Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 1 - 7 April 2021 Issue 1865

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The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1865

1 - 7 April 2021

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

TOURISM COMEBACK

TOURISM will make a comeback in the second half of 2021, predicted the Valencian region’s Tourism chief, Francesc Colomer.

He admitted this was conditioned by the health situation and the rhythm of vaccinations, declaring that the best economic and humanitarian policy was “vaccinate, vaccinate and vaccinate.”

“We foresee a very complicated and difficult first six months - and these include Easter - for 2021,”

TOURISM CHIEF: Colomer during a recent tourism seminar.

Photo credit: valenciacity.es

Colomer said during a recent visit to Castellon.

“During the second half the

pace will be set by a recovery of the health crisis, the rhythm of vaccinations and a resurgence of the

tourist sector,” he added. “People are very eager to travel and that’s very good for our tourism.”

Colomer also referred to proposals from the Costa Blanca hoteliers’ association, Hosbec, for easing the current restrictions on travel between autonomous regions.

These could be lifted if hotels were to pay for Covid tests to guarantee that tourists were virus-free, the association suggested.

Colomer said: “As an experi-

ment it would enable us to gauge our capacity for living with the virus and the problems posed by a postCovid world.”

He went on to say that “vaccination passports were on the table.

“The problem isn’t travel, the problem is travelling while infected or without knowing that you are, that’s why a vaccination passport could guarantee fluid and dynamic tourism,” the Tourism head declared.

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1 - 7 April 2021

Albir landmark transformed No curfew waiver for drive-ins SEA VIEWS: Former BBVA employees’

ALFAZ’S mayor, Vicente Arques, recently visited Delfin Natura in Albir.

Work is soon to start on the project that will transform the holiday residence built in 1963 for employees of the BBVA bank.

Ready for Easter JAVEA Arenal beach is now ready for Easter.

This will not be like other years owing to the nationwide re‐ strictions on travel, so most beachgoers will be Javea resi‐ dents or arrivals from inside the Valencian Community, com‐ mented Beaches councillor Toni Miragall.

Walkways have been installed over the sand and the Are‐ nal’s foot showers are working, while the children’s play ar‐ eas and sports are ready for use, Miragall said.

Tractors have also levelled the beach, spreading out the sand to eliminate the effects of the winter storms.

With a building permit granted at the end of 2020, the developers have already sold 19 of a planned 182 apartments that will occupy 10,000 square metres of the 30,000-square metre plot, with the remainder devoted to gardens.

Reconstruction is due to begin after Easter and the first phase of 82 properties should be completed within two years, promoters, Goya Real Estate, announced.

Arques and members of Alfaz’s corporation were shown over the site by Goya Real Estate’s CEO Sergio Vidal who explained that Albir’s landscape was to be the project’s dominating feature.

“The gardens and large terraces measuring up to 130 square metres are going to set this complex apart,” Vidal said.

The number of floors has been reduced from eight to four to reduce the visual impact and integrate the building into the landscape with its views of the Mediterranean and the Sierra Helada national park.

THE Generalitat turned down a request for a ‘cultural passport’ for clients of the region’s drive‐in cinemas.

This would allow them to break the 10pm curfew, explained the owners of Denia’s Auto‐Cine drive‐in, which was the first to open in Spain and also the first to reopen after last year’s lockdown.

“It is impossible for any business to remain open after the curfew,” the regional government replied. The Denia cinema and other drive‐ins faced a serious situation if the curfew was extended after May, a state‐ ment from the owners warned. “Our summer timetable would never be able to fit in with the current curfew,” they said.

Decongesting Calpe traffic ALICANTE’S provincial council, the Diputacion, is part‐financing the new road that will help to decongest Calpe’s traffic.

The 630‐metre road linking Calle Casa Nova and Avenida Roma‐ nia will also permit future natural gas installation and subterranean electric cables.

Visiting the site of the future road with Javier Gutierrez, the Diputacion’s Infrastructures councillor, Calpe mayor Ana Sala ex‐ plained that the road would play a very important part in the munic‐ ipality’s continued development by easing traffic flow inside the town.

The Diputacion is providing 35 per cent of the cost ‐ €430,900 ‐ while the town hall will provide the remaining €1.277 million.

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Healthy local food

THE catering company that supplies meals for Alicante Province schools intends to use as much local produce as possible.

The company, together with the Marina Alta Net‐ work of Local Development Agencies (CREAMA), has signed an agreement with the Xarxa Agricola agricultur‐ al association and the fishing sector’s Punt Nautic.

As well as ensuring that children in local schools are eating a healthy diet, they will also be supporting two vital local sectors, CREAMA said.

A ‘ferry’ stressful experience A COUPLE were trapped for 35 minutes in the hold of the Denia ferry after it set sail for Ibiza.

Eduardo Moya and his wife Asuncion Hernandez were returning to their Sant Ferran home on Formentera.

When embarking with their car which bears a disabled sticker, they were directed to a specific section in the hold of Balearias’s ‘Cecilia Payne’ ferry.

Once inside they were hemmed in by other vehicles but their complaints to crew members were met with, “No español, no español,” Eduardo explained afterwards to the media. He was unable to call Balearia as there was no coverage and he could only reach the 112 Emergencies number who asked if he needed a doctor.

Eduardo explained that he and his wife simply wanted to be able to leave their car and finally two ‘marvellous’ stewardesses arrived and contacted the drivers of the cars behind them, so that they could finally leave after 35 minutes.

He had gone public with the case “so that it doesn’t happen to anybody else,” Eduardo said.

Meanwhile Balearia made a public apology for the incident, emphasising that the company took ‘special care’ to ensure that those with reduced mobility could travel without problems.

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NIBS EXTRA Fort saved CAMPELLO councillors voted unanimously to compulsorily purchase a private plot of land that contains the partially-bulldozed remains of an Iberian fort. The owners, acquitted by the courts of a deliberate heritage offence, wanted to sell the land, asking €250,000 for the ‘highly relevant’ Fourth Century BC site.

Sweet deal VILLAJOYOSA based Chocolates Valor, whose products are already present in 60 countries, has bought up Imperial, Portugal’s largest manufacturer which supplies Mercadona’s 99 per cent dark chocolate. This is Valor’s latest acquisition after buying the Ateca factory in Zaragoza which makes the popular Huesitos and Tokke bars.

July plans ONDARA’S week of fiestas in honour of Sant Jaume in July will be safety-conscious with celebrations that can be held inside municipal installations, including the bullring, where capacity can be controlled. Although there will be bullfights, there will be no bullrunning or other events held in the streets.

Better water THE Diputacion provincial council is spending a total of €1.3 million on providing a water purifying plant for Relleu and an additional water deposit for Tarbena.

This will provide Relleu with better-quality water and guarantees the supply for Tarbena which habitually suffers cuts when the summer population increases.

On schedule INFRASTRUCTURE improvements continue against the clock in Benidorm’s ‘British Zone’ in the Rincon de Loix, including Calle Mallorca, Calle Ibiza, Calle Cuenca and Calle Jaen.

Work is scheduled to finish in time for the hoped-for arrival of British tourists on May 17, the Public Works department announced.

Bottom line THREE employees from Ferrovial, the multinational that cleans Javea’s beaches removed thousands of wet wipes deposited along the coast during recent storms. Despite repeated campaigns asking residents and visitors not to throw these down the lavatory, they continue to reach the river and beaches after clogging the sewers.

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Terminal ten years on ALICANTE-ELCHE Airport recently celebrated its passenger terminal’s 10th anniversary.

Roughly 100 people representing ground staff, police, the Guardia Civil, firefighters and all those who contribute to the dayto-day running of the airport met outside to form an outsize number 10 on the aircraft parking apron.

Given the present circumstances, they were all careful to observe the unavoidable antiCovid health and safety measures.

Celebrating the 10 years since the terminal was inaugurated was doubly symbolic because the

10TH ANNIVERSARY: Airport staff celebrate the 2011 inauguration of the new terminal. anniversary arrived at a critical time for all those who would ordinarily use the airport.

In 2019 a record number of more than 15 million passengers

used Alicante Airport.

A year later the Covid-19 pandemic saw four million passengers - a 75 per cent reduction - although airport manager Laura

Navarro told a Cadena SER radio interviewer shortly before the anniversary that she was confident passenger volume would rise to 51 per cent, mainly during the second half of 2021.

Navarro admitted that 2020 was a difficult year for the airport from the outset, with a fire and Storm Gloria preceding the pandemic.

Meanwhile, as Aena pointed out on the terminal’s 10th anniversary, despite the pandemic Alicante Airport continues to provide an essential service and is key to revitalising Alicante Province’s economic and social infrastructure.

More than 400 job-seekers BENIDORM Town Hall received 411 appli‐ cations for 16 vacancies on the Local Po‐ lice force.

Until now these posts were occupied by temporary officers, some of whom were on the force for more than 10 years but must go through the selection process on the same terms as other applicants, the town hall explained.

The first phase involves measuring the hopefuls who, if male, must be at least

First outing in a year FIVE residents from the Anneke care home in Alfaz recently visited the Albir Lighthouse.

“This is their first outing since the start of the coronavirus pan‐ demic a year ago,” explained Al‐ faz’s Health and Social Welfare councillor Marisa Cortes who greeted the party which included 102‐year‐old Candida.

Accompanied by Anneke’s owner Lisette de Leeuw and the centre’s director, Duly Estruch, the five residents set out on specially‐ adapted bicycles powered by vol‐ unteers.

Neither residents nor staff at the privately‐run centre has con‐ tracted Covid‐19 in all this time, a record that prompted the regional government’s Health department to launch the Marina Alta’s anti‐ Covid vaccination campaign there last December.

Until now the residents, who come from Spain, Holland, the UK, Belgium and Scandinavia, were able to lead normal lives, but with‐ out going out or receiving visits.

1.65 metres tall. Woman should top 1.58 metres.

Owing to the great number of applica‐ tions, this took place over two days at the Palau d’Esports L’Illa sports centre in order to comply with social distancing require‐ ments.

Those who were accepted then went on to go through the selection process, which began with a psycho‐technic test to evaluate intellectual capacity, general

knowledge, memory, perception and at‐ tention.

This was followed by an endurance trial involving a 1,000‐metre run, long jump and swimming and still more tests, includ‐ ing a 100‐question theory exam.

The selection process does not end there, since this process accounts for 60 per cent of the candidates’ marks as other factors including training, experience and additional skills will also be considered.

Cherries looking good ALICANTE’S Denomination Protected (DO) cherries are likely to be the first on the market this year.

A warm February brought the blossom out early and the trees were not affected by the rela‐ tively cold temperatures earlier this month, explained the president of Cerezas Montaña de Ali‐ cante, Hilario Calabuig.

“The flowers look good and pollination is progressing well, as we can tell by the presence of numerous bees,” he said, with growers anticipating a crop of around three million kilos.

This means the DO cherries produced in L’Alcoia, El Comtat and La Marina Alta should, if all goes well, reach the national and international markets ahead of their principal rivals in Jerte (Caceres) and Aragon Province.

That, Calabuig added, also meant that they would command the good prices that always awaited the first cherries of the season, Calabuig added.

Tax break

ALL parties on Teulada‐Moraira Coun‐ cil voted in favour of eliminating the rubbish collection tax for several local sectors. The motion put forward by the opposition proposed waiving the tax for local business professionals, the hospitality trade, shops and industrial premises as well as educational and sports centres.

Councillors also agreed that this could also extend to vulnerable fami‐ lies whose earnings have been affect‐ ed by the Covid‐19 pandemic on the recommendation of the town hall’s Social Services department.

Bank helps Villajoyosa charity CAIXABANK is providing funding for the Fundacion Aragones al‐ lotments located at its Chovaes property in La Vila.

The Villajoyosa‐based charity, which also runs a Day Centre, launched the allotments project during the economic crisis of 2012, so that residents could grow produce for their own use.

At the same time, Foundation sources pointed out, the well‐ kept allotments also enhance the Chovaes grounds.

The Caixabank is now providing financial help so that the pro‐ ject may continue to function without problems while continuing to promote traditional agriculture and encourage organic meth‐ ods.

The funding will also enable Fundacion Aragones to engage skilled personnel to maintain the Chovaes installation and provide personal assistance for the allotment holders, many of whom need physical help.

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The right medicine THE Muchavista auxil‐ iary health centre in Campello reopened two months after the Generalitat ordered it to close.

This measure was greeted with a wave of protests and criticism, including a written complaint from Campello’s mayor Juanjo Berenguer who described the closure as “ridiculous, absurd and illogical.”

Berenguer pointed out at the time that the decision to close the auxiliary centre in January contradicted the regional Health de‐ partment’s own rec‐ ommendations during the pandemic’s third wave.

Obliging Muchav‐ ista residents to leave their own neighbour‐ hood to visit the Health centre in cen‐ tral Campello five kilometres away in‐ volved the unneces‐ sary journeys and overcrowding they were told to avoid, the mayor said.

It was also incom‐ prehensible that Campello Town Hall and the regional Health department should earlier have discussed the need for Muchavista’s own health centre to cover residents’ require‐ ments, only for them to lose their existing installation, Berenguer maintained.

Local groups and residents’ communi‐ ties immediately launched a petition, which has resulted in a reversal of the January decision.

“Logic and reason‐ ing have won the day,” declared Berenguer and Campello’s Health councillor, Rafa Gal‐ vañ, on receiving noti‐ fication that the auxil‐ iary centre was to reopen.

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NEWS

UK PRESS U3A meet

EURO W E E K LY N E W S CEO Michel Euesden has been quoted by the UK press in an article showing Spanish authorities have denied claims 500 expats will be de‐ Michel quoted in UK press. ported.

The Express newspaper has this morning claimed Spain’s government is not planning mass deporta‐ tions of unregistered UK expats, as suggested by the British press.

They quote the Spanish interior ministry as say‐ ing: “Following the UK’s departure from the Euro‐ pean Union, and in accordance with the Brexit agreement with EU countries and international con‐ ventions, British citizens are subject to the same rules as citizens of other third‐party countries.

The same article quoted Michel as commenting on reports of large numbers of expats leaving Spain.

Meanwhile, Sue Wilson, chair of Bremain in Spain, a group campaigning for the rights of British migrants living in Spain, claimed people face a 90‐ day deadline to leave the country.

She said: “These are people who have been flying under the radar for a long time when they should have registered their residence in the country and didn’t for whatever reason.

“Many are still planning to do the same and think the Spanish will either turn a blind eye or will take time to get their act together to enforce the law.”

O N F riday M arch 26 the T orrevieja branch of the U3A held its first monthly meeting for its members since the current problems started in 2020.

The meeting was a virtual experience carried out by the means of Zoom that allowed members anywhere in the world to partake from the comfort of their armchairs! Everyone was able to see all the other people attending as well as the different officers whilst they made their announcements for the, hopeful, future.

The main speaker was a U 3 A member, M artin P itman, who gave a very good presentation entitled ‘Strawberries from Nepal".’

I t was an extremely detailed look into the lives of certain groups in Nepal and was highly interesting and

also thought-provoking.

T he whole meeting was recorded and the video is available to watch on the Torrevieja U3A website and also on its Facebook page.

T he next meeting to be held by this means will be on April 30 when they will have Neil Hesketh, the President of ‘Age in Spain,’ speaking to them about all the help and support available to those people living in Spain that the association provides.

Anyone wishing to join in can do so by contacting the Media manager Les to register your interest in taking part and to receive the necessary link.

Further details will be advised by separate means over the next couple of weeks. Get in early as there is a limit to attendees of 100 members.

Critically endangered A F R I C A N elephants have been declared ‘critically endangered’ as Botswana expands hunting.

Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks wants to step up its hunting season after disruptions due to the Covid crisis last year and is offering 287 elephant licences next month, according to reports.

Last week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I U C N) reported the African forest elephant has been listed as Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant as Endangered.

Before last week’s update, African elephants were treated as a single species, listed as Vulnerable; this is the first time the two species have been assessed separately for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, following the emergence of

new genetic evidence.

“Africa’s elephants play key roles in ecosystems, economies and in our collective imagination all over the world. The new I U C N Red List assessments of both African elephant species underline the persistent pressures faced by these iconic animals,” said Dr Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General.

The number of African forest elephants has fallen by more than 86 per cent over a period of 31 years, while the population of African savanna elephants decreased by at least 60 per cent over the last 50 years, according to the assessments.

Both species suffered sharp declines since 2008 due to a significant increase in poaching, which peaked in 2011 but continues to threaten populations, said the IUCN.

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Airport Nightmare IT’S no secret that Spanish authorities are planning to come down hard on British citi‐ zens over‐staying the 90‐day limit, but one expat couple experienced the ultimate night‐ mare at Alicante‐Elche airport after following to the letter everything that the UK govern‐ ment website told them to do. Speaking ex‐ clusively to Euro Weekly News, the dis‐ traught Brits told of their distress and being shouted at by officials at Alicante airport be‐ fore being unceremoniously dumped back on the same plane they arrived in on and flown back to the UK. One of the expats, who prefers to remain anonymous, told EWN he was delighted when he found seats on an easyJet flight com‐ ing to Alicante on March 26, after four previ‐ ous trips had been cancelled by the airlines, as

he and his wife were anxious to return to Ali‐ cante to finalise the sale of their home here.

Having checked the rules on the UK govern‐ ment website, they headed to London Gatwick armed with a signed letter from their Spanish solicitor, an appointment with the no‐ tary, and a signed copy of their sales contract with the buyer, along with results of their £330 Covid tests.

Upon arrival at the Spanish airport, when it was the couple’s turn to have their documen‐ tation checked, they were astonished to dis‐ cover that rather than examining their docu‐ ments to approve their stay, the Spanish police were instead completing their deporta‐ tion order. When the man phoned his solici‐ tor, an officer reportedly shouted: “Get off your phone. No pictures.”

“I cannot understand why they were shout‐ ing so much. The police captain or chief was the most aggressive and even his other offi‐ cers seemed surprised at how bad he was,” the disappointed man told EWN. “We were given a letter each, written in Spanish and told to go home. Then the final insult, like criminals, we were all escorted by guards directly onto the same plane that we had arrived on a few hours earlier.”

The angry expat told EWN that it is hard to accept Boris Johnson’s vow that British people with holiday homes will soon be allowed to travel to Spain after his horrendous experi‐ ence.

“The grandchildren will be so proud, that Nanny and Grandad got kicked out of a coun‐ try,” he added ruefully.

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Hidden epidemic THE use of drugs such as painkillers among older people globally has risen in recent years and countries must act to address this “hidden epidemic,” the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has warned in its annual report.

“The pandemic has caused great harm to the health and the well-being of older people. However, there is also a hidden epidemic of drug use affecting this population group,” said Cornelis de Joncheere, President of the INCB. The reports claims that as the world grows older, drug

DRUGS: Are being used more by older people. use among people over 65 has also grown. It found increased use of pain relievers, tranquilisers and sedatives among this demographic.

Older people with substance use problems also face unique age-related issues, including isolation or physical challenges.

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Nightmare A MAN who claimed he strangled his partner after having a dream about cage fighting has been jailed for 18 years.

Bradley Souto attacked his partner Rebecca Jackson as she slept on the evening on November 13, 2019.

After choking her unconscious, he rang his mother who told him to ring 999.

Souto meanwhile went into the kitchen of the couple’s home in Farm Drive, Alvaston, and cut his wrists.

The 30-year-old former builder was arrested and charged with attempted murder - which he denied and forced his partner of 10 years to relive the horrifying moment again during a nearly twoweek-long trial in January at Derby Crown Court.

Detectives and colleagues from the Crown

Zoom Classes for Pooches

VARIOUS coronavirus lockdowns have seen many pooches along with their owners gain a few pounds. As the end of lockdown is in sight, many families are looking forward to a return to normality.

Zoom sessions have been launched and are set to start in late April and have the possibility of turning into a series, if they are well received. According to experts many dogs are now overweight.

ProDog Raw founder Heidi Maskelyne spoke about the interactive classes and explained that, “We know that dogs love three things - food, cuddles and walks.

“We want to provide a fun and easy way for owners and dogs to enjoy a few simple exercises within the home to help burn some of that excess energy and keep their brilliant minds firing on all cylinders.”

SOUTO: Was found guilty of murder.

Prosecution Service worked with sleep experts to debunk Souto’s claims and the jury took just over an hour to find him guilty of attempted murder.

THE CRUEL SEA (C) THE cruel reality of Covid-19 has left so many people ‘At Sea’... unemployed and unable to cope with the financial strain forced upon them.

Many of those now unemployed find it impossible to pay their mortgages, rents or feeding and clothing their families.

The Lions Club of Calpe and Benissa are doing all they can to help.

They happily receive your donations of Bric-a-Brac Clothing, Shoes, Bags and Jewellery, to sell in their charity shop in Pinto Sorolla, Calpe, and all proceeds go towards helping those unfortunate to have found themselves in need of help.

Please root around for anything you can give them, and by doing so, you help them to help others.

If collections are required, please call: 639 637 520.

NEWS

Target surpassed SPAIN has managed to reach 21.4 per cent of its energy de‐ mand with renewables in 2020, thereby exceeding the target es‐ tablished by European regula‐ tions.

Had it not been for the impact of the pandemic, Spain would have fallen short, covering around 19.5 per cent of national energy consumption, according to the Observatory of the Energy Transi‐ tion and Climate Action, a project of the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3).

The EU is currently working on regulations to achieve a 55 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, which will require a huge increase in the penetration of re‐ newables.

Mystery Monolith YET another monolith turned up on Tuesday March 30 on a beach in Girona, on the Costa Brava.

The metal monolith, more than two metres tall, and similar to the one which first appeared back in November 2020 in the Utah desert and several others since then, was spotted on Sa Conca beach in the town of Castell‐Platja d’Aro. A spokesperson for the town hall confirmed it was on the beach although it is not known where it came from.

Since the first one, several simi‐ lar metal monoliths have appeared in different areas of the UK, Roma‐ nia, Holland, Canada or Poland, as well as Segovia in Spain.

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Revolutionary Treatment THE Hospital Clínico de Santiago in Galicia has become the first cen‐ tre in the public health system in Spain to successfully complete a treatment with HIFU (high frequency ultrasound) on a patient with Parkinson’s disease, which has been shown to reduce symptoms such as tremors by up to 80 per cent.

The revolutionary method produces almost immediate results with a new ultrasound machine that doesn’t require surgical inter‐ vention. Rather, the technology creates a burn of no more than three millimetres in the part of the brain that controls movement.

The entire treatment lasts between just 30 and 45 minutes and there is no age limit. According to experts, “spectacular results are achieved, with great safety and with hardly any contraindications.”

What’s more, the results last.

In Galicia about 4,000 people, mainly elderly, suffer from Parkin‐ son’s disease. Almost half of them fail to see improvements with conventional treatments and or, when they do, suffer side effects.

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Less plastic on shelves AS part of its 6.25 Strategy to reduce the use of plastic by 25 per cent by 2025, supermarket Mercadona has eliminated all single-use disposable plastic products from its stores and replaced them with more sustainable materials. Through this initiative, the company will invest some €140 million to make all packaging recyclable and, in turn, recycle any plastic waste it might generate.

In January, the grocery chain stopped using plastic bags in its physical stores and online deliveries, replacing

40 YEARS IN PRISION PABLO CAMPOS CASTILLO, a 29‐year‐old aid worker from Sevilla, is going to trial on April 20 in Greece for the alleged crime of human trafficking after he picked up a Pales‐ tinian family who was hitchhiking. He faces a possible 40‐year prison sentence (10 years for each family member ‐ the parents and their two children). Mr Castillo told the press that he had been working in Greek refugee camps for four years and nobody in authori‐ ty had told him about the law prohibiting people picking up refugees in their cars.

This happened on a rainy, cold night on December 9, 2018. “I stopped without think‐ ing twice,” he said. “I didn’t ask for their pa‐ pers because they wanted to go to Thessa‐ loniki and I had space in my van.”

When he stopped to pay a toll, police searched his van and accused him of traffick‐

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ing the family. They threw him and his girl‐ friend to the ground, took their mobiles and searched them “from top to bottom while they called us gangsters and traffickers.”

Despite the fact that the Palestinian fami‐ ly corroborated his story and a prosecutor acknowledged that a mistake had been made, the Spaniard spent a month in a de‐ tention centre before being deported back to Sevilla and issued with a five‐year ban from Greece.

Mr Castillo said that he has paid more than €10,000 in legal costs so far but has been at least able to overturn the five‐year ban, meaning that he can soon travel to Greece to see his girlfriend.

“They have stripped me of the most hu‐ man thing a person has, which is to help an‐ other human being,” he concluded.

them with compostable bags made from potato starch, resulting in a 3,200 tonne reduction in plastic.

Having now done away with the likes of single-use picnic plates and cutlery,

Mercadona has introduced new kitchenware made from environmentally friendly materials such as cardboard, wood and sugar cane.

The new products are dishwasher safe and 100 per cent

recyclable. Through their commitment to the environment, this new action will reduce the amount of plastic used by 3,000 tonnes per year - the equivalent of 120 lorry-loads.

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Brussels Will Deliver

THE European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, assured that Brussels will provide to Spain “what it

needs” to achieve immunisa‐ tion of 70 per cent of the adult population by the summer.

He made this vow while vis‐

Ibuprofen in Rivers

IT is no secret that our rivers and oceans are becoming ever more polluted due to agriculture, industry and wastewater treatments in particular, but it may come as a surprise that we now need to begin worrying about the amount of over‐the‐counter and prescrip‐ tion drugs that end up in Spanish waters. A scientific team from the University of Landau in Germany has carried out an in‐depth study of the huge existing data bank on the state of surface waters in Europe, and found a high level of Ibuprofen and other anti‐inflam‐ matory medications in Spanish rivers.

Scientists have only been monitoring pharmaceuti‐ cal products since 2010, but they discovered that these products occurred at a much higher frequency than any of the other chemicals being recorded, par‐ ticularly in Spanish waters.

Given that some of these drugs have detrimental ef‐ fects on aquatic systems, the authors believe “contin‐ uous monitoring of these substances is essential.”

iting the site of the new Janssen vaccine plant in Barcelona with Minister of In‐ dustry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, on Friday, March 26. The Sant Joan Despi plant, operated by pharmaceutical company Reig Jofre, will begin manufactur‐ ing the new vaccine in June and will be capable of turning out one million doses a day.

The Commissioner said that Brussels doesn’t consider the use of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid jab necessary at the moment, since there are already four approved vaccines, with a fifth, Novavax, on the way.

He added that they are con‐ stantly working to improve the supply from the 52 phar‐ maceutical companies cur‐ rently producing the jabs, and that by mid‐July some 420 mil‐ lion doses will have been de‐ livered throughout Europe.

Ms Maroto added that 5.5 million doses of the one‐shot Janssen vaccine are due to ar‐ rive in Spain in April, which will go a long way to accelerat‐ ing the vaccination process.

NEWS

Suez Canal traffic resumes

THE stranded 200,000‐tonne container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week has been refloated.

However, this is going to af‐ fect the Spanish economy, ac‐ cording to Jordi Espin Vallbona, Secretary General of Transprime and policy manager for maritime transport at the European Ship‐ pers’ Council.

Around 12 per cent of the world’s freight and oil tanker traffic passes through the canal, and the jam will result in Spanish imports and exports having to take a more circuitous route, a cost which is sure to be passed on to the consumer, Mr Espin told Spanish daily 20 minutes.

Freighters could not pass through the canal, they had to go around the the southern tip of Africa to reach European ports. This detour extended travel by a week, naturally cost‐ ing more in fuel and man hours, something that shipping compa‐ nies are bound to pass on to their European customers, ac‐ cording to Mr Espin.

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Islamic Commission Arrest THE National Police have arrested Mohamad Ayman Adlbi, the president of the Islamic Commission of Spain (CIE), the highest of‐ ficial Islam organisation in the country, in a move against terrorist activity.

In addition to Ayman Adl‐

bi, two others have also been arrested, accused with the alleged financing of international jihadist activities.

According to the General Information Commissariat of the National Police, the arrested men are accused

of belonging to a criminal organisation, collaboration with a terrorist organisa‐ tion, terrorist financing, money laundering, tax fraud, document falsifica‐ t i o n a n d i l l e g a l i m m i g r a‐ tion.

The arrests follow on from the 2019 Wamor op‐ eration, when a large net‐ work dedicated to sending funds to Syria and other conflict zones was disman‐ tled.

The bulk of the operation centred around a Syrian family living in Madrid, which set up several busi‐ nesses to clandestinely channel money abroad.

NEWS

BBC TV New series

TV series Smoking Gun - A Murder Mystery hopes to film in Almeria’s Tabernas Desert this June.

The New Street Pictures show created by former BBC executive Sutish Sharma, has now begun filming again after the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic resulted in a near year-long halt to production.

The show’s producers have asked the Spanish government to allow them to film from June 1 to June 14 in Almeria’s Tabernas Desert. The show aims to use the Tabernas Desert as a backdrop for a military loca-

tion. If approved, the desert will be used to shoot scenes for the show’s headquarters of the Nicaraguan Counter-

revolutionary Armies.

The show is based around an FBI investigation and is set during the 1980s.

Easter Troops THE Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that an additional 64,200 troops, consisting of both National Police and Guardia Civil officers, will be deployed throughout Spain to ensure compliance with the perimeter restrictions over Holy Week. The head of the department, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced the measures at a meeting of the Interterritorial Council on Wednesday, March 24, adding that some 9,539 sanctions were handed out to travellers over the San Juan Bridge.

The restrictions, which remain in place until April 9, mean that people will not be permitted to travel outside their autonomous communities, except for essential reasons. The minister warned all drivers ahead of Holy Week that an abundance of officers will be patrolling borders to “ensure the effectiveness” of the control measures.

Lockdown Decision mistake

GERMAN Chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Monday March 22, after overnight talks with regional leaders, had pro‐ posed a full lockdown in Germany over Easter, between April 1 and 5.

This would have been the country’s strictest lock‐ down yet, seeing all shops closed, social contact having to be limited, large gatherings limited, and Germans told to stay at home, a move that had been criticised nation‐ wide by scientists and business leaders.

Following a crisis meeting among officials last

Wednesday March 24, the decision has been reversed, with Mrs Merkel calling the plan a “mistake”, and taking the “ultimate responsibility” for the U‐turn.

Armin Laschet, the head of Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, told a regional parliament meeting on Wednes‐ day that the lockdown was “not enforce‐ able in this form” while, in Berlin, Angela Merkel told reporters, “This mistake is mine alone.”

MERKEL: My mistake alone.

NEWS

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1 - 7 April 2021

Giant Sandcastle NEW BUILD: The sand bank will welcome hundreds of sand martins.

Fallas Buildings Reopen FALLAS house and festival buildings were given the go-ahead to reopen from Monday, March 29. According to the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana, they will be open between 10am and 1pm, and again from 4pm to 8pm, ‘to carry out management and administration’ only with a maximum of four people allowed in the buildings. The Gazette highlights that ‘in no case will they be open to the public.’

At a meeting between the Fallas representatives and Ana Barcelo, the minister assured that the Valencian Community will get to enjoy festivals and celebrations, most likely by July, once a good proportion of the population has been vaccinated against Covid.

“They are all for having parties. It is not in our hands or theirs, but there is a commitment that if the health situation makes it possible, they will be celebrated. The crux of the matter is vaccination. There is no other. But it is worth waiting a little longer and not be disappointed any more. They have told us clearly: if there is no strange strain, because a virus does not have a roadmap, and everything is normal, they assume that celebrations will resume.”

SURREY Wildlife Trust has unveiled a giant 40 tonne, 20-metre wide sandcastle for sand martins, tiny 12 centimetre brown and white birds, to welcome them back from Africa to nest at a Surrey nature reserve.

The installation will provide hundreds of new sand martin homes at the reserve for the first time in 25 years.

As one of the first spring migrants, sand martins, the smallest of Britain’s swallow and martin family, visit the reserve annually on their return flight from sub Saharan Africa.

James Herd, project manager at Surrey Wildlife Trust, said: “Sand martin numbers have plummeted twice in the last 50 years as a result of droughts in their wintering grounds in Africa.

“They are sociable birds that roost together in large numbers and so the scale of the sand bank is as important as its sustainability. Here at Spynes Mere the sand martins can return to nest safely in the sand bank year after year.”

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UK Branches to Close

SANTANDER bank has announced plans that will see 111 branches closed throughout the country as more and more people use mobile and online banking rather than visiting their bank in person. The ongoing Coronavirus BANK PLANS: More and more people use online banking. pandemic has accelerated the shift to online banking too.

The closures will see around 840 staff affected alfallen considerably over recent years so we have though Santander have committed to trying to find made the difficult decision to consolidate our presthem alternative positions within the bank. Santander ence in areas where we have multiple branches relaconfirmed that the Coronavirus pandemic has intively close together.” creased the ongoing trend which has seen branch visThere are also plans afoot to move the bank’s its reduced. headquarters to Milton Keynes from London. The deAdam Bishop, head of branches at Santander cision will see the floor space rented out and the capispoke about the difficult decision to close branches tal reduced. Other office closures are planned before and explained that, “Branch usage by customers has the end of the year too.

Police Brutality on Film

THE National Police have launched an investigation into two officers who were recorded while they were trying to arrest a young woman in Benidorm in Alicante who had violated curfew, and reported‐ ly, several other anti‐Covid regulations. The incriminating video was shot by a resident of an apartment directly above where the alleged attack took place. The footage, which has since gone viral, clearly shows the two officers grappling with the young woman and delivering several blow with their trun‐ cheon.

Sources from the Government Delegation in the Valencian Community have informed Spanish daily EFE, that while the National Police have taken a statement from both officers, they have not been ar‐ rested or charged with any crime. It will now be down to a court to review the footage and the state‐ ments and determine if their intervention is considered irregular, in which case criminal proceedings will begin against the officers.

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NEWS

Thousands attended concert

FIVE THOUSAND music lovers attended a massive rock con‐ cert on Saturday March 27, after undergoing a same‐day Covid‐19 test to understand its effectiveness in stopping outbreaks of the virus at large events.

The Love of Lesbian rock concert had been given spe‐ cial permission from Spanish Health Authorities. The event took place as the rest of the country was unable to have gatherings of more than four people in closed spaces. Although masks were mandatory at the con‐ cert, the people attending were able to mix freely.

It is the first commercial event, which was also sold‐ out, of this size to be held in Europe during the pandem‐ ic, organisers said.

The concert was backed by experts of Barcelona’s The Fight AIDS and Infec‐ tious Diseases Foundation and the local authorities.

The foundation also or‐ ganised a case study around a smaller concert in Decem‐ ber with 500 people. They

concluded that the prelimi‐ nary case study showed that pre‐screening, antigen tests and the use of face masks

was successful in preventing infections within the concert even without social distanc‐ ing rules.

Wheelie Bad Idea

OFFICERS of the traffic division of the Guardia Civil in Torre‐ vieja on the Costa Blanca made an interesting find on Wednesday March 3 when they noticed a cyclist moving un‐ usually fast along the CV‐905. To add to the mystery, the 41‐ year‐old man of Pakistani origin appeared to be zooming up‐ hill without pedalling. As they approached, the officers heard the distinctive sound of a motor; once he realised he was be‐ ing observed, the cyclist quickly switched it off and began to pedal, but that didn’t stop the officers pulling him over.

When they inspected the bike, they found that it had an internal combustion engine attached to the frame and an ac‐ tual petrol tank, which the owner had tried to cover up with a t‐shirt. He had also cleverly modified the handlebars to op‐ erate the accelerator and brakes.

The Guardia Civil seized the contraption and took it to a lo‐ cal ITV centre for further examination, where experts discov‐ ered it contained an impressive two‐cylinder engine similar to what would be found on a moped and could reach speeds in excess of 50 kilometres per hour.

Because of the illegal modifications to the bike it was con‐ sidered a motor vehicle, and the owner faces fines of up to €1,400. He was charged by the court in Torrevieja for not having obtained a licence or permit for the vehicle and for not having the correct registration, insurance or technical in‐ spection.

NEWS

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Vaccine Certificates

A GOVERNMENT minister has said UK travellers will be offered vaccine certificates before they travel internationally.

The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, said: “On the international stage, vaccine certification is not entirely within our control and if our citizens want to travel abroad, we’ll need to ensure that they are able to do so.”

The government said: “The UK is working with other countries who have started similar programmes, to lead global efforts to adopt a clear international framework with standards that provide consistency for passengers and industry alike.”

The certificate, which would allow travel, is hoped to be introduced by the summer.

Covid laws will be extended until September UK MPs on Thursday March 25 voted staggeringly in favour of coronavirus laws remaining in place until September, despite Tory rebellion.

Despite Matt Hancock admitting he can’t rule out try‐ ing to renew them again, The Commons voted 484 to 76 which is a majority of 408.

The Health Secretary was unable to guarantee that it was the final time MPs would be asked to roll‐over the powers.

Thirty‐six Conservative MPs voted against the renewal of the Coronavirus Act, while 21 Labour MPs also voted against it.

It was questioned by Tory rebels why the laws needed to be kept in place when the lockdown is set to end in June. The law can only be extended for six months at a time.

1 - 7 April 2021

ERTE Applications Lost THE March 9 cyberattack on the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) not only com‐ promised sensitive data and threatened to delay the pay‐ ment of unemployment ben‐ efits across Spain, but also caused the loss of thousands of new applications, accord‐ ing to Spanish daily press.

The publication claims that while the Ministry of Labour continues to deny that the malicious virus affected SEPE files, in at least one province all pre‐applications for unem‐ ployment benefit and ERTE (Furlough) have disappeared for the period between March 4 and March 9.

The Labour Ministry insists that all data is completely safe, stating that: “No pre‐application was lost because all those that en‐ tered were duly backed up and copies of the files were also sent to the provincial ad‐ dresses of the SEPE so that they could have a reliable record and check in these lists each and every one of the pre‐applications,” sources

from the Ministry told the press.

However, several SEPE staff members have claimed that the virus may also have im‐ pacted the back‐up files, re‐ sulting in their loss. Sources from the Workers’ Commis‐

sions Union commented that it is a matter of “uncertainty and insecurity” for the appli‐ cants, who will not know if they have been affected by the cyberattack “until some time passes” and they are ei‐ ther paid or not.

Protecting Renters

VALENCIA has already prevented ‘vulture funds’ from buying up entire buildings to turn into tourist apartments in the historic city centre and now the councillor for Housing, Isabel Lozano, has announced her intention to suspend licences for tourist apartments on entire buildings in 37 neighbourhoods throughout the city. Her aim, she said, is to “paralyse speculative movements of vulture funds and large corporations that, in order to carry out their activity, expel residents from the city’s neighbourhoods, as is the case now on Calle Turia, with expulsion not only from residences but also from businesses.”

To prevent this kind of mass buying-out of buildings and the subsequent eviction of tenants, Councillor Lozano has proposed suspending the processing and granting of licences for new apartment buildings which are exclusively for tourists’ use in certain areas for the next two years. She is hoping that her measure will be approved at the next municipal plenary session in April so that it can be enforced as soon as possible.

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Airline Controversy STRUGGLING airline Plus Ultra is in the news again, this time for offer‐ ing so‐called repatriation flights from Spain to Venezuela at an eye‐wa‐ tering €1,200, despite the fact that the Spanish Government put a stop to the return journey last month.

The carrier, owned by Venezuelan business‐ men and given a contro‐ versial bail‐out of €53 million by Spain, has ad‐ vertised the flights from Madrid to Caracas begin‐ ning in the first week of April.

A complaint has been filed by Vox with the Supreme Court in March as the deputy of Vox claimed that the airline did not meet the require‐ ments to avail of the state aid since “it is not a strategic company with relevance in its sector nor are its losses caused

by Covid‐19.”

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1 - 7 April 2021

FEATURE

Acceptance of the inheritance by the heir in Spain. Consequences. Legal advice.

THE acceptance of the in‐ heritance is the act by which the person who has rights to an inheritance as heir, expresses his will and desire to inherit.

The heir is the one called to succeed the deceased, in a universal way. That is, he will inherit both the assets and rights, as well as the obligations and debts.

At this point, it is essential to point out, that in the case of legatees (beneficiaries of a legacy or specific thing); They are not liable for the debts of the deceased.

Types of acceptance of the inheritance: express or simple The heirs, as recognised by the Spanish civil code, can accept the inheritance expressly or tacitly.

The express acceptance of the inheritance It is when the heir clearly and expressly states, nor‐ mally in writing, his will to accept his rights to the in‐

heritance.

Legally, it is not required to be accepted formally, by means of a public document or before a notary. There‐ fore, it would be sufficient if it is done verbally. Although normally is in writing, to be able to prove it.

The tacit acceptance of the inheritance The tacit acceptance is the one that, not having been expressly carried out, is de‐ duced and assumed from the actions carried out by the call to inherit.

Among the actions that must be understood, as proof of acceptance: ‐ When the heir sells, do‐ nates or assigns his right to the inheritance. ‐ When the heir renounces his inheritance rights in favour of third party.

‐ Collect credits or pay debts of the deceased, and in general continue the man‐ agement of the company or assets, etc.

On the other hand, ac‐ tions that do not imply the tacit acceptance of the in‐ heritance are those of con‐ servation or provisional ad‐ ministration of the inheritance assets, etc.

Consequences of accep‐ tance The acceptance of the in‐ heritance supposes succeed‐ ing the deceased, in all the assets, rights, but also in the debts and obligations.

Therefore, the heir who accepts the inheritance, will respond even with his own wealth and assets, for the debts of the deceased. This happens when the inheri‐ tance is accepted without

Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2021 - All Rights Reserved.

further condition. What is known as pure and simple acceptance. Even, if it is tac‐ it.

That is, even if you have not expressed your desire to inherit, you have to be care‐ ful with the actions you per‐ form. As you could be liable for the debts of the de‐ ceased.

Although, the heir will not respond with his own assets, if he accepts the inheritance as the benefit of inventory.

Neither, will it be respon‐ sible for the debts of the de‐ ceased, the legatee, or ben‐ eficiary of a specific thing.

If you want specialised and expert legal advice on accep‐ tance of the inheritance, on successions in Spain, etc, contact us on our website: www.white‐baos.com.

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

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1 - 7 April 2021

Ill Puppies OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil arrested five people on suspicion of selling ill pup‐ pies in Castilla‐La Mancha.

The gang have been charged with the crimes of animal abuse, document fal‐ sification, fraud and belong‐ ing to a criminal organisa‐ tion.

According to police, the puppies fell ill with par‐ vovirus within days of their sale, many of them dying shortly after.

Police say they received around 35 complaints from people buying the ill dogs with the first complaint re‐ ceived at the end of 2019, when police discovered the existence of several shops specialised in the sale of puppies, many of them sick with parvovirus.

After that, the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Guardia Civil began an investigation in which they found that the organisation was engaged in the pur‐ chase and sale of puppies who had not been given the correct health treatment.

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NEWS

Prices rise again Phone charger catches fire THE price of electricity is rising again this month in Spain and will be 12 per cent higher at the end of March than it was in February.

The electricity bill of an average user is up to around €55.20 per month in March, which is 12.6 per cent more than in February and 16 per cent more than in GAS BOTTLES: Also to increase.

March last year, according to the National Markets and Competition Committee.

The reasons behind the rising electricity prices in March, according to a report in national Spanish press, are the fact that wind production of electricity has fallen and had to be covered by combined gas cycles, an expensive raw material which must also compensate for CO2 emissions. It also happens when less energy is being produced by renewable sources such as wind and water, as it has to be made using fossil fuels such as gas or coal. The price of petrol also influences production costs.

Comparing with last year, another reason is because demand fell during the State of Alarm.

Electricity began to rise in April 2019, although this was followed by 19 months of falling prices, then two months of rises, in December 2020 and January 2021, and then another drop in February this year.

Meanwhile, the price of butane gas bottles in Spain is also continuing to rise, and is now at €13.96, the highest since January 2019, and it is expected to continue to rise.

The Consumer Organisation, OCU, has recommended that families who are having financial difficulties should check if they are entitled to benefits to help pay their energy bills.

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Amie Hall was drifting off to sleep in the early hours of the morning when she saw a bright orange light on the duvet next to her.

As the flames quickly took hold Amie jumped out of bed to see her iPhone charg‐ er had suddenly exploded in‐ to flames. She suffered painful burns on her cheek as she tried to escape her bedroom at around 2am.

Aime is now warning oth‐ ers of the risks of charging their gadgets overnight.

She said: “I just want peo‐ ple to be aware and stay safe as this could have been a lot worse. It was extremely scary and I was left in com‐ plete shock.

“I had just been lying down and I was falling asleep when I became aware of flashing orange colours next to me.

“I ran out of my room and shouted to my mum, and luckily she managed to put out the fire without the need to call the fire brigade.”

BE AWARE: Charging your phone overnight may not be safe.

Elite Unit First Female Officer SPAIN’S Rapid Action Group (GAR) of the Guardia Civil has made history as they have now been joined by their first female officer.

The GAR is an elite unit within the Guardia Civil which carries out anti‐terrorism operations.

Lieutenant María Sol Rodríguez has become the first female to join the elite unit. The closing ceremony of the ‘LI Curso de Adies‐ tramientos Especiales’ (ADE) was attended by the Director Gener‐ al of the Corps, María Gámez. Gámez spoke of the intense and de‐ manding training course that officers have to go through, that tests not only their physical endurance but also the capacity of offi‐ cers to adapt psychologically.

She went on to highlight that the Guardia Civil works towards equality and that Rodríguez joining the elite unit was another step forwards towards equality. She also commented on the fact that all positions are open to women based on merit and ability, and that women are just as capable as their male colleagues.

NEWS

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1 - 7 April 2021

EWN 17

Topless Feminist Activists Thirty-one people arrested TOPLESS protesters from the feminist activist group Femen turned up to disrupt a rally of more than 200 supporters of Spain’s former dictator Francisco Franco who were celebrating Victory Day on the 82nd anniversary of the ‘Liberation of Madrid’ on Sunday, March 28.

Members of the National Police had to separate the group during the ceremony which was approved by the government of Madrid.

The bare breasted Femen

PROTEST: Held in Madrid.

Migrant Shipwreck TWO illegal immigrants have lost their lives, nine remain missing and three have been rescued after a dinghy they were travelling in capsized just 300 metres from the coast of Percheles in the mu‐ nicipality of Mazarron in Murcia on Saturday night, March 27.

The Maritime Rescue and Guardia Civil launched a search in‐ volving several boats along with two helicopters in an attempt to locate survivors. The three migrants who were rescued, all of Al‐ gerian nationality, were immediately transferred to health cen‐ tres for treatment.

In recent days, a total of 185 Algerian immigrants have arrived on the coast of the region of Murcia in various boats. Emergency personnel believe that the shipwreck was caused by rough seas and strong winds that battered the Murcian coast after several days of settled weather.

protesters landed in Spain’s capital with the words ‘to fascism neither honour nor glory’ painted on their bodies, while the Franco supporters retorted with typical fascist physical gestures and shouted derogatory insults such as ‘who is paying you?’ and ‘return to your brothels.’

“When the foundations of Western civilisation are shaking and in the face of the miserable spirit of the returning horde, victory has not only to be evidenced but dialectically defended by a free and proud civil society,” one of the speakers, who was surrounded by a banner featuring the dictator’s face and flags with doubleheaded eagles, declared.

To commemorate the day further, a mass was to be held at the Valley of the Fallen, a prayer and an offering was also to take place in the pantheon of the dictator of Mingorrubio and a ‘brotherhood meal’ was to be enjoyed in a well-known restaurant in the capital adorned with Francoist imagery.

NATIONAL POLICE arrested 31 Romanian citizens at La Jonquera, the border with France, who were found to be travelling in a bus with forged false PCR certificates.

Its occupants had certificates which appeared to have been carried out in laboratories in Spain but which had been falsified.

The police had been investigating the possible falsification of PCR tests by some EU citizens so they would be able to travel to their home countries. Therefore, an investigation was launched in midMarch by the UCRIF in Girona, the unit specialising in fighting illegal immigration and document falsification based on information from the French police regarding

Falsification of PCR tests.

the existence of the falsified certificates.

Information was exchanged between the Spanish and French police thanks to bilateral agreements.

Once the French authorities were informed, they refused to let them cross the border and the travellers were taken into custody

by the Spanish National Police and once the laboratories had confirmed the falsification, they were arrested and released with charges after giving a statement to the police awaiting a court hearing.

The investigation is ongoing to determine who was involved in tampering with the certificates.

Asylum Seeker Prison IN a move that has caused some controversy, the Home Office has defended plans for a new prison style facility to be built near Consett, in County Durham. The new deten‐ tion facility is set to home asylum seekers and will be built on the Medomsley Detention Centre site.

The Home Office have defended the scheme that is set to house around 80 women, and will be called the Hassockfield immigration removal centre. They claim that the new site will not only create jobs but will also help control immigration.

Speaking to the House of Commons Chris Philp, a Home Office Minister responsible for immigration spoke of how valid asylum seekers will still be looked after, but explained that the new site is needed. Philip explained that, “When people have valid asylum claims, we should of course look after them, but when they do not, we should ensure that they leave.

“It will create local jobs, and only people with no right to stay in the country will be there.”

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1 - 7 April 2021

NEWS

Creating 1.7 Million Green Jobs TUI And Jet2 Steam Ahead

ACCORDING to experts, Boris Johnson could create a further 1.7 million jobs with his planned green revolution.

The Onward think tank says the prime minister could create the new jobs due to the demand for renewable energy and lowcarbon tech in their report on ‘greening the giants.’

They also called on Boris Johnson to take action over 12 of Britain’s most dirty industries.

The ‘carbon giant’ sectors, which include aviation, manufacturing and consultation, cause nearly two-thirds of UK carbon emissions.

The report also called on the prime minister to use the success of the vaccine rollout to establish a new Net Zero Delivery

Boris could create jobs.

Taskforce which would oversee major government trials of green tech and help the economic recovery.

The experts said more jobs can also be created in low-emission energy and electric vehicles as Britain works to reach its green goals, which could generate over £330 billion (€285 billion) in additional economic value by 2030.

Covid Test Providers COVID-19 test provider Collinson has announced it is expanding its operations with the launch of a drive‐through testing facility in APH’s long‐stay car park located near Gatwick airport. The company said it will also increase testing capabilities with in‐terminal facilities at Luton airport next month, adding to its existing drive‐through offering.

This follows the announcement last week of the drive‐through and walk‐in centres at the O2 Arena’s car park. Collinson already has test‐ ing operations supporting all major hubs in England including Heathrow, Manchester, Stansted, London City and East Midlands air‐ ports. David Evans, joint chief executive at Collinson, said: “Our ongo‐ ing work with the aviation and travel industry, coupled with our in‐ vestment in creating the most flexible, convenient testing processes for passengers coming in and out of the UK, goes hand in hand with our commitment to helping the travel industry recover.

Baby Boom GRANADA City offers a unique cash incentive to prospective parents in a bid to increase the population A municipality on Granada has come up with a unique initiative to try and increase its ageing population by offering a cash incentive to people who give birth or adopt a child. Cuevas del Campo has just over 1,700 residents and only one in ten is under the age of 14, while three in ten are aged over 75. In an attempt to avoid the further de‐ population of the area, which unfortunately continues to occur in many other regions in Granada, the City Council has decided to en‐ courage population growth by offering a payment of €500 for each birth or adoption in the municipality.

THE UK’s two biggest tour operators, Jet2 and TUI, have said that they are going ahead with plans to restart holidays abroad on May 17, de‐ spite huge uncertainty over whether British travellers will be free to avail of the flights. TUI, the UK’s largest tour op‐ erator, insisted “holidays this summer will be pos‐ sible,” but both compa‐ nies said they will wait for the situation to be clarified by the UK gov‐ ernment’s Global Travel Taskforce on April 12.

On Tuesday, March 23, Spain’s Minister of Fi‐ nance, María Jesús Mon‐ tero, announced that travel restrictions on UK tourists would be eased; however, the news was somewhat dampened by the UK government’s an‐ nouncement of the in‐ tention to introduce a law on March 29 which includes a ban on anyone leaving the UK without a ‘reasonable excuse,’ and with the risk of a possi‐ ble £5,000 (€5,805) fine for flouting the new rules.

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NEWS

Future health threats Mauled By Five Dogs A NEW UK Health Securi‐ ty Agency (UKHSA) to plan for, prevent and re‐ spond to external health threats such as infectious diseases, such as Covid, was announced by the government on Thursday,

March 25.

Deputy Chief Medical Of‐ ficer, Dr Jenny Harries, will become Chief Executive of the ‘mission‐driven body to harness the UK’s public health protection, science, intelligence, testing and

delivery expertise.’

The UKHSA ‐ previously the National Institute for Health Protection ‐ will be the UK leader for health se‐ curity, providing intellectu‐ al, scientific and opera‐ tional leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage, said the government in a statement.

A 65-YEAR-OLD man from Tavernes Blanques suffered serious injuries when he was attacked by five dogs while taking a walk on a quiet country road in Valencia, and was saved from a worse outcome by a quickthinking cyclist. According to Spanish daily Informacion, the gentleman was making his way to his mother-in-law’s house for lunch along the road to l’Alqueria el Grande, which he does every day, when he was set upon by the five animals.

“I saw five large dogs approaching,” the

Ryanair Masks RYANAIR boss claims masks will remain compulsory on flights until 2022.

Irish airline giant Ryanair announced on Wednesday, March 24, that masks are here to stay, at least until next year.

Chief Michael O’Leary said that as the company gears up to a bumper summer flight schedule with 2,300 additional trips planned, the airline will continue to require all passengers to wear masks until at least 2022.

His comments come after the airline announced a big expan‐ sion to its summer schedule, with 26 new routes available to and from the UK with more flights to tourist destinations including Rhodes, Crete, Ibiza, Milan and Alicante.

To celebrate their new routes, the airline has announced a sale which includes fares from £19.99 (€23.17) each way this sum‐ mer.

distressed victim recalled. “I thought they would pass by but when they were three or four metres away they began to bark at me and they surrounded me,” he said. They then began to close in, biting at his legs.

“I tried to get rid of them, I tried to move but it was impossible. When one of them moved away, another one bit me and another pounced. They were savages,” he said.

Although the road he was walking on is a popular route for hikers and cyclists, the lane was deserted and the retiree feared the worst.

“I tried to avoid falling because I knew if I did they would kill me. I saw death up close,” the traumatised victim recalls.

Right at the critical moment, a cyclist happened along and began kicking out at the dogs scaring them away. He then called an ambulance which transferred the man to hospital.

According to the victim, the owners of the dogs are now being investigated and he has received support from dozens of locals online, many of whom claim to have been attacked by the very same dogs. The man’s family is trying to locate the cyclist, who they believe saved the man’s life.

“Thank you very much, angel saviour. We would like to meet you. Also to the people who stayed with me for an hour or so until the ambulance arrived. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

NEWS

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1 - 7 April 2021

Heroic Save of Boy

OFF-DUTY firefighter Russ Jones, aged 24, has been praised by the West Midlands Fire service for his ‘swift and selfless actions’ which saved a young boy’s life.

Russell had been off duty on Thursday, March 18 but when a Birmingham house caught fire on Farren Road in Northfield, he did everything he could do to help.

Moroccans may go home this summer THE Moroccan government has told Spain that it intends to welcome back its citizens living abroad this summer.

Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the operation, known as ‘Paso del Estrecho’ (Crossing the Strait) in Spain and ‘Operation Marhaba’ (Welcome Operation) in Morocco, did not take place. It was cancelled by Morocco, which has had its borders closed to passengers for a year, allowing only goods to enter.

In the summer of 2019, when the operation (OPE) took place as normal, more than three million Moroccans returned to their homeland to spend the summer holidays, travelling through Spain and leaving mainly from Algeciras and Tarifa in Cadiz, as well as other ports in the south of Spain.

According to the Moroccan press, citing Assahifa Arabic, have reported that the Moroccan government has transmitted their plans to the Spanish government, although, of course, it will ultimately depend on the epidemiological situation.

Being off-duty firefighter Russ did not have any of his firefighting equipment, but after hearing screams coming from the property he knew he had to save the young boy, of only four years old, that he knew to be trapped in the property.

Speaking of the young boy trapped in the fire Russ explained that, “As soon as I saw the fire and was told a young child was missing in the property, I had to do something.

The fire was too intense upstairs and because I could hear the screams I knew the boy had to be on the ground floor.

Russ has been praised by the West Midlands Fire service and Marc Hudson Group Commander said, “The swift and selfless actions of Firefighter Jones represent the very best of West Midlands Fire Service.

“We’re very proud of Russ for saving the young boy’s life, had he not acted so quickly and professionally, this incident may have ended in tragedy.”

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Sánchez Visits ‘Supercomputer’ PEDRO SÁNCHEZ, the President of the Spanish government, on Thursday March 25, attended the headquarters of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), to visit the new supercomputer ‘Cirrus’ and the National Prediction Centre, where he chaired the meteorological and coordination briefing, and met with key members from the units that make up the SNP. ‘Cirrus’ will be the second most powerful supercomputer in Spain, only surpassed by the MareNostrum of the National Supercomputing Centre of Barcelona, and will be operational in May. Cirrus will be the ‘brain’ of AEMET, and be the information base of its weather predictions, and in addition to making meteorological predictions with the use of prediction models, the computer has been fed with all of the climatological data from the last 125 years.

The computing power of ‘Cirrus’ is such that it makes it possible to generate much faster weather predictions, which is essential for providing advance warnings of adverse weather

events, aiding air navigation for the likes of AENA and ENAIRE, with air traffic control, plus services for Defence, among others, in addition to the new climate services and early warning services established in the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC).

CIRRUS: Will be operational in May.

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Norwegian Will Continue Its Malaga Base SCANDINAVIAN flight operator Norwegian has confirmed that it will be continuing with its opera‐ tional base at Malaga airport, af‐ ter finalising the design of the structure of its short‐haul opera‐ tions in Spain for the post‐Covid recovery period.

Depending on the outcome of the Spanish government’s lifting of travel restrictions, the airline is planning to have one of their Boe‐ ing 737 aircraft and its respective crew based at Malaga during the 2021 summer and winter aero‐ nautical seasons, with a view to increasing this to three aircraft for summer 2022.

A spokesman for Norwegian said the base at Malaga airport “is important since, with it, a volume of operations is guaranteed at the Malaga‐Costa del Sol airport.”

Norwegian will only continue with operational bases in the Nordic countries, and Spain, com‐ menting, “The company is there‐ fore fully committed to maintain‐ ing its presence in Spain, a country where it has been oper‐ ating continuously since 2003,” and also confirmed a similar plan for Alicante airport.

An update for UK Nationals FROM January 1, UK Nationals have been able to spend 90 days out of every 180 within the Schengen area for tourism or other specific purposes, such as business meetings, without needing a visa. Any stays beyond the 90 days will be dependent on Spain’s visa and immigration rules and any UK Nationals who would like to discuss extending their stay should contact their local extranjería office or call 060.

All foreign nationals intending to stay in Spain for longer than three months have always been obliged to register for residency whatever their nationality.

Therefore if you arrived in Spain before January 1, you must take steps to become resident if you consider your home to be here.

Otherwise, you should be arranging to return to the UK. If you are trying to become resident and are in the process of registering or appealing against your application having been rejected, the 90-day rule does not apply to you.

HMA Hugh Elliott said: “I’m aware that many second home

DEAL DONE: Boris Johnson with Jean-Claude Juncker. owners are concerned about overstaying as we reach March 31.

“The Spanish Government has been clear that it will take a pragmatic approach to anyone who is stuck in Spain due to circumstances beyond their control, so I don’t want people to be overly worried on that count. However, if people do not intend to become resident here in Spain and see the UK as their base, we do expect them to take steps to return to the UK as soon as they can.”

A Spanish Ministry of Inclusion spokesperson said: “The Spanish

Government is working to provide maximum legal certainty for British citizens resident in Spain.

Throughout the negotiations, the issue of citizens’ rights has been, and remains, one of the main priorities. Spain is the country of residence of the largest community of UK nationals in the EU. “The Spanish Government has no plans to deport British citizens who have made Spain their home and, for this reason, Spain has been one of the first EU countries to establish a documentation procedure under the Withdrawal Agreement, which consists of a declaratory system to apply for the new residence permit (TIE). We remind British citizens that, although there is no time limit, it is important to make this application as soon as possible as, among other things, it will facilitate the administrative processing and the crossing of the external borders of the European Union.”

If you are in the UK and considering travelling to Spain or are

in Spain and have friends or family wanting to visit, you should be aware of the continuing travel restrictions on both leaving the UK and entering Spain. UK Nationals must make sure that they meet both the requirements to leave the UK and those to enter Spain, bearing in mind that they are not the same. From March 30, entry to Spain will only be granted to those passengers who can demonstrate that their journey is essential, as well as to those who are already legally resident in Spain. Entering merely to visit, even if you have a second home here, is not a justified reason for entry. You may be questioned on arrival by Spanish border authorities to ensure you meet the entry requirements and they will only grant entry if they are satisfied that your journey to Spain is essential and reserve the right to deny passage.

Ultimately, the decision on whether to grant entry into Spain is made by Spanish border officials as set out in our Travel Advice. For the latest information and links to the restrictions on leaving the UK and entering Spain, we advise people to visit our Travel Advice page on gov.uk and sign up for alerts, so that they are notified of any changes: https://www.gov.uk/foreigntravel-advice/spain.

NEWS

Alliance between Amazon and Dia THE alliance between Ama‐ zon and supermarket chain Dia has now reached eight cities in Spain.

In the past nine months, the service, which allows users to buy products from Dia via the Amazon app, has expanded to Sevilla, Mala‐ ga, Alicante, Bilbao and most recently to Zaragoza.

The project began in Madrid in 2016, with Barcelona following in 2017 and Valencia in 2018.

The head of Amazon Fresh and Amazon.com in Spain, Camille Bur, high‐ lighted that the initiative al‐ lows for an “improved shopping experience” on the internet.

The fast delivery service allows for products to be delivered to the user’s home in two‐hour slots on the same day or the follow‐ ing day.

Dia offers Amazon cus‐ tomers more than 5,500 ar‐ ticles of its white label, as well as fresh products and other brands; orders re‐ ceived via Amazon are pre‐ pared by staff of the chain of supermarkets in their stores and delivered by Amazon.

In 2020 it doubled its in‐ come in this way, to €139 million.

NEWS

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1 - 7 April 2021

Twenty-eight people arrested A CRIMINAL organisation specialising in the theft, modification and distribution of vehicles has been dismantled in a joint operation between Guardia Civil and National Police.

In an operation codenamed Eleanor-Tejar, 28 people have been arrested and 22 vehicles have been recovered in Madrid, Toledo and Gijon.

Around €20,000 in cash, a pistol, ammunition, taser guns, diagnostic machines, switchboards, speedometers, licence plates, hashish and cocaine have also been seized.

Organisation dismantled.

The investigation began in August of last year after the theft of a vehicle in the Madrid town of Alcobendas.

In October last year another

Bizarre New Covid Nose Mask

SCIENTISTS in Mexico have created a new nose‐only mask de‐ signed for people to protect themselves from Covid‐19 while they eat and drink. Like most face masks, the so‐called ‘eating mask’ has two straps to fasten behind each ear but covers just the nose.

Some observers cheered the idea on Twitter, saying it would “reduce transmission,” while others poked fun at its goofy look.

“Hardly a new invention, clowns have been wearing them for years,” one user posted along with a photo of a bright red clown nose. Human cells that give people a sense of smell are a key en‐ try point for coronavirus, making nose coverings important, ac‐ cording to Johns Hopkins University.

vehicle theft with a similar modus operandi was perpetrated at a dealership in Tres Cantos, leading police to believe that they were linked and to launch an investigation into other similar crimes which could have been perpetrated by the same gang.

Another branch of the organisation transferred the stolen vehicles to a warehouse in Arganda del Rey, to carry out the so-called ‘twin’ method, which consists of placing chassis numbers on the stolen cars taken from others exactly the same which they acquired in a scrap yard.

Yet another branch would sell the chopped vehicles. They would also advertise the cars for sale on internet sites using false data and front men for the sales.

Police report that they also orchestrated insurance scams reporting the theft of vehicles that they later chopped and sold.

They had state-of-the-art technological equipment and people with extensive knowledge and experience in the automotive world.

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NEWS

No jab, no drink

THE UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, appeared on Wednesday March 24 in front of the Liaison Commit‐ tee of senior MPs, and made the suggestion that some pubs could ban unvaccinated drinkers this summer, but

added, “I think that’s the kind of thing that may be up to individual publicans, it may be up to the landlord.”

He added, “there is a huge wisdom in the public’s feel‐ ing about coronavirus, and humans instinctively recog‐

‘Unavoidable’ Lockdown

A THIRD national lockdown looks inevitable for France in a blow to Macron as cases rise sharply in the wake of the EU vaccine’s failure. The number of Covid‐19 patients in France’s intensive care units has risen to a new high for this year as doctors warn a third wave of the virus could soon overwhelm hospitals.

Scientists have argued that the government’s partial lock‐ down measures are inadequate faced with fast‐spreading coro‐ navirus variants.

In total, there are currently 28,000 people in hospital with Covid‐19 in France, slightly lower than the peak of 32,000 hospitalisations in the first wave in March and April last year, and 33,500 in the second wave, official figures show. On Monday, the public health authorities reported that 4,974 people were in in‐ tensive care, lower than the peak of 7,019 in the first wave, but above the 4,903 second‐wave high seen in November.

nise when something is dan‐ gerous.”

Mr Johnson stressed that the government would not enforce such a policy but that landlords of individual establishments might wish to do so, with British pubs cur‐ rently lined up for reopening on April 12 at the earliest, under the lockdown road‐ map, but only allowed to serve customers outdoors.

If data shows good results then from May 17, indoor hospitality will be allowed to open up, and from June 21, again if figures are good, all legal limits on social contact should most likely be re‐ moved He continued, “As soon as people feel it is safe, you will see a miraculous change in the mood and what hap‐ pens. That is what this is all about. We’re getting there step by step, jab by jab ‐ we’re not there yet, but I’ll be saying more on April 5 and then on April 12, and we will do what we can!”

NEWS

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1 - 7 April 2021

Fake unions for foreigners

NATIONAL POLICE have dismantled a network that organised fake unions of foreigners living illegally in Spain with Spanish or EU citizens so they could become legal.

By becoming the common law partners of Spanish or EU

citizens, the illegal immigrants obtained legal residents in Spain as the relatives of EU citizens.

In total, 26 people have been arrested and two searches have been carried out - in a home and in an of-

Lockdown pets

PET OWNERS: Have increased during lockdown.

THE Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) has released its annual pet population data confirming that 3.2 million households in the UK have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic.

Two thirds (59 per cent) of new owners are aged 16-34 and 56 per cent of new pet owners have children at home.

Although 74 per cent claim their pet has helped their mental health through the pandemic, the study raises pet welfare concerns.

There are now 34 million pets in the UK including 12 million cats and 12 million dogs, 3.2 million small mammals such as guinea pigs and hamsters, three million birds and 1.5 million reptiles.

There are also five million aquaria.

Notably, over a third (38 per cent) of new owners claimed that having a new pet was like having a new baby and almost a fifth (17 per cent) of families with children admitted that training was more challenging than expected.

Sadly, 5 per cent have already had to give up a pet and this figure increased to 11 per cent among families.

fice - although the operation is still open.

The detainees include the head of the organisation, aged 23, who claimed to be a lawyer and legal advisor although he wasn’t, and his right-hand man who, along with five other detainees, are held responsible for the crimes of illegal immigration, document forgery, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organisation.

In addition, other essential collaborators for the network have been arrested.

The police investigation began in November and police discovered that the network was used to find partners for people wanting to legalise their situation in Spain.

The illegal immigrants were found in Castellon and other area and required to pay

amounts of between €6,000 and €8,000. The Spanish and EU citizens who agreed to the arrangement were recruited by the leader of the organisation and they were paid around €1,000.

Each member of the ‘couple’ was sent details about the other and in addition, homeowners were paid to allow them to register as residents at their address in order to prove that they lived together before a notary or registry office.

Once they had sealed their union, the non-EU citizen applied for residence online with the help of law firms in Castellon and Alicante.

Two other phases of the investigation are pending, in which the number of people under investigation is expected to double.

Helicopter On Mars

IN what is set to be a new first for NASA, they have plans to fly a helicopter for the first time on Mars in April. NASA is set to use the Ingenuity Mars Rover to make the helicopter flight at‐ tempt possible.

The aim is to fly the helicopter three vertical metres into the air which due to the Martian atmosphere is extremely thin.

The helicopter weighs in at around 1.8 kilograms and the first flight is planned for April 8.

Farah Alibay, Mars Helicopter integration lead for the Perse‐ verance Rover spoke to Sky News about the flight and ex‐ plained how all the activities are interlinked, and that once started there will be “no going back.”

If everything goes to plan and the flight is successful NASA hopes to carry out a further five flights in the space of a month.

Each flight will see the helicopter fly for longer and gain more height in the Martian atmosphere.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Working hours

Space wine

ACCORDING to a report prepared by UK healthcare software provider Vantage Technologies, Denmark has the shortest working week amongst all European Union countries at 37.8 hours and 36 days annual leave with Spain clocking in at 40.4 hours and the UK 42.3 hours.

RESEARCHERS in Bordeaux have been given the job of tasting and analysing wine that spent a year on the International Space Station and one bonus is that there were 12 bottles of the legendary Petrus Pomerol each of which sells for several thousand euros.

NETHERLANDS Hacked off

NORWAY Silent engines

HACKERS are offering for sale 7.3 million names, addresses and telephone numbers which they claim were taken from the data base of Dutch IT company RDS which runs a service to garages allowing them to remind drivers that they are due for a check-up.

THE Norwegian Government has decided that Bergen Engines (owned by Rolls Royce) may not sell its silent engines to a Russian company (whose owners have links to Vladimir Putin) as national security interests may be compromised since the engines are in use by the Norwegian Navy.

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Name calling

Crossing borders

A FLEMISH couple (who speak Dutch) were initially told by a registration official in Brussels that they couldn’t call their child Hannes which is short for Johannes because it sounded too much like French word ânesse the name for a female donkey.

DESPITE the fact that the Finnish government has tightened entry restrictions there is still significant traffic from Estonia with some 10,600 visitors arriving at the port of Helsinki in one week alone, all mainly cross border workers, with just 64 passengers refused entry.

GERMANY Citizenship ALTHOUGH Germany has made it easier for the descendants of Jews who fled Nazi Germany to gain citizenship, there were still loopholes in the law which will now be changed as a symbolic gesture of apology to those who may have been refused in the past.

SWEDEN Emission fees IN the same way that some electric cars pay less road tax, the Swedish Government has decided that aircraft landing and taking off from Stockholm and Gothenburg airports will be charged fees based on their emissions, so the greener the fuel, the lower the charge.

FINANCE Equal pay SOME 42,000 staff at ASDA have moved another step forward in what could be a long legal battle as the UK Supreme Court ruled that store workers (who are mainly women) should be entitled to compare themselves to distribution staff (mainly men) for equal pay purposes.

Production down ALTHOUGH there are considerably more home deliveries across the world, UK commercial vehicle production fell 45.4 per cent in February, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders due to parts shortages, new customs processes and international lockdown measures which have made production difficult.

Greater spend THE Spanish Social Security Department allocated a record figure of €10.119 billion to the payment of contributory pensions for March 2021 which is 2.4 per cent more than in the same month of 2020, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

Meal box IF you have ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy the luxury of a first class meal on a British Airways intercontinental flight, now is the time to find out as the airline is offering £80 (€90) meal boxes for two to cook at home.

Price cuts AS Carrefour in Spain starts work on assimilating the recent Supersol takeover into its family, it has also announced further price cuts as the competition with other supermarkets intensifies. Some 1,000 own products have been reduced in price and a further 600 in a mix between own products and national brands have been repriced at 99c. The supermarket chain has identified the most popular products with customers and has also reduced the amount of sugar, saturated fat and salt added to 380 of its own brand products.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 1 - 7 April 2021

€2 billion

is the latest market valuation for Glovo, the Spanish start-up which competes with Deliveroo and Uber Eats in the fast food delivery market.

Spanish support schemes

New low-cost airline ONE of the founders of the now partially bankrupt Norwegian Air, Bjørn Kjos is looking to return to the cheap intercontinental air‐ line market.

The 74‐year‐old retired as CEO of Norwegian two years ago, but could now benefit from its demise as he is talking about leasing 12 of the Norwegian Air Boeing 787 Dreamliners which were purchased dur‐ ing his tenure.

He wants to create Norse Atlantic Airways with an initial investment of 1.5 bil‐ lion Norwegian Krone (€147.6 million) working with former colleagues in‐ cluding Espen Høiby, a for‐ mer SAS pilot and brother of Crown Princess Mette‐ Marit.

He told NRK “We’ll start with 12 of Norwegian’s for‐ mer Dreamliners. The dif‐ ference between us and Norwegian is that we don’t

LEGALLY SPEAKING

have any debt, and we can get the aircraft for half‐ price.”

In the meantime, credi‐ tors of Norwegian including more than 30,000 passen‐ gers as well as former staff are left unpaid due to the bankruptcy protection granted to the airline in Ire‐ land and Norway.

Some critics argue that it was the speed in which Kjos grew the airline and the massive purchase of

aircraft which it couldn’t re‐ ally afford that spelled doom for Norwegian which was suffering financially even before the advent of the Covid‐19 pandemic.

Time will tell whether there is going to be a viable market for transatlantic travel in the near future, al‐ though Norse Atlantic Air‐ ways hope to float on the Norwegian stock market within a month or so and start flights in December.

Suppliers slashed

Clean Cars Get Stickers

Credit: Boohoo.com

BUSINESS EXTRA

28

Various readers have inquired about ob‐ taining ‘ecological stickers’ for their cars of low carbon emissions. One reader was told that the stickers were already being sent out as early as 2017 and he wonders if he will get one.

In theory he should receive his sticker YOU AND THE LAW in the post be‐ IN SPAIN cause the DGT, the traffic department, already has access to all of the vehicles’ data on the In‐ ternet. The ‘Cero Emisiones’ sticker is dark blue with a big black Zero on it and it applies to all‐electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles that can plug into chargers and some others. The next level is green and blue and is called ‘Eco’. It includes vehicles driven by natural gas and some battery‐run. The ‘C’ sticker is green and is issued to gasoline‐powered vehicles registered after January 1, 2006, and diesels registered from 2014.

The ‘B’ sticker is yellow and is issued to gasoline‐driv‐ en vehicles registered after 2000 and diesels after 2006.

The easiest way for you to speed up the process is to go with your car papers to the post office and order a stick‐ er. This will cost you €5.

DAVID SEARL

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

SPANISH supermarket group DIA announced on Thursday March 25 that it has agreed to convert debt owed to its main shareholder LetterOne in‐ to equity.

It intends to offer new shares to existing share‐ holders worth €1.028 bil‐ lion of which the bulk will

ONLINE: Fashion aimed at those aged 16 to 30.

THE value of shares in online UK fashion retailer Boohoo dropped dramatically in the second half of 2020 after The Sunday Times accused it of buying goods from companies which didn’t pay the minimum wage.

Similar accusations followed from other newspapers and on social media which prompt‐ ed the company to completely review its supply line and con‐ sider opening its own factory.

The company which also owns a number of other on‐ line retailers such as Pretty Lit‐ tle Things recently purchased a number of labels including Burtons, Debenhams and Dorothy Perkins following the

demise of Arcadia.

A review of the working conditions of its network of factories, some of which were alleged to pay staff just £3.50 (€4) an hour has resulted in a decision to drastically reduce its suppliers from an estimated 500 to just 78, the majority of which operate out of Leicester.

The report which was pre‐ pared under the guidance of a barrister revealed that some of the top people at the company were aware of the problems before they were reported in the press and had also used the opportunity of lockdown to benefit financially from the opportunities arising out of lockdown.

DIA supermarket equity be converted from the debt of €769 million it owes to Luxembourg based LetterOne which is owned by Russian billion‐ aire Mikhail Fridman.

The balance of shares

valued at €269 million will be offered to other shareholders and replaces an earlier plan to convert just €500 million of debt to equity.

The supermarket chain

continues to operate at a significant loss although its 2020 figures showed that the loss more than halved compared to the previous year at €364 mil‐ lion thanks to a signifi‐

THE European Commission has agreed three existing Spanish schemes to support the econo‐ my following the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with the State Aid Temporary Frame‐ work.

Executive Vice‐President Mar‐ grethe Vestager, who is in charge of competition policy, said, “The amendments we have approved today will help Spanish companies preserve economic activity in these diffi‐ cult times by adapting and en‐ hancing existing Spanish schemes already in force.

“We continue to work in close cooperation with Member States to find workable solutions to mitigate the economic impact of the Coronavirus outbreak, in line with EU rules.”

Canadian contract ITP Aero, a Spanish sub‐ sidiary of Rolls Royce En‐ gines will provide mainte‐ nance services for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW814 and PW815 engines.

It will become the exclu‐ sive provider of a range of services and this is the first time that it has obtained such a contract in the civil field and work will be car‐ ried out at its Madrid facili‐ ties.

Having experienced fi‐ nancial setbacks, like many other companies in the avi‐ ation industry, due to Covid‐19 and huge reduc‐ tions in flights and sales of engines, this is welcome news. cant increase in purchases during the State of Alarm.

It now hopes with a sig‐ nificant reduction in debt and with the support of its shareholders that it can follow its roadmap to return to profitability, es‐ pecially as it now has no significant debt repay‐ ments due until 2025.

30 EWN

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 29

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.175,00 1.175,00 Admiral Group 3.018,0 3.051,0 Anglo American 2.815,5 2.836,0 Antofagasta 1.667,50 1.685,00 Ashtead Group 4.317,0 4.334,0 Associated British Foods 2.406,0 2.406,0 AstraZeneca 7.298,0 7.299,7 Auto Trader Group Plc 568,60 569,20 Avast 468,00 468,00 Aveva 3.434,0 3.437,0 Aviva 400,50 401,60 B&M European Value Retail SA539,00 540,60 BAE Systems 497,80 497,80 Bank VTB DRC 0,970 0,975 Barclays 180,04 182,08 Barratt Developments 766,46 767,42 Berkeley 4.449,5 4.452,0 BHP Group 2.091,00 2.093,00 BP 299,24 301,60 British American Tobacco 2.812,5 2.813,0 British Land Company 511,60 512,60 BT Group 150,59 152,10 Bunzl 2.308,0 2.308,0 Burberry Group 1.904,0 1.905,5 Carnival 1.569,5 1.595,1 Centrica 51,60 52,16 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.330,0 2.330,0 Compass 1.469,30 1.478,20 CRH 3.350,0 3.353,0 Croda Intl 6.420,0 6.420,0 DCC 6.514,0 6.524,0 Diageo 3.005,5 3.007,5 DS Smith 410,94 411,94 EasyJet 948,47 962,02 Experian 2.516,0 2.516,0 Ferguson 8.840,0 8.850,0 Flutter Entertainment 16.395,0 16.525,0 Fresnillo 912,20 916,80 GlaxoSmithKline 1.300,74 1.304,32 Glencore 282,54 284,99 Halma 2.397,0 2.397,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.540,14 1.540,14 Hikma Pharma 2.239,00 2.239,00 HSBC 420,45 421,90 IAG 194,05 196,32 Imperial Brands 1.506,50 1.508,00 Informa 565,20 565,80 InterContinental 4.946,0 4.961,0 Intermediate Capital 1.880,00 1.880,00 Intertek 5.658,0 5.658,0 ITV 126,84 127,80

% CHG. 1.169,00 2.998,0 2.814,5 1.664,00 4.310,0 2.390,2 7.282,0 560,60 458,00 3.407,0 400,10 539,00 496,10 0,970 180,00 761,40 4.436,4 2.081,00 298,87 2.786,7 510,00 149,10 2.303,0 1.890,6 1.569,5 51,56 2.305,0 1.469,30 3.339,0 6.380,3 6.478,0 2.987,5 408,78 948,11 2.495,0 8.792,0 16.385,0 902,80 1.299,40 282,41 2.383,0 1.524,70 2.223,00 420,31 193,49 1.494,00 563,80 4.922,0 1.880,00 5.608,0 126,53

NET VOL 13,05K 1,91K 52,47K 10,20K 19,66K 0,87K 5,04K 12,49K 9,00K 2,79K 88,65K 9,12K 10,63K 10,54K 2,33M 7,23K 2,69K 83,00K 209,23K 3,04K 10,41K 1,37M 5,58K 8,92K 3,98K 120,86K 7,69K 2,21K 27,22K 0,75K 1,70K 56,12K 30,42K 42,33K 27,73K 4,99K 4,44K 5,50K 20,71K 186,09K 3,19K 3,74K 3,22K 20,80K 303,84K 20,03K 19,38K 3,98K 0,04K 2,11K 33,52K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

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

245,50 3.046,5 703,20 277,80 41,96 7.122,0 469,90 167,65 1.917,50 867,60 190,45 7.914,0 29,62 2.117,39 2.990,4 732,80 1.555,50 6.460,0 1.836,00 495,40 596,86 5.554,0 105,50 7,59 1.441,0 1.440,75 1.371,0 682,00 613,20 1.806,00 15,31 3.460,0 1.129,40 941,20 2.325,0 1.371,00 1.557,00 11.590,0 1.448,50 1.267,00 499,40 290,00 182,32 228,98 352,20 4.081,0 918,60 132,52 3.420,0 928,40

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

246,00 3.046,5 706,50 278,45 42,13 7.162,0 482,50 168,05 1.917,50 867,60 191,65 7.932,0 29,65 2.123,00 2.995,5 734,00 1.562,00 6.460,0 1.836,00 497,80 598,36 5.555,0 106,94 7,60 1.450,6 1.446,40 1.374,6 682,80 613,20 1.812,00 15,38 3.460,0 1.134,79 941,20 2.325,0 1.371,00 1.568,00 11.605,0 1.449,59 1.267,00 499,77 290,00 182,68 230,06 358,90 4.081,0 918,60 133,98 3.450,0 929,00

244,30 3.030,6 699,80 276,50 41,80 7.088,0 469,90 167,45 1.912,93 860,60 190,25 7.900,0 29,20 2.087,14 2.964,2 730,80 1.554,50 6.416,0 1.813,50 493,30 593,34 5.522,0 105,50 7,59 1.439,8 1.440,20 1.368,8 681,80 611,40 1.799,00 15,28 3.446,0 1.113,11 934,63 2.288,0 1.359,69 1.552,50 11.515,0 1.438,50 1.260,00 498,90 285,40 180,93 228,74 351,80 4.048,0 909,40 132,32 3.420,0 925,00

53,09K 0,27K 13,57K 79,45K 2,77M 27,94K 4,24K 37,50K 0,70K 105,62K 274,36K 1,03K 66,18K 6,22K 4,63K 17,59K 130,03K 24,54K 232,66K 85,88K 2,24K 4,92K 453,68K 3,07K 309,35K 4,02K 35,72K 245,90K 4,26K 0,88K 57,04K 3,07K 100,79K 5,12K 8,76K 5,17K 14,72K 1,28K 9,92K 1,06K 19,06K 24,60K 146,38K 133,15K 306,54K 14,05K 42,85K 3,18M 3,85K 31,91K

0.85546

1.16799 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.17865 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.147 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1065 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4361 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.112

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 29

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 194,88 2.035,55 3.052,03 252,86 121,21 244,87 229,50 107,48 52,57 53,04 283,02 327,39 303,81 218,53 136,38 64,87 164,93 155,09 225,21 77,39 236,48 132,99 135,45 209,09 618,71 376,48 58,18 213,53 135,13 185,92

CHANGE 194,95 2.050,99 3.056,66 253,28 121,48 250,90 229,84 107,54 52,64 53,11 284,50 335,45 304,00 218,69 136,48 64,97 165,10 155,45 225,28 77,47 236,71 133,19 135,61 209,41 643,82 377,06 58,25 213,70 135,20 188,98

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 192,21 2,68M 2.014,02 1,49M 2.996,00 3,31M 245,54 2,64M 118,92 94,07M 240,30 17,16M 225,21 3,04M 105,36 9,82M 50,56 32,00M 51,76 17,13M 277,77 17,63M 322,69 3,08M 296,03 5,87M 214,14 2,54M 133,12 5,57M 61,77 34,71M 161,38 7,62M 152,55 16,75M 222,42 3,26M 75,85 9,91M 231,55 25,48M 129,77 10,01M 132,48 10,82M 204,77 7,33M 599,89 33,85M 370,29 2,96M 57,38 19,63M 207,70 7,40M 133,42 9,55M 182,57 10,20M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 29

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+1.55% +2.41% +3.52% +7.14% +6.61% +4.10% +2.10% +3.73% +107.45% +6.86% +4.41%

4.63M 377,006 191,708 1.93M 1.87M 114,983 584,593 569,255 2.59M 1.65M 2.89M

-3.39% -27.31% -25.60% -27.45% -29.55% -3.40% -3.56% -15.57% -8.52% -8.43% -0.43%

33.85M 216.63M 1.31M 106.07M 45.68M 5.16M 257,651 7,282 1.53M 5.49M 1.49M

Most Advanced Amazon.com Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A ASML Holding N.V. Lam Research Corp.

First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A MercadoLibre Inc. Intuitive Surgical Inc. Design Therapeutics Inc. KLA Corp.

Broadcom Inc.

Most Declined Tesla Inc. ViacomCBS Inc. Cl B ViacomCBS Inc. Cl A Discovery Inc. Series A Discovery Inc. Series C Roku Inc. Cl A arGEN-X SE ADR Discovery Inc. Series B Fulgent Genetics Inc. JOYY Inc. ADR Alphabet Inc. Cl C

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Currency outlook: US dollar soars amid surging yields, euro tumbles on renewed coronavirus concerns

EUROZONE: Data has been mixed over the past month.

ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday

Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

Euro EUR/GBP: Up from £0.85 to £0.86 EUR/USD: Down from $1.21 to $1.18 The euro continued to struggle to attract sup‐ port through March with the EU’s sluggish vac‐ cine rollout remaining a key source of pressure for the single currency.

Further diminishing the appeal of the euro for investors in the past couple of weeks has been the startling resurgence of coronavirus cases across the continent, with Europe’s third wave forcing countries to tighten restrictions once more.

Meanwhile, data coming from the Eurozone has been mixed over the past month, with some positive releases offering temporary respite for the single currency, but unable to re‐ verse the prevailing selling bias.

Looking ahead, barring a dramatic improve‐ ment in Europe’s vaccine rollout or a sharp drop in local coronavirus cases, it’s likely we could see the euro remain on the back foot through much of April.

Pound GBP/EUR: Down from €1.16 to €1.15 GBP/USD: Down from $1.41 to $1.36 March has seen the pound struggle to main‐ tain the highs hit back in February as a key pillar of support for Sterling through the start of 2021, its successful vaccination programme, now ap‐ pears to be under threat due to shortages and potential export bans from the EU. This has stoked concerns that the UK govern‐ ment will need to alter its roadmap for easing lockdown, something which Boris Johnson also warned about when schools reopened at the start of the month.

However, Sterling has still been able to find some support through the past month, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget providing a lift after he announced a more generous than ex‐ pected stimulus package and opted to defer tax hikes until 2023.

Turning to April, the focus for GBP investors will be on whether the government moves for‐ ward with its plans to reopen more of the econ‐ omy on April 12, with any delays due to the vac‐ cine shortage or Europe’s third wave ‘washing up on UK shores’ likely to negatively impact GBP exchange rates.

US Dollar USD/GBP: Up from £0.70 to £0.72 USD/EUR: Up from €0.82 to €0.84 The US dollar has stormed higher over the past month, with the currency garnering signifi‐ cant support amidst a sharp rise in US Treasury yields, which have surged on expectations for a robust US economic recovery and a rapid accel‐ eration of domestic inflation.

The safe‐haven ‘Greenback’ has attracted ad‐ ditional support in the second half of March due to a notable souring of market sentiment fol‐ lowing the coronavirus resurgence in Europe and renewed tensions between the West and China.

The US dollar’s rally in March didn’t come without its hiccups however, with USD ex‐ change rates slumping sharply following the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting, in which it struck a more dovish than expected tone.

Looking ahead, the US dollar may maintain its upward trajectory through April so long as yields continue to accelerate as investors re‐ main skittish over the global economic recovery in 2021.

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1 - 7 April 2021

EWN 31

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

1 - 7 April 2021

FEATURE

Time to step back and smell the roses LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT I THINK the time has come to step back and smell the roses. I’ve come to the conclusion that if some people were in the middle of the black plague, listening to the cries of ‘bring out your dead’ and watching bodies being piled up on handcarts ‐ or standing in the middle of Auschwitz surveying the horrors of Nazi genocide, they would still be in denial.

Relatively speaking, those among us who insist that Covid is not happening are only a small minority, but they are still there. When you consider there also exists a Flat Earth society you do realise that, no matter what the evidence, when certain members of the public have made up their minds NOTHING is going to change them. To disagree invites arguments, ill feelings and disintegration of friendships. So I’m gonna revert to partaking the pollen and chilling a bit.

With all this Covid dissent, plus the racist bigotry and civil disobedience that is being allowed to flourish, UK society is

NOTHING: Is going to change some people’s minds. plunging headlong into the hands of the leftie politicians at an alarming rate of knots. They are all of course rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation of as much social upheaval as they can possibly instigate and, as I mentioned last week, utilise it to seize the reins of power for Labour at the next general election.

I also notice that London’s Mayor Khan; the man who has allowed many parts of London to fall into a crime ridden, gang infested, third world anarchy; banned the use of many female models in public advertising, advocated the removal of historical figures and generally stood by while this great metropolis

experiences more racial discrimination than it has endured since the Roman occupation ‐ is actually 29 points ahead in popularity in the run up to the election of a new mayor! Obviously this man is not favoured because of his achievements.

With London’s Asian community at an all‐time high, he is a front runner purely

because of his roots and ethnic background. With this same utterly undemocratic ideology being echoed in cities all across the UK, I’m afraid that within a couple of generations the culture and face of the UK will have been changed forever. This week a teacher in Batley is in fear of his life and under police protection, while a mob of masked Islamic bully boys picket the school he taught at. His ‘crime’? To breach the Islamic blasphemy laws by showing his pupils a depiction of the prophet Mohamed! (Since when was this Sharia law written into British legislation?)

This was a popular well respected Yorkshire teacher working in a British school, delivering a serious lesson on the historical events surrounding the Charlie Hebdo atrocity. Showing a complete lack of cajones and a disgraceful disregard for the freedom of speech, the appeasing school governors, suspended the teacher, shut the school and issued a grovelling apology to the local Islamic community. Heaven help us all.

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.

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I’m ok with the rules and regs MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION

Views of a Grumpy Old Man AS I’ve said many times I’m not a believer in conspiracy theories with maybe the exception of Princess Di, perhaps JFK, oh and Aids. But after a year of what’s been going on I’m beginning to think some things we are being told need investigating. One problem is that you’re not allowed to question anything without being labelled an anti-vaxxer or a member of QAnon. I want to know why there is a lack of information. What happened to all the people that got locked up in UK hotels when they came back from the red zones?

Massive publicity the day it started then nothing. How many had Covid? What happened to the ones that couldn’t or wouldn’t pay the £1,700 for being banged up when there was absolutely nothing wrong with them? How about the UK government being held to account for the billions of pounds that’s gone in the direction of their mates? I’d need 4,000 words here, not 400, to ask what I want to ask.

I have UK friends that keep asking me what’s happening here and have I had the

jab yet and who get quite animated when I tell them no I haven’t and don’t know anyone here that has and I’m not that fussed about having it yet.

I’m OK with the rules and regs here that let me go out for coffee, lunch and now dinner and I can go shopping.

I saw today that easyJet turned away a 79-year-old woman from getting on a flight because there was a slight error on her paperwork. The problem I see here is that too much power is being given to the wrong people. The person working behind the check-in desk should immediately hand over to a customer service expert to try and fix the problem any way they can instead of being a total jobsworth and just saying ‘computer says no.’ And if it’s fixable, like in this case there was allegedly just a spelling mistake, get it fixed ffs.

I just read this - In less than a week, two gunmen in the USA separated by 1,400 miles have taken 18 lives. And experts, who study and chronicle mass killings, warned that there could be more as the nation reverts to a more normal way of life. If this is what getting back to normal means you are in a bigger mess than I thought! Sort your effing gun laws out you morons!!!!

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

1 - 7 April 2021

EWN 35

36 EWN

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1 - 7 April 2021

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Funeral etiquette - What is expected IF you are going to attend a funeral, you may not be sure what is expected of you, here are some tips which will help you to feel more comfortable that you are doing the right thing.

Dress code Most of us would wear black or dark colours at a funeral, unless specifically told otherwise.

Although the dress code is not as strict or for‐ mal nowadays and casual attire is acceptable, make sure that you are dressed appropriately and that you are showing respect for the de‐ ceased and their family.

Sunglasses are acceptable for both men and women when used to hide the face and emo‐ tions, but should be as plain as possible. People will also understand if you wear them indoors, but try to remove them if you are talking to someone, as eye contact is very important.

Sympathies Make sure to express your condolences to the bereaved relatives at the funeral or memorial service, even if you have already contacted them and/or sent a sympathy card.

Many people find it hard to approach some‐ body who has just lost a loved one as they are not sure what to say, which is under‐ standable, but do not avoid taking a few min‐

utes to show them your support.

Helping hand When you are talking to the relatives of the deceased, this is a good time to ask what you might do to help or to offer your assistance on matters such as providing them with food, of‐ fering to take care of children or pets, helping to clean the house, do their shopping, do some gardening or take them to appointments. They are likely to appreciate your gesture although they may refuse help. If they do refuse, don’t be offended, they most likely don’t want to put you out, but if you are close, look out for clues to what you could do for them anyway and try to help out over the coming weeks.

Children at funerals Unless they were immediate relatives or very close friends, it is best to keep small children, especially babies and toddlers, away from fu‐ nerals, as it can be difficult for them to remain quiet and settled, which could be disruptive and upsetting for others.

On the other hand, older children should at‐ tend as it is important for them to get a better understanding about death and what is expect‐ ed from them at a funeral. If you do bring a child to the funeral, if he or she becomes disrup‐

tive, leave immediately and keep to one side.

Where to sit The first few rows of seats at a wake, memori‐ al or funeral are for the immediate family, after that, it is OK to sit in any of the remaining places.

Make sure you get there on time so there is no difficulty finding a seat. If you’re not sure, just ask if a seat is taken and sit where you can.

After the funeral Most funerals will end with a gathering, often for lunch at a restaurant or at the home of the family. Whenever possible you should attend, but don’t stay for too long. The rules of eti‐ quette are more casual at these events and children as welcome, but it is im‐ portant to remember why you have all got together and not engage in inappropriate or disrespectful be‐ haviour. While it is a nice opportu‐ nity to remember the life of the de‐ ceased and the good times you have shared with them, and it’s OK to smile and laugh, unless something different has been arranged by the family, keep the conversation subdued and respectful.

Later on Although the pain of losing a loved one never

goes away, the weeks after the funeral will continue to be par‐ ticularly painful for the family.

Make sure that you don’t just disap‐ pear after the event and take some time to check in with them periodically to see how they are. Do not avoid speaking of the deceased when you are with them, but do so when ap‐ propriate.

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

FEATURE

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1 - 7 April 2021

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.

With this lockdown and Easter upcoming, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully 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 indepen‐ dent 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 mak‐ ing 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 nu‐ merous generations and support not just the current owner but the generation before.

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

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

and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an in‐ dependent store and compete with the multinational and chains.

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

You could also consider pur‐ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking outside 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 online study course for someone looking to change their career path.

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family

member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a 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 differ‐ ence in the recovery of the local 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 everyone who is a part of each transaction.

For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local 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 exam‐ ple illustrates how the recircula‐ tion of money in the local economy leads to a stronger fi‐ nancial foundation for our neigh‐ bours and communities.

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 retain 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 37

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FEATURE

Can the Government of Spain force me to rent my unoccupied home?

CONSULAR MATTERS

THE alarm has been raised amongst the expat community and other people who have a second home here in Spain that is used on a temporary basis.

The Central Spanish Government published a ministerial order autho‐ rising the governments of each re‐ gion so that they can make owners who have unoccupied second homes to rent them to people who are victims of gender violence, to people who are homeless and other particularly vulnerable people who have been evicted from their habit‐ ual residence, for example due to non‐payment of their mortgage.

However, from a legal point of

HOUSE RENTAL: New aid for the payment of rent. view it is an order without execu‐ tive value. The central government itself recognises that the norm does not allow expropriations. This norm points to the obligation of regional

governments to make publicly owned housing available to these unprotected groups.

But what if there are not? It is a ‘ministerial order’, which does not

have the status of law and, further‐ more, it does not have any norm of that level on which to rely, there‐ fore it is not mandatory.

Sources from the Ministry itself recognised that despite what the text says, that it is not the will of the government to open a door to the expropriation of private hous‐ ing. However, they recognised the clumsiness of the drafting of said rule that leads to confusion and alarm amongst second homeown‐ ers.

This rule does not allow expropri‐ ation of private homes or protect ‘squats’ or other illegal practices.

What it says is it allows the creation of a plan that can be used to pay the rent of a house.

The Ministry itself has confirmed that the ‘Aid Programme for victims of gender violence and evicted peo‐

ple’ does not allow the expropria‐ tion of empty homes or second homes from privates.

Also, the Ministry explained that they enable regional governments so that in urgent circumstances of extreme vulnerability determined by social services, they can resort, for example, when renting a home or offering a room in a hotel and being able to pay for it with the ‘State Plan Aid’.

The ministerial order, which de‐ velops in the State Housing Plan the new aid for the payment of the rent of habitual residence to vulnerable tenants who have occurred due to the Covid‐19 epidemic, includes a programme of direct aid to victims of gender violence, people evicted, homeless and especially vulnerable to provide housing through finan‐ cial assistance.

Marisa Moreno Castillo Danish Consul and Senior Lawyer at Just Law Solicitors www.justlawsolicitors.com / contact@justlawsolicitors.com

A better version of one’s self

ROBERT SHALLIS

IS it possible to become a new and improved better version of your‐ self? Absolutely!

Throughout life we all have suc‐ cess along with failings, however, during that journey we can always strive to improve, up‐level and learn from our mistakes in order to create our desired success and wins in life.

To become a better version of yourself you first need to know who you really are and not fall into the habit of permanently becoming that person you feel others want you to be in order to get where you need to be. Many of us are not aware of the numerous roles we play, the change in our personalities depend‐ ing on the circumstance or situation we find ourselves in.

Of course, at times we all need to wear a different hat aiding us to

REMEMBER: You are the best person qualified to be yourself. meet specific needs and require‐ ments in life, this could be to achieve material gain, promotion, admiration of others...

Interestingly, albeit slightly amus‐ ing is that others around you are all playing their own roles, depending

on their own perceived require‐ ments based on their personal agenda. Picture a business meeting, where the attendees are not being their authentic self as they feel they need to act in a way that not only benefits them but also the meeting,

realising that everyone has created their own little bubble thus losing human interaction that can deter‐ mine a successful outcome.

The more attached they become to who they think they need to be, the more detached they find them‐ selves as everyone is playing the same game. The end result, not one person is genuinely relating to the other. This then plays out into ‘We need to have a meeting about the meeting.’ I experienced this sce‐ nario many times during my career in finance.

The important thing is not to lose ourselves too much in these roles and forget who we are. Taking a step back and noticing yourself ev‐ ery now and then will help free you from that automated way of being and allow yourself time to reflect, re‐calibrate and decide if the roles you’re playing are serving you well, but more importantly, which ones are creating a ‘positive’ outcome for you and those around you.

It’s very easy to get caught up in

being somebody we’re not and act‐ ing in a certain way, which ultimate‐ ly leads us to question who we real‐ ly are?

This is why it is incredibly impor‐ tant to surround yourself with peo‐ ple, wherever possible, whom you can be more yourself, comfortable, those that bring you joy, support and love. Knowing who you are can be hard but eliminating the very things that cause you to fall back in‐ to certain acting roles that aren’t sit‐ ting well with you is the first step.

The famous poet and playwright Oscar Wilde wrote; ‘Be yourself. Ev‐ eryone else is taken.’

So, it’s important to remember that you are the best person quali‐ fied to be yourself, anyone else will only ever be second best. You are unique and there is only one of you.

Reminding yourself of that from time to time is empowering and building on that to become an even better version is self‐empowerment.

Rob Shallis www.robshallis.com

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

www.euroweeklynews.com • 1 - 7 April 2021

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FEATURE

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EWN 43

Advertising Feature

Neater Heaters now even Neater

C H O O S I N G the right electric heating system for your home in Spain has always been a daunt‐ ing task, but the recent electric‐ ity price increase has made it even more important to choose wisely. Many elec‐ tric heaters on the market are so inefficient, especial‐ ly the cheaper ones, that using one could land you with eye watering electric bills.

Neater Heater was estab‐ lished 12 years ago to intro‐ duce chilly expats to these efficient, economical to run, and stylish Norwegian con‐ vector heaters. Obviously there is a cost to running any heating system, but with Neater Heaters your euro goes further as we can heat a larger area with a smaller heater than our competitors.

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can be programmed like an alarm clock, and some models can even be controlled remotely via your Wi‐Fi. The latest innova‐ tion, available since January, is a BEHA heater that you can man‐ age from your phone using Blue‐ tooth. As long as you are in Blue‐ tooth range you can override your manual settings from the comfort of your armchair.

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efficiency, and giving our customers greater control.

All models can be operated manually by switching them on and adjusting the thermostat to your desired setting, but several

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44 EWN

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1 - 7 April 2021

FEATURE

THE TIME TO ADAPT OR DIE IS NOW! NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS

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

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

LAST time I wrote about the impact of the pandemic on British retail. However, it’s not just a UK problem. Spain’s retail giant El Corte Ingles department store group has launched the first collective lay‐off plan in its entire his‐ tory.

Just like UK department stores Debenhams and House of Fraser, this iconic Spanish brand that started as a small tailor’s shop in the late 19th century is now facing numerous chal‐ lenges such as the rise of online sales and the difficulty of attracting younger customers.

Corporate graveyards are full of former in‐ dustry leaders unable to adapt to changing times. Finnish telecoms giant Nokia, once the world’s biggest handset manufacturer, failed to develop an operating system able to compete with Google and Apple, was spectacularly knocked from its perch by rivals and ultimately bought out by Microsoft. And Kodak lost out to

EL CORTE INGLÉS: Is hoping to reinvent itself through new lines of business. digital photography, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012.

El Corte Ingles, the largest department store group in Spain (and Europe), is still far from such an outcome. It remains one of the coun‐

try’s biggest employers, but the bad news can’t be brushed aside.

Bricks and mortar businesses must adapt or die. After all, if a firm can’t or won’t adapt, it’s straight to the dustbin of business oblivion. As

for Marks & Spencer, it’s now selling other peo‐ ple’s clothing brands online. This M&S venture into third‐party labels is less radical than Next’s push of its ‘total platform’ unit (more like a full‐ service Amazon‐style operation for outside la‐ bels) but taking a risk seems the right ap‐ proach.

With physical sales down, El Corte Ingles hopes to reinvent itself through new lines of business. It’s already contracted with a mobile phone company to launch an online mobile and fibre operator. Other opportunities include home alarm systems, property renovations and merging its travel division.

But here’s a thought: with all the stresses and strains of the pandemic etc, how about in‐ troducing family relationship counselling? On‐ line via Zoom, of course, so that those in Mon‐ tecito, California and London can participate.

Well, just a thought...

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

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

46 EWN

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1 - 7 April 2021

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Dear Bipolar Disorder: We Get back that radiant look need to agree on a few things

By Clinica Britannia

OUR facial bones are what define, shape, and give structure to our face. But with age the breakdown of collagen makes our skin lose its elasticity, contributing to the appearance of folds in dynamic areas of the face.

Fat deposits in the face also begin to diminish, causing a hollowness and as these issues worsen, our sagging skin causing wrinkles, marionette lines and nasolabial folds.

Hyaluronic acid and Botox injections are extensively used as a remedy for this.

Hyaluronic acid is a sug‐ ar molecule that occurs naturally in the skin, it helps to bind water to col‐ lagen, trapping it in the skin, causing our skin to

MS BIPOLAR

UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED

appear plumper, dewier, and more hydrated. With the use of these injections your skin will look natural and radiant.

Cheek lifting and en‐ hancement of the jawline can be created giving you a youthful look and lips can be treated to remove lines and add volume for a perfect pout.

Botox injections are used to relax the muscles in the forehead and crow’s feet area to smooth out lines and wrinkles.

Visit your anti‐ageing specialist for their profes‐ sional advice on what would be best for you and how you can get back that radiant look.

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

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

DEAR Bipolar, We’ve had a relationship for a decade now. Happy Anniversary! Although it’s a relationship I never chose to be in. Yet here we are, no way of getting out of it, so we might as well learn to live with it the best we can. To tell the truth, I can’t even remember when we met exactly. Was it at eight years old when I remember being petrified that my Mama was going to leave me and obsessing over that thought, or was it at 13 years old when I would start to selfharm, or was it at 18 when I would drink myself silly just to escape my head and my thoughts.

Gradually, you just moved into my life and have stayed there ever since. So I guess we’re stuck as partners for the rest of my life. That being said, there are some things I need to talk to you about.

We’ve never been friends. We never will be. I have some issues with you; there are compromises we need to make.

I’ll take my pills every day without fail , I promise to not mess with them, and take what is prescribed, no more no less. I’ll

pay for those pills, as long as you back off enough to let me keep working and earning money so I can look after myself. Just leave me enough energy to do that.

I will try to minimise the stress in my life , if you will cut out the physical symptoms when there is stress anyway. You know the ones I’m talking about.

Feeling sick or being sick, or the cold sores I get after a panic attack.

Please, if you can, give me some non anxiety days so that I can go out and enjoy things with my friends and while we’re on the subject of enjoyment, I would appreciate it if you would give me back my libido, it would be nice to be able to feel excited when someone asks me out on a date!

Don’t even talk to me about hurting myself. I won’t listen, no matter how loud you get.

No more screwing with my memories. I’ve already lost enough. You can keep the ones of everything stupid I’ve ever done. Please stop making me feel guilty. The past is the past.

Now that I’ve finally got some self-esteem back, you just keep your claws off it. I need it and you don’t.

No love, Ms Bipolar x

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

Hay fever affects younger population ALMOST half of Brits (48 per cent) aged between 16-24 have experienced a seasonal allergy, such as hay fever or an allergy pollen, in the past year. That’s according to a report from Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency.

Their research found that whilst 48 per cent of the 16-24 age group had suffered an allergy, just 25 per cent of those aged 55 and over had experienced an allergy.

But it isn’t just age which shows a significant impact, region also plays a role. Whilst you may expect the rolling hills and wildflower meadows of the countryside to be a nightmare for sufferers, it seems that the pavements of London are a common place to encounter a hay fever sufferer as some 46 per cent of Londoners have experienced a seasonal allergy in the past year, compared to a national average of 39 per cent.

The North East, North West, South East or East Anglia were found to have lower numbers of sufferers with 35 per cent of resi-

dents in each of these regions having experienced a seasonal allergy in the past year.

Over half of allergy sufferers experienced a stuffy or runny nose, 57 per cent suffered with sneezing and 47 per cent were plagued with itchy or watery eyes. However, while a third (32 per cent) of consumers choose to treat seasonal allergies, a long-suffering quarter (26 per cent) of Brits suffer in silence. Almost half (47 per cent) of hay fever sufferers keep track of pollen levels during the pollen season and residents in Spain can do the same with pollen counts able to be viewed at www.meteovista.com.

Andalucia and central areas are known to have high olive pollen counts and grass counts are often high but they usually go down by mid July. Grass counts also lessen in mid July in northern Spain and the Costa Brava. Low to moderate pollen counts are found in the Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria and Costa Dorada. Usually, coastal areas have lower pollen counts.

48 EWN

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1 - 7 April 2021

DAVID WORBOYS TIGER WOODS may not be the most charismatic of sportsmen but he is un‐ questionably a legend beyond the world of golf. One of the two greatest golfers in history, his colourful life, his remarkable comeback and his recent injuries will qualify him as a living leg‐ end, as it seems certain that people will still be talking about him in 30 years’ time. He is more than a superstar.

How do you define a legend? To me a legend is the subject of conversation from generation to generation, very of‐ ten a fictional event, situation or person, such as James Bond. A legend may be national or global.

A living (or deceased) legend, rather than a fictional one, tends to be a one‐ off; a colourful character who has achieved excellence or glamour in his or her chosen field, has been involved in a fascinating scandal, is noted for outra‐ geous statements or behaviour or has triumphed over severe adversity.

It suggests positive associations, or at least mischief rather than damage or evil. So Trump, you need not apply. Nor

LEGENDS TWO OF THE GREATS: Pele is a legend of the game of football and Elvis of the music scene. you, Saddam. And somehow, it is never appropriate as a description of such ti‐ tans as Shakespeare, Beethoven and Einstein.

Pele needs no description. We all know who he is and we still discuss his

part in the 1958 World Cup at the age of 18 and his colourful life since then. Now 80, Pele is a legend of the game.

When you have been the subject of discussion and controversy worldwide for years, including several decades af‐

ter you ceased activity, you may be considered a legend without qualifica‐ tion.

Thus, Muhammad Ali, Elvis, the Beat‐ les, Rod Laver, Sam Goldwyn, Mother Teresa, Marlene Dietrich, Maria Callas,

FEATURE

Gandhi and Churchill, have passed the test of time and achieved legendary sta‐ tus. They are still discussed today.

Meanwhile, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi and Oprah Winfrey must still await the test of time.

Vera Lynn, Thomas Beecham and Agatha Christie are very different British legends. Vera Lynn touched the hearts of millions, bringing them love and hope through her singing during the most dif‐ ficult times.

Beecham was noted for very contro‐ versial and witty remarks and opinions.

Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are read and seen in films all over the world.

So why do the media use the word so indiscriminately and so flippantly? I have heard Kurt Cobain and David Bowie de‐ scribed as legends. As I was writing this, I just heard of the death of footballer Ian St John, described as a ‘Liverpool leg‐ end.’ Even the uncharismatic Roy Keane, has been dubbed a ‘Manchester United legend.’ Is everybody who has played football for a leading club a leg‐ end?

In my subjective view, Stanley Matthews, George Best, Alex Ferguson and possibly David Beckham all qualify as British football legends. In the musical world it’s Cliff Richard and the Rolling Stones.

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

PETS

50

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Let those sleeping dogs lie THE structure of a dog’s sleep is very similar to a human being’s sleep. There are stages of wakefulness, rapid‐eye‐ movement REM sleep and non‐rapid eye‐movement sleep.

While asleep, the dog’s brain is trying to find shortcuts or connections between things that they have experi‐ enced. The events of the day are put into categories, when in non‐REM sleep. In REM sleep there is an opportunity for the dog to explore, in an environment that’s free of conse‐ quences.

Dogs enter REM sleep about 20 minutes into a snooze session and might stay there for two to three minutes.

People and dogs dream in both stages of sleep mentioned, but most dreams are remembered through REM sleep.

Dogs, of course, dream about things that dogs normally do, while small dogs have more frequent but shorter dream periods and larger dogs have less frequent but longer dreams.

Dogs probably also have nightmares, they can get nar‐ colepsy, which is a disorder that causes the brain to fall in‐ to a sudden state of sleep. Unlike some of their human owners, they don’t suffer from sleep paralysis, which is when someone becomes conscious, but are unable to move their body.

When dogs sleep, they quiver, make leg twitches and even growl or snap at something chasing them in their dreams. If dogs are having trouble sleeping, it may also be due to pain or fear, which they express through anxiety at night.

Advertising Feature HERE is a list of possible causes: Allergies: Sometimes sneezing can be an indicator of underlying environmental allergies. You may notice sneezing in addition to oth‐ er allergy signs, such as tearing, scratching or licking their fur.

Airborne Irritants: Certain dogs can be sensitive to irritants, such as dust, pollen, smoke, scented candles, cleaning products, per‐

Why Do Dogs Sneeze? fume or air fresheners.

Reverse Sneezing: This is an in‐ teresting phenomenon that usual‐ ly occurs in response to excite‐ ment, irritants, or inflammation and they exhibit sudden, repeated inhalations through the nose that sounds like a goose honking.

Foreign Body: Occasionally, dogs will get a piece of foreign ma‐ terial stuck in their nose, such as blades of grass, foxtails, or sticks.

This is extremely irritating, so you will see sneezing and discomfort.

Nasal Infection: Normally you will usually see additional symp‐ toms, such as a bloody or mucoid discharge and lack of appetite.

Nasal Tumour: In older dogs (usually above six/seven years of age), nasal tumours are a possible cause of sneezing.

Brachycephalic or flat‐faced dogs: These dogs are more prone to sneezing due to the anatomical compression of their nasal pas‐ sages.

Occasional sneezing in dogs does not usually require a vet visit but if you see increased frequen‐ cy, nasal discharge/blood, nasal swelling, itching, licking, scratch‐ ing, sometimes it is necessary to resort to endoscopy, CT or MRI for diagnosis.

In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarina baixa.com

SERVICES

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1 - 7 April 2021

AIR CONDITIONING

CHIMNEY SERVICES

REMOVALS & STORAGE

INSURANCE

PLUMBERS

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52 EWN

1 - 7 April 2021

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PLUMBERS

REMOVALS & STORAGE

SOLAR ENERGY

SERVICES

SERVICES

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EWN 53

REMOVALS & STORAGE

TESTIMONIAL Hunter: Picked up a copy of your paper at Frankie's this morning.

Thanks very much.

You have made my day, week, month etc..

“

TV & SATELLITE

TV & SATELLITE

CLASSIFIEDS AIR CONDITIONING

APPLIANCE REPAIRS

WASHING MACHINE BROKEN? Call BlueSky Repairs for ALL your domestic appliance repairs. 626 430 671 (WhatsApp) (291565)

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

Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzimmerer@hotmail.com, www.centrosaron.com (10008) www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396. We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members. We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market.

Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis.

(288658)

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CAMPING

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

COMPUTERS

CARE HOME

COMPUTER REPAIRS – Laptops/PCs Qualified Technician –648 065 224 No Call Out Charge No Fix No Fee andy@wizard-computers.biz (290467)

ELECTRICIAN MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices.

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

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

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

GARDENING SERVICES DAVID THE TREE GUY Cutting, trimming & removal of trees. Torrevieja, Alicante, Benidorm areas. 722 652 173 (291904)

54

GENERAL SERVICES MISTER Fix-It handyman, available in Jalon Valley area, hourly rates, 657 189 519 (290302)

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ance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

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MCIOB, CAAT - LOCKDOWN REMOTE WHATSAPP VIDEO ADVICE available for reduced fee Tel: 653 733 066 / 962 807 247 www.costablancasurveyors.com (288711)

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygateinsure. com (2887610)

LEGAL www.iurisunited.net Lawyers. Tax advice and bookkeeping. All Gestoria Services.

Experts in Brexit and Residence Permits. NIE Numbers. FREE 1st.consultation. Ask Oliver. Tel: 606 051 000 info@iurisunited. net (291473)

HEALTH & BEAUTY

METALWORK

CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST, Philip Mann, clinics in Benissa, Moraira, Javea, Calpe and Albir. 686 912 307 (282699)

SUPPORT for a better present and happier future. Call Tanya, Counsellor/Psychologist 634 354 892 www.feelgoodcs.com (291137)

WIGS WWW.WIGS-R—US.ES Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. Monday-Saturday 10-3. We also have Scrunchies, Extensions, Ponytails. Catalogue orders. Private appointments after 3pm. 681 049 502 (290625)

BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsurancein spain.com for online quote.

(291458) MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 309, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 309 for motor insur-

DECORATORS W.D. GILMOUR. Painter & Decorator.

Established 35 years in Moraira.

ESTIMATES FREE. Call William on 609 691 776 or 966 490 602 (291535) P&H Painting Services over 25 years experience. Calpe and surrounding area. Call 676 178 347 for your FREE no obligation quotation (291475)

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MOTORING

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PROPERTY PROPERTY WANTED RETIRED couple looking for long term rental in La Marina Baixa – prefer two beds. Needed urgently – call Janice on 0044 7736 251 800 (279523)

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS

PETS

COUNSELLING

STRUCTURAL SURVEYS

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TRANSLATIONS SPANISH INTERPRETER for all your appointment needs, has car. Effective, Friendly & Affordable service. Call 609 679 808 (290313)

XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section.

Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.

READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE.

REMOVALS/STORAGE

AUTO BASTIAN mobile mechanic. Tel 608 860 725.

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Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

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BENIDORM and surrounding areas. Two-man removal. 678 067 163 (289999) TRANSCONE TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS Fortnightly collection & deliveries to & from UK. All areas covered from Alicante to Valencia. Tel. 603 307 962, (0044) 7925 553625 Email aaronrichards88@live.co.uk (290322)

REFURBISHMENT REFURBISHMENT We specialise in refurbishing homes and restaurants. For more information please visit us on www.muxasari.com/english/ or Tel: 687 070 164

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RELAXATION

MOTORING

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ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack JEREMY CLARKSON called it re‐ volting, Richard Hammond called it hideous, so is Honda’s Civic Type R really that bad? It’s certainly eye‐catching with its overly large rear spoiler, red seats and on my test car (a GT model costing €42,230 (£36,320) matching red paintwork.

The Type R is a true Honda icon, arguably as much as the NSX, and from its original back in 1997 it has pretty much been the company’s affordable halo model.

Built in Swindon for many years, sadly Honda are leaving the UK despite the undoubted quality that Swindon produced.

The plant closes this year but, unlike fellow Japanese car mak‐ er Mitsubishi, you’ll still be able to buy right hand drive Hondas.

The latest Type R is

Smooth and very refined.

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Honda Civic Type R - just for driving priced from €39,904 (£34,320) with three model lines, the Type R, GT and Sport Line. Pow‐ er comes from a 2.0‐litre VTEC Turbo petrol engine that pro‐ duces 62 mph in 5.8 seconds and carries on to a top speed of 169 mph. It feels quick, very quick! Yet despite this you can still get high 30s mpg in mixed driving if you’re careful with your right foot. Difficult, very difficult! Sharp steering and three drive settings ‐ comfort, sport and insane ie R mode ‐ makes for a very entertaining drive. In comfort mode it’s a, perhaps surprisingly, comfort‐ able and useable machine for the daily commute. It’s practical too with decent interior space and a good boot.

Standard kit is generous with all the usual accoutrements such as auto lights, wipers, climate, auto high beam, heated and powered door mirrors, Alcan‐ tara, rear view camera, privacy glass and lots of safety kit. On the performance front there are

Brembo brake discs and cal‐ lipers, adaptive damping, limited slip differential, rev match and stability and handling assist. It all goes to make the superb pack‐ age that is the Type R. Then there’s the Marmite question. Its looks are certainly

divisive, which is why Honda have introduced a slightly down‐ tuned version in terms of looks with the Sport Line.

Surely though if you’re want‐ ing a performance machine like the Civic Type R then you want the looks to go with it. The an‐

gles, accentuated curves, mad looking spoiler, triple exhaust and overly bright seating is all part of the Type R look.

Even if you wouldn’t want to drive it all the time, I guarantee when you do drive it, you won’t be able to stop grinning.