Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 18 - 24 March 2021 Issue 1863

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 24 - 27 ISSUE NO. 1863

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The people’s paper

18 - 24 March 2021

COSTA DE ALMERIA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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ROAD TO SUCCESS

LAST year the regional government spent more than €30 million on Almeria’s roads.

Focusing on safety and the upkeep of the roads also meant that lives could be saved, different areas linked up and de-population combatted in remote municipalities, said the Junta’s Marifran Carazo during her recent visit to Almeria.

Reviewing Andalucia’s 2020 investment in the province’s roads network, the head of the Public Works, Infrastructure and Territorial Planning department, described this as “a historic sum.”

It was 52 per cent more than Almeria’s road network re-

ALMERIA VISIT: Marifran Carazo with Maribel Sanchez, the Junta’s delegate to Almeria and Public Works delegate, Eloisa Cabrera. ceived in the final year of the present government’s predecessors, Carazo commented.

“During the last economic

crisis, they opted to freeze projects. In contrast Juanma Moreno’s government decided not to halt anything despite

the pandemic.”

The investment in the province’s roads provided more than 2,000 direct and indirect

Palomares story retold A MOVISTAR documentary that airs in April will allegedly tell ‘the uncensored truth’ about the Palomares bombs.

“They hid the truth for so long that it’s hard to believe it now,” Movistar’s advance publicity declared.

The four-part series entitled Palomares. Dias de playa y plutonio (Palomares. Days of beach and plutonium) will tell the story of the day in January 1966 when a B-52G Air Force bomber collid-

ed in mid-air with a KC-135 tanker while refuelling.

All four aboard the tanker were killed and three of the B52G’s crew of seven died when the bomber broke apart.

The aircraft was carrying four hydrogen bombs, three of which fell to the ground near Palomares on the outskirts of Cuevas del Almanzora.

The non-nuclear explosives in two of the bombs detonated on impact, contaminating a two

square-kilometre area with plutonium 239. The fourth bomb was found at sea, 10 weeks later.

The documentary promises to feature recently-declassified documents and material, with the Movistar publicists reminding potential viewers that the Palomares incident was one of the most serious pre-Chernobyl nuclear incidents.

Palomares. Dias de playa y plutonio will also dwell on the

‘surrealist situation’ as two totally different worlds met when 1,600 US soldiers were sent to Palomares (population 1,000) in a hurried cleaning-up operation.

jobs at the height of the health, economic and social crisis, the Public Works chief pointed out.

“In Almeria the regional government’s policies have resulted in investments spread throughout the province, tackling historic problems that endangered road safety as well as the province’s economic and social development,” Carazo declared, citing projects like the Almanzora motorway.

“The El Cucador-La Concepcion section, which has a total Budget of €25 million, is now 65 per cent completed,” she stated. Work there was progressing so well that the motorway was likely to be finished

ahead of the scheduled completion date of March 2022, she revealed.

While in Almeria Carazo took the time to visit Almeria’s Alpujarra area where she visited €475,000 emergency work on the A-1075 in Alhabia which was badly damaged by Storm Filomena at the beginning of the year.

From there the Consejera went on to visit repairs to a onekilometre section of the A1075RI linking the A-1075 with Huechar in Alhama de Almeria.

Once finished this will complete renovations to a road that had been neglected for the last 20 years.

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NEWS

Working together for tourism ADRA’S mayor Manuel Cortes and the Junta de Andalucia will work together to boost local tourism and promote the town.

During a recent meeting also attended by Elisa Fernandez and Pe‐ dro Peña, Adra’s Tourism and Sports councillors, Cortes and the Jun‐ ta’s Tourism delegate, Victor Garcia Egea, discussed the town’s future needs in helping tourism to “take off.”

“In order to do this, solid collaboration between the administra‐ tions is essential,” the mayor said.

The meeting focused on the town hall’s tourism plans, he ex‐ plained, and expressed satisfaction at Garcia Egea’s “total willingness” to collaborate on helping historic Adra to occupy the position it de‐ served while highlighting its potential as an important Almeria tourist municipality. Referring to the town’s 14 kilometres of beaches, agri‐ culture and fishing industry, Cortes said that the town hall and the Junta would be working to highlight Adra’s strengths in ways that would be attractive both to the town’s residents as its visitors.”

COLLABORATION: Adra’s mayor and councillors discuss future strategies with the Junta’s Tourism delegate.

Almeria Port Police Vaccinated ALMERIA’S Port Police have been included in the current round of vaccinations by the Ministry of Health and Fami‐ lies of the Andalucian Govern‐ ment. Now 52 members of the port police have been lucky enough to receive their first dose of the vaccine against the potentially deadly virus.

The Mediterranean Games Stadium in Almeria was used to

carry out the vaccinations. The port police are responsible for the vigilance and security of both the Almeria and Carbon‐ eras ports.

Jesus Caicedo, the president of the Port Authority of Almeria (APA), explained the impor‐ tance of vaccinating the port staff due to the essential ser‐ vices that they carry out. He ex‐ plained that, “it is important

Street Art Boost URBAN art became a feature in many large cities during the 90s and was spotted appearing in many cities such as London, Lisbon and Berlin.

Spokesperson for the Municipal group of Podemos, Carmen Mateos explained how she wants to modernise the city of Alme‐ ria and bring in more tourists. She said, “we want to take a step further towards modernity as other cities have already done that, have put themselves on the world map thanks to some of their street graffiti. It is also a different way of beautifying the city, putting an end to the rough graffiti and artistic nonsense that dis‐ figure many of the walls of Almeria.”

Mateos went on to highlight the fact that, “urban art is not on‐ ly a mere form of artistic expression, it is also an added value to tourism and culture in our city which, thanks to these interven‐ tions, we can create and promote a more beautiful, more mod‐ ern and touristic Almeria.”

that those who are in the front line of activity in the ports ‐ for their safety and that of the whole port community, are vaccinated against the coron‐ avirus.”

Pagan interlude cancelled FOLLOWING a Zoom meeting all Levante mayors agreed to cancel this year’s Dia de la Vieja (Old La‐ dy’s Day).

All municipal picnic areas, parks and public gardens were closed as a safety measure owing to the Junta’s anti‐Covid restrictions that limit gatherings in a public or pri‐ vate area to six people, apart from those living in the same house‐ hold.

Old Lady’s Day is celebrated each year on the Thursday closest to mid‐Lent with an outdoor meal for family and friends, often in the country. It is a big day for children who, as the meal ends, gather round the figure of their Vieja, breaking open her cloth head which is full of sweets.

It is the only fiesta in Andalucía not linked to a saint or holy figure, but centres on the pagan figure.

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NIBS EXTRA New arrival ALMERIA’S new auxiliary bishop, Antonio Gomez Cantero recently celebrated his first Mass in the city cathedral. During the coming months, he will be attending to bishop Adolfo Gonzalez Montes’s diary and getting to know the province before taking over when the incumbent retires in November.

Never used BALANEGRA’S sports complex, financed by the provincial council, was finished last year but remains closed. It lacks equipment and is located in an undeveloped area, prompting the PSOE socialists in opposition on Balanegra Council to urge the town hall to take action and get it up and running.

Young artists PUPILS from schools in Seron, El Ejido and Sorbas won the provincial phase of the 37th National Art Competition organised by ONCE, Spain’s national organisation for the blind. In all, 4,478 pupils from 41 Almeria schools participated in the competition organised to promote responsible use of new technologies.

Ultra-safe BERJA Town Hall is trying out ultraviolet disinfection for the areas where staff attend to the public. As the system approved by the Ministry of Health cannot be applied when people are present, a local engineering firm will disinfect these zones in the early hours of the morning.

Jobs plan ENDESA is seeking formulas to generate employment and boost the local economy in Carboneras which has been negatively affected by the decision to shut down its power station. The energy giant hopes to attract companies to the town by offering the site and its infrastructure for new projects.

Two views ROQUETAS Town Hall finished 2020 with a positive balance of €64.5 million, which Finance councillor Mayte Fernandez attributed to “doing things well” at a difficult time. Izquierda Unida councillor Juan Palo Yakubiuk disagreed, maintaining that the town hall had merely not carried out projects included in its Budget.

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Health centre improvements THE regional Health and Families department has completed the expansion works on the Carboneras health centre.

The Andalucian Government’s investment plan for health infrastructures totalled €6.2 million, and the Carboneras health centre has seen an investment of €107,000 to complete extension works.

The health centre was visited by the territorial delegate of Health and Families, Juan de la Cruz Belmonte, the mayor of Carboneras, José Luis Amérigo, and the delegate of the Junta de Andalucia in Almeria, Maribel Sánchez Torregrosa who

CARBONERAS VISIT: Jose Luis Amerigo with Juan de la Cruz Belmonte and Maribel Sanchez Torregrosa. explained how with the completion of the Carboneras health centre work, “we finish the 79 works launched by the

Regional Ministry of Health in different towns of the province.” These works have seen new services and spaces

created in local healthcare environments.

The delegate spoke of their gratitude for Almeria’s health workers fighting against the Coronavirus pandemic and gave thanks for “the great work being done by primary care in Almeria, which is carrying out its daily work on the front line in the fight against the virus in a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The delegate added, “We are currently focusing on vaccination with a total of 78,286 doses administered and a total of 22,213 people with the second dose.”

Nice little sideline running AN Almeria judge suspended and fined an Environmental official for issuing hunting licences and permits for private reserves without authorisation.

The unnamed man, who was assistant coordinator for Almeria’s Biogeographic Unit covering reserves in the Las Es‐

tancias‐Lucar zone, may not occupy a public sector post for a year and must pay a six‐month fine at the rate of €3 a day.

Although his job was to handle appli‐ cations, renewals and licence fees on be‐ half of the owners of hunting reserves,

he took cash payments without a re‐ ceipt.

After receiving €600 for a licence al‐ lowing use of a private reserve or €100 to shoot boar, he then processed the appli‐ cations at the Junta’s Environment dele‐ gation to Almeria, the court heard.

RBL Some dam good news Quiz

THE Royal British Legion Mo‐ jacar Branch are hosting a Quiz afternoon at Badgers on the Playa at 3pm on Thursday March 25. It will be the first so‐ cial event to be held following the recent munipal lockdown.

The Covid rules will be fol‐ lowed so masks and social dis‐ tancing will be required. Many people have expressed the de‐ sire to meet up and help de‐ feat the feeling of loneliness that has been prevalent of late. It is possible to have lunch beforehand, at 1.30, or have supper afterwards at 5pm.

Tony Matthews has kindly agreed to act as Quizmaster and there will be a raffle. Please ring Badgers on 950 478 525 if you’d like to order a meal. If you are alone and want to make up a table, or if you al‐ ready have friends who want to make up a table please contact Nick on 699 953 222. All pro‐ ceeds will be donated to the Poppy Appeal. The British Le‐ gion Mojacar Branch looks for‐ ward to your support.

THE Junta will spend €104 million on improvements to Andalucia’s reservoirs and river basins.

Speaking in the regional parliament, Carmen Crespo, responsible for Sustainable Develop‐ ment, emphasised the reservoirs’ importance as part of Andalucia’s ‘hydraulic heritage’ and lamented their official neglect over the last 10 years.

In Almeria, projects include an €18.4 million investment in the Beninar Canal and the Cuevas del Almanzora dam.

Crespo went on to say that this spending would assist in reactivating the economy and push‐ ing ahead with the Revolucion Verde (Green Revolution) that will generate more than 1,560 en‐ vironmentally‐friendly jobs in the region.

Vaccine call Red Cross opens

ASHAL, the Almeria association repre‐ senting the province’s hospitality in‐ dustry, does not foresee a record Easter.

Anti‐Covid restrictions will continue to affect turnover, the association said.

“It’s true that local people respond very well each time the bars reopen, but the new situation only allows es‐ tablishments to keep going with practi‐ cally no profit margin,” an Ashal com‐ munique said.

“If we’ve given up on Easter at least they should start taking steps for a re‐ covery this summer,” the statement continued, referring to the regional and central administrations.

“We’re aware that the vaccine is es‐ sential, and they should be working to ensure this reaches the sector’s em‐ ployees to reassure the tourists that will visit us this summer,” Ashal said.

THE Red Cross, soon to open a centre in Garrucha, will work closely with the town hall to assist vulnerable fami‐ lies.

“It was time to go further with our social policies,” said Garrucha’s mayor Maria Lopez Cervantes as she signed the collaboration agreement with Antonio Teodosio Alas‐ true, the Red Cross president in Almeria Province.

“The pandemic has disrupted our lives and is putting at risk many people who no longer have work or have seen their resources drastically reduced.”

Lifesavers wanted ADRA Town Hall is taking the first steps in creating the municipality’s own lifesaving service.

As well as guaranteeing the safety of beachgoers over the next two summer seasons, Adra’s mayor Manuel Cortes pointed out that the municipal service would con‐ tribute to creating employment inside the town.

According to the recently‐published terms and condi‐ tions, the lifesavers will be expected to work mornings and afternoons, including weekends and fiesta days ‘according to the needs and organisation’ of the service.

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Nursing a grudge THE pandemic year saw a fall in the number of at‐ tacks on medical staff, according to Andalucia’s Col‐ lege of Physicians.

With six aggres‐ sions, Almeria had fewer than most other Andalucia provinces, despite the tense situa‐ tion triggered by the Covid‐19 cri‐ sis.

Cadiz hospitals with 27 reported incidents had most, followed by Malaga (21). Sevil‐ la (16), Jaen (15), Granada (11), Huelva (9), Alme‐ ria (6) and Cordo‐ ba (5).

In all there were 110 attacks, com‐ pared with Spain’s total of 441.

Most attacks on Andalucia’s health professionals ‐ 54.5 per cent ‐ were carried out by women, reflect‐ ing their tendency over the last five years to react more conflictively than men over health issues, ac‐ cording to official figures.

Fifty‐five per cent of incidents occurred in prima‐ ry health care cen‐ tres and 14 per cent in health cen‐ tres’ Emergencies departments.

A further 13 per cent of the con‐ frontations took place in the re‐ gion’s hospitals and 8 per cent in hospitals’ A & E departments.

In 47 per cent of cases, aggression took the form of insults, while 41 per cent were threats and 13 per cent were physical attacks.

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Man Evacuated A MAN from Almeria was evacuated to the Torrecárdenas hospital after he suffered from smoke inhalation during a house fire at his home in Almeria City on the afternoon of March 10.

The emergency services received a call from a private individual at shortly after 2pm to report that a fire had broken out in the house and that it had started in the kitchen.

The coordination centre quickly mobilised the Almeria Fire Brigade, the National Police along with the Local Police and the Public Health Emergency Company (EPES).

Luckily though the man was able to be evacuated from the house and was taken to Almeria’s Torrecárdenas hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Donation For Defibrillator ON Monday March 15 the Military and Blue Light Veterans Association (MBLV) presented a cheque for €2,650 to the mayor of Arboleas, Cristobal Garcia Granados in support of the town hall’s project of purchasing defibrillators for the municipality.

The fun raising conducted by the MBLV included a charity dinner and the creation and sale of a ‘Cheeky Calendar.’ The calendar contained pictures of some members of the association and were, let’s say a little cheeky!

Funds were also used to support two local Spanish girls (who wish to remain anonymous) undergoing treatment for cancer, where the purchase of a pamper

day and a smart tablet were made.

The MBLV Association is a group set up for Military and Blue Light Veterans, currently with circa 140 ex Forces and emergency service personnel and their spouses, living in and around the Arboleas, Albox areas .

The group exists to provide a micro community where support, friendship and great memories can be fostered amongst likeminded people, and where possible charitable fundraising projects can be created.

Further information regarding the MBLV Association can be made by contacting MBLVS pain@gmail.com.

Illegal immigrants surprised GUARDIA CIVIL officers surprised eight illegal immigrants on Friday March 12, all of them young and from Algeria, when they were inter‐ cepted walking through the Almeria countryside on the way to the municipality of San José.

Hours before, Rubén Pulido, the expert on immigration policies, had revealed on his official Twitter profile that a fast boat was found on the coast of that town with its engines intact, with the occupants quickly fleeing inland as soon as they touched Spanish soil, to escape the con‐ trols of the state security forces. As detailed by the expert on immigra‐ tion policies, a motorised boat with Arabic serigraphy had appeared on Friday morning on the coast of San José, an Almeria municipality of just 850 inhabitants, located within the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, Nijar.

Later that afternoon, members of the state security forces ‘found them walking through the countryside’ after they had fled from the police checkpoints in the area, but finally, officers ended up intercept‐ ing all of them.

NEWS

‘Conversations in the Museum’ THE Andalucian Centre of Letters launches the ‘Conversations in the Museum’ programme.

Professor Rocío Plaza gave a conference on Gonzalo Bilbao’s painting ‘Las cigarreras’ and was joined by the director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Sevilla, Valme Muñoz, the director of the Andalucian Arts Centre, Eva Díaz, and the director of Sociocultural Actions of the Unicaja Foundation, Rafael Muñoz on Tuesday, March 9.

The event was part of the ‘Conversations in the Museum’ programme which is being both sponsored and organised by the CAL. The Director explained the programme, “we aim for literature to conquer our Andalucian museums, for words to be a voice in time.” He went on to discuss how writers will be able to choose a painting or a piece of artwork from one of Andalucia’s museums and then recreate it in writing. He highlighted that this will ‘all take place in the heart of the museums and art galleries.’

Three Dialysis Patients Die THE president of the Association for the Fight Against Kidney Diseases in Almeria (Alcer), Marta Moreno has claimed that although there is no direct evidence to suggest that three dialysis patients were infected whilst they were travelling in the same ambulance, it has raised a number of suspicions that this could be the case.

Moreno explained that “this multiple contagion could have been avoided,” but he also stressed the fact that that “it does not mean that the contagion occurred in the ambulance,

but there is a possibility that it could have happened, although there is no certainty.”

He now hopes that procedures can be changed so that the sharing of ambulances is limited and he highlighted that, “we cannot say categorically that they were infected in the ambulance, but so that this does not happen again, we ask that five people be banned from travelling in an ambulance. It should not exceed three dialysis patients. With three patients, each could travel in a row of seats and all safety measures would be maintained.”

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€12,000 in fines

A LORRY driver in Vigo faces fines amounting to €12,000 for committing multiple offences.

He was stopped by Local Po‐ lice, when they saw him swerv‐ ing from one lane to another, in‐ vading the path of oncoming vehicles on the road.

When stopped, the officers found that there were two peo‐ ple in the vehicle, aged 38 and 42, with the latter being the

owner of the vehicle.

According to reports, the lor‐ ry had serious faults and was transporting perishable goods (potatoes) without a delivery note or invoice providing the origin of the product and lacking the necessary public service transport card.

The tyres did not have the correct pressure and were severely worn, the suspension

was in poor condition, the insur‐ ance and ITV had expired and it had no back brakes or indicator lights. The front bumper was broken and had sharp edges and the front licence plate was illegible. The tacograph was not being used properly either.

Based on all of this, the lorry was immobilised and it was also found that the fuel used in the tank was not regulation.

Wines and Liquors Award OVER 50 products compete for the Sevilla Province Wines and Liquors Award, an initiative which aims to promote greater awareness of the products and promote tourism in the local area.

This year’s competition will see a stunning variety of wines and liqueurs on offer as over 50 products from 14 wineries have been entered for the Wines and Spirits Award.

The competition aims to promote the products and increase sales along with promoting the province’s wine culture as a tourist experience.

The president of the Provincial Council, Fernando Rodríguez Villalobos explained how the awards will go ahead despite the global coronavirus pandemic and explained that, “In the current crisis scenario, these awards are even more important, both in terms of supporting our agro‐in‐ dustry and boosting tourism in our region.”

The competition will have five categories which include still and sparkling white wines; still red wines; delicatessen, aromatised and sweet wines; singular wines from the province of Sevilla, and traditional liqueurs.

This year’s tastings will be held on March 24 and 25 with the award ceremony due to be held in April.

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Dog attack A 72-YEAR-OLD man was attacked by three dogs and sustained serious injuries to his face and arms.

The attack took place in the town of Pedralba, and the victim was said to have lost part of his nose and had significant injuries to both of his arms and leg.

It was initially unknown if the dogs belonged to any of the houses near the villa where the victim resides in the El Madroñal area of the town or if a pack of stray dogs attacked him.

However, it was later confirmed that they belonged to his neighbour and had jumped over a metal fence to attack the victim when he was tending to a small corral where he keeps chickens and ducks.

The owner of the dogs, aged 25, rushed to help the victim as soon as he heard him shouting, also jumping over the fence, despite being barefoot as he had been sleeping

Vaccination Update SPAIN’S Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, said that she expects that all people over the

age of 80 should be vaccinated against Covid by the end of March as the vaccine rollout

No Girls allowed

THREE DOGS: Attacked man who was taken to hospital.

at the time.

He prevented the man from sustaining more serious injuries by getting the dogs off him and locking them on his property again.

A team of paramedics assisted the wounded man on the scene, and after initial

treatment, he was taken to La Fe Hospital in Valencia in the advanced life support ambulance requiring surgery on his face.

The dogs are Labrador cross breed, which are not listed as potentially dangerous, and all of them are microchipped.

NEWS

LESS than a week on from the commemoration of In‐ ternational Women’s Day, it seems that workplace in‐ equality is still causing prob‐ lems in Spain, as was experi‐ enced by a student of the Labor University of A Coruña.

She is the only woman in a class of 19 men and is also the top student in the pro‐ gramme, yet she was re‐ fused a work placement while all of her male coun‐ terparts were accepted. The reason? She is a woman and the traditionally male‐domi‐ nated workplace of welders simply doesn’t have the fa‐ cilities to accommodate her.

“My dream is to become a welder,” the young student told Spanish daily Informa‐ cion. “There are 20 in the class, 19 boys and me. Every‐

one has gotten practices ex‐ cept me. They told me there were no changing rooms, clothes or bathrooms for girls.”

Through support from her fellow students, tutors and a HVAC and welding teacher, the young woman was even‐ tually able to secure a place‐ ment at a more‐open mind‐ ed establishment, but her mother said the initial rejec‐ tion was still a bitter pill to swallow.

“She came home with tears in her eyes. As a wom‐ an, as a mother and as a feminist, my blood boiled,” the furious mum said.

“She decides to go for it in a man’s world, and it turns out that she is the best in her class. Then she wonders why she can’t do the same as everyone else.”

steps up a gear.

“We are at a very important turning point and a horizon of hope.” The Minister added that the one-shot Johnson & Johnson jab is due to be delivered to Spain in mid-April, which should speed things up even further.

On the run-up to Holy Week, the Minister defended the decision to close perimeters, claiming that the measures are the result of “the experience” lived and the “learning” of the third wave.

She also said that no community wants a repeat of what happened at Christmas and over the celebration of the Three Kings, after which a huge increase in infections occurred.

“The important thing is to look forward to the future and give a message of certainty to the public,” the minister said. “The policy aims to give certainty and confidence, from a coordinated action, from a minimum of common understanding of those who are at the forefront of health responsibility, and that is what we have agreed for the feast of San José and Holy Week.”

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PROFESSIONAL organisations ASAJA, Coag and UPA, which represent Almeria agriculture, called on politicians to prevent a price war.

Talking to the provincial media, their spokespeople revealed that they have passed on members’ worries to all political groups in the national parliament.

They voiced their concerns

Price war predictions during talks on modifications to the Food Chain Law, explaining that as Spain’s supermarkets compete to lower prices, Almeria’s growers and farmers “could be obliged to pick up the bill.”

As happened in previous crises, supermarkets woo pan-

demic-hit families with everlower prices which could ultimately be “financed” by the agricultural sector, Asaja, Coag and UPA claimed.

“It’s intolerable that despite their efforts, growers and farmers are obliged work at a loss,” they said.

NEWS

Missing for two years POLICE found the mummified body of a 59‐year‐old woman in her home in A Coruña.

The investigation was initi‐ ated by the Local Police after having to move her vehicle from the road because works were due to start. It had been taken to a municipal lot, but the woman had never come to claim it.

The police began to make inquiries and eventually went to her home in Avenida do Seixo of Mugardos in A Coruña on Wednesday, March 10.

They found the woman’s body in one of the rooms of the house and it was taken to the Juan Cardona Hospital in Ferrol due to its advanced

state of decomposition.

What surprised police the most is that the woman had direct relatives, including sib‐ lings and children, who had not reported her missing, de‐ spite the fact that the condi‐ tion in which her body was found suggests that she had been dead for at least two years.

SEPE website back online THE State Public Employment Service (SEPE) website is once again giving users appointments and the pre-application service for individual benefits is also up and running.

Services on the website were partially restored on Monday, March 15, following a cyber attack on Tuesday March 9 that left the agency’s online services down for a week.

Experts from the National Cryptological Centre, the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) and the General Secretariat for Digital Administration have worked tirelessly to get the services running as normal as soon as possible with the maximum safety conditions, according to the Ministry of Employment. Other functions on the web are still not available, but

PEDRO BRITOS, head of the Vice Ministry of Transport, confirmed on Monday March 15, that at least 15 public transport companies have been denounced and sanc‐ tioned after slashing the fre‐ quency of their buses.

Hundreds of passengers have reportedly taken to so‐ cial media over the last few days to air their anger at hav‐

the service to get an appointment in an unemployment office is available and so is the first step to apply for benefits.

The other functions should be restored gradually as experts work as quickly as possible.

Deadlines for requesting benefits have been extended.

The Director General of SEPE, Gerardo Gutierrez, said the security problem had been contained. He ruled out that the agency’s computer applications or confidential data had been affected. The situation, he said “will not affect the rights of applicants for benefits, since the deadlines will be extended by as many days as the applications are out of service.”

Not fare! ing to use ‘overcrowded pub‐ lic transport’ because of the cuts.

Britos told Monumental 1080 AM a series of meetings are to be held with trans‐

portation companies to “cor‐ rect the problem and strengthen the areas where the regulated ones occur to avoid crowds.”

“We are going to take ac‐ tions so that no worker lacks the service to get to work and then home. We cannot deny the situation, we have 15 companies sanctioned for not complying with the frequen‐ cy,” he said.

Britos added that “there are transport companies that have declared bankruptcy and that they are working on quick solutions to cover the itineraries.”

The minister also told the radio station that the govern‐ ment is “finishing some ad‐ justments’ to plans for the Armed Forces to step in “to transport citizens” and rein‐ forced night timetables in light of new restrictions.

He warned that all compa‐ nies at fault have been sanc‐ tioned and “sanctions will continue for those that do not comply with the service.”

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Record-Breaking Weekend THE Andalucian ski resort of Sierra Neva‐ da has had a record‐breaking weekend as the ski resort welcomed around 18,000 visitors over Saturday March 13 and Sunday March 14. This is the maxi‐ mum capacity that is currently allowed due to coronavirus restrictions. It is thought that the good weather boosted the number of skiers as the resort had over 75 kilometres of slopes open over the weekend.

The Andalucian resort, managed by Cetursa, reported that both Saturday and Sunday reached full capacity. This

NEWS

MOJACAR COUNCIL REOPENS THE DOORS

SKI RESORT: Welcomed around 18,000 visitors.

TOWN BAND: Has resumed its regular rehearsals. meant that the Sierra Nevada resort had a record‐breaking weekend.

The resort is open to all Andalucians that live in a town that does not have a

perimeter closure in place due to the coronavirus. One further restriction is that visitors must have pre‐booked their ski pass in advance by the Internet.

Hunters Face Trial Coastal Concerns

IN Malaga, two men, who were arrested after hanging a podenco dog from an olive tree before throwing it off a cliff because ‘it was no longer useful for hunting,’ have been slapped with legal actions

by Partido Animalista (PACMA) and 12 other animal rights groups who are seeking the maximum sentence possible for crimes of animal abuse with aggravated cruelty resulting in death.

On February 6, a person witnessed the horrific act of cruelty and contacted the Guardia Civil; the dog’s microchip led officers to its owner, who was arrested for drunk driving. According to a statement from the Guardia Civil, he “was very aggressive, actively resisting identification, threatening and seriously disobeying the officers, for which he was arrested.” A short time later his accomplice was arrested, and he was the one who told officers they killed the dog because they no longer had any use for it.

ACCORDING to a new report, ‘Impacts and risks derived from climate change in Spain,’ published by the Min‐ istry for the Ecological Transi‐ tion and the Demographic Challenge, climate change is leading to a dramatic rise in sea levels which is threaten‐ ing the coastal areas of the country.

The sea level is currently ris‐ ing up to three centimetres each year, and the experts

predict that by 2100 it could rise by as much as 53 centime‐ tres globally, which would af‐ fect countless coastal towns and cities around the world.

In Spain, the situation varies significantly from region to re‐ gion.

The Spanish Mediterranean coast shows ‘high’ or ‘very high’ vulnerability to extreme events such as flooding, ac‐ cording to the report. While the flood level is expected to increase by around 6 per cent in the Canary Islands by 2040, the level is as low as 2 and 3 per cent in the rest of the Mediterranean coast and the Gulf of Cadiz.

Throughout Spain, signifi‐ cant beach declines are ex‐ pected, especially in the Cantabrian Sea, Galicia and the Canary Islands, according to the report.

MOJACAR Council’s Sports Department Schools have restarted, af‐ ter the necessary closure in January for safety reasons, due to the re‐ bound of Covid‐19 in the province.

With the town now in Level 3 Covid rules, activities such as paddle tennis, football, rhythmic gymnastics, pilates and karate are running again, with the same schedules and times as before.

The different sports are resuming their practice and training un‐ der the strict safety and hygiene measures recommended by the health authorities, along with the restrictions set by the National Health Service’s Interterritorial Council, which determines the scope of activities allowed according to the situation of each individual town. In total, more than 250 students of all ages will now have the chance to resume their sessions and classes since the enforced clo‐ sure in January.

The Music School has also been able to open its doors, with the town band resuming its regular rehearsals and, just as with the Sports School, there is a rigid protocol to follow. This includes measures such as using different entrances for entry and depar‐ ture, the prohibition of parents entering with the students and, in the case of the music school each student has a personalised space to set up to practise with their teacher, separated by two metres. Also, between each separate class, all rooms are disinfect‐ ed and fully ventilated.

In the Music and Dance School there are approximately 150 stu‐ dents studying woodwind, brass, piano, and movement. In early May, the piano students are set to perform an open‐air concert, al‐ though the date has not yet been announced.

The town band rehearsal dates are underway and they will also offer a concert of sacred music on April 4, in the Plaza del Parterre in the Pueblo. Unfortunately, now, their participation in competitions and all the usual collaborations in the local fiestas and events are on hold, pending the relaxation of mobility rules and full authorisation, which are dependent on the pandemic situation.

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Made in Spain

VACCINE: Important for manufacturing industry.

ACCORDING to reports, Spain could begin manufacturing the Sputnik V vaccine.

Spain’s Ministry of Health said the country is one of the candidates to manufacture the Russian vaccine.

According to reports, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) is in talks with several companies with facilities that have the capacity to produce them.

Kirill Dmitriev, director of the Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, which markets the vaccine around the world, said he had already reached agreements with production facilities in Italy, Spain, France and Germany to produce Sputnik.

However, a spokeswoman for Health said she is not aware that there are any agreements.

The company signed the first agreement with RDIF to manufacture the vaccine in Europe in Italy with pharmaceutical company Adienne, as confirmed by the fund and the ItalianRussian chamber of commerce.

This move is an important step for the Russian drug, since one of the requirements of the European Union to approve, buy and distribute vaccines among their countries is that they have manufacturing capacity on European soil.

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Raising cancer funds A SPANISH cop is to run 180km to fund Jaen’s first palliative unit for children with cancer.

National Police officer Miguel Echevarria, based in Linares, plans to complete his marathon in 24 hours to raise funds for Jaen Hospital in collaboration with the organisation Pídeme La Luna (Ask For The Moon).

He will set off from La Guardia de Jaén on March 20 and end in the Bulevar park in the capital, and has already raised around €15,000.

After spending an afternoon with children with cancer, the father‐of‐two told Cope: “It was something very special” and prompted him to do some‐ thing to help.

He decided to collaborate with the charity association Pi‐ deme La Luna, and is inviting other runners to take part in his challenge.

Runners can buy a bib for €10 and up to 80 people can take part in different sections of the route, complying with Covid security measures estab‐ lished by the health authori‐ ties.

SPANISH COP: To run 180 kms in 24 hours.

€3 M to Control Migration

THE Guardia Civil Support Command, the financial representative of the Guardia Civil, had applied for the grant for their AMIGO‐ 2019 operation within the European Commission’s Internal Secu‐ rity Fund (FSI), which was approved with a maximum grant of €3,046,170.25.

The AMIGO‐2019 operation, which covers the expenses of the activities of the Guardia Civil in response to the migration situa‐ tion in the south of Spain, was put in place due to the increase in migration from north Africa. They are responsible for the surveil‐ lance of coasts and borders in Spain and use a large number of re‐ sources to manage migration, which has increased in recent years. They said: “To maintain the level of assistance and oper‐ ability of the units deployed there, it was decided to develop an operation that would allow the established deployment to con‐ tinue, replenishing the resources used.”

The Internal Security Fund 2014‐2020 covers different missions related to the protection of the southern border of Europe and the management of migration. It finances mainly the deployment of personnel to control immigration, as well as the costs of trans‐ portation, cleaning and food for staff.

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Illegal Racing Gathering THE Local Police of Jerez de la Frontera in Cadiz Province, last Sunday March 7, broke up a gath‐ ering of around 400 people who were attending a con‐ centration of illegal motor‐ bike racing on the derelict grounds of the old sugar factory in the Jerez district of Guadalcacín.

Officers discovered a home‐made racing circuit built out of old car tyres, with two cars and two motorbikes being confis‐ cated for not having any valid insurance, and around 100 fines were given for failing to comply with the coronavirus re‐ strictions. Many of the people tried to flee as soon as the police were spotted approaching, leaving behind large amounts of alcohol which they had been also con‐ suming illegally in public.

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MUNICIPALITIES in Catalonia will support newly-arrived refugees to integrate into their new communities by inviting them into their homes for a year. Each of the selected towns will receive one family and the local council will secure work for one or two members, which will be subsidised by the Servie d’Ocupacio de Catalunya (SOC).

The pilot programme has already selected 20 towns to begin receiving their

NEWS

Catalonia Welcomes Refugees guests by the end of the year and the initiative aims not only to help those in need but also to stop rural depopulation and enrich the areas culturally.

“The challenge was to find out how these families could reach a micro-vil-

lage and we give them housing and work for at least a year,” according to Xavier Camps, a member of the AMC (L’Associacio de Micropobles de Catalunya) board of directors.

They began by reaching out to 337

municipalities to see which were interested in being part of the initiative. After developing their short-list, two or three families will then visit the villages to see where they ‘can best fit in.’

A European programme will also be

State Of Alarm THE Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, said on Friday, March 12 that she is not ruling out extending the current state of alarm beyond the May 9 deadline, but has reiterated that “the current objective” of the Ministry is to get the Covid cumulative incidence rate down below 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

In an interview with RNE, Ms Darias said that once that figure is reached, Spain can once again begin thinking about a “normal scenario.”

When asked directly if the State of Alarm would be extended, she said: “We will have to see, now what we are doing, is lowering the incidence.”

It will all depend, she said, on the “exemplary behaviour of citizens. The way is not to look back,” said Ms Darias.

The Ministry has already decided to close perimeters during Easter and the San Jose bridge to prevent people from travelling, and Madrid has finally agreed to abide by the rules after several days of going back and forth.

The deputy minister of Public Health Madrid, Antonio Zapatero, did, however, insist that he will appeal the decision.

put in place to monitor the families once their one year employment contract ends, with the hope being they will remain in their new communities and find other work or set up their own businesses.

Gas Bottles Increase THE price of a 12.5kg butane gas bottle increased by 4.96 per cent on Tuesday March 16, making the price €13.96 per bottle, the third consecu‐ tive price rise, the highest the price has been since January 2019.

The Ministry for the Ecologi‐ cal Transition and the Demo‐ graphic Challenge claims that the regular bi‐monthly price review that is conducted, bases the bottle prices on the international price of the raw materials of propane and bu‐ tane involved, which saw a 17.02 per cent increase, as well as the increased cost of freight and the fluctuation in the money markets of the Eu‐ ro against the US dollar.

GAS: Highest price since 2019.

This week’s price rise comes on top of similar rises of just under 5 per cent each time in November and January, after the months previous to November had shown a de‐ crease in price, when the gov‐ ernment had made the deci‐ sion to suspend the bi‐monthly reviews during the height of the pandemic.

Covid Aid package T H E Spanish government have given the green light to the much-anticipated €11 billion financial aid package designed to support the industries most affected by the coronavirus

pandemic and the full details were published in the B O E on M arch 13. U nder the new decree, €7 billion will be provided in direct aid. €2 billion will go directly to the Canary Islands

and the Balearic Islands as these regions depend heavily on tourism and are deemed to be the worst affected by the pandemic; the remaining €5 billion will be shared out amongst the autonomous communities.

T he fund is to be distributed between S M E s and the self-employed, but sadly falls short of the compensation being doled out throughout much of the rest of Europe.

Each community will be permitted to distribute non-refundable grants of between €3,000 and €200,000 to freelancers and companies that have lost at least 30 per cent of their income in 2020 compared to the turnover of 2019.

Autonomous communities should receive their portion of the aid within 40 days, and will then have until December 31 of this year to distribute it appropriately.

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Ilegal broadcast Network dismantled.

THE National Police disman‐ tled a network for illegally broadcasting audiovisual content that had been downloaded more than 100 million times with suspected illicit gains of around €5 mil‐ lion.

The operation was carried out with the Andorra and Portuguese police, EUROPOL,

Property scam fraudster NATIONAL POLICE have arrested a 33‐year‐old fraudster in Zaragoza who was wanted throughout much of Spain.

The person under investigation always operated through the same modus operandi, making use of a well‐known internet por‐ tal for buying and selling flats, where he asked for an amount of money that was always well below the market price.

At least three people had made complaints against him once the scam had been carried out and they had paid him amounts ranging between €200 and €2,100, although more are expected to come forward.

Police in Madrid had identified the perpetrator, but not his lo‐ cation, and a national search and arrest warrant was issued which resulted in him being found and taken into custody in Zaragoza. He has since been released with charges.

He has a criminal record for similar crimes for which he had been arrested in several locations throughout Spain.

INTERPOL and EUROJUST. The investigation began in October 2018 as a result of complaints filed with the Na‐ tional Police by the ACE ‐ Al‐ liance for Creativity and En‐ tertainment, the Professional Football League and the Pre‐ mier League for unauthorised broadcasting of audiovisual content, subject to Copy‐ right.

The police found that the person in charge of the app, called Mobdro, was residing in Andorra and managed the network from there.

They also found there were three other people in‐ volved who were promoting the app on web domains in Spain. They did not in fact have a direct relationship with the person in Andorra but had managed to set up a site which provided access to the app from which they ben‐ efited financially.

The police have withdrawn the app from the platforms on which it was available in Spain and Portugal.

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Pill-cam trials

THE NHS is trialling miniature capsule cameras, which can be swallowed by patients and provide a cancer diagnosis within hours - helping to speed up cancer checks and catch more cancers early.

The imaging technology, in a capsule no bigger than a pill, can provide a rapid diagnosis.

Known as a colon capsule endoscopy, the cameras are the latest NHS innovation to help patients access cancer checks at home.

“Traditional endoscopies mean patients need to attend hospital and have a tube inserted whereas the new tech-

CAMERA: Size of a pill. nology means that people can go about their normal day,” said NHS England.

An initial group of 11,000 patients in England will receive the capsule cameras in more than 40 parts of the country.

The NHS said it has prioritised cancer care during the coronavirus pandemic and the

latest figures show that hospitals carried out more than two cancer treatments for every patient they treated for Covid-19.

In December 2020, more than 25,000 patients were reportedly treated for cancer and more than 200,000 people had checks - 13,000 more than the same month the previous year.

NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “As we come out of ‘peak Covid’ and the disruption of the pandemic, the NHS is now pushing ahead with genuine innovation to expand services for many other conditions.

Ryanair Adds New Spanish Flights IRISH airline giant Ryanair announced on Thurs‐ day March 11 that it will be opening up Costa Blanca to the Spanish islands by creating nine new connections and a total of 70 routes, a whopping 40 per cent more than summer 2020, and up to 800 weekly flights from Spanish air‐ ports, all operating from July 1.

“As vaccination against Covid‐19 intensifies in

the coming months, domestic traffic in Spain is expected to be the first to skyrocket this sum‐ mer,” Ryanair said in a statement.

The new routes will link Alicante with Ibiza, Lanzarote and Menorca. In the Costa del Sol, the airline will operate between Menorca, Sevilla and Malaga, as well as a new route between Fuerteventura and Valencia.

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Royal Mail Sunday Delivery ROYAL MAIL has announced it is beginning a Sunday par‐ cel delivery service to help

Sculpture Awards

A COMPETITION to create a sculpture award that not only reflects the commitment and efforts shown throughout Andalucia in the area of conservation, but also reflects the spirit of the PAMA for the Andalucian Environment Awards has been announced.

People in Andalucia continue to work hard to prevent climate change and protect the environment and these awards aim to recognise that.

The awards also hope to inspire companies, organisations and scientists throughout Andalucia to actively partake in the Andalucian Green Revolution and join in with the fight against climate change. The awards hope to encourage individuals to join in too, as no contribution to the environment is too small.

The competition deadline is 2pm on April 8.

major retailers tap into the online shopping boom. The company said it hoped to ‘usher in a new era’ of trust‐ ed, seven‐day‐a‐week deliv‐ eries when the scheme be‐ gins next month. The postal service, which said this week that revenues had soared in the past year, has delivered a total of 496 million parcels in the last three months of 2020 ‐ an all‐time high.

Customers are now used to Sunday deliveries, which

are part and parcel of ser‐ vices offered by online retail‐ ers such as global giant Ama‐ zon. Royal Mail will start off with a number of as‐yet‐un‐ named major retailers before expanding over the year.

A new parcel hub, with the capacity to process a million parcels a day, is being built by the Royal Mail in Daven‐ try, Northamptonshire ‐ it is the second ‐ and largest ‐ parcel hub constructed to date.

Spaniards Stay At Home THE number of young Spanish remaining in the family home instead of moving into their own place has increased consider‐ ably since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Youth in Spain 2020 Report conducted by the Institute of Youth (Injuve).

This is hardly surprising, since the study also found that a large portion of Spaniards aged between 15 and 29 are also more worried about their job prospects and financial future than ever before.

NEWS

Prison for using spy-cam A spy device was installed.

A CUBAN resident of Palma, aged 32, is facing two and a half years in prison for using a spy camera in the home of his sister and brother-in-law.

According to the public prosecutor, he could hear and see what was happening in the apartment despite no

Suspension of AstraZeneca Vaccines SPAIN’S Ministry of Health has announced the suspension of all AstraZeneca vaccines as of Monday, March 15. Although some 814,278 doses of the jab have been used in Spain without incidence, the Health Minister convened an emergency meeting to halt the administration of any more of the vaccines for a minimum of 15 days. The decision to temporarily ban all use of the jab comes after several other European countries halted their inoculations over fears of potentially lethal blood clots.

Having previously declared the vaccine safe, Spain’s Health Minister, Carolina Darias, convened the meeting at which it was agreed that Spain would no longer administer the AstraZeneca vaccine until a thorough investigation into side-effects has taken place. This is in spite of the fact that the European Medicines Agency has insisted that “the benefit-risk is still considered positive” and that “we do not see any problem in continuing the vaccination campaign with AstraZeneca”.

longer living there.

He denied having made any profit from the recording, and said that the device did not record any audio or video, just a motion sensor to warn him if anyone approached his room, where he kept valuable items.

He explained that he didn’t trust his sister’s partner, suspecting abuse as well as fearing for his belongings. He had been forced to leave the home because they couldn’t get along and they knew the camera was there.

Meanwhile, his brother-inlaw said that the accused knew what he and his partner were talking about and says that the details he gave the police could only be known if he listened to their conversations.

The defendant denied this and explained that his sister had told him about the abuse.

If found guilty, he could also face a fine of €5,400 for a crime against privacy.

His sister, who reported him, refused to testify in court.

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THE Edmaktub association, a team of biologists who investi‐ gate the rare and endangered species of fin whales, has re‐ ported spotting five of them swimming off the Catalan coast near Garraf.

Fin whales can reach up to 24 metres in length and is the largest whale that regularly transits the Mediterranean. The ‘Fin Whale Project’ has been

NEWS

Endangered Species Ball of fire

running now for the past eight years, researching the huge mammals that inhabit pelagic areas, that is, in the open sea but at shallow depth, and spo‐ radically, in coastal areas of temperate or cold waters, and stars in seasonal migrations to

feed and reproduce.

A spokesman for Edmaktub pointed out that this species of the mammal travels annually to the Catalan‐Balearic Sea to feed, although this year, they have arrived earlier than ex‐

pected, and the biologists took the opportunity to observe, photograph, identify and film the five fin whales, using a drone, about six miles off the coast of Vilanova y la Geltrú, Barcelona.

FIN WHALES: Spotted off the Catalan coast.

MEMBERS of the National Police force and Guardia Civil are upset by the use of social media, especially TikTok, which they say damages the image of the forces.

Both forces have taken to using TikTok, as the Interior Ministry says that it is a way to reach a sector of the population which spends its life watching videos and doesn’t respond well to rules and orders.

Like forces in other countries, the Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil have included numerous dance routines, such as the famous ‘Jerusalema challenge’, as well as performances and other

ANOTHER ball of fire was seen crossing the skies ofsouthern and central Spain at a speed of 140,000 km/h at around 1.51am on Monday, March 15.

It was caught by SMART project detectors from the observa‐ tories of Calar Alto (Almeria), Sierra Nevada (Granada), Sevilla of the Andalucia Institute of Astrophysics and La Hita in Toledo.

It was seen in the south and centre of Spain, over the Mediterranean Sea and in the north of Morocco.

The rock was part of a comet which upon impacting the at‐ mosphere at such a high speed became incandescent at a height of 111 kilometres over the Mediterranean, about 70 kilo‐ metres from the coast of Andalucia. It travelled southwest and went out at a height of 69 kilometres above the sea, about 29 kilometres from the coast of Morocco.

TikTok causes controversy content which many find inappropriate and believe shows them behaving in a ‘ridiculous’ manner.

Social media for the forces is handled by their Communication Departments and this controversy has mainly involved the head of the department for the National Police, Antonio Nevado, who responded to criticism by saying that

his team was doing an incredible job.

A photo had been posted by one of the police unions comparing the work of an officer heading into a dangerous situation and another in a TikTok video, suggesting that it was unfair that both were earning the same salary. They added that police who “want to dance or be

clowns should go to the disco or the circus, but they should leave their uniforms in their lockers or at home.”

Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, refuses to accept comments about the videos discrediting the forces and maintains that the aim is to bring them closer to the younger population.

The critics are not denying that the channels reach the youths, but they object to the image which is being portrayed, which they say is not serious and does not reflect their work or the fact that they are a figure of authority.

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Freed After Stabbing Friend OFFICERS: Found blood stains at the scene.

A WOMAN has been freed by a court in Malaga after allegedly stabbing her friend 17 times.

The incident is said to have taken place at a hostel in Puerto de la Torre where the women were staying with several

friends, celebrating a birthday.

Police say that after consuming a few drinks, the detainee, 25, allegedly attacked her friend, 28, with a sharp object, before guests in an adjoining room called police.

After officers arrived, the victim was no longer there as she has been taken to hospital by a friend due to her injuries.

Police say blood stains found at the scene show the assault could have started in the room before moving outside.

After looking around they found a knife and another sharp object, with experts now working to determine which weapon was used.

The detainee was also assisted by the health workers, since she had some minor injuries, including scratches.

The victim was treated at Malaga’s Regional Hospital for 17 stab wounds, however none of them reached her vital areas and they were not very deep.

The woman was discharged several hours later.

NEWS

£26M bullion robber dies broke THE brains behind £26M Brink’s‐Mat bullion robbery has died broke, aged 78.

Despite masterminding Britan’s biggest robbery at a ware‐ house on Heathrow’s perimeter in 1983, Brian ‘The Colonel’ Robinson was ‘cheated’ out of his share and never received a penny on his release from prison.

The stolen 6,800 gold ingots, diamonds and cash would be worth £100 million (€117 million) today.

The crime that shook the nation left a trail of eight murders and a worldwide hunt for the loot.

Armed raiders got away with £30 million worth of pure gold after Robinson recruited his brother‐in‐law, warehouse guard Tony Black, who went on to shop him to police. Robinson was jailed for 25 years together with co‐ringleader Micky McAvoy.

But on his release, he ‘didn’t get a tanner’ having been ‘cheat‐ ed’ by the ‘people he trusted,’ according to an associate.

His funeral has been delayed by family and friends until April 12 so that a wake can be held on a licensed premises.

Bears With A Future

THE brown bear has been experiencing a slow comeback in northern Spain in recent years, and a new campaign launched by the European Life programme has set an objective to encourage population growth even further. ‘Bears with a future’ aims to protect the species from the effects of climate change by planting some 150,000 additional trees and large shrubs in their habitat.

According to the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species, the brown bear in this country faces two distinct climatic challenges. Firstly, the rise in global temperatures means that bears aren’t hibernating for as long each year, exposing them to more dangers. Secondly, irregular harvests of native fruits such as blueberries have severely depleted their food supply.

The project has a total budget of €2.58 million, will have a contribu‐ tion from the EU of almost €2 million and will last until March 31, 2025.

The aim is to ensure the animals have enough food that they don’t have to come too close to humans and to educate the public about this en‐ dangered species.

Spanish French dual nationality SPANISH President, Pedro Sanchez, and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, have signed an agreement that will allow dual citizenship.

Thanks to the agreement which was signed during the Spanish-French summit on Monday, March 15, in Montauban, France, Spanish citizens who want to obtain French nationality would not first have to renounce their own as had happened until now. According to the calculations of the Spanish President, this could benefit more than 350,000 Spaniards in France and some 160,000

French citizens in Spain.

This is Spain’s first dual nationality agreement in Europe, although there were already several in place with countries in the Ibero-American space, that is, those who have Spanish or Portuguese as one of their official languages.

There are currently dual nationality agreements in place with Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and 12 American countries: Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Colombia.

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NEWS

MEMBERS of the Guardia Civil’s nature branch, Seprona, said they have arrested or investigated more than 300 people over the last year as part of their role preventing crimes against animals, discovering more than 1,200 prohibited hunting methods and nearly 180 animals that were poisoned.

During their investigations, officers also found explosives, firearms, silencers and drugs.

Police say they carried out more than 900 inspections last year in in hunting farms and livestock farms, investigating 337 people and detecting more than 2,600 administrative infractions and 320 crimes.

Among the crimes, they found several cases of endangered species being killed, as well as various animal poisonings.

MORE than 49 million people worldwide watched Meghan and Harry’s bombshell interview, according to US network CBS. And the figure - which includes viewers via TV and streaming looks set to rise with the interview, which aired in the US on Monday, March 8 and the UK the following day, the highest-rated entertainment special since the 2020 Oscars ceremony in February.

The tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey saw the couple reveal they felt under immense pressure from the Firm and were hounded by the media, along with claims of racism and neglect by the Royal Family.

The Queen responded to the interview on Tuesday, March 9, saying she was “saddened” that Meghan and Prince Harry were so unhappy in the last few years and that allegations of racism would be investigated internally.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” read the statement on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.

Best in the world ELEVEN Spanish hospitals are among the 200 best in the world, according to the World’s Best Hospitals 2021 list by American publication Newsweek.

Six of them are located in Madrid, two in Catalonia, and one each in Navarra, Andalucia and Valencia.

The six in Madrid are La Paz, Gregorio Marañon, 12 de Octubre, San Carlos Clinic, Ramon y Cajal and the Jimenez Diaz Foundation.

For the third consecutive year, Newsweek, together with research firm Statista, has published the list of World’s Best Hospitals 2021.

It shows 2,000 health centres in more than 25 countries that stand out for their commitment to excellence, as well as for their prestigious doctors, nursing care and use of cutting-edge technology, amongst other parameters.

The international and national rankings are based on recommendations from medical experts, surveys of patients and professionals.

The two in Catalonia are the Barcelona Clinic Hospital, which

has the best position of all the Spanish hospitals on the list at 38, and Vall d’Hebron, and the others mentioned in Spain are

the Navarra University Clinic, the Virgen del Rocio Hospital in Sevilla and La Fe Polytechnic in Valencia.

Netflix plans Spanish Bird Box A SPANISH movie spin-off of Netflix 2018 supernatural thriller hit Bird Box, which starred Sandra Bullock and was directed by Susanne Bier, is in the pipeline, and shooting of the as yet unnamed film is expected to start toward the end of the year in Spain.

Original producers Dylan Clark and Chris Morgan will reportedly return but will add a distinctly Spanish flavour.

Bird Box remains one of Netflix’s most-watched original movies ever, with Bullock portraying a mother trying to protect herself and her two children from mysterious creatures that force people to kill themselves if they lay eyes on them. There has been talk of a sequel for some time, with the author of the source novel Josh Malerman claiming last year that the follow-up was in development.

Narco Submarine Intercepted THE National Police, working in conjunction with the authorities in Colombia, Holland, Portugal, the UK and the US, as well as Europol, have delivered a crushing blow to the international drug trade by seizing a huge nine-metre long submarine in Andalucia, the first of its kind to be intercepted in Spain. A total of 52 people have been arrested and 30 have been admitted to prison without bail.

The submarine was discovered in an industrial warehouse in Malaga and has the capacity to transport as much as two tonnes of cocaine. The vessel, which did not submerge completely once in the water, was designed to look like a pleasure craft to any patrols searching from the air.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Future roadmap

Cultural protest

SPEAKING on television, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen promised that she planned to confirm a national reopening schedule for the country by no later than Tuesday March 23. From then on, there will be guidelines as to when bars, restaurants, cinemas and places of higher education can reopen.

PROTESTORS occupied three of France’s national theatres to demand that cultural venues which have been closed since October be reopened. They argue that if shops and other businesses have been allowed to accept customers then the same should be true for entertainment.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

High taxes

War hero

A REPORT by NRC newspaper suggests that for at least a decade, the Oost-Nederland police illegally shared criminal information and personal details of people suspected of illegal cannabis cultivation with the Tax Authority which then calculated likely illicit income and sent out tax bills.

ERLING LORENTZEN, husband of the late Princess Ragnhild, has died in Oslo aged 98. He joined the resistance against the Nazis and eventually went for training in Scotland before returning to undertake acts of sabotage and later married the Princess in 1953.

BELGIUM What a hoot IN protest about the difficulty of complying with mobility rules in Brussels which makes it very difficult to own a car, hundreds of motorists drove around Brussel-Noord station to hoot their horns. It is estimated that 150 taxis, 80 motorcycles, and 50 drivers in cars took part.

GERMANY Terminal closure FIRST started in 2006 and dogged by delays and accusations of corruption, the Berlin Brandenburg airport finally opened in October 2020, becoming the only commercial airport in the country’s capital, but passenger numbers are far less than expected so its T5 will close for one year.

FINLAND Airport scare A MILITARY exercise at Helsinki Airport went disastrously wrong when two armed military police officers mistakenly went into the main passenger area rather than the closed off area where they should have been. Two frightened passengers who the officers thought were targets had guns pointed at them.

SWEDEN Dog smugglers TWO people, who were stopped by customs officers in December have been jailed for six months by a Malmo Court after they were charged with illegally trying to import nine French bulldogs and four other dogs which had not been inoculated against rabies.

FINANCE Fastest growing SPANISH temporary work platform Jobandtalent has obtained an investment of €100 million from a Japanese company to add to €88 million received from French investor Infravia. With €500 million turnover, the company has been named one of the fastest growing European businesses by the Financial Times and Statista.

GDP down COMMENTING on the fact that UK Gross Domestic Product dropped a further 2.9 per cent in January, INFINOX, spokesperson Ulas Akincilar, told City AM “The UK economy may look like a punch-drunk boxer hanging off the ropes, but the blows are doing less damage each time.”

Malaysian imports SPAIN is one of the major markets for the import of palm oil, bio diesel and rubber from Malaysia and this appears likely to continue to grow. In general terms, Spain imports around €1 billion worth of Malaysian products annually and exports just over €600 million.

Massive losses HAMMERSON, the owner of the Bullring and Brent Cross shopping centres as well as Bicester Village Outlet Centre has indicated that it will need to sell more of its properties in order to continue after losing £1.7 billion (€1.87 billion) in 2020.

McDiversity THE Spanish division of burger giant McDonald’s is taking a ground breaking step in introducing procedures to manage and assist sexual diversity. Faced with a changing world and the need for equality, its 35-point plan includes ways of assisting staff who look to initiate gender reassignment. It is assumed that if this caring attitude for staff needs is successful it will be introduced across the bulk of the network of McDonald’s outlets in more than 100 countries subject to whatever local laws may apply.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 18 - 24 March 2021

€7 billion

is the amount that the Spanish Government plans to give to companies and the self-employed by way of pandemic aid.

UK pet boom over lockdown Imports and

ONE industry that is going to see a definite upturn in business is that connected with pets as British house‐ holds ramped up pet own‐ ership according to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA).

There are now an esti‐ mated 34 million pets in the UK including 12 mil‐ lion cats and 12 million dogs, 3.2 million small mammals such as guinea pigs and hamsters, three million birds and 1.5 mil‐

lion reptiles. There are al‐ so five million aquaria.

This equates to 17 mil‐ lion households responsi‐ ble for a pet’s welfare. No‐ tably, over a third (38 per cent) of new owners claimed that having a new pet was like having a new baby and almost a fifth (17 per cent) of families with children admitted that training was more chal‐ lenging than expected.

Almost two thirds (59 per cent) of new owners

LEGALLY SPEAKING

are aged 16 to 34 and 56 per cent of new pet own‐ ers have children at home.

Although 74 per cent claim their pet has helped their mental health through the pandemic, the annual PFMA study raises pet welfare con‐ cerns, especially as al‐ ready 5 per cent of all new pets have been given up as people were unable to cope.

The big fear now is that whilst the decision to buy

a pet during lockdown seemed a sensible and caring option, when peo‐ ple start returning to work the new pets are suddenly going to find themselves in a completely different and often newly isolated environment.

In the meantime how‐ ever, an increase of around 10 per cent in new pets is going to see com‐ panies like Pets at Home enjoy significant addition‐ al turnover.

Inditex does it again

Can they get Covid Jab? We had our residencia appointments can‐ celled last year because of the pandemic and we have been waiting since August for anoth‐ er. We registered our intention online to apply for residencia before December 31. We are reluctant to go back to the UK in case we obtain an appoint‐ ment when we are away. We are hoping we can have a Covid‐19 jab here. We have been told that we can register at our local health centre with our Padron, NIE and passport. Can you confirm this? I have also been told our EHIC cards are okay until expiry date.

F T (by email) It is correct that your European health YOU AND THE LAW care cards are valid IN SPAIN until their expiry date. However, your chances of obtaining a Covid vaccination on the Spanish health system are not good. Earlier information given online referred only to persons with Covid symptoms and seeking treatment. This was misinterpreted and does not refer to persons simply wanting a vaccination. You wish to apply for a TIE card as a non‐EU citizen to reside in Spain and the date to do this has been extended beyond June 30 for an indefinite period.

DAVID SEARL

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

ALTHOUGH for years Netflix publicly accepted that people tended to share their password with friends, tough competition is making the company recon‐ sider its position.

When you sign up for their online streaming you have to create a password, not just to protect you, but also to ensure that others can’t take advan‐

exports down

Credit: Gpccurro CC

BUSINESS EXTRA

24

Inditex Uterqüe store in Valladolid.

EVEN the pandemic can’t stop the incredible growth of the world’s largest fashion retailer, Spain’s Inditex which made a €1.1 billion profit in 2020.

Yes, sales did drop by 28 per cent from €28.2 billion to €20.4 billion but online sales grew by 77 per cent to €6.6 billion and in the circumstances, a €1.1 bil‐ lion profit is certainly a great achievement for the group.

According to Chairman Pablo Isla, “Inditex has emerged stronger after such a challenging year thanks to the amazing commitment dis‐ played by everyone here at the company.”

Zara and Zara Home contin‐ ue to be the most lucrative of the group’s businesses but all

divisions saw significant sales despite the fact that at one time during 2020 every single one of its 6,829 stores was closed at some stage during the year.

It even managed to launch 25 additional online platforms throughout the world and 29 new stores as well as donating huge amounts of resources to different governments, chari‐ ties and health services in a bid to assist in the fight against the pandemic.

Looking at Spain, it in‐ creased its purchasing from home suppliers and spent some €4 billion with them as well as paying tax (much of this in Spain) amounting to €4.8 billion.

Netflix checks

tage of watching the Netflix pro‐ grammes free of charge.

In the agreement that you enter into with the company (but probably never read) it does state that account details should not be shared with any‐

one outside of your household.

Research studies however suggest that out of its 200 mil‐ lion plus subscribers worldwide, as many as 40 million may share their password with friends, so Netflix is actively requesting

confirmation from viewers whether they are in a house‐ hold which includes a sub‐ scriber.

Everyone who watches Net‐ flix, using a particular password can be traced to the subscriber

EXPORT of British goods to the European Union fell by 40.7 per cent in January according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) whilst imports also fell.

The UK spend was £5.3 billion (€5.8 billion) down on European products, but spent £8.9 billion (€9.8 billion) less on European imports in the first month fol‐ lowing new trading rules intro‐ duced due to Brexit.

The ONS suggest that this is a temporary blip as companies get used to new rules and partly be‐ cause many had stocked up with European made goods prior to December 31, 2020.

Luxury ice cream ITALIAN company Ferrero Rocher is to launch ice cream versions of the famous chocolate as well as Raffaello brands made in Spain.

Initially to be marketed in Aus‐ tria, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, it will be manufactured in the Ice Cream Factory Comaker plant in Valencia Province which it acquired in 2019 through its Ferrero Ibérica subsidiary.

Once these test markets have shown that there is a demand for these distinctive ‘luxury’ chocolate ice cream brands, they will be rolled out across Europe and beyond. and whilst it may be complicat‐ ed, the company could police who is watching without having paid.

The problem for Netflix is that in the USA, its largest mar‐ ket, there are so many new platforms such as Disney+, Amazon Prime, and HBO MAX it can’t afford to have so many ‘freeloaders’.

26 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 15

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.174,00 1.174,27 Admiral Group 2.955,0 2.959,0 Anglo American 3.033,5 3.040,3 Antofagasta 1.743,50 1.754,50 Ashtead Group 4.246,0 4.261,0 Associated British Foods 2.444,0 2.447,0 AstraZeneca 6.963,6 6.963,6 Auto Trader Group Plc 562,00 564,20 Avast 453,40 454,00 Aveva 3.443,0 3.452,0 Aviva 391,99 392,60 B&M European Value Retail SA535,80 537,18 BAE Systems 506,71 507,21 Bank VTB DRC 1,010 1,011 Barclays 180,54 181,64 Barratt Developments 748,40 757,11 Berkeley 4.328,6 4.344,0 BHP Group 2.185,00 2.186,50 BP 322,51 324,85 British American Tobacco 2.671,0 2.673,7 British Land Company 515,50 516,40 BT Group 140,30 141,15 Bunzl 2.265,0 2.268,0 Burberry Group 2.142,4 2.168,0 Carnival 1.716,0 1.728,0 Centrica 53,90 53,97 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.386,1 2.390,1 Compass 1.618,00 1.621,50 CRH 3.465,7 3.481,4 Croda Intl 6.262,0 6.270,0 DCC 6.050,0 6.074,0 Diageo 3.039,0 3.040,8 DS Smith 410,00 411,50 EasyJet 1.023,91 1.038,34 Experian 2.440,0 2.444,2 Ferguson 8.962,0 8.990,0 Flutter Entertainment 16.711,0 17.000,1 Fresnillo 946,00 947,38 GlaxoSmithKline 1.269,34 1.272,00 Glencore 293,61 293,80 Halma 2.310,0 2.312,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.527,51 1.537,88 Hikma Pharma 2.209,00 2.210,00 HSBC 429,27 430,63 IAG 214,42 215,94 Imperial Brands 1.408,50 1.411,50 Informa 573,60 580,40 InterContinental 5.258,0 5.258,0 Intermediate Capital 1.916,00 1.923,00 Intertek 5.366,0 5.366,0 ITV 121,85 124,75

% CHG. 1.165,78 2.945,0 3.001,3 1.729,50 4.190,0 2.434,0 6.899,8 561,00 449,80 3.426,0 390,35 535,40 502,90 1,009 179,73 747,80 4.302,1 2.165,50 321,47 2.649,2 508,78 138,55 2.249,2 2.139,0 1.700,4 53,50 2.367,7 1.589,00 3.465,7 6.202,0 5.980,0 3.008,5 408,30 1.015,87 2.420,0 8.916,0 16.475,1 932,36 1.259,77 290,70 2.275,0 1.525,98 2.192,00 428,22 213,15 1.399,60 572,40 5.196,0 1.902,00 5.300,0 121,65

NET VOL 5,82K 9,52K 11,54K 43,17K 29,93K 17,30K 16,63K 62,16K 45,33K 4,00K 110,96K 7,46K 116,95K 23,67K 1,10M 9,07K 1,90K 141,10K 314,55K 12,54K 9,48K 1,92M 0,72K 7,23K 42,86K 209,34K 0,72K 154,46K 0,73K 13,15K 3,88K 14,42K 198,59K 44,29K 6,07K 6,52K 47,01K 12,53K 46,42K 608,34K 26,11K 3,48K 18,23K 99,30K 1,44M 23,12K 81,87K 23,69K 16,93K 3,96K 297,06K

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

236,64 3.166,0 685,70 293,19 41,62 7.568,0 471,50 179,80 1.860,00 841,80 189,95 7.798,8 33,12 2.119,40 2.948,0 738,00 1.544,74 6.232,0 1.740,50 472,14 562,11 5.751,0 115,12 7,83 1.578,20 1.579,4 1.515,8 678,40 597,00 1.812,00 15,95 3.419,0 1.150,99 913,40 2.247,0 1.397,49 1.544,50 11.665,0 1.396,00 1.254,00 494,80 293,89 181,18 223,69 438,72 3.990,0 892,40 133,91 3.491,8 903,60

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

237,09 3.173,0 687,90 293,34 41,80 7.646,0 477,01 181,20 1.867,50 844,60 192,40 7.798,8 33,19 2.131,00 2.972,0 742,20 1.546,19 6.240,0 1.741,00 472,98 563,70 5.763,8 116,87 7,85 1.583,61 1.584,4 1.520,6 678,60 598,20 1.817,00 15,95 3.428,0 1.156,50 919,40 2.266,0 1.399,69 1.547,00 11.730,0 1.398,20 1.258,00 495,90 293,90 183,72 224,10 440,44 3.994,1 899,60 134,36 3.493,6 904,80

235,60 3.160,0 681,50 289,90 41,40 7.510,0 467,84 178,80 1.853,00 837,80 189,95 7.711,0 32,64 2.104,14 2.944,0 738,00 1.539,00 6.186,0 1.722,00 467,18 560,48 5.670,6 114,45 7,81 1.575,90 1.575,9 1.512,8 677,60 593,40 1.807,00 15,66 3.404,0 1.138,56 910,80 2.246,0 1.388,50 1.526,50 11.630,0 1.381,11 1.252,00 492,00 290,00 180,37 222,30 433,71 3.959,0 892,40 133,36 3.461,2 898,80

39,82K 16,58K 42,81K 424,31K 6,36M 38,38K 36,28K 74,90K 30,09K 180,27K 349,01K 2,25K 520,88K 12,36K 21,93K 38,55K 29,48K 35,70K 166,10K 28,90K 14,13K 10,87K 1,53M 326,44K 10,39K 18,06K 41,99K 96,04K 56,00K 2,76K 347,41K 20,35K 249,51K 90,46K 10,30K 8,27K 13,42K 2,52K 16,42K 21,70K 382,46K 80,60K 134,62K 263,09K 292,82K 18,72K 39,85K 498,69K 9,53K 65,24K

0.85642

1.16631 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.19295 Japan yen (JPY)......................................130.175 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1091 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4364 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.065

currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 15

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 184,92 2.061,92 3.089,49 230,36 121,03 269,19 229,00 111,56 48,82 50,36 268,40 348,81 273,10 214,38 127,61 62,90 159,60 156,15 212,34 74,60 235,75 140,45 128,14 212,21 693,73 356,02 55,63 224,36 134,12 197,16

CHANGE 186,21 2.090,26 3.098,98 230,76 121,17 269,72 229,02 112,70 48,99 50,68 269,74 350,00 273,81 215,39 127,68 63,30 160,31 157,63 214,24 74,89 235,82 140,91 128,82 213,85 694,88 356,82 56,17 226,54 134,52 198,41

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 184,27 2,69M 2.047,55 1,73M 3.045,50 2,42M 228,69 1,75M 119,16 88,11M 253,50 35,26M 218,12 4,76M 110,72 10,93M 48,47 15,20M 50,20 17,60M 264,02 20,60M 343,64 2,44M 266,76 4,19M 213,20 1,84M 126,61 4,01M 62,24 20,17M 159,19 5,47M 155,07 12,85M 211,42 2,82M 73,99 10,97M 233,23 22,65M 138,60 4,14M 127,65 6,52M 209,30 6,11M 666,14 33,58M 351,99 2,09M 55,61 22,00M 223,42 8,17M 132,08 9,48M 195,18 13,25M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 15

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+1.65% +1.89% +8.07% +2.29% +2.05% +10.34% +4.48% +10.15% +1.75% +5.13% +14.10%

404,711 92,609 8.89M 55,014 718,136 38.02M 5.56M 370,533 391,882 312,914 214,409

-2.50% -2.41% -8.45% -0.77% -1.31% -2.46% -6.61% -1.01% -5.10% -19.90% -3.69%

1.73M 1.69M 5.24M 2.42M 472,835 467,552 9.28M 2,093 2.59M 4.12M 1.65M

Most Advanced Booking Holdings Inc. First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A Novavax Inc. Amerco Equinix Inc. ViacomCBS Inc. Cl B Airbnb Inc. Cl A ViacomCBS Inc. Cl A O'Reilly Automotive Inc. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. Silverback Therapeutics Inc.

Most Declined Alphabet Inc. Cl C Alphabet Inc. Cl A Ulta Beauty Inc. Amazon.com Inc. MercadoLibre Inc. MicroStrategy Inc. DocuSign Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Okta Inc. Cl A Poshmark Inc. Cl A Coupa Software Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Delivery riders are employees

PIONEERING DECISION: Minister of Labour Yolanda Díaz explains the legislation.

LAST September the Span‐ ish Supreme Court ruled that a delivery rider for Glo‐ vo should be recognised as an employee not a self‐em‐ ployed worker.

This meant that the Span‐ ish Government had to take action to recognise this de‐ cision and it has now an‐ nounced that a new law will be introduced to regu‐ larise the situation of food delivery drivers for not just Glovo, but Deliveroo and others.

Only recently, the UK courts made a similar deci‐ sion with regards to Uber drivers and it seems that this will become an area which will be reviewed by the majority of govern‐ ments throughout Europe.

Although the Spanish Government has taken its time to prepare legislation and has consulted the ma‐ jor companies in both main‐ line and what is know as the ‘gig’ industries as well

as trade union leaders, it appears to be looking to go further than initially ex‐ pected.

Announcing the decision, Minister of Labour Yolanda Díaz said that the legisla‐ tion (which should be com‐ plied with within 90 days) is pioneering and part of a modernisation of the labour market.

What was groundbreak‐ ing was her later observa‐ tion that “Algorithms must serve people and labour rights. With the new legisla‐ tion, workers’ representa‐ tives will be able to access the employment impact of algorithms and artificial in‐ telligence systems on all platforms.”

This means that if it ap‐ pears that certain drivers are being favoured over others, it will be possible for representatives of other workers to demand access to the programming of allo‐ cation of work.

EU checks postponed CHECKS on some EU goods coming into the UK will be delayed by six months in order to give businesses more time to prepare.

The official government explanation is that the new timetable would help firms recovering in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Whilst it is difficult for businesses to bring certain British goods into Spain following Brexit, physical checks on products such as meat and dairy products entering the UK from the EU due from July will now begin in January 2022.

APS, the association rep‐ resenting companies in‐ volved with digital plat‐ forms has indicated that they oppose this particular part of the new legislation as it could hurt Spain’s digi‐ tal economy expansion.

BUSINESS EXTRA John Lewis THE John Lewis Chairman Sharon White has warned of further ‘painful’ store closures as the company reported its first ever annual loss as the 2019 profit of £146 million (€160.5 million) turned into a £517 million (€568.5 million) loss in 2020 due to the pandemic.

MWC shock ALTHOUGH it was hoped that the Mobile World Conference would take place in Barcelona after being cancelled last year, its future hangs in doubt as megabrands Ericsson, Facebook, Nokia, Oracle and Sony have now pulled out of the June show and others may follow.

Coaled feet ENCOURAGED by environmental group charity ShareAction and pension funds, HSBC Bank has indicated that it will stop financing projects which include the use or mining of coal by 2040 provided that 75 per cent of shareholders vote in favour of the decision.

18 - 24 March 2021

EWN 27

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

FEATURE

The whine-fest was pure pantomime LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT THIS week I intended to give advice on the upkeep of your Azaleas. Dream on!

On second thoughts, I decided I’d better toe the journalistic line and scribe my views on a subject that has probably occupied more columnists’ grey matter than the death of Lady Diana and the abdication of King Edward put together.

Yes, of course I’m referring once again to THAT interview. Last week I wrote a few lines decrying the whole charade, however that was only after viewing the first carefully selected trailers that had ‘leaked’ out.

Later, after seething through the whole painfully contrived event, I felt even more convinced that this was a clever PR exercise, designed to do nothing more than absolve Ms Meghan from the majority of public opinion, which considered she had captured and lured a young impressionable man from his loving family and was subsequently

PR PROJECT: No Oscars for their recent performance.

using him to further her own career and raise her status in Hollywood society.

Well, to my mind, the plan to restore this young lady’s ever so important

‘celebrity integrity’ failed miserably. This was a calculated and extremely expensive Public Relations project from the very outset and was undoubtedly

the result of many meetings between Ms Oprah, her PR department and Ms Markel. (Harry was probably issued with a script to peruse at home!)

The whole intelligence insulting debacle involved a cast consisting of three people, one of the richest black women in America; a mixed race Hollywood soap actress, married into Royalty and a young, privileged and utterly spoiled Prince.

The ‘shoot’ took place under the California sunshine in the gazebo of a millionaire friend, just a stone’s throw from their own respective multi‐million dollar mansions and showed them discussing as to how discriminated against and victimised they all were! I mean, just how much of mugs do they take us all for?

One of the main problems faced by the PR people was to somehow reverse public opinion that her split with (yet another) family ‐ was not due Meghan’s connivance or manipulation. No Oscars in that direction either.

I thought their performances were mediocre and almost laughingly implausible. They would never have

gotten a series out of it.

Even the usual racist accusations and close up of Oprah’s ‘jaw drop’, which was always intended to be a show stopper, was badly delivered and lacking in authenticity. They hadn’t even coordinated their individual scripts.

Anyway, if my own family was prone to having three nipples and I wondered if a new born family member would follow the same trait; it wouldn’t make me a ‘nipple’ist’, merely a curious in‐ law.

No this whole whine‐fest was pure pantomime. Those who are interested in body language will, I’m sure, also have noticed that throughout the whole discussion, it was her Ladyship’s hand resting firmly on top of his, pinning it securely to the arm of the chair. Position normal I would ascertain!

Late Sunday newsflash. Relatives of George Floyd have been awarded $25 million! There you are, his life was worth something after all!

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com.

Expatradioscotland. Mon. Wed. Fri.

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

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The villa has quality fixtures and fittings throughout and some of the furniture is also for sale, so it is ready to move into. This larger than average villa has private gardens and is ideal for entertaining.

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The pool area with 10m x 4m swimming pool with huge tiled area surrounding it has amazing country views. Next is the covered entertaining area which includes a bar, built in bbq, fridge, dining area and pool table. Next to this is a separate seating area, shower room with toilet, sink, storage area

and tool shed. Behind the villa is another gravelled garden area.

The front door leads into the welcoming hallway. In front of you are the impressive marble stairs with understairs utility cupboard leading to the first floor.

Turning left is the is the large, light and airy living and dining room with log burning fire and ceiling fans. An archway with granite breakfast bar separates the living

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FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

You can’t just cancel the past MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man SO another week’s gone by, and time to catch up with my grumpiness. Where to start? How about the Dr Seuss books - six of them banned because of racial overtones? I noticed Green Eggs and Ham wasn’t on the list. Surely the reference to ham is insulting because it may offend members of the Muslim and Jewish faiths.

Then we have Mr Potato Head now just being called Potato Head. What’s the matter with people? These join the hoo-ha about Gone With the Wind. I read this week about the reediting of a scene from Fawlty Towers - a totally politically incorrect masterpiece of humour of its time.

We know that Love Thy Neighbour was racist but nearly everyone appreciated that it was the racist character that was made to look like the ignorant idiot that he was. As with Alf Garnett and his homophobic, misogynistic, racist character and his rants, we laughed because we all knew someone like him. You can’t just erase them.

You learn from it.

Tom and Jerry, the classic cat and mouse cartoons, some made more than 70 years ago, now carry a warning for subscribers to Amazon Prime

Instant Video. What about the animal cruelty to Bugs Bunny? Elma Fudd has been banned from carrying a gun but can still go after Bugs with an axe. Looney Tunes is the right name for it. Hold on isn’t the word looney offensive?

There have been claims of racist stereotyping in the depiction of a black maid in the cartoon series. Amazon’s warning says such prejudice was once ‘commonplace’ in US society. Tom and Jerry, once a staple of children’s British television, is being presented with a cautionary note about ‘ethnic and racial prejudices.’

Uncle Ben’s rice had to have a name change because of racial stereotyping. Over the years many brands have retired their packaging mascots because of various groups complaining.

Aunt Jemima Eskimo Pie, Tony the Tiger both changed. What about Mrs Earlswood pickles?

They have a woman’s face on the jar. I think she looks Jewish because they used to be called kosher pickles, but do you know what, I’m not offended.

There are American sports teams that have changed their names like Cleveland Indians who lost their logo and the Atlanta Braves and so it goes on and on.

You can’t cancel the past - it happened. I agree some stuff should be changed but you have to draw the line somewhere - don’t you??

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

18 - 24 March 2021

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THURSDAY 18/03 FRIDAY 19/03 SATURDAY 20/03 SUNDAY 21/03 MONDAY 22/03

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Yorkshire Walks The Joy of Painting Fake or Fortune?

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ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

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

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Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun: Where Are They Now? Four in a Bed Drawers Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Dog House Taskmaster The Circle

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34 EWN

18 - 24 March 2021

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature

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FEATURE

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18 - 24 March 2021

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to sup‐ port local businesses in the community by going local through the lock‐ down and for your all your shopping this year, in‐ stead of feeding online gi‐ ants and superstores.

During this lockdown and with Easter upcoming, we challenge you to redis‐ cover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde‐ pendent businesses in your area.

Due to the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic, you may have to support many local busi‐ nesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate if you are un‐ able to get out due to health reasons or lock‐ down restrictions.

The joy of shopping local means that independent businesses can help sup‐ port the local community.

Although it may be a eu‐ ro or two cheaper else‐ where or online, consider where your money is actu‐ ally 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 shop‐ ping in this way.

Many local stores sup‐ port local charities, sup‐ port and sponsor 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 genera‐

BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community. tions and support not just the current owner but the generation before.

Fo r t h o s e s t o r e s w h i c h 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 in‐ dependent store and com‐ pete with the multination‐ al and chains.

EWN 35

36 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

FEATURE

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

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local green‐ grocer, let us revive that community spirit and get

to know our neighbours again.

You could also consider purchasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking outside the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a lo‐ cal studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an online study course for someone looking to change their ca‐ reer path.

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s

nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actu‐ ally be a better gift. Help‐ ing people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times.

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the recovery of the local econ‐ omy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways.

First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local

economy.

Studies have shown that local businesses recircu‐ late a greater share of ev‐ ery euro as they create lo‐ cally owned supply chains and invest in their employ‐ ees.

Data shows that local re‐ tailers return 52 per cent of their revenue back into the local economy, com‐ pared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers.

Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

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

farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local cus‐ tomers. 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 econo‐ my leads to a stronger fi‐ nancial foundation for our

neighbours and communi‐ ties.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportunities for people within our community.

Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more em‐ ployees over time.

A fantastic example of how to support your local community is with a Chari‐ ty Gift certificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause.

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

To advertise here contact us on:

951 386 161

EWN 37

38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

A gift in memory of the departed THERE is no rule saying that a gift must be taken to a funeral or memorial service, but it is a simple and meaningful way to show the relatives of the deceased that we share their pain and join them in remembering their loved one.

Funeral flowers are a simple yet beautiful option, such as a bouquet or wreath, or even a single flower, but nowadays, other options are also gaining popularity, especially those which are more lasting in time than fresh flowers.

Small gifts, such as sympathy cards or simple food items, both of which can be either shop bought or home‐made, are also given fre‐ quently as a gesture towards grieving relatives.

If you are planning to give something more meaningful, you may want to wait for another occasion as the first days and weeks after the death of a loved one are a blur for most peo‐ ple, and they have many other things on their minds. Plus, they will talk to a lot of people and get a lot of gifts. After a couple of weeks, ask if you can drop off the gift or visit them. Some people may want to be alone, others may ap‐ preciate the company, so be prepared for ei‐ ther response.

They may also not feel up to cooking after the death of a loved one, so delivering hot meals or food which can be kept in the fridge or freezer will be appreciated, or if you are un‐ able to make it yourself, you could arrange for it to be made and delivered.

The same goes for shopping, so arranging for essential items to be sent to them would be a very thoughtful gesture.

If you are unable to attend the funeral other

gifts can be sent, such as personalised items which can be kept in the home or garden, including bird feed‐ ers, memorial stones, photo al‐ bums or memorial jewellery.

Some families may ask for a donation in‐ stead of flowers or gifts, in which case, it is best to honour their request, even if you would still like to give them a small token to

express your sympathies, such as a card.

There may not be a funeral or memorial ser‐ vice, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t send a card or gift to the family to show them your support. The same applies if you were un‐ aware of the death or if you were unable to get the gift you want in time for the funeral.

You can still send when you think is appropri‐ ate.

The family is not, of course, required or ex‐ pected to respond with a gift to you. However, a thank you note, call, e‐mail or text will probably arrive, but if it doesn’t, don’t feel bad about it, as they are going through a difficult time.

Having said this, there is a growing trend to give funeral favours to those who attend a funeral or memorial service. A popular option is to give small cards which can carry the photo of the deceased and meaningful words about them or about the meaning of life and death. There are many other options, but all of them are a simple way to remember the de‐ ceased and celebrate their life.

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

40 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

DAVID WORBOYS QUEEN ELIZABETH has devoted her life to serving her country as an exem‐ plary monarch. Perhaps she could have abdicated graciously at the age of 80 and given her eldest son a taste of power, but she appears to regard her sovereignty as a duty for life. She is uni‐ versally admired as a successful monarch.

Having said that, she and her consort preside over an odd family dominated by formality, tradition, and protocol.

Through the media, the atmosphere in which they live comes across as cold, outdated and unnatural.

Forty years ago, it is into this situation that Princess Diana was inveigled. As she gradually revealed her warmer, hu‐ man personality she was eventually to be isolated, effectively ostracised and eventually silenced.

Although not of royal blood, Diana was British and white. On her death, the outpouring of grief by the general public was phenomenal ‐ in marked contrast to the cool reaction at the Palace.

A generation later, her son, Prince Harry was one of the most popular and

FEATURE

THE GREAT ESCAPE ROYAL FAMILY: When Princess Diana was rejected she had no one to turn to, while Meghan at least had the support of her husband. personable of all the royals. His person‐ ality was a breath of fresh air among the formal stuffiness of most of his immedi‐ ate family. And then he fell in love with and married a beautiful woman.

Unlike his mother, Harry’s new wife, Meghan Markle, was neither British nor ‘white’. (Neither, of course, was Dodi Fayed). Not exactly what the establish‐ ment had in mind.

She is also a divorcee. But the Royal

Family already has a fair number of di‐ vorcees, all of them British and white.

The Prince may have had an idea of the kind of existence that awaited Meghan. It seems likely that he may have shared with her his concerns about life within the Royal Family.

However, neither of them could have been prepared for the vitriol displayed by the general public and the main‐ stream and social media, once they had

married. This time, the reaction of the public has been very different.

When Diana was rejected she had nobody to turn to and no means of es‐ cape. As efforts were made to extradite Meghan, she at least had her husband to support her. And did the Prince of Wales, in his role as Harry’s father, really refuse to take calls for help from him?

Attempts are being made to eradi‐ cate racism from football. What about

the family of the Head of the Common‐ wealth? Whatever the response of the Palace, who is to be believed? Assuming the allegations of Meghan are true, can her critics imagine what it must be like to live in such restrictive circumstances, surrounded by cold courtiers? The strip‐ ping of their royal titles seems a vindic‐ tive measure in response to the young couple’s search for an escape from a metaphorical cage into the real world.

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

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

WHERE ARE THE VACCINES??

From our Facebook

INSTEAD of worrying about tourism and Covid passports, Europe’s political leaders should be concentrating their efforts on immunising the population. The only way to save lives and our economies is to vaccinate whole populations as fast as possible. Yet the EU and European governments seem to be incapable of organising the supply of vaccines and implementing an efficient coordinated vaccination programme.

The opaque contracts with the pharmas, which seem to be holding the world to ransom, have led to delays and conflicts of interest, while the protocols are being abused or simply leading to confusion over how, where, when and who should receive the first and second doses. The fact is the pandemic has demonstrated the incompetence and negligence of our elected representatives and governments and their inability to protect the people. It is chaos and a damning failure of our democracies in a time of crisis.

Yours Peter Fieldman

That interview Dear Leapy, as usual, your brief comment on ‘that interview’ was spot on - the whole thing was a well-rehearsed performance from start to finish. As far as its connection to the royal family is concerned, this union was doomed from the outset. Meghan Markle was never going to conform to the ‘rigid’ standards of behaviour required of the royals. She is Hollywood first and foremost and determined to move from minor to major in that respect.

Once race or mental health enter any conversation, everyone starts pussyfooting around, terrified of being accused of being racist etc! The royal family is between a rock and a hard place, but I feel sure that the British public overall will not have been conned.

I’m not a huge fan of Piers Morgan but I believe he got this one right. I think you might like a word with the ‘Grumpy Old Man’ on the page opposite, he seems to be a bit ‘star’ struck!

Best wishes Ken Turner

Sudoku Thank you Euro Weekly for now having an easy and hard Sudoku, I can now do the easy one every week.

Whipee. Regards Pat Barber

SADLY MISSED ONE of the highpoints of the Spanish year is the celebration of Easter which brings so many communities and people from diverse backgrounds together.

It’s all about celebration and the Spanish love for festivals as well as a great excuse to dress up, take part in a parade (or watch it) and show your commitment to the Catholic church.

Sadly, for yet another year, the streets of every village, town and city will be deserted and the sound of often slightly off-key brass bands will not be heard, all due to the hateful pandemic which has caused

CORRECTIONS

Maureen Watson Just get on with the vaccine, hopefully we will get a better life out here in Spain.

Brennan Williams VACCINATION: Needs to happen as fast as possible.

At the beginning many said this would be around 12/18 months or until a vaccine.

TV Adverts

Mel Sayle

Hi Leapy, Have you ever noticed the ethnicity of TV adverts recently?

The majority are of mixed race families of all age groups and one advert about ordering food online as all black actors.

Is it me or is the TV viewing public being brainwashed and if so, for what reason.?

Maybe I am wrong but I don’t think so.

Keep up the good work.

Peter Clague

A TRUE lockdown... not the namby pamby other countries had.

OUR VIEW

so much pain during the last 12 months or so.

Finely crafted statues of Christ, the Virgin and other saints will have to remain in their churches and the highly polished and regularly repainted tronos which are richly adorned with gold and silver and decorated with numerous flowers will not be used to carry the statues through the streets.

Each procession is accompanied by devotees known as capuchones wearing habits and capirotes (pointed hats) and carrying candles, all of whom belong to a particular local

brotherhood of Nazarenes.

Although in theory, this should be a time of reflection and mourning, it becomes a great spectacle which attracts large numbers of tourists and has a very positive affect on the economy as bars and restaurants are heaving over those few days.

There are always local TV stations showing the processions as they occur and if you are going to miss them this year, then it is more than likely that it will be possible to watch a previous year from the comfort of your home without the added risk of infection.

Nicki Burgess Sat in a beach bar with bottle of wine and fried fish as we thought it was the end of the world going into a two-week lockdown!! How naive were we!!! If we had of known what was to come, we would have had two bottles!!

Pam Jeffs Cry, because on the 17th I was meant to fly to the UK to see my family !!! And still can’t yet !!!!

Gillian Thomas Depends on the vaccine process to a degree.

Paul Bennett No... most thought it would fade away. More they test, more they find, cases already back up now schools are back. There’s another twist and it will be the vaccine doesn’t work as well as thought. I know a girl who is bad with Covid and had the vax in Jan. I’ve had the vax and hoping to fly in June.

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

Trusting your own mind MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED T O DAY, I know what feeling well is and I fight for it every day. Sometimes, I actually succeed.

When I try to explain what it’s like to be bipolar, I talk about trust, the one thing I think makes us different.

It’s hard to trust a mind that has let you down and caused you and the ones you love so much pain. It’s hard to trust a mind that has left scars on your body. It’s hard to trust that people will understand when you talk about your story. It’s hard to trust you’ll be well again.

One thought that always haunts me when I am well is “how long have I got until I’m not well again?” I can’t ever make grand plans to ac-

complish things because I am afraid, I am going to fall apart again. I tend to think it’s better not to try, but a life like this feels empty. I have to trust that I can accomplish something, despite the mood swings and the fear of not being well again.

For people with bipolar disorder, whose minds have fooled them more than once, who spend their lives dodging bullets it’s tough to put yourself out there. Every day, I promise I will try. I will trust that I am perfectly imperfect.

I won’t let the dull routine of staying safe and quiet become the status quo.

I will do what I can to the best of my ability.

I have come a long way in my recovery, and I have a story to tell.

Trust in your voice, and tell your story.

The world needs to hear it.

You are not alone Love Ms Bipolar x

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 March 2021

EWN 47

More children suffering

B E I N G overweight, a poor diet and lack of exercise are all causing an increase in cases of hypertension in S pain, but not just in adults.

F igures from the S panish A ssociation of P aediatrics show that five out of every 100 children now have blood pressure higher than it should be for their age.

Although less than one in 100 have medically significant hypertension, if the situation continues in youngsters it significantly increases their risk of heart failure or stroke in adult life.

Long-term, it can also cause damage to the kidneys, eyes and other organs.

The figures were released last week to mark W orld H ypertension D ay where the Cardiology Department of the Hospital of Sant Joan, Alicante, warned of the increase of the cases of high tension in all the ages, not just in

youngsters.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a chronic problem that often does not present clear symptoms so without regular checks it can go undetected. for a long time, leading

to more serious complications, such as a heart attacks, haemorrhages or cerebral thrombosis. H ypertension leads to a thickening and hardening of the arteries making it more difficult for blood to pass through them.

48 EWN

18 - 24 March 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

The Power of one’s Opinion ROBERT SHALLIS HOW powerful and important is our opinion? Well, pretty powerful I would say, however, it is vital to remember ‐ do not become confused between opin‐ ions and facts.

For example, if you failed a test, your opinion could be that you’re a failure.

The fact is, the test was hard but the reali‐ ty is, you simply failed a test. You have al‐ lowed yourself to see it a different way based on your opinion. So, your opinion can have a powerful effect on how you see yourself.

One important thing to note, which can be considerably hard to grasp ‐ other people’s opinions of you are personal to them and actually nothing to do with you. It only becomes about you if you al‐ low it to. Three people could have three completely opposing opinions of you de‐ pending on their personal view point for whatever reason that may be.

REMEMBER: It all starts with you.

Other people’s opinions can be dam‐ aging as they can crush our dreams and destroy our hopes, depending on how easily influenced we are by them, even though they may not intentionally mean to do so. Our job is to take heed of only one opinion, the most important, the opinion we have of ourselves.

The opinion we have of ourselves is linked to the image we have of ourselves ‐ our self‐image, it is a thought and a be‐ lief. The greater and more positive our self‐image is, the higher the opinion of ourselves will be. Interestingly enough, the more confidence and belief you have, the more opinions will change around you too as you begin to act like the person you perceive yourself to be.

Always remember, it is your opinion that counts, do not get caught up in other people’s perceptions of you.

But what if you don’t have a good opinion of yourself or a great self‐im‐ age? Can it be changed? Absolutely, yes! We were not born with a low opin‐ ion of ourselves or a weak self‐image, it’s just what we’ve acquired over many years which has formed into a habit

that doesn’t serve us well.

The quote ‘’as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’’ (in other words, as you see yourself, so you are) is a great re‐ minder to steer clear of the negative im‐ age you may have of yourself and re‐ place it with a new one. This will take time but eventually it too will become habitual and allow you to feel empow‐ ered with renewed confidence and be‐ lief. It’s simply a positive use of the imagi‐ nation. It is important to trust in the process, trust in yourself and above all, be patient.

Focus on what you do well and repeat whenever you can, this will never fail to reinforce your confidence.

One final thing to note, is that you are never too old to change your self‐image.

Once you begin to change, people, things and situations around you will also ap‐ pear to change as they will no longer im‐ pact or influence you in the same way.

So, give it a go, why not start now and watch the miracles unfold. See yourself as the person you really want to be as it all starts with you!

Rob Shallis www.robshallis.com

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

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

NEWS that fake reviews for products sold on Amazon’s Marketplace are being sold online ‘in bulk’ isn’t surprising. The consumer group Which? found websites selling fake reviews from £5 each and incentivising positive re‐ views in exchange for payment or free prod‐ ucts. Which? even caught UK businesses buy‐ ing five‐star Google reviews in its own recent ‘sting’ operation.

But fake reviews have been a problem on eBay, Facebook, Amazon and TripAdvisor for years. Data suggest a huge rise in fake reviews during the first lockdown.

With Italy’s antitrust authority fining TripAd‐ visor €500,000 over its ‘defamatory’ hotel re‐ views, maybe it’s time to take stock of some of its highs and lows.

First off, there were the threats from some in the travel industry. Like the Broadway Ho‐ tel, Blackpool, that charged a couple £100 af‐ ter posting a critical review describing it as a ‘filthy, dirty rotten stinking hovel run by mup‐ pets.’ (Only to be surpassed by New York’s Union Street Guest House’s surcharge of

18 - 24 March 2021

EWN 49

CONSUMERS DEMANDING MORE & MORE FREEBIES - WHATEVER NEXT?

CUSTOMER REVIEWS: Data suggests there has been a huge rise in fake reviews. $500 for negative reviews.)

Naturally, this backfired spectacularly for both hotels with numerous mocking reviews on TripAdvisor. Don’t you just love it when bad businesses blame the customer and, instead of

fixing the problem, get uppity when the ensu‐ ing firestorm of bad publicity erupts? You have to give them five out of five for canniness.

The BBC should have sent a production crew up to Blackpool to do a remake of Fawlty Tow‐

ers. Script not needed. Can’t you just picture Basil scrolling through his TripAdvisor reviews!

TripAdvisor never ceases to amuse. From the fake reviews of the non‐existent Brixham restaurant Oscar’s, and spoof reviews (the Inn, Bethlehem and the Grand Budapest Hotel, Re‐ public of Zubrowka) to the ‘alarmingly prolific’ reviewers on its Chinese website.

Now, I know all businesses are having a real‐ ly rough time in this pandemic but so are con‐ sumers. So, wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interests to treat all websites with more care ‐ and caution?

PS. I’ll certainly be recommending this unbi‐ ased article! Five stars!

Warning: this column may not be written by a real person.

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.no ra‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

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

PETS

50

www.euroweeklynews.com • 18 - 24 March 2021

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A great novelty in the treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs O S T EOA R T H R I T I S is a disabling, non‐curable and progressive disease that is concentrated in the joints, but in advanced stages it affects the general health of the dog and can be the cause of euthanasia due to the loss of quality of life.

A multimodal management of the disease is neces‐ sary, which involves a combination of different medi‐ cal therapies such as non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and analgesics, nutraceuticals, an adequate di‐ et, weight control and exercise management, and sometimes surgery.

One of the great novelties in the treatment of os‐ teoarthritis is bedinvetmab. It is an injection of mon‐ coclonal antibodies that act against the so‐called nerve growth factor.

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Some bunny benefits RABBITS can be beneficial to own since they don’t need to be taken for a walk. They are very quiet animals, have distinct personalities and are affectionate and interactive. It’s a good idea to spend a bit of time getting to know if their character is suitable for the family and to make sure you have time to play with them, before you make the commitment of owning one.

Rabbits can get very attached to their owners, in the same way that dogs and cats do. They recognise voices and their owner’s appearance and may even follow them around and jump on laps.

Rabbits don’t need a lot of room, but in their cage they need enough for them to stretch out completely, leaving room for a litter tray and a feeding station. They also need at least two hours of exer‐ cise each day, outside their cage.

Rabbits are easy to train, if the owner uses ‘positive reinforcement training,’ which encourages them to learn certain behaviours by re‐ peatedly rewarding them with special treats when they perform these behaviours.

Rabbits are eco‐friendly, because their food can be grown in the garden and hay can be purchased from local farmers. Their recycled litter paper and droppings can go on the compost heap. They are nat‐ ural paper shredders, as their teeth continually grow and consist of toilet paper rolls, old phonebooks and cardboard boxes.

They use litter boxes and they are generally clean.

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A Capable, likeable off-roader EVERYONE knows that Land Rover has a fine, and well de‐ served, reputation for off‐road ability. It seems that every other 4x4 takes second place to the Solihull masters of all terrain.

However, there’s another brand that has an equally fine reputation that precedes, indeed inspired, the genius of Maurice Wilks who founded Land Rover.

Jeeps are synonymous with the Second World War and it was their ability to traverse seemingly any kind of landscape that led to some of the best off‐road vehi‐ cles ever produced.

Part of Fiat and Chrysler Jeep still produce chunky Tonka‐toy like off‐roaders, with the excep‐ tion of the more stylistically smooth Compass, and my test was the Renegade complete with plug‐in electric assistance.

Priced from €37,851 (£32,600) the Renegade 4xe offers all the usual charging options including a standard domestic socket. Being a hybrid, smaller battery, on a do‐ mestic socket the charge time is as little as four hours.

For that you have a commut‐ ing range of around 26 miles, maybe more depending upon

your driving style, and modes for hybrid, electric and e‐save. The battery comes with an eight‐year 100,000 mile warranty.

On the road the Renegade is probably one of the most practi‐ cal hybrids I have driven, with a decent turn of speed, 62 mph in just 7.1 seconds, and a smooth six‐speed automatic gearbox along with that all‐wheel‐drive ability. That offers simple dial technology for the kind of surface you’re dealing with and even the ability to lock the system into low range for real mud‐plugging abili‐ ty. In hybrid mode the transition between electric and petrol is smooth and as long as the bat‐ tery isn’t extremely low e‐save mode and maximum regenera‐ tion means you can see the bat‐ tery charge climb.

Standard fare is good with the usual motoring accoutrements even on the lead‐in version with my €42,381 (£36,500) Trailhawk model especially well appointed.

The Jeep feels durable and is nicely appointed, but it battles against the fact that at this price it’s in Discovery Sport territory, al‐ beit mild hybrid form rather than plug‐in. The Discovery will be

seen as a more premium choice and I’m not sure the plug‐in ver‐ sus mild hybrid systems will make much difference.

It makes the Renegade’s job somewhat harder, which is a shame as the Jeep is one of the most capable and likeable off roaders you can buy.

18 - 24 March 2021

EWN 55

56

SPORT Game Overshadowed

18 - 24 March 2021

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

FORMER Wolves star Diogo Jo‐ ta proved the difference‐maker for the Premier League champi‐ ons, scoring in first‐half injury time for Liverpool in a must‐ win game for the Reds.

However, the game was overshadowed by a late injury to Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patri‐ cio.

Patricio was eventually stretchered off in distressing scenes at Molineux when the Portuguese shot‐stopper lay motionless on the pitch after an accidental collision that saw his own defender, Conor Coady, hit his knee against his head.

Thankfully, it appears that the Portuguese shot‐stopper is going to recover, with Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo telling Sky Sports: “He’s okay and he’s conscious.

“He’s okay, he’s going to re‐ cover.”

Mohamed Salah could have made Liverpool’s win more

RUI PATRICIO: Was stretchered off in distressing scenes.

JOTA: Difference-maker.

comfortable had his late effort not been ruled out for offside, in the incident that led to Patri‐ cio’s injury. The incident has sparked debate about the off‐ side rule ‐ with VAR’s involve‐ ment under scrutiny.

In particular, a debate is en‐ suing around the rule that as‐ sistant referees should not flag offside decisions if they are un‐ sure in order to allow VAR to

make a ruling once the move has concluded ‐ which in this case, led to the horrific injury.

The 1‐0 victory for Liverpool moves the Anfield side up to sixth in the table and within five points of the top four after securing only their second win in eight Premier League games.

Wolves are currently winless in four and find themselves in 13th position.

Barcelona Close The Gap BARCELONA moved to within touching distance of Atletico Madrid on Monday March 15, at the top of La Liga, after a 4‐1 demolition of Huesca at the Camp Nou, starring the magic of Lionel Messi once again, who scored twice and had one assist, on the night he equalled Xavi Hernandez’s record of 767 appearances for the club.

Just a few weeks ago it looked as though the Madrid club had an unassailable lead at the summit of the table, but recently the form of both teams, with Los Colchoneros slipping up, and Barca growing stronger with each match, has seen the gap now closed to just four points, and it makes for a very exciting finish to the season, with Re‐ al Madrid also in the mix in third position.

Messi sent his Barcelona goal tally to an incredible 767, with the Argentinian genius opening and closing the scoring, nipping in ahead of Jorge Pulido on the edge of the box, after 13 minutes, the No 10 curled in an exquisite strike from the edge of the area that bounced in off the crossbar.

Antoine Griezmann doubled the score on 35 minutes, hitting a screamer, there was no stopping his shot as it flew into the top cor‐ ner, before Rafa Mir pulled a goal on 49 minutes, back for Huesca after a very dubious penalty call.

Oscar Mingueza added to the Catalans’ tally after 53 minutes, thanks to an assist from Messi, who delivered a pinpoint ball onto the defender’s head that allowed the 21‐year‐old to score his first goal for the club, and 3‐1, then right at the death, Messi flicked a ball to Trincao, who saw space open up, and the No 10 exploited it as he, cutting in from the left, curled a low strike into Alvaro Fernan‐ dez’s bottom right‐hand corner for 4‐1.