Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 25 - 31 March 2021 Issue 1864

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 26 - 29 ISSUE NO. 1864

The people’s paper

25 - 31 March 2021

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RESILIENT RESIDENTS JAV I E R AU R E L I A N O G A RC I A , president of the Diputación Provincial council, recently praised Almeria residents for their response to the pandemic.

“Almerienses measured up,” he said. “Our province is characterised by having continually reinvented itself and for its ability to overcome structural shortfalls.”

It was precisely because of this strength of character that Almeria agriculture could continue to export “portions of health” for all of Europe while Spain was in lockdown, Garcia maintained.

He was speaking during an in-person meeting held at the capital’s Teatro Apolo and organised by the Club de Marketing Almeria.

The subject under discussion was Almeria after the pandemic: The keys to recovery, and the Diputacion presi-

DIPUTACION PRESIDENT: Javier Aureliano Garcia speaks to the media at the ‘Almeria after the Pandemic’ discussion. dent was taking part in a round-table discussion accompanied by Almeria City’s mayor Ramon FernandezPacheco and Maribel Sanchez, the Junta’s delegate to Almeria.

He went on to list the fu-

ture challenges that awaited the province.

Guaranteeing health was essential, with vaccinations and sustained health care, Garcia said. So, too, was guaranteeing the economy by providing the opportuni-

ties that would enable the self-employed and businesses to continue creating employment and wealth.

Social guarantees were equally important, ensuring that nobody was left behind, collaborating with and assisting those who most needed it, centring the Budget on triple social, health and economic protection, the Diputacion president declared.

Institutional loyalty was no less important, he added: “This safeguards legal and economic security, attracting investment.”

Garcia stressed the importance of marketing as an in-

stitution and also in promoting the province.

Communication was fundamental in bringing services closer to the public, he continued.

“The better we communicate, the more people can benefit from the services the Diputacion provides to improve their quality of life,” Garcia said.

“During the pandemic we also worked on marketing ‘feelings’ to get across to other Spaniards and Europeans the perception that once this crisis is over, they will need to feel, live, taste and enjoy Almeria.”

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Microplastics Detected in Bees MICROPLASTICS have been detected in the body of bees.

A University of Almeria research team has discov‐ ered that e‐pollution from h u m a n s a n d p l a s t i c s e x‐ tends to bees.

It has been known for a

long time that plastics and microplastics eventually make their way into the food chain in the ocean, but this is the first time that it has been discovered in bees.

Bees can be used to track environmental pollu‐

tion as they travel within a radius of about eight kilo‐ metres from the beehive.

Analysing the insects after their life cycle has been completed is a cheaper op‐ tion than current methods of analysis using contami‐ nation sensors.

NEWS

Charge while you shop SAT Palomasol has installed solar panels and a charging station for electric cars outside its Palo‐ mares supermarket.

“We put the panels on the roof, but one thing led to another and then we installed a free charg‐ ing station for cars,” explained Diego Portillo, presi‐ dent of SAT Palomasol’s board of directors.

Portillo explained that the investment would pay for itself within six years, bringing savings of 40 per cent on electricity bills.

“Besides,” he added, “we live in the present, not the future and we can’t allow Cuevas de Al‐ manzora’s annual 3,000 hours of sun go to waste. We are saving energy while helping to re‐

duce global warming,” Portillo said.

SAT Palomasol was founded in 1984 to supply ir‐ rigation water for growers and now has 35 mem‐ bers. Thirty years ago, they added a store for dis‐ tributing fertiliser, insecticide and agricultural supplies, leading five years later to the next step of opening a supermarket.

The latest initiative was the decision to engage a local firm to install the solar panels and charging station, assisted by grants from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund and the Junta de Andalucia.

“The idea is for people to park their car and charge their vehicle while they do their shopping.”

Something to survive on SPAIN’S Minimum Living Wage (IMV) is reaching 16,444 people, including 7,116 minors, who belong to 5,615 families living in Almeria.

Manuel de la Fuente Arias, the central government’s sub‐delegate to Almeria Province, emphasised that the IMV has proved “especially effective” in combatting child poverty.

The central government had assigned more funds in this respect than Spain’s autonomous regions would assign in a normal year, De la Fuente Arias pointed out.

The number of Almeria families receiving the IMV had increased from 640 last October to the present 5,615 who receive an average of €460 a month.

De la Fuenta explained that when applications were turned down, this was because claimants did not meet the requirements for classification as “vulnerable.”

Ten per cent of those hoping to receive the Minimum Living Wage were rejected because they failed to pro‐ vide proof that they were part of a family unit, the sub‐ delegate added, although the rules were eased in Jan‐ uary to include “unconventional” domestic situations.

Longer wait for Cable Ingles RESTORING the Almeria City’s Cable Ingles pier could take longer than originally planned.

This is now expected to be completed by the end of the year, revealed Spain’s Trans‐ port Ministry, although both the company responsible for rehabilitating the early 20th century structure as well as the Ports Authority believe it could be finished by October.

Sources close to the restora‐ tion explained that the pan‐ demic has held up deliveries of the wood from Cameroon that is needed for what will even‐ tually be a pedestrian walk‐ way along the old loading quay.

The Cable Ingles, which was operational until 1973, was once connected via a rail link to the city’s main railway sta‐ tion to transport iron ore from the Alquife mines in Granada to waiting cargo ships.

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DON’T FORGET to Spring forward one hour at 2am on Sunday

NIBS EXTRA March snow AS predicted by Spain’s met office AEMET, the arrival of spring in Almeria was accompanied by snow in the Valle de Almanzora and Los Velez as well as areas above 700 metres.

Chains were obligatory for vehicles in Alto de Velefique and Calar Alto among other mountain passes.

Pig issues HUERCAL-OVERA Town Hall launched HOS, a cluster group focusing on sustainable development in line with the UN’s Agenda 2030. The group will seek solutions for the social, economic and environmental problems involved in breeding and raising pigs that affect both local areas and countries all over the world.

Going postal THE CCOO and UGT trade unions sent a joint communique to postal authority Correos, complaining about conditions at the Vera office. The sorting office was over-crowded, the unions claimed, and with so little space that employees were constantly hindered and injured by parcels piled up in the passages.

Book time THE English Language Library in Mojacar’s Centro de Usos Multiples, La Fuente, is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 11am and 2pm. Users are asked to be patient, as only four members are allowed inside at any one time, and are reminded that masks must be worn.

New arrivals EL EJIDO’S Poniente hospital attended to 2,451 births in 2020, averaging six daily, with 1,985 normal deliveries and 429 caesareans. The head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics department explained that the unit did everything possible to ensure fewer invasive confinements, directed at the family rather than technology.

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Breakwaters will halt erosion THE Levante beaches’ old problem of the erosion could soon be solved.

Until now this has been solved by dumping lorryloads of quarry sand but this has only ever been a temporary solution until the next violent storm.

Now it looks as though a permanent solution is in sight, as the central government’s Environment Ministry intends to spend €3.6 million on halting erosion at Palomares’ Fabrica del Duro and Quitapellejos beaches.

The town hall has been requesting a definitive answer for several years, said Cuevas del

SOLUTION: Cuevas mayor Antonio Fernandez Liria expressed satisfaction at halting erosion.

Almanzora mayor Antonio Fernandez Liria, as replenishing the sand has never been any-

thing more than a stopgap.

Coastal authority Costas, which is attached to the Envi-

ronment Ministry, intends to build two breakwaters, one in Vera and another in Garrucha, which should halt erosion at the two beaches.

The breakwater cannot be located off Palomares itself, owing to the sea currents at this particular point, said Fernandez Liria who explained that the €3.6 million contract had not yet been put out to tender.

“But it won’t be long,” he added, as the central government’s sub-delegate Manuel de la Fuente had assured him last week that this was now in hand.

Leave them be in Mojacar THE ELEOS association has requested that wild boars are not hunted in Mojacar.

Local residents recently reported that they heard shots and saw a car fleeing the scene after a female boar was found dead, metres away from a road adjoining the lo‐ cal petrol station.

Pride of place A STATUE of San José now presides a roundabout on the AL‐3200 road giving ac‐ cess to Almeria University.

Coinciding with Friday March 19, the saint’s feast day, Pope Francis formally named San José as the pro‐ tector of Almeria Province.

The proclamation was the result of an initiative launched by the Providentia Association in collaboration with the province’s brother‐ hoods and guilds.

The campaign had the ap‐ proval of the diocese and backing from dozens of insti‐ tutions, groups, collectives and Almeria businesses.

“We are celebrating a his‐ toric event,” declared Javier Aureliano Garcia, president of the provincial council, the Diputacion.

“The statue is in an em‐ blematic location on the provincial road network and at an entrance to Alme‐ ria University, the province’s centre of learn‐ ing,” he said.

Over recent months Mojacar has been the scene of wild boars wandering through streets that are usually populated by resi‐ dents and tourists.

ELEOS, which is active in the Levante area, proposed alternative methods for controlling Mojacar’s wild boars after con‐

demning the shooting. According to ELEOS president María Presa, there are many oth‐ er ways of controlling the wild boar popula‐ tion.

“There is no need to kill any living being, nor to leave young animals without their mother,” she said.

Six Metre Sinkhole

TO the shock of local residents, a six‐metre sinkhole has appeared in the Mirador in Villaricos.

Luckily the sinkhole appeared overnight, otherwise it could have resulted in a tragedy, as it is located at a point where many visitors and residents walk every day.

The sudden subsidence resulted in a huge sinkhole that is around six metres deep and covers an area of roughly eight square metres. According to witnesses the hole appeared on the Paseo Marítimo after paving slabs collapsed inwards.

Residents believe that the incident could have been caused by sea erosion as waves constantly hit the edge of the Paseo Marítimo.

Tree killers THE Local Police in Albox dis‐ covered that trees in Plaza de San Francisco have been delib‐ erately attacked and poi‐ soned.

The crime has left both citi‐ zens and officers confused as no one knows what the inten‐ tion is behind the act. The trees were deliberately bored into, and poison poured into the open wounds in an act of van‐ dalism that appeared premedi‐ tated and well‐planned.

Police took to social media, asking for help in tracing the vandals who attacked the trees.

“Anyone with any informa‐ tion, please come forward in hopes of identifying the van‐ dals and preventing any future acts of vandalism,” they said.

A sweet project A COOPERATIVE in Olula de Castro (registered population 180) intends to start producing Spain’s favourite Christmas sweetmeat, turron.

The Junta’s Territorial Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration delegate Jose Luis Delgado recently visited Olula, where a municipal prop‐ erty used as a storeroom will become a turron factory. The project has been carried out by the town hall with funds from the Agricultural Em‐ ployment Promotion Programme (PFEA) co‐financed with €29,700 from the Junta. “This is a fine example of cooperation between the administra‐ tions,” Delgado said, stressing the importance of projects like Olula’s that create stable employment and help to prevent depopulation.

Behind schedule

JOSE LUIS ABALOS, the central government’s Transport minister, re‐ vealed that Almeria’s AVE should arrive in 2025 or 2026.

Speaking during his first official visit to Almeria City, Abalos admitted that the high speed train would reach the province at least two years later than promised. He had “inherited” this date from his predecessors at the Ministry, Abalos said, explaining that 2023 was originally quoted “as a guide” and dependent on progress made in Lorca (Murcia).

Problems there had been solved, the minister said, but stressed that “considerable effort” still lay ahead.

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Adopt and score a major deal AN adopted pet means one less animal is living in a shelter.

Chrissie Cremore, committee member and acting vice‐president of PAWS‐PATAS in Los Gal‐ lardos, also pointed out the owner of an adopt‐ ed dog or cat always scores a major deal.

As well as uncondi‐ tional love, they are get‐ ting a bargain.

All PAWS‐PATAS pup‐ pies, kittens, cats and dogs receive the highest degree of medical care, specialist food and nec‐ essary surgery.

“When you adopt a dog, you receive a healthy animal whose standard treatment in‐ cludes worming, de‐ fleaing and tick removal.

It will have been vacci‐ nated, microchipped, neutered and provided with a passport,” Chrissie said.

The €180 donation which secures a PAWS‐ PATAS adoption goes to‐ wards the true cost, which is always in ex‐ cess of €300.

All cats are thorough‐ ly examined, treated for internal and external parasites and neutered.

Again, the €120 dona‐ tion only partly covers this treatment.

To exist, the shelter requires €9,500 per month and receives no statutory funding.

“If someone cannot afford these donations for a fully‐prepared and neutered animal, then frankly they should not be adopting as they will not be able to afford good food and unex‐ pected veterinary ex‐ penses,” Chrissie warned.

To learn more about PAWS‐PATAS, email dogs@paws‐patas.org or cats@paws‐patas. org. For details regarding adoption visit their www.paws‐patas.org website.

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Boat seized

GUARDIA CIVIL seized over 1,000 kilos of hashish and arrested two people during Operation Masaqar off the coast of Mojacar.

The operation began ‘late at night’ when using the Integrated External Surveillance System (S I V E) cameras a G uardia C ivil offer spotted the boat.

It was suspected that the boat was involved in drug trafficking and it was seen to be heading towards Mojacar’s coast.

T he boat was found to contain ‘43 burlap bales’ when it was boarded by officers.

NEWS

Queen ‘to Hire Diversity Tsar’ THE monarch is reportedly keen for the royal family to progress following racism claims, with the Queen planning on hiring a diversity tsar.

A source has said the move could be made to show “more needs to be done” across the households as they “haven't seen the progress [they] would like.”

A royal source said: “Diversity is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the Royal Households. “We have

ROYAL FAMILY: Lots of measures are being considered.

the policies, the procedures and programmes in place but

Wrong Direction TWO drivers lost their lives on Saturday night, March 20 in a head‐on collision caused by one of the vehicles travelling in the wrong direction down the A‐2 motorway near the Madrid town of Alcala de Henares.

When the emergency health services arrived at the scene, the two drivers, identified as 35 and 38‐year‐old men, were pronounced dead, according to Emergencias 112 Comunidad de Madrid.

At 10.00pm on Saturday, 112 received several calls indicat‐ ing that a vehicle was travelling in the opposite direction on the A2, coming out of Madrid. Moments later, Emergencias received a call to say there had been a serious crash at kilo‐ metre 28 of the Barcelona motorway.

we haven’t seen the progress we would like and more needs to be done, we can always improve. “The work to do this has been underway for some time now and comes with the full support of the family. “Lots of measures are being considered. Certainly the idea of someone to spearhead this work and look at diversity/inclusion across the three households is something that has to be considered.”

The move comes following an interview between Oprah and Prince Harry and Meghan in which Meghan alleged their son had not been given a royal title because of his skin colour.

€3 Million Health Fraud OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have arrest‐ ed four people in an alleged €3 million health equipment fraud.

Police said they are also investigating an‐ other person for the alleged crimes of fraud and belonging to a criminal organisation.

The arrests took place after the group is said to have defrauded a company of more than €2.7 million in the sale of medical gloves.

The gang allegedly showed the company more than 260 pallets loaded with what they

claimed were boxes of gloves in Valencia.

They then charged the Spanish company more than €2.7 million for the 330,000 boxes of gloves, which were then going to be sent to France to be used by health workers.

According to police, while several boxes did contain gloves, the other were filled with sand. During the police searches they discov‐ ered 330,000 boxes as well as computers.

The investigation was carried out by police in Valencia as well as in France.

Anti-Trafficking Legislation JUST days after the Minister of Equality Irene Montero announced that she had be‐ gun working on a compre‐ hensive law against traffick‐ ing, the PSOE held a conference on the ‘Fight Against Trafficking and Pros‐ titution’ on Sunday, March

21. The secretary of Equality of the PSOE and first vice president of the government, Carmen Calvo, presented at the conference and said she plans to intro‐ duce the new legislation af‐ ter the May 4 elections.

Calvo stressed the need to

implement legislation that protects the human rights of women and that “prevents prostitution in our country,” which is the “only way” to work internationally against trafficking in women and mi‐ nors for the purpose of sexu‐ al exploitation.

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Holy Week Poster Dedication THE Brotherhood of Esperanza Macarena has recognised the services provided by Almeria health professionals who have worked tirelessly throughout the coronavirus pandemic and offered ‘a generous service to

society’ by dedicating their holy week poster to them.

Manuel Vida, Torrecárdenas’ manager spoke of the affection and humanity shown by the health workers during the pan‐ demic. He said that, “the 6,000

professionals in Almeria share a brotherhood, and during the pandemic we have given the patients, in addition to the hos‐ pital treatment, affection, hu‐ manity and dedication to the patients.”

New lease of life

EXTENDING opening hours for shops, cafes, bars and restaurants until 10.30pm has brought new life to the province’s streets.

This, and delaying the curfew until 11pm, has revitalised takings, said Pedro Sanchez‐ Fortun, president of the ASHAL association which represents the Almeria Province hospi‐ tality sector.

“It gives us new life, because working in the evening and at night represents almost 50 per cent of their daily turnover for bars and restau‐ rants,” he explained.

The regional government’s partial lifting of the previous restrictions was welcomed by re‐ lieved business owners. It should continue un‐ til April 9 although the Junta made the pru‐ dent proviso that this can be revised “at any time” depending on the situation of the pan‐ demic.

Only three Almeria municipalities ‐ Instin‐ cion, Bayarcal and Turrillas ‐ where the Covid‐

rate exceeds 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabi‐ tants, were excluded from the Junta’s relax‐ ation of opening hours.

Although smaller shops are unlikely to re‐ main open until 10.30pm and will continue to close between 8.30pm and 9pm, many own‐ ers are removing staff from the government’s ERTE furlough scheme, as are those in the hos‐ pitality sector.

The hospitality sector’s principal concern now is ensuring that the new opening hours and curfew remain in place, prompting calls for responsibility and strict observance of anti‐ Covid health and safety regulations.

“We want the new timetable to continue,” Sanchez‐Fortun said.

“We don’t want to hear that the sector is to blame for an increase in coronavirus cases.

There were outbreaks in countries where bars and restaurants were closed,” the Ashal presi‐ dent pointed out.

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NEWS

Elton slams Vatican stance First Cross-Transplant THE multiple Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Elton John vented his anger on social media after Pope Francis decreed the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions.

The iconic singer criticised the Vatican for investing millions in his 2019 biopic that celebrated his love story with husband David Furnish.

The furious legendary musician hit out at the church’s recently-announced position on LGBT unions, and tweeted: “How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages because they ‘are sin,’ yet happily

make a profit from investing millions in ‘Rocketman’ - a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David??”

According to NewsWeek, the Vatican reportedly invested large sums of money into the production, citing $1.2 million (€1.01 million) going towards financing Rocketman ahead of its release.

Rocketman was celebrated in most parts of the world - winning John and longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin an Oscar for Best Original Song and grossing $195 million (€164 million) globally but its gay content also generat-

ed controversy in Russia and Samoa.

The 73-year-old singer’s statement regarding the Vatican’s stance comes after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), said on Monday, March 15, that the Church doesn’t have the power to bless same-sex unions and therefore such blessings cannot ‘be considered illicit’ if carried out.

The Pope said “it was not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite.”

Off-Duty Cop Risks Life AN off‐duty National Police officer belonging to the Special Operations Group (GOES) risked his life on Wednesday (March 17) to rescue a worker who was stuck on a detached cradle on the 12th floor of a tower block building in Valencia.

The incident occurred at around 9am when the officer responded to the employee’s calls for help, and even upon seeing how risky the situation was, with the broken cradle hanging precariously on just one wire, the brave officer entered the building and made his way up to the corresponding floor to try

and give assistance to the stranded worker.

With no fear or doubt about the dangerous predicament he was placing himself in, the officer first used a cable to secure himself before reaching down to grab the workman’s hand and haul him up to safety.

The actions of this brave officer, even while off‐ duty, just goes to show the respect they give to their badge when they join the force, pledging to dedicate themselves to the safety and the lives of the public during times of danger.

IN a history making trans‐ plant for Spain, a young girl has received a kidney cross‐ transplant. The pioneering surgery was carried out at the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu along with the Hospital Clínic.

This is the first paediatric kidney transplant of its type which has taken place in Spain between people that have blood groups which are incompatible. The surgery was performed by the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Es‐ plugues de Llobregat, and the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona.

The hospitals explained that they were successfully able to take an adult kidney from a patient in Sevilla and transplant it into an eight‐ year‐old girl who lives in Es‐ plugues, Candela. The girl has suffered with kidney is‐ sues since she was only 20 months old.

The young girl previously had a kidney transplant when she was four years old but sadly though, after only

24 hours the kidney devel‐ oped thrombosis and the young girl had to spend a further four years using dial‐ ysis.

The cross‐transplant pro‐ gramme saw the girl’s father happily donate a kidney to

the recipient in Sevilla.

Cross‐transplantation, often referred to as a domino transplants involves two or more incompatible donors ‐ recipients which then create a domino effect of trans‐ plants.

West Nile Virus War ANDALUCIA is set for an all‐out war against the West Nile virus and the Regional Health Ministry is working on preparations for a strategic plan which aims to reduce the diseases that can be transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes.

Control of the virus will be one of the priorities of the pro‐ gramme which is due to be launched this month.

Andalucia will be focusing on the Nile fever control pro‐ gramme as a priority as they prepare for emerging diseases due to ongoing globalisation and climate change.

The West Nile Fever programme will classify areas of An‐ dalucia as low, medium or high risk. This will enable au‐ thorities to carry out appropriate surveillance and preven‐ tative and control measures in order to control the impact of the disease.

Your Belgian estate agent at the coast!

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NEWS

Super-fast travel ERC Spokesperson FOUNDED in 2016, Valencian company Zeleros has taken a huge step forward with its futuristic ‘hyperloop’ vehicle, a means of transport which travels by suspending capsules capable of speeds between 1,000 and 1,200 kilometres per hour. The company’s revolutionary six-metre-long model has already been displayed at the Science Museum, and in Octo-

ber it will move to the prestigious Spanish pavilion at Expo Dubai.

According to the founder and CEO of the company, David Pistoni, the concept of super-fast travel for people and goods is not a new concept, but recent technology means that the prototype could become a reality.

THINGS got pretty heated at the most recent meeting of the Government of Congress when the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez, angrily criticised the comments of outspoken spokesperson for Esquerra Republicana (E R C) Gabriel Rufián. To a rapt audience, Mr Rufián said that if the world’s democracies were houses, Spain would surely be considered “a shanty,” and accused the Central Government of “protecting and even helping the king and the infantas of stealing vaccines.”

The spokesperson was re-

ferring to the recent controversy surrounding the daughters of disgraced former Spanish king Juan Carlos I. The Infantas Elena and Cristina reportedly flew to Adu Dhabi to visit their father at the beginning of February and were vaccinated against coronavirus while there.

It was not revealed whether his daughters received one or both doses of the vaccine, but according to the national vaccination strategy, Elena and Cristina are not part of the population eligible to receive the

vaccine yet.

Pedro Sanchez hit back at Mr Rufián, stating that while there are certainly things that could be improved within Spanish democracy, calling it a “shanty” was disrespectful.

“Democracy is the footprint and memory of many people who died fighting against fascism and for freedom,” the Prime Minister said. “Let’s not call that a shack, Your Honour, for the memory and dignity of the generations that the different parties that are here represent.”

Gibraltar Vaccination Record GIBRALTAR has now be‐ come the first nation in the world to see its entire adult population vaccinat‐ ed against the coron‐ avirus. Speaking at the House of Commons Health Secretary Matt Hancock spoke of how the milestone had been reached in the British ter‐ ritory.

Hancock said that, “I am delighted to be able to tell the house that yes‐ terday, Gibraltar became the first nation in the world to complete its en‐ tire adult vaccination pro‐ gramme.

“I want to pay tribute to all Gibraltarians for their fortitude during this crisis and the kind words of first minister Fabian Pi‐ cardo, who said yesterday ‘the United Kingdom has played a blinder on vacci‐ nations and we are among the beneficiaries in the British family of na‐ tions.”

According to the World Health Organisation since the start of the pandemic Gibraltar has been hit with just over 4,000 cas‐ es.

The population of Gibraltar comes is around 34,000 people and 94 Gibraltarians have sadly died due to the virus.

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Lack of equipment THE association, Apandapt, has complained that diagnosis of children with profound deafness has been delayed for a year and not only due to the pandemic, but also, as they have been informed by the otorhinolaryngology department of Toledo Hospital, because the device has been out of order for three months.

It has been faulty for a long time, they said, and had undergone many repairs, but now, the device which determines definitively by neuroelectric tests if a baby is deaf, is beyond repair.

No such tests have been carried out at the hospital since mid-December and approximately 130 children are awaiting it.

Until a new one arrives, the date for which is unknown, the hospital told ABC that it would refer patients to other hospitals in the region, but only if necessary.

Meanwhile, the association complains that early detection in newborns is essential for their future.

DEAFNESS: Early detection in newborns is essential.

Northern Rival Soap

BBC: Has plans for two new long-running dramas.

THE BBC have revealed future plans by the corporation to relocate vast areas of their network across different parts of England in order to boost regional appeal.

Included in the plans is the production of two new network long-running dramas, along with a soap opera which will be set in the north of England, that the BBC hopes can compete with ITV’s top soaps, Emmerdale and Coronation Street, to be filmed on location up north, as reported by the national UK daily, The Sun. The report also says that another drama series could be in the pipeline to be filmed in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, and that viewers can look forward to a noticeable shift in the portrayal of different parts of the UK in comedy, drama, and factual shows.

A source told The Sun, “We’re still working through the exact detail but we expect it to be a long-running show. That could mean anything from a weekly programme to 30 episodes a year, but that’s all to be worked out.”

NEWS

€100 Million funding OFFICIALS in Andalucia announced that €100 million in funding will be received to go towards tourism, including around €5 million that will go towards travel agencies.

Vice President of the Junta, Juan Marin, said the funding will also help the hotel industry, as well as other sectors.

He said businesses will be able to apply for the grants in April.

According to one publication, the EU is about to agree to a Covid passport scheme to allow Brits who have been vaccinated - or who can prove they have the antibodies - to travel abroad later in the year.

Countries including Portugal and Greece have already made known their desire to allow fully jabbed Brits back in from the middle of May, and it was also revealed previously by Matt Hancock, that the government has been busy trying to reopen international travel by discussing the possibility of producing a common certificate that could be used by all countries for that purpose. However, that may now be after June 30.

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NEWS

A Very Happy Tail Jab Confidence

FIREFIGHTERS from the Con‐ sell de Ibiza spent hours rescu‐ ing a cat and a dog on Sunday morning, March 21 that fell in‐ to a well about 20 metres deep, according to officials.

The distressed owner of one

of the animals contacted the Fire Station to report that their pet had become trapped when their dog was chasing the cat and both plummeted into the uncovered hole.

A specialist of the Vertical

Rescue Group (GRV) of the Ibiza firefighters descended the 20‐metre drop to rescue the animals. Once the feline was secured, the officer went back down to get the dog, a 30 kilo Labrador called Lua. Officials reported that both animals were uninjured; by a stroke of luck, the well was dry, otherwise both the cat and dog would most likely have per‐ ished.

After a three hour rescue, Lua was returned to her own‐ ers, while the cat was trans‐ ported to a rescue centre.

THE president of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology, Amos Rojas García has proposed that all politicians should be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab in order to increase the confidence of the public in the vaccination.

Experts believe the image of the UK-developed jab has been severely damaged after its use was temporarily suspended following fears that it may lead to lifethreatening blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency has assured that the

JAB: Safe and effective. jab is safe and effective, and Spain will begin reusing it on March 24.

But Amós García Rojas, an epidemiologist and vaccinolo-

gist, has warned that unless drastic action is taken, Spaniards will begin refusing the controversial jab, as is already happening in the UK.

‘New Normal’ Decree THE Congress of Deputies in Spain on Wednesday, March 17 formal‐ ly approved the Draft Law of urgent prevention, containment and coordination measures to face the health crisis caused by Covid‐19, more commonly known as the decree of the ‘new normal’. The law was passed with 199 votes in favour, 91 against and 57 abstentions.

One of the most important measures agreed upon is the obliga‐ tion of all those over the age of six to wear a mask in outdoor spaces, on public roads and in closed public spaces regardless of

whether a 1.5 metre distance can be maintained.

With regard to manufacturers and holders of marketing authori‐ sations for those medicines considered essential in the manage‐ ment of coronavirus, the decree states that they must communi‐ cate to the Directorate of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) the available ‘stock’, the quantity supplied in the last week and the forecast of release and receipt of batches of them, including estimated dates and quantities.

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Why it’s time to ‘think local’ for your financial planning Just as UK citizens lost automatic EU freedom of movement on 1 January, many UK financial businesses lost the right to provide banking and investment services within the EU. If you are Spanish resident but still use a UK bank account, other financial products or a UKbased financial adviser, make sure you check where you – and your money – stand.

UK financial services and Brexit Before Brexit, UK firms could legally provide financial services to Britons living in the EU through ‘passporting’, which included a commitment to meet EU minimum standards and consumer protections. Now that the UK is free to make its own rules those passporting rights have been withdrawn. As a result, some UK firms – including banks, insurance companies, investment providers and financial advisers – could be breaking the law by working with EU residents.

Whether this affects all UK

By Gerald Turner, Partner, Blevins Franks

firms depends on various factors, including how a company is structured and where it is based. Those with headquarters in an EU country can retain their passporting licence and operate as before.

However, wholly UK-based firms supporting EU-resident clients will likely need to restructure and form agreements with the financial regulators for each EU/EEA country they operate in.

Negotiations on financial services are ongoing, so the

UK and EU may still reach an agreement. Some companies may be holding out for this; others have already withdrawn from EU markets.

Some major UK banks have informed EU-based clients they can no longer provide services and closed accounts.

Others have kept accounts/policies open but suspended activity or allow them to run until the end of their term.

How might this affect you?

If you hold a British bank account, insurance policy, investment or other financial product and your provider hasn’t contacted you, ask them what arrangements they have in place for Spain.

If your account hasn’t been closed, is it frozen? In some cases, while EU citizens can retain accounts and make withdrawals, you may be restricted from adding or moving funds or renewing policies.

If you still use a UK-based financial adviser, check they are licensed to support you as

a Spanish resident. Besides the legal implications – and whether you are protected if things go wrong – some EU financial institutions have stopped accepting instructions from UK-based providers which could significantly limit your planning options.

Post-Brexit financial planning for Spain Besides the financial services issue, there are other key benefits to thinking more local for your finances.

Still holding on to UK investments? Now that UK assets are no longer EU/EEA assets, they could attract a higher tax bill within the EU. Own UK property? EU residents remain in the firing line for UK stamp duty and capital gains tax. Meanwhile, Spanish residents have access to opportunities that can offer better tax-efficiency and other benefits.

What about UK pensions?

You may be better off leaving them in the UK and drawing income as needed. UK pension income can still be paid into

an EU account, but it is paid in sterling so the value could be adversely affected by exchange rates and costs. Explore whether you may benefit from transferring funds out of the UK into a tax-efficient structure for Spain. Doing so could also unlock currency flexibility and estate planning benefits, but take regulated advice.

It has never been more important to ensure your financial arrangements are compliant and suitable for your life in Spain. A specialist, locallybased adviser is best placed to help you take advantage of suitable opportunities here and secure financial peace of mind.

Blevins Franks accepts no liability for any loss resulting from any action or inaction or omission as a result of reading this article, which is general in nature and not specific to your circumstances.

You can find other financial advisory articles by visiting our website here www.blevins franks.com.

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EWN 15

Money raised for teacher Spain Legalises Euthanasia A STUDENT from California, USA, has raised more than €22,000 for a former teacher who he discovered was living in his car.

Jose Villarruel, who was forced to resign in May 2020, received the gift on his 77th birthday thanks to a former

student who discovered that he was living in his car due to the closure of schools during the Covid‐19 pandemic.

Steven Nava saw his for‐ mer teacher parked in the same place for several days and asked him why. He gave

him $300 (€250) and launched a campaign on Go Fund Me, with which he raised the money in just six days. He tweeted about his aim to help the former teach‐ er and got a huge amount of support.

Speed Fiend Breaks Record

TEACHER: Was forced out of work during the pandemic.

POLICE in Barcelona couldn’t believe their eyes last week when a high‐end BMW was clocked travelling at an eye‐ watering 256 km per hour on the AP‐7 motorway outside Tarragona. As well as driving at more than twice the speed limit, the 48‐year‐old Spanish man was found to have been under the influence of cocaine at the time he was caught.

The Mossos d’Esquadra reported that the man sped at 120kph zone where there wasn’t much traffic, and accord‐ ing to a photo posted to their official social media account, the suspect was driving a BMW M2 CS with a 450‐horse‐ power six cylinder twin‐turbo engine.

The speed fiend from Olerdola in Barcelona could now face a prison sentence of between six months and two years, a suspension from driving for up to two years, as well as a hefty fine for the drug charges, reckless driving and crimes against road safety.

THE euthanasia law was approved by the Congress of Deputies in Spain on Thursday, March 18 following the support of the majority of parliamentary groups, with the exception of VOX, the Partido Popular, Foro Asturias and UPN. With the favourable vote, Spain has become the fourth country in Europe and the sixth in the world to legalise the practice.

The law will be published in the Official State Boletin this month and will allow legal access to assisted death to Spanish nationals and residents from June this year.

The euthanasia law will allow those of legal age suffering from ‘a serious and incurable disease’ or a ‘serious, chronic and incapacitating condition’ which causes ‘constant and intolerable physical or psychological suffering’ request help to die.

Only those considered to be capable and aware of their decision by a medical professional will be allowed to access the law, and each autonomous community will be tasked with setting up an Evaluation and Monitoring Committee to ensure that this regulation is strictly adhered to.

The new law covers both assisted suicide, for patients who are capable of ending their own lives, and euthanasia in cases where a medical professional must carry out the procedure. The process can be carried out in a hospital or private home, but minors will definitely not be euthanised.

While autonomous communities will be obliged to ensure the service is available to those who wish to avail of it, the law will stipulate health care workers have the ‘individual right not to meet those demands for health action regulated in this law incompatible with their own convictions.’

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NEWS

Doll Inspiration IRISH toy company Lottie Dolls, has released their latest creation, a gorgeous Down’s Syndrome doll in order to mark World Down Syndrome Day. The doll was inspired by Rosie Barnett, from Wiltshire, who is six years old and has Down’s syndrome. The new doll is called Rosie Boo. World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) was on March 21 and

the new doll was released just ahead of time. Speaking of raising awareness for Down’s Syndrome Rosie’s dad, Jason Kneen said, “We’re thrilled, at this time of year especially, that we can raise awareness for Down’s Syndrome and educate children on the differences that Down’s syndrome comes with, and what makes these kids special.

“The nice thing about Lottie is that they’re very diverse and inclusive in terms of how they approach the design of the dolls. “'It’s incredibly powerful for kids to be able to see a doll in their likeness but equally it’s important that all kids have a diverse toy box.”

Virtual Tourism Boost Predicted Currency

IN a new discovery the Huercal de Almeria City Council has found a series of funerary constructions which had lain undiscovered before now. This new discovery of the tombs completes the archaeology complex that already contains the megalithic dolmens of Los Callejones I and Los Calle‐ jones II. The new tombs were discovered in the same area as the megalithic dolmens which are of great historical importance and date back to the Chalcolithic and the Copper Age. It is hoped that the new discoveries will boost tourism in the area and change people’s ideas of Huercal de Almeria.

Currently many people think of Huercal de Almeria as an industrial town, but with a growing number of archaeologi‐ cal sites it is hoped that archaeological tourism will be boosted.

THE Clickoin company in Huelva, has the technology to launch a ‘virtual wallet’ which will allow for social benefits to be con‐ trolled so they are used for the purpose for which they were in‐ tended.

As reported in a local Andalucia news source, the money received has traceability and the system it‐ self stops it from being spent on any other.

Those who put €50 into the vir‐ tual wallet receive €10 extra to spend in local businesses to help the economy.

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Drunk Driving instructor LOCAL POLICE in Sevilla were forced to intervene when a driving instructor wanted to teach a lesson while drunk.

At around 11.15am on Wednesday, March 17, the 46-year-old man met with his student.

He fully intended to teach the lesson, but when the woman saw the state he was in, she refused to start, which led to an argument.

A resident in the area who was passing by, witnessed the scene and approached the vehicle. He had already seen the instructor leaving a bar before he got to the car. When he saw the state of the in-

Man was not fit to drive. structor, he removed the car keys and called the Local Police.

Officers immediately arrived on the scene and saw that the man was obviously drunk. He was given a breathalyser test which showed that he was six times over the legal alcohol limit.

Mercadona Jobs RETAIL giant Mercadona has announced the creation of a range of new jobs throughout the country in the run‐up to Easter and summer 2021.

The company is currently sourcing staff for various establish‐ ments and positions all across Spain and full details of all the avail‐ able opportunities can be found on the Mercadona website.

The main positions on offer are for supermarket staff to serve at the tills and replenish stock, while the company is also recruit‐ ing warehouse personnel.

NEWS

PRINCESS Leonor first solo engagement P R I N C ES S of Asturias, Leonor, will preside over her very first solo engagement next week as she commemo‐ rates the 30th anniversary of the Instituto Cervantes, the royal household announced on Thursday, March 18.

Arranged by her father King Felipe VI, the event will see the princess taking a tour of the facilities at the Institu‐ to Cervantes, where she will have the opportunity to learn about the digitalisation pro‐ jects that it carries out and to visit an exhibition with a sample of outstanding works of literature in the different languages of Spain.

The official engagement may be one of the only cere‐ monies the 15‐year‐old princess takes part in as she is set to fly to Wales at the end of the summer to begin studying the International Baccalaureate programme of the United World Colleges (UWC) educational institu‐ tion at the UWC Atlantic Col‐ lege.

New ‘H’ plates THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) is working with the Spanish Federation of Antique Vehicles (FEVA) to change the legislation of classic cars ‐ those that are over 20 years old.

The measure, which has not yet been made official, will see the letter ‘H’ added to the end of reg‐ istration plates, to indicate that it is an older/classic vehicle.

The change is expected to ap‐ ply to around six million cars and mopeds in Spain, which have also recently been targeted by regula‐ tory changes in Madrid.

According to FEVA, a meeting was held with the DGT on Febru‐ ary 25 with the aim of ‘improving

the legislation on collector vehi‐ cles.’ “FEVA’s objective is to simpli‐ fy and reduce the cost of the his‐ torical registration process so that no vehicle is left out of it depend‐ ing on its value,” said FEVA. FEVA said adapting licence plates is a necessary measure in view of the latest environmental regularisations which centre around the age of a vehicle.

“With the new licence plate, the first step is taken to find a new specific legislation for these types of cars and motorcycles. Another of FEVA’s objectives is to avoid the current environmental label that limits the circulation of the most polluting vehicles.”

Ski resort forced to close THE Navacerrada ski resort in Madrid has confirmed that it has been forced to close for good.

The Puerto de Navacerrada, the company which manages the facili‐ ties, confirmed that despite talks with the government to attempt to find another solution, it will have to close, leaving hundreds of people jobless. Staff had hoped that there would be negotiations so that the pistes not affected by the government’s environmental position for not renewing the concession could remain open, but this hasn’t been the case. The company calls the decision “political” and “arbitrary” and considers that it lacks foundation, while adding the closure will not help the surrounding area, as the ski resort is part of the heritage of the Sierra de Guadarrama area as well as being its financial engine.

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NEWS

Boy goes to Court THE Home Office has been taken to the High Court by a five‐year‐old black British boy who is arguing that fami‐ lies like his are being racially discriminated against when they are denied access to benefits.

The boy’s lawyers on Wednesday March 17 argued

in court that the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) policy put in place by the Home Of‐ fice is unlawful as it denies access to benefits for some groups of migrants.

Adam Hundt, a partner at Deighton Pierce Glynn solici‐ tors, who are representing the young boy said, “This

European Tree of the Year AN ancient holm oak in the small town of Lecina, in Huesca, has been declared European Tree of the Year.

The tree, which is more than 1,000 years old, had already received an award at a national level, before competing with another 13 trees from throughout the continent.

It won hands down in a vote held online, the results of which were announced on Wednesday, March 17.

The holm oak in Lecina, a tiny town, received 104,264 votes, almost 30,000 more than the runner‐up, a Banana tree in Curinga, Italy.

Over the centuries it has given shade and shelters to many, and is now around 16.5 metres tall and its branches spread over an area of 615m2.

policy is creating an under‐ class of black British children, which is outrageous.

“The only reason the five‐ year‐old boy in this case is being treated differently from his white friends is be‐ cause his mum came to the UK from somewhere else.

We are asking the court for the policy to be quashed and for a public inquiry into NRPF.” The Home Office have de‐ fended the policy and a spokesperson explained that, “The policy of no re‐ course to public funds has been upheld by successive governments, and maintains that those seeking to estab‐ lish their family life in the UK must do so on a basis that prevents burdens on the tax‐ payer and promotes integra‐ tion.

People with leave under family and human rights routes can apply, free of charge, to have no recourse to public funds conditions lifted.”

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Sugardating

Repatriated painting

A SURVEY undertaken by research centre VIVE on 1,732 people aged between 18 and 30 discovered that 50 per cent believe that it is acceptable to agree to sugardate which is defined as a young person having sex for money or gifts with somebody considerably older.

A GUSTAV KLIMT painting purchased in auction by the Musée d’Orsay in Paris in 1980 is to be returned to the descendants of original Jewish owner Nora Stiasny who was forced to sell it to a Nazi sympathiser after the Germans invaded Austria in 1938.

NETHERLANDS Janssen vaccine

NORWAY Allowed out

THE Dutch health council has recommended that the single dose Janssen vaccine developed in Holland by Johnson and Johnson should be given to the over 60s and those at risk from medical problems. The vaccine is said to be 66 per cent effective.

UNLIKE many European governments who allow ministers to travel abroad, Norway has only now granted an exemption to its Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide, allowing her to travel to a NATO meeting in Brussels where she will meet new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Space cheese

5G boost

A FARM in Flanders, ‘t Groendal, thought it was being hoaxed when contacted to supply cheese to NASA but eventually accepted that American astronaut Shannon Walker had chosen as one of her ‘luxuries’ to take some of their cheese on board the International Space Station.

TECHNOLOGY giant Nokia has announced that it will reduce its international workforce by up to 10,000 people in order to reduce costs by an expected €600 million, but will recruit additional staff at its Finnish HQ in order to expand its 5G capability.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

No segregation

Tested positive

FOR more than 50 years, Germany has opened special workshops to employ people with physical or mental disabilities, but now they are under threat from both the UN and EU due to policy that disabled people should not be segregated but be assimilated into the workforce.

CROWN PRINCESS Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden tested positive for Covid-19 and although the Royal Court confirmed that they were only suffering from mild symptoms, the royal couple along with their two children were immediately quarantined in their home.

FINANCE Tax repayment THE Spanish Supreme Court has sided with the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund (which invests more than €1 trillion of income generated by the countries oil and gas income) by agreeing that the Spanish Government must refund tax on dividends earned from shareholdings in Spain.

Inditex LATEST breakdown of Inditex profits in 2020 show that Spain continues to be far and away its largest market accounting for 46 per cent of profits which amounted to €640 million before tax but in the USA, it actually found business difficult with turnover dropping significantly.

Rapid inflation FOLLOWING in the footsteps of Zimbabwe and before that Germany between the wars, the Venezuelan Government is having to introduce larger and larger bank notes to cope with out-of-control inflation, with the latest being a 200,000 bolivar note in a country rich in oil.

Bank mergers ONCE again, Pablo Hernández de Cos, Governor of the Bank of Spain has publicly stated that he believes that in order to survive in a post-Covid world, Spanish banks need to strengthen their balance sheets and to do this, must look to merge with other banks.

Loot boxes THE growth in the sale of video games has also seen the introduction of paid for reward areas known as loot boxes which may contain special prizes.

The Spanish Government considers that this is a form of gambling and is particularly worried about the early introduction of young players into the concept of paying to gamble for a special prize or gift.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is therefore inviting the public and industry insiders to give their opinions on how to regulate and perhaps tax these games.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 - 31 March 2021

€400 million

is the amount that Santander Bank’s investment arm Mouro Capital has available to assist Fintech and companies in other sectors to expand.

Facial recognition

IATA wants a Spanish plan THE International Air Trans‐ port Association (IATA) has called on the government and politicians in Spain to agree a roadmap to restart air transport services once the health situation permits.

The travel restrictions and quarantine measures intro‐ duced have dramatically af‐ fected air traffic to and from Spain meaning that demand in 2020 fell by 72 per cent.

Tourism accounts for 12 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) and some 82 per cent of tourists arrive by air.

The wider economy also benefits from aviation‐en‐ abled trade and business ac‐ tivity including the impor‐ tant international conference and trade fair sector, in which Spain is a global leader. IATA believes that Spain’s recovery cannot materialise without a restart of tourism and aviation, which means implementing policies which open up the country and enables trav‐

LEGALLY SPEAKING

ellers to avoid quarantine.

It is vital that govern‐ ments manage the risk of importing Covid‐19 cases while ensuring travel is safe and vaccination and testing play a central role as they represent the best measures to give confidence to both governments and passen‐ gers.

One way of doing this is to offer quick, easy and low‐ cost options for testing and increasing the roll‐out of vaccinations.

“We recognise that the government has a difficult balancing act between un‐ locking the economy and safeguarding public health.

We are not demanding a date for border restrictions to be lifted. But Prime Minis‐ ter Pedro Sánchez and all policymakers in Spain must agree a vision for how inter‐ national travel can and will be restarted as the pandem‐ ic ends,” commented Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Region‐ al Vice President for Europe.

Budget black hole

Was their AGM legal?

Our bowls club has split into two parts.

The original club, by majority vote, has moved to new premises, taking with them all the club funds that amount to €25,000, all the equip‐ ment and all the assets. This was agreed by an email voting system at our AGM in October 2020.

1) Is it or is it not legal to use an email voting sys‐ tem for an AGM in the case of sports clubs?

2) Do Members who voted against the move have a right to any of the funds taken away?

3) Can those who carried out an illegal AGM voting system be sued for any part of the money taken?

4) In our Constitution it states that two‐thirds of ‘Members Present’ are required to amend our Con‐ stitution. The vote carried but was 5 per cent short of two‐thirds.

T J (Costa Blanca)

DAVID SEARL

Voting by email is not ‘legal’.

YOU AND THE LAW However, those IN SPAIN who lost the illegal election have little claim on the winners of it. Perhaps you can impugn the re‐ sults of the entire meeting. I urge you to consult a local lawyer who is versed in association legalities.

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

EARLIER this year, Spanish clothing retailer Mango confirmed its commitment to being part of a more re‐ sponsible fashion industry by innovative use of sus‐ tainable processes.

Its new denim collection saved 30 million litres of water and appealed not just to men and women but

Credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

26

Rishi Sunak with his red budget dispatch box.

THE UK Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) considers that it has found a £4 billion (€4.5 bil‐ lion) ‘black hole’ in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s March budget figures.

It says that the budget was not short of spending an‐ nouncements primarily aimed at support for individuals and businesses who have been ad‐ versely affected by the pan‐ demic, but little was said about spending on public services.

Most of the decisions about this were made in the Novem‐ ber spending review, but the IFS suggests that buried in the Budget document and unmen‐ tioned in the Chancellor’s speech to the House, was a £4

billion a year cut to depart‐ ments’ non‐virus budgets from 2022−23 onwards, on top of the £10 to £13 billion cut from those spending plans in November.

Whilst the Office for Budget Responsibility announced that overall cuts for so called ‘un‐ protected departments’ amounted to just 1 per cent, the IFS insists that the cuts amount to at least 3 per cent and possibly more.

There seem to be two op‐ tions, either increase taxation or allow the cuts to go ahead which could hurt the govern‐ ment’s reputation if the amount is as large as the IFS believes.

Lower impact was rolled out for children as well.

Now as part of its recognition that things have changed since the onset of the pandemic, it

is now launching its sec‐ ond new sporting line which is adapted to the growing need to wear more comfortable cloth‐ ing for being at home and

for practising sport.

One of the key new fea‐ tures is that there are no knitted garments; instead, seamless finishes and lightweight fabrics pre‐

WHILST technology may be a boom to many, when it doesn’t work properly it can mean the loss of livelihood and serious problems according to the App Drivers & Couriers Union (AD‐ CU).

In concert with the Worker In‐ fo Exchange, it has asked Mi‐ crosoft to suspend Uber’s li‐ cence to use its facial recognition and worker surveillance systems in the UK. It argues that as was demon‐ strated in the USA, there are er‐ rors of up to 20 per cent of tests on people of colour and this has already led to at least one driver in the UK being turned down by Uber and temporarily losing their TfL licence.

IAG needs funds WHILST rumours of im‐ pending bankruptcy are probably far from the mark, IAG is trying to raise anoth‐ er £1 billion (€1.15 billion) on the Dublin Stock Ex‐ change.

The owner of British Air‐ ways, Iberia and Vueling raised £2.75 billion (€3.15 billion) in September of last year, but now needs to take into account losses from Aer Lingus, its other airline, of €563 million.

There will be two bond issues, each of £500 million (€575 million) which it be‐ lieves it needs in order to increase liquidity and with‐ stand any prolonged down‐ turn in air travel dominate, which are com‐ bined with comfortably styled garments.

The collection is de‐ signed to be worn for a wide range of sports disci‐ plines related to physical and mental well‐being in‐ cluding yoga, dance, medi‐ tation and pilates, as well as running.

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NET VOL 137,63K 45,27K 36,35K 35,72K 8,49K 34,87K 60,57K 11,89K 667,44K 17,76K 423,61K 166,70K 946,66K 426,38K 2,25M 60,15K 2,93K 626,57K 1,90M 50,62K 140,43K 4,46M 9,96K 133,66K 884,56K 581,16K 108,64K 28,90K 222,92K 13,80K 1,66K 285,63K 176,63K 1,31M 9,33K 37,25K 0,28K 206,82K 814,36K 3,06M 50,87K 82,29K 5,23K 615,78K 13,44M 39,04K 1,26M 82,17K 50,91K 17,59K 349,45K

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CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

244,54 2.985,9 694,30 277,47 41,67 7.220,0 486,57 172,75 1.844,50 845,00 197,60 7.978,0 30,39 2.060,99 2.964,0 716,58 1.533,00 6.394,0 1.785,00 488,30 580,96 5.437,8 115,85 7,54 1.483,4 1.483,40 1.413,2 681,00 586,60 1.814,00 15,47 3.519,0 1.139,29 913,20 2.257,0 1.365,00 1.479,09 11.120,0 1.421,20 1.254,38 490,30 291,30 181,35 228,72 385,74 3.977,9 893,84 133,86 3.296,0 932,90

242,50 2.941,0 677,20 273,35 40,43 7.118,0 470,98 169,51 1.827,50 837,80 191,00 7.838,0 30,12 2.025,52 2.925,0 711,51 1.499,50 6.260,0 1.765,50 478,00 566,95 5.363,1 108,74 7,42 1.469,0 1.468,90 1.398,0 680,40 582,40 1.801,00 15,22 3.464,0 1.113,16 892,80 2.235,0 1.352,88 1.460,49 10.985,0 1.400,90 1.233,50 482,40 283,40 177,38 226,44 362,30 3.929,3 881,23 131,84 3.220,5 915,97

243,16K 6,90K 248,82K 899,64K 21,34M 177,16K 56,14K 413,39K 79,09K 782,87K 5,96M 12,36K 107,58K 50,97K 64,36K 54,99K 484,47K 184,31K 381,63K 333,55K 33,72K 37,06K 15,72M 18,57K 44,05K 780,76K 976,96K 241,61K 37,69K 3,50K 290,68K 31,43K 805,53K 442,39K 43,45K 35,11K 11,49K 16,17K 37,90K 23,09K 876,01K 532,01K 367,89K 729,87K 2,39M 51,64K 32,25K 1,14M 36,23K 14,73K

0.85903

1.16511 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.18965 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.295 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1032 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4360 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.169

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 22

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 188,71 2.043,20 3.074,96 245,94 119,99 255,82 225,29 103,38 48,98 50,81 290,11 344,20 289,10 212,91 128,90 63,76 160,04 155,14 222,44 77,51 230,35 137,49 128,01 212,20 654,87 365,58 56,24 206,90 131,74 191,14

CHANGE 191,00 2.053,10 3.077,29 247,40 121,43 258,88 229,65 104,89 49,22 51,08 292,80 347,24 289,10 215,59 130,44 64,99 161,50 155,94 225,18 78,25 232,47 142,86 129,74 212,75 657,23 370,46 56,52 220,17 132,50 194,00

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 188,69 6,68M 2.017,68 2,31M 3.016,63 4,63M 241,63 12,59M 119,68 185,55M 251,31 17,33M 224,05 7,49M 102,74 18,49M 48,32 65,37M 50,17 67,85M 281,20 38,93M 340,63 3,51M 282,43 13,73M 212,17 10,11M 128,53 9,84M 62,92 54,95M 159,47 14,89M 151,19 54,42M 221,00 7,72M 76,02 55,56M 229,35 46,43M 135,51 24,98M 127,90 20,26M 209,07 7,09M 624,62 42,89M 359,01 8,57M 55,95 39,06M 206,88 32,21M 129,90 19,23M 189,76 28,35M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 22

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Amazon.com Inc. MicroStrategy Inc. Trade Desk Inc. Cl A BeiGene Ltd. ADR Align Technology Inc. SolarEdge Technologies Inc. Broadcom Inc. Cavco Industries Inc. CoStar Group Inc. MercadoLibre Inc. iRhythm Technologies Inc.

+1.55% +6.15% +4.73% +7.09% +2.94% +5.42% +3.02% +6.28% +1.63% +0.89% +8.89%

4.63M 956,532 799,265 373,456 1.01M 1.69M 10.86M 139,285 448,872 608,812 1.23M

-2.52% -1.61% -4.82% -1.79% -13.44% -2.98% -2.79% -8.81% -1.07% -4.11% -2.04%

637,553 1,243 19,144 200,379 2.59M 723,507 9.76M 33,713 1.27M 832,363 165,818

Most Declined Booking Holdings Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Daily Journal Corp.

First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. Wix.com Ltd. Baidu Inc. ADR Preformed Line Products Co. SVB Financial Group Tetra Tech Inc. Enstar Group Ltd.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Possible conflict of interest

NEW INFORMATION: Andrew Bailey in Zoom meeting.

BOTH The Times and BBC have shared information about the past behaviour of current Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey in a previous role.

It is suggested that he withheld information con‐ cerning a potential conflict of interest when being con‐ sidered for the role of Head of the Financial Conduct Au‐ thority (FCA) by the Trea‐ sury Select Committee.

He was heavily involved in advising the Treasury on the creation of the Asset Protection Agency which was responsible for over‐ seeing the activities of the Global Restructuring Group (GRG) which was a division of the Royal Bank of Scot‐ land (now trading as NatWest).

The GRG was formed at the time of the banking cri‐ sis and it is alleged that with

the knowledge and perhaps prompting of the Asset Pro‐ tection Agency that RBS withdrew loans from busi‐ ness customers who were under severe financial pres‐ sure between 2009 and 2013.

RBS was in serious finan‐ cial difficulty at the time and by December 2009 was effectively taken over by the British Government (which still owns a significant num‐ ber of shares in the group).

It is suggested that the welfare of business cus‐ tomers came second to the need for the government to protect its interests and therefore large numbers of small companies were al‐ lowed to go bust as loans were withdrawn.

According to the BBC, in 2013, the FCA was ordered to investigate the scandal and it commissioned two re‐

Ombudsman WITH the Bank of Spain and the government warning about the possible risks of cryptocurrency, Minister of the Economy Nadia Calviño plans to appoint an ombudsman.

The intention is to ensure that Spanish consumers have an option to obtain protection from those supplying cryptocurrency services should something go amiss and also to ensure that all conflicts with banks and the fintech sector are reviewed transparently.

She may however await the publication of European Union regulations on cryptocurrency which are being considered and drawn up at the moment.

ports whose findings were not revealed until the BBC obtained a copy of the docu‐ ment, which showed that more than 90 per cent of GRG customers had suf‐ fered.

BUSINESS EXTRA Empty homes THE Spanish Government is considering charging an additional 50 per cent in property tax for homes that are left empty unless they are considered second homes owned for holiday purposes or where an owner has to relocate for work.

Power deal NATIONAL GRID, responsible for the bulk of electricity transmission in the UK is to spend €9 billion (£7.8 billion) on taking over Western Power Distribution from its US parent PPL whilst also agreeing to sell PPL the Narragansett Electric Company for €3 billion (£2.7 billion).

Linea Directa THE European Central Bank has given Bankinter in principle approval to list its insurance business Linea Directa on the stock exchange, but there is some question as to whether the launch should take place this year or next due to the pandemic.

25 - 31 March 2021

EWN 29

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 - 31 March 2021

FEATURE

A true example of double standards LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT IF you ever wanted a true example of the double standards that are rife in the UK you needed to look no further than singer Beyoncé’s acceptance speech at the Grammy awards last week. “I would like to thank all the black Kings and Queens, who have made this all possible,” she gushed, as she received the award for her latest album entitled ‘Black Parade’!

I mean you couldn’t really make it up.

Had this been a white artist, giving thanks to ‘white’ Kings and Queens for buying an album called White Parade, it would have caused an international outcry. As it was there have been no recriminations whatsoever; particularly from our illustrious heavily biased media.

Social media was a whole different ball game. Thousands of people vented their anger at this display of blatant racism, which actually sums up just what is wrong with the UK today. With the left heavily favoured by the popular media, the social

BEYONCÉ: Made an acceptance speech at the Grammy awards.

pages are often (hopefully) the only way to get to the truth of the matter. Are our illustrious news channels so truly out of touch that they simply have no idea of the mood that prevails with the majority of UK citizens ‐ or is there something more sinister taking place?

Of course, it is possible that they are actually so arrogant they feel that their actions are perfectly reasonable and in tune with public opinion ‐ well I don’t buy it; I believe they are perfectly aware of what they are doing, and their motives glaringly obvious.

In Communist countries, the state and the media work hand in glove. This is why, when you look at any coup in history, the first institutions that are commandeered are those of the media.

Left wing success is almost always coupled and achieved with social unrest.

With the humiliating rout of the Labour party in the last election, the media have simply reverted to type. They are perfectly aware of the racial tensions that prevail in the UK; subsequently, under the guise of promoting diversity, they are actually doing their best to widen the black/white divide by creating as much

hostility and civil discontent as possible.

The examples are glaringly obvious.

Utterly disproportionate over exposure of black actors and interviewees on TV. Unwavering support of the much despised ‘knee,’ BLM and the doctrine of ‘woke.’ Minimal or detrimental coverage of any right wing protests. Unfavourably edited reports of any public demonstrations which cause disruption and undermine the police. Failure to overly condemn the desecration of our statues and the Union Jack.

Blatant efforts to give British involvement in slavery top priority ‐ while giving a minimum of coverage to the thousands of British lives lost in its efforts to eliminate it, and criticising government policies at every opportunity. The list goes on and on.

It’s a devious, long term conspiracy to take the next election for Labour. The young are falling for it. Thankfully they are not yet the majority.

Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com excpatradioscotland.com. (alter ego!)

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

Advertising Feature

10 ideas for memorial favours for guests GIVING favours at parties such as weddings, baby showers and birthdays is a relatively new custom which is now becoming increasingly popular at funerals, you may have already seen some, but here are some ideas you may not have thought of.

There is a wide variety of little gifts which can be given to guests as favours, all with the intent of re‐ membering the departed and thanking guests for coming to the memorial service. The ideal funeral favour should be significant and/or personalised.

For some of the most popular ideas for funeral favours, also known as keepsakes or giveaways, read on: Memorial matchbooks and candles Sets of personalised matchbooks to ‘light a flame’ for the departed can be purchased with a variety of designs, fonts and colours schemes. Can‐ dles are also popular and can be personalised with names and dates.

Memorial wristbands Silicone wristbands became popular for many events in recent years, and giving them as funeral keepsakes is just one of them. They can be cus‐ tomised and worn to remember the departed, carrying their name and dates, they can also be a good way to raise awareness about a disease or

ailment which may have affect‐ ed the person’s life.

Ribbons Ribbons are also worn as a sym‐ bol of awareness, and in the case of the death of a loved one, to draw attention to their life. Black is a popular option for funeral ribbons, but as with the bracelets, you may want to raise awareness for a cause which affected or interested the deceased.

Magnets and coins They can be personalised with names, dates and photos or significant images, and made from different materials including wood, plastic, pewter and stainless steel, they come in different sizes and

make an attractive keepsake to give attendees at a memorial service.

Badges Badges personalised with photos and details of the deceased can be handed out upon arrival at the memorial service and will give guests a feeling of unity in remembering the deceased.

Keychains Much like the options above, they can be personalised with names, dates and photos, and are items which the re‐ cipients can keep close to them at all times or hang in a place where they can be seen. There are almost infinite different options, although laser engravings are one of the most popular, on metal, wood, acrylic and oth‐ er materials.

Charms Small charms are very affordable trinkets and can either be attached to necklaces or bracelets before giving them to guests, or given in an organ‐ za bag with a card with a significant quote and the details of the departed. The charms themselves can also be engraved. Popular shapes for funeral favour charms include hearts, angels, shamrocks, birds...

Bookmarks Bookmarks are a tasteful option for memorial favours and are very durable. They can be person‐ alised with photos, dates and meaningful quotes.

They can be made in leather, with laser engravings or in other materials and a coloured tassel can be added if you desire.

Blooming memorial favours Bookmarks can be personalised to include an emblem made from seed paper which can be de‐ tached and planted to grow flowers in memory of a loved one. These emblems come in shapes such as hearts, angels and butterflies and can be per‐ sonalised with names, dates and memorial quotes. They can also be obtained without the bookmarks.

Seeds and stones Seed packets can also be personalised and handed out as keepsakes at funerals, with popular flowers including forget‐me‐nots and sunflowers.

Tree seedlings which can also be planted to cele‐ brate life are also very symbolic and a popular idea.

Another natural option is an engraved memori‐ al stone, which can be kept in a pocket or bag, used for household decoration or placed in the garden or a potted plant.

www.goldenleavesinternational.com • enquiries@goldenleaves.com • Facebook: goldenleavesspain

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

It just wasn’t funny at all MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man I ’ V E just watched C omic R elief 2021 and the first thing I noticed about this year’s usually magnificent fundraising event was it wasn’t funny. It just felt all wrong. I say it wasn’t funny - there was a James Bond sketch and a bit with Tim Vine, but that was all.

We all know this last year has been different from any we have ever had. I feel it wasn’t necessary to mention Covid or vaccines every few minutes. It almost took on a political feeling.

The no audience situation makes so much of it just flat. It’s a shame because they tried hard. Normally they manage to extract vast sums by making people have a a good laugh, at the same time pointing out the needs of so many worthy causes. For me this year they didn’t.

But well done for trying and well done for raising millions once again.

When I got to pensionable age here because I had paid into the system I was informed that I would receive a small pension, to be paid alongside my

U K one. At the time I was amazed because I ’d only paid in for four years here. It was only just over three grand a year, not a fortune, but I was delighted.

So jump forward four years and imagine my horror and surprise when this week I got a letter telling me they had overpaid me three grand in 2017 and they want it back. They told me what I was going to get - I never asked and I filled in all the forms correctly and Spain consulted with U K pensions. However, it seems I didn’t read the paperwork correctly.

M y pension here was only €60 a month and then they topped it up to 300 as that was a minimum monthly pension payment. What I didn’t realise was that you only get the extra 240 if you don’t have any other taxable income and as I declared I had earned some money I now wasn’t entitled to it.

So hey ho the Spanish government has loaned me three grand and are now going to subtract €47 from my pension for the next 70 months. Hopefully that’s the end of it, but knowing the Spanish system it wont be! So folks make sure you read the small print - carefully!

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

25 - 31 March 2021

EWN 31

4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

FRIDAY 26/03

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Ready, Steady, Cook The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show A Question of Sport Citizen Khan EastEnders MasterChef Mrs. Brown's Boys BBC News at Ten

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SATURDAY 27/03

6:30pm 6:40pm 6:45pm 6:50pm 7:20pm 7:50pm 8:35pm 9:20pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:20pm

BBC News BBC London News Weather Celebrity Mastermind Catchpoint The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty Keeping Faith BBC News Weather Fatal Attraction

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SUNDAY 28/03

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BBC News BBC London News Weather Celebrity Mastermind Catchpoint The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty Keeping Faith BBC News Weather Fatal Attraction

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Ready, Steady, Cook The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Undercover: Inside the Covid Testing Lab Panorama EastEnders Fawlty Towers MasterChef

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The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show The Bidding Room The Repair Shop This Is My House BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather

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TUESDAY 30/03

MONDAY 29/03

THURSDAY 25/03

Ready, Steady, Cook The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Comic Relief 2021 BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon

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Best House in Town Best House in Town Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games My Unique B&B MOTDx Mountain Rescue - Our Lives Pilgrimage: The Road to Istanbul Gardeners' World

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Best Bakes Ever Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games The Pizza Boys MOTDx Pilgrimage: The Road to Istanbul Great British Menu Gardeners' World Later - with Jools Holland Newsnight

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Zeppelin The Cruel Sea Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook Top of the Pops: The S tory of 1988 Paloma Faith: As I Am QI Reel Stories: Dave Groh

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The Best Dishes Ever Zeppelin FilmThe Cruel Sea Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook Top of the Pops: The Story of 1988 Paloma Faith: As I Am QI Reel Stories: Dave Groh

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Nature's Great Events The Wonder of Animals Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Mary Berry Everyday Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge Finding Jack Charlton

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The Wonder of Animals Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Hairy Bikers: Route 66 Remarkable Places to Eat The Detectives Live at the Apollo Newsnight

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Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Hairy Bikers: Route 66 Great British Menu The Terror The Terror Rick Stein's Long Weekends tNewsnight

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ITV News London ITV Racing: Cheltenham Festival Live Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News

Elton John: Electric Prom Top of the Pops: 1990 Top of the Pops: 1990 Elton John at the BBC Elton John: Uncensored Michael Kiwanuka and Laura Marling at the 6 Music Festival Glam Rock at the BBC Elton John: Electric Prom Elton John at the BBC Elton John: Uncensored

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Alaska - Earth's Frozen Kingdom Voyages of Discovery Rush Hunt v Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals FilmFoxtrot Alaska - Earth's Frozen Kingdom

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The Lakes with Paul Rose The Joy of Painting Fake or Fortune?

Collective: Unravelling a Scandal - Storyville Art of France The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide The Joy of Painting The Lakes with Paul Rose Fake or Fortune?

Art of France

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The Lakes with Paul Rose The Joy of Painting Yes, Minister The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin Treasures of the AngloSaxons Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us Lights Up: Pale Sister The Joy of Painting

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The Lakes with Paul Rose The Joy of Painting A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills?

NewLights Up: Sadie Brotherhood: The Inner Life of Monks The Joy of Painting

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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 Grayson's Art Club Gogglebox The Circle Pitch Perfect 2

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ITV News London Judge Rinder Tenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News

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Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed Drawers Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Grayson's Art Club Gogglebox The Circle First Dates Hotel

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ITV News London Catchphrase Celebrity Special Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away Beat the Chasers Celebrity Special The Jonathan Ross Show: Special Guests ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather FilmSafe House

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Four in a Bed Four in a Bed Work on the Wild Side A Place in the Sun Grand Designs Channel 4 News Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty Passengers

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ITV News and Weather ITV News London Catchphrase Celebrity Special Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away NBeat the Chasers Celebrity Special The Jonathan Ross Show: Special Guests ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather

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Four in a Bed Work on the Wild Side A Place in the Sun Grand Designs Channel 4 News Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty Passengers World War Z

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Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Johnny Briggs: Coronation Street Legend Coronation Street Unforgotten ITV News at Ten and Weather

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A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Black Maternity Scandal: Dispatches Jamie: Keep Cooking Family Favourites 24 Hours in Police Custody

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Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale For the Love of Britain Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Britain's Tiger Kings - On the Trail with Ross Kemp ITV News at Ten and Weather

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

A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer Strangers Making Babies

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ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale World Cup Live ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London World Cup Qualifier Highlights

2:05pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Find it, Fix it, Flog it Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds

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Lethal Beauty Casualty 24/7 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Kate Humble's Coastal Walks Russia vs the World Conspiracy: The Cold War Files

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A Dangerous Date Casualty 24/7 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight NewThe Gadget Show Kate Humble's Coastal Walks Churchill Britain's Favourite 80s Songs

8:30am

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25 - 31 March 2021

FEATURE

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urg‐ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local through the lock‐ down and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super‐ stores.

During this lockdown and with Easter upcoming, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the won‐ derfully quirky independent businesses in your area.

Due to the Covid‐19 pandem‐ ic, you may have to support many local businesses by order‐ ing online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate if you are unable to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restrictions.

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

Although it may be a euro or

two cheaper elsewhere or on‐ line, consider where your money is actually going. By shopping at an independent store you’re

putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way.

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

owner but the generation be‐ fore.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are supporting someone’s dream and ambition, and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an independent store and com‐ pete with the multinational and chains.

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local

FEATURE

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25 - 31 March 2021

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

greengrocer, let us revive that community spirit and get to know our neighbours again.

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

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

stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these dif‐ ficult times.

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

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

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

Money circulating through the local economy benefits every‐

one who is a part of each trans‐ action. For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restau‐ rant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restau‐ rant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour‐ hood hardware store.

This example illustrates how the recirculation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communi‐ ties.

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

tain more employees over time.

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

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

EWN 35

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EWN

25 - 31 March 2021

Top tips for an even glow EVERYONE loves that healthy summer glow but for a truly healthy look you need to fake it!

Forget lazing in the sun for hours on end and all the associated health risks involved. There are literally hundreds of fake tan and self-tanning creams, lotions

and sprays available to give the natural bronzed look you are looking for. However, whether it’s a deep tan or lighter colour you want, there are some top tips to follow to ensure an even look: Exfoliate. Ideally up to seven

hours before you want to apply self-tan. This will help remove dead skin cells and help prevent uneven, blotchy patches with the product. When doing your legs, shave or wax at least 24 hours before.

Apply the product after showering. Ensure the skin is completely dry and moisturise beforehand, particularly on dry spots such as knees and elbows to help with an overall even result.

Wear gloves. Protect your hands from the product. Nothing gives the game away that you are faking it like brown stained palms.

Wait to get dressed. To prevent the self tan staining your clothes or smudging, wait at least 15 minutes after applying before getting dressed.

Get help. Enlist the help of someone to apply tan to the back and to those hard to reach areas for an even glow.

Stay protected. Despite the healthy glow, you must still protect your skin from the sun and wear adequate UVA and UVB protection.

PETS

44

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 - 31 March 2021

SPONSORED BY

Who’s looking after your pup when you go away?

ARE you tentatively planning to get away later this year? Even if you are planning a short trip, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on House SitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can get help on‐ line when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permitting.

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Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suit‐ able sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safe‐ ty and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐ sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

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Musical influence Some guidelines can benefit dogs to epilepsy in dogs A DOG with epilepsy can enjoy a remarkable quality of life if given proper veterinary treat‐ ment.

For this, it is important that some guidelines are followed.

1. Complete the clinical diagnostic protocol.

Do all the tests to rule out other pathologies that can cause seizures.

2. Administer the appropriate medication.

3. Carry out medical check‐ups every six months.

4. Stay calm during an epileptic seizure of your dog. Remember to videotape the at‐ tacks. The videos to see how the attacks hap‐ pen provide the veterinarian with a lot of in‐ formation.

5. Avoid stressful situations for the animal, which may put it in danger.

MUSIC is a therapeutic medium for humans, but dogs can also ben‐ efit from the healing powers of music.

The wolf, which is known for howling, uses it as a form of com‐ munication and for assembling the pack. They will change their tone as others join in because they prefer to finish on a different and discordant tone. This suggests that canines do have a sense of pitch.

It is believed that dogs engage in vocalisation to produce musical sounds in the same recreational way as humans do. When they hear music, especially from wind and reed instruments, they are natural‐ ly inclined to join in with the chorus; while making sure their tone is heard above the rest.

As research has confirmed that dogs have musical prefer‐ ences and react differently to a range of musical styles; then it’s worth sharing your collection of music with your dog and waiting to see what happens. They might even influence your taste in music.

DOGS: Have musical preferences.

25 - 31 March 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

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46 EWN

25 - 31 March 2021

INSURANCE

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MOTORING

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Skoda Octavia, a nice place to be YOU tend to know that if your local constabulary use a particu‐ lar make of car then that car is probably going to be a pretty de‐ cent purchase.

In addition to the seemingly stocky Vauxhall, Peugeot and BMW fleet you may have noticed the emergence of Skoda into the police ranks. Even away from their favourite vRS models the Octavia range is very comprehen‐ sive with hatchback and estate models, petrol and diesel engines plus manual or VAG’s DSG auto‐ matic transmission.

The Octavia is also available in mild hybrid and plug‐in hybrid form too. Plug‐in versions are on‐ ly available at the higher end of the range, but mild hybrid is available from the lead‐in mod‐ els.

My choice was the estate, very practical unlike so many stylised estates, in SE L First Edition form.

Octavia estates start from a rea‐ sonable €25,869 (£22,210), which is a lot of car and kit for your money, but my SE L First edition sits near the top end of the range at €34,406 (£29,540) with a 150 PS 2.0 litre diesel un‐ der the bonnet.

Standard fare is impressive with such things as adaptive cruise control, dual zone climate, navigation, powered and heated door mirrors, heated front seats, LED lighting, auto lights and wipers, privacy glass, keyless en‐ try and start and a 10” touch screen, plus a very good array of safety kit. As ever there is a plethora of options so you can easily adapt the car to your own personal specification, finance permitting of course!

Diesels are far from flavour of the road at the moment but for those with higher mileage lives they can make good sense as they offer higher mpg and gener‐ ally better low down engine power.

The DSG gearbox is a delight allowing a more relaxed drive when it does everything or more driver involvement, via steering wheel paddles, if that is your thing. Smooth and very refined the Octavia is a nice place to be with good adjustment of the seating and not too much over digitalisation of the controls. That said ‘bring back buttons’ would still be my mantra.

My test model had the option‐

al panoramic sunroof, which at €1,339 (£1,150), is not cheap but made the world of difference to the already spacious interior.

Quality as ever with VAG is excel‐ lent with a solid and upmarket, in an understated non‐shouty way, feel that few other manufactur‐ ers seem to achieve.

25 - 31 March 2021

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Real Madrid Close The Gap To Three Points At The Top Of La Liga IT’S looking like the La Liga ti‐ tle race in Spain will go to the wire this season as Real Madrid went to the Estadio Municipal de Balaídos on Sat‐ urday March 20 to play Celta Vigo and came away with a 1‐ 3 victory, which moves them to within three points of ri‐ vals Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.

Zinedine Zidane’s side leapfrogs Barcelona into sec‐ ond place in the table, with both Atletico, and Barcelona playing on Sunday.

Karim Benzema, who just can’t stop scoring lately, scored twice and provided an assist, which means he has now scored in six con‐ secutive matches in all com‐ petitions for the first time since 2016, with the French‐ man curling a shot into the bottom corner to give Madrid the lead in the 20th

CELTA VIGO GROUND: Real Madrid won their away game to move up the table. minute after being released by a fine piece of play from Toni Kroos.

The German midfielder, Kroos, was again involved for the second goal, on the half‐ hour mark, winning the ball back on the edge of the penalty area, and allowing Benzema to dribble across

the box to score his eighth goal in six matches in all com‐ petitions, with Santi Mina heading Celta back into the game just before the break after Denis Suarez floated a free‐kick into the area.

Madrid piled the pressure on in the second‐half, al‐ though it took a fine save

from Thibaut Courtois to prevent Iago Aspas from lev‐ elling the scores, until in‐ evitably, Benzema crowned his exceptional display by sending in a cross to Marco Asensio, who walked the ball over the line in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Manchester City Battle on MANCHESTER CITY are through to the semi‐finals of the FA Cup for the third season in a row, after beating Everton 2‐0 at Goodison Park on Saturday March 20 but it was an almighty battle, with Everton’s backline standing firm, taking City until virtually the end of the match before making the breakthrough, and then, scored not once, but twice.

City made six changes to the team which beat Borussia Mönchengladbach to reach the Champions League last eight and did not trouble Everton for much of the game despite dominating possession, then a substitution by Pep Guardiola, bringing on Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne changed the game, with both players scoring the goals.

Ilkay Gundogan, who has been in scintillating form this sea‐ son bagged the first, heading in his 16th goal of the season on 84 minutes, after Aymeric Laporte’s shot had been tipped onto the crossbar by Virginia, only for it to come back to the waiting German, and then it was De Bruyne who fired in a crisp shot in the 90th minute to send them through to the last four, joining Southampton who had beaten Bournemouth earlier in the day.

This victory means that City have won 25 out of their past 26 games in all competitions, quite an achievement indeed, and after the match, Guardiola in his interview said, “It was a really tough game. We saw the commitment from Everton, how focused they were, they defended really aggressively. It was one of the toughest games we’ve played in the last four months.”