Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 8 - 14 April 2021 Issue 1866

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1866 1857

84 -- 14 10April February 2021 2021

News

MALLORCA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

FREE • GRATIS

NEARING THE END

PEDRO SANCHEZ said that the State of Alarm in Spain will end on May 9 and that 33 million people will be vaccinated by August in a move which could be good news for tourism.

Speaking in Madrid Spain’s president said the government does not intend to extend the State of Alarm beyond May 9.

He said: “The objective is that it is not necessary to extend the State of Alarm. We want May 9 to be the end point of the State of Alarm.”

He added that in the week of May 3 he expected to see five million people living in Spain completely vaccinated, and 10 million in the first week of June.

Pedro Sanchez said: “In total we have contracted more than 87 million doses between April and September. This will allow us to ensure that all citizens can be vaccinated in that period.”

The current State of Alarm was put in place last year for a period of six months, until May 9.

The decree establishes restrictions for the movement of people that the autonomous communities have been applying. Among these limitations have been the curfew to limit mobility at night and the perimeter closures of autonomous communities, provinces or municipalities, as well as confinements of certain areas.

Unlike the State of Alarm of the first wave of the pandemic a year ago, the current decree grants more decision-making power to the autonomous communities through the Interterritorial Health Council, where de-

PRESIDENT: Is still calling for people to be careful.

cisions are agreed between the government and the Health councillors of the different regions in what the central government has called “co-governance.”

On May 9 the Interterritorial Health Council will have full powers to establish possible measures against the virus without having to abide by the State of Alarm decree.

Sanchez said that despite the planned end to the State of Alarm he was still calling on people to be careful.

The news could see tourism increased to Spain as the government administers more vaccines.

2 EWN

8 - 14 April 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

Alleged fake PCR Palma relaunch

A GERMAN TV show Menschen, Momente, Geschichten, aired on RTL, has accused a German doctor working in Mallorca with providing negative PCR tests to people without even carrying out the test.

Journalist, Sascha Winkel, investigated the claims and explained that testing centres in Mallorca have been overwhelmed by German tourists wanting to return home.

The report from Winkel points out that a German family doctor in Mallorca has been providing negative test certificates without performing a test at all. This means that ‘even holidaymakers who are affected by coronavirus can return to Germany by plane.’

The doctor, who has not been identified or commented on the accusations, was recorded with a hidden camera.

An RTL reporter was provided with a negative PCR test certificate despite not actually undergoing the test and the report also shows that German tourists confirmed the allegations against him.

Whilst no charges can be laid against the doctor, both the Guardia Civil and National Police have confirmed that they are investigating the matter.

A TOTAL of 26 new signs have been placed around the Natural Park of Es Trenc‐Salobrar de Campos thanks to funding from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS).

The action has been motivated by the increase and diversification of ac‐ tivities that have taken place in re‐ cent years and to educate visitors about pressure exerted on the habi‐ tats, as well as by the special fragility of the dune habitats and wetlands.

Conservation is the watch word and of the signs which cost €18,534.72 to produce, 14 provide in‐

New signs formation on the regulations, identi‐ fy sites, facilities and visitor guide and distributed in the protected nat‐ ural area in Catalan, Spanish and En‐ glish.

A further eight give details of the most interesting and important fea‐ tures to be found throughout the protected area whilst the final four are situated in the public car park of Sa Barralina and give details of equip‐ ment available and a general map.

VISIT PALMA: Has updated its website and redesigned the brand.

THE Palma 365 Tourism Foundation plans to initiate a new campaign this May to promote Palma as a tourism destination.

The new promotional campaign will see the Passion for Palma brand re‐ placed by one that will reflect ‘transformation’ in 2021.

The Tourism Foundation allocates €175,000 every year for tourism promo‐ tions, however, this year there will be an extra €300,000 for the brand re‐ launch.

In addition to this, €120,000 will be allocated to media campaigns in Ger‐ many and the UK. The increase in budget is aimed at trying to recover some of what has been lost during the Covid pandemic and according to the Mallorca Daily Bulletin, Elena Navarro, Palma’s councillor for Tourism, there will also be a promotion of Palma being a destination to visit all year round.

There will also be a change in the design of the brand and an update to the Visit Palma website. The update to the website will include a system for hotel reservations and booking attractions.

NEWS

Bullfights return to Inca A COMPANY based in Madrid that manages and promotes bullfights in Spain, Tauroemo‐ ción, has signed an agreement with the Inca bullring to hold bullfights there for the next five years.

Traditionally, there has al‐ ways been a bullfight for the fi‐ estas of patron saints Senen and Abdon, taking place in late July, however, an event has not taken place in recent years and the last bullfight at the Inca ring was in October 2019.

Legislation was drafted by the Balearic government of PSOE and Més with the sup‐ port of Podemos to ban bull‐ fighting in the Balearics, how‐ ever, the legislation was dropped when the Constitu‐ tional Court in Madrid ruled that the ban in Catalonia was unconstitutional.

The Balearic government then passed a revised law, the Ley de Toros, which contained details designed to make the staging of bullfights unar‐ guable ‐ such as not allowing bulls to be killed in the ring.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

NIBS EXTRA Beach rules SUNBATHERS in Mallorca don’t have to wear masks if they are more than 1.5 metres away from the next person, but they will need to bring them with them as they must wear masks whilst finding a place to lay and also in any changing rooms.

More courts SHOWING his commitment to tennis and Mallorca, Rafa Nadal has been spotted at his academy near Manacor where a number of additional courts and other sports facilities are being built in order to accommodate not only expected additional members, but other sports aficionados.

Love Island THE ITV show aimed at a young adult audience, Love Island didn’t get made in 2020, but reports in The Sun newspaper suggest that the popular show which records the tangled relationships of 12 young and beautiful men and women will return to Mallorca this summer.

Income tax DUE to reported problems with regards to payment and overpayment of ERTE, the tax agency, AEAT, has advised the more than 150,000 tax payers in Balearics who are on ERTE to delay making any declarations until June as any errors should have been corrected by then.

No vests SECURITY Guards at the Son Espases Hospital have involved their Union to complain about the fact that their employer will no longer allow them to wear protective vests in certain parts of the hospital due to an apparent instruction from the management of the hospital.

Deadly fall A 56-YEAR-OLD British man died on Thursday April 1, after falling 150ft from a viewpoint in Es Colomer, onto the rocks below. The local Fire Brigade and the Guardia Civil were mobilised as well as a helicopter, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

THE Balearic Government is committed to a transfer to the generation of green energy and representa‐ tives were present at the opening of the first new photovoltaic park in eight years.

The Son Corcó park which generates electricity via solar panels is situated in Consell and covers three hectares which al‐ lows it to produce signifi‐ cant volumes of power to feed into the Mallorca grid.

Tests started last Octo‐ ber and now the park has been declared officially open and is the first of

8 - 14 April 2021

Solar park

OPEN: Reviewing the new Son Corcó park. what could be many new solar installations around the Balearics.

According to the Balearic Government, this is the first park to be cre‐

ated since 2011 when the state government sus‐ pended financial support for renewable energy pro‐ jects.

This is the first of a planned 55 solar energy projects on the islands which are due to be built over the next two years at a supported cost of €40 million and this work will mean the creation of some 17,500 jobs with construc‐ tion and maintenance.

There are currently 36 solar parks on Mallorca, two on Menorca and one on Formentera, so the scope for future develop‐ ment is enormous.

Inca Santa Magdalena AFTER the disappointment of being unable to enjoy the traditional Semana Santa processions, residents of Inca were looking forward to enjoying the Santa Magdalena celebration.

Traditionally pilgrims visit the Puig de Santa Magdalena which is a hermitage to the saint about six kilometres outside of the town centre and at an elevation of 307 metres above

sea level.

For the second year in a row however, due to the current pandemic situation that is being faced, the Pancaritat de Santa Magdalena will not be able to be held in public and the council has decided to virtually celebrate this traditional event.

They have instructed the Inca Local Police to restrict access to the Puig de Santa Magdalena and the use of the

recreational area from 7am until 8pm on Sunday, April 11 and everything associated with the celebration such as the bonfire, mass paella lunch and dances have been cancelled.

To keep alive the spirit of the Pancaritat of St Magdalene, at 12 noon a Mass and the solemn Eucharist will be streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Pastoral Unit of the Virgin Mary.

Cancer Charity sends thanks Covid Hotel THOSE involved in running the Cala Nova Cancer Charity shop in Palma have publicly thanked everyone who has assisted them in one form or another during 2020.

They recognise that times have been dif‐ ficult for many Mallorca residents and that fewer people are able to make donations in either cash or kind.

Once again, the charity shop is open and does offer a number of great bargains, but also needs to receive new stock in order to keep raising funds for its chosen charities.

As things have started to get better, so some of their volunteers have been able to return to work which means that now, they are back looking for shop volunteers again and can give assurances that the shop follows the strictest of hygiene condi‐ tions.

Larger objects can be collected or dona‐ tions are always welcome, so do contact the charity via its website www.calanova cancer.com, the charity’s Facebook page or call 971 708 665.

Invasive species THE ‘Prats Nets d’Invasores’ project aimed at the elimination of nine inva‐ sive species in the main wetlands of the Balearic Islands at a cost of €332,210 has been completed.

The aim was to control the popula‐ tions of these species and prevent their spread and the work, carried out by COFIB staff under the coordination of the Species Protection Service, lasted two years and was funded by money from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS).

This project has eliminated four tons of carp, almost 200 specimens of Florida turtles and 1,150 American

blue crab.

Invasive plant species that endanger native flora have also been eliminated thus, more than 12,000 agaves, 2,170 prickly pears, 913 Pampas herbs, 16,850 m² of grass, 6,600 m² of foun‐ tain grass have been removed as well as 1,266 m² of ground creepers (Carpo‐ brotus edulis).

Invasive species are the main cause of biodiversity loss in the Balearic Is‐ lands, hence the importance of control‐ ling them, especially in areas of high ecological value and especially sensitive areas such as wetlands.

now closed THE Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) on March 31 closed the Covid Hotel which was opened in September in the Arenal de Lluc‐ major during the pandemic.

The intention was to be able to offer accommodation for those who needed to isolate after being associated with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus and whilst open, it housed 495 people who between them stayed for a total of 8,983 nights.

As the number of cases of in‐ fection dropped, so the Consell de Mallorca changed some of the criteria for entry and the hotel fa‐ cilities have also given space to immigrants who arrived in Mal‐ lorca and had to carry out a quar‐ antine.

As rooms were on different floors, another area was made available to accommodate more than 40 homeless people who were living on the streets during a period of a very cold snap and who are cared for by the Social Emer‐ gency Unit and the Red Cross.

EWN

3

Cementing relationships ON February 16, the General Direc‐ torate of Foreign Affairs assumed re‐ sponsibility for the dialogue with the consulates based in the Balearic Is‐ lands.

Since then, the Ministry has had meetings with the Consulates of France, Morocco and Romania and on March 31, the Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs, Rosario Sánchez, and the Director General of Foreign Affairs, Antoni Vicens, met with the Honorary Vice Consul of Italy for Mallorca and Menorca, Alessio Pao‐ letti.

The Government of the Balearic Islands maintains strong contacts with the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily, with which they share similar conditions and vulnerabili‐ ties.

The meeting also discussed the Balearic participation in the Med In‐ sulae Alliance, made up of Corsica, Sardinia, Gozo and the Balearic Is‐ lands.

There are currently 12,000 resi‐ dents born in Italy in the Balearic Is‐ lands and the Italian population is the second largest community of in‐ ternational residents in the Islands.

Sustainable Mobility Award THE Mallorca Department of Mobili‐ ty and Infrastructures has won the Spanish Sustainable Mobility Week 2020 Award for the Lloseta bike lane.

The award, given by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the De‐ mographic Challenge, recognises the commitment of the Consell de Mal‐ lorca to make cycling safer.

It was selected as the winner of the award in the category of Organi‐ sations, Institutions and Companies category in recognition of its Good Practice under the heading ‘Kinder and safer roads for cyclists in Mal‐ lorca ‐ Preparation of Lloseta bike lane.’

The Awards Jury highlighted the promotion of cycling on the island in particular, the commitment to make these types of routes safe, through the physical separation between bike lanes and traffic lanes of motor vehi‐ cles.

The path opened last June and is a completely segregated road from the lanes for motor vehicles, with wood‐ en barriers to ensure the safety of users and connects the municipalities of Lloseta with Binissalem.

4 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

NEWS

Support for Spanish residency

THE UK Government has extended support for vulnerable UK Nationals applying for residency in Spain.

• Additional £1 million of funding for charities and voluntary organisations across Europe to support vulnerable UK Nationals applying for residency, bringing the total to £4 million.

• Since March 2020, eight organisations have reached 350,000 vulnerable individuals using the UK Nationals Support Fund.

• Age in Spain, Babelia and IOM continue to support UK Nationals in Spain.

The UK Government is extending support for potentially at-risk groups including pensioners, disabled people and those with language difficulties who live in Europe by continuing the activity of the UK Nationals Support Fund (UKNSF) and supplementing it with an additional £1 million.

The UKNSF provides funds to eight organisations to support UK Nationals who need assistance with their residency applications. These organisations operate in 11 EU Member States and Norway, and since the launch of the Fund in March 2020, have provided practical support for UK Nationals who need assistance with the process of applying/registering for residency in 12 European countries, following the end of the Transition Period.

This funding is in addition to £3 million announced by the Foreign Secretary in March 2020. Figures just published by the Observatorio Permanente de la Inmigracion show that as of December 31, 2020 there were 381,448 UK Nationals holding a valid residency certificate or card in Spain.

The UKNSF will continue to operate in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Malta and Norway.

British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, said: “I am delighted that more funding has been provided to Age in Spain, Babelia and IOM through the UK Nationals Support Fund. These organisations provide vital support to UK Nationals who need additional help with their residency application in Spain, so I urge any UK Nationals who are struggling with the process to contact them for help.”

The UKNSF will continue to be delivered by: • The AIRE Centre - Bulgaria, Greece and Norway • Age in Spain - Spain • Asociación Babelia - Spain • Cyprus Residency Planning Group (CRPG) - Cyprus • Franco British Network - France • International Organisation for Migration - France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain • SSAFA - Cyprus, France and Germany • The Church of England Diocese in Europe - France This assistance builds on the ongoing outreach and guidance provided

Hugh Elliott. by the UK’s network of Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates across Europe.

UK Nationals should visit the Living in Spain Guide at: gov.uk/livinginspain to check what action they may need to take.

UK Nationals can contact the three organisations in the following ways: IOM - The International Organisation for Migration (Andalucia, Castilla la Mancha, Castilla León, Ceuta, Extremadura, Madrid, Melilla and Murcia) • IOM Spain website • email: UKnationalsSP@iom.int • helplines: Andaluca, Ceuta, Melilla: +34 650 339 754, Madrid, Castilla la Mancha, Castilla León, Extremadura : +34 699 581 855, Murcia: +34 648 642 543, all available Mon to Thurs, 3.30pm to 5pm Babelia (Alicante, Valencia and Castellon) • Babelia website • email: info@asociacionbabelia.org • Babelia contact form • helpline: +34 865 820 229 available Mon to Fri, 9am to 2pm Age in Spain (Aragon, Asturias, Balearics, Basque Country (Pais Vasco), Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Galicia, La Rioja, Navarra) • Age in Spain website • email: residency@ageinspain.org • Age in Spain contact form • helpline: +34 932 209 741 available Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm

Speeding up vaccination

SPAIN has come up with a plan to speed up the vaccination process, and will only adminis‐ ter one dose to anyone under 65 who has al‐ ready had coronavirus.

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

This is how the government proposes getting 70 per cent of the population vaccinated by the summer and overcoming the recent delays, in‐ cluding the total cancellation 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 sup‐ ply, because of the €69.1 million vaccines agreed for Spain, only 12.3 per cent have ar‐ rived.

According to the most recent data, from Tuesday, March 30, so far, 2.6 million people have received both doses of the vaccine. Spain is administering three different vaccines, Pfizer BioNtech, AstraZeneca and Moderna, which re‐ quire 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 people un‐ der 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 fol‐ lowing 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.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

Good News for Expats More euros to the pound.

EXPAT pensioners and visitors to Spain could all benefit from news that the British Pound has seen growth against the Euro.

The announcement that the Pound saw growth against the

Euro could be good news for British expats with pensions, as well as those who earn an income in the UK or regularly transfer money from the UK to Spain.

According to the Express

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 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.

newspaper, the exchange rate earlier this week broke through to €1.18 to the Pound, following an average exchange rate last year of €1.1248.

Despite dropping back to under €1.17 to the Pound, Michael Brown, currency expert at Caxton FX, told the Express: “Sterling has, however, managed to build a base of support around 1.1650.”

According to website Exchange-Rates, the average Pound to Euro exchange rate has also improved over the past year, from €1.1248 to the Pound in 2020 to an average of €1.1461 in 2021.

This could be good news for expats with UK pensions and incomes who saw the Pound drop from an average of around €1.30 to the Pound before the 2016 EU referendum to an average of between €1.10 and €1.20 to the pound since.

The move could also improve buying power for travellers hoping to visit loved ones in Spain this summer.

EWN

5

New Electricity Tariff

CHARGES: Set to change.

SPAIN is introducing new electricity tariff charges in June, meaning customers, including the thousands of British expats living here, will have to get used to reading a new electricity bill. The government has approved a change in electricity rates for powers below 15 kW, which means that, in addition to households, it will also affect thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.

From now on, tolls and charges are calculated according to transparent and non-discriminatory methodologies. This ensures that consumers see price levels that reflect their decisions to consume electricity when it costs less to supply them, in the early hours of the night.

For this new rate to be carried out, the challenge lies with the distributors. “Only the electricity distribution company of the Iberdrola Group, i-DE, distributes electricity to more than 11 million customers, and Endesa even more,” sources from the electricity distribution sector explained to Invertia.

Expats in Spain were quick to comment on the changes, Sandra Howells from Fuengirola said: “Typical, with all the things that have gone on, now we have to pay more for our electricity as we come under 15KW usage. It’s ok saying use the night tariff, but the family would go mental if I left the washing on until the early hours!”

6 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

Fears of Fourth Wave

T H E 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

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

App To Protect Urban Birds THE Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife) has just launched the second edition of its campaign aimed at alerting Spaniards and expats alike about the danger to birds in urban areas due to the decimation of their nesting sites.

Every spring in Spain there are multiple re‐ ports of people destroying the traditional nest‐ ing sites of migrating birds, and the association is working to inform 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 crime against fauna punishable by up to two years in prison and with fines of be‐ tween €3,000 and €200,000,” a spokesperson for SEO/BirdLife told the Spanish press.

Because of the inherent threat to wildlife, the organisation has created a unique phone app that will allow users to identify, 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.

pleased to see business booming but this could potentially come at 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 numerous 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 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.

NEWS

‘Rural Erasmus’ Scheme

I N a unique move against the depopulation of remote areas of Spain, the government has launched a new ‘rural Erasmus’ scheme for the 2021-2022 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.

D uring the closing of a ceremony in the S enate, 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.

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

Immunised Against Covid

BA BY B R U N O was born in the Can Misses hospital in I biza last week and has earned the accolade of be-

ing the first baby born in Spain already immunised against Covid-19, thanks to the fact that his mum was

New Vaccination schedule PEDRO SÁNCHEZ, the president of the government,announced on Tuesday April 6 the vaccination schedule and assures the plan is “prudent and conservative” with regards to terms and figures.

As well as this, Sanchez has announced that the government will not extend the State of Alarm past May 9, with Sánchez saying: “We want May 9 to be the end point of the State of Alarm, and we are working on this.”

The most important milestone will be at the end of August when the government expect that 33 million Spaniards will have been ‘immunised’ - meeting the target to immunise 70 per cent of the population as set out by the Executive.

The vaccination pace can be sped up with the Janssen vaccination since one dose is sufficient enough for immunisation. This vaccination will also be administered to those aged between 70 and 79 Sánchez has said.

It has been announced that by next week, April 12 to April 18, there will be ‘more immunised people than infections,’ which is the most crucial and immediate objective.

The following week, just before the start of summer, 25 million people will have received the vaccination.

vaccinated when she was pregnant.

A ccording to sources from the P itiusas H ealth A rea, his little body had more than 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 B runo’s mother received her coronavirus vaccine 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.”

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

EWN

7

Mega Yacht Collision First wolf sighting

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 mar-

itime 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.

in 100 years

A WOLF has been captured on a hidden camera at a national park in Spain ‐ the first sighting in 100 years.

A camera hidden by Spain's Rural Agents in the wild cap‐ tured the first image of a wolf in the Aigüestortes National Park,

Illegal Cobras seized 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 - 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, E nrique Sánchez, head of animals at Terra Natura said that the third had an abscess on her body which required surgical drainage by a vet.

A ccording 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-ven-

om on the property, which the former owner did not.

The keeping of exotic reptiles in unsafe conditions unfortunately seems to be on the rise in Spain. L ast 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.

in the Vall de Boí, Lleida, a situa‐ tion that has not been recorded in at least a century.

“The snapshot was taken in February and we are looking 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 Ribagorza in Aragonese and, experts are now studying whether the im‐ age belongs to the same speci‐ men or to a different one.

Members of the Department of the Environment of the Gen‐ eralitat have explained that until they have genetic samples they will not be able to know.

The photograph was taken as part of Rural Agents’ ongoing monitoring of the fauna at the national park. Cameras that are activated by movement have, on other occasions, captured im‐ ages of bears in the Pyrenees.

8 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

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 herself 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 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 accumulat-

ed 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.

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

Counterfeit toys found.

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 val-

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 police, 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

NEWS

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.

ue 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.”

Environmentalists Attack

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

A group of environmental‐ ists is now taking the govern‐ ment to court, claiming pro‐ posed amendments to Spain’s climate change law would avoid complying with some measures, including those to reduce greenhouse gases.

However, the government has rejected the claims, saying it is taking more measures on climate change than those the European 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 cli‐ mate change were causing coastal concerns in Spain.

The sea level is currently rising up to three centimetres each year, and the experts predict that by 2100 it could rise by as much as 53 centime‐

tres globally, which would af‐ fect countless coastal towns and cities around the world.

Throughout Spain, signifi‐ cant beach declines are ex‐ pected, especially in the Cantabrian Sea, Galicia and

the Canary Islands, according to the report. On the Catalan coast, the coastline will re‐ cede by around 20 metres by 2050, according to the most favourable projections, but could reach 41 metres.

Stranded in Morocco ALMOST 1,200 Spaniards took a boat and a chartered plane on Easter Sunday (April 4), after nearly 4,000 peo‐ ple 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.

10 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

New Flight Routes 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.

NEWS

Important health checks missed due to pandemic, survey reveals

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 other 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 alTHE vice‐president of the European Commis‐ sion, Valdis Dombrovkis, has asked Spain to pro‐ vide a “broad and ambitious” labour reform that will “seriously” tackle the “very high” unemploy‐ ment 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 Euro‐ pean bail‐out will be spent.

“A broad and ambitious reform is the first pri‐ ority because the country needs to seriously tack‐ le the duality of its labour market and the very

WORLD HEALTH DAY: An eye test is an important health check. so 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.

Labour Reform high levels of youth unemployment,” Mr Dom‐ brovkis said.

Spain still has another month before it has to submit the plan, at which point it will be exam‐ ined 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 objec‐ tives” are met.

Virtual Festival Tickets on sale 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.

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 gone on sale for a one night special of live music, to take place in May. The event will include performances from Coldplay, Damon Albarn, HAIM, IDLES, Jorja Smith, Kano, Michael Kiwanuka and Wolf Alice, and 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.

12 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

NEWS

Seasonal Flu ‘Japanese Ikea’ MILLIONS of people around the globe are hoping that between lockdowns and vaccines, the virus that causes Covid‐19 might soon be eradicated from our lives.

Now, experts are warning that the virus might be with us forever, however, it won’t always be a deadly plague but instead, they expect it to mutate into a sea‐ sonal flu type of infection.

“This coronavirus is going to be here to stay,” ex‐ plained Dr John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital in the USA. “Eradication of this new coronavirus is basically impossible.

“Eradicating this virus right now from the world is a lot like trying to plan the construction of a stepping‐ stone pathway to the Moon. It’s unrealistic,” says Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

But even if the virus sticks around, new vaccines and new drugs to fight the virus mean it’s unlikely to cause severe illness in the future. Offit predicts “that eventu‐ ally, it will cause fewer deaths than influenza.”

MINISO, a Chinese multinational inspired by Japanese design con‐ cepts already has 27 stores in Spain and shows no signs of slow‐ ing down. Founded by Chinese businessman Ye Guofo, Miniso has been fondly called the ‘Japanese Ikea’ as it sells every‐ thing from larger furniture items to unique and kitsch decorative pieces. Founded in 2013, the brand now has more than 4,300 stores across 80 countries includ‐ ing Canada, the United States, Spain, Australia, UAE, India 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 Marvel.

The company’s motto is: ‘A bet‐ ter life has nothing to do with price’ as it hopes its image will cre‐ ate ‘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 prod‐ ucts were left floating in the pas‐ sage, but at the time the company said it was doing all it could to en‐ sure product availability.

Milky Way discovery

SPANISH scientists have dis‐ covered a new star structure in the Milky Way. A team of researchers from the Centre for Astrobiology (CAB, CSIC‐INTA), has drawn the most detailed map to date of massive blue stars in the so‐ lar neighbourhood, discovering in it a hidden structure they have named the Cepheus spur.

The map is so detailed that it has allowed the scientific 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 pe‐ culiarity that makes them es‐ pecially interesting to astro‐ physicists: 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 reveals the

UV Light To Zap Viruses A I R 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. U Veya 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.

level of geological activity of a planet, the presence of OB stars in the Milky Way is an in‐ dicator of activity in our Galaxy, since they reveal re‐ gions of star formation.

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

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 prevent your “money” being worth nothing.”

14 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

FEATURE

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urg‐ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local through the lockdown and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding on‐ line giants and superstores.

During this lockdown, we chal‐ lenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the won‐ derfully quirky independent busi‐ nesses in your area.

Due to the Covid‐19 pandemic, you may have to support many lo‐ cal businesses by ordering 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 re‐ strictions.

The joy of shopping local means that independent businesses can help support the local community.

Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is ac‐ tually going.

By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a lo‐ cal 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 local charities, support and sponsor lo‐ cal sports teams and in many cas‐ es the small independent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous genera‐ tions and support not just the cur‐ rent owner but the generation be‐ fore.

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

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengro‐ cer, let us revive that community spirit and get to know our neigh‐ bours 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 fi‐ nances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift per‐ haps pre‐paying a family mem‐ ber’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift.

Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times.

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

First, buying local keeps money cir‐ culating within the local economy.

Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create 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 economy, 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 lo‐ cal employees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hardware store.

This example illustrates how the recirculation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neigh‐ bours and communities. Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportunities for people within our community. Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more 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.

16 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

NEWS

FACEBOOK joins TWITTER Passengers Turned Around FACEBOOK has taken the decision to join Twitter in letting users choose a chronological feed of con‐ tent on their home pages.

Facebook will give more context on suggested con‐ tent 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 Online

Safety Bill, which will most likely give powers to Of‐ com allowing them to au‐ dit how algorithms work on social media platforms.

Transparency in algo‐ rithms has become a focal point for regulators, with companies seen promoting harmful content and creat‐ ing echo chambers for people sharing conspiracy theories and extreme po‐ litical and religious beliefs.

The move towards

transparency comes as the UK’s former deputy prime minister, Sir Nick Clegg, and now Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, published an article ad‐ dressing ‘common miscon‐ ceptions about the algo‐ rithms’ impact on users and society.”

Another change Face‐ book will make is with who can comment on a user’s post, a feature that is used

by Twitter.

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.

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.

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 UK had approved the passengers’ departure, however, the Britons were surprised to see a sign at the Spanish terminal that said ‘NO TIE 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 you, and

NOT WELCOME: At Alicante airport. 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.

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

18

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.

20 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES 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/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 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 21

22 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.

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 newspa‐ pers will require digital images not printed pho‐ tographs.

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 ac‐ complishments with the community.

The choice of which one is best for you to honour your loved one is a very personal decision.

Going digital In this digital day and age, many websites have been created which are dedicated exclusively to obituaries. They can be written and published on the site by relatives of the deceased or written in advance by the per‐ son 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

THURSDAY 8/04 FRIDAY 9/04 SATURDAY 10/04 SUNDAY 11/04 MONDAY 12/04 TUESDAY 13/04 WEDNESDAY 14/04

4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm

Ready, Steady, Cook NewThe Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Election Broadcast The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den MasterChef BBC News at Ten

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

4:15pm

11:00pm

Ready, Steady, Cook The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders MasterChef Have I Got News for You BBC News at Ten

5:30pm 6:25pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 6:45pm 7:35pm 8:20pm 9:20pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:20pm

Final Score BBC News BBC London News Weather Pointless Celebrities The Hit List I Can See Your Voice Casualty Keeping Faith BBC News Weather Match of the Day

2:00pm 3:00pm 3:45pm 5:30pm

3:35pm 5:35pm

Queen of Katwe Seven Worlds, One Planet BBC News BBC London News Weather Countryfile The British Academy Film Awards Line of Duty BBC News BBC London News

2:00pm

The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Election Broadcast The One Show Panorama EastEnders Fawlty Towers Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World

5:30pm

The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Election Broadcast The One Show EastEnders Holby City Island Medics The Syndicate BBC News at Ten

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

8:00pm 8:35pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:05pm 9:30pm 10:30pm

6:35pm 6:50pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:10pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Election Broadcast The One Show The Bidding Room The Repair Shop The Great British Sewing Bee BBC News at Ten

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:35pm 11:45pm

5:45pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

4:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 3:30pm 4:15pm 5:15pm 5:45pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Nature's Microworlds Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Your Home Made Perfect Great British Menu Pandemic 2020 Mock the Week Grand Tours of Scotland Newsnight

8:00pm 8:10pm 8:40pm 9:10pm

Golf: The Masters Highlights Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade MOTDx Great British Menu Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs Gardeners' World

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Great British Menu Flog It! Formula E: Rome Live Challenge Cup Rugby League Highland Road Rescue Dad's Army Im Awards Opening Night Top of the Pops: The Story of 1987 NewTupac Shakur: A Life in Ten Pictures

8:00pm

Rowing: European Championships 2021 Escape to Athena Remarkable Places to Eat Steve Backshall's Extreme River Challenge This Farming Life Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom

8:00pm

Butterflies: A Very British Obsession - Natural World Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Your Home Made Perfect Mastermind Mastermind Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

10:00pm 12:00am 12:40am 1:40am 2:10am

11:15pm 11:55pm 1:25am 2:25am

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:45pm 12:45am 2:00am 2:30am 3:00am

Avocets - Born Survivors Canal Boat Diaries The Joy of Painting All Creatures Great and Small The Elephant Man Face to Face with Anthony Hopkins Around the World in 80 Treasures The Joy of Painting Canal Boat Diaries

3:00pm

Top of the Pops: 1990 Top of the Pops: 1990 Live Women's International Football The Old Grey Whistle Test Story The Old Grey Whistle Test: '70s Gold The 80's Pop Map of Britain and Ireland Synth Britannia at the BBC

2:30pm 2:50pm 3:00pm

Patagonia: Earth's Secret Paradise Voyages of Discovery The Young Montalbano Italy's Invisible Cities Masterworks Top of the Pops: 1990 Top of the Pops: 1990 Patagonia: Earth's Secret Paradise

3:00pm

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 11:20pm 11:50pm

5:30pm 7:15pm 7:20pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 10:35pm

9:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:50pm 12:40am 1:40am

11:00pm 11:30pm 12:30am

1:30am 2:00am

Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Your Home Made Perfect All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star Stacey Dooley: Back on the Psych Ward Live at the Apollo

8:00pm

800 Words Yellowstone: The Wildest Winter Nature's Microworlds Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Your Home Made Perfect Great British Menu

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

10:15pm

11:15pm 12:15am 1:15am 2:15am

10:00pm 10:50pm 11:40pm 12:25am 1:25am 2:25am

A Year in an English Garden: Flicker & Pulse The British Garden: Life and Death on Your Lawn The Sky at Night Between the Lines Between the Lines The Mary Rose: A Timewatch Guide A Year in an English Garden: Flicker & Pulse

2:45pm 4:25pm

Walk the Line The Joy of Painting Fake or Fortune?

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

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

Live Women's International Football Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us Lights Up: Harm Colour: The Spectrum of Science David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema Nolan: Australia's Maverick Artist

5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Walk the Line The Joy of Painting A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley Watergate Watergate Lights Up: Buttercup How to Make: The Toothbrush Peter Rice: An Engineer Imagines The Joy of Painting

4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

5:55pm 6:25pm 7:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm

9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:35pm

10:00pm 11:00pm

9:30pm 10:00pm

ITV Racing: Grand National Festival The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Women: How Safe Are We? Tonight Emmerdale Britain's Brightest Celebrity Family?

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Dog House Taskmaster The Circle 24 Hours in Police Custody

3:15pm

ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London ITV Racing: Grand National Festival The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street A Touch of Frost ITV News ITV News London

4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:35am

A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Food Unwrapped Rosie Jones Gogglebox NewThe Circle Final First Dates Hotel

2:45pm 3:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

ITV Racing: Grand National Festival ITV Racing: The Grand National Live ITV News and Weather ITV News London Catchphrase Celebrity Special Game of Talents Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow The Jonathan Ross Show

3:00pm 3:30pm

Four in a Bed Heineken Champions Cup Rugby Union Grand Designs A Place in the Sun Channel 4 News The Queen's Lost Family The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty Alien: Covenant FilmThe Shallows

2:15pm 4:15pm

The Borrowers Agatha & Poirot: Partners in Crime Britain's Brightest Celebrity Family?

The Chase: Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather ITV News London Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Midsomer Murders ITV News and Weather

3:20pm 3:50pm 4:20pm 4:50pm

The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons How to Train Your Dragon Channel 4 News Escape to the Chateau Johnny English Strikes Again Queen Elizabeth: Politics, Power and Prime Ministers

4:00pm

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Alan Titchmarsh: Spring into Summer Coronation Street NewToo Close ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London

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

Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Low Pay Britain: The Truth about Your Job Dispatches Jamie: Keep Cooking Family Favourites 24 Hours in Police Custody

5:00pm

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

NewToo Close ITV News at Ten and Weather

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

A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer Snackmasters: Wagon Wheel Naked Attraction

5:00pm

ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Coronation Street NewToo Close

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

A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location First Dates Hotel 24 Hours in Police Custody

3:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

6:10pm 7:10pm 7:35pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:25am

6:45pm 7:15pm 8:15pm 10:00pm

9:30pm 10:00pm

10:00pm 11:00pm

10:00pm 11:00pm

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

10:00pm

5:15pm 5:20pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 7:35pm 10:00pm

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:05pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

12:05am

Dream House, Nightmare Neighbour Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Highland Vet Springtime on the Farm Intruder Shoplifters: At War with the Law

11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm

Neighbours Deadly Queen Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show World's Most Scenic River Journeys Churchill: A Gathering Storm

11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm

1:30am

The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Masters: The One From November The Masters - LiveThe Masters - Live The Masters - LiveThe Masters - Live Sky Sports News

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Agatha Christie's Crooked House 5 News Update Agatha Christie's Crooked House 5 News Weekend Susan Calman's Grand Day Out in Wales The Med with Jane McDonald Edward VII

6:00am 7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 1:00pm 3:30pm 6:00pm 9:00pm 1:30am 2:00am 3:00am

Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Masters - Live Live EFL Live Premier League Live Premier League The Masters - Live Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

Kate Humble's Coastal Walks Kate Humble's Coastal Walks 5 News Weekend Celebrity Barging Naughty Cats Make You LOL Happy Campers: Brits on Holiday Rich House, Poor House Changed My Life

8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 12:00pm

Goals on Sunday Goals on Sunday The Masters - Live Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday The Masters - Live Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Nightmare Builders Next Door Traffic Cops Hoarder Homes: No Room to Move Casualty 24/7

11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm

Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight GPs: Behind Closed Doors The Yorkshire Vet Our Yorkshire Farm When the Middletons Met the Monarchy

9:00am

Killer Vacation Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Building Britain's Canals Police Interceptors Here Come the Gypsies!

Shoplifters: At War with the Law Police: Suspect No 1

11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:30pm

3:00pm 8:30pm 1:30am

3:00pm 8:30pm

3:00pm 5:00pm 8:00pm 1:30am 2:00am

3:50pm 6:30pm 9:00pm 12:00am

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

3:50pm 8:00pm 11:15pm 12:00am

The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Masters: The One From November The Masters - LiveThe Masters - Live The Masters - LiveThe Masters - Live Sky Sports News

The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live International T20 Cricket Live Indian Premier League Live MNF Live MNF Sky Sports News Good Morning Sports Fans Good Morning Sports Fans The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Indian Premier League Gillette Soccer Special The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live International T20 Cricket Live Indian Premier League Gillette Soccer Special Soccer Special PostMatch Sky Sports News

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

EWN 25

Dear reader, how was Easter?

LETTERS FROM

CANARIES

WERE there chocolate eggs, the end of Lent and giving up whatever you’d deprived yourself of, or rabbits, chicks and egg hunts and church services?

Easter has lost meaning as a Chris‐ tian festival with the onslaught of glob‐ alisation and a commensurate decline of religious belief. Even Spanish Easter, normally alive and well, didn’t happen this year because of Covid.

Here on the islands though, Easter caused celebration, largely because the holiday temporarily saved the tourist industry from disaster. Al‐ though occupation was between 50 and 85 per cent of the Easter norm, ex‐ pectations have become more realistic as the pandemic continues and, in‐ stead of lamentation and gloom, the figures provoked cautious optimism.

As at Christmas, lots of visitors came from mainland Spain, lots from the other islands and some from northern Europe, with the notable exception of

CARGO: Has increased.

Brits. The pandemic has achieved more than any advertising campaign could ever hope to in attracting the na‐ tional tourist market here.

Another positive aspect, this time globally, is third world empowerment.

I love it that AstraZeneca’s Indian pro‐ duction operation apologises for the delay in meeting European delivery deadlines, pointing out it would be im‐ moral indeed to send vaccines else‐ where while its own population suffers an infection spike.

Finally! Tools for a balance of power shift! Farm out your dirty work to cheaper production areas, UK, Europe and USA, but beware!

It’s a reason to be cheerful, I reckon,

as is news that the Canaries and Balearics have been awarded an extra €2,000 million funding to keep them afloat in these times of disappearing tourism. Just as well, given the number of small businesses going under. The old ‘don’t put all your eggs in one bas‐ ket’ adage springs to mind.

The port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s seen an encouraging 43 per cent in‐ crease in cargo handling. Measured in TEUs (‘Twenty foot Equivalent Units: units for expressing container ship and terminal cargo capacity), this year’s fig‐ ures of 12,000 TEUs to date triple the 4,125 TEUs of the same period in 2020 and there’s further fun to be found in the 2021 version of the UK’s 10 yearly

census, which lists ‘Canarian’ as a na‐ tionality, featuring it as a ‘country of birth.’

It’s ironic that pre‐Covid, this Brit in‐ accuracy would’ve been seized upon

by Canarian nationalists as internation‐ al recognition of a nascent claim for in‐ dependence. Dependent and thankful as we now are to be both part of Spain and the EU, given the funds pouring in, the Canarian press expresses only amusement at the mistake. Would Britain have voted for Brexit, as the tabloids directed, had it known Covid was coming, I wonder?

Some Canarian businesses continue apace regardless of pandemics, as il‐ lustrated by the seizure of 19,000 kilos

VISITORS: Arrived over Easter. of hashish on a Panamanian registered fishing boat crewed by Ukranians. It was intercepted 170 miles south of Gran Canaria after suspicions were aroused by a lack of visible fishing gear.

Details are important.

Barbara Belt. barbarabelt@gmail.com EWN April 2021.

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

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.

26 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

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.

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

27

TIME OUT

TIME OUT

28

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

29

TIME OUT

TIME OUT

30

www.euroweeklynews.com • 8 - 14 April 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

EWN 31

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.

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

THE UNCERTAINTY OF COVID VIRUS ONE thing which I cannot support is to be kept in the dark, and the Covid-19 is the perfect example of my phobia of not being given the facts, which is leading to a growing mistrust of political leaders and the vaccine programmes and concern over whether governments are more interested in the economy than saving lives.

We are told to keep distance, wash hands, wear masks, be confined etc, but when I venture outdoors I cannot avoid the virus as I cannot see it and do not know where it is lingering or if the people I try to avoid are carriers or not.

It seems incomprehensible that after 12 months none of the experts seem to be able to explain how and why it infects some people and not others or where it comes from. Why are there so many more deaths in the West than in Asia? Is it from imported meat or bananas? Does it come from shipping containers? Is it carried by travellers from other countries? Is it sport which entails contact and travel? Is it from eating battery hens, tinned peas, or products from industrial farming? Is it on taps or doorknobs? Why do some cities and regions develop more cases than others? Is it young people mixing or old people in poor health?

How am I supposed to tell one variant from another?

What do the British, Brazilian, or South African variants mean? How long do the vaccines last, six months or a year before everyone needs a top up, or are they for life? So many questions, but few answers.

It seems logical to assume that until we know how and why the virus spreads, and who is most vulnerable, it can never be brought under control and eradicated. If the experts know the answers, please spread the knowledge so we can all adapt to the new normality.

Peter F

Covid restrictions Dear EWN , We are currently not permitted to leave our ‘province.’ How can it be that I see camper vans and other vehicles being driven between Torrox and

Don’t take risks WHAT we all want more than anything is to be able to live our lives as normally as possible without constant fear of infection and restrictions on our movements.

Easily said, but not so easily done and it is clear that the pandemic is still running riot throughout much of Europe with different countries appearing to start to recover and then being forced back into lockdown.

There are those who suggest that this is all a massive conspiracy by governments and big business to exploit the various populations and to keep them under control, but this does seem

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

Nerja where I ride my ‘push bike’ most days bearing ‘matriculation plates’ from countries other than SPAIN? Are the police not bothered? Is there too much paperwork involved? Where is the border control? Most people are following the rules and this lack of policing is to say the least very frustrating to us legal residents.

Barry & Pauline R Province of Malaga

We Must Be Seen To be Doing Something I read the lead story about the new mask laws in the 1-7 April edition of Euro Weekly.

What utter stupidity, and the politicians seem to agree as the regulations about having to wear a mask on a beach or by a swimming pool were withdrawn, I guess, before your publication date.

If the law had been enacted, swimming would have been fun, or getting to and from the water.

I can see the sense in mask wearing indoors or in crowded spaces, but for the life of me what is the point if in an unoccupied outdoor space? It doesn’t make any difference in the spreading of Covid-19. I think it’s a case of ‘being seen to do something,’ and gives the police more power to harass and collect fines. They may as well have introduced a law saying that we must all wear green underwear on a Wednesday to fight Covid-19.

The answer is of course is to get vaccinated, but the EU as a whole has been slow in rolling this out for whatever reason.

Hopefully when the population as a whole is vaccinated these mask laws will be relaxed. I believe the World Health Organisation has stated that when vaccinated there is no practical reason to wear a mask. I hope the politicians at local and national level here are listening?

I think the mask laws are totally over the top, and should be relooked at urgently.

Yours sincerely, Steve Carson

OUR VIEW

to be a very unprofitable and time-consuming way of imposing a new world order.

In reality, it is more likely that each government is confused and is trying whatever it can do to control the spread of the disease and is clearly experimenting to endeavour to stabilise the situation.

We all have our part to play and whilst the majority comply with the regulations (be they right or wrong) there is a significant minority which acts to find ways of getting round the restrictions rather than comply with them.

A perfect example is a recent en-

quiry on a Costa del Sol Facebook group from a person in Zaragoza who wants to have a holiday on the Costa and was looking for advice.

One person gave the advice, ‘don’t travel, there are restrictions’ whilst most of the other responses were offers of accommodation at ‘good’ prices.

Perhaps surprisingly, the person opposed to the visit was told to ‘chill out’ and effectively mind their own business!

It is everyone’s business to do whatever is necessary to try to keep the infection figures down and not take risks with our futures.

Jackie Butcher Yes, but not till majority of people are vaccinated and also all precautions in place.

Christine Walkden Need to get the population properly vaccinated in Spain before tourists (with vaccination passports) are allowed to come. Tourists need to be made aware of the stringent restrictions they will need to follow to take a holiday. Doubt if the mask wearing on beach will go down well.

Ann Marshall Sorry but no tourists should have to wait until the residents in Spain have their vaccinations. What about all the 65 to 79s that are still waiting for their vaccinations?

Adele Newstead Vaccines are more important than money from tourism, it’s the old Highwayman saying “your money or your life”... I totally sympathise with business owners who are in desperate need of tourist trade, but unfortunately for me I put our lives first...

Norman Shaw Really good idea thinking of letting tourists into a country where practically no one has been vaccinated against Covid.

Allan-Janice Snow Ball Difficult one I would love to say yes but only with vaccinations done and other safety measures in place.

Linda Lamb I doubt that some tourists realise how strict the rules are here in Spain.

At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 April 2021

FEATURE

THINGS PEOPLE SAY

DAVID WORBOYS

OVER the years I have heard many strange con‐ versations and fragments of conversations, sim‐ ply by listening to people at the next table. There are clever ripostes to criticism, reactions to threats, backhanded compliments, pure witti‐ cisms and plain errors.

“Why didn’t I think more quickly?” How often have we thought of the perfect response to an in‐ sult or a criticism ‐ but just seconds too late to get it in? And how many missed opportunities to re‐ spond with a quick witticism?

Here are some justified put‐downs: “I don’t like your taste in wine.” ‐ “Well, I buy it because I like it, not because you don’t like it.”

“That’s a stupid way to park.” ‐ “Your L‐plates have fallen off.” “It’s reserved. Can’t you read?” ‐ “Yes, I’ve read Don Quixote in original Spanish. How about you?” “You’re wrong; in fact, it was Garibal‐ di.” ‐ “Well done. You remembered that very well.”

When we are confronted by a menacing atti‐ tude, especially in an arrogant tone: “How dare you talk to me like that?” ‐ “Your flies are undone.” “Just a moment! Do you know who I am?” ‐ “No; but I have a pretty good idea of what you are.” “Are you looking at me?” ‐ “Why? Does it show?” “You dirty s**t!” ‐ “Did you ever

WITTY REMARKS: I’m going to see the doctor... which doctor? hear of a clean one?”

And then there are the backhanded compli‐ ments: “I spent the whole morning sorting out some

great photos of you, skipping the ones that show too much of your nose and your teeth, in case you want to show them to somebody else.” “I don’t care what other people say about you, I think

you’re a trustworthy friend.”

On other occasions I have heard witty remarks, some of which may have been taken from a co‐ median’s script book: “What line of work are you in?” ‐ “I’m a proctol‐ ogist.” ‐ “That sounds a pretty crappy job to me.”

“I’m going to see the doctor.” ‐ “Which doctor?” ‐ “Not at all. She’s a qualified GP.” “You know? I find that just about incredible.” ‐ “Are you calling me a liar?” “Alligators can grow more than 10 feet.” ‐ “But most that I have seen have only four.” “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.” ‐ “You’re a master of self‐promotion.”

And, of course, misjudgements and misunder‐ standings in conversation: “I’m speechless.” ‐ “Really?” “The bridegroom was wearing a red bottom hole.” “That was so fun‐ ny.” ‐ “Look. I make the jokes; you just laugh at them, right?” “I’m afraid you’ve failed the breathalyser, sir.” “But, oshifer, I drive mush better when I’ve had a few drinksh.” “But you’ve just run into a lamp‐post.” “Oh, I do zhat kind of thing all the time.”

Finally. The truly dreadful. This disgraceful com‐ ment is attributed to Baron George Young: “Homeless? Are they the sort of people you step over when you come out of the opera?”

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

A better version of one’s self

ROBERT SHALLIS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s very easy to get caught up in

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

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

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

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

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

Rob Shallis www.robshallis.com

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

36 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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 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.

Follow Med diet to Are we that phone obsessed we can’t help avoid cancer even walk in a straight line now?

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

«Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, fish and meat.» 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 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.

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-

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.

PETS

38

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.

Attacks of Sleep and Weakness in Dogs NARCOLEPSY and cataplexy are disorders of the nervous system in the dog. Nar‐ colepsy occurs when an ani‐ mal suffers from excessive daytime sleepiness, weak‐ ness, or brief losses of con‐ sciousness. The episodes are brief and go away by themselves. Cataplexy is

characterised by sudden muscle paralysis without loss of consciousness, re‐ mains alert, and can follow movement with its eyes throughout the episode.

The episodes of cataplexy also are spontaneous, brief, and reversible. These disor‐ ders are relatively common

in dogs. The causes are hereditary in Labrador re‐ trievers, poodles, dachshunds, and Doberman pinschers, possible immune system involvement, nerve disorder or Idiopathic (un‐ known) and pituitary macrotumor (brain).

For diagnosis the veteri‐ nary will perform a physical exam, including a blood chemical profile, a complete blood count, a urinalysis, and an electrolyte panel to rule out any underlying dis‐ eases. Brain MRI should be strongly considered in spo‐ radic cases of narcolepsy‐cataplexy be‐ cause sometimes brain tu‐ mours could be the reason.

These attacks can be un‐ pleasant but they are not life‐threatening. If the episodes are frequent, there may be medications your veterinarian can prescribe to help control the frequen‐ cy or duration of the at‐ tacks.

Neurology and neuro‐ surgery department of Hos‐ pital Veterinario Marina Baixa.

8 - 14 March 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

39

SPONSORED BY

ADMINISTRATION SERVICES

CLASSIFIEDS

DRIVING SCHOOL LEARN TO DRIVE IN MALLORCA. Scottish Driving Instructor now qualified to teach in Mallorca. Classes in English or Spanish. Obtain your Spanish licence easier or have refresher lessons and get behind that wheel. Interested? Call 648 133 929 (286429)

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY BUY & SELL PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

CAR HIRE LEOCAR, CAR HIRE, Free airport service and competitive rates! www.leocar.com Mobile 0034 609 622 746 (291802)

MOTORING For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

INSURANCE

INSURANCE

PHYSIOTHERAPY

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

MISCELLANEOUS GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

REMOVALS/STORAGE

MOTORING WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com Facebook Euro Weekly Newspaper

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO C O N T R A C T .

WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.

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

XXX FEMALE BIZARRE DREAMS and FETISH FANTASIES Tel 670 210 581 (256460)

XXX VARIOUS Male/Female viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs available, all areas mail order. 604 385 476. viagra4you19@gmail.com (290980)

SPORT

40

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.