Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 8 - 14 April 2021 Issue 1866

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The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1866

8 - 14 April 2021

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 28 - 31 FREE • GRATIS

STEADY DOES IT!

THE Valencian Community has the best accumulated Covid incidence rate in Spain.

In January it had the worst, although the turnaround is due not to luck but the strict - and unpopular - measures introduced to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

And the president of the regional government Ximo Puig said he intends things to remain that way.

Speaking during a visit to the Rois de Corella health centre in Gandia with Health chief Ana Barcelo, Puig declined to predict the Covid situation this summer.

“What we want is to arrive at

The right prescription, Puig added, was continuing “with maximum prudence and without encouraging false hopes.”

He also admitted that there were some anti-Covid measures the Generalitat would like to lift.

“Nevertheless restrictions are the antidote that provide us with maximum capacity for response

GANDIA VISIT: Ximo Puig last weekend with Ana Barcelo and Gandia’s mayor Diana Morant.

May 9, the day when the State of Alarm ends, in the best possible circumstances,” he said. “We

want as much normality as possible.”

On Tuesday March 6, Presi-

dent Pedro Sanchez announced that the State of Alarm will end on May 9.

and prevention,” ever-cautious Puig added. The region, with Spain’s lowest accumulated incidence rate, was in a positive situation thanks to the population’s efforts and vaccinations, he stated.

“We have done well up to now and we must not lose this position,” Puig declared.

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8 - 14 April 2021

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Victim of its own success Suez repercussions PATH CLOSED: Too many ramblers chose to trek along the MoraigLlebeig path.

BENITACHELL’S Local Police had to close the clifftop path that links the Moraig and Llebeig beaches last Saturday.

Earlier, the path saw a constant stream of hikers with the police already keeping a watchful eye on the car parks that give access to each end of the path.

At one point, towards the the last stretch of the path that descends to Cala Llebeig the trekkers were practically queuing, police said, while the beach below was already filling up.

By mid-day it was clear that the path would have to be closed not only to ensure that the anti-Covid distancing regulations could be complied with, but to safeguard the excursionists’ physical safety.

To some extent, the popular Moraig-Llebeig path is the victim of its own success, attracting an increasing number of hikers each weekend, as the weather improves and travel restrictions prevent them from going further afield.

THE Suez Canal, blocked for days by the beached Ever Given, will have an economic impact on 28,000 Valencia region firms. The situation would take time to return to normal and holdups could continue for weeks, said Egypt’s Port Authority.

Twenty‐five per cent of Valencia Port’s maritime trade is carried out with Asia via Suez, and the traf‐

fic jam of approximately 400 ships could mean de‐ lays in raw materials for the province’s chemical, plastics, textiles, metallurgice and electrical indus‐ tries, Chamber of Commerce president Jose Vi‐ cente Morata predicted.

The Port Authority foresees “an avalanche” of 25,000 containers when ships finally start to arrive.

Ruling under review THE central government’s de‐ cree that masks must be worn on the beach, even when swim‐ ming, will almost certainly be re‐ viewed.

Every region dependent on

sun‐and‐sand tourism ques‐ tioned the move, including the Valencian Community.

Ana Barcelo, the regional gov‐ ernment’s Health chief, an‐ nounced that she will raise the is‐

Backdated nursery school grants ALFAZ Town Hall allocated €12,000 in subsidies for under‐threes who attended nursery school last year.

Parents can request the grants, backdated between January and December 2020, either online via the town hall’s www.lalfas.es web‐ site or on 965 887 328.

Applications should be made before the 30‐day deadline from the date the notice appears in the Official Provincial Bulletin (BOP), Alfaz’s Social Welfare councillor, Marisa Cortes, explained.

The councillor added that the parent or parents should be regis‐ tered on Alfaz’s municipal Padron for at least one year, and to have lived in the municipality for 12 consecutive months.

The child should be under three and also registered on the Padron.

sue at the next Inter‐territorial meeting. Meanwhile, Francesc Colomer who heads the Valencia region’s Tourism department, hinted discreetly that he did not back the ruling. “We have always respected what the Health au‐ thority decides at all times,” he replied carefully when asked for an opinion.

He then went on to call for “common sense” when looking for ways to co‐exist with the virus “in the best possible manner.”

Precisely because of this, Colomer added, he backed the sector’s request for Spain’s beaches to remain ‐ as far as pos‐ sible ‐ “spaces where people can enjoy themselves without face masks.”

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NIBS EXTRA Weeded out THE Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar, responsible for the area’s waterways, cleared vegetation and litter from the stream that flows to the La Olla beach. In response to town hall requests, invasive nonnative reeds have been removed from the banks and regrowth discouraged with the addition of weed-barrier fabric.

Sail away HUNDREDS of purple jellyfish were washed up on Calpe’s Arenal beach last weekend. Called Barqueta de Sant Pere (St Peter’s boat) in Valenciano and By-thewind-sailors in English, they are largely inoffensive and float in large colonies, driven by the wind thanks to fins that resemble small sails.

Easter sports WITH leisure options curtailed by Covid restrictions, Campello Town Hall has opened the Vincle and Centre sports complexes over Easter so that young people may safely practise sport. The centres will remain open morning and afternoon until April 12, closing at 9.30pm to comply with the 10pm curfew.

Party’s over FOLLOWING a tip-off from a member of the public, San Vicente’s Local Police raided an unauthorised fiesta held in a makeshift disco in an industrial unit on the Canastell estate. The dozen or so young people attending now face fines for flouting anti-Covid regulations and possessing various types of drugs.

Solar power AMJASA, the municipal company responsible for Javea’s water supply and main drainage, spent €16,000 on equipping the Calvario pumping station with solar panels that can generate a daily 20 kilowatts. Together with the Falzia pumping station, Amjasa now has two installations powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.

Tragic mishap A WOMAN of 40 died and her partner suffered multiple injuries after falling 10 metres while mountain walking in the inland Vall de Laguar. Witnesses to the accident lit a bonfire so that the fire brigade helicopter mobilised to evacuate the couple could locate the spot where they fell.

8 - 14 April 2021

Akira’s 10-year success IT is exactly 10 years since Akira animal charity was founded and five since their Shelter opened.

Akira was created on April 1 in 2011 after animal-lovers realised that the Benissa and Teulada-Moraira areas needed a dog shelter.

The mayors of both towns agreed that Akira could build one on the La Pedrera industrial estate on land that Benissa Town Hall donated in October 2013.

After much bureaucracy and many setbacks the Shelter finally opened its doors in April 2016.

DASH: An Akira rescue dog who now has a forever home.

Akira continued to rescue and rehome lost and abandoned dogs between 2011 and 2016 until the Shelter was ready. In its

10 years of existence the charity has rescued almost 2,000 dogs.

More than 1,200 were successfully adopted and roughly

500 have been reunited with their families. Elderly animals spent their last years in the comfort and love of foster homes, while the remaining few were so ill by the time they came to Akira that they could not be saved.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved, how far we have come and what a brilliant team of staff and volunteers make up Team Akira,” said Lin Di Stefano, the charity’s president for the past three years.

Learn more about Akira on their www.akira-animals.com website.

Benidorm goes on working BENIDORM Town Hall allowed public and private building work to continue over Easter this year.

“There are several projects that need to be finished as soon as possible because they benefit the municipality and improve the services we offer,” Public Works coun‐ cillor Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate ex‐ plained.

“A start had to be made on others that

Alfaz produces a champion YOUNG Alfaz markswoman, Paula Morcillo, won the junior section of Spain’s Clay Pigeon Championships held before East‐ er.

With a brilliant record since she began competition shooting in 2019, the 16‐year‐old’s next goal is to take part in the 2021 World Championships which ‐ pandemic permitting ‐ will be held this year in Germany, Kazakhstan, Italy and Peru.

Paula practises between two and three times a week at the Cheste Shooting Range in neigh‐ bouring Valencia Province, ensur‐ ing that she is in perfect form for the upcoming competitions.

Paula recently visited the town hall, where Alfaz mayor Vicente Arques, accompanied by Sports and Equality councillors Oscar Perez and Rocio Guijarro, congrat‐ ulated Paula and wished her luck in the World Championships.

“Your numerous sporting suc‐ cesses in such a short time reflect effort and hard work that deserve recognition from all Alfaz resi‐ dents,” Arques told her.

could not be put off as they coincided with essential procedures carried out by utility companies,” the councillor added.

“All of this guarantees improvements to Benidorm’s streets, mobility, accessibility and services.”

Despite the potentially inconvenient time of the year, De Zarate insisted that his department had maintained a balance between the public interest and

Benidorm’s goal of offering the best possi‐ ble services to residents and visitors.

“Precisely because of this, and as it did in 2020, the town hall decided to continue projects that were already programmed and underway.”

Private building work had also been al‐ lowed to continue, including repairs and renovations by hotels, preparing for the return to tourist activity, De Zarate said.

Spring charity market PROJECT 4 All is teaming up with a number of great causes to host a charity market at Bar Tallerina in Jalon, Alicante.

The fundraiser, organised by the non‐profit or‐ ganisation, together with Spread Some Sunshine, Jalon Valley Ark, Charity & Art and Paws will take place at the bar on Saturday, April 17, from 10am to 2pm. “We hope to make it a pleasant market where you can browse through the clothes and nice

goods that are for sale. The proceeds from this mar‐ ket will benefit the five charities.

“We hope to see you,” said organisers.

Project 4 All is a non‐denominational, self‐funded non‐profit that relies solely on donations.

“Our amazing team of regular and part‐time vol‐ unteers is committed to helping feed the homeless here in Spain, as well as finding them accommoda‐ tions,” said Project 4 All.

Donation for Equality THE Original Charity Shop and Library in Javea donated €550 to the town hall’s Equality department.

This will help to fund support programmes for gender violence vic‐ tims, including emergency transport and accommodation as well as psychological recovery.

Javea’s Equality councillor Montse Villaverde thanked the Original Charity shop for its backing and social commitment towards the fight for equality and assistance for women who are victims of violence.

The Original Charity shop, which raises funds through its shop in the Arenal, has been a close collaborator with the Equality for many years, Villaverde said.

Eggstreme vandalism TEULADA‐MORAIRA Town Hall adorned the town with several out‐ size Easter eggs this year.

They were intended to be included in photographs uploaded to Instagram, in a competition offering a prize of two free tickets for the Teulada‐Moraira Auditorium.

Unfortunately, as well as photographers, the Easter eggs also at‐ tracted the attention of vandals who smashed one and impaled an‐ other with the leg of a plastic chair.

Digging up the past MARQ, Alicante City’s Archaeolog‐ ical Museum, approved a summer programme of digs at eight sites.

Excavations, which are due to begin in July with a €130,000 bud‐ get, will include Calpe’s mediaeval Pobla d’Ifac settlement and the Co‐ va del Randero cave in Pedreguer as well as underwater prospections in Teulada‐Moraira and Benitachell.

For the second year running, it will be necessary to comply with anti‐Covid measures, explained Ju‐ lia Parra, who head’s the Diputa‐ cion’s Culture department.

As a result, there will be fewer volunteers at digs, owing to the need for social distancing and there can be no sharing of tools and equipment.

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Ticking over THE Valencian Com‐ munity’s regional Tourism secretary Francesc Colomer is currently depending on local tourism.

“We are banking on Valencia region tourists,” Colomer said, owing to the re‐ strictions on travel be‐ tween Spain’s au‐ tonomous regions.

“There won’t be crowds of internation‐ al tourists,” he ex‐ plained, “but even be‐ fore the pandemic they were less signifi‐ cant at this time of the year.”

Speaking as Easter Week commenced, Colomer argued that the domestic market “wants to travel,” and the regional economy has not slumped to the extent that it has hin‐ dered mobility and tourism.

The Generalitat has distributed 20,270 Bono Viaje vouchers so far this year, with 13,867 reservations made between Jan‐ uary and June, the Tourism chief said.

The scheme, intro‐ duced last year to en‐ courage tourism inside the Valencian Commu‐ nity, is open to all resi‐ dents registered on their municipal Padron. The vouchers pay up to 70 per cent of holiday bookings ‐ with a €600 ceiling ‐ for a minimum stay of two nights.

Most reservations made with the Bono Viaje vouchers were for hotel stays for an average of five nights and many were pack‐ age deals, although they did not cover full board, Colomer re‐ vealed.

“They include all kinds of services but they also benefit other sectors, directly and indirectly, and keep them ticking over.”

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8 - 14 April 2021

Walk and Barbecue LOCAL Freemason’s Lodge, S anta Faz, recently held their ‘Santa Faz Beach Walk and B arbecue’ which had been scheduled for Saturday March 20 and would have been delayed into the following week had it not, fortunately, been decided to postpone it by one day to Sunday March 21.

This annual charity event, held under strict observance of current health guidelines, at the International Club, El Campello, was blessed with warm, dry and thankfully wind free weather.

T he huge and varied amount of food, like the assembled company, was excellent. Aided and abetted

by L in (salads and jacket potatoes), Jean (cakes) and WBro Ivan (kartofel salat).

Particular thanks go to Gill Hovell (President), Bro Barry H ovell S W ( T reasurer) and the Committee of the I nternational C lub for all their help with the complex logistics.

Despite the many current restrictions and, sadly, with a greatly reduced number of

BLESSED: With warm dry weather, excellent company and food.

participants, the amount raised still exceeded all expectations. The charity raffle, sponsored walkers, donations and contributions from B rethren’s charity pots, was rounded up to a total of €700. An exceptional amount, especially under the circumstances, was raised for the Worshipful Master’s charity which, for

this year, is M A B S , and which will be presented at a later date.

M A B S C ancer S upport Fundación’s commitment in Spain can be summed up in this short sentence: “ T o care, comfort and counsel people affected by cancer.”

A very worthwhile cause and one supported by many Freemasons.

Carp-R-Us match report ROUND three of the Carp-RUs was fished on the Eden Stretch of the Rio Segura.

Conditions looked good, the

day promised to be warm and there was a slight flow on the river, so we were hopeful of some reasonable fishing. This didn’t prove to be the case; the fishing was hard, and this is a worry.

There is a real concern that there are not the fish in this stretch that there used to be.

Whether this is due to the blue crab invasion or because they have been taken, no one knows.

The match was won by Dave Hutchinson on peg 6.

Fishing the pole at 13m and using bread or pellet Dave managed to catch 3.30kg.

Second was Jeremy Fardoe who had 1.30kg on peg 10.

Third was Ken Wilcock with 1.2kg from peg 13 and fourth Tom Marshall with 1.15kg from peg 11.

Anyone wishing to join the club can contact us through the club website: www.carp-r-us.weebly. com or email stevefell@rock etmail.com.

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Spectacular Blaze Tackled SEVEN full firefighting units from SPEIS ‐ Ali‐ cante’s Fire Extinguishing and Rescue Service ‐ were deployed in the early hours of Saturday April 3, to tackle what they later called a “spectacular and complicated” blaze that broke out at the storage depot of the Aludium company, where tanks containing 40,000 litres of oil were on fire.

Luckily, there were no injuries, with the SPEIS crews being mobilised at 3.25am, arriving at the in‐ cident to find two huge oil storage tanks alight at the facility, and with flames shooting out of them to around 12 metres high in‐ to the night sky.

The crews attacked the fire from above, with more than 35 firefighters in attendance, along with officers of the Alicante Na‐ tional and Local Police forces.

The fire was eventually brought under control at around 7.30am, and by 8.30am it was extin‐ guished.

Charity reopens THE Charity Shop of Calpe is now fully operational again and from April 12 will be open every morning except Sundays from 10am until 1.30pm.

They are fully stocked for spring and summer, but always welcome donations of good quality clothes, shoes, accessories and household goods.

Pay a visit to Galerías Mar Azul - halfway up Avenida Gabriel Miró on the right-hand side. All donations go to help local charities in the town.

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‘Rural Erasmus’ Scheme InN a unique move against the depopulation of remote areas of Spain, the government has launched a new ‘rural Erasmus’ scheme for the 20212022 academic year which will see students offered the opportunity to carry out their three-month work experience in a village or small town setting.

“We want to launch a job exchange programme, training, in the style of what has been done with Erasmus in Europe, breaking borders. That at least three months of the first work experience of our young people take place in this type of environment for an emotional and work connection,” explained the minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, on Monday, March 29.

During the closing of a ceremony in the Senate, the government official announced that the first stage of the Erasmus plan would be offered to 100 students, with a special focus on ‘empowering’ women who want to work in this sector. Ms Ribera added that this will be done through a series of training projects, digital training and loans to self-employed people registered in the smaller municipalities.

The minister pointed out that inland Spain in particular has seen a massive population decline in recent years, while its labour force has decreased ‘almost by half’ since the middle of the last century.

Additionally, twice as many women as men have chosen to leave rural areas in favour of larger towns and cities.

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Javea U3A ready for action JAVEA U3A has a new executive committee in place for the new term even though the association was unable to hold its annual meeting this year due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

The AGM would normally be held on the last Wednesday of March but, instead the serving committee, with the addition of three co-opted members was confirmed.

Mike Cox will continue as President along with Secretary Margaret March, Treasurer Sally Rush and Communications Officer Ian Rogerson. New to the committee are Claude Grealy (Vice-President), Henrik Rasmussen (Membership Secretary) and U3A Javea founder member Mike Frost as Groups Co-ordinator.

Instead of the AGM, the March general meeting was replaced by an online Zoom meeting, featuring a presentation by member Peter Atkinson entitled ‘Guernica by Pablo Picasso . a biography of the painting.’

Thirty-one members logged on to view the presentation, which told of how the painting was inspired by other artists’ works as well as the atrocity itself and about its journeys through many countries before it finally came ‘home’ to Spain.

Regular activities have had to be cancelled over the last year because of the pandemic, but fortunately some outdoor groups have been able to restart, such as badminton, padel and table-tennis - and it is hoped that more groups will be able to resume

PRESIDENT: Mike Cox. soon with the relaxation of coronavirus measures.

For information on the U3A and how to join, visit the website www.u3ajavea.com.

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BABY BRUNO was born in the Can Misses hospital in Ibiza last week and has earned the accolade of being the first baby born in Spain already immunised against Covid-19, thanks to the fact that his mum was vaccinated when she was pregnant.

According to sources from the Pitiusas Health Area, his little body had more than

Immunised Against Covid 5,000 antibodies when he was born, which is ‘a significant amount’ according to obstetric coordinator at Can Misses, Raquel Gascon.

Ms Gascon told the Spanish press that Bruno’s mother received her coronavirus vac-

cine during the third trimester of her pregnancy, making him the first baby in the Balearic Islands to be born with protective antibodies.

She added that up until this point, the medical community only had “scientific literature”

suggesting that inoculation late in a pregnant might generate “an immune response in

the foetus,” but little Bruno has provided the proof that the vaccination of an expectant mother can indeed deliver “an adequate amount of antibodies against the coronavirus.”

UV Light To Zap Viruses AIRCRAFT: Can be disinfected with the ultraviolet light.

AIR travel has been given a boost as a robot armed with virus-killing ultraviolet light is being tested on Swiss aeroplanes, in an idea aiming to restore passenger confidence and spare the travel industry even more pandemic pain.

Aircraft makers still must certify the devices and are studying the impact their UV light may have on interior upholstery, which could fade after many disinfections. UVeya co-founder Jodoc Elmiger said he is hopeful that robot cleaners could reduce people’s fear of flying, even as Covid19 continues to circulate.

“This is a proven technology, it’s been used for over 50 years in hospitals and laboratories, it’s very efficient,” Elmiger said on Wednesday March 31.

The robot’s lights, mounted on a crucifix-shaped frame, cast everything in a soft-blue glow as it slowly moved up the Embraer’s aisle. One robot can disinfect a single-aisled plane in 13 minutes, from start to finish, though larger planes do take slightly longer.

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‘Key week’ in campaign THE Ministry of Health has sent SMS messages to peo‐ ple aged 79 and 65 in the Va‐ lencia Community who will be given the Covid jab this week with plans to adminis‐ ter 224,000 doses ‐ the high‐ est in a week so far.

This will see vaccines ex‐ ceed one million across the community by end of the week.

The Ministry has stressed that it is ‘very important’ that only those who receive an SMS message explaining where and when the dose will be vaccinated should at‐ tend the relevant health centre in this ‘key week.’

And the Health Depart‐ ment advised that, if for any reason, some people in these age groups have not received the SMS notifica‐ tion, they ‘should not be alarmed’ as they ‘will re‐ ceive an appointment by other means for the next ap‐ pointment opportunity.’

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Major live event THE councillor for Culture, Patricia del Pozo, reported that the Junta de Andalucia is planning to hold an event similar to the Love of Les‐ bian concert held on Saturday, March 27, at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona with 5,000 people who previously underwent tests to check for Covid. All of the 5,000 ticket holders provided a negative PCR test on the spot. Only six people tested positive and were not allowed to enter.

This comes as the Sevilla Bullfighting fair, amongst other specta‐ cles, are awaiting authorisation based on the capacities which the Junta de Andalucia decides to allow at such events.

The organisers of the bullfighting fair request being able to hold the event with 50 per cent capacity in a bullring and proposed that the audience present a negative PCR to be allowed access.

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Food delivery skyrockets FOOD delivery has skyrocketed 60 per cent during the pandemic in Spain and has been attributed for the survival of many businesses.

The demand for home delivered food has soared by 60 per cent since the start of the pandemic in Spain with four out of 10 households ordering takeouts up to twice a week.

Speeding up vaccination SPAIN has come up with a plan to speed up the vaccination process, and will only ad‐ minister one dose to anyone under 65 who has already had coronavirus.

Another novelty which will lead to changes to the vaccination calendar is the arrival of the single dose Janssen vaccine ex‐ pected in mid‐April, meaning that some people will receive the vaccine before they expected.

This is how the government proposes getting 70 per cent of the population vacci‐ nated by the summer and overcoming the recent delays, including the total cancella‐ tion of vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine for nine days while doubts about its safety were resolved.

It will also help to overcome the lack of supply, because of the €69.1 million vac‐ cines agreed for Spain, only 12.3 per cent have arrived.

According to the most recent data, from Tuesday, March 30, so far, 2.6 million peo‐ ple have received both doses of the vac‐ cine.

Spain is administering three different vac‐

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cines, Pfizer BioNtech, AstraZeneca and Moderna, which require two doses which should be administered with several weeks in between.

No second dose However, the Ministry of Health, based on scientific research, has decided that peo‐ ple under the age of 65 who have already had the coronavirus will only need one dose.

People who have been in hospital with coronavirus or who have been registered as having had it, with follow‐up calls, by the health authorities, even if they haven’t been in hospital, will not receive more than one dose.

As well as the health problems and deaths following the administering of this vaccine, and despite confirmation that the two things are not linked, people are still wary of it.

It also seems to be the vaccine with most after effects such as fever and pain, in some cases forcing people who have received it to take time off work. Paracetamol is recom‐ mended the day before getting it.

And the surge is believed to have saved many businesses from permanent closure.

Pablo Sánchez is one of the creators of dbarrio, an app created to group small businesses that did not have the

facilities to make home deliveries.

“The hoteliers tell us that in the hardest months of confinement, food at home saved them from the final closure,” he told Cope.

Around 1,000 restaurants have joined traditional food delivery platforms, and have seen a steady growth in orders, with Sunday no longer the preferred day not to cook.

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Spanish Tax Return

THE dreaded process of ‘declaracion de la renta’ or declaration of income begins in Spain on Wednesday April 7, a period marred by confusion and anxiety for many expats living in Spain.

However, for the good or for the bad, the 2021 returns on income tax will be quite different than previous years because of the coronavirus pandemic. For this reason, the Tax Agency has already activated its Renta Web Open site, where users can start uploading the necessary documentation and investigate whether they need to pay income taxes this year.

A major change affecting many taxpayers is that the amount of paid rent may have been altered during the pandemic if both landlord and tenants have “agreed to some type of reduction in the price of the lease” so that THE Spanish Ornithological Soci‐ ety (SEO/BirdLife) has just launched the second edition of its campaign aimed at alerting Spaniards and expats alike about the danger to birds in ur‐ ban areas due to the decima‐ tion of their nesting sites.

Every spring in Spain there are multiple reports of people destroying the traditional nest‐

“the amount to be declared by the leaser will be the new amount agreed,” according to the Director of the Fiscal and Tax area of AGM Abogados, Carmen Rodriguez Calvo.

This relates to tenants and landlords who have come up with a new payment scheme together during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to current legislation there are two ways in which a tenant can deduct rental payments from their income taxes. The first option is to present a rental agreement that has been in place since before January 1, 2015 and has remained in place since then.

In this case, a tenant would be entitled to 10.05 per cent as long as the payment doesn’t exceed more than €24,107.20 per year.

Warning Over Fake Bank Notes THE Guardia Civil has issued a warning over fake bank notes in a bid to ensure those spending and receiving money in Spain are not scammed.

Taking to Twitter, the Guardia Civil displayed a bank note for €39.95 and said: “It may seem funny and obvious to you, but some fakes are not as obvious as this.”

They added advice on how to avoid fake bank notes. They said: “Touch the relief printing… Turn it over to see the holographic band… Look at it against the light.”

The Guardia Civil said: “You will pre‐ vent your “money” being worth noth‐ ing.”

App To Protect Urban Birds ing sites of migrating birds, and the association is working to in‐ form the public about the bene‐ fits of encouraging wild bird populations, as well as the fines associated with destroying or‐ ganic nesting sites.

“It can involve the imposition of fines or even constitute a

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crime against fauna punishable by up to two years in prison and with fines of between €3,000 and €200,000,” a spokesperson for SEO/BirdLife told the Spanish press.

Because of the inherent threat to wildlife, the organisa‐ tion has created a unique phone

app that will allow users to iden‐ tify, and therefore protect, the nests of birds in Spanish towns and cities.

The app is part of a campaign

by SOS Nidos, whose main aim is to protect the common swift, which at this moment are flying in their droves from Africa to nest in their old stomping grounds in Spain.

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FACEBOOK joins TWITTER Passengers Turned Around FAC E B O O K has taken the decision to join Twitter in letting users choose a chronological feed of content on their home pages.

Facebook will give more context on suggested

content by enlarging the ‘Why am I seeing this?’ button, users will also be able to control who can comment on their posts.

The decision has been taken ahead of a first draft of the UK’s new On‐

line Safety Bill, which will most likely give powers to Ofcom allowing them to audit how algorithms work on social media platforms.

Transparency in algo‐ rithms has become a focal point for regulators, with companies seen promot‐ ing harmful content and creating echo chambers for people sharing con‐ spiracy theories and ex‐ treme political and reli‐ gious beliefs.

The move towards transparency comes as the UK’s former deputy prime minister, Sir Nick C l e g g , a n d n o w Fa c e ‐ book’s vice president of global affairs, published an article addressing ‘common misconceptions about the algorithms’ im‐ pact on users and soci‐ ety.”

A n o t h e r c h a n g e Fa c e ‐ book will make is with who can comment on a user’s post, a feature that is used by Twitter.

at Airport Because of Brexit

OFFICIALS turned away 40 passengers when they arrived at Alicante airport because of Brexit residency confusion.

The border officials sent dozens of Britons back to Manchester, without their luggage, on the same plane despite them having post-Brexit residency.

The passengers were sent home and left angry and confused as they were told by the UK government that paperwork proving successful residency applications should be sufficient enough to enter Spain.

The immigration officials in Alicante had written to the passengers asking them to collect their TIE cards or residency permits.

A 47-year-old offshore worker from Manchester, Stuart Miller, said that the situation was “absolutely diabolical” and asked: “What more proof do you need of residency?”

Ryanair airport staff in the U K had approved the passengers’ departure, however, the Britons were surprised to see a sign at the S panish terminal that said ‘ N O T I E CARD, NO ENTRY.’ Not only was the flight then delayed, but the returning passengers were also then informed that their hold luggage would not be sent back to Manchester until April 2.

Mr Miller’s wife, Caz, warned other travellers: “Whatever paperwork you have with

NOT WELCOME: At Alicante airport. you, and whoever tells you that you’re okay to travel, be prepared to be carted back on to the plane and sent back.

“The most confusing thing is the double standards. I think the airport policy depends on nothing more than the mood of the officials at the border.

“Until 6pm on Tuesday March 30 only those who are legally resident or have sufficient documentation to prove residency [were] allowed to enter Spain.”

From Wednesday March 31, only those who have Spanish residence or their travel is considered essential will be allowed to enter Spain.

NEWS

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8 - 14 April 2021

Important health checks missed due to pandemic, survey reveals WORLD HEALTH DAY: An eye test is an important health check.

A GROWING number of people are suffering eye-related conditions as a result of continued lockdown restrictions - with new research revealing 42 per cent of people have noticed sight deterioration since March 2020.

This represents a significant increase in the number of people noticing a deterioration in their vision during the first lockdown (34 per cent) as reported by Specsavers Ópticas last year.

Yet, the new study by the high street opticians shows that half (50 per cent) of those suffering any deterioration are yet to address the issue and see an optician. It also showed that people are feeling ever more concerned about leaving their home.

These results were released for World Health Day on April 7, because an eye test is an important health check, and missing these tests can not only put eyesight at risk, but potentially oth-

er aspects of their health too.

Jorge Martínez de Lizarduy Araico, from Specsavers Ópticas, says it is incredibly important for people to seek professional support if they have any concerns with their sight. He is also reassuring people that they have introduced a series of measures in store to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for all customers.

“We estimate that approximately 7,500 Specsavers Ópticas customers failed to attend their scheduled sight test last year due to lockdown restrictions, and are concerned that some people may have a symptom-free condition that has gone undetected. We would urge those who have not seen an optician in more than two years to book an appointment as a matter of urgency.”

Find your nearest store at www.specsavers.es.

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Mega Yacht Collision

IN a bid to see a Russian billionaire’s mega-vessel a family managed to sail their 20ft boat into the side of a £360 million mega yacht. The yacht which is owned

by Russian industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, aged 48, was hit multiple times by the small boat.

Melnichenko has a history of commissioning stylish new ships and is said to be worth $17.9 billion according to Forbes.

The multi-million-pound mega yacht was moored off the coast of Galicia over the weekend and many families with access to small boats flocked to see the stunning yacht in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sadly, though one family came into trouble after having set sail to see the enormous 469ft ‘Sailing Yacht A.’ As a small boat approached the yacht the waves and wind became too much for the small ship’s captain, and sadly the boat was pushed against the hull of the mega yacht. This left many paint marks down the side of the yacht and the incident will have to be reported to the maritime authority by the yacht’s captain.

Footage of the incident which

for many was hilarious but surely for the captain would have been mortifying, showed how the children on board the boat yelled in Spanish at the father as he tried to move away from the yacht.

The father fought frantically to start the backup petrol engine as

he was seen to pull on the starter rope in an attempt to get away.

The small boat was seen to repeatedly hit and drag along the hull of ‘Sailing Yacht A.’ The incident will now be reported to the Maritime Captaincy of Vigo.

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THE ongoing Coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world and although restrictions in Spain were set to limit group gatherings and potential infections over Easter, many people have been seen to breach the rules and carry on regardless with parties and Easter gatherings.

Many tourist towns were pleased to see business booming but this could potentially come at

Fears of Fourth Wave a cost. Spain had restricted the movement and the number of people who could meet over Easter for residents. EU tourists took advantage of time off and were able to enter Spain in order spend Easter in the sun.

Multiple areas in Spain saw nu-

merous breaches of coronavirus rules over Easter such as Barceloneta beach, which has been the scene of frolics and dancing for young people, with coronavirus restrictions such as masks seemingly forgotten.

Many provinces in Spain saw

NEWS

EASTER BREAK: Many were seen to be flouting the rules.

cases increasing ahead of Easter and some areas saw their risk classification increase to ‘very high’ or ‘extreme.’ It will be some days before the full consequences of the Easter break will be seen, although it is feared Spain could be headed for a fourth wave.

Environmentalists Attack EXPERTS claim Spain’s govern‐ ment is not complying with measures against climate change.

A group of environmentalists is now taking the government to court, claiming proposed amendments to Spain’s climate change law would avoid com‐ plying with some measures, in‐ cluding those to reduce green‐ house gases.

However, the government has rejected the claims, saying it is taking more measures on cli‐ mate change than those the Eu‐ ropean Union has set.

Vice President of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, said: “The European Union sets us an energy efficiency target of 32.5 per cent by 2030, and we have assumed an energy efficiency target of 39 per cent.”

The news comes after rising sea levels brought on by climate change were causing coastal concerns in Spain.

The sea level is currently ris‐ ing up to three centimetres each year, and the experts pre‐ dict that by 2100 it could rise by as much as 53 centimetres glob‐ ally, which would affect count‐

less coastal towns and cities around the world.

Throughout Spain, significant beach declines are expected, es‐ pecially in the Cantabrian Sea, Galicia and the Canary Islands,

according to the report. On the Catalan coast, the coastline will recede by around 20 metres by 2050, according to the most favourable projections, but could reach 41 metres.

24-Hour Crisis Centres THE Ministry of Equality has announced its plan to install crisis centres in every province of Spain to offer psychologi‐ cal and legal support to victims of sexual abuse which will operate 24‐hours a day, 365 days a year. The revolutionary initiative, which was set to be formally approved on Tues‐ day, April 6 at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, has re‐ ceived an investment of €19.8 million and promises ‘at least’ one centre in every province, as well as two in the au‐ tonomous Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Responding to the fact that less than 10 per cent of sexu‐ al assaults are reported, the Ministry document clearly states that: “In no case is it necessary to file a complaint to facilitate care and intervention,” according to the Spanish press.

The plan is part of Spain’s commitment to the Istanbul Convention, officially known as the Council of Europe Con‐ vention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, which this country ratified in 2014. The scope of the centres will be wide, aimed at supporting women who are victims of sexual assaults, women subjected to forced marriages and genital mutila‐ tion, victims of sexual harassment and prostitution, among many others.

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FEATURE

How to request the rent reduction due to the Covid crisis. Rebus sic stantibus. Court Precedents AS said in previous articles, the pandemic (Covid) has brought with it numerous regulations. Some of them forced the closure of hotels, bars and restaurants, gyms, etc. Many of them have been able to negotiate a rent reduction.

But, if it has not been pos‐ sible to agree on a reduction, it can be asked or claimed for in court.

Agreements are to be ful‐ filled. Pacta sunt servanda There is a principle in Spanish law, enshrined in the civil code: Pacta sunt servan‐ da. That is, the contracts are to be fulfilled. Thus, Spanish law indicates that: ‐ The agreement has the force of law between the parties, and must be fulfilled. ‐ The agreement and its consequences must be com‐ plied with, etc.

But there is an exception.

Rebus sic stantibus.

The expression Rebus sic stantibus means: things be‐

ing like this. So, contracts must be considered accord‐ ing to the circumstances in which they were signed.

Consequently, although they must be fulfilled, it could happen that there are extraordinary changes. Thus, a change, which could not be foreseen, and is radical, can justify a modification of the contract. And therefore, a change of the obligations of the parties.

Rent reduction due to cur‐ rent circumstances It is clear that the global Covid crisis, and its conse‐ quences, could not be fore‐ seen. Many landlords and tenants have agreed to lower rents. But sadly, not all.

But, as indicated, it is pos‐ sible, in the event of a lack of agreement, to request from the competent court a re‐

duction, delay or even sus‐ pension of the obligation to pay the lease.

This request can be made as a main request, but also as an interim measure. That is, the payment obligation is suspended or reduced, while the court is dealing with the case.

Obviously, it is essential to prove the change in circum‐ stances and how it was influ‐ enced in the specific case.

And it is an unpredictable change. Each case is differ‐ ent, and it is vital that evi‐ dence is provided to justify the modification of what was agreed by the parties.

Court precedents.

Since the start of the pandemic, several courts have agreed to the reduc‐ tion, temporary suspension or postponement of the

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

rental rent.

As said by the Spanish Supreme Court, the rebus sic stantibus rule: ‐ tries to solve the prob‐ lems derived from a sudden alteration ‐ that absolutely increases the cost of one of the parties ‐ or even frustrates the very end of the contract Conclusion If you have leased a busi‐ ness premises, and the crisis has affected you greatly. If it has not been possible to reach an agreement for the reduction of your rent. Know that if the requirements are met, you can request a re‐ duction in the competent courts.

If you want legal advice on real estate judicial law, con‐ tact us at 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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NEWS

Foreign Office Updates THE Foreign Office has updated its advice for UK nationals visit‐ ing Spain in a move expected to make it easier for expats to see their families.

The FCDO said: “Passenger travel from the UK to Spain is re‐ stricted to EU and Schengen as‐ sociated state citizens, those who are legally resident in the EU or in Schengen associated states, or those passengers who can demonstrate that their jour‐ ney is essential (including on compassionate grounds).”

It added: “Entry restrictions and testing requirements are currently in force for travel from the UK into Spain.”

It added that for those who are not otherwise allowed to en‐ ter the country, “those who can demonstrate through documen‐ tary evidence an essential need to enter Spain, will be allowed to enter the country.”

The news comes after Spain’s government announced on March 31 that vaccine passports will be ready by June. The an‐ nouncement was hailed as a major boost to Spain’s econo‐ my.

TOURISTS: Could return to Spain and continental Europe by summer.

If both the UK and Spain suc‐ ceed in their planned rollout of the vaccine, then the summer

could see British tourists return‐ ing to Spain and continental Eu‐ rope.

New Breast Cancer Jab IN what has been described as a ‘life changer’ a new cancer treat‐ ment that will take just minutes to administer rather than hours will now be available to patients that are fighting breast cancer.

The new treatment will give patients a better quality of life as it means that they will spend less time in hospital accessing treat‐ ment, and it will also free up more time for medical staff.

It is hoped that not only will the new injection give patients a better quality of life, but also reduce the chances of being infected by the potentially deadly coronavirus as patients will be in and out of hospital in record time.

The new treatment is set to be rolled out across England by the NHS and is named Phesgo and the treatment will be on offer to many patients who are currently undergoing chemotherapy dur‐ ing their fight against breast cancer.

It is expected that the treatment will be available to around 15 per cent of breast‐cancer patients, as those with HER2‐positive breast cancer will be able to access the treatment.

NEWS

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8 - 14 April 2021

Piers Morgan’s Replacement

To be co-host on GMB.

ADIL RAY has confirmed via Twitter that he will be cohosting Good Morning Britain, alongside Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway, for the whole month of April, from Monday to Wednesday, filling the void left vacant by the departure of Piers Morgan.

The 46-year-old star of Cit-

Classroom cuts

THE Ministry of Education plans to reduce classrooms in 212 pub‐ lic infant and primary schools in Valencia for the coming year, a measure that has been justified by ‘the collapse of the birth rate.’

The changes proposed by Vicent Marzà’s department are a provisional measure, only for 2021‐2022, and based on demo‐ graphic, enrolment and supply criteria.

A document presented to the teachers’ unions on Thursday, April 1, reportedly shows that 144 classes will disappear overall compared to the current year.

There are 51 schools that will that gain classrooms as part of the proposals, 186 that will lose and 26 which are likely to stay the same because some classes will be added and others removed.

The education department will place classrooms in a ‘non‐func‐ tioning’ situation in that they will be ‘activated’ when necessary, according to the number of students and teachers available. They raised concerns that ‘deactivating a class’ is a step towards a ‘per‐ manent deletion.’

The union has reportedly been critical of the proposal after years of ‘constant increase in units’ and called a move with less classrooms and less professionals ‘worrying.’

izen Khan told his 77.5k followers on Twitter, “Some news for you... I will be cohosting @gmb throughout the whole of April Mon to Weds, starting this Monday with @kategarraway and with @susannareid100 after the hols. I would love for you to make it your daily wakeup if you fancy it! #goodmorningbritain.”

H e was inundated with posts from happy fans, with one telling him, “Congratulations A dil. L ooking forward to it as you always do a super job!” and another wrote, “ W ow!!! T his is great news, Adil! So excited and defo will be there. Congrats!!!,” or, “Congratulations! At last, I always thought you were the man for the job you’re very funny can’t wait.”

Although only sitting in for the month of May, Adil will certainly be hoping that it can lead to a more permanent position, on what is one of television’s most popular breakfast shows, as reported by the press.

EWN 17

Tied Up And Beaten BERNARD TAPIE, the 78-yearold scandal-ridden business tycoon, ex-French minister, and former Adidas brand owner, was attacked on Sunday morning (April 4), along with his wife Dominique, in their luxurious Paris home in Combs-la-Ville, when four men broke in and tied them both up, as confirmed by French police.

Dominique apparently managed to free herself from the cords and go to a neighbour’s home to call the police, before being taken to the hospital to be checked, after receiving several blows to her face during the robbery.

Her grandson, Rodolphe, commented, “She is doing well,” with Guy Geoffroy, the mayor of Combs-La-Ville, saying Dominique had told him how the men pulled her by her hair, “because they wanted to know where the treasure was, but of course there was no treasure, and the fact that they didn’t find one made the violence only worse.”

Beatrice Angelelli, the prose-

cutor, told how Mr Tapie took a blow to his head by a club, but refused to go to the hospital, with Rudolphe saying, “My

grandfather refused to be taken away. He is shattered, very tired. He was sitting on a chair when he was hit with a club.”

Alcohol Avoidance EXPERTS from around the world are offering varying opinions on how long you should avoid drinking alcohol for when getting your coronavirus vaccine, but they do agree that alcohol should not be consumed near to be‐ ing vaccinated.

According to Diario Sur, drinking alcohol along with having a coronavirus vaccine can be compared to the famous don’t drink and drive slogan, in that the two should never be mixed.

The expert reminder not to drink comes from the fact that alcohol affects the immune system and ac‐ cording to Ronx Ikharia, Doctor of Immunology and the documentary ‘The truth about boosting your immune system,’ alcohol affects the number of white lympho‐ cytes in the bloodstream, which weakens the immune response. The scientist went as far as to test out how volunteer’s immune systems reacted after having three glasses of white wine.

The time estimates for the avoidance of alcohol vary wildly though and the least likely to be followed comes in at a recommendation of 42 days after the vaccine, and two weeks as a minimum without alcohol before the vaccine. This regulation comes from Anna Popova, a leading Russian health authority.

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THREE venomous and highly dangerous snakes were seized from a private home in Toledo after officers from the SEPRONA section of the Guardia Civil discovered that the owner was not in possession of the correct licensing or safety equipment to own the reptiles.

One king cobra - the largest poisonous snake in the world

Illegal Cobras seized - and two forest cobras have been rehomed in the Terra Natura Park in Benidorm on the northern Costa Blanca.

A herpetologist (someone who specialises in the study

and care of reptiles and amphibians) travelled from Benidorm to the capital of La Mancha to supervise the transfer of the snakes, the handling of which is extremely

dangerous owing to the high level of venom their bite can deliver.

While two of the reptiles were in good physical condition, Enrique Sánchez, head of animals at Terra Natura said that the third had an abscess on her body which required surgical drainage by a vet.

According to the snake expert, while it is not against the law in Spain to keep these reptiles as pets, strict safety measure have to be followed, including having the correct anti-venom on the property, which the former owner did not.

The keeping of exotic rep-

NEWS

tiles in unsafe conditions unfortunately seems to be on the rise in Spain. Last month, a 31-year-old man living in Central Spain was charged with crimes against animals when he was found in possession of no less than 45 venomous snakes, including cobras and green mambas.

His case was originally brought to the attention of the authorities when he claimed to have been bitten by a rattle snake while out walking in a field.

Mass immunisation

MORE vaccines have arrived in Spain, two million doses, than that of the whole

month of January.

If forecasts are met, the pace will not stop increasing

over the coming weeks. The majority of autonomous com‐ munities are finalising the opening of mass vaccination centres to administer more vaccinations and meet targets.

The World Health Organisa‐ tion (WHO) has labelled the pace of process in Europe as ‘unacceptably slow,’ and now Spain is deploying all means necessary to meet the goal of immunising 70 per cent of the population in preparation for the summer.

Madrid is to launch the Wiz‐ inik Centre Pavilion for those aged 60 to 65 to get immu‐ nised. The Basque Country are to open two more centres to add to the ones they are al‐ ready operating. Galicia has prepared over 14 centres throughout the community.

The Canary Islands will launch two centres, one in each capi‐ tal. Catalonia is awaiting 200,000 weekly doses to ar‐ rive and will then open six large infrastructures.

Aragon is currently operat‐ ing four centres. The Valen‐ cian Community will wait to have 57,000 doses a day to then multiply its capacity.

There will be an installation of mobile vaccination centres at Rioja. Andalucia and Murcia will continue to open addi‐ tional and larger centres to add to the ones they already currently have in places such as sports halls.

To achieve the goal of im‐ munising 70 per cent of the adult population, arrival fore‐ casts have to be met and there needs to be sufficient healthcare capacity to admin‐ ister the doses.

However, several experts believe that this should not be an issue in Spain.

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EWN 19

First wolf sighting Masks on Beaches in 100 years A WOLF has been captured on a hidden camera at a na‐ tional park in Spain ‐ the first sighting in 100 years.

A camera hidden by Spain's Rural Agents in the

wild captured the first image of a wolf in the Aigüestortes National Park, in the Vall de Boí, Lleida, a situation that has not been recorded in at least a century.

Morning movement VALENCIA registered two early morning earthquakes of similar magnitude. The two earthquakes occurred around 4am on Sat‐ urday, April 3, though the Generalitat stressed that 112 had re‐ ceived no emergency calls as a result of the movements.

According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the first earthquake occurred at 3.49am in the Gulf of Valencia, with a magnitude of 2.5 and a depth of nine kilometres.

Minutes later, at 4.03am, the IGN detected a second earth‐ quake of similar magnitude (2.6) and a depth of 21 kilometres.

IGN also confirmed another earthquake in the Mediter‐ ranean, magnitude 4.9, and further movement in Galicia (2.7), both slightly stronger than those which occurred in the Gulf of Valencia.

“The snapshot was taken in February and we are look‐ ing for genetic samples in the area in order to identify the specimen and its origin,” said Rural Agents.

A wolf has previously been identified in the Alta Rib‐ agorza in Aragonese and, ex‐ perts are now studying whether the image belongs to the same specimen or to a different one.

Members of the Depart‐ ment of the Environment of the Generalitat have ex‐ plained that until they have genetic samples they will not be able to know.

The photograph was taken as part of Rural Agents’ ongo‐ ing monitoring of the fauna at the national park. Cameras that are activated by move‐ ment have, on other occa‐ sions, captured images of bears in the Pyrenees.

THE Ministry of Health and the autonomous communities have agreed to discuss the law that requires the use of masks in swimming pools, beaches and other public places.

The new law, which was announced recently, had meant that masks had to be worn in public spaces regardless of whether people could stay 1.5 metres apart, which included beaches and by swimming pools.

However, the government has said it will now review the new law after facing criticism for introducing the move before tourist season.

Spain’s government had on March 30 introduced a new law surrounding face masks making them mandatory in all public spaces.

The law was changed to remove the exemption in a previous regulation which meant masks did not have to be worn outdoors if people could stay at least 1.5 metres apart from each other.

Andalucia’s law had made an exemption for those lying down near beaches and swimming pools however, while Spain’s new law does not, meaning mask wearing is now mandatory even on the beach across Spain un-

less a similar exemption is put in place by the government.

C urrent fines for being found not wearing a mask begin at €100 and can rise to between €601 and €30,000 for more serious cases.

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NEWS

Rubbish Compensation

A GARBAGE company has had to shell out €24,000 in compensation after a woman suffered a fall in Malaga.

Limasa III, the company that until a few months ago was responsible for cleaning the city streets, has been ordered to pay €24,722.39 in compensation to a woman who slipped and injured her-

self during the 2016 strike.

The court heard that on March 7 the complainant was walking with her daughter ‘and when she entered Calle Francisco de Rioja she suffered a fall due to the slippery surface of the pavement given the existence on the ground of rainwater and oil and other substances from the immense

Labour Reform THE vice‐president of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovkis, has asked Spain to provide a “broad and ambi‐ tious” labour reform that will “seriously” tackle the “very high” unemployment rate among younger people. Mr Dom‐ brovkis has insisted that new labour regulations must be the “first priority” of the recovery plan which will outline how the €140,000 billion European bail‐out will be spent.

“A broad and ambitious reform is the first priority be‐ cause the country needs to seriously tackle the duality of its labour market and the very high levels of youth unem‐ ployment,” Mr Dombrovkis said.

Spain still has another month before it has to submit the plan, at which point it will be examined by the Community Executive. If all goes well, Spain should receive an advance of €10 billion by the summer, with the rest of the money being provided once certain “milestones and objectives” are met.

quantity of garbage that had accumulated, which practically occupied all the space that pedestrians had to walk on.’

The woman’s legal team also pointed out that on this narrow street there were also several garbage bins overflowing with rubbish that had spilled onto the street. For the injuries she suffered, the woman initially sued Malaga City Council for €49,444.79; this was dismissed by the town hall, but now has been partially upheld to the tune of nearly €25,000.

During proceedings, Limasa argued that although the rubbish had accumulated because workers were on strike, there was more than enough room for the woman and her daughter to pass.

The company also blamed the rainy weather for her accident. In deciding on the amount of compensation, the judge ruled that while the garbage company was responsible, the woman’s own carelessness also contributed to the accident.

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NEWS

New Flight Routes Traffic fines cancelled Three new easyJet routes.

EASYJET has announced three new routes connecting the UK and Spain for this summer.

The new routes to Spain will connect Malaga, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca with the British city of Birmingham during the summer season.

The route between Malaga and Birmingham will be opera‐ tional from June 29 to October 30, with two weekly flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

This new route reinforces the airline’s commitment to Malaga, a city in which it will inaugurate its seasonal base in June with three aircraft, according to easy‐ Jet. Meanwhile, the route be‐ tween Palma de Mallorca and Birmingham will operate be‐ tween July 3 and October 30 with three weekly frequencies, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Satur‐ days. The three new routes are now available on the airline’s website.

The news comes as Spain has announced it expects to intro‐ duce vaccine passports to help tourism.

A STUDY shows that there are an increasing number of cases in which the courts rule in favour of the driver when appealing a fine from the Spanish Traffic Department (DGT).

In three years the number has risen by 14 per cent now accounting for around 50 per cent of fines being cancelled when appealed.

This happens especially when the fine was for speeding, as the study reports that the margin of error for speed radars is not be-

ing applied correctly. In a recent sentence, the DGT was sentenced to pay legal costs of €400 when the fine was appealed and the driver won the case.

The DGT explained that the margin of error can be calculated by a ‘rule of seven,’ that is, up to 100km/h, the margin of error is calculated by adding seven km/h; above 100 km/h, add 7 per cent of the speed limit.

That means, for example, that if the speed limit is 110

km/h a fine would be issued at more than 117.7 km/h.

The seven is explained by the fact that the maximum error permitted on speed cameras and radars when they are checked is between 3 and 7 per cent.

Meanwhile, for set speed traps the margin of error follows the same rule, but instead of seven, with five, and regarding speed control from helicopters, the margin is 10 per cent.

900km away snitch THE Local Police in the city of Lugo, in northwestern Spain in the region of Galicia, fined a man, who was walking in the street, with no mask in sight, while smoking.

They had received the tip-off from someone in Alicante, on the east coast of Spain, almost 900 kilometres away from where the offender was found. This person claimed that they had seen the man in a live video published on social media.

The police received the call while the viewer was still watching the video in which they

claimed they could see a man walking around smoking and not using a mask. The police located the man in Avenida de Ramon Ferreiro just as he was finishing the video.

Over the weekend, Local Police in Lugo fined another 30 people for breaching Covid safety regulations, several of them for attending parties in the early hours of the morning without using masks, breaching curfew and failing to abide by rules regarding the number of people who can get together.

NEWS

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8 - 14 April 2021

Apartment scam

A COUPLE has been arrested over a €500,000 tourist apartment scam. The man, 35, and woman, 36, were detained for renting apartments for months

using fake documentation and then placing them on the market for day and short term lets to tourists.

According to Barcelona po-

Ski Season

THE Sierra Nevada in Andalucia has just hosted the Andalucian Alpine Skiing Championships and is a stunning place to visit, whether to spectate, enjoy the views or just hit the slopes.

The Sierra Nevada is the most southern ski resort in Europe and the stunning location of the ski resort means that depending on coronavirus restrictions, it can be possible to spend a stunning morning skiing in the mountains and then spend the afternoon on a Costa del Sol beach, enjoying a few drinks and some local cuisine.

A total of 21 clubs took part in the championships with over 350 athletes showcasing exactly what they are capable of. The event was run in collaboration with the Caja Rural Granada, Monachil and White Camps clubs, the Andalucian Winter Sports Federation. It was also supported by Cetursa Sierra Nevada. The event had been scheduled to take place over three days, and two of these days were held.

The resort is also set to host the National Veterans Trophy which has been organised by the Sociedad Sierra Nevada club and the Andalucian Championships in the Absolute and Master categories.

lice, the owners of the apartments have lost almost €150,000 as a result of the con, both for the non-payment of the monthly payments and for the legal costs of recovering the properties.

They had set up a systematic scheme based on a swindle that involved renting several apartments in the Eixample district of Barcelona for months at a time.

The couple then put the apartments on the tourist rental market without the owners’ knowledge and skipped the administrative procedures that regulate this type of activity.

They are believed to have made around €500,000 through the scam due to the higher cost of tourist leases, significantly higher than the cost of private use on the monthly market, in addition to the fact they were not paying any taxes or duties.

The Russian couple, who live in Cambrils, were brought before the courts on Wednesday March 31, and face charges of fraud, document forgery and usurpation of civil rights.

EWN 23

Fake Toys worth more than €16m OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have removed 150,000 toys from sale after finding they were fake or did not meet safety standards.

According to the Guardia Civil, searches were carried out in warehouses, ports, airports and land customs precincts, finding more than 1,900 infractions, including for labelling or safety of toys and resulting in 41 people being investigated.

In a joint action with the Tax Agency, the Guardia Civil carried out 61 inspections in Vizcaya, managing to intervene more than 26,000 counterfeit toys and laser pointers, with the total value of the intervened objects exceeding €36,000.

The Guardia Civil worked with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) and the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ) to investigate.

The Guardia Civil said: “Thanks to the actions carried out in the 24 participating countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,

Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania , Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom and United States), during this first edition of the Ludus operation, nearly five million fake toys worth more than €16 million have been intervened.”

Counterfeit toys found.

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NEWS

‘Japanese Ikea’

MINISO, a Chinese multinational inspired by Japanese design con‐ cepts already has 27 stores in Spain and shows no signs of

slowing down. Founded by Chi‐ nese businessman Ye Guofo, Miniso has been fondly called the ‘Japanese Ikea’ as it sells ev‐

Milky Way discovery SPANISH scientists have discovered a new star struc‐ ture in the Milky Way. A team of researchers from the Centre for Astrobiolo‐ gy (CAB, CSIC‐INTA), has drawn the most detailed map to date of massive blue stars in the solar neighbour‐ hood, discovering in it a hidden structure they have named the Cepheus spur.

The map is so detailed that it has allowed the scientif‐ ic team to discover something that no one has seen until now: a structure made up of massive blue stars about 10,000 light‐years in length that extends from Orion to‐ wards Perseus, rising above the plane of the Galaxy.

“Massive blue stars (also known as OB stars) have a peculiarity that makes them especially interesting to as‐ trophysicists: as they have a short‐lived life span of a few million years,” said CAB. “Thus, in the same way that the dating of rocks re‐ veals the level of geological activity of a planet, the pres‐ ence of OB stars in the Milky Way is an indicator of activ‐ ity in our Galaxy, since they reveal regions of star formation.

“Where we find them we can say that the Galaxy is ‘alive,’ as new stars are being formed,” added the centre.

erything from larger furniture items to unique and kitsch deco‐ rative pieces. Founded in 2013, the brand now has more than 4,300 stores across 80 countries including Canada, the United States, Spain, Australia, UAE, In‐ dia and Mexico.

Its eclectic mix of products stems from the fact that Miniso collaborates with some of the most diverse and popular brands on the planet, including Coca‐Cola, Hello Kitty and Mar‐ vel.

The company’s motto is: ‘A better life has nothing to do with price’ as it hopes its image will create ‘a feeling of happiness and a feeling of joy.’

Ikea, meanwhile, has warned that its supply chain could be in‐ terrupted following several days in which some 250 boats were trapped in the Suez Canal after the Ever Given ship became stranded. Several containers of Ikea products were left floating in the passage, but at the time the company said it was doing all it could to ensure product availability.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

Virtual Festival Tickets on sale

ONLINE FESTIVAL: And wellies will be optional.

Stranded in Morocco

ALMOST 1,200 Spaniards took a boat and a chartered plane on Easter Sunday (April 4), after nearly 4,000 people were stranded in Morocco when the country closed flights to Spain on Tuesday March 30 because of health reasons.

Shortly after 5.30pm Spanish time, Balearia’s ship departed from the port of Tangier Med to Algeciras with 800 passen‐ gers aboard.

Around the same time that afternoon, an Iberia plane car‐ rying 348 passengers left from Casablanca (Morocco) to Madrid.

It is also expected that an Iberia plane transported 200 travellers from Casablanca to Madrid after they were strand‐ ed in the country when flights were closed with France and Spain on Wednesday March 31.

Although passengers had to fork out more money than ex‐ pected on their trip, including new PCR tests, transportation to Casablanca and additional nights in hotels, there is a gener‐ al feeling of relief on returning to Spain.

Iberia has made over 50 repatriation flights from countries including the Philippines and Austria ‐ places it has not previ‐ ously flown to ‐ since the beginning of the pandemic.

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL is set to return for one night only and this time will be in virtual format and wellies will be optional.

Amid the ongoing Coronavirus global pandemic many events have been cancelled in the last year. Glastonbury music festival is just one of these, and so far the iconic festival has been cancelled for two years running due to the Covid pandemic.

Organisers have now come up with a unique idea, which will allow music fans from Spain and elsewhere in the world to join in too. Tickets have now gone on sale for a one night special of live music, which will take place in May. The online event will include performances from Coldplay, Damon Albarn, HAIM, IDLES, Jorja Smith, Kano, Michael Kiwanuka and Wolf Alice, and will feature landmarks such as the Stone Circle and the Pyramid Field.

Music fans in Spain and across the world will be able to join in online as the event is set to be broadcast for four separate time zones. The live streams will be staggered and fans can select a time zone and payment denomination suited to their location.

EWN 25

26 EWN

8 - 14 April 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

No loitering

Activists

THE head of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Christoffer Badse says that the Danish government is abusing its power with the continuance of a loitering ban in ‘hippy enclave’ of Christiania, which Copenhagen Police argue is needed to restrict the spread of the coronavirus.

DESPITE the ongoing Covid-19 troubles, France 24 reports that there is a growing number of animal activist groups who rather than protest violently, work to free animals from ‘factory farms,’ peacefully picketing slaughterhouses and filming conditions in which both farm and laboratory animals are kept.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Eurovision

Holiday homes

IT has been confirmed that audiences of up to 3,500 people will be allowed to attend rehearsals, semifinals and the finals of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest being held in Rotterdam this May as part of an experiment to monitor the safety of crowds.

AS health officials contacted residents in upmarket areas of Oslo to arrange appointments for them to have their vaccinations, they were amazed at the number who refused or asked for a different date as they wanted to spend Easter in their holiday homes.

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Window seat

Teen drivers

THE CEO of Belgian Rail company NMBS has threatened to cancel all trains to the coast after the government decided that passengers travelling to tourist destinations may only sit in window seats with all other seats left empty, which officials believe is a recipe for chaos.

ALTHOUGH the official age to obtain a driving licence is 18, it is possible for 17-year-olds to apply to drive and this number has increased dramatically.

According to Finnish traffic police, offences committed by these new drivers in 2020 have risen by 45 per cent.

GERMANY Prehistoric find AN eight-metre-long canoe discovered at the bottom of Lake Constance is believed to date from around 2,400 BC and is being brought to the surface a bit at a time due to the fact that its wood is so soft and fragile.

SWEDEN Alcolock TAXIS in Gothenburg are equipped with alcolocks which won’t allow the driver to start the ignition if there is alcohol detected, but due to a technical problem, some 300 cabs have been immobilised and are unable to operate which caused significant difficulties for local residents.

FINANCE Spanish arrival A SPANISH bound container ship arrived at the port of Algeciras four days late after being held up for six days by the blockage of the Suez Canal. The Mary Maersk vessel has a capacity of 18,000 containers and was the first blockaded vessel to arrive in Spain.

Back to work FOLLOWING in the footsteps of Orange and Vodafone, communications company Telefónica has instructed its work force to return to its call centres and offices, although staff will have the opportunity to alternate with home-working and those over 60 or in charge of dependents may be exempted.

Traffic flow THE volume of traffic on toll roads taken over by the Spanish Government fell by 37 .8 per cent in 2020 compared to a fall of just 31.5 per cent for other toll roads according to the Ministry of Transport.

Satan shoes A COMPANY working with rapper Lil Nas X which adapted Nike trainers by adding a drop of blood and a pentagram and calling them Satan Shoes sold all 666 pairs at around €800 each and has now been served an injunction by Nike to stop manufacture.

Joke backfires SINCE the beginning of the 16th Century, the French have played jokes on friends every Poisson d’Avril, (April Fool’s Day) but a joke by Deliveroo backfired dramatically.

The French team thought that it would be amusing to send bills for non-existent pizza orders costing up to €450 together with a promise of 50 free sachets of sauce.

Later, on the afternoon of April 1, the company made a statement via Twitter simply saying “We confirm that it was an April Fool’s joke. You can enjoy the evening by ordering the pizza of your choice.”

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

€70 million

is the amount that Spanish oil giant Repsol invested in research and development during 2020, despite all of the problems caused by the pandemic.

Four-day week

Largest ever investment BARCELONA‐based multi‐ category delivery company Glovo has raised €450 mil‐ lion in a funding round which is the largest in his‐ tory for a Spanish start up.

Glovo will invest in ex‐ panding its footprint in the 20 markets in which it cur‐ rently operates.

It is one of the leaders of the so‐called gig economy which is based on flexible, temporary, or freelance jobs, often involving con‐ necting with clients or cus‐

tomers through an online platform.

So confident are the owners of Glovo in its fu‐ ture that they have allo‐ cated €100 million for the creation of more dark stores (which are often laid out like supermarkets but are not open to the public).

It will also invest some of the latest funding into improving facilities in its Barcelona HQ as well as in the tech hubs in Madrid

LEGALLY SPEAKING

and Warsaw.

The company, which has a strong base of more than 10 million users is paying particular attention to growing its groceries and retail categories through key local partnerships and in its biggest cities, it’s al‐ ready able to provide ul‐ tra‐fast last‐mile delivery within 10 minutes.

To spur on the growth of its groceries category, Glovo will seek strategic partnerships similar to its

deals with supermarkets such as Carrefour, Conti‐ nente, and Kaufland, while also investing in its own in‐ frastructure and fulfilment centres.

This growth compares admirably with the situa‐ tion for Deliveroo which recently launched shares on the London Stock Ex‐ change, but took an imme‐ diate hit as their value dropped by some 30 per cent and investors lost €2 billion.

UK hospitality anger

Can Italian Exceed 90 days?

Credit: Flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

28

We have had an apartment in Mallorca for over 20 years for our use during hol‐ idays. I have an Italian passport and my wife has an English passport. We have no intention to be permanent residents in Spain. We have been told that because I hold an Italian pass‐ port, I am not restricted by the 90‐day rule.

Does this ruling only apply to myself or is my wife equally entitled?

J C (Baleares)

EU citizens are not ex‐ empt from the 90‐ YOU AND THE LAW day rule. The IN SPAIN tourist stay of 90 days is a European Union rule which applies to EU citizens as well as to citi‐ zens of third nations. An Italian may not stay in France or any other EU country as a tourist for more than 90 days, for example. At the end of the 90 days he must re‐ turn to his home country, his country of tax residence, or leave the European Union completely. He may not re‐ turn to any EU country not his home for 90 days. Strict enforcement of the 90‐day rule is causing problems for many second‐home owners.

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.

A DECISION by the European Union to require Spain to in‐ clude the value of ‘bad bank’ lia‐ bilities still outstanding from the previous financial crisis has in‐ creased Spain’s debt position.

Initially the Bank of Spain re‐ ported that 2020 debt was equivalent to 117.1 per cent of the Gross National Product (ie, Spain owed more than it

PAY UP: But how far will WiFi reach?

AS Britain gets closer to eas‐ ing more lockdown mea‐ sures, those in the hospitality industry are angry about new rules concerning registration of customers from April 12.

Previously, if a group went out together, one person could register on the NHS track and trace site and then if there were any problems of contagion, they would be able to give details of all of those who accompanied them.

The new rules require that every person who wants to have a drink or meal has to either register online or give their details to a member of staff and there are fines for

establishments that don’t en‐ force this.

As initially guests can only be served in the open air on terraces or gardens, there is also a potential problem re‐ garding payment by debit or credit card, as if guests are not allowed inside the estab‐ lishment to pay, WiFi may not be strong enough to reach the exterior and this is yet to be decided.

In a joint statement, UK Hospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping said the rules would add “more confusion and incon‐ venience for customers and staff.”

Spanish debt increase earned) but with this new re‐ quirement imposed by the EU’s body Eurostat, this has now in‐ creased to 120 per cent.

Much of the reason for this huge debt is the fact that the Spanish Government, like so

many others, has had to in‐ crease spending by way of assis‐ tance to individuals and busi‐ nesses due to the ongoing pandemic, as well as the signifi‐ cant drop in revenue caused by lockdown and lack of tourists.

As so many building compa‐ nies and lending banks had be‐ come bankrupt from 2008 on‐ wards, the Spanish Government in association with major banks created SAREB (known as the ‘bad bank’) to take control of

THE Spanish Government is to invest €50 million in an experi‐ ment to test whether there would be advantages in chang‐ ing to a four‐day working week without damaging the econo‐ my.

According to US news service Bloomberg, the concept has been promoted by left wing par‐ ty Mas Pais and some compa‐ nies in Madrid are already tri‐ alling the concept.

It is anticipated that the gov‐ ernment will invite some 200 companies throughout the country to take part in the three‐ year experiment starting later this year.

The fact that so many people have been working from home thanks to the pandemic has made it easier to trial the con‐ cept.

Boohoo Booboo AS online retailer Boohoo starts to bring all of its recent‐ ly purchased brands such as Dorothy Perkins into the group, price differentials are being discovered.

Most recently, a BBC re‐ porter discovered that both she and one of her friends had purchased the identical coat from two different Boohoo websites, one being Coast and the other being Dorothy Perkins, but on dis‐ cussion they discovered that one coat cost £34 (€38) more than the other.

The company said that each brand worked independently but a spokesperson confirmed that there would be a review and prices would be aligned. properties and debts.

Whilst it has reduced the €50 billion of negative assets it took over since being created in 2012, it still holds huge amounts of debt and as such, the EU be‐ lieved it appropriate to consider it an organisation effectively owned by the government, which is why the debt situation has on paper worsened.

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

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

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C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 5

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.173,50 1.177,50 Admiral Group 3.057,0 3.143,0 Anglo American 2.898,5 2.910,5 Antofagasta 1.692,50 1.712,50 Ashtead Group 4.473,0 4.482,0 Associated British Foods 2.451,0 2.459,0 AstraZeneca 7.172,0 7.279,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 560,00 562,00 Avast 459,00 460,00 Aveva 3.504,0 3.556,0 Aviva 409,10 411,20 B&M European Value Retail SA533,60 534,80 BAE Systems 510,40 516,80 Bank VTB DRC 1,080 1,110 Barclays 184,00 190,04 Barratt Developments 764,00 764,40 Berkeley 4.527,0 4.534,0 BHP Group 2.068,00 2.119,50 BP 289,80 296,95 British American Tobacco 2.715,5 2.795,0 British Land Company 509,60 517,20 BT Group 156,45 157,20 Bunzl 2.360,0 2.363,0 Burberry Group 1.927,5 1.930,5 Carnival 1.625,8 1.642,4 Centrica 56,00 56,74 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.314,0 2.332,0 Compass 1.495,00 1.505,00 CRH 3.345,0 3.425,0 Croda Intl 6.418,0 6.418,0 DCC 6.282,0 6.326,0 Diageo 3.007,0 3.024,5 DS Smith 413,60 415,60 EasyJet 1.009,00 1.021,00 Experian 2.546,0 2.557,0 Ferguson 8.946,0 8.986,0 Flutter Entertainment 15.480,0 15.675,0 Fresnillo 894,80 900,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.277,60 1.297,40 Glencore 285,65 289,40 Halma 2.438,0 2.450,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.581,00 1.586,50 Hikma Pharma 2.319,00 2.344,00 HSBC 423,20 427,00 IAG 209,55 209,75 Imperial Brands 1.488,50 1.514,00 Informa 572,00 578,20 InterContinental 5.044,0 5.070,0 Intermediate Capital 1.896,50 1.900,50 Intertek 5.720,0 5.738,0 ITV 121,80 122,35

% CHG. 1.151,00 3.036,0 2.838,0 1.686,00 4.327,0 2.426,0 7.148,0 557,00 451,40 3.433,0 405,30 527,80 508,60 1,072 183,86 749,40 4.449,0 2.061,50 289,80 2.710,5 504,40 154,25 2.321,0 1.896,0 1.610,6 54,10 2.307,0 1.475,50 3.340,0 6.340,0 6.238,0 2.990,5 407,60 984,20 2.506,0 8.624,0 15.460,0 863,40 1.271,60 283,75 2.386,0 1.546,50 2.275,00 421,00 198,94 1.488,50 560,60 4.980,0 1.843,50 5.606,0 120,25

NET VOL 775,49K 448,03K 2,44M 669,24K 791,50K 445,99K 1,52M 1,97M 1,69M 258,10K 5,12M 1,53M 5,38M 1,26M 79,55M 1,76M 233,15K 3,19M 47,49M 3,35M 1,29M 23,01M 457,09K 555,14K 819,24K 23,01M 193,57K 3,22M 871,04K 161,27K 149,27K 1,80M 1,82M 4,17M 1,29M 622,91K 218,26K 984,72K 6,50M 22,75M 722,74K 1,12M 425,82K 13,91M 47,81M 1,68M 1,80M 364,21K 377,16K 261,74K 6,84M

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

238,60 3.014,0 701,60 283,50 42,77 7.234,0 490,50 173,55 1.884,50 863,50 196,70 8.114,0 31,06 2.092,00 3.024,0 712,80 1.551,50 6.498,0 1.835,00 500,00 595,60 5.480,0 108,92 7,33 1.411,11 1.412,2 1.335,4 681,80 625,00 1.856,00 15,12 3.547,0 1.164,00 948,60 2.307,0 1.359,50 1.566,50 11.590,0 1.457,00 1.289,50 490,20 293,90 182,75 227,95 380,70 4.022,0 928,40 133,66 3.490,0 934,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

243,90 3.064,0 712,20 285,00 43,04 7.254,0 490,70 177,35 1.894,00 870,40 197,65 8.232,0 31,78 2.095,00 3.029,0 717,60 1.568,00 6.556,0 1.836,50 502,00 598,00 5.602,0 109,84 7,57 1.424,51 1.424,4 1.346,6 683,60 625,80 1.860,00 15,55 3.574,0 1.175,50 949,60 2.322,0 1.378,50 1.566,50 11.640,0 1.463,00 1.295,00 500,60 294,90 182,90 229,05 386,20 4.084,0 931,60 134,12 3.502,0 937,80

238,00 3.013,0 690,80 279,30 42,39 6.988,0 478,00 166,50 1.854,50 858,90 195,30 7.940,0 30,97 2.042,00 2.957,0 703,20 1.538,00 6.466,0 1.816,50 483,90 583,20 5.466,0 105,30 7,32 1.410,20 1.410,2 1.334,0 681,20 611,60 1.830,00 15,10 3.507,0 1.143,00 933,80 2.281,0 1.357,50 1.530,00 11.410,0 1.450,50 1.270,50 487,70 291,10 178,00 226,10 370,00 4.016,0 919,40 132,04 3.417,0 922,20

3,43M 364,41K 1,09M 7,94M 113,06M 1,10M 959,52K 8,26M 637,41K 5,01M 7,69M 321,89K 1,05M 835,43K 606,43K 1,34M 2,91M 0 1,58M 3,21M 2,02M 2,03M 38,88M 4,15M 4,23M 4,23M 5,56M 2,31M 1,63M 24,29K 2,84M 352,84K 3,88M 1,55M 409,16K 1,42M 771,38K 129,93K 1,31M 910,49K 5,49M 3,29M 9,10M 11,24M 3,23M 2,89M 950,49K 36,62M 364,43K 1,63M

0.84854

1.17766 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.17455 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.916 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1076 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4385 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.037

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 A PRIL 5

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 192,70 2.137,75 3.161,00 249,17 123,00 252,96 232,74 105,75 51,98 52,51 298,66 327,64 307,75 216,80 133,23 64,55 162,83 153,71 225,21 77,09 242,35 132,53 134,28 218,72 661,75 367,07 58,30 216,86 135,62 188,97

CHANGE 193,92 2.142,94 3.162,44 250,00 124,18 257,88 235,00 105,86 52,07 53,15 302,40 329,66 308,55 217,97 133,93 64,89 163,84 153,79 226,22 77,46 242,84 134,69 135,48 218,93 692,42 372,69 58,39 217,74 136,89 189,10

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 190,84 1,90M 2.096,89 1,70M 3.115,55 2,94M 246,41 2,18M 122,49 75,09M 251,31 10,93M 227,59 3,79M 104,21 8,52M 51,35 17,90M 52,46 15,83M 296,60 17,62M 324,16 2,66M 303,89 3,92M 215,49 2,11M 132,27 4,07M 63,58 31,42M 162,26 7,23M 151,55 16,56M 223,28 2,44M 76,82 8,70M 238,05 30,34M 132,21 5,72M 133,33 9,12M 213,37 7,76M 659,42 35,30M 365,76 2,98M 57,74 12,89M 212,30 6,14M 135,33 8,53M 185,59 7,75M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 5

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Alphabet Inc. Cl C Alphabet Inc. Cl A Amazon.com Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. Lam Research Corp.

CoStar Group Inc. MercadoLibre Inc. Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings Inc. Series B Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A United Therapeutics Corp.

MicroStrategy Inc.

+3.34% +3.26% +2.16% +2.26% +7.40% +4.80% +2.61% +78.85% +1.90% +14.99% +3.65%

3.63B 4.25B 9.29B 591.81M 1.57B 278.66M 878.62M 32.76M 40.08M 326.87M 283.11M

-13.15% -2.09% -1.37% -9.62% -0.93% -1.67% -1.84% -12.81% -3.29% -10.02% -3.78%

38.88M 447.97M 1.00B 102.53M 23.36B 57.06M 899.44M 84.67M 1.61B 13.02M 43.59M

Most Declined Discovery Inc. Series B SVB Financial Group Charter Communications Inc. Cl A U.S. Concrete Inc. Tesla Inc. BeiGene Ltd. ADR lululemon athletica inc.

BioXcel Therapeutics Inc. Futu Holdings Ltd. ADR Vor Biopharma Inc. Kodiak Sciences Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Woman is UK’s highest paid boss

ONLINE GAMBLING: Bet365 has offices in the UK and operates services in Spain.

THE majority shareholder and CEO of family‐owned gambling firm Bet365 has just been paid a staggering £469 million (€516 million) salary for the last financial year.

Denise Coates CBE and her brother John took over a betting shop business from their father some 20 years ago and since then she has shown herself to be an as‐ tute and successful business‐ woman whose company has benefited from the boom in online gambling.

Bet365 was actually set up in 2000 with a loan from RBS secured by the betting shop business which was later sold to Corals and the company which has offices in the UK operates interna‐ tionally with services in Spain and a small office in Gibraltar as well as opening

in Malta due to Brexit.

According to the BBC, sales for the year ending March 2021 were £2.8 bil‐ lion (€3.1 billion) but profits slumped to £194.7 million (€214 million) as interna‐ tional sporting events were cancelled due to the pan‐ demic.

Despite this, she was able to take the £469 million which is a combination of salary (up 50 per cent from the previous year) and divi‐ dends plus a further £85 mil‐ lion (€94 million) was paid to her charitable foundation.

There has been consider‐ able criticism of the amount that Ms Coates has collected which amounts to £1.2 mil‐ lion (€1.32 million) per day, but the company argues that it was a reasonable remu‐ neration and it had not cut staff salaries, laid off any

Spain and Africa SPANISH President Pedro Sánchez has unveiled his Africa Focus 2023 plan in Madrid saying he wants to see Spain expand its sphere of influence across the continent.

Confirming that there were no significant colonial links, he emphasised the fact that the continent is literally a few kilometres away from the Iberian Peninsula and that Spain already had strong diplomatic and economic links with many North African States.

He will be travelling to visit Angola and Senegal during the second week of April and believes that now is the time for Spanish companies to invest in Africa.

employees or used the fur‐ lough scheme.

BUSINESS EXTRA Japan business THE Japan-Spain Business Association and representatives of Barcelona Port have held discussions to analyse the impact of the EU-Japan Economic Cooperation Agreement (EPA) on economic relations between Spain and Japan, the impact of Covid-19 on trade between the two countries and the need to boost business.

Merger approved SHAREHOLDERS in both Unicaja and Liberbank gave their approval on March 31 for the two banks to merge in July of this year and become the fifth largest bank in Spain by asset with a value of more than €113 billion and 4.5 million customers.

More cancellations DESPITE the intention to hold the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona from June 28, its viability has once again been brought into question as two more tech giants, Google and Intel have decided to cancel, joining Ericsson, Sony, Nokia, Oracle and Facebook.

8 - 14 April 2021

EWN 31

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

FEATURE

Ah well, perhaps they can sort it all out

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT WHATEVER the result of the Derek Chauvin trial, you can put your money on two indisputable facts. If George Floyd’s lawyers gain a favourable result and this police officer is declared guilty of murder, there will be wild celebrations and hysterical jubilations across the land.

Anything less and the rioters and looters, who are probably polishing their pilfering skills as we speak, will join untold millions of screaming hoards, who will spread mayhem, maiming and inevitably deaths all across our Western society. You can rest assured this situation will prevail for months, costing billions to beleaguered governments, who are already trying to manage economies teetering on the brink. And there’s the rub.

The various ruling factions simply cannot allow this to happen; the results would be catastrophic. Militant insurgents are now so numerous and

CONFLICT: Should not be allowed to happen.

the threat of violence so great, that the politicians are petrified of inciting them in any way ‐ it could ultimately cost them their jobs. Therefore, as we see time after time, appeasement is their only viable alternative. (The recent ‘Mohamed cartoon’ school confrontation is a case in point).

Unfortunately, these reactions are,

(correctly) interpreted by the militants as a sign of weakness and subsequently can create an even higher escalation of public disorder and extremism. With all this in mind, in the case of George Floyd, you can rest assured the defendant will be found guilty. I do however feel there is some possibility of a manslaughter verdict, the consequences of which will

be exactly the same as a ruling of not guilty!

So gird your loins for a resulting conflict that could lead to many of the cities, both in the UK and America resembling the worst days of Beirut ‐ an outcome I warned of some 25 years ago! Personally, after closely following this trial on Al Jazeera (without doubt

the channel to watch) and disregarding the fact that this Floyd individual was assuredly a drug taking waste of space; if you watch the previously unrevealed video footage and observe the ‘hand in pocket,’ cold arrogance of the police officer, as he knelt on the neck of this handcuffed criminal for some nine and a half minutes, his actions do appear to be unnecessarily excessive and, as it resulted in his demise, certainly in my opinion merits at the very least a verdict of manslaughter. Good luck everyone.

What with the pandemic, the threat of militant Islam, the ongoing unrest in the Middle East; genocide in parts of Africa, global warming and the diversity farce, it’s not exactly the sort of legacy I would have wished for my children. Ah well perhaps they can sort it all out. One thing is for sure, we certainly couldn’t.

Don’t forget to listen to my ‘alter ego’ on expatradioscotland.com. Also available on Google and Alexa devices.

Monday. Wednesday and Friday 1pm till 4. Join us for a laugh.

Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

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

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An Evening with Peter Alliss A Round with Alliss Art of France The Incredible Story of Marie Antoinette's Watch with Nicholas Parsons The Joy of Painting Walk the Line

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FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Who thinks of all this stuff?

MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION

Views of a Grumpy Old Man WELL summer here is going to be fun for people that like to sunbathe on the beach as it’s just been announced that they will have to wear a mask at all times! Suntans will be interesting! Enough now - stop.

Spread the beds out and disinfect, like they did last year, take reasonable steps but to expect someone to wear a mask is just barmy. So you can lie on a beach, practically naked, and, on some, completely naked, and finish up getting nicked for having your chin, mouth and nose on display. Really?

Hopefully there will be thousands of people here during the summer. Do the police have nothing better to do? Or perhaps the people that rent the sunbeds will be asked to police it causing the same rows that are happening elsewhere in supermarkets and other public places. Then there will be the punters that sit on their own beds and chairs. It’s just crazy, will not work and will cause chaos. Who thinks of this stuff and what evidence is it based on?

Anyone watch the Panorama programme about Covid testing in a Milton Keynes lab

about the cross contamination and false positives? If not, find it and watch it, it’s scary. Funny enough didn’t see much about it in the press next day. Wonder why?

Mainstream telly is just a waste of time at the moment. I’m fed up watching programmes about baking, cooking and repairing. The BBC is in such a mess it’s now putting BBC2 regulars like Top Gear and Dragon’s Den, both considered a niche product, on to BBC1. I love a quiz, as my daughter always reminds me, but they are even repeating them at prime time. I have to confess my memory is getting so bad I still can’t get the questions right even though I’ve seen it before!

They have already got rid of BBC3 and just announced that BBC4 is now going to be an archive station which is just poncy BBC speak meaning it’s going to be used for showing even more repeats.

Just saw Mrs S reading an article about new euthanasia rules being put in place in Spain. I said to her that she had no need to look at all that sort of stuff as, thank goodness, she’s in extremely good health. She just looked up, grinned and said, with a twisted smile, on her face, “I wasn’t looking for me.” Ouch!

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

8 - 14 April 2021

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8 - 14 April 2021

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

What is the difference between an obituary and a death notice?

WHEN someone dies it is common to put an obituary or a death note in the press. As an ex‐ pat living abroad, you can contact the local En‐ glish‐language press to arrange the publication of a notice to announce the death of a loved one.

Different publications use different terminolo‐ gy, so check first that you are clear about what you’re getting, but generally the differences are: Death notice A death notice is a paid announcement in a newspaper giving the name and age of the de‐ ceased and details of their funeral or memorial service (date, location), and where donations can be made.

A death notice is generally written by the fami‐ ly to be submitted to their chosen publications.

They can include some details about their life, but are typically only a few lines long.

They are usually printed in local and national newspapers, or in publications issued by commu‐ nities to which the deceased belonged, such as churches and associations. They can be both in print or online. The publication will request con‐ firmation of the death.

Obituary An obituary is an article written by a newspa‐

per’s staff with a detailed biography of the de‐ ceased. Families can ask for it to be written and submit the details, but it is ultimately the news‐ paper that decides whether to publish it.

Major newspapers only write obituaries for well‐known people, but local newspapers will probably be open to publishing the obituary of someone prominent in the expat community. So‐ cial groups, associations and religious communi‐ ties may also agree to print an obituary in their newsletters.

An obituary can include details about the fu‐ neral or memorial service and are usually several paragraphs long.

Photos You will probably be allowed to include a photo of the person, which when accompanying a death notice will probably come at an extra charge.

Most newspapers will require digital images not printed photographs.

Helping hand If needs be, find out from the funeral home if they can help to write the death notice and ar‐ range for it to be published. Most will do this, some for free and others for a small fee. This will allow you to avoid the stress of having to contact the newspapers and making payments.

Choosing between them Death notices and obituaries serve different purposes; while the death notice simply informs the community of the death and details of where and when the funeral or memorial service will be held.

An obituary is more of a tribute to the life of the deceased and shares their accomplishments with the community. The choice of which one is best for you to honour your loved one is a very personal deci‐ sion.

Going digital In this digital day and age, many websites have been cre‐ ated which are dedicated exclu‐ sively to obituaries. They can be written and published on the site by relatives of the deceased or written in ad‐ vance by the person themselves to be published at a later date.

Writing an obituary for yourself may seem daunting, but it allows you to highlight your ac‐ complishments, choose how you want to be re‐ membered, express what life has meant to you and explain how you would like your loved ones to honour your memory.

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 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.

During this lockdown, we chal‐ lenge you to rediscover your lo‐ cal high streets, markets, butch‐ ers, 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 making a small gesture and shopping in this way.

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

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

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 independent store and com‐ pete with the multinational and chains.

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

You could also consider pur‐ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking 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 dif‐ ference in the recovery of the lo‐ cal economy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local econ‐ omy in two ways. First, buying lo‐ cal keeps money circulating with‐ in 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.

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8 - 14 April 2021

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Take advantage of Spain’s best free resource SPAIN’S 300 days of sun per year not only provide the perfect cli‐ mate for sunbathing and enjoying the outdoors, they also provide an excellent source of free ener‐ gy.

The sun is such an incredible energy source that in just one hour, more power hits the earth from the sun than the whole world population consumes in a year.

And now, thanks to the re‐ moval of the infamous ‘sun tax,’ business and homeowners in Spain can harness this energy source by installing solar panels on their roofs and generating their own electricity.

Consumers, who install solar panels see an instant and massive reduction in their energy bills and, if they produce more energy than they consume, they even get paid for the surplus they supply to the national grid.

“Installing solar panels is a fan‐

THE TEAM: Helping consumers take advantage of solar energy and will take care of the whole process. tastic investment, which makes consumers long term savings while also reducing their carbon footprint and helping to save the future of the planet,” said Martin Tye, CEO of leading green energy company, Mariposa Energía.

The team at Mariposa Energía has been helping consumers take advantage of solar energy since it added solar PV panels to its range of green energy services last year.

They take care of the whole process, starting with a survey of

the property which is conducted remotely by satellite.

“Due to the accuracy of the satellite technology our team can produce the entire design of the installation without the need to visit the physical prop‐

erty,” Martin explained.

From there the team completes the installation of the panels and handles all the registration paper‐ work on behalf of the consumer.

Complete maintenance support is provided, although according to Martin the panels need very little maintenance. The installation al‐ so comes with a fully comprehen‐ sive 20‐year guarantee, giving consumers peace of mind that their investment will stand the test of time.

“As long as you own your own roof you can take advantage of this environmentally and finan‐ cially beneficial energy source,” Martin said. “The process is in‐ credibly simple and straightfor‐ ward and, thanks to Spain’s re‐ moval of the ‘sun tax’ there are no longer any additional taxes levied on solar panel owners nor any cumbersome legislation, making it a very cost‐effective in‐ vestment.”

To find out more about solar panels contact the friendly team at Mariposa Energía for a no-obligation chat today on +34 951 120 830, by email at info@mariposaenerg.es or visit the website: mariposaenergia.es

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature AS of April 1, the green card ‐ which verifies the va‐ lidity of Compulsory Liability Insurance for vehicles ‐ will no be longer green and will now be sent by email to policy holders by their insurance provider. In a move that will see more of the sec‐ tor enter the era of digital transformation, drivers will be able to print their own green cards, with black and white prints on standard A4 paper.

This change has been driven within the decision of the Council of Bureaux, the organisation acting for the protection of cross‐border road traffic and coordinating the activities of the different EU mem‐ bers of the Green Card system, to check the validity of Third Party Liability Motor Insurance through a new centralised single platform.

Now, using advanced security measures, its cen‐ tralised web platform will allow insurers of its mem‐ ber countries to generate ‘QR‐coded’ Green Cards, which will then be sent to policy holders as down‐ loadable PDFs. So, these documents no longer need to be printed on the traditional, green‐ coloured paper and as such, the traditional Green Card may simply become black and white.

These changes mean that when you are driving in a Bureaux member country, the authorities will be able to check automatically, through this plat‐ form, if a vehicle is duly insured.

But, despite these changes, Liberty Seguros re‐ minds that when you are visiting countries that are not part of the European Economic Area (such as the UK and Gibraltar), the green card docu‐ ment, although now a printed version, will be

LIBERTY SEGUROS explains the new changes with respect to the so-called Green Card

DRIVING ABROAD: You still need to be insured. mandatory as it always has been.

In the same manner, insured vehicles from coun‐ tries outside the Council of Bureaux and those not part of the European Economic Area (including, UK and Gibraltar‐registered vehicles) will also be re‐ quired to carry the document whilst driving in Spain.

For Liberty Seguros, no longer having to print and post Green Cards in a specified colour and for‐ mat will be a welcome change. For policy holders, Liberty Seguros assures drivers that the new pro‐ cess is as easy as printing an airline boarding pass.

With the changes that surround Brexit, Liberty Seguros understands that there’s a real need for

clear and transparent information regarding changes to driving in Spain, and it remains on‐hand to keep you informed with regard to your obliga‐ tions as a driver.

The expat’s preferred insurer, Liberty Seguros of‐ fers a wide range of covers for car insurance that can be tailored to your individual needs, with ad‐ vantages that stand out against competitors.

For example, with Liberty Seguros, there’s no need to declare vehicle accessories if they have been fitted by the manufacturer; and, in the case of a claim, any luggage or personal belongings are covered up to €500.

Liberty Seguros also offers extended cover in case of Total Loss or Total Theft at 100 per cent of the value ‘as new’ if the vehicle is less than two years old, or at 80 per cent of the value ‘as new’ if the vehicle is between two and three years old. A courtesy car is included as standard for up to 45 days (35 days for vehicle breakdown) and policy holders are free to choose a garage of their choice in the event of a claim.

What’s more, Liberty Seguros has specific cover for electric vehicles too.

There are other benefits as well. With Liberty Se‐ guros there’s no maximum age for drivers ‐ provid‐ ed they have a valid driving licence ‐ and Roadside Assistance is available from Km.0.

Furthermore, with Liberty Seguros you can also take out car insurance for UK‐plated vehicles (except for vehicles registered in Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Gibraltar), as well as cover for classic vehicles and Spanish and UK‐registered motorhomes!

With an extensive network of more than 300 ex‐ patriate brokers and agents that speak YOUR lan‐ guage and who are at YOUR disposal for friendly and expert advice that’s tailored to you, it’s easy to see why Liberty Seguros has become expat insur‐ ance provider of choice in Spain with over 175,000 expat clients.

To find the location of your nearest broker/agent, simply visit: www.libertyexpatriates.es. or call 913 422 549.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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8 - 14 April 2021

Date fright MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED DATING with bipolar disorder can be tricky for so many reasons. You’ve got a bipolar routine to maintain, emotions to keep in check and a massive elephant in the room that you will have to deal with at some point. This evening I will be having a first date. The normal worries kick in and then the bigger worries take over. I have thought of every worse possible case scenario of what could go wrong, and is it really worth making such an effort that could potentially trigger another episode for me.

Family and friends message and ask if I am still going, “don’t cancel on him,” “give him a chance,” “you may be surprised.”

Okay, first dates are always scary (or at least jittery). However, I find dating with bipolar to be considerably scarier. And that’s because if it was to work out, there will have to come a day that I’m going to have to tell him, I live with Bipolar.

Telling someone that you have bipolar early can lead to

early dating rejection. This is both positive and negative. Of course, any rejection is not nice and being rejected before the person gets to know you just because you have a mental illness is horrible.

On the other hand, if someone is going to reject you for an illness that is not your fault and that you didn’t ask for, then why would you want to potentially be with someone that doesn’t undestand. It hurts less when someone you don’t really know rejects you rather than someone who you’ve invested some emotion into.

Yes, it’s true, I have bipolar disorder and anxiety. I’m also funny, smart, sweet and witty. I can really only hope that those things will balance everything out. I like to think that they do.

I am in the best place I have been in a long time, but there will come a point where I may be unwell - but for now I will laugh through the confusion and take this at face value, enjoy having fun and try and not overthink.

Here goes … Ms Bipolar is putting herself out there!

Love Ms Bipolar x

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

Greater demand for respite DEMAND for respite care has increased 50 per cent in the last 10 years in Spain according to data from a leading health care services provider.

The figures were released as summer started, a time when request for respite naturally occurs with families looking for temporary stays in nursing homes, of a weekend, fortnight or even a month, for a family member in order to give the primary caregiver some much-needed time off.

Family respite allows the caregiver to get the physical and psychological rest necessary to avoid what some call the ‘burned-out caregiver syndrome.’ Although this resource is used throughout the year in times of convalescence, hospital recovery and unforeseen travel, it is especially required during holiday times.

Family get the much-needed time off as their loved one is cared for in professional centres receiving all the medical assistance and care they need throughout the day including rehabilitation programmes, occupational therapies or socio-cultural activities.

According to the data from

Are we that phone obsessed we can’t even walk in a straight line now?

DO you feel like you are old before your time? Could your mobile be to blame? It may sound a little far-fetched but scientists are claiming that our increased use of mobile phones, particularly as we are out and about walking down the street, is making us walk like pensioners. Taking slower steps, hunched over our phones as we send messages or check emails en route, is beginning to take its toll on the body and could lead to back and neck problems in the long term.

Scientists from the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge carried out a study where they fitted 21 people with eye trackers and motion analysis sensors, while negotiating an obstacle similar in height to a kerb. Over 250 separate scenarios were examined as participants read a message on their phone, wrote a message, spoke on their phone and in which they did not use their phone at all.

The researchers found that writing a text was the most demanding activity and led to people looking down at their phone 46 per cent more and they looked down 45 per cent longer when reading a message. They also walked slower whilst reading a message and whilst talking on the phone. It also found that participants using their phone were less able to walk in a straight line leading them to be more at risk from bumping into other pedes-

MOBILE PHONES: Scientists claim they are making us walk like pensioners. trians, lamp posts and other obstacles in the street they would not necessarily notice when looking down on their phones.

The researchers said whilst using their devices they were walking like someone in their 80’s and this could affect their lower back and neck by altering their posture over time.

Using phones in the street is already chang-

EWN 45

ing some country’s policies and in China segregated footpaths have already been introduced in some towns with special lanes for those using their phones.

In the Netherlands, traffic lights have been added into the pavements for phone users who are always looking down for increased safety when crossing the road.

Geriatros-SARquavitae, the average age of respite services is 82 years, and the average length of stay is 15-30 days in the summer and two to four the rest of the year.

RESPITE CARE: Family get some much-needed time off.

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Follow Med diet to help avoid cancer

THE Mediterranean diet.

Yes we all know about it, we all know the potential health benefits of sticking to it, but many of us still struggle to follow it, despite it being readily available in Spain. However, do not fear.

E xperts have now said that just making a few changes to your current diet can make major differences to your health, with making just three healthy changes able to reduce the risk of developing cancer by up to 86 per cent; eating more fruit and fish and reducing your soft drinks.

Sounds simple right? So start making the changes today.

The seemingly simple and obvious changes have been announced following a study by researchers at the Tel-Aviv Medical Centre. They looked at a di-

etary questionnaire of over 800 people undergoing screening or diagnostic colonoscopies who did not have a high risk of colorectal or bowel cancer.

They found that patients with more advanced polyps, which are small clumps of cells that can, over time, develop into cancer, were eating fewer items recommended with-

in the Mediterranean diet.

But eating just two or three components halved the risk of developing advancing polyps compared to having none, with more fruit and fish and lowered soft drink consumption shown to be the most beneficial.

A Mediterranean diet is typically defined as eating above average amounts of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, fish and meat as well as monosaturated fats such as olive oil, rather than butter.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

By Clinica Britannia

Which test suits you best?

CONTACT your Travel or Health provider to give advice on which test best suits your needs and then please take into account the following information.

• REAL TIME PCR NASAL SWAB TEST W I T H R ES U LT S G I V E N W I T H I N 2 4 HOURS. • R A P I D A N T I G E N S W A B T ES T P E R‐ FO R M E D W I T H R ES U LT S G I V E N I N 1 5 MINUTES. • P O S T COV I D O R V AC C I N E T O CHECK FOR ANTIBODIES, THE ELISA TEST CAN CALCULATE IF AND HOW MANY AN‐ T I B O D I ES T H E R E A R E I N T H E B LO O D WITH RESULTS THE SAME DAY.

• TESTS CAN BE PERFORMED SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME IF NECESSARY. • IT IS IMPORTANT WHEN CHECKING FOR COMPETITVE PRICES THAT THEY AL‐ SO OFFER A RAPID AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE. • MULTILINGUAL CLINICS CAN ENABLE YOU TO CONVERSE IN THE LANGUAGE MOST SUITED TO YOU, LIKE ENGLISH, SPANISH, DUTCH, FRENCH, ROMANIAN AND RUSSIAN. • ASK FOR RESULTS TO BE GIVEN IN THE NECESSARY LANGUAGE FOR YOUR DESTINATION COUNTRY.

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

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FEATURE

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER 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

WITH all the uncertainty and unpredictabil‐ ity of the past year, is it surprising so many of us have been drawn to TV crime drama during lockdown in order to get away from it all? Who doesn’t like the mystery, the twists and especially the offbeat charac‐ ters? Crime drama, like riding a rollercoast‐ er, allows the viewer to be scared in a safe place. You get all the thrills of real life but none of the, err, spills.

And faced with such unpredictability we get solutions and closure. Whether it was (back in the day) Juliet Bravo, Z‐Cars, The Sweeney ‐ or the latest: Line of Duty. This series has so far opened to a few mixed re‐ views: for some viewers, it’s apparently “high time to lock ‘em all up and throw away the key.” Whoah!

The thing about Line of Duty, though, is its zaniness. The director plays with you, intro‐

CRIME DRAMA: Has flourished during lockdown. ducing characters seemingly important and then bumping them off in subsequent episodes. Red herrings are everywhere, some scenes are OTT, and you are so bom‐ barded with acronyms it might as well have

been in Morse code and you wonder how the actors can keep straight faces. (Isn’t the Dog Unit called K9?)

But it’s a change from watching TV ‘stars’ prancing around the world, people having

their houses ‘done up,’ cooking and quiz shows which are fine but not all evening, ev‐ ery evening, due to Covid‐19.

However, it’s not just crime drama that’s flourished during lockdown. Readers have also turned in droves to crime novels to see the good guys win and loose ends tied up.

Readers who write to my website tell me this is what they like about my crime thrillers ‐ the latest ‘The Sentinel’ just pub‐ lished on Kindle while the earlier ‘The De Clerambault Code’ available soon in audio‐ book format.

All novels narrated as before by Rayner Bourton who created the role of ‘Rocky’ in the original London production of ‘The Rocky Hor‐ ror Show.’ But more about Rayner in another column as I’m running out of space...

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

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

PETS

50

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

SPONSORED BY

Some pets are not so portable HOW about that staycation? Are you tenta‐ tively planning to get away later this year?

Even if you are planning a short trip you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets, they need to stay behind. So, plan ahead.

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

Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual

STAY HOME: Some pets simply can’t travel with you. fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter…

Housesit Match found us a perfect house‐ sitter while we were away in Canada and we

were delighted with the care and attention that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person.

Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa

What’s new pussycat?

CATS communicate in so many ways and the longer you’re with them; you get to understand what they want and what they are trying to communicate.

Every cat, like a human is unique and all of them have dif‐ ferent personalities, but there is a general body language that’s useful to know. Cats talk to us through their vocalisa‐ tions, facial expressions and their body movements.

Cats are languid creatures that lie around for most of the day and can sometimes have you wanting to come back as one in your next life!

They are special animals in their ability to be a mixture of independence but also be a close member of the family, but it is always on their own terms.

Anyway, you can be sure they are content when stretched out on their back and rolling over, but a highly de‐ fensive mode can take on this posture with extended claws and sharp teeth, preparing to fight, so beware.

When your cat is blinking very slowly, it’s not feeling drowsy and ready for another catnap, it’s being affection‐ ate, so return the affection by doing the same and your bond will become stronger. It also shows that they trust you.

Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20 per cent discount using coupon code P2020 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

UNIQUE: Talk through body language.

Advertising Feature

Attacks of Sleep and Weakness in Dogs NARCOLEPSY and cataplexy are disorders of the nervous system in the dog. Narcolepsy occurs when an animal suffers from ex‐ cessive daytime sleepiness, weakness, or brief losses of con‐ sciousness. The episodes are brief and go away by them‐ selves. Cataplexy is charac‐

terised by sudden muscle paral‐ ysis without loss of conscious‐ ness, remains alert, and can fol‐ low movement with its eyes throughout the episode.

The episodes of cataplexy also are spontaneous, brief, and re‐ versible. These disorders are rel‐ atively common in dogs. The

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These attacks can be unpleas‐ ant but they are not life‐threaten‐ ing. If the episodes are frequent, there may be medications your veterinarian can prescribe to help control the frequency or duration of the attacks.

Neurology and neurosurgery department of Hospital Veteri‐ nario Marina Baixa.

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

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EWN 53

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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EWN 55

SsangYong Korando - a more than worthy SUV contender ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack YOU could be forgiven for think‐ ing that it’s an SUV from a main‐ stream European manufacturer.

It has a somewhat old school premium look and although a little ‘heavy’ on the rear styling is obviously no automotive bar‐ gain basement. SsangYong made its name, as all such car makers do, with bargain price vehicles, but it has a long history that goes back to the mid‐1950s in its native Korea.

The range starts with the Tivoli hatchback, there’s the Ko‐ rando and Rexton SUVs, plus the Rhino and Musso pick‐ups.

Prices for the range start from €15,223 (£12,995) for the Tivoli, the Korando SUV starts from a modest, by today’s standards,

Great value for money.

€23,872 (£20,395) and comes very well equipped. Cruise con‐ trol, auto lights and wipers, pow‐ ered folding and heated door mirrors, Bluetooth, air con and a plethora of safety kit.

In top‐line Ultimate trim the Korando tested here (1.5‐litre petrol automatic) is €33,645 (£28,745) and the equipment list climbs dramatically with every possible kind of toy and gadget you’ll ever need. This includes re‐ mote operated power tailgate, nine‐inch touchscreen, privacy glass, navigation, Bluetooth with Apple Car Play and Android Au‐ to, leather upholstery, eight‐way power adjustable front seats, heated seats and steering wheel and more besides.

Power comes from either a 1.5‐litre turbo charged petrol or 1.6‐litre turbo charged diesel en‐ gine, two and four‐wheel‐drive options and six‐speed manual or auto‐ matic gears.

On the road my 1.5‐litre petrol proved a refined drive with smooth changes from the auto box. Performance isn’t earth shattering in that a small‐ ish engine pulling a fairly hefty SUV is not a recipe for the SUV grand prix. Hence 60 mph takes a leisurely 12 seconds and the

maximum speed is 117mph.

The majority of the time the Ko‐ rando doesn’t feel slow or un‐ derpowered, long hills apart when your right foot resolves the problem albeit with some audible protest.

Inside a modern, nicely laid out dash is dominated by a use‐

fully large touchscreen and (hurrah!) buttons. Generous seat adjustment and space en‐ sures the occupants are well catered for and it’s a rather nice place to be with a premium feel.

There are downsides such as thinly spread dealerships, po‐

tentially larger than average de‐ preciation and euro rivals that offer more power and better economy. The Korando is still a genuinely good entry into the SUV arena and offers tremen‐ dous value for money, especial‐ ly lower down the range. It de‐ serves a much wider audience.

SPORT

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8 - 14 April 2021

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

A Barcelona Victory CAMP NOU: Battle is close at the top.

A BARCELONA win on Monday April 5, made sure that the battle at the top of Spain’s La Liga has never been so close, with only three more matches to be played this season, as they scraped to a dramatic 1‐0 victo‐ ry over 10‐man Real Valladolid, thanks to an Ousmane Dembele goal, at the Camp Nou. That single goal saw Barcelona win to move within one point of leaders Atletico Madrid, with Real Madrid in this spot, two points behind Barca, and the El Clasico coming up next

weekend is going to such a crucial game for both teams, with the loser surely then out of the running to win the league.

Real Valladolid came into this match with a record of only one win in their last 11 matches, and were devoid of several injured regulars, plus, had players out through a coro‐ navirus outbreak at the club.

The visitors had what looked a strong penalty shout denied for handball against Jordi Alba, as the home side rode their luck and

stepped up their search for a win‐ ner.

The result was a blow to the visit‐ ing team who had played magnifi‐ cently and held a below‐par Barcelona team at bay, looking good for a draw, even after Oscar Plano was red‐carded in the 79th minute.

But, the winning goal arrived as Ronald Araujo flicked on a cross from Frenkie De Jong and Dembele pounced to volley home at the far post in the last minute of normal time, for a Barcelona win.

Historic win THE evening of Saturday April 3, saw a historic moment in the histo‐ ry of Spanish football as the final of the annual Copa del Rey competi‐ tion took place in the La Cartucha stadium in Sevilla, except that it was the 2020 final, the one that was delayed from last year due to the pandemic.

This very high‐profile clash fea‐ tured two teams from the Basque region of Spain, who are massive ri‐ vals, Athletic Bilbao and Real So‐ ciedad, from San Sebastián, both from Spain’s top level of football, La Liga, with Athletic also in the 2021 final, which is being played in the same stadium in Sevilla, in two weeks time, versus Barcelona.

The victory went to Real So‐ ciedad by a slim margin of 1‐0, thanks to a penalty scored by their 23‐year‐old captain, Mikel Oyarza‐ bal, remarkably, only one of two shots on target from either team during the whole match.

Real’s possession of the Spanish cup will bizarrely only last for two weeks, until this year’s final takes place and they must hand it over,

but they will savour every second of it after not winning a trophy in 34 years, and in fact, only the fifth one in their long history.

The weather could not have been worse as a storm broke min‐ utes after kickoff, and rain lashed down, accompanied by thunder and lightning, with the thunder echoing inside the empty 60,000 seater stadium, as due to the pan‐ demic fans could not attend.

With the match level at half time, the start of the second half produced some drama, as a Martínez handball in the first minute led to a long VAR check for a potential penalty, which was deemed to have been outside the box, but then, a penalty did come.

Again it was Martínez, who seemed to clip the ankle of Portu, and referee Xavier Estrada Fernán‐ dez pointed to the spot and pulled out a red card, which he changed to a yellow after another five‐ minute VAR check, and the penalty remained, which Oyarzabal con‐ verted, and with it, sealed the win for Real Sociedad.