed the Great White Shark? 6. Which award-winning Italian-American actor voiced the character Don Lino in the 2004 Dream Works computer-animated comedy film Shark Tale? 7. Which slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark is the largest known extant fish species? 8. Who was the author of the 1974 novel Jaws, which tells the story of a great white shark that preys upon a small resort town and the voyage of three men trying to kill it? 9. With which professional sport would you principally associate Sale Sharks? 10. What was the title of Feargal Sharkey’s only UK number one hit single, which reached the top spot in November 1985? Not a lot of people know that… the gnathodynamometer, invented by J N Snodgrass, is an instrument for measuring the force exerted in closing the mouth. Sharks are baited into biting hard plastic sheets, which are brought to the laboratory. The depth of the indentations shows the force of the bite

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

TARGET:

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

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

Answers 1. MACK THE KNIFE, 2. PUP, 3. WEST SIDE STORY, 4. PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT, 5. GREG NORMAN, 6. ROBERT DE NIRO, 7. WHALE SHARK, 8. PETER BENCHLEY, 9. RUGBY UNION, 10. A GOOD HEART

28 January - 3 February 2021

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Rancid tasting chocolate?

AMERICAN CHOCOLATE: Tastes distinctively different from the British version. IT is a common known fact that Amer­ ican chocolate is not the best in the world. Tasting distinctively different from the mostly favoured British or Swiss chocolate, most chocolate lovers say the sweet stuff from across the pond does not taste too great, but why is that? Well some experts claim it is be­ cause some brands of American chocolate contains a chemical that is also found in parmesan cheese, rancid butter and vomit.

This is a result of putting the milk through a process called controlled lipolysis. This breaks down the fatty acids in the milk and produces butyric acid which is the chemical that gives vomit its distinctive smell. American chocolate also often contains fewer cocoa solids than British chocolate. In the UK it must contain at least 20 per cent cocoa to qualify as chocolate, but in the USA this can be as low as 10 per cent.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Parts of my Bipolar life you can’t see MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED MANY parts of my bipolar disorder are visible to my friends and family because they show externally and those that know me will see the daily changes. My mood swings are obvious and my triggers are easy to spot - close family and friends even prevent situations for me now as they know it can be a trigger, but there are heavier parts about living with bipolar disorder that are invisible, even to those closest to me. I hate myself most of the time, the girl (I say girl … I’m 30 this year!!) when I’m stable is the girl I love the most, however I’m not this girl very often! When I’m depressed or manic I turn into someone I hate. This means I have little respect for myself, my needs get ignored and I have no self-esteem most of the time. No one sees this because I don’t talk about it and pretend to love myself, no matter how I really feel. I don’t want to push anyone away. Sometimes I’m mean or cold to those closest to me. I don’t intend to be this way, but it’s hard to control my negative emotions. I have no filter, meaning that my harsh comments can shock and hurt those I love, I don’t want to push people away, but my actions do so anyway and this makes it hard to pull those people. At times, everything seems daunting. During a down episode, I’m more than depressed. I’m anxious and easily overwhelmed by life and everyday tasks. Even little things like cleaning the cat’s litter box or getting dressed seem like too much. It’s hard to love. I feel a lot of emotions, sometimes all at

Work outs at work

STRUGGLING to make time for exercise? Is working late meaning you are missing that trip to the gym? Well work should no longer be an ex­ cuse for not working out, as even if you spend most of your day slouched over your desk staring at a computer screen, you can still burn calories and tone up. So what can you do around the office to help stay a little more active? Try these simple tricks to help shed a few calo­ ries: Step aerobics. Stop using the lift and take the stairs. Climbing two steps at a time will burn 10 per cent more calories. On a break instead of sitting in the staff room, sim­ ply step up and down the bot­ tom step for 10 minutes to get the heart beating. Leg lifts. It is recommended not sit down for more than 30 minutes at a time, but if you have to, leg lifts at your desk can be beneficial to help keep the blood circulating and to help strengthen leg muscles.

OFFICE EXERCISE: You can still burn calories and tone up. Simply sit on the edge of your chair with your arms by your sides, and extend one leg out. Flex your foot until your leg is parallel to your hips. Wall push­ups. Whilst hav­ ing a natter in the kitchen try some wall push­ups which could help tone your arms. Place your hands on the wall and bending from the elbows, push out from the wall and

back in again. Wall sits. A study by the University of Sydney asked a group of workers to increase the amount they stood or moved in a day by 60­90 min­ utes. At the end of the day people said they felt more en­ ergised by moving more, so try some wall sits to get you moving. With your back against the wall, slide down

until your legs are bent at a 90 degree angle. Shoulder shrugs. You don’t even have to leave your desk. To prevent back ache, try shoulder shrugs, which work muscles of the back. Sit up­ right in a chair, pull your abs in tight and turn the palms of your hands upwards as you feel your shoulders roll back­ wards.

once. Sadness, bliss, disgust and happiness can all affect my mood at the same time, and that leaves little room to love. I’m so focused on the negatives of my life that it’s difficult to romantically love someone. So I avoid it, I avoid meeting new people. I have avoided dating for over a year, it’s damaging but easier. The side effects of my medication really bother me. If I want to try and maintain stability, I have to follow every rule by the book, ie, medication without fail every day at the same time and no alcohol. But the side effects of shakiness, excessive sweating and dry mouth, are unbearable. They are hard to deal with and still bother me immensely, even after having them for so long. I worry about how I treat others. My irritability makes me anxious about what I say and how I treat others. I worry because I don’t ever want to hurt anyone, but I know that unintentionally, my words can anyway. I worry about how I treat myself. During a depressive episode, I neglect myself and my basic needs. I worry about how I treat myself when I’m not stable. Most of the time I feel like I don’t care about myself. I want to love myself and treat myself in the way I deserve, but most of the time I just don’t care. If I swamp too low I end up hurting myself . Living with bipolar disorder isn’t easy. Parts of my life with bipolar are not only unpleasant, but invisible to those around me. Even though I’m in pain nearly all the time, my disorder is only partially visible and understood. I’m hoping that telling you about these things will make you understand what lies beneath a suffering soul trying to be brave and SMILE. Love Ms Bipolar x

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

Could pistachios help improve impotence? MEN, could pistachios improve your sex life? Yes, ac­ cording to a study by the University Hospital and Atatürk Research Centre Ankara, Turkey. Their study, published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, showed that 17 men who added 100 grams of pistachios to their diet for three weeks, perceived significant improvements in sexual function, sexual satisfaction, orgasms, sexual arousal and over­ all satisfaction. Pistachio nuts are rich in unsaturated fats and mono­unsaturated fats that help maintain a normal level of blood cholesterol. Pistachio also has a high thi­ amine content, which contributes to normal cardiac function. These protective properties have encouraged scientists to investigate the effect of pistachios on erectile function as the problem may be related to heart disease or vascular problems. Although more research is needed to confirm the re­ sults, initial research suggests that eating pistachios may improve circulation to the penis and therefore improve sexual performance of men suffering from erectile dysfunction. According to studies, more than half of men over age 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction ac­ cording to the World Health Organisation.

PETS

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Leaving your pet at home? Fighting that

SOME pets don’t like change of any kind. They feel secure in their own space, near familiar smells and their bed. Even tak­ ing them to the vets can be a challenge. These pets are better off at home when you go away for a holiday, with a checked sit­ ter to look after them. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house­sitters if you have trips planned this year, to see family and friends or just to get away. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac­ count (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when need­ ed 3. Create a profile with pho­ tos of your pet and the house

FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS: Show them you care. 4. Post a house­sit advert stating your plans for this year’s holiday Covid permitting Do you need a pet sitter in 2021? Then get started right now. How does it work? HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our net­

work for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House­sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ­ 4.8 /

5 Excellent rating (New Trustpi­ lot 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 HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ­ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch. com ­ Choose a membership plan ­ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscrip­ tion 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.

cat smell!

YOU may not realise, but if you own a cat then your home probably smells like it. Unfortunately it can be dif­ ficult for us to discern smells when we live in the same environment. When it comes to life with a cat, it can be smelly, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are some tips to reduce cat odour in your home. You can begin by making sure you are using a litter which specialises in deodorising. Generally, the best for this is a litter which clumps together. Not only is this better at absorbing those smells, it is also easier to clean up when your little furball pays a visit to the tray. You should keep the tray in a large, open and well ventilated area, and always in the same place, as cats loathe change and may rebel and choose not to use it. I know it’s not fun, but it is neces­ sary to scoop their litter daily, ensuring the smells have less time to linger. Fi­ nally, embrace the power of baking so­ da! It is a safe and natural deodoriser which can make a big difference in the smell. Sprinkle some in the litter box and it will really help!

LITTER TRAY: Keep it clean.

Cauda equina syndrome is one of the causes of low back pain in dogs THE cauda equina is the tail end of the spinal cord and the adjacent nerve roots. Sometimes a narrowing of the spinal canal occurs in the lumbosacral joint, where the spine meets the pelvis (lum­

bosacral stenosis). The condition resulting from these compressed spinal nerve roots is called cauda equina syndrome. In some cases the foramina (the holes through which the

spinal nerves exit) become narrowed and compress the nerves permanently or inter­ mittently. The causes that provoke it: arthritic degeneration, inter­ vertebral disc herniation, trau­ matic injury, congenital mal­ formation or tumour growth. The most common symp­ tom of lumbosacral stenosis is pain, hind end stiffness that leads to difficulty in walking, climbing stairs, get­ ting on a sofa or chair, wag­ ging the tail, positioning to defecate, or getting into a car. Diagnosis requires a physi­ cal and neurologic examina­ tion, x­rays, CT scans, MRI and and rarely electromyog­ raphy. MRI is now essential in allowing treatment, espe­ cially surgery, to be planned. The best approach is to start with medical treatment and leave surgery if there is no improvement or if neuro­ logical signs are developing. Physical rehabilitation is also important.

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SPORT

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28 January - 3 February 2021

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Spurs Leave it Late COVID HITS WALKING SPURS left it late to overcome Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup Fourth Round. It took until the 86th­minute for Tottenham to secure a rather comfortable looking 4­1 victory over a Wycombe side who sit rock­bottom of the Champi­ onship. The sides went in level at the break after Gareth Bale, who was handed a rare start by Jose Mourinho, cancelled out Fred Onyedinma’s opener. The Welshman squandered a golden opportunity inside five minutes when he headed Lucas Moura’s corner wide when the goal was at his mercy and this seemed to spur the Chairboys on. Onyedinma latched onto a poorly cleared cross halfway through the first half to make a wasteful Spurs side suffer, however, it was Gareth Bale that finally drew the sides level after he converted Moura’s floated cross from close range

FOOTBALL YET AGAIN

GARETH BALE: Drew the sides level at half time. to level the tie. As the game looked certain to be heading for extra­time, Tot­ tenham managed three goals in the last five minutes to register a rather flattering scoreline. Harry Winks scored his first FA Cup goal and then a late double from Tanguy Ndombele crushed Wycombe’s spirited display as

they now turn their attentions back to a Championship relega­ tion battle. The win for Spurs means they will now face Everton in the FA Cup fifth round, although before that, they must focus on a big clash with struggling Liverpool in the Premier League on Thursday, January 28.

AS reported in the previous edition of the EWN the inaugural opening of the South of Spain Walking Football League was cancelled due to the restrictions ap­ plied by the Junta to combat the third wave of the Covid virus. The regular training centre for Cala­ honda, Walking Dead, Malaga and occa­ sionally Benahavis at the Finca Naundrup was closed for two weeks. Surprisingly the Municipal Polideporti­ vo at Benalmadena Pueblo remained open, although it was restricted to those members who were resident in the Be­ nalmadena area due to the ban on others leaving their towns or villages. The League was suspended until Sep­ tember when hopefully after the vaccina­ tion programme has finalised there will be fewer restrictions. Encouraging news was the statement made by one of the Andalucia Health staff who contradicted President Sanchez’s prediction that ‘Tourism would return after the summer.’ The Health spokesperson said it would

return at the end of spring. Meantime the League Management Committee met on Monday January 25 to discuss options to resume walking foot­ ball competitions on a smaller scale be­ tween March and May structured to al­ low for short interventions. The enforced closedown of venues and walking football has given the Walking Football Association Iberia (WAFI) the opportunity to put together a case to present to the Football Federations seek­ ing recognition for walking football to be accepted and affiliated. A previous attempt more than two years ago failed to achieve its goal with the Andaluz Futbol Federation who re ­ fused to recognise walking football. With many more clubs pledging sup­ port and still more wanting to join and a more streamlined approach, WAFI are confident that this time they can make the Federations see and approve the benefits of walking football for over 50 year olds. Watch this space for updates.