Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 11 - 17 February 2021 Issue 1858

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The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1858

11 - 17 February 2021

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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VIRTUAL CHALLENGE!

THROUGHOUT this month, La Manga Torre Cricket Club (LMTCC) are raising funds for three charities.

They are attempting to cover virtually, of course - the distance of 2,123 kilometres that separate their home ground based at La Manga Club (Murcia) all the way to the home of the game, Lords Cricket ground in London.

All LMTCC members will either be running, walking or cycling in their bid to reach their goal of raising much-needed cash for three local charities via GoFundMe. One of them, Reach Out in Torrevieja, made the front page of the Euro Weekly News last week, as the charity struggles to continue feeding and clothing the

VIRTUAL CHALLENGE: The La Manga Torre Cricket Club is covering 2,123 kilometres for three charities.

town’s homeless and families in need.

Also on the LMTCC’s list is the Los Infiernos Perrera shelter that helps and rehomes dogs and cats in the Murcia region. The Per-

rera’s mission is assisted by the Los Infiernos Perrera Supporters who rehome dogs, some of which remain here in Spain although most go to Europe, including the UK and Germany.

The volunteers also raise money for vets’ fees, transportation costs, import duty and documentation. The LMTCC will also be covering all those kilometres between La Manga and Lords to

help the Cutaneous Lymphona Foundation, which provides support for people with this disease that primarily involves the skin.

The club explained that all donations will be split 50-50, with half going to these three charities.

The other half will be used for pitch hire, practice facility hire, travel costs and other overheads.

After a successful 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic, LMTCC won the ECCL T20 League and advanced to the national finals.

These have not yet taken place, owing to the travel restrictions which have put all the LMTCC’s cricket adventures temporarily on hold.

The winners of this final will go on to represent Spain in the sec-

ond edition of the European Cricket League, which is the Champions League of European Crickets.

The funds raised by the La Manga-Lords challenge will go towards preparing for these huge cricketing events, the LMTCC explained.

To support the LMTCC challenge, visit the https://gofund.me/ 96a82cac page.

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11 - 17 February 2021

Government Website Crashes THE Valencian government website crashed on the first day of Covid aid applications.

As if those sectors most im‐ pacted by the coronavirus pandemic weren’t frustrated enough, they were faced with an infuriating message of the Generalitat Valenciana web‐ site on Thursday morning, February 4, that the system was down.

Thousands of business owners and staff from the hospitality, tourism and enter‐ tainment industries attempt‐ ed to apply for the direct aid offered by Ximo Puig’s Plan Resistir, and instead were told to ‘try again later.’

Plan Resistir aims to dis‐ tribute €380 million across the Valencian Community to busi‐ nesses most impacted by the health crisis. These are mainly tourist accommodation and activities; hotels, restaurants and nightlife; artistic and en‐ tertainment activities and sports, recreational and enter‐ tainment activities.

NEWS

‘The Plant’ Scam Vaccination makes progress

POLICE in the Costa Blanca are warning of a scam they call ‘the plant’ which has swindled people out of thousands. The con, like so many, is simple: the fraudsters hang around at ATMs and wait for a victim who withdraws a substantial amount of cash. Once the mark is in their car, one of the scammers knocks on the window and points at bank notes scattered on the ground; the victim, thinking they’ve dropped their cash, gets out to retrieve the notes, while another scammer swipes their purse from the passenger seat. A man in Elche was robbed of €10,000 in cash and jewellery.

The National Police have issued a warning to people to be on their guard for this new scam, so‐called because the perpetrators ‘plant’ the cash to distract their victims. People are warned to take extra precau‐ tions at banks and when leaving them, in public car parks and petrol sta‐ tions where these types of robberies are more frequent.

Elusive flytippers

All change for firefighters

ELCHE’S Local Police fined 173 private individuals and compa‐ nies for fly‐tipping last year.

Public Safety councillor Ra‐ mon Abad described this as a high number, but added that this was insufficient when com‐ pared with the amount of illicit rubbish dumps in the city.

Locating fly‐tippers was com‐ plex, he said.

“In many cases it takes sever‐ al days or weeks of discreet surveillance to find them,” he explained.

CREVILLENT Town Hall has called on forest firefighters in a bid to step up its disinfection programme.

They have been concentrat‐ ing on the entrances to the local health care homes for the elder‐ ly as well as other ‘sensitive’ or much‐visited zones in the town.

Municipal sources explained that the work carried out by the firefighters was intended to re‐ inforce the disinfection already carried out by the FCC and Gea‐ mur concessionary companies.

THE Valencian Community intends to get its anti-Covid vaccination programme off the ground next month.

As supplies have dwindled the rhythm dropped, but the region can now expect to receive 272,610 doses of the Pfizer vaccine throughout March, explained Ana Barcelo, who heads the Generalitat’s Health department.

The pharmaceutical company is due to send 52,650 doses on March 1 with deliveries increasing to 54,990 during the following weeks. These will be assigned to persons who are over 80.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca has confirmed that Spain will receive 1.8 million doses of their vaccine this month, although no details are available of the supplies reaching each autonomous region, the Generalitat said.

The AstraZeneca supplies

VACCINE DELIVERIES: Allocating newly-arrived supplies. would not be used for the over-80s, Health department sources said earlier, before confirming that it would not be used on the over-50s.

“Its efficiency is based on results obtained principally from persons aged between 18 and 55,” the regional Health authority explained.

The Moderna laboratories are expected to deliver 8,700 doses of the vaccine this week although, again, the Valencian

Community has not yet received details of its own allocation. What is certain, however, is that it will be used for the region’s health professions reserving the Pfizers doses for the region’s over-80s.

If all goes according to plan, everybody awaiting their second anti-Covid jab should receive them this week, while all those eligible for vaccination at this stage will have received their first dose.

Covid-denier has coronavirus COVID‐DENIER Fr Francisco Martinez Noguera is currently quarantined with coronavirus.

The priest, who adminis‐ trates the assets of the Ori‐ huela‐Alicante diocese, be‐ came notorious after churchgoers at Callosilla’s Vir‐ gen del Camino church com‐ plained to Orihuela’s Local Po‐ lice that he did not wear a mask.

Many had stopped going to Mass, they said, as Fr Martinez

consistently refused to wear a mask and had even told parish‐ ioners that wearing one was in‐ appropriate in church.

The Local Police officers spoke to the priest but could not start proceedings as the church is actually located in Callosa de Segura.

In mid‐January, the same priest ‐ as always without a face mask ‐ said Mass in the Santa Faz monastery in San Juan where nine of the 11 nuns

who tend the sanctuary now have the virus.

Fr Matinez was repeatedly warned about his refusal to comply with health and safety regulations both at Mass and in the Priests’ Residence in Ori‐ huela where he lives.

Twenty of the 35 priests also living there have tested posi‐ tive for Covid‐19 while retired bishop, Rafael Palmero (aged 84) has been admitted to Ali‐ cante General Hospital.

Understand your pet M A R I A N N E DA N H I E U X i s a C o s t a B l a n c a ‐ b a s e d holistic veterinarian whose three new books are now available in English.

Give your animal a flower, Understanding and helping your dog in a holistic way and The Eastern element of your animal are self‐published and more information about them can be obtained by email‐ ing Ms Danhieux at zanzibar7711@outlook.com or sending a WhatsApp to 636 561 919.

Writing for other vets and universities but also pet owners, she gives an insight into understanding pets and helping them in a natural way with herbs, pet‐wellness, homeopathy and natural therapies.

Ms Danhieux’s training completed, she spe‐ cialised in veterinary medicine, giving symposiums and lectures at universities all over the world.

She now lives in La Marina (Elche) and works as an animal communicator, giving and sharing her ad‐ vice and knowledge with animal hospitals and cen‐ tres.

NEWS

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NIBS EXTRA Future trees ORIHUELA’S Environment department commenced its ‘The Palm Forest’s future is in your hands’ programme. This is directed at 1,213 pupils in their last year at primary school who will plant palm trees bearing their names and which, when sufficiently mature, will be transferred to the Palm Forest.

New hotel SANTA POLA’S mayor Loreto Serrano recently visited the new AJ Gran Alacant hotel, located near the Gran Alacant shopping centre and due to open in March. Occupying an 11,500square metre area, the totallyaccessible hotel will have 108 rooms including eight suites, plus function rooms and 160 parking places.

Hardly shaken THE inland town of Salinas was the epicentre of a mild 1.7magnitude earthquake at 11pm on Saturday, February 6. Although the tremor was felt in several Medio Vinalopo municipalities that included Monovar, Sax, Elda and Petrer, it caused no damage and few inhabitants were aware of it.

Pay up TORREVIEJA must pay another €90,485 for the unfinished Mirador de la Casilla park, now used to dry the seaweed from local beaches. This was the latest reclamation from the contractors who have consistently received favourable verdicts as they seek to reclaim more than €468,000 from the town hall.

Another track SPAIN’S rail operator Adif temporarily halted work on building yards for goods trains at the Benalua station near Alicante City’s southern access at San Gabriel and Gran Via Sur. After reaching agreement with city hall, Adif is studying the possibility of using an existing terminus in the port.

Judge not THE Santa Pola Podemos party asked the public not to prejudge the official complaint of domestic violence against Tourism councillor Julio Baeza, who belongs to a different party. A Podemos statement maintained that it was important to respect both the accused’s presumption of innocence and the plaintiff’s integrity.

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AVE’s disappointing connections THE long-awaited AVE now connects Orihuela and Elche with Madrid.

The high-speed train takes just two hours and 10 minutes to reach Elche’s Matola station from Spain’s capital and 12 minutes more to arrive at Miguel Hernandez in Orihuela.

All very well for Elche and Orihuela residents, it has been pointed out, but what about the tourists bound for the coast?

Apart from Elche and Orihuela residents the AVE will, after all, be used mostly by tourists from Madrid and other parts of Spain.

According to a report in the Spanish media, reaching hotels,

INAUGURATION: Pedro Sanchez, president of Spain’s government, with Ximo Puig, Jose Luis Abalos and Emilio Bascuñana.

apartments or second residences along the southern Alicante coast could take them as long as the AVE journey itself.

Both AVE stations are only 30 kilometres from the coast, but travellers using public transport would need to take buses to reach Torrevieja, for instance.

Depending on connections, and in the worst circumstances, this could add another three hours to their journey from Elche or around two hours from Orihuela.

Taxis would be time-savers but will add €40 to the €71.10 AVE fare from Orihuela and between €40 and €50 from Elche.

Plan Resiste Kicks Off

ALMOST 50,000 people applied for Va‐ lencian aid in the opening hours of the government’s Plan Resiste.

Sources from the Generalitat Valen‐ ciana reported that the government’s Labora website received some 47,200 applications for aid offered to the self‐ employed and businesses most affect‐ ed by the pandemic through Plan Re‐ siste by 6.55pm on the first day of the initiative.

High Speed Creating Jobs ILSA, a private Italian high‐speed train operator, has announced the arrival of 23 new latest gener‐ ation trains between Alicante and Madrid by 2022, and is look‐ ing to recruit up to 100 highly‐ skilled train drivers. Applicants will have to hold a current Cate‐ gory B Railway Vehicle Driving li‐ cence and demonstrate profes‐ sional experience of a minimum of two years with the Railway Network of General Interest (RFIG). In addition, ILSA requires all candidates to present a certifi‐ cate of psychological aptitude.

The successful candidates are promised comprehensive train‐ ing and promising career devel‐ opment opportunities. In addi‐ tion to the driver vacancies, the company plans to launch a re‐ cruitment drive later in the year for 500 customer service posi‐ tions in the province.

The new high‐speed trains, which will begin operating be‐ tween Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Malaga, Cordoba, Valencia, Ali‐ cante and Zaragoza in 2022, come with an €800million price tag.

In fact, the influx was so great that the government website actually crashed early in the day, leaving thou‐ sands of people extremely frustrated as they scrambled to apply for the po‐ tentially business‐saving grants. By 10am the site was up and running again, and official data shows that in the first 35 minutes, more than 30,000 requests had been registered.

Officials apologised for the tempo‐

rary collapse, but reassured applicants that the aid is not offered on a first‐ come, first‐served basis, but rather that the grants would be doled out to everyone who is eligible.

The president of the regional gov‐ ernment Ximo Puig also added that “they will reach each and every one of the companies in the sectors of activity established in the decree that request it.”

Ambulance Pyramid delay allegation Scheme Busted FLORENTINA PALOMINO insists that her 70‐year‐old hus‐ band’s death last July could have been avoided.

They were holidaying in their Santa Pola apartment when her husband became unwell in the early hours of the morning and she rang the Emergency Services.

Although the ambulance station is only a few metres from their home, it took 15 minutes to arrive and paramedics did not enter the apartment until 17 minutes afterwards, claiming they needed to put on PPE clothing, Florentina claims.

They also failed to bring up a defibrillator, she said, and had to return to the parked ambulance.

Despite their efforts her husband died of a heart attack approximately 30 minutes later although his widow insists that his life could have been saved had they acted earlier.

Sahara sand storm blankets Orihuela Costa RESIDENTS woke up on Saturday morning, February 6, to a thick covering of orange‐yellow dust over their cars, terraces and roads, as an African weather front brought tonnes of Saha‐ ran dust to the region overnight.

Up and down the streets, people could be heard sweeping and hosing down their properties from early morning, but this was a futile effort, as the phenomenon was set to continue un‐ til early Monday morning, February 8.

THE Guardia Civil have brought down a multi‐million euro interna‐ tional pyramid scheme whose lead‐ er posed as a millionaire heiress.

The gang leader was a 50‐year‐old Spanish woman who claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of former Spanish dictator Franco, and gained allegiance by convincing her follow‐ ers she was heiress to a fortune.

Nicknamed ‘Operation 2020’ by local cops, the scammers operated in Madrid, Barcelona, Tarragona and Alicante, as well as countries in Europe such as the Czech Republic and Sweden.

The group posed as a law firm of‐ fering hugely discounted property to investors; potential victims would have to pay between €20,000 and €40,000 upfront to se‐ cure the property without ever see‐ ing it; needless to say, they never received the deeds to their dream homes. Ten people have so far been arrested in the Alicante area and their bank accounts frozen; officers also seized €60,000 in cash and €50,000 in jewellery in a search of eight houses.

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Turtle rescue THE Guardia Civil in Pilar de la Horadada rescued a loggerhead turtle on February 4 after it was spotted in some difficulty by the Maritime Service some 30 nautical miles off the coast.

The experts quickly re‐ alised that the turtle could not dive or swim properly, and two boats were sent out to rescue it.

The turtle was taken to the Santa Faz Species Re‐ covery Centre, where vet‐ erinarians concluded that it was suffering from an eye disease and covered in parasites.

The turtle will undergo further tests before being transferred to the Valen‐ cia Oceanographic, a spe‐ cialised centre for this ma‐ rine species.

The protected logger‐ head turtle is a protected species in danger of ex‐ tinction but faces several obstacles, and is often killed when it gets caught in fishing nets. Many also die as a result of pollution.

Queuejumper resigns ORIHUELA’S Health coun‐ cillor Jose Galiano who jumped the Covid vacci‐ nation queue has re‐ signed.

Galiano revealed that he will now return to his post as a nurse at the Ori‐ huela Costa Health cen‐ tre but will keep his seat on the council.

Initially, he refused to resign after it emerged that he received the vac‐ cine at the San Francisco care home on January 6 although he did not be‐ long to a priority group.

The resignation coin‐ cided with an announce‐ ment from the regional government that it was investigating reports of 62 irregular vaccinations, including Galiano’s.

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NEWS

15M Tindall Claiming Furlough Summer Hols

MARRIED to the Queen’s grand‐ daughter, Zara Phillips, Ruck maga‐ zine, last year listed ex England player Mike Tindall as fourth‐rich‐ est rugby player in the world, worth an estimated £15.7 million .

It is believed Tindall is the only member of staff at Kimble Trading Ltd, whose accounts filed in De‐ cember state, “The company has taken advantage of all available government aid in order to support the business and its employees through the crisis.”

MIKE TINDALL: Is married to Zara Phillips.

The Sun hired a forensic accoun‐ tant, reporting, “Under normal cir‐ cumstances, Mike Tindall appears to make most of his money through share dividends and inter‐ est‐free loans from his company.

Over the years he has ‘borrowed’ nearly £330,000, and every year he adds to this ‘debt’.” He continued, “It’s a way of taking money out of the business while paying less tax in the short term. He will also pay himself a small salary, small enough that he won’t have to pay National Insurance on it, probably around £730 a month.”

Adding, "The furlough scheme will pay 80 per cent of that salary, so he’s probably getting around £584 a month. What he’s done is not illegal and is similar to what many small businessmen have done during this pandemic. But I guess most of them don’t have the resources and connections he does".

FERNANDO VALDES, Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism, has given renewed hope that the country will welcome holidaymakers this summer.

Speaking to Informacion, Valdes said “We’re putting all our ef‐ forts into making sure we have a decent summer from a health and tourist point of view. By summer we want to see a gradual recovery of international tourism beginning with our European neighbours,” he continued. President Pedro Sanchez previously stated he want‐ ed to have 70 per cent of the population vaccinated against Covid before the tourism sector is reopened, something he didn’t see happening until the end of summer. However as Spain enters into Phase Two of the vaccination rollout plan, things are looking opti‐ mistic for 2021.

Covid Wedding

AS countless weddings are being cancelled around the globe due to Covid restrictions, Fernando, 70, and Rosario, 62, got the push they needed to tie the knot after 14 years together.

The pair was admitted to Madrid’s Isabel Zendal hospital on Jan‐ uary 23 after falling ill with coronavirus. The ceremony took place in Fernando’s hospital room with the bride in a wheelchair; officiated by a minister through a video call. Fernando proposed by text from his hospital bed. Rosario said, “It was the greatest happiness. I said, ‘Of course, it’s my life dream to become your wife’.”

European School Closes THE European School of Ali‐ cante has closed its facilities in re‐ sponse to the high number of coronavirus infections in the province and will remain shut un‐ til after the upcoming school holi‐ days. Teachers will provided class‐ es online for students from kindergarten up to secondary school until February 15; the chil‐ dren will then be on break for a week, meaning physical lessons won’t resume until February 22.

The management of the centre, which is mainly attended by the children of EUIPO workers, the EU Intellectual Property Office, main‐ tained that it is safer to close the school and stood firm on its deci‐ sion to cancel all classes.

NEWS

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11 - 17 February 2021

Builder Brits Brace For ‘Huge Tax Rises’ kidnap

A COUPLE kidnapped a builder who was renovating their home in Valen‐ cia because they didn’t like the re‐ sult.

The pair claimed the construction worker had cheated them out of €9,000 but police were not con‐ vinced, and they were arrested and charged.

The man and woman, aged 37 and 40, allegedly held the builder at their home in Xireivella and threat‐ ened to kill him if he didn’t return the cash.

When officers arrived, they found another builder who said the victim had called him on his mobile. A woman then appeared claiming she and her husband were having prob‐ lems with a contractor who had cheated them out of €9,000.

Police found the husband and the builder inside the couple’s home.

The victim said he had been asked to visit the house to discuss a few is‐ sues but the couple had then locked the doors, became aggressive and demanded the money back.

The couple were arrested, and will appear before the courts.

BRITS are set to be slapped with ‘huge tax rises’ to pay for the Covid‐shaped hole in the accounts, a top economist has warned.

Head of the Institute for Fis‐ cal Studies, Paul Johnson, said that the economy will be smaller for years to come, but public spending will car‐ ry on growing regardless.

He said Chancellor Rishi Sunak will have to jack‐up taxes to plug the shortfall and pay for the ballooning health and social care bud‐ gets. However, the PM said he does not expect big tax rises in next month’s Budget, but rather later on in the year.

Boris Johnson told the Treasury Committee: “I think

CHANCELLOR: Will need to plug the shortfall. it is pretty unlikely that taxes won’t rise as a fraction of na‐ tional income. There are three reasons for that. One is

that probably the economy will be smaller in three or four years’ time than it would have been without the pan‐

demic having occurred.

“That will mean less tax revenue and at least the same level of spending de‐ mand. Secondly, I think there will actually be a higher level of spending demand. It seems to me unlikely that we will accept the same level of spending on health, educa‐ tion and social care as it looked like we would be‐ fore.”

Britain’s public debt has passed £2 trillion pounds (€2.277 trillion), pushed up by emergency spending on Sunak’s coronavirus job re‐ tention scheme, tax cuts for businesses and consumers and even a dining‐out subsidy to coax people back into restaurants.

February 15th Hotel Quarantine Measures FOLLOWING the recent announcement that travellers permitted to enter the UK from a ‘red list’ of high‐risk countries would be ‘met at the airport and transported directly into quarantine,’ it has been confirmed that ‘Quarantine Hotel’ measures will come into force on February 15. With pressure mounting over a lack of de‐ tails it was further announced that Health Secretary,

Matt Hancock, would take personal charge of the imple‐ mentation.

The government said commercial specifications had been made available to hotel firms and other providers, and contracts were expected to be signed early next week. Passengers will have to pay for their own stay in isolation.

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Phone Scam Warning ACCORDING to the Office for the Se‐ curity of Internet Users (OSI), fraud‐ sters are sending text messages claim‐ ing to be from shipping company SEUR and asking victims to pay for postage.

Users are asked to pay a small amount of money for shipping costs, normally around €1.90.

They are then redirected to a web page which appears to be belong to SEUR but which is a fake site, where their personal and bank details are stolen.

OSI advises users who have received a similar message to contact their banks as soon as possible. “If in doubt, contact the company or service in‐ volved directly or with trusted third parties, such as the State Security Forces (FCSE) and the Internet User Se‐ curity Office (OSI) of INCIBE. The organisation added: “Type the company’s URL directly into the brows‐ er, instead of reaching it through links from third‐party pages in emails or text messages. In this specific case, you must access the official website of SEUR to check the location of ship‐ ments or other services that it makes available to you.”

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11 - 17 February 2021

Captain Sir Tom Moore Coin

JOHNSON & JOHNSON announced they have applied for emergency autho‐ risation from the United States Food and Drug Administration, and will do the same with the European authorities within weeks.

The EU signed an agreement in Octo‐ ber to purchase 200 million doses. If ap‐ proved, 20 million doses will come to Spain, which has already signed a deal to buy the jab. The ‘one dose’ vaccine, last week was shown to have ‘overall effi‐ ciency’ in preventing moderate and se‐ vere Covid infections in a trial across

SIR TOM: Raised over £32 million during lockdown.

THE possibility of a new coin in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore has been raised in Parliament by former minister Caroline Nokes. Speaking to the Commons she said, “Captain Sir Tom Moore taught us that tomorrow is a good day.

“Can I ask (Mr Rees-Mogg) as Lord President of the Privy Council to use his influence to bring about a commemorative coin for this remarkable national treasure and a debate in this House?”

Mr Rees-Mogg responded to the comments and explained that, “(Ms Nokes) has the most brilliantly obscure knowledge because the ap-

New one dose jab

proval of all coins does indeed come before the Privy Council on the suggestion of the Royal Mint.

“I hope that as Lord President I do see a proposal from the Royal Mint in due course.”

Sir Tom became an icon for many during the Covid-19 pandemic as he raised over £32 million for the NHS during the first lockdown.

After he sadly passed away on Tuesday February 2, Boris Johnson encouraged the whole of the UK to join in and clap for Sir Tom at Prime Minister’s questions, and many throughout the UK paid tribute to a much admired man.

three continents and 44,000 volunteers.

The vaccine was shown to have around 72 per cent effectiveness in its United States trials, 66 per cent in Latin America and 57 per cent in South Africa.

Although the effectiveness is below the 95 per cent shown by the Pfizer and Moderna jabs, Johnson & Johnson’s ver‐ sion is administered in just one dose and can be refrigerated at higher tempera‐ tures. Makers of the Russian jab Sputnik have also asked the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for authorisation to mar‐ ket their formula.

Nightlife endangered THE UK’s Night Time Industries Associ‐ ation (NITA) claims the UK clubbing scene is on the brink of ‘extinction’ with the vast majority of venues un‐ likely to survive past the end of the month without government support.

The closure of live music and events looks likely to enter its second year in March, and the NTIA has issued a new warning that if the government doesn’t act now, 80 per cent of Britain’s nightclub businesses may col‐ lapse within weeks.

The association carried out a survey

of 100 clubs revealing that half of the establishments are in more than three months’ rent arrears.

Two‐thirds had made 60 per cent of their staff redundant by the end of 2020, and over 80 per cent said they would not survive past February. Al‐ most half (43 per cent) said they have received no financial support.

“The failure so far of the UK Govern‐ ment to recognise the devastating im‐ pact of their actions on this sector is a tragedy for UK culture,” said NTIA Chief Executive Michael Kill.

NEWS

‘Electronic noses’ Covid-19 detection THE latest in Covid‐19 de‐ tection is an electronic nose that can ‘smell’ it on the breath and detect the virus within minutes. The test consists of blowing into a plastic bag that is then anal‐ ysed by ‘electronic noses’ which detect Covid‐19 through artificial intelli‐ gence technology using par‐ ticles in the breath.

Indonesia has become one of the first countries in the world to use GeNose detectors at transport sta‐ tions.

Dutch authorities have al‐ so launched a similar de‐ vice, called SpiroNose, which, according to tests, identifies negatives with certainty in 70 per cent of cases and is inconclusive in the remaining 30 per cent.

A group of researchers from the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid are de‐ veloping sensors that detect coronavirus through bio‐ markers in the breath, with a technique similar to a breathalyser test.

NEWS

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British Fugitive Captured OFFICERS of the National Police of Denia in the Costa Blanca have arrested a 48‐year‐ old British fugitive in the town of Javea, who was wanted under an International Arrest Warrant for Expedition for the al‐ leged crime of drug trafficking and the ille‐ gal possession of firearms. Local Police were alerted to the fact that a wanted fugi‐ tive could be hiding out in Alicante, and they launched an investigation which led them to his home in Javea.

The criminal was wanted in relation to a drug bust in Manchester in September 2014, when he was apprehended by a po‐ lice team dealing narcotics from a van in the city centre. Although he initially denied his involvement, he later admitted to police that he was a participant in the crime. He was released on bail and awaiting trial when he fled to Spain.

When the fugitive was apprehended by the Spanish police, he was the subject of an international search by the Group of Inter‐ national Fugitives of the General Police Sta‐ tion of the Judicial Police. If convicted of the crimes, the suspected drug smuggler faces up to 20 years in prison.

11 - 17 February 2021

UK ‘Pandemic Profiteers’ plan

CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak plans to tax retailers and tech companies whose profits have soared during the pandemic, with an on‐ line sales tax; while plans are also being drawn up for a one‐off ‘excessive profits tax.’

According to Sunday Times’ reports, citing leaked emails, Sunak is unlikely to

announce these taxes at the budget announcement due March 3. Instead, the pro‐ posals are likely in the sec‐ ond half of the year.

The Office for National Statistics said borrowing hit £34.1 billion last month, about £28 billion more than the same month a year ago.

This took the budget deficit ‐ the gap between

spending and tax income plus other receipts ‐ to near‐ ly £271 billion for the first nine months of the financial year, a rise of more than £212 billion compared with the same period last year.

The Office for Budget Re‐ sponsibility (OBR), has esti‐ mated borrowing will hit £394 billion by the end of the financial year in March.

Drones Discover Illegal Party AFTER the National Police were alerted to an illegal party on a hill near a popular city viewpoint, the exact location was detected using a drone.

The party was held at the Serra de San Julián viewpoint of Alicante, where over 100 young people had gathered and were ‘chilling out listening to music and drinking alcohol’ according to a police spokesman. Police explained that revellers had to be escorted back down the slope onto the street as it was a

‘precarious location’ for a party. Fines will be issued against those attending for failing to comply with Covid-19 prevention measures, put in place to control the rapidly spreading coronavirus in the region. Authorities say the area used has now been sealed off so that it cannot be used any more. This comes after a recent EWN report on the use of drones by police in Alicante, “the border closures could not be enforced without the drones” said one official, “The area is just too large.”

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Vaccine rejected for Over 55s

CCAES DIRECTOR: Made the announcement.

FERNANDO SIMÓN, the director of the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) in Spain, announced that after a meeting of the Public Health Commission of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, it has been agreed that the AstraZeneca vaccine will only be ad‐ ministered to people between 18 and 55 years old.

This forces changes in vaccination planning for the health authorities, since the limitations imposed in‐ clude the active population. People will have to be dif‐ ferentiated by age group with those under 55 receiv‐ ing AstraZéneca’s, and those older than 55 receiving the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) had issued a statement saying that the vaccine was safe for peo‐ ple over 65, but stating that it was up to each member state to make their own decision about the use.

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11 - 17 February 2021

Pensioner rows 3,000 Miles Rapid Strain ID

FRANK ROTHWELL, a 70-yearold pensioner from Oldham, England, completed an incredible one-man 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat, to raise money for research into Alzheimer’s Disease, in honour of his brother Roger who died from the disease aged 62.

Frank set out from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on December 12, rowing all the way across the ocean to Antigua in the Caribbean, where he was reunited with his wife of 50 years Judith in time for Valentine’s Day. The Guardian reported that Frank’s epic, unassisted trip has

INCREDIBLE: A one-man journey across the Atlantic. raised around £720,000 so far for Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation has pledged to double the first £500,000 of donations.

Frank, who is now the oldest

person to ever cross the Atlantic single-handedly said “While rowing, I received heartbreaking messages from people who have had similar experiences to my own, I hope I’ve helped other families in some way too.”

Boohoo Done Deal IN a £25 million (€28.5 million) deal that will see 214 stores permanently close and 2,450 jobs axed immediately, fashion giants Boohoo have acquired three brands from Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia, which entered administration in December.

Boohoo boss Mahmud Kamani, bought the Debenhams brand in a £55m deal that also excluded its high street sites, leading to the likely loss of up to 12,000 jobs. After rival Asos recently saved flagship brand Topshop from collapse, Boohoo will now take

over Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton.

Boohoo John Lyttle, CEO, commented: “Acquiring these well-known brands in British fashion out of administration ensures their heritage is sustained, while our investment aims to transform them into brands that are fit for the current market environment.

Approximately 260 jobs will be moving with the brands to Boohoo, mainly in head office functions. such as brand design, buying and merchandising, and the digital part of the business.

WITH new strains of the coronavirus popping up and the South African variant recently detected in Spain, the Virology laboratory of the Central University Hospital of Asturias (HUCA) has developed a pioneering system to distinguish different strains in under an hour.

Santiago Melón, head of the laboratory, said: “We saw that to study any virus in-depth, the interesting thing is to do sequencing and to know its structure and composition. We noticed that these three specific

variants had a common position that varied with respect to the strain that was circulating: position 501 of the spike of the protein that binds to the receptor.”

As reported by SER, researchers essentially designed a PCR system ‘that discriminated the variant that had the 501 mutation from the usual strain.’ They have about 2,000 samples analysed. “We have tried to apply this system to all the samples that test positive and in 90 per cent we know if they are British or not.”

Mountaineer peaks at 80 CARLOS SORIA has managed to summit 11 of the world’s 14 highest peaks - since turning 60 years old. Carlos is now 81 years old and is not stopping his mountaineering plans.

Covid-19 upset Carlos’ plan to complete his 14 highest peaks challenge last year but undeterred, Carlos has his sights set on this year and says he will pay tribute to victims of the pandemic.

“I want to pay tribute to the people of my age around the world who have died from this virus - the people who are having a bad time in care homes and who are very scared.

“I’m going to take a little bunch of flowers and leave it on the summit as a tribute to all the people who have died due to this terrible situation.”

NEWS

Cops Fine Irish Holidaymakers COPS have nabbed two Irish holidaymakers using fake ‘essential travel’ documents purportedly from their employer.

As is required at Irish airports, two travellers handed over letters from an engineering company stating that they had urgent business they needed to attend to in Europe.

However, when officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau stationed at Dublin Airport checked with the company that allegedly wrote the letter, bosses said they’d never heard of the two travellers.

Since the Irish government can’t technically stop people from going abroad, the pair caught their flight, but will have €500 fines waiting in their letter boxes when they get back home.

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SOME NHS dental patients now face a ‘painful’ two‐year wait for an appointment ‐ while others have been ad‐ vised to buy a home kit and ‘treat themselves’ amid a growing crisis for care, accord‐ ing to a consumer watchdog.

Healthwatch England said one patient that contacted them was offered a proce‐ dure for £1,700, which was available for just £60 on the NHS. In another case, a pa‐ tient was told to use a nail file to deal with a broken tooth while others were advised to

Dental DIY Advised ‘buy dental repair kits’ to treat their problem them‐ selves at home! Another per‐ son was furious with their dentist after being charged £500 ‐ for the extraction of just one single tooth!

The watchdog said the pan‐ demic had ‘exacerbated the human impact of years of structural issues in NHS den‐ tistry pushing it to crisis point.’ Hundreds of people contacted Healthwatch Eng‐

land between October and December last year to com‐ plain about issues in service.

A lack of appointments was the most common complaint received.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was working closely with the NHS to increase ac‐ cess to dentistry services “as fast as possible while protect‐ ing staff and patients from Covid‐19 infection.”

Vaccine Passport Hope THE UK’s Foreign Office is working on plans to pro‐ vide vaccinated Brits with an official document for travel to countries which may demand proof of in‐ oculation as a condition of entry. Several European countries including Greece, Spain, Malta and Den‐ mark have already signalled support for such a plan.

Greek tourism chiefs report that UK tourists may be welcomed as early as May, confident that peo‐ ple who have received two doses of either the Pfiz‐ er or AstraZeneca vaccines will have enough immu‐ nity to visit the country.

Tourists will still need a negative Covid test taken less than 72 hours before they arrive in the country.

GOOD NEWS: Proof of inoculation.

Spain has suffered badly throughout the crisis, so this news is sure to be greatly welcomed by the tourism minister and thousands of expat and Span‐ ish business owners across the country.

NEWS

Phase 1 Complete

SPAIN is nearing the end of phase 1 of the vaccination campaign. So how are the fig‐ ures looking?

The latest data from the Ministry of Health shows that almost all of the residents of nursing homes are now fully immunised, and most health‐ care workers have also re‐ ceived at least one jab. In addi‐ tion, the Canary Islands, Murcia and Navarre have begun vacci‐ nating vulnerable adults that don’t live in full‐time care, with the process expected to be rolled out in the rest of Spain by mid‐February.

The data also showed that all regions have administered more than 70 per cent of the doses they have received, with authorities blaming the lack of supply rather than capacity to administer for the slower‐than‐ ideal rollout rate.

Phase two of the vaccination plan will begin with the over 80s, and officials are set to meet the week beginning February 15 to decide which other groups to prioritise.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the Spanish Pres‐ ident Pedro Sanchez’s self‐im‐ posed target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population by the summer can be achieved.

With four million vaccine

doses expected in February and a further 2.7 million due in March, it is hoped that some 3.3 million people, or 7 per cent of the population, could be vaccinated in coming weeks.

‘Virtual Kidnapping’ Threat THE Guardia Civil took to Twitter to warn of a new ‘virtual kidnapping’ phone scam.

Criminals call victims from an unknown number claiming to have kidnapped a loved one. Using threats like, “We have kidnapped your son ... pay or you won’t see him again.” Gangs demand anything between €2,000 and €10,000 ransom in exchange for ‘releasing’ the person they claim to have kidnapped.

The police warn never to hand over money or any personal details to these criminals. The Guardia Civil advise the following if you receive a ‘virtual kidnapping’ call: • Look out for calls from unknown numbers • Listen and let the caller speak. If they are a stranger hang up • Never hand over personal details, your location or your contact details • Don’t make payments to the kidnapper • Check whether the family member or friend who has supposedly been kidnapped is ok • Report the crime to the authorities The Guardia Civil urged anyone receiving a ‘virtual kidnapping’ call to report it to police on 062.

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11 - 17 February 2021

Ministers ignore export warnings

UK exports going through British ports to the EU fell by a staggering 68 per cent last month compared with January last year, mostly as a result of problems caused by Brexit.

The dramatic drop was re‐ ported to Michael Gove by the Road Haulage Association. A letter from RHA’s chief execu‐ tive, Richard Burnett, also told the minister that he and his of‐ ficials had repeatedly warned over several months of prob‐ lems and called for measures

EXPORTS: Traffic through British ports has fallen hugely. to lessen difficulties.

In an Observer report, Bernard said the RHA had high‐

New Brexit Guide

THE British Embassy in Madrid has published a brand new leaflet with the latest information following Brexit for UK nationals in Spain.

The leaflet entitled ‘UK Nationals living in Spain (Before January 1, 21) ‐ Your Essential Guide.’ The leaflet has the most current and up‐to‐date post‐Brexit advice, and features sections on; Living and Working, Health‐ care, Driving, Education, Voting, Travel and Pensions.

The guide has new detailed advice on everything from Pet Passports and travel documents, to having your UK qualifications recognised in Spain and even standing in local Spanish elections. Each section contains useful links to relevant UK and Spanish government departments.

Following months of confusion, many will welcome the clarity provid‐ ed by the British Embassy. You can view the new guide on the Euro Weekly News website: https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/02/09/embassys‐brexit‐ essential‐guide/

lighted the urgent need to in‐ crease the number of customs agents. The current number is around 10,000; approximately a fifth of what the RHA say is re‐ quired to handle the massive in‐ crease in the paperwork facing exporters.

Burnett said that in addition to the 68 per cent fall‐off in ex‐ ports, about 65 ‐ 75 per cent of vehicles that had come over from the EU were going back empty, due to hold‐ups on the UK side, and because some UK companies had either tem‐ porarily or permanently halted exports to the EU. “I find it deeply frustrating and annoying that ministers have chosen not to listen to the industry and experts,” he said.

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Delayed Police Trial

SIX National Police officers will face trial for allegedly stealing cash and tobacco from a family‐ run shop nearly six years after the incident. Prosecutors sought to have the case dropped, but the court upheld an appeal made by the owner of the shop.

In May 2015, six officers en‐ tered a shop in Sevilla’s Macare‐ na district and during what they claim was a routine inspection, al‐ legedly stole up to €17,000 in cash alongside €15,000 worth of tobacco products.

CCTV footage presented to in‐ vestigators by the store’s owner

POLICE: To face trial for stealing.

reportedly shows one officer pocketing cash whilst another is seen turning a security camera away from the police.

The officers were suspended from duties and pay for three years, accused of the theft and of conspiring to cover themselves

by altering documents.

The case was further compli‐ cated due to forensic officers re‐ covering additional CCTV footage which appears to show a wom‐ an, neither an officer nor a mem‐ ber of staff, clutching bundles of cash ‐ which has baffled police.

First rental drop since 2014

THE pandemic has caused Spain’s previously booming rental prices to fall for the first time since June 2014’s recession.

According to Idealista, the average price of rental spaces in Spain is now €11 per square me‐ tre, 0.1 per cent less than last year.

Economist Gonzalo Bernardos told one publi‐ cation the change was mainly down to “oversup‐ ply,” with the number of rental properties avail‐ able up by 178 per cent.

Property analyst company Casafari, say this in‐ crease in supply could be because owners of holi‐

day rental properties are not turning to tradition‐ al rental while Spain’s tourism figures are down.

Lazaro Cubero, Director of Analysis at Grupo Tecnocasa, said he also believes the change is down to a lack of money among families.

“Many people left the property they were in to look for a cheaper one. We already detected a movement for this reason in some cities during the first lockdown.”

He added most families were now looking for more space, saying, “these are people who want to pay the same, but with more metres.”

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Real Madrid Star Slammed FORMER Real Madrid star Jaime Navarro’s wedding was leaked on social media. Footage posted shows that neither bridal party nor guests are wearing masks. The only people seen wearing the mandatory face coverings are the staff.

The footy star married the sister-in-law of famous Spanish fashion designer Elena Tablada at a Madrid casino, but the famous couple have since been slammed online for breaching Covid19 regulations.

Angry fans responded to the video, complaining that the event didn’t respect coronavirus restrictions at the most critical time in the pandemic. However, the bride’s sister-in-law Elena Tablada hit back at claims that rules were broken, insisting to ABC that the wedding party followed every guideline. The designer said “PCR was done on all the guests. Only those who had a negative result were able to attend. All regulations were met,” she said.

Infantas visit former King THE ‘Infantas’ Elena and Cristina, have visited their father, King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, in Abu Dhabi. Infanta Elena, the eldest daughter of Spain’s former King, took a flight from Madrid to Dubai, with her sister, the Infanta Cristina following the next day, after spending some time with her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, who was on release from prison for the weekend, reported Spanish publication Vanitatis.

This is the third time that the Infanta Elena has travelled to the United Arab Emirates to

FORMER KING: Has been living in Abu Dhabi.

see her father, Juan Carlos I, since he left Spain last August following the accusations surrounding him and his rule.

The former King moved due to the ‘public repercussions of past events’ involving his private life. These events included his relationship with Corinna Larsen, investigations into offshore bank accounts and millions in donations allegedly received from Saudi Arabia and failed to declare.

The Supreme Court Prosecution has at least three lines of investigation open against the former monarch.

NEWS

Facebook Bans Vaccine Misinformation Content AFTER years of controversial misinformation surrounding vaccines being seen on the social network, Facebook has a new Covid‐19 relat‐ ed misinformation policy and will remove posts with fictitious claims about vaccines.

Paid advertisers are already banned from making false claims regarding vaccines, but the new rules will apply to posts from users too.

Guy Rosen from Facebook said, “We will begin enforcing this policy immediately, with a particular focus on pages, groups and ac‐ counts that violate these rules.

“We’ll continue to expand our enforcement over the coming weeks.”

Many Facebook groups have been seen as a place to share anti‐vaccine views and misin‐

FACEBOOK: The new policy will take effect immediately. formation, but the new Facebook policy will see groups where misinformation content is repeatedly shared being shut down.

Human Neuralink Trials ELON MUSK: Says Neuralink brain chip trials could begin on humans this year.

ELON MUSK, the CEO of The Tesla and SpaceX, has suggested that ‘initial human trials’ of his latest wireless Neuralink im‐ planted brain chip could possibly begin at some point this year.

Development began in 2016 on the chip which has allegedly been tested in the brain of a monkey, enabling it to play a

video game. The first fully work‐ ing prototype was apparently implanted into a pig called Gertrude.

Neuralink has been tipped to be able to cure a host of neuro‐ logical conditions and even paralysis, with Musk saying on Clubhouse, “Neuralink is work‐ ing super hard to ensure im‐

plant safety and is in close com‐ munication with the FDA. If things go well, we might be able to do initial human trials later this year.”

Elon Musk also outlined the goal of using ‘brain‐linking tech‐ nology’ to help brain and spinal injuries, and of ‘conceptual telepathy.’

Claims Jabs Could Help MS GERMAN firm BioNTech, which developed the Covid‐19 vaccine together with Pfizer, said that they have used the same technology in developing a vaccine to use in the fight against multiple sclerosis (MS).

Publishing the results in Science, they re‐ vealed that during tests on mice, it has proved to be successful in halting the progres‐ sion of the disease, and in some cases, it even helped them to regain some of the lost motor function.

Each of the vaccines developed by BioN‐

Tech uses genetic material content called mR‐ NA, which in the case of the MS jab, would train the genes to encode for proteins they are optimally designed to fight against in that particular disease.

BioNTech CEO, Ugur Sahin MD PhD, was quick to point out that the mice they conduct‐ ed the tests on were not suffering from MS, but rather with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which he said “represents clinically relevant mouse models of human MS.”

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Brits ‘Drug-Fuelled Shooting Spree’ A BRITISH man was arrested after allegedly going on a ‘drug‐fuelled shooting spree’ in Thailand. Thir‐ ty‐three‐year‐old Benjamin Robert Simpson report‐ edly took drugs with a speedboat’s captain before the pair set off around Koh Samui.

During the boat ride, the suspect is said to have fired several rounds of a handgun towards the lux‐ ury five‐star hotel he was staying in. Witnesses said hotel staff ducked in fear while the shots were fired, before calling police.

After searching the man’s hotel room, officers found a 9mm Beretta pistol loaded with 31 bullets and a revolver handgun with 49 bullets, a plastic bag believed to contain 6.85 grams of metham‐ phetamine and several meth pipes.

The captain of the speedboat, Geerati Glinubol, was arrested at the hotel at the same time as Simp‐ son.

Amazon 10-Hour Night Shifts IT has been reported by Motherboard that workers in an Amazon warehouse are being required to work 10‐hour overnight shifts or they could lose their jobs.

Known internally as ‘megacycle’ shifts, these graveyard shifts are meant to improve efficiency, and usually start around 1am, fin‐ ishing at midday. Other Amazon sites have allegedly already made the transition.

Jen Crowcroft, a spokesperson for Ama‐ zon said in an email to The Verge, “We offer a wide range of job opportunities at Ama‐ zon sites and we are working with each as‐ sociate directly on the option that best sup‐ ports them.”

A group representing Amazon workers at the warehouse, Amazonians United, said the schedule was “unworkable.”

Love It Or Queen’s Choice Hate It? A LIMITED-EDITION Marmite ‘Dynamite’ is set to launch, in time to set tables on fire on Valentine’s Day. Available at Sainsbury’s and online retailers for a limited time, the new flavour is designed not to blow your top immediately, but to add a gradual chilli kick.

Sophie Allan, brand manager at Marmite described the new offer‐ ing as, ‘A taste explosion which needs to be handled with care,’ and said “We’ve ignited breakfast tables before with our Marmite Peanut Butter, but this is set to send shock waves in kitchens up and down the country.”

THE Queen has appointed the former MI5 Chief as the royal household’s top offi‐ cial.

Her Majesty the Queen has formally appointed 59‐ year‐old Andrew Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, as the top official in her roy‐ al household, the Lord Chamberlain, where he will New royal top official. replace Earl Peel aged 73, who was due to retire at the end of 2020 after 14 years in the posi‐ tion, but stayed in the job while his successor was searched for.

Baron Parker was the Director‐General of MI5 until last April, a role he commenced in 2007, after leading the Security Service’s re‐ sponse to the July 7 London terrorist attacks and the 2006 transat‐ lantic aircraft plot, and he will soon step into the £90,000‐a‐year part‐time role of ensuring that everything runs smoothly in the Queen’s household.

NEWS

Epstein Fund Out Of Cash A COMPENSATION pro‐ gramme to provide money to dozens of women abused by fi‐ nancier Jeffrey Epstein has abruptly suspended payouts, saying it has temporarily run out of cash.

The announcement by the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Programme blamed the suspen‐ sion on uncertainty about the liquidity of estate assets needed to finance payouts. Officials said the fund would have up to $630 million (approx €525 million) when it started its operations last June, but the shutdown abruptly stopped after only $50 million (€41.70 million) had been paid out.

The fund was established af‐ ter Epstein, 66, killed himself at a Manhattan federal jail in Au‐ gust 2019 while he awaited tri‐ al; to provide an alternative to pursuing claims through the courts. The programme’s 150 claims to date far exceeded ini‐ tial expectations of about 70 claims.

The fund’s administrator said the suspension of payouts was necessary to protect those who have not yet resolved their claims.

Luxury Icon’s New Routes SINCE its foundation in 1886 with its Paris to Istanbul journey, the Orient Express has become immortalised as the world’s most iconic and luxurious train service. The train’s new owner, Belmond Hotels, has introduced new routes and additional luxu‐ ries for travellers keen on old‐school travel when the pandemic subsides.

New departure points have been announced in Geneva, Brussels, Amster‐ dam, Rome, and Florence ‐ and for those who can af‐ ford them, the train has three new Grand Suites in carriages lovingly restored from the 1920s.

Luxuries include under‐ floor heating, a 24‐hour but‐ ler, cutting edge showers, fine dining, and Champagne on tap.

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Border Brothel Raid SPANISH police have de‐ nounced 19 French people who allegedly crossed into Spain in order to visit a brothel in Girona.

Police handed all involved fines for not complying with Covid rules at a hotel in Girona where police had been carrying out an investigation into hu‐ man trafficking.

Police identified 39 clients inside the establishment when

it was raided, as well as 21 women who they interviewed to investigate if they had been trafficked for the purposes of being sold into the sex trade.

The joint operation between the National Police and the Mossos d’Esquadra took place after a tip off about prostitu‐ tion at a hotel where Covid re‐ strictions were also being breached, according to media reports.

Dairy Milk Moves to UK

CHOCOLATE giants, Cadbury announced its intentions of transferring the production of the iconic ‘Dairy Milk’ from Germany to its main UK factory in Bournville, Birmingham, in 2022.

Mondelez, who own the brand, have invested around £80 million into its Bourneville site. It will take over 2022 production of the 12,000 tonnes of chocolate used each year making Dairy Milk bars; enough for 125 million bars of chocolate. The move, whilst not creating any new jobs, is seen as a huge boost for post‐Brexit UK business, Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK Business Secretary described it as “a sweet piece of news.”

Wolf hunting banned THE State Commission for Natural Heritage of the Ministry of Ecological Tran‐ sition and Demographic Challenge has included all wolf populations in Spain on the list of species under special protection.

From this week, wolves will cease to be a species which can be hunted any‐ where in Spain.

The proposal required a double vote because the first one was a tie.

Eventually, a majority, nec‐ essary to adopt the decision, has given it the go‐ahead, giv‐ ing all wolf populations throughout the national terri‐ tory the same status.

The proposal will now be submitted to Minister Tere‐ sa Ribera, to order it be made a law.

The turtle dove has also been proposed for addition to the list, but two votes were held and both were tied, so for now it will not go ahead.

NEWS

EU And China Agreement Pixel health checks THE European Union and China are close to complet‐ ing a historic investment agreement after an online video meeting between European trade representa‐ tives and Chinese business experts and en‐ trepreneurs.

The China‐EU comprehensive agreement on invest‐ ment (CAI), is now awaiting the final regulatory ap‐ proval, but figures from both sides have already been keen to identify promising fields that can be explored for future trading.

The director general of the China Centre for Region‐ al Economic Cooperation, Zhang Jianping, comment‐ ed, “With market access relaxed, I think it brings a certain competitive pressure to Chinese companies.

This will force them to invest in research and develop‐ ment, and find ways to retain talent.”

He added, “I think it’s a good thing to have pres‐ sures to survive when it comes to market competi‐ tion.”

FROM March, Google’s Pixel phones will include a function allowing cameras to measure the heart and respiratory rates using artificial intelligence techniques based on movement and colour changes.

Although the function will initially be available only on the Pixel model, the aim is to expand it to other Android phones in the future.

Google warned that these systems have not been designed to carry out medical diagnoses, but simply to help people who wish to improve their health and well-being.

Measurements can be stored on the phone and integrated in the Google Fit App.

Camels Get The Hump A SAUDI ARABIAN beauty contest has disqualified several camels for using Botox.

A veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on a dozen humped contestants prior to a huge U A E camel competition. According to reports, another clinic was also

found surgically reducing the animal’s ear size to appear more ‘delicate.’

“They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali Al Mazrouei, the son of a prominent Emirati breeder, said, “It makes the head more inflated so when

the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh look at how big that head is.

It has big lips, a big nose’.”

Getting disqualified from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is certainly something to get the hump over, with more than €26 million in prize money for the beauty contest alone.

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Eurovision confirms return THE Eurovision 2021 organisers confirm it will return between May 18 and 22, and hope contestants will sing in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, as planned.

The final decision on the format will be announced soon, with hopes for a socially distanced event being possible, with contestants performing on the same stage and journalists able to cover the event from Rotterdam.

If representatives from any country were unable to travel, they would be able to record a live performance and send that in order to participate.

Spain will be represented by Blas Cantó, who will sing one of two proposed songs which will be chosen by the public.

NEWS

Sharing is Caring

IRELAND has asked the UK to share their ex‐ tra Covid vaccines.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said that the UK should share their extra Covid‐ 19 vaccines with Ireland, and indeed with the rest of world, in the interest of “generos‐ ity and solidarity.”

The UK has now ordered some 400 million jabs from the various vaccine companies, enough to vaccinate every adult six times over.

“Certainly if there is an excess of supply in Britain, and if there is a capacity for that to be shared with Ireland at some point ‐ well, yes of course, absolutely,” Ms McDonald told Sky News.

“I would like to see not just between Ire‐ land and Britain, but globally, a real sense of generosity and solidarity when it comes to

“The virus doesn’t care about borders.” vaccination, because we need to ensure there is not a reservoir of this virus any‐ where.”

She added that the virus doesn’t care about borders or politics, and that every na‐ tion should do what it can to improve the situation globally.

“This is a race against this virus and death.

So yes I think a spirit of fairness and gen‐ erosity needs to prevail.”

Private workers unvaccinated

SPAIN is the only European coun‐ try where private health profes‐ sionals still have not been vacci‐ nated against Covid‐19.

The Spanish Private Health Al‐ liance (ASPE) has reported worry‐ ing delays in some territories. The president of ASPE, Carlos Rus, de‐

manded “equal treatment for all health professionals who are risk‐ ing their lives in this pandemic, whether they are working in a public or private health centre.”

The Covid‐19 Vaccination Strat‐ egy of the Ministry of Health, states health and social‐health

groups are within risk groups and as such should be given preferen‐ tial access to vaccination services.

The private sector serves more than 12 million patients, however, many regions have not yet begun to immunise health workers in the private sector.

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Judge’s sexist slur MADRID COURT: Judge will not face dismissal after its ruling.

A SPANISH judge who was accidentally recorded de‐ scribing an abuse victim with a sexist slur will not face dis‐ missal following a ruling by Madrid’s Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled that, as the offensive record‐ ing had taken place without the consent of the judge, the magistrate would not face dismissal. However, his re‐ marks were ‘unequivocally offensive and unacceptable.’

In June 2018, following a divorce hearing that involved domestic abuse allegations, the court’s recording system was left on without the

judge’s knowledge. As he left the chambers, he was record‐ ed describing the victim with a derogatory sexist slur ‐ the English language equivalent of which is considered very offensive.

Although the judge ‘used expressions and referred to the complainant in terms that were unequivocally of‐ fensive and unacceptable,’ the remarks were considered private conversation. When the recording surfaced he im‐ mediately withdrew from the case and offered his apolo‐ gies to the subject of his re‐ marks.

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A SPANISH police officer faces six years un‐ employment without pay after refusing to wear a mask while on duty.

Alicante Council confirmed the officer could face suspension from work, without pay, for a period of up to six years for refus‐ ing to wear a mask while on shift. The po‐ lice officer was also filmed at several anti‐ Covid demonstrations and even spoke out publically against the government’s coron‐

Anti-Mask Police avirus restrictions.

Speaking at a rally, the officer said: “You know what I am playing for. I don’t care if my mayor comes. There are people who

Detained in Dubai

Red Wine Prices Plummet

A BRITISH woman faces up to two years in a Dubai prison or a hefty fine after her flatmate reported her to the police for sending a WhatsApp message saying “F*** You,” claiming she had been “offended.”

Foreigners can receive lengthy prison terms in Dubai for swearing, something campaign group and UAE legal experts Detained in Dubai, say is “a huge problem.”

The Brit, who has been in Dubai since 2008, was stopped at the airport when she tried to return to the UK to start a new job and is now awaiting trial.

GROWING tensions between Australia and China and a huge hike in trade tariffs mean Aussie wine producers will look to Europe to export the majority of their red wine stock, at a hugely discounted price.

“We’ve got to try to re-attack those markets,” Ciatti Australia director and grape broker Matthew Tydeman said.

“But we now have to realise that we’re competing against Chile and Spain and Argentina for the price points, and those price points are a lot cheaper than what we’re seeing in Australia at the moment.”

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have died for their ideals, and I believe in this.” He also posted another video, com‐ plaining of the harshness of the sanctions proposed. “Six years for not putting on a mask, you’re clear, be good, because later they can put this on you. If they give me six years for the mask, I will go crazy.

“There’s no fear,” the officer added, “if they give me six years I’ll be back for retire‐ ment.”

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Schools reopen

Company of Possibilities

ALTHOUGH Covid-19 has claimed its first child victim, a 10-year-old, the Danish Government has decided to reopen schools for the youngest four grades of children with effect from February 8 with older children due to return February 28.

AN organisation in Lyon, is appealing to local businesses to give up at least a day’s paid annual leave so that their employer donates the money to The Company of Possibilities to fund projects that help the homeless.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Carry the can

Wizz Air

THE Dutch Government has announced that as the numbers of discarded drink cans rose to 150 million last year that with effect from 2023 it would instruct retailers to add 15c refundable deposit to the cost of each can sold.

THE Hungarian based low frills airline Wizz Air has announced that due to the Covid-19 pandemic that it will close its Trondheim Airport base which it only opened last autumn, but will continue to operate flights out of Oslo.

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Feline fury

Taxi cost

ACCORDING to an animal behaviourist at Ghent University, cats are getting fed up with coronavirus restrictions as they are creatures of habit and their lives are being disrupted by adults and children spending more time at home making a noise.

THE Finnish Health Authority says that if someone is too ill to drive, doesn’t own a car or can’t travel by public transport they may reclaim the cost of a taxi up to €25 each way to attend a coronavirus test.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

Parliamentary bid

Mr Vegas

A SYRIAN refugee who had to flee as he had been targeted by the Assad regime arrived in Germany in 2015 and now Tareq Alaows, standing for the Green Party, hopes to become the first Syrian to be elected to Germany’s parliament.

MALTA based online casino company Mr Vegas has been granted a five-year online gaming licence by the national regulator, Spelinspektionen so that Swedish customers will be able to visit its MrVegas.com and MrVegas.se websites.

NEWS

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11 - 17 February 2021

Instagram hackers Milkman

INSTAGRAM has disabled and removed hundreds of stolen accounts as attacks from hack‐ ers in order to steal and resell them escalate.

The hackers attempt to ob‐ tain usernames with handles of fewer than five letters that would be valuable for resale and accounts with high follow‐ ings, verification badges or de‐ sirable usernames become valuable for resale.

Their security team is wor‐ ried that hackers have become more active, more violent and are using threat tactics.

Recently, more aggressive methods have been used both on and offline, including extor‐ tion with hacked nude pho‐ tographs, or in some US cases, hackers call the police to report a bomb threat or shooter at the account holder’s home, sending a SWAT team to the address.

The company has promised to protect vulnerable accounts against future attacks by get‐ ting them to sign up for a new Facebook Protect program in‐ cluding tougher password se‐ curity threat monitoring.

Baby Pandas Make Debut TEN loveable baby panda cubs aged from four to six months old have made their first public appearance in early celebration of the Chinese lunar New Year on February 12.

China is extremely proud of its efforts to preserve a species that for many years was considered endan‐ gered, and is a symbol of China. A recent count found only 44 panda cubs known in the world; half thought to have been bred in China.

Keepers shouted a message to the gathered crowds: ‘Newborn baby pandas from the class of 2020… wish you a happy New Year and lots of good luck in the Year of the Ox.’

Style

LOOP, an online shopping platform delivering brand‐ name groceries and house‐ hold goods in reusable packaging, is committed to reducing plastic waste.

Loblaw’s senior vice‐ president of plastic waste reduction, Ian Gordon, said that the so‐called ‘milkman model’ is a “great example where you look to the past and see a great opportunity to solve a problem.”

Everyday essentials usu‐ ally purchased in single‐use containers will be available in refillable glass or metal containers and delivered in reusable tote bags. When finished, empty containers are placed back in a Loop tote, picked up, sanitised, refilled and shipped out again.

The delivery service is currently available through Tesco in the UK, Carrefour in France, Kroger and Wal‐ greens in the USA.

EWN 21

22 EWN

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NEWS

Police bag Blunt Burglars

JAMES BLUNT, the 46‐year‐old award‐ winning singer, had more than 100 items stolen from his luxury villa in Ibiza last month. Family heirlooms and sentimental items were stolen, including a bayonet from when James served in the military

and a pocket watch that belonged to his grandfather.

Thanks to the island’s Guardia Civil po‐ lice force ‘Operation Second’ James will be reunited with his valuables. The police arrested two brothers and another man,

all three thought to be responsible for a string of robberies on the island. Police al‐ so released a video of a warehouse they discovered containing almost £250,000 worth of stolen items, which they hope to return to their rightful owners.

JAMES BLUNT: Personal items will now be returned.

Call to Boycott

MORE than 180 human rights groups have penned an open letter calling on the world to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, set to be held in 2022, as a stand against the country’s rights violations.

The organisations, main‐ tain that, while previous Games in China were in‐ tended to strengthen inter‐ national relations, the situ‐

ation has actually deterio‐ rated.

The open letter read: “The IOC (International Olympic Committee) re‐ fused to listen in 2008, de‐ fending its decision with claims that they would prove to be a catalyst for improved human rights.

As human rights experts predicted, this decision proved to be hugely mis‐

placed; not only did Chi‐ na’s human rights record not improve, but violations increased substantially without rebuke.

“Now, in 2021, we find ourselves back in the same position with the IOC who are refusing to act despite the clear evidence of geno‐ cide and widespread and worsening human rights failures.”

Covid And Fertility

WHILST new side effects from Covid‐19 con‐ tinue to be uncovered, a new study suggests that the male reproductive system could be af‐ fected by coronavirus.

Although not conclusive, the report from researchers at the Huazhong University of Sci‐ ence and Technology in Wuhan, China, indi‐ cated that male fertility post‐infection, should be studied further.

The report states “We propose that there is an urgent need to track male Covid‐19 pa‐ tients during their recovery.”

A recent study by the Justus‐Liebig‐Universi‐ ty in Germany and Allameh Tabataba’i Univer‐ sity in Iran found that sperm from men who had contracted Covid‐19 was much slower than men who had never had coronavirus and that their sperm count was also reduced.

“Although these effects tended to improve over time, they remained significantly and ab‐ normally higher in the Covid‐19 patients, and the magnitude of these changes were also re‐ lated to disease severity,” claimed lead re‐ searcher Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki.

24 EWN

11 - 17 February 2021

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Eco Funerals are Evolving

ENVIRONMENTAL issues are a major concern for many people all over the world and Spain is no exception.

This concern for nature is not something which only leads them to make alternative choices throughout their lives, many are also concerned about the impact that their remains have on the environment after death.

Burial is so common in many cultures that most of us have never even stopped to think about what other options there may be, but there are several up and coming variations which may change the way we look at what happens to our bodies after death.

Some eco‐friendly options which could be‐ come the norm in the future include having the body encased into a ball made of concrete which will then be plunged to the ocean bed to serve as food for coral reefs.

If the decision is to be buried, many may decide not to opt for traditional embalming, as the fluids used contain chemicals which can be toxic to the soil and air. New types of caskets will also be a more common option, including those made of paper or cardboard, very green options such as bamboo and banana leaf, or even wool.

Speaking of green, how much greener can you

get than having your remains placed in a type of pod from which a tree will sprout. Bodies can also be decomposed to turn them into fertile soil.

Alkaline hydrolysis is another option which is taking off in the US and we will be hearing more about. Also known as resomation or water crema‐ tion, the process involves dissolving the remains in hot pressurised water, leaving behind only bone which can be crushed and given to the person’s relatives in the way which ashes normally would be.

When it comes to burials, it goes without say‐ ing, that with growing populations everywhere in the world, something we will be looking at in the future are ways to save space. The way things are going in Europe, many traditional cemeteries will be full within the next decades.

In other parts of the world it is already a huge problem, with land in burial grounds in Hong Kong being more expensive than land for housing.

A solution which has been suggested there to deal with the problem is a floating graveyard. A project has been proposed called Floating Eternity, which would be in the sea and reachable by ferry.

It would dock on the mainland for celebrations to honour ancestors.

Meanwhile in Taiwan, the decision has been

made to take remains upwards, literally, with a 20‐ storey skyscraper named the True Dragon Tower which when it is at full capacity will be able to hold the ashes of 400,000 people. Not far from São Paulo, Brazil, the Memorial Necropole Ecumenica holds the remains of tens of thousands of people in vaults arranged on top each other like an apart‐ ment complex. Paris has also presented plans for skyscraper cemeteries, but it is unclear whether it will see the light.

In Norway, where space has also be‐ come very scarce, an even larger vertical cemetery has been pro‐ posed in the capital city which would become its tallest building.

In Spain, as in Greece, the space problem is something which has been dealt with for decades. The norm here is for relatives to rent a niche, which if you have ever visited a cemetery either on the Costa or in‐ land areas, you will see is already set vertically into the walls of the site.

The bodies decompose there for several years, giving families a place to grieve, place flowers, have their relative’s details on the covering stone and a specific place to pay their respects. Howev‐ er, unless they make other provisions, the remains

are later moved to a communal burial site and the niche is then rented again.

In the UK, some cemeteries reuse graves more than 75 years old, and the practice has al‐ ways been used in Belgium and Germany, as well as in Portugal, although this has only been record‐ ed officially since 1962.

Many areas in Spain have different types of cemeteries, which can be used by the expat com‐ munity, but the future may see cremation and burials change radically.

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

FEATURE

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11 - 17 February 2021

EWN 25

Advertising Feature

Get paid for living ‘The Good Life’ FOR those who can remember Felicity Kendall and Richard Briers’ attempts to become total‐ ly self‐sufficient in the popular sit‐com, The Good Life, the idea of living a sustainable life may not seem all that appealing.

But today, thanks to the re‐ moval of Spain’s infamous ‘sun tax’ it’s now possible to generate your own electricity and even get paid for any surplus you produce, without making any changes to your day‐to‐day life.

Green energy company, Mari‐ posa Energía has added solar PV panels to its range of green ener‐ gy products, helping businesses and householders alike to save substantial amounts of money, while also helping to save the fu‐ ture of the planet.

SOLAR PANELS: A fantastic way to save money.

The process of installing and us‐ ing solar panels is incredibly straightforward. As long as you own your own roof, the Mariposa

Energía team can conduct a re‐ mote survey of the property ‐ no need for workmen clambering over the roof ‐ and design the

whole installation.

The team takes care of every‐ thing, from the installation itself to the registration of paperwork

and maintenance of the solar panels. A 20‐year fully compre‐ hensive guarantee gives con‐ sumers peace of mind and low‐ cost financing options are also available.

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

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

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

26 EWN

11 - 17 February 2021

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FEATURE

BRITISH AND BREXIT SINCE the start of 2021, the British have definitively lost their status as EU citizens and are considered as third-country nationals. This means that the general immigration regime regulations will apply to them, without prejudice to the possibility that at some point a special mobility regime may be agreed for them, which remains to be seen.

EXCEPTION TO THE GENERAL RULE There is an exception to this general rule which affects British nationals who were resident in Spain before the end of the transitional period on December 31, 2020. In this sense, British citizens who possessed a green card or EU citizen’s certificate before December 31 will have an extension until June 30, 2021 to ‘exchange’ it for a foreigner’s identity card (TIE), which is the new document that certifies resident status as a third-country national.

In both cases, they must submit the TIE application at the police station corresponding to their place of residence and prove their status as EU residents before December 31.

NEWCOMERS Those arriving in Spain from now on will initially be subject to the general immigration regime as third-country nationals. Consequently, and unless there is a last-minute bilateral or multilateral agreement, British nationals wishing to settle in Spain must apply for a non-lucrative residence visa at the Spanish Consulate corresponding to their geographical location in the United Kingdom and provide proof of financial stability, accommodation in Spain, absence of a criminal record, health insurance and no illnesses that could have serious repercussions on public health, like any other third-country national.

Once they have received their residence visa, they may travel to Spain and must apply for a Foreigner’s Identity Card (TIE) at the police station corresponding to their place of residence, where they must present their residence visa.

SELF EMPLOYED WORKERS AND BUSINESSMEN Those wishing to set up a business in Spain or work as self-employed must also apply for a residence and self-employment visa at the Spanish Consulate in the UK. For this purpose, they must have facilities in Spain to carry out their activity (eg premises, office, warehouse, etc) and prove sufficient financial means to do so.

Furthermore, they must submit an establishment project stating the activity they intend to carry out in Spain, the planned investment, the expected profitability and the creation of employment.

Once they have obtained the self-employ-

POST BREXIT: The British people have lost their status as EU citizens and are now considered third-country nationals. ment visa, they must travel to Spain, register with the Social Security Self-Employed Workers’ Scheme (Régimen de Trabajadores Autónomos de la Seguridad Social) and apply for the Foreigners’ Identity Card (TIE) at the police station corresponding to their place of residence.

GOLDEN VISA Another option for the British from now on is the Golden Visa, which is the investor’s residence permit granted to investors who buy property in Spain for a price of more than €500,000.

It will also be available to British nationals who deposit €1 million in a Spanish bank and those who buy shares in a Spanish company for a sum of over €1 million, among other cases.

Likewise, those who justify a business project to be developed in Spain and which is considered and accredited as being of general interest may also obtain the Golden Visa.

The Golden Visa has a number of advantages; among them, it allows you to work in Spain without having to apply for an additional permit, you do not have to live in Spain for a minimum annual period, you can travel to any Schengen country, you can obtain it very quickly, and the first residence card is valid for two years and subsequent cards are valid for five years.

The holder has just three obligations: to maintain at all times the investment that granted

them the right to obtain it, to maintain valid health care insurance for the entire duration of the residence permit, and to be up-to-date with their tax obligations in Spain.

SALARIED EMPLOYEES Those British nationals wishing to work as salaried employees will be the worst off. If, as seems likely, the general immigration regime is applied to them as third-country nationals, it will be very difficult for British nationals to obtain a job in Spain, except in very exceptional cases that fall within those occupations that are difficult to fill as published by the Spanish National Employment Service, or in some very restricted cases where there is no job seeker registered with the Spanish Employment Institute (INEM using its Spanish abbreviation) for the position applied for. It should be noted that national employment status is the determining factor in whether an immigrant can work in Spain, and British nationals will now be subject to this factor, with some exceptions such as children and spouses of residents, positions of trust, highly qualified personnel, and a few other cases.

As a consequence, in the future, British nationals who want to work will be able to do so by means of the ‘arraigo’ system by proving that they have lived in Spain for the last three years with short trips that do not exceed a maximum of 120 days in total over the last three years.

This is the formula followed by immigrant workers from non-EU countries and this is the formula that, unless there is a bilateral or multilateral agreement, the British will most likely have to follow, and I would advise them to register with their local council as soon as possible in order to gain time.

HOMEOWNERS AND TOURISTS As far as British homeowners in Spain and those who want to visit as tourists are concerned, they will not be able to stay in Spain for more than 90 days within a period of six months and will need a passport to enter, although I do not think they will be required to have an entry visa.

In any case, I am sure that the most important principle that will henceforth govern the relations of British citizens with all EU states will be the principle of reciprocity. However the British authorities treat EU citizens, that is how EU countries will treat British citizens.

Ricardo Bocanegra Lawyer and Gestor www.bocanegra.com Avda. Ricardo Soriano, 65. 2-4 29601 Marbella, Málaga +34 952 775 812 informacion@bocanegra.com

FINANCE Wind power SPANISH renewable energy firm Iberdrola through its United Kingdom subsidiary Scottish Power is looking to work with DP Energy in order to expand into the Republic of Ireland with a potential spend of €10 billion on creating offshore wind farms.

Refund INSURANCE company Linea Directa, a subsidiary of Bankinter which is particularly successful in the Spanish car insurance market has announced that it plans to reimburse up to €100 to selfemployed customers who have covered fewer kilometres than planned due to lockdown.

Take over INDIAN industrialists are investing across Europe and the latest anticipated takeover is

by Jindal who are paying €100 million to add the Cordoba-based manufacturer of plastic packaging SP Group to its portfolio.

Minimum wage ACCORDING to figures released by the European Statistical Agency (Eurostat), the minimum monthly wage of €1,108 (in 12 payments rather than 13) is one of the highest in the eurozone making Spain the seventh highest out of 21 countries.

Brexit blues A REPORT by the UK Road Haulage Association suggests that UK exports to the EU via sea freight dropped by 68 per cent in January 2021 and that 75 per cent of lorries returning to Britain are empty.

Boohoo ALTHOUGH the brand names of Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis will live on following a £25.2 million (€27.7 million) takeover by online fashion retailer Boohoo, their 214 stores will be closed with the immediate loss of 2,450 jobs.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 11 - 17 February 2021

€1.2 trillion

is the amount of money that the European Central Bank expects to be transferred from the UK to European subsidiaries following Brexit.

Pandemic research investment

Cost of Spanish energy sufficiency A REPORT produced by Abay Analysts for Green‐ peace estimates that it would cost €197 billion to transform Spain’s energy production over the coming years.

The investment to be made, equivalent to 4.8 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), would be fi‐ nanced almost equally by the public and private sec‐ tors.

The model envisages a rapid advance towards the

decarbonisation of the ener‐ gy system and its transfor‐ mation into a greener, fairer and more equal one and suggests that the availability of European funding is a unique opportunity to trans‐ form the system.

The report indicates that in order to achieve the de‐ sired results, the Spanish Government would need to approve 117 measures to re‐ cover and transform the country into a green nation.

These measures, while fa‐

LEGALLY SPEAKING

How do annuities pay?

I am a tax resident in Spain. When I was 40 years old and working in England I pur‐ chased an annuity to mature when I was 55 years old, when I retired to Spain. After reading the section on taxing annuities on the Tax Agen‐ cy website, I YOU AND THE LAW have been IN SPAIN declaring 28 per cent of this an‐ nuity. Is this correct? The Tax Agency say that I should declare the full amount. After reading your EWN column I now know that I should not have added it to my NHS pension, but asked my gestoria to declare it on the investment part of the tax form. Is this correct?

cilitating maintenance or job creation and social protec‐ tion, would provide a strong impetus to combat climate emergency and biodiversity loss, which would help build a more resilient society.

Investment would be car‐ ried out, almost equally, by the public (53.7 per cent) and private sectors (46.3 per cent) but it envisages that just 37 per cent of the pro‐ posals would require fund‐ ing.

Others would be intro‐

duced due to a radical change in policy, including emphasis on the role of women as one of the main values for the system to change sustainably.

Mario Rodríguez, director of Greenpeace Spain, said, “Apart from partisan ideolo‐ gies and strategies, the polit‐ ical will to change things is fundamental, because the planet and people need not only take economic mea‐ sures, but also vision for the future.”

Red not white Credit: Pixabay

BUSINESS EXTRA

28

FCUK share boost

DAVID SEARL

Yes, it is correct that payments from an an‐ nuity are declared in the separate section of your tax form for investment or capital gains income, called in Spanish ‘ahorros’ or savings. And, yes, you declare the full amount of the payments. Then you calculate the reduction based on your age when you began re‐ ceiving payments. And, yes, you will be taxed on 28 per cent of the income. If your gestoria was unaware of this, perhaps you should find a Spanish tax consul‐ tant to do it.

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

THE UK division of US exercise group Peloton has warned customers on its website that there are significant delays in supplying equipment, although it does not explain why.

According to a BBC report, the problem, which has irritated many consumers, has been caused by a combina-

MISLEADING: White pigs but red meat.

TO coincide with World Cancer Day (February 4), in‐ ternational pressure group Animal Equality made a for‐ mal complaint against In‐ terporc which promotes the sale of meat from the White Capped Pig. The basis of the complaint is that Spain’s Interporc has been promoting the meat from the pigs as white meat, considered a healthier alter‐ native to red meat, when it is actually red.

Using the findings of a 2015 report presented by the International Cancer Re‐ search Centre, it argues that eating red meat is associat‐ ed with the development of colon and bowel cancer and

in its definition of what con‐ stitutes red meat, pork is clearly identified.

Animal Equality argues that advertising and pro‐ moting the sale of meat from selected pigs as being white is misleading and in breach of consumer laws in Spain.

If the complaint is upheld

by Spain’s Consumer Min‐ istry then Interporc may be fined and required to amend its claims.

The sale of Spanish pig meat is worldwide and last year generated €2.1 billion by way of taxes according to Interporc and therefore gave a significant contribu‐ tion to the economy.

Peloton delivery delays tion of Brexit, ‘global shipping delays’ and increased demand.

With significant TV advertising and the ongoing lockdown in the UK, there has been a huge demand for the product which offers both a

A NEW investment fund based in Luxembourg, Vector Innova‐ tive (VF) is looking to collect $300 million (€250 million) over the next 19 months to in‐ vest in pandemic related in‐ dustry.

Target companies include pandemic protection, future healthcare, aiding and sup‐ porting precision medicine, highly advanced point of care and AI technologies to support the global economy, sustain‐ able healthcare, and life longevity. Specialist invest‐ ment advisors with knowledge of the industries under consid‐ eration who have recourse to international bodies have been recruited to spotlight potential new and existing businesses.

treadmill and a static exercise bike with online coaching from the USA. With an overall increase in interest in staying fit and gyms closed in so many areas, at home exercise is becoming increasingly more popular

and Peloton has become one of the major ‘must haves’ for those who need a way of keeping fit and exercising.

The product is normally shipped by sea from Californian ports but because of congestion there, the company

THE company with the un‐ usual initials FCUK (French Connection UK) has been struggling for some time, but has received takeover en‐ quiries from two potential buyers.

Now it has confirmed that it has received enquiries from a consortium of Spotlight Brands, which owns Sweaty Betty and Gordon Brothers International, which now owns Laura Ashley.

The other interested party is Go Global Retail with HMJ International Services.

With 78 stores and more than 1,000 staff, the current main shareholders are founder Stephen Marks and Frasers Group, the main vehi‐ cle for Mike Ashley, owner of Newcastle United Football Club. has consigned a percentage of orders by air, but this is an expensive undertaking especially as the machines are quite large and relatively heavy.

In the short term this may not be a major problem for a company which forecasts turnover for 2020 at $4.08 billion (€3.34 billion).

30 EWN

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C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 8

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.179,50 1.180,50 Admiral Group 2.909,5 2.949,0 Anglo American 2.569,5 2.582,5 Antofagasta 1.505,50 1.505,50 Ashtead Group 3.877,0 3.891,0 Associated British Foods 2.270,0 2.279,5 AstraZeneca 7.298,8 7.310,8 Auto Trader Group Plc 576,60 580,60 Avast 503,50 507,00 Aveva 3.675,0 3.675,0 Aviva 344,20 344,80 B&M European Value Retail SA560,60 566,80 BAE Systems 476,00 479,00 Bank VTB DRC 0,978 0,982 Barclays 149,00 149,08 Barratt Developments 698,20 710,40 Berkeley 4.319,0 4.406,0 BHP Group 2.094,50 2.099,00 BP 256,00 256,75 British American Tobacco 2.680,0 2.686,0 British Land Company 455,40 461,80 BT Group 124,67 124,95 Bunzl 2.390,0 2.396,5 Burberry Group 1.763,0 1.774,5 Carnival 1.356,8 1.392,0 Centrica 51,70 52,38 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.280,0 2.280,0 Compass 1.466,00 1.473,50 CRH 3.130,0 3.161,0 Croda Intl 6.450,0 6.455,5 DCC 5.690,0 5.711,0 Diageo 2.981,5 3.005,5 DS Smith 367,20 372,40 EasyJet 809,22 824,22 Experian 2.612,0 2.621,0 Ferguson 8.778,0 8.804,0 Flutter Entertainment 14.300,0 14.440,0 Fresnillo 1.015,00 1.047,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.280,16 1.283,31 Glencore 263,75 265,89 Halma 2.470,0 2.472,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.618,00 1.638,50 Hikma Pharma 2.326,00 2.339,40 HSBC 391,82 393,15 IAG 157,00 160,90 Imperial Brands 1.447,00 1.452,00 Informa 515,00 522,84 InterContinental 5.064,0 5.108,0 Intermediate Capital 1.788,00 1.801,00 Intertek 5.744,0 5.752,0 ITV 109,25 110,50

% CHG. 1.169,00 2.893,0 2.550,0 1.487,00 3.849,0 2.256,5 7.217,0 574,80 499,00 3.578,0 341,20 556,40 472,20 0,974 146,68 690,80 4.269,0 2.071,50 252,10 2.670,5 451,30 123,20 2.343,8 1.759,0 1.347,5 51,58 2.257,0 1.452,50 3.121,0 6.384,0 5.676,0 2.966,0 362,00 798,00 2.579,0 8.676,0 14.280,0 1.000,92 1.266,00 260,33 2.363,0 1.615,00 2.323,00 386,80 155,70 1.438,50 512,84 5.034,0 1.779,00 5.640,0 108,95

NET VOL 62,99K 0,88K 669,44K 132,19K 46,40K 2,59K 50,88K 103,50K 10,92K 21,06K 866,60K 227,72K 54,63K 64,74K 1,29M 588,22K 57,71K 547,54K 1,86M 15,69K 320,36K 2,50M 0,96K 42,58K 38,31K 386,78K 2,34K 267,62K 63,91K 0,26K 1,55K 398,20K 683,84K 451,83K 304,50K 27,15K 45,71K 17,60K 397,37K 917,47K 395,11K 6,45K 1,20K 179,60K 2,12M 26,38K 3,90K 84,14K 46,36K 14,35K 151,45K

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

233,90 2.929,6 618,00 260,70 37,89 9.634,0 428,50 175,40 1.789,50 851,40 173,75 7.970,0 34,51 2.770,00 2.770,0 702,00 1.247,49 6.231,4 1.832,00 512,00 612,40 5.718,9 92,00 6,67 1.351,40 1.350,8 1.290,0 677,82 594,00 1.854,00 14,73 3.528,0 1.360,00 960,20 2.282,0 1.553,00 1.509,50 11.450,0 1.456,50 1.171,50 452,00 316,00 163,30 243,00 335,00 4.010,0 897,34 134,40 3.270,0 811,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

236,00 2.929,6 635,10 261,20 38,25 9.642,0 435,40 176,55 1.804,50 859,00 175,40 7.978,0 34,76 2.829,00 2.796,0 707,28 1.247,49 6.252,0 1.840,50 512,20 615,80 5.733,2 94,76 6,72 1.362,75 1.362,2 1.295,0 678,20 597,00 1.859,00 14,89 3.531,0 1.371,00 967,20 2.294,0 1.559,00 1.516,00 11.465,0 1.474,00 1.177,00 453,80 316,00 166,50 246,80 344,18 4.029,0 907,20 134,90 3.332,0 820,00

233,30 2.865,3 613,71 257,90 37,51 9.478,0 426,30 174,25 1.770,00 849,40 171,40 7.856,0 34,36 2.750,41 2.759,0 699,40 1.231,77 6.186,0 1.824,50 505,00 604,60 5.693,1 91,14 6,65 1.341,50 1.341,4 1.280,2 677,69 591,60 1.853,00 14,70 3.512,0 1.357,00 951,40 2.266,0 1.546,50 1.489,00 11.225,0 1.453,50 1.165,00 444,20 311,70 163,00 241,20 334,08 3.994,7 896,40 132,88 3.244,0 805,80

364,78K 1,52K 5,61K 827,52K 30,18M 53,49K 163,80K 1,23M 269,57K 567,80K 4,84M 30,34K 92,19K 5,10K 1,54K 5,91K 46,16K 86,80K 203,27K 132,06K 114,97K 49,11K 2,80M 317,46K 478,39K 42,28K 140,37K 2,00K 115,94K 3,42K 596,21K 22,90K 495,95K 70,77K 45,91K 42,29K 53,44K 9,75K 195,59K 77,28K 900,10K 20,00K 1,76M 1,14M 259,98K 106,86K 173,31K 5,64M 17,02K 108,11K

0.87735

1.13947 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.20282 Japan yen (JPY)......................................127.037 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.08359 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43608 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.2699

currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 8

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 179,01 2.098,00 3.352,15 236,32 136,76 207,93 193,00 89,26 48,08 49,65 268,10 293,50 278,86 202,92 121,79 58,18 164,45 137,98 212,58 75,80 242,20 145,11 129,57 238,89 852,23 324,51 55,32 208,77 144,36 181,16

CHANGE 179,23 2.102,51 3.377,00 238,88 137,42 213,20 194,33 90,47 48,34 49,78 269,17 297,24 281,76 203,87 121,81 59,08 165,44 139,49 214,18 76,98 243,28 145,57 130,10 239,36 864,77 333,48 55,68 210,13 144,85 182,32

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 176,70 1,82M 2.059,33 1,54M 3.302,71 3,62M 235,38 2,42M 135,86 75,69M 206,66 9,55M 190,01 2,24M 88,64 8,02M 47,50 25,49M 49,27 12,74M 265,67 12,45M 292,19 2,94M 277,81 2,39M 201,28 1,87M 120,52 4,57M 58,12 23,43M 163,86 9,50M 137,38 10,05M 212,01 2,60M 75,41 13,27M 240,42 18,05M 141,29 6,15M 129,03 5,06M 236,41 5,02M 838,97 18,57M 323,48 7,23M 55,17 12,07M 208,66 10,28M 142,53 6,82M 179,33 6,64M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 8

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+5.28% +1.73% +1.71% +4.92% +7.59% +15.23% +1.31% +12.72% +18.72% +0.63% +108.33%

766,672 1.54M 1.49M 4,556 9.76M 3.18M 306,392 979,473 2.40M 3.62M 3.33M

-20.05% -3.87% -29.37% -1.22% -4.70% -1.88% -5.86% -2.20% -55.73% -19.80% -2.11%

2.86M 53,030 21.95M 210,561 346,127 1.24M 23.16M 775,508 18.33M 173,194 890,442

Most Advanced MicroStrategy Inc. Alphabet Inc. Cl C Alphabet Inc. Cl A Atrion Corp.

Zoom Video Communications Inc. Seagen Inc. MercadoLibre Inc. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. Fulgent Genetics Inc. Amazon.com Inc. Vor Biopharma Inc.

Most Declined Twist Bioscience Corp.

Amerco Cassava Sciences Inc. CoStar Group Inc. Paylocity Holding Corp.

Lam Research Corp.

Peloton Interactive Inc. Monolithic Power Systems Inc. ATA Creativity Global ADR Pro-Dex Inc. KLA Corp.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Sint-Sixtus abbey

Very little aid for hospitality

Empty hotels need customers.

HOSTELERÍA DE ESPAÑA has analysed the figures compiled by the regional associations on the actual state of aid to the ho‐ tel and catering industry.

The figures show that, ac‐ cording to the latest data from January 14, only 24 per cent of the total number of Au‐ tonomous Regions have re‐ ceived part or all of the aid allo‐ cated.

This data also shows that more than 40 per cent of the Autonomous Regions have been partially or totally closed for more than 100 days (Aragon, Cantabria, Catalonia, Castile and Leon, La Rioja, Mur‐ cia and Navarre).

The average amounts allo‐ cated for the hotel and catering industry are around €1,500 and these amounts are one‐off pay‐ ments.

There are notable differences

in the management of the dif‐ ferent Autonomous Regions, es‐ pecially in the speed of the pro‐ cedures for accessing this aid as while Catalonia has already re‐ ceived the full amount for night operating businesses, La Rioja has not yet received anything.

In view of the lack of direct aid, the hotel and catering sec‐ tor is filing claims for damages through two law firms, with Eci‐ ja in charge of claims for the Au‐ tonomous Regions and Indem‐ niza is preparing the claim at national level.

The Spanish Hotel and Cater‐ ing Industry continues to de‐ mand aid at national level and wants to be advised of the plans of the Autonomous Re‐ gions and the amounts that will be paid to assist this ailing in‐ dustry which is so important to the economy.

The expenditure that it has

Corrupt countries EVERY year, German-based NGO Transparency International publishes its views on how corrupt each country in the world is deemed to be.

Its Corruption Perception Index (CPI) does not rely on any formal review of government data or scientific study but is based on surveys conducted by private organisations or other NGOs, nevertheless it is quite well-respected worldwide.

According to its latest publication, Denmark and New Zealand lead the way for the least corrupt countries whilst the UK comes in at 11 and Spain at 32.

incurred to comply with hy‐ giene regulations should also be taken into account.

BUSINESS EXTRA Oil slips OIL companies are facing massive losses thanks to the pandemic in 2020 with Royal Dutch Shell losing €18.2 billion compared to profits of €13.36 billion in 2019. Another well-known name to suffer is BP with losses of €4.76 billion.

Herbal investment CELLULAR GOODS, a company which uses cannabis compounds to make skincare products has just sold a number of its shares to footballer David Beckham’s investment company prior to applying to float on the London Stock Exchange.

Bank fined SPAIN’S National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) is fining Caixa Bank €2 million after deciding that it had acted contrary to banking regulations as it considers that it neglected to warn clients on the dangers of certain complicated investments.

11 - 17 February 2021

EWN 31

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

11 - 17 February 2021

FEATURE

Sorry for all the doom and gloom LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT IN my opinion the Chinese are the most dangerous race on the planet. Subjects, who live under the iron boot of communism, are like ants or bees following the orders of the Queen. On their own they are weak and vulnerable.

Working together for a common cause, they are virtually unstoppable.

Over the years, this ancient race of people, with their inscrutable and patient leaders has slowly but surely managed to infiltrate the West, with far more success and subtlety than the jihadi terrorists who have impregnated our society.

From the innocuous Chinese restaurants and emporiums of cheap goods to the high financiers of Wall Street and the city of London they are everywhere. Most of their companies in the West are state‐owned enterprises, including the multi supply stores, whose staff are trained in China and schooled in the language of whatever country they are designated to take up their

THE FUTURE: China is the biggest threat to western democracy the world has ever seen. employment.

These stores are only allowed to buy their stock from China and are totally autonomous. By selling a complete cross section of cheap goods, their purpose is to undermine and disrupt local businesses.

Beijing’s clamp down in Hong Kong and the recent announcement that they are instructing schools to teach children from the age of six that they must always

show allegiance to the state, plus the severe punishments that can ensue should they not follow the rules, is blatant brainwashing and of course ensures that future generations will not be westernised and unmanageable as the young people of Hong Kong have become. Their technology, particularly in the cyber world, is second to none, and the Chinese Communist parties, who lie with monotonous predictability, were

almost certainly the source of a number of huge cyber‐attacks on the West. They are a nuclear power and can send rockets into space.

Whether intentionally or accidently, China is undoubtedly responsible for the recent pandemic, that has severely damaged a multitude of economies and spread fear all over the planet. They are too astute to be actual warmongers, but I do believe in the not too distant future

they will begin to flex their military muscles and endeavour to ‘take back’ Taiwan.

Whatever the future holds I think China is the biggest threat to western democracy the world has ever seen. Can they be stopped? Somehow I doubt it, there are after all 1.4 billion of them! If they join forces with Putin’s Mafia, I think we can stick our heads between our legs and bid adieu to our posteriors.

Ah well, ain’t life grand? Sorry for all the doom and gloom. On the up side, can we all antagonise the BBC and British media in general by giving Boris and his team a great big cheer and many congratulations for their wonderful handling of the vaccine handout? At the time of writing nine million doses already administered. I can see the teeth marks on Ms Sturgeon’s aporran from here.

Mind you, the lady can certainly take a little consolation from this year’s rugby team. Well done Scotland. We’ll have you next time!

Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com ecpatradioscotland.com Mon. Wed. Fri.

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

Advertising Feature

We will keep our clients up-to-date A SPANISH law from the 1970’s Franco‐era which has impacted non‐EU citizens is now affecting British property buyers following the transition period coming to an end.

If a property is located on mili‐ tary land, military permission has to be applied for and granted for the transaction to proceed. While the law applies to all non‐EU citi‐ zens, there was a hope that British buyers would receive ei‐ ther an exemption or a grace peri‐ od. But it was confirmed in the first week of January that Brits would be treated the same way as all other non‐EU buyers as of January 1, 2021.

In both the Alicante and Murcia communities there are designated areas of military land, but the ar‐ eas are a patchwork and not every property will be affected. We are

buyers obtaining a criminal record check ahead of time as the prop‐ erty they buy may not need a mil‐ itary permission.

treating each property transaction individually and checking with the land registry which properties are affected and which are not.

CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECK RE‐ QUIRED Purchasers who are affected

will need to apply for a criminal records check from the country where they have been residing for the last five years.

This document will need to be apostilled at the Foreign Office and returned to the solicitor in or‐ der to obtain a sworn translation

of the full document. Then the apostilled document, its transla‐ tions and the rest of the request‐ ed documents will go to the Min‐ istry of Defence for a decision.

The military permission is con‐ nected to a specific purchase, so there is no benefit in prospective

DECISIONS MAY TAKE UP TO FIVE MONTHS A decision on whether to grant military permission can take any‐ thing up to five months, but it may be considerably less. Five months is the legal time limit to respond ‐ it’s been extended be‐ cause of the coronavirus situa‐ tion. This is an unwelcome devel‐ opment and one that has the potential to delay the purchase timescale.

The law affects new build and resale properties equally. As the requirement evolves and settles down with time, we will keep our clients and contacts up‐to‐date with all notable developments.

NEXT STEPS If you have already found a property and are ready to proceed, we can do a search and tell you if the property will be affected or not. Contact us by email at admin@sun-lawyers.com

THURSDAY 4:00pm 4:45pm

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Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Match of the Day Live: The FA Cup BBC News at Ten

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

The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders EastEnders Death in Paradise

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Escape to the Country The Bidding Room Live Six Nations Rugby Union BBC News BBC London News Weather Pointless Celebrities Casualty Line of Duty BBC News

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Escape to the Country Athletics Monsters University Seven Worlds, One Planet BBC News BBC London News Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow The Serpent BBC News

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Escape to the Country Jay and Dom's Home Fix The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Panorama EastEnders NewWould I Lie to You? DIY SOS

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Tudor Monastery Farm Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning NewInside Culture with Mary Beard Nigella: At My Table Your Garden Made Perfect Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

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

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Tudor Monastery Farm Tudor Monastery Farm Royal Recipes Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games NewLightning Rick Stein's Secret France Monty Don's American Gardens

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Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News at Ten and Weather

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The Wedding Planners Final Score Flog It! Interior Design Masters Stormborn Perry and Croft: Made in Britain Dad's Army QI XL The Deer Hunter FilmThe Program

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ITV London Weather Six Nations Live Tipping Point: Lucky Stars ITV News and Weather ITV News London Celebrity Catchphrase NewThe Masked Singer NewThe Voice UK Paul Sinha's TV Showdown ITV News and Weather

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The Real Marigold Hotel Cornwall: This Fishing Life Six Nations Highlights Ski Sunday Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve The Ranganation The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan Edie

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Six Nations Live ITV News and Weather ITV News London Dancing on Ice Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Finding Alice ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad

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Meerkat Manor Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge

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NewTenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point NewThe Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News.

Emmerdale Coronation Street Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad Coronation Street

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The Great British Winter Tennis: Australian Open Meerkat Manor Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Inside the Zoo Interior Design Masters Forensics: The Real CSI

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Tenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point NewThe Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Australian Wilderness with Ray Mears Joanna Lumley's Home Sweet Home

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The Great British Winter Tennis: Australian Open Meerkat Manor Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Inside the Zoo This Farming Life Trump Takes on the World Live at the Apollo

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Tenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Cornwall and Devon Walks with Julia Bradbury Coronation Street The Bay

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Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Mend It for Money The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

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NewCountdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Mend It for Money The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast NewIt's a Sin The Last Leg

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Four in a Bed Mend It for Money A Place in the Sun Secret Safari: Into the Wild Location, Location, Location Channel 4 News Crocodile Dundee The Little Stranger Warcraft

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A New Life in the Sun Mend It for Money The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Devon and Cornwall Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles Catching a Killer Confessions of a Serial Killer

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Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Mend It for Money The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Extraordinary Escapes The Mum Who Got Tourette's

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Cruising with Jane McDonald Deadly Lullaby 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Paul Merton in China Adrian Dunbar's Coastal Ireland The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews

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Neighbours Cruising with Jane McDonald FilmKiller Ransom 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Susan Calman's Grand Day Out

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Sky Sports News The Football Show The Football Show Live: Good Morning Football Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Netball Superleague Live EFL Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly 5 News Weekend Cruising with Jane McDonald Britain's Most Expensive Houses with Sally Lindsay Secrets of the Royal Palaces

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Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News America's Cup Sailing Sky Sports News Soccer A.M. Live EFL Live Premier League Live Premier League Live Premier League Live Fight Night

Made of Honour Marley and Me Access Marley and Me 5 News Weekend Greatest Hits of the The Wonderful World of Chocolate Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun Rich Holiday, Poor Holiday

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Sky Sports News Goals on Sunday America's Cup Sailing Super Sunday Matchday Scottish Premiership Live Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News

Cruising with Jane McDonald FilmCradles for Cash 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Gallagher Premiership Rugby Highlights Police Interceptors A&E After Dark

10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 8:00pm 12:00am

Sky Sports News The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Netball Superleague Live MNF Sky Sports News

Cruising with Jane McDonald Hailey Dean Mysteries: Dating Is Murder 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Highland Vet Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

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Sky Sports News The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Checkatrade Trophy Live EFL

Home and Away Neighbours Cruising with Jane McDonald Dating to Kill 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Ice Road Truckers Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords

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The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Checkatrade Trophy Live EFL Soccer Special PostMatch

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Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Football Show Live International T20 Cricket Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live PGA Tour Golf Live PGA Tour G Sky Sports News

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

11 - 17 February 2021

EWN 35

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urg‐ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local through the lock‐ down 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, butchers, greengrocers and all of the won‐ derfully quirky independent businesses in your area.

Due to the Covid‐19 pandem‐ ic, you may have to support many local businesses by order‐ ing online and making use of any

click and collect services they can operate 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 lo‐ cal community.

Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or on‐ line, consider where your mon‐ ey 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 lo‐

cal charities, support and spon‐ sor local sports teams and in many cases the small indepen‐ dent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous generations and support not just the current owner but the generation be‐ fore.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are supporting someone’s dream and ambition, 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 com‐

pete with the multinational and chains.

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us revive that community spirit and get to know our neighbours again.

You could also consider pur‐ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking out‐ side the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a local studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an on‐ line study course for someone looking to change their career path.

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

To advertise here contact us on:

951 386 161

36 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

11 - 17 February 2021

FEATURE

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

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may ac‐ tually need is important too.

Whilst it’s nice to give a glam‐ ourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people allevi‐ ate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times.

Choosing to spend your mon‐ ey locally will really make a dif‐ ference in the recovery of the lo‐ cal economy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local econo‐ my in two ways. First, buying lo‐ cal keeps money circulating within the local economy.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they cre‐ ate locally owned supply chains and invest in their employees.

Data shows that local retailers return 52 per cent of their rev‐ enue back into the local econo‐ my, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers.

Money circulating through the local economy benefits ev‐ eryone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn pre‐

pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hardware store. This example illustrates how the recirculation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communi‐ ties.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportuni‐ ties for people within our com‐ munity. Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and re‐

tain more employees over time.

A fantastic example of how to support your local community is with a Charity Gift certificate, why not donate to your loved

11 - 17 February 2021

one’s favourite cause.

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

EWN 37

38 EWN

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11 - 17 February 2021

FEATURE

WORLD’S BILLIONAIRES NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS

Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

A C C O R D I N G to Oxfam, the combined wealth of 10 men increased during the coronavirus pandemic by $540bn (£400bn). The 10 richest people include Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Tesla’s Elon Musk and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

So, good news for some, but bad for others like Donald Trump and Sir Philip Green. Revenues for the Trump Organisa‐ tion fell nearly 38 per cent last year as the coronavirus took a steep toll on the hos‐ pitality industry. And Sir Philip? Well, with Arcadia in administration and ASOS since acquiring its main brands, he’s no longer a billionaire, his fortune having fallen to about £950m. Bless!

Many recoil at the very mention of such extreme wealth but forget that some of the world’s richest people have actually

DAVID WORBOYS THE coincidental similarities con‐ cerning the assassinations of Presi‐ dents Lincoln and Kennedy are well documented. Both assassins, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Os‐ wald, were known by three names containing 15 letters. They were born in 1839 and 1939 respectively.

Booth shot Lincoln in a theatre; Os‐ wald was arrested in a theatre.

Lincoln became President in 1860 and Kennedy in 1960. Both lost a son during their presidency; each was shot in the head in front of his wife. Both Lincoln and Kennedy were committed to human rights and they were both succeeded by a President Johnson: Andrew (born 1808), and Lyndon B (born 1908).

In 2014, a Dutchman, Maarten de Jonge, avoided two spectacular plane disasters. On March 8 he was supposed to be on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 (a Boeing). At the last minute he decided to change to a flight departing an hour earlier.

MH370 went missing and not one of the 239 on board has been found. On July 17, just over four

THAT’S RICH: But some people have actually done something to acquire it. done something to acquire it. Bill Gates was personally involved with writing the codes which evolved into the software that runs on so many of the world’s com‐ puters.

And, unlike, say, Sir Philip (whose col‐ lapsed Arcadia empire risks lumbering taxpayers with a £50m bill for redundancy payments for staff left with no jobs) has also done something worthwhile with his

wealth, giving over $40 billion to the Gates Foundation which seeks cures for infectious diseases.

Gates and the founders of Amazon, Tes‐ la, Facebook etc are all entrepreneurs who have created, mainly through their own drive and determination, substantial and reputable businesses serving millions of customers and employing hundreds of thousands of staff. One hundred and fifty

years ago, the list would have been domi‐ nated by people who inherited their wealth across centuries, originally ac‐ quired by men who waged wars and un‐ leashed other kinds of violence.

And all this just weeks after front‐page outrage and the nation left reeling in hor‐ ror ‐ forget the pandemic, Zoella’s been dropped by a GCSE board over her YouTube round‐up of sex toys! ‐ it’s with a heavy heart that I report that things could get even worse.

What about when ‘Trump the Musical!’ opens on Broadway, with hits such as ‘Ivanka Tell You Something’, ‘Your Tiny Hand is Frozen’, and the show stopper, ‘If You Knew Putin’ ...

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora‐ johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback andaudiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

COINCIDENTALLY

SIMILARITIES: Between the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy are well documented. months later, he had booked a flight on MH17 (also a Boeing) but changed to a different flight at a cheaper price. MH17 was shot down over Ukraine killing all 298 on board.

In 1968, I had an extraordinary

experience in Germany. I was enjoy‐ ing a beer in a bar in Rastatt, when there was a crash in the street out‐ side. I ventured outside to join sev‐ eral passers‐by to ensure that no‐ body was injured. Luckily the drivers were unharmed ‐ and they were

both English. Incredibly, they recog‐ nised each other from the same school in England.

Once they had parked their dent‐ ed cars, I invited them for a coffee.

As we chatted about the accident, it turned out that one of them, Adam,

had pulled off the motorway for a break driving from Basel to Bremen (where he lived) and Bill was driving from Bremen back home near Basel. They had not seen each other since leaving school in 1953.

Finally, in 1993, my cousin, Ben, met a girl called Astrid while work‐ ing for two weeks in Singapore.

They had dated and vaguely promised to keep in touch as Ben departed for Kuala Lumpur for the weekend on the way back to Eng‐ land. As soon as he arrived at the hotel he realised he wanted to see her again but had not taken any contact details.

Next morning he was just leaving the hotel to explore the city when the receptionist called out that there was a message for him. It was from Astrid who said she would see him in the lobby at nine. She had found out his travel arrangements from her boss and taken an overnight bus to track him down.

They have now been married for 24 years and I am godfather to their elder daughter.

39

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Putting all of your eggs in one basket is rarely to be advised. It should particularly be avoided this week. For the sake of speed and ease it will be tempting to take short cuts and make decisions that are bland. These will, of their nature, not be of the ‘good’ or ‘great’ categories. You are capable of better.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) How you feel about someone will change dramatically during the week. This will surprise you.

Thinking about it logically, though, you have been missing the point for some time.

Someone who you always thought of as a friend turns out to be much more. How you deal with this is very much an individual thing.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) With your engine revving and the road ahead clear, a sense of great freedom is with you.

There are those for whom this week is a chance to really make headway. For some, though, it is an irksome task. The difference is that some of you are taking a negative attitude.

Make sure that yours is positive and you will have a chance to make real progress

TAURUS (April 21 - May21) Wanting to put things right with someone close is a good instinct to have.

It would certainly give you peace of mind. Indeed, this should be a quiet and peaceful week and one that is long overdue. Being successful in business is only one part of success. The light is dawning that what you have always wanted has changed.

GEMINI (May 22 - Juny 21) Someone very special could come into your life. You must, however, be at the ball to meet the prince.

This opportunity for happiness is not going to jump up and bite you. A phone call could be the start of it all.

Accept invitations and get out and about. Be aware of what is going on so that you can be in the right place at the right time.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) What is the reason that you are being held back? Are you sure that you are, in reality, being held back at all? These are not trick questions. Being honest with your answers this week will lift a cloud from your horizon.

Perhaps you are seeing ghosts when there are only shadows.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) With high energy you are seeking to get as much done as possible in a small amount of time.

Rather than go at it ‘hammer and tongs’, it could be easier.

Let someone help you out.

They will find it satisfying and so you will both be happy.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) You are freer than you imagine.

Your imagination is letting you down a bit at the moment. Not for some time have opportunities been throwing themselves at you like this. The question is not if you should take up an offer but rather which one you should choose.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Give others the benefit of the doubt and your infinite patience this week. Situations will change from minute to minute.

It would be a waste of energy to take anything at facevalue.

Time is often the first thing to solve many problems. As with health, given a few days simple things will sort themselves out.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Although you are only too aware that you are capable of great good when you put your mind to it, it would be wise to bide your time this week. You may not realise that you are expending too much energy until your weary head hits the pillow.

Be kind to your body. Some things that are taken for granted should not be so. This can lead to neglect. In neither home nor business is this recommended.

SAGITARIUS (November 23 - December 21) It may seem that everyone wants your attention at the moment. There are times when you would like nothing more than to go away and clear your mind. This is not only possible but essential. You need some quiet moments. Even a day away can renew your spirits and energy.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) So strong have been the practical considerations of late that you have been in a bad position. You need to live more for the ‘now’ and less for the ‘tomorrow’. Of course, life should be a mixture of both but sometimes it all gets a bit jumbled. Getting a few hours peace and quiet on your own may be all that you need.

Getting enough sleep is also important in this situation.

TIME OUT

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

ARCANE ARREAR BEHEST BLANCH BLUISH FREEST JOYFUL LOAVES MARVEL MEMBER MORTAL MUTTER MYRTLE NUANCE (10) REOPEN SCANTY SMOOTH SPLINT TIPTOE

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 6 February

27-28-32 39-46-52

BONUS BALL

6

IRISH LOTTO Sat 6 February

1-9-22 34-41-43

BONUS BALL

20

EURO MILLIONS Tue 2 February

BONUS BALL

9

18-20-35 38-48

12

Fri 5 February

BONUS BALL

12-19-37 44-45

2 6

EL MILLON: KLC00439 LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 4 February

BONUS BALL

05-09-11 33-46-49

10 2

JOKER: 1464402 Sat 6 February

BONUS BALL

07-15-22 37-41-42

28

JOKER: 6007044

5

TIME OUT

40

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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, 24 represents V and 25 represents P, so fill in V every time the figure 24 appears and P every time the figure 25 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 Vendedor (6) 3 Vuelo (6) 8 Jubilado (7) 10 Lioness (5) 11 Rueda (5) 12 School (7) 13 Deporte (5) 15 Glasses (for drinking) (5) 20 Insect (7) 22 Hasta (5) 24 To spin (5) 25 Respirar (7) 26 To tear up (6) 27 Panadería (6)

Down 1 Pajitas (6) 2 Litro (5) 4 Lila (5) 5 Rude (discourteous) (7) 6 Bolsita de té (3,3) 7 Bordes (de asientos, andenes, pañuelos) (5) 9 Regla (para trazar líneas) (5) 14 Desserts (7) 16 Divertir (5) 17 Jengibre (6) 18 Peines (5) 19 Soñoliento (6) 21 Letter (mail) (5) 23 Título (5)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK

BOGGLED

Across: 1 Depth, 4 Skips, 7 Petroleum, 8 Real, 10 Blend, 13 Cover, 14 Tell, 17 Dangerous, 19 Ended, 20 Lifts.

Down: 1 Depart, 2/18 Put off, 3 Hook, 4 Steals, 5 Immense, 6 Save, 9 Avoided, 11 Penned, 12 Closes, 15 Duke, 16 Heal.

isthmi this than thin tonne tone atone anoint anon nonfat none nonet stoa stone shaft shot shoat shone shim shin sinh hits hist hats haft hots hoist hone hint oats oath oaths ohms often fats foist font mist mishit mint mitt mitre iota info infer nisi nims nitre tenon tennis tref tree jinn jinnee free feet reft reef heft

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Adam, 3 Esoteric, 9 Javelin, 10 On tap, 11 Colon, 12 Teller, 14 Nomads, 16 Thatch, 19 Primer, 21 Masai, 24 Usurp, 25 Cremona, 26 Listener, 27 Feud.

Down: 1 Adjacent, 2 Anvil, 4 Sanity, 5 Troll, 6 Retreat, 7 Copy, 8 Planed, 13 Thailand, 15 Marquis, 17 Hammer, 18 Creche, 20 Maple, 22 Slope, 23 Pull.

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Scarves, 5 Fifth, 8 Magro, 9 Luckier, 10 Event, 11 Sinus, 12 Llamar, 14 Gansos, 18 Crisp, 20 Rough, 22 Iglesia, 23 Licor, 24 Besos, 25 Tostado.

Down: 1 Semanal, 2 Angle, 3 Violeta, 4 Salute, 5 Focas, 6 Friends, 7 Hurts, 13 Anillos, 15 Abuelas, 16 Salario, 17 Breast, 18 Climb, 19 Pasas, 21 Hacha.

CODE BREAKER

FUTOSHIKI

NONAGRAM enol envy gent glen gone inly into lent lien line ling lino lint lion loin lone long noil note only oven tine ting tiny tone tong tony vein vent vine vino viny envoi envoy eying given glint ingle ingot inlet lento levin lingo linty liven lying novel ovine tigon tinge tying veiny vinyl vying gently legion lenity loving tiglon tingle tingly toeing toying voting lentigo levying novelty vetoing violent LONGEVITY

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 EDGING 2 ORIENT 3 SPREAD 4 OBTAIN 5 GARAGE 6 SUNDRY 7 DANGLE 8 INBRED 9 AMIDST 10 LABOUR 11 MARINA 12 SERIES 13 REASON 14 SCHIST 15 RADIUS 16 ANNEAL 17 PIECED 18 ERRANT 19 PARLEY

ROOM ROOT SOOT SPOT SPIT SPIN

KAKURO

SUDOKU

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Costa Blanca TODAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA

WEATHER

BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

TOMORROW

DENIA JAVEA CALPE

Malaga TODAY: MAX 21 MIN 9 Fri 21 12 Sat 20 11 Sun 20 10 Mon 19 10 Tues - 18 10 Wed 18 9

Alicante TODAY: MAX 22, MIN 10 Fri 22 10 Sat 21 10 Sun 19 13 Mon 18 11 Tues - 19 11 Wed 19 10

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

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 21, MIN 11 Fri 20 11 Sat 21 11 Sun 20 11 Mon 20 10 Tues - 17 10 Wed 17 11

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 18, MIN 8 Fri 17 9 Sat 14 9 Sun 14 8 Mon 13 8 Tues 16 9 Wed 15 8

Mallorca TODAY: MAX 32, MIN 21 Fri 30 23 Sat 32 21 Sun 32 21 Mon 31 22 Tues 30 22 Wed 29 21

Madrid TODAY: MAX 15, MIN 8 Fri 15 8 Sat 15 7 Sun 14 7 Mon 13 8 Tues 13 9 Wed 12 9

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 9 Fri 16 9 Sat 15 9 Sun 14 10 Mon 13 10 Tues 13 8 Wed 13 8

41

TIME OUT

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

BOGGLED How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules?

• The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

• Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms.

• No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice.

• No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

ALTEA BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

SATURDAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

S: Sun

C: Cloudy

Th: Thunder

Cl: Clear

Sh: Showers

Sn: Snow

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

TARGET:

SCORING:

Average: 19 Good: 26 Very good: 38 Excellent: 49

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 Speak about odd love for a sausage (7) 4 Dealt with policeman and journalist (5) 7 Prince not beginning to wrap a range of items (5) 9 She can't possibly punish (7) 10 Nice tax break is incorrect (7) 11 Some fourteen termites go in (5) 12 The head of government ran New York for a relative (6) 14 Support for young animal (4,2) 18 Hard bits from plums? (5) 20 President that's kind of green (7) 22 Clothes were first in jumble (7) 23 A woman liked it here? Not entirely (5) 24 Romeo gets colleague to perk up (5) 25 Strange person accommodating head of Government is a parasite (7) Down 1 Thus a monarch is very wet (7) 2 There's a limit in over-generalising (5) 3 Cathy’s rocking the boats (6) 4 End reveals words of advice, as expected (5) 5 Bottoms and top, that's a quick change! (3,4) 6 Foreign currency found in a remote part (5) 8 Long story about the capital of Ecuador (5) 13 Almost venerate a large naval officer (7) 15 Get up about noon and use mouthwash? (5) 16 Criticise the river cat (7) 17 Pleased to be given directions to open spaces (6) 18 Stirred up regal beer (5) 19 Spread out and point before drama (5) 21 Due to circumstances, the account was still unsettled (5)

TIME OUT

42

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SUDOKU

QUICK

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9.

There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

Across

Down 1 Be without (4) 2 Previously (7) 3 Complete (5) 4 Make better (4) 8 Parallelogram with four right angles (9) 5/19 Exit a computer (3,3) 9 Unchanging and unmoving (5) 6 Units of area (5) 10 Requests information about (4) 7 Rich and abundant meal (5) 14 Uncommon (4) 11 Cardigan (7) 12 Lets fall to the ground (5) 15 Large, humped ruminant (5) 13 Keen (5) 18 Outstanding (9) 16 Use teeth to cut into something (4) 20 Frequently (5) 17 Very strong wind (4) 21 Costing nothing (4) 19 See 5

WORD LADDER

1 False statements (4)

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

WILD

QUIZ BACK PAIR

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS 1. ‘Blood and Fire’ is the motto of which Christian church and international charitable organisation, founded in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth?

2. Daniel Hillard was the ‘real’ name of which Robin Williams’ 1993 film character?

3. The 1991 reissued version of Light My Fire was the only UK top 10 hit single for which American rock band?

4. What name is given to a mixture of gases (mostly methane) that form in coal mines and become explosive when mixed with air?

5. What name is given to the phenomenon in which a luminous electrical discharge appears on a ship or aircraft during a storm?

6. What was the title of the 1981 British historical drama film that was based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams?

7. Which archipelago that takes it's name from the Spanish for 'Land of Fire' is situated on the southernmost tip of South American mainland?

8. Which British animated comedy children's series, first broadcast on S4C on November 1, 1987. and a few weeks later on BBC 1, is set in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy?

9. Which novel by Tom Wolfe, first published in 1987, is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City and centres on three main characters: WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish assistant district attorney Larry Kramer, and British expatriate journalist Peter Fallow?

10. Who was the Roman god of fire?

NONAGRAM

RACHEL AND FRIENDS

Not a lot of people know that… forest fires move faster uphill than

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

TARGET:

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

Average: 9 Good: 13 Very good: 18 Excellent: 23

Answers 1. SALVATION ARMY, 2. MRS DOUBTFIRE, 3. THE DOORS, 4. FIREDAMP, 5. ST ELMO’S FIRE, 6. CHARIOTS OF FIRE, 7. TIERRA DEL FUEGO, 8. FIREMAN SAM (SAM TÂN in Welsh), 9. THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, 10. VULCAN

EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

BRITS ALLERGIC IN SPAIN From our Facebook I WAS very interested to read the letter by Lee Sales regarding allergies in Spain. I lived in the heart of the Cheshire countryside for over 30 years and never suffered from ‘hay fever’ or any related allergies. Since living in Spain I have found that for most of the year I suffer from a runny nose, sore eyes and what feels like the start of a cold and every year it seems to get a little worse. I don’t look forward to the blossoming of the mimosa trees, due any time now as they seem to make it worse. So back to the antihistamine tablets again…

VS

SIERRO AND SUFLI SUFFER BUT WHY? We live in a small Andalucia village called Sierro.

Less than 400 inhabitants and the only time we get stuck in a traffic jam is if we are behind the village donkey. 2km down the road is Sufli, sometimes jokingly referred to as ‘Sierro Abajo.’ LESS than 200 inhabitants.

Between us we have three bars, two pharmacies and two shops. Everybody knows everybody else!

Until this week Sufli was one of only 10 municipalities in Andalucia to register NO Covid cases. Not now! This week two people in Carboneras and two people in Almeria City tested positive for Covid. So why should this worry us? Unfortunately they are registered in Sierro and Sufli, even though they don’t live there, and haven’t actually been there since December or earlier.

So why have the Andalucia health authority closed both villages down? Lies, damned lies and statistics!

One more Covid case in Almeria City or Carboneras will close all three bars down. People’s livelihoods removed. We have worn our masks, used the gel, maintained our distances and stayed safe. Yet the Junta want to close us down. Don Quixote and Pedro Sancho Panza rule!

Surely there should be some right of appeal in cases such as this. Small villages like ours have suffered enough, is this our reward?

David & Barbara Mitchell

FEEL FREE TO SPEAK Great article, as usual Leapy!

I certainly won’t be watching this freak show of a film now!

You are one of the few columnists that I bother to read - you are not afraid to tell it like it is!

W Ramos

School breeding grounds THERE appears to be a general view that the latest spike in the pandemic is beginning to turn down and that there may be a slight relaxation of restrictions in different Autonomous Regions over the next few weeks.

Anecdotal evidence suggests however that by leaving schools open and not testing every child on a regular basis, there is a hidden potential for the epidemic to not just be allowed to continue, but to actually get worse.

Some private schools have made the decision to close as soon as

CORRECTIONS

TODAY’S EDITON Not sure it was intended to be funny but it gave a laugh.

You printed a story about the nudist who carries his acquittal papers in his ‘bum bag.’

John

LEAPY Hi Leapy, Where was the furore when Elizabeth Taylor played Cleopatra? Or when Ben Kingsley played Mahatma Gandhi? Or when Michael Bates played Rangi Ram? Joseph Fiennes is going to play Michael Jackson.

There was a furore when a black man (Ira Aldridge) played Othello in Convent Garden. Coronation Street was the only town in Britain with a white corner shop owner. Eastenders had a very white cast of stall holders in the East End! A few of the many hundred examples of white people playing non-white parts ‘Othello,’ 1952: One of literature’s most famous black characters is also one of the most commonly portrayed in blackface. But Orson Welles, who played the title character in this adaptation of the classic play, had the sense to skip the blackface in favour of a ‘mild bronzing.’

‘Apache,’ 1954: Just go ahead and guess what kind of character Burt Lancaster played here.

‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, 1955: Dr Han Suyin, the mixed-race doctor from China who falls for an American in Hong Kong in this movie, asserts, “I’m Eurasian!” throughout the film. But the actress who played Suyin, Jennifer Jones, was neither European nor Asian; Jones was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to American parents.

‘The Teahouse of the August Moon,’ 1956: Marlon Brando played a Japanese man named Sakini.

‘The Conqueror,’ 1956: John Wayne played Genghis Khan.

As a qualified teacher, I can tell you that the education sector is not comprised of ‘left wing” teachers.

Most of the ones I have come across are disproportionately right wing and religious, compared to the general population.

Lose the faith and stick to evidence, Tony Powell

OUR VIEW

they became aware that some of their children had tested positive, but in the case of public schools it almost seems that the authorities are turning a blind eye to the problem.

The perceived view was that children are most able to cope with the disease, but the fact is that if they are carriers, they are likely to infect other children who in turn will pass on the disease to older members of their families.

There is no shame for a school to admit that despite all of its attempts to keep its scholars safe it

has seen the number of infected rise and if that is the case then it should close so that the children are not the potential cause of a further increase in infections.

Gibraltar is a perfect example where things started to get completely out of hand and the infection shot up partly because the schools remained open but having taken the difficult decision to close them all, the rates have dropped sufficiently to start to remove restrictions.

This is something that should be seriously considered in Spain.

Sheree Ruiz It just shows sad lonely people. Of course guys with their young pieces of fluff equally get ripped off but that isn’t newsworthy.

Paula Wilkes With all of the programmes/media coverage of women in similar situations, that women still get caught by these men.

Karen Walker Walsh Yes. Ridiculous what young lad is going to see anything in an older woman. Why would an older woman chase a young man? Look but you don’t touch.

Brenda Ripley As if a young man wants an older woman, don’t be fooled by these foreigners.

Rita Turner Serves them right, no sympathy they must have read or seen about these passport hunters.

Carla Landreth Can’t believe women are still falling for these men!!!! Sorry but no sympathy at all.

Jeff Tolman Going to Anne Summers would have been cheaper.

David Sampson Why is it always in places such as Spain and Turkey? Lol

Linda Farr They are called toyboy for a reason, play don’t buy.

Bert Johnson Hats off to the wise old birds that just get a good free rodgering.

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Nobody is 100 per cent sure MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION

Views of a Grumpy Old Man I’VE tried to keep away from writing about Covid because there seems to be so many different views. I am more inclined to follow the science than the conspiracy theories but, having said that, there are so many different opinions that it’s hard to know what to believe. I constantly see figures of people dying with Covid. The interesting thing here is the use of the word ‘with’ and not ‘of’.

The whole situation of whatever you have or had is irrelevant if you tested positive for Covid 28 days prior to dying of say cancer or heart failure. You, according to the statistics, died of Covid. So I find that confusing. Then there’s the daily updates where the experts kind of answer prepared questions. The problem here is the answers, a lot of the time, are “if this happens, then we expect that might cause this to happen”. So the ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘we think’, ‘it’s possible’ etc is all just a bit of guesswork.

I must emphasise I am not anti-vaccine. I have my flu and pneumonia jabs every

year. I love a pill and I’m quite happy to inject myself every day with my insulin. What I am is anti being forced to have something I’m not entirely sure has been tested enough. France and Germany are now saying the ‘vaccine’ has not been tested enough on folks in my age group. Why don’t they give it to all the youngsters first?

After all, they are the ones that are out and about wanting to party and mix. Most of us oldies are at home a lot more anyway.

What’s the point of giving it to us first?

But what I really don’t like is seeing that, if you don’t have the vaccine, some are suggesting you could be segregated, might not get a job or be able to use trains, buses, supermarkets or aeroplanes. Spain will keep a register of those who decline the jab which will, they say, be confidential. If it’s confidential why do you need a register?

Remember, nobody actually 100 per cent knows what the vaccine is going to do longterm. Vaccinated or not you may still get and possibly spread the virus. Plus, how will you differentiate between people who have and people that haven’t? I know, let’s make them wear an armband or badge maybe even tattoo a membership number on their arm!!!!

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

11 - 17 February 2021

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Electrical Dance in Alicante ‘CURRENTS’ is based on the cre‐ ative battle that Nikola Tesla and Thomas Alva Edison engaged in for the invention of modern forms of electricity. A time in his‐ tory when electrical power was still somewhere between magic and science.

In Currents, which comes to

the Alicante Principal Theatre on Tuesday, February 23, the Mayumana group composes an immensely sophisticated show that uses the resources of the‐ atre, dance, music, clown, mime and percussion, while using sim‐ ple physical resources: four women and four men interpret‐

ing the mathematics of the arts.

Theatre‐goers will be left amazed as the Mayumana group leaves us with the mes‐ sage that creativity arises by putting our own energy sources in motion. Our bodies and souls move with energy, the synapses are, in fact, electrical impulses.

Streams of water and electricity flow.

Everything is movement and sound waves are interpreted in the body with dance, with the rhythms and patterns given by the heart.

This wonderful show costs be‐ tween €25 and €35 and tickets are via Instanticket or at the box office. There are two shows which start at 6.30pm and 9.30pm.

SOCIAL SCENE

We Love Queen We Love Queen Cathedral is ready to rock Elche’s Grand The‐ atre.

Guided by the ‘Great Fan’ of Queen, who has set up a whole rock cathedral in homage and tribute to his favourite band, participants in attendance will be able to join in the fun and be

apart of this enthusiastic tribute to the life and work of Queen.

One of the attendees will even be invited to go on stage to take part in the show and give meaning to the ‘ceremony,’ which takes place on May 28 at 8pm.

Featuring an impressive line‐

up of live musicians, dancers, ac‐ tors and singers, this wonderful show ‘will rock you’ as it comes together to create a show full of good music and energy.

Tickets to this rocking show are on sale via the box office at the Grand Theatre in Elche and cost between €18 and €24.

Virtual Spangle Chorus SPANGLES Ladies’ Harmony Chorus, who normally meet at the Las Claras Centre in Los Narejos, Los Alcázares, Murcia, every Thursday, is offering you a golden opportunity to explore your love for singing, despite the restrictions.

“The pandemic has thrown up some challenges for us as a chorus, but we’ve risen to them and managed to keep singing,” says their American Musical Director, Valerie Lynch; who took over as MD at the start of lockdown in March 2020.

Spangles’ management team have devised ways to keep the chorus singing together during the pandemic. Chorus Manager (and tech whizz), Lyn Baines, explains: “We tried Zoom and all those other wonderful online meeting apps, but none would allow us to all sing at the

same time. Latency is a big issue, so Valerie kindly offered to coach us individually and this is what we have been doing during restrictions.”

Their last rehearsal together was on October 29, however, since then, they have returned to online coaching and have been successful in recruiting new virtual members - even learning seven new songs and creating five videos since March 2020 - with another video set to be released on Valentine’s Day. If you live permanently in Murcia region or Alicante Province, you can join the chorus as a virtual member, with a view to becoming a full member once they are able to meet again.

To find out more, email info@spanglescho rus.com or visit Facebook: https://www.face book.com/SpanglesChorus.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Science of eating THERE are all kinds of fad diets doing the rounds, promising the world only to come crumbling apart like a tender chunk of car‐ rot cake. But changing the focus to when and how often you eat, rather than only what, can bring serious slimming rewards.

The word fasting naturally brings negative connotations to mind. As though you were pun‐ ishing yourself, or going on a reli‐ gious retreat. But when you con‐ sider that the benefits of a fast ‐ improved digestion, fat‐burning, insulin resistance ‐ come into play after just 12 hours, it’s a dif‐ ferent proposition.

The word ‘breakfast’ refers to breaking the evening fast. Try simply leaving a 12‐hour space between dinner and breakfast and you’ll notice a major differ‐ ence if you’re used to grazing throughout the day. If you’re feeling braver then a 14‐18 hour fast puts your body into fat‐ burning mode.

Once you feel comfortable, with reduced hunger pangs and sugar cravings, try a longer fast.

Here the benefits are even

FASTING: For between 14 and 18 hours will put your body into fat-burning mode. stronger as your body begins the process of autophagy, re‐ newing and repairing on a cellu‐

lar level. Speak with your doctor first before attempting such a fast.

11 - 17 February 2021

EWN 47

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Clever cats love us RESEARCH conducted by scientists in Japan has revealed that contrary to popular belief, cats are actually equal to their canine counterparts when it comes to intelligence.

Previous arguments cited a dog’s ability to be trained and learn commands as evidence that they have superior mental abilities, but in reality a cat could do exactly the same if it wanted to. The differences lie in their desire to do a certain activity. We know that many cats are independent and will come and go as they please, whereas dogs are pack animals that respond to a so‐ cial hierarchy.

Japanese scientists have found that cats can respond to hu‐ man commands, gestures, emotions and expressions, just like dogs. However, the most interesting study involves a cat’s mem‐ ory. We already know that dogs have episodic memories and re‐ call past events.

This suggests that not only do cats also have the same capac‐ ity for memory, but they may actually enjoy recalling specific memories, especially of human interactions. This shows a high‐ er level of intelli‐ gence than has ever previously been expected and may help to settle the ques‐ tion of whether cats are capable of loving their owners.

SORRY DOGS: Research shows cats may be just as clever.

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Weakness, paralysis, tremors, disorientation or seizures are a few symptoms that something is wrong in a dog’s nervous system.

The symptoms can appear suddenly, progressively or spo‐ radically. To give your dog the best chance at recovery from a neurological disorder, it’s impor‐ tant for you to recognise signs.

For example, head tilt, tremors,

blindness , seizures could be signs of brain disorders. Unstable gait, limb paralysis, urinary inconti‐ nence could be signs of spinal cord problems.

Your best ally during this nasty moment is knowledge and, of course, professionals like veteri‐ nary neurologists, specialists who have been trained to identify signs and provide care when the nervous system is involved. To properly diagnose these condi‐ tions, neurologists use different tests, like a spinal tap or an MRI.

Recognise the signs.

In Costablanca Sur: Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante www.resonanciaveterinaria.es

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out the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aacostablanca.org (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.co m (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(1000 6)

CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. English-speaking AA meetings are held through-

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HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja. com and also on Facebook.

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53

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tact Chairman Tony at tony.elaine.cuenta@gmai l.com. For Welfare contact David on 615 048 892. For general information on RAFA visit www.rafa.org.uk.

(238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer?

See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital.

If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com.

If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishle gion.org.uk/branches/ori huela-costa - covering from

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(10004) ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455) STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesupport group@hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesup port.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)

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EWN 55

Nissan Leaf is a sound EV choice ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack IT led the EV charge and is still a hard act to beat.

It led the EV charge but the Leaf is not Nissan’s first electric vehicle. The company’s electric ambitions go back to the 1940s and finally reached series pro‐ duction with the Leaf in 2010.

Since it debuted the Leaf’s range has gradually been ex‐ tended and today there are two versions with 168 or 239 miles of range.

In the real world of course you would be lucky to

reach that goal, but the Nissan has the potential to get reason‐ ably close to its limit given the right driving situation. EVs don’t like motorways because there’s less braking which means less regeneration so the battery doesn’t get as much charge. Move into an urban scenario and things change for the better. Having said all that the Leaf offers greater journey length for its price than many EVs. It also provides practicali‐ ty, seating for up to five people and a boot to match.

Prices start from a very com‐ petitive, for an EV, €30,316 (£26,845) on t h e

A hard act to beat.

lead‐in 40 kwh model with a range of 168 miles.

My test e+ Tekna model (€39,202/£34,710) has the ar‐ guably more practical 62 kwh battery with a 239 mile range.

Standard fare is good with even the entry level model and includes such items as auto lights and high beam assist, au‐ to wipers, adaptive cruise con‐ trol, Apple Car Play and An‐ droid Auto, DAB radio, Bluetooth, navigation and a plethora of safety kit.

There’s some impressive tech on the Leaf including e‐ Pedal that allows you to just use your right foot as when you ease off the throttle the car brakes. Depending how quickly you ease off decides on the level of braking, so it’s fairly easy to learn to feather the throttle. It’s one of those things where until you’ve experi‐ enced it you wonder what’s the point.

Try it and you realise just how easy it makes the driving.

Add an Eco mode, along with increased regenerative braking, and there are plenty of opportunities to maximise range. Prices for the longer

range 239 mile model start at €36,923 (£32,695) and bring in‐ creased specification and per‐ formance.

The Leaf set the trend and continues to be a sound EV choice. In some areas it shows

its age against more digital competitors but personally I’d rather have buttons than digi‐ tal. If you want an affordable EV combining practicality and decent equipment levels then the Leaf is a hard act to beat.

SPORT

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11 - 17 February 2021

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100 Goal Man Slight Setback

PATRICK BAMFORD scored his 100th career goal as Leeds United were able to secure all three points and move into the top half of the Premier League table after a 2‐0 victo‐ ry over Crystal Palace on Monday, February 8.

The home side got off to a perfect start when Jack Harrison scored in the third minute of the game following a deflect‐ ed shot that beat Palace keeper Vi‐ cente Guaita.

Palace had their chances through‐ out with Eberechi Eze missing the best one on 67 minutes, firing a cutback from Michy Bat‐ shuayi high over the bar.

The Leeds United de‐ fence held firm under

late pressure to earn their seventh clean sheet of the season after for‐ mer Chelsea player Patrick Bam‐ ford scored another league goal on 52 minutes to double the lead for the home side.

The result secured a 10th top‐flight win of the sea‐ son for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Both of these sides re‐ turn to Premier League action once again next weekend.

Leeds travel to London to face Arsenal on Sunday February 14 whilst Crystal Palace host Burnley on Satur‐ day February 13.

BAMFORD: Scored his 100th goal.

CELTA VIGO: Move up a place to 10th.

A HOME draw against Celta Vigo on Monday, February 8 has slowed Atletico’s push for their first La Liga title since 2014.

The 2‐2 draw still means that Diego Simeone’s side remains top, eight‐points clear and with a game in hand over second‐place side, Barcelona. Real Madrid are currently level on points with Bar‐ ca back in third.

Luis Suarez continued his amazing goalscoring form with a

goal either side of half time, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for the league leader as a late strike from Facundo Ferreyra earned a point for Vigo. Suarez was unable to inspire Atletico’s ninth win on the bounce despite levelling the match in the first half, cancelling out a goal from Celta front man Santi Mina who deservedly headed the away team in front after 13 minutes.

Atletico took the lead shortly

after the restart when the Uruguayan popped up again, burying a low cross from Renan Lodi, but it wasn’t enough for the home side, as in the 89th minute, Ferreyra was left unmarked in the Atletico box to slot home past Jan Oblak.

Atletico will face Granada next time out. Meanwhile, Celta Vigo move up a place to 10th and they will welcome Elche on Friday February 12.