Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 29 April - 5 May 2021 Issue 1869

News

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1869

29 April - 5 May 2021

More bookings COSTA BLANCA hotel reservations rose 4 per cent following confirmation that the State of Alarm ends on May 9. Hoteliers’ association Hosbec estimates that 70 per cent of hotels will open this summer.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

IN IT TOGETHER

Safer schools THE Generalitat’s Edificant scheme will pay to remove asbestos from roofing and drainpipes in schools in Benimantell, Muchamiel and Jijona, while their respective town halls will cover the cost of permits and paperwork.

VALENCIA VISIT: Francina Armengol and Ximo Puig discussed PCR tests.

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Beach plans BENIDORM’S beaches will continue to be divided into 16‐square metre plots throughout May to ensure social distancing.

Although the sunbed‐ hire service is not yet due to recommence, 19 life‐ savers will be on duty next month, plus a rescue boat and ambulance while beach cleaners will work morning and evening shifts together with their nightly schedule.

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

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Fallas set for summer THE Fallas fire fiestas with bonfires that go up in smoke on March 19 have now been postponed twice.

Assuming that the Valencian Community’s present trend of dwindling Covid continues, regional president Ximo Puig has already declared that the celebrations surrounding the ceremonial burning of 2020’s Fallas monuments will be held “sooner rather than later.”

July or August are favoured by the regional Health department but September, while children are still on holiday from school, is also in the running.

The Generalitat will consult the Fallas Monitoring Commit-

VALENCIA 2020: An unburnt Falla with an added mask. tee in early May although sources quoted in the regional daily Levante maintained that the date will remain a mystery until mid or late May. Valencia City is not the only municipality that holds Fallas, which are celebrated through-

out the provinces of Valencia and Alicante. When the Fallas Monitoring Committee was created, it was understood that each town would be free to decide its date within the permitted period and all the celebrations were unlikely to take place at the same time.

What is already known, however, is that this year’s fiestas will still be bound by health and safety regulations, albeit relaxed.

Measures include ‘bubbles’ for local fiestas committees, including limited access as well as an obligatory Covid Coordinator to ensure that regulations are not flouted.

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Resistir scheme ALFAZ’S town hall gave the go-ahead to pay a third instalment of €83,248 from the Generalitat’s Ayudas Resistir fund.

This will help 38 small local firms and self-employed Alfaz residents affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, explained Finance councillor Jose Plaza.

His department was now working on the fourth phase of the 253 applications received.

“So far we have paid a total

of €236,448 to 100 applicants and we continue to work as rapidly as possible to complete all the paperwork and payments in as short a time as possible,” Plaza added.

Addressing the business sectors that have not been eligible for Ayudas Resistir assistance, the councillor announced that Alfaz Town Hall would launch a second edition of grants for those excluded from the first edition.

Restoring Javea’s past JAVEA Town Hall has drawn up plans to restore the ruined castle above the Granadella beach.

The Castell is the only publicly‐owned structure that remains of Javea’s centuries old coastal defences and Evaristo Torres Perea, the architect who has designed the restoration, also intends to recover the adjoining water cistern, as well as strengthening what is left of the fortress.

The Castell was built in 1739 and a study of the remains suggest that it was deliberately blown up in 1812. This was possibly carried out by Spain’s British allies during the Napoleonic wars to prevent the fortification from falling into French hands.

The project will cost an estimated €281,582, a sum influenced by the Castell’s inaccessibility and the cost of transporting equipment and building materials to the top of Granadella.

The Ayudas Resistir scheme is co-financed by the Generalitat (62.5 per cent), the Diputacion provincial council (22.5 per cent) and Alfaz Town Hall (15 per cent).

In all, Alfaz will distribute €1,277,037 amongst local businesses hit by the pandemic, Plaza said.

Suspicious fire soon controlled

A FIRE on vacant land near Campello’s Villa Marco shopping centre was apparently deliberate, the town hall revealed afterwards.

The Local Police and Guardia Civil reached the fire immediately, armed with extinguishers, but as the flames rapidly spread and threatened nearby shops they called in the San Vicente fire brigade.

The firefighters had the blaze under control within 30 minutes but continued hosing down the area for some time afterwards to prevent the fire from rekindling.

A box of matches and cardboard cartons found at the scene suggested that the fire was not an accident and the Guardia Civil are now examining CCTV footage for leads.

The owner of the plot will also be required to clear the land of accumulated rubbish to lessen the fire risk, the town hall announced.

Read all about it LA NUCIA’S public libraries gave away books on World Book Day, April 23.

As well as commemorating the birthdays of Shakespeare and Cervantes, April 23 is also the feast day of Sant Jordi (St George) when it is the custom to give books as a present.

In La Nucia there was a gift both for those returning or taking out books, the Culture department explained, thanking Editorial Club Universitario (ECU) for their altruism in providing the books.

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NIBS EXTRA Cat carers VILLAJOYOSA is listing residents currently feeding the town’s strays in order to locate local colonies and commence a Trap, Neuter and Return scheme. Carers can register between May 3 and June 4, following which they will be issued with permits enabling them to continue looking after the cats.

Times past TEULADA-MORAIRA resident Maria Jose Vila Buigues has given the town hall a 1975 oil painting signed by an unknown artist that depicts the Castillo de Moraira esplanade as it was at the time. It is now on show in the hall of the Espai La Senieta in Moraira.

Cyber-attack JIJONA Town Hall announced that its computer system has been the victim of a cyber-attack that seriously affected municipal services, although no further details were revealed. It could be still be reached on 965 610 300 and its social media pages and WhatsApp notifications remained active, the town hall said.

Fast work TWO weeks after the first appearance of Benidorm’s new speed traps, 57 per cent of vehicles were found to exceed limits ranging between 10 and 30kph. The cameras are clearly a deterrent, nevertheless, as this is well below 79 per cent prior to the speed traps’ installation.

Low priority ALICANTE Province’s official College of Dental Mechanics criticised the region’s Health department for excluding members from the anti-Covid vaccine’s priority groups. Instead they are obliged to wait until their age group is called, putting themselves at risk each day by attending to patients without face masks, the College stated.

Land bank BENITACHELL Town Hall will put landowners who are no longer able or willing to cultivate crops in touch with those who are interested in working their plots. At present the municipality has 2,187 parcels of agricultural land, vines and fruit trees, of which 682 are no longer tended.

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A regional case apart THE Valencian Community’s excellent Covid figures now outstrip those of Baleares and the Canary Islands.

Regional Tourism secretary Francesc Colomer mentioned these to the UK’s consul Sarah Jane Morris during an online meeting recently reported in the Spanish media.

The Tourism chief asked for the Valencian Community - and the Costa Blanca above all - to receive the same treatment as Baleares and the Canaries once Britons are allowed to travel after May 17.

There are currently 28.5 cases for every 100,000 Valencian Community inhabitants, compared

TOURISM HOPES: Valencian Community wants regional, not national, figures taken into account. with 62 per 100,000 in Baleares and 137 in the Canary Islands.

Colomer asked the consul to pass on the region’s hopes that

when preparing its ‘Traffic Lights’ travel system, the UK government considers not only national Covid incidence rates, but also those of

individual regions, as it is doing with the islands.

The Valencian Community’s excellent health situation should not be penalised by less encouraging figures from other regions, Colomer said.

Meanwhile, Hosbec, the Costa Blanca hoteliers’ association, sends out a weekly rundown of Covid cases to all tour operators, revealed secretary general Nuria Montes. The association has also asked the UK not to apply Spain’s Covid figures to the Valencian Community.

“They have their own system for the islands,” Montes pointed out.

Serious canine tug-of-love A BENIDORM court will decide the terms of shared custody for Bimba, a Bichon Maltese.

The dog belongs to a couple who have now broken up and the un‐named male’s lawyer has started legal proceedings, alleg‐ ing that his client’s former partner will not allow him to see Bimba.

According to reports in the Spanish me‐

Hail a cab TAXIS now wait outside the mass vaccination centre at the Palau d’Esports I’Illa sports complex in Benidorm.

The town hall and the local Radio Taxi firm have collaborat‐ ed to install a cab‐rank for the area’s residents who receive their anti‐Covid jab at the court where Pilota, the Valencian ballgame is usually played.

Benidorm’s Health council‐ lor, Monica Gomez, explained that not everybody has a car, while others simply prefer to use public transport to reach the vaccination centre. With the taxi rank outside the Palau d’Esports they can now hail a cab without having to phone for one when returning home, Gomez said.

It is also possible to take a Number 3 bus which stops around 300 metres away from the Palau near the Parque In‐ fantil de Trafico, the councillor added.

This sets out from La Cala, continuing to Via Parque, Avenida Jaime I, Calle Ruzafa, Avenida del Mediterraneo and Avenida de Europa before arriv‐ ing at the Salt de l’Aigua schools’ zone.

dia, he explained that as his former part‐ ner took the dog to be microchipped, she appears as the owner of the details regis‐ tered with the Spanish Network for Pet Identification (REIAC).

Being deprived of Bimba’s company is causing him “serious moral harm,” the bereft co‐owner said, lamenting that his younger daughter does not understand

why Bimba cannot be with her on the days when she visits her father.

Instead, he is asking for a court order that will enable Bimba to accompany his daughter whenever she stays with him.

He wants to be recognised as the dog’s co‐owner, with the right to enjoy her com‐ pany during his daughter’s visits while sharing vet’s fees and other expenses.

Chef stirring things up HACKLES rose in Valencia Province when celebrity chef David de Jorge declared that Ali‐ cante paella was better.

De Jorge made his inflamma‐ tory comment on La Sexta chan‐ nel’s Liarla Pardo hosted by Cristina Pardo in a programme whose name is a pun Liarla Par‐ da meaning ‘to stir things up.’

The television chef certainly stirred things up, not least be‐ cause his full name is David de Jorge Ezeizabarrena and he is from the Basque region.

“Paella should be a free area, a meeting of civilisations, not a bloody Wailing Wall,” he de‐ clared.

It amused him, he said, that

Unspoilt and untouched ALFAZ celebrated Earth Day with a reminder that despite tourism and building development, the Sierra Helada national park remains unspoilt.

“Sixteen years ago we decided to safeguard the part of the Sierra that protects us from the Levante east winds,” the town hall’s Environment depart‐ ment announced.

“Fortunately the regional government’s Depart‐ ment of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate and the Environment has helped us, together with the town halls of neighbouring Altea and Benidorm, to preserve this natural space,” the statement continued.

“Since then, millions have had the opportunity of visiting the Sierra Helada which is as untouched as it was on the day that it was declared a national park and marine reserve 16 years ago.”

Valencianos defended their pael‐ la in its present form when it dif‐ fered so much from the regional character.

“They are syrupy, sickly sweet and build horrendous Fallas, their Falleras do their hair in buns that look like teacakes and then they want a minimalist paella,” De Jorge lamented.

An outsized problem CAMPELLO’S Environment department and Aguas de Alicante are trying to break residents and visitors of their bad habits.

Put another way, the town hall and the company responsible for Campello’s main drainage hope to make the local population aware of the environmen‐ tal and economic cost of throwing wet wipes, cotton buds and even face masks down the lavatory. Be‐ tween them the town hall and Aguas de Alicante have launched the Basta Ya de Diminutivos (Enough already with the diminutives) campaign.

This refers to the Spanish fondness for making a diminutive out of any word, hence toallitas or mascar‐ illa when these ‐ and many others ‐ can cause out‐ sized problems.

“They are turning our sewers into a nightmare,” declared Campello’s Environment councillor Julio Oca. “Not only because of the environmental harm they cause, but because of the economic consequences that cost our municipality a huge €150,000 each year.”

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Rise of health tourism VALENCIA’S regional gov‐ ernment has announced its intention of promoting Health tourism.

Speaking at the Costa Blanca’s First International Tourism and Well‐being Conference in Alfaz, Herick Campos, the region’s Tourism director general, revealed the Generalitat’s plans for a working group specifically devoted to Health Tourism.

This would be com‐ posed of representatives from tourist destinations and companies that spe‐ cialise in health tourism, Campos said. Inaugurating the conference earlier, re‐ gional Tourism secretary Francesc Colomer empha‐ sised the value of the health and well‐being sec‐ tor in combatting Covid‐ 19’s mental and physical toll.

“A brand has to con‐ stantly reinvent itself, in‐ corporating new and pop‐ ular trends like health tourism,” Colomer de‐ clared.

“Tourism will revive, es‐ pecially health tourism, which makes more sense than ever as a feature of health‐giving and revitalis‐ ing holidays,” he predict‐ ed.

Getting it right HEALTH experts attributed the Valencian Communi‐ ty’s success in slashing its Covid‐19 incidence rate to ‘very harsh’ health and safety measures.

The region’s ongoing de‐escalation has not been abrupt and epidemiologist Joan Cayla praised the re‐ gional authorities for their efficient tracing methods in an El Pais article.

“Following up contacts is something they have done very well and that can be decisive in isolating cases and imposing quar‐ antine,” Cayla said.

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Lions Club Peace Poster Contest THE Peace Poster Auction has been in full swing since Monday, April 19, and will run until Mon‐ day, May 3. The posters that are offered and on which you can bid can be found on the Facebook page of the Alfaz del Pi Lions club or on the following web link: https://lions‐club‐alfaz‐del‐ pi.webnode.co.uk/peace‐poster‐ contest‐2020‐2021/ All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the food bank La Nucia.

The people who depend on the food bank will certainly ap‐ Bid on one of the posters. preciate your generous dona‐ tions. And both the Lions and the students at Elian’s British School count on your support.

If you also want to be part of the larger volunteer organisation Li‐ ons Club International, please contact Alain Van de Merlen on 0034 618 426 031 or by email: lionscclubalfazdelpi@gmail.com.

Baby Fox Cub OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil’s Seprona squad in Alicante have rescued a baby fox cub that had been advertised for sale on a popular second-hand items website.

After the advert for the sale of the cub at €550 was reported to Seprona, their Nature Protection Service officers initiated an investigation on April 6, to determine if there was actually such an animal available for sale, and if so, to trace the person selling it, and arrest them. Enquiries made through contacting the seller online established the cub was that of a common fox (Vulpes vulpes) barely a month old, and in doing so, managed to trace a person in Alicante, and arrest them, which led to the subsequent arrest of another person in the town of Pinoso, who had captured the cub originally, and sold it to the first detainee.

Happy 101 Birthday!

MRS PEGGY BLOOMFIELD, a very popular and well‐loved resident of Moraira since 2005, celebrated her 101st birthday today (Thursday April 27) with her daughter Val and friends at the Bon Appetit cafe in Moraira, followed by a home visit from the new PP Mayor, Raul Llobell and Coun‐ cillor Sara Richardson.

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Two working together THE Valencian Community and Baleares will work togeth‐ er on tackling the fallout from the Covid‐19 pandemic.

During their talks, Ximo Puig who heads the Valencia region’s Generalitat, and Francina Armengol, Baleares re‐ gional president, homed in on PCR tests.

This topic is currently close to the Euro Weekly News’s heart, as the newspaper is campaigning for cheaper tests that will allow families and tourists here in Spain and out‐ side the country to visit without incurring extra costs.

The two presidents went further still.

“If the anti‐Covid vaccine is free throughout Europe, the PCR tests that are imperative for anybody wishing to travel outside their own country should also be free,” they suggested.

Both Puig and Armengol intend to ask Brussels to cover the cost of PCR tests so that no‐one is prevented from travelling for economic reasons.

Following their meeting the presidents announced that an alliance between the communities was strategically important on several fronts.

It will enable them to make efficient use of the EU funds that are available to both governments, while align‐ ing common interests and, as always, overcoming the Covid‐19 pandemic, Puig and Armengol said.

As the regional presidents of two of Spain’s favourite holiday destinations for national and international tourists, the alliance will also focus on the Blue Economy.

This, in fact, is no different from the Green Economy but, according to the EU, recognises the seas and oceans as creators of growth and jobs that also help to fight cli‐ mate change, restore biodiversity and use marine re‐ sources.

No Sunbeds WHILE we all wait to see what will happen on May 19 when Boris Johnson is due to make his announcement on foreign travel, authorities in Benidorm on the Costa Blanca are already preparing themselves and have no doubt that the British tourists will again be hitting one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations this summer in their hordes.

Toni Perez, Benidorm’s mayor, had already drawn up plans for summer back in February, making the decision to reintroduce the same social distancing and coronavirus measures for summer 2021 that they had used in 2020, starting in May. As they did last June, the town hall plans to ‘zone off’ its beaches in May, with no sunbeds or umbrella services al‐ lowed, sectioning off 16‐metre squares where sunbathers can relax inside their own ‘zone,’ and be socially dis‐ tanced, At this point, you have to keep in mind, that Benidorm’s beaches are enormous, so there will still be plenty of room to achieve this, as they did so successfully last summer, and the mayor has said this scheme might be extended in‐ to June, or even for the whole summer, depending on how the pandemic figures go, both locally, and internationally.

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Carp-R-Us WELL it was a Thursday so it had to be raining when Carp-R-Us fished Round Six of their Spring Series at El Bosque Animado, but at least this time we got to lunchtime before the heavens opened.

Apart from the rain, conditions were not too bad although the fishing was patchy, with four of the anglers getting double figure weights and the rest struggling to get to 3kg. In his customary first place was Dave Hutchinson who fished pole and maggot to capture 15.88kg, just beating Willy Moons on peg 15 who had 15.70kg on feeder and chickpea.

In another close run thing for third and fourth Steve Fell came out on top with 12.82kg on pole and maggot from peg 10, narrowly beating Alan Smith who had 12.30kg on feeder switching between maggot and pellet from peg 3.

Anyone wishing to join the club can contact us through the club website: www.carp-r-us.weebly. com.

ELDERLY residents at Vitasol5 nursing home in Alicante have welcomed a new addition in the form of Sanbot the ‘caring and entertaining’ robot.

The centre is taking part in a pilot programme aimed at introducing technology and innovation into everyday nursing care.

As well as dancing to music and generally lifting spirits, Sanbot also reminds residents

ON a cloudy, Friday morning April 14 players teed up for the annual St George’s Day Trophy competition. Sponsored by our Vice Captain George Braddick who also supplied flags of St George, there were various combinations of red and white dress amongst the field. The sun

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‘Caring’ robot when to take medication, advises them on how to ensure they are maintaining a healthy diet and reportedly encourages general well-being.

Sanbot is a humanoid robot created by Alicante firm

Bumerania Robotics, and is part of a Europe-wide pilot project in nursing homes using the latest Artificial Intelligence technology at European level.

It has integrated security, health, care, communications,

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connectivity and entertainment functions, among others, and is designed to be implemented in elderly care, hospitals, schools, hotels and stores.

“We are excited to welcome Sanbot the robot as part of a pilot project in our centre introducing technology, innovation and development in serving Vistasol5 residents,” said management at the home.

George Slays The Dragon slowly crept out and the game was played in good spirits.

George with 33 points took the trophy, but because he was the sponsor passed his prizes down to the next win-

ners. Second was Alan Lowans with 32 points followed by Sally Cottrell with 30 and Geoff Willcock with 28.

Sally and John Day won nearest the pins but there

were no two’s again this week. There was a prize for the best dressed ‘dragon’ as George put it, but not taking offence the prize went to Claire Stringer.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EWN speaks exclusively to Motocross World Champion WHEN you are just 20 years old and already a three-time world champion in your sport, having to take a year off is a nightmare.

This is what has happened to Spanish motocross rider Jorge Prado who has been unable to compete in any races since the lockdown.

Considered by many as the motocross equivalent to Lewis Hamilton, having started riding at the age of three, Jorge was very modest when speaking exclusively to Euro Weekly News about the comparison, saying “I can see why people say that, but I only hope that I can be as successful as Lewis over a long period of time.”

Motocross is a form of offroad motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom as early as 1909, but its competitive home is now Belgium.

Jorge was born in Galicia and was so impressed by his father’s love for motor cycles that he just wanted to learn to ride himself and his wish was grant-

ed when he was presented with his own miniature bike at the age of three and since then he has found incredible success in his sport.

As he grew, so did his bikes and eventually the family moved to Belgium to be close to the main practice tracks and the top competitors and teams.

Since that time, Jorge has done pretty well with an incredible record of growth and success: European and World Champion at 65cc in 2011 at the age of 10 years and eight months.

European Champion at 125 cc, in 2015 at the age of 14, being the youngest champion ever in the category.

In 2018, he became MX2 motocross world champion at the age of 17 and repeated that achievement the following year aged 18.

Whilst he liked Belgium, he found it a little difficult to adjust to living in a colder climate with

Jorge Prado taking the lead on bike 61.

a less relaxed style when compared to Spain, but he was quickly signed up by the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team with whom he is contracted un-

til 2023, even though he was their youngest ever rider.

From Belgium, his family moved to Rome with its more Latin way of life, but when asked whether he drives in Italy’s busy city, he smiled and shook his head, explaining that was too ambitious even for him.

The last year has seen Jorge in training, getting fitter and mastering his riding techniques ready for the first race of 2021, which he hopes will be in June and which should then take him off around the world.

With regards to whether he

enjoyed so much travel he said “It is very intense with no time to go sightseeing and with the pandemic, I know it’s going to be even tougher with the need to obey all of the rules of hygiene and distancing.”

When we spoke, he was enjoying a one week stay in Galicia at his grandparents’ house so that he could get to see them and other relatives as well as sponsors since motocross is so popular in the region that every race is broadcast live on regional TV. Many footballers have their favourite shirt number and Jorge is no different as at an early age he was given 61 in a race that he won and so from then on, he has kept what he considers to be his lucky number.

Summing up has life to date, the very humble young world champion said “Motocross is my life, it’s what I love, I’ve been doing this for many years and I couldn’t do any other sport.”

It’s a daring, high speed adventure and this young man who speaks Spanish, English and Dutch will be doing his best to stay at the top of this exciting sport for years to come.

Watch behind the scenes of Jorge Prado’s rollercoaster 2020 season in MX World: The KTM Diaries S3E4 on Red Bull Motorsport YouTube.

The full docuseries starring Prado’s teammates Tony Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings and more, is available to watch in full on Red Bull TV.

Daily Mail Sues Google THE owner of the Daily Mail newspaper and the MailOnline website, Associated Press, is taking web search giant Google to court over claims that their system unfairly bias‐ es search results towards smaller news outlets and those that pay more for advertising.

Although Google has called the accusations “mirthless,” the Mail has insisted that its cover‐ age of the Royal Family follow‐ ing the infamous Oprah Win‐ frey interview was pushed down the search result list, de‐ spite the fact that they pub‐ lished several stories a day about Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the rest of the roy‐ als.

Daily Mail editor emeritus Peter Wright said that Google’s actions were “anti‐competitive” and that they were being “pun‐ ished” for not covering their site with more advertising.

Mr Wright said that the web‐ site started showing up on searches less and less after the company began advertising dif‐ ferently, “allowing us to divert advertising traffic away from Google to other ad exchanges, which paid better prices ‐ and this was their punishment.

“We think it’s time to call this company out,” he added.

The Associated Press lawsuit, which was formally submitted on Tuesday, April 20, claims that the MailOnline is one of the world’s most popular news websites, with 75 million monthly hits in the US alone.

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Plans for cheaper tests 1,200 new Jobs in Toledo T H E E W N’s campaign to urge the UK government to lower the costs of PCR tests so Brits in Spain can see their loved ones again has seen success after a Minister confirmed plans for cheaper tests.

After writing to the Department for Transport, the EWN’s CEO Michel Euesden has since received a reply from the UK’s Minister for Aviation, Robert Courts MP announcing plans for the government to help lower test costs.

Writing to Michel Euesden, the minister said: “I am sorry to hear the cost of PCR

AMAZON is strengthening its presence in Spain with the opening of a new logistics cen‐ ter in Illescas, Toledo, Madrid.

The project is expected to cre‐ ate around 1,200 permanent jobs over three years, accord‐ ing to a statement from the e‐ commerce giant.

Michel & Steven Euesden. tests has caused concern for your readers.”

He added: “The Government recognises… that the cost of these tests can be high.

Noise is harmful IN anticipation of International Noise Awareness Day which took place on April 28, the Spanish Acoustic Society issued a plea to the Spanish Government to meet its European Union noise obli‐ gations.

Antonio Pedrero González, President of the Spanish Acoustic Society explained that noise pollution is one of the most impor‐ tant environmental problems in today’s society.

Contrary to what some might think, environmental noise not only supposes a loss of comfort in the affected people, but it con‐ stitutes a serious public health problem, which affects a large number of people.

According to data from the European Environment Agency, prolonged exposure to environmental noise causes 12,000 pre‐ mature deaths each year in Europe and contributes to 48,000 new cases of ischemic (coronary) heart disease.

It is also estimated that 22 million people are considered high‐ ly affected by noise and 6.5 million people suffer from chronic sleep disorders from this cause.

The president says that,” the current situation in Spain is wor‐ rying, at least if we assess it based on the degree of fulfilment of our obligations with respect to the commitments acquired with the European Union.

“We will work with the travel industry and private testing providers ahead of international travel reopening to see how we can further reduce the cost of travel for the British public while ensuring travel is as safe as possible.

“This could include cheaper tests when holidaymakers return home, as well as whether the government would be able to provide pre-departure tests.”

Responding to Michel’s concerns that the price of P C R tests can reach £214 (€245), Mr Courts added information to help travellers find the cheapest tests.

He said: “Individuals are encouraged to conduct their own research about available providers, the tests they supply and their terms and conditions of sale. More information at: gov.uk The minister thanked Michel for her letter, saying: “I hope the information provided will be useful both for you and your readers.”

With more than 180,000 square metres, the centre will be located in the municipality of Illescas, supporting Ama‐ zon’s extensive network of Spanish and European opera‐ tions, and also support com‐ mercial partners, consisting of mostly small and medium‐

sized Spanish companies.

The company has confirmed that this logistics centre, which will be used by Amazon to store and manage smaller products such as smartphones, toys, and books, will create 1,200 new permanent jobs within three years.

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NEWS

Butterfly Children’s Charity THE National Health Service has denied home nursing care to six-year-old twins with Butterfly Skin (Epidermolysis bullosa).

The Butterfly Children’s Charity petitioned the minister for health to request the right to home visits from nursing staff for the six-year-old twins with Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) or Butterfly Skin, in Madrid. EB is a rare, degenerative and currently incurable disease that affects 500 people in Spain. Having been denied this request DEBRA raised their voices once again to reach out to the authorities to appeal for the care that is key to improving the quality of life for both the twins and their family.

“Carla and Noa are subjected to between three and four hours a day of wound care treatment” to protect the wounds and blisters which are caused by even the lightest touch. “Their skin is missing the protein it needs to protect it,” explained Evanina Morcillo Makow, director of the charity. In addition to

Twins, Carla and Noa.

EB affects 500 people in Spain.

these daily treatments the twins are frequently in and out of hospital as they suffer from open wounds that cover 90 per cent of the surface of their skin. The wounds also affect the internal linings and organs leading to severe disability and constant pain.

The local health authorities are insisting that the parents are able to care for the twins at home and that the local health care workers will only treat them according to the plan outlined for them from birth. This decision has caused significant distress for both parents, Pedro Ricote and Verónica Soriano because, as they said, the local health care workers have only examined the girls without bandaging three times in six years. “We have been acting as nurses and carers for our children more than as parents for the last six years and we desperately need the help and support of professional health care workers in the home to help us cope with the traumatic daily treatments required by the girls.”

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LA FUSTERA CHURCH GIVING TO CARITAS FOOD BANK PEOPLE traditionally try to give something up during the period of lent. Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday a period of 40 days, which is long enough for most of us to go without chocolate, smoking or perhaps even our favourite tipple.

This year, La Fustera Church decided to do something different - ‘Don’t Give Up - Give Away.’ As the name suggests, members of the congregation were encouraged to donate an item of food each day during Lent and collectively we assembled a car full of basic foodstuffs, toiletries and the odd treat ready to present to Caritas in Moraira on Easter Sunday.

John Evans - the Caritas liaison for this initiative - came along to collect the food and was amazed by the generosity of the congregation. Our pastor, Father Jim Booker, blessed the food, praying that all who received these donations would get a sense of the love in which they had been given.

Caritas in Moraira do fabulous work helping families who are struggling to make ends meet in

GIVING: People donated foodstuffs.

these challenging times. John explained that there are currently 70 families - so nearly 300 mouths that they are feeding via fortnightly food parcels. Although we were delighted with the amount of food collected, it is easy to imagine how quickly that will disappear across 70 families.

Caritas have collecting boxes in the two large Pepe La Sal stores the one on the Moraira to Calpe Road and the one on the Moraira to Teulada Road. Please think about donating a few items if you are shopping there. The families in

need in our area would really benefit from this.

La Fustera Church is part of the Costa Blanca Anglican Chapliancy.

Communion services are held each Sunday using a service very familiar to any who have worshipped in the Church of England in the UK. You will receive a warm welcome at any of our services.

For details of how to find us and also the details of other churches and services in this area, please visit the website www.costablanca-anglicanchap laincy.org.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 11

Are you one of the vociferous minority insulted by the word expatriate?

THE world is full of armchair experts who delight in trying to correct others and the latest target for them is use of the word expatriate for someone who lives in another country.

Like many other words in English, it has Latin roots, uniting Ex (out of) and Patria (native country or fatherland).

There is little doubt that when one writes about a British expat or expatriate in Spain then the vast majority of English-speaking readers will immediately and correctly recognise who is being referred to and let’s face it, language is all about ease of understanding.

The naysayers, argue that the word is demeaning and racist because it was originally applied to white Europeans and their families who were often sent abroad to work in the Colonies for a defined length of time.

They go on to insist that those who are not white are disparagingly referred to as migrants or immi-

Which word ticks your box?

grants when they in fact have as much right to be called expats as anyone else living abroad.

It has to be admitted that there is certainly an element of truth in that

protestation if it is intentionally used to disparage or insult another person, but many people understand who is being referred to when such words are used.

There is no doubt that the use and meaning of words change over time and perfect examples are both ‘sick’ meaning good and ‘gay’ referring to a sexual preference and it is

now absolutely unacceptable to use the ‘N’ word in any circumstance.

When one refers to British expats, there is no way that it is race or gender specific as it purely refers to someone who was born in Britain and has moved to another country, in this case Spain, therefore to suggest that it is insulting is plainly nonsense, unless a specific person is identified.

All newspapers try to make any article as easily understandable as possible and therefore this writer for one will continue not to raid the dictionary for words that nobody understands and will use expatriate when it fits better than ‘UK passport holder now residing in Spain who may or may not eventually return to the fatherland.’

Naturally, if a reader is able to provide a word as an alternative which the majority of English speakers would immediately recognise as referring to British in Spain, then is something that the EWN writers would be happy to review seriously.

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NEWS

Thugs target EWN marketing executive’s car THUGS have slashed the tyres of a car belonging to a Euro Week‐ ly News commercial executive on the Costa Blanca South.

Having spent 45 minutes chatting with a valued client, the executive returned to their car, which had been parked in Dona Pepa, Quesada, at around

11am on Tuesday, April 27, only to notice a flat tyre.

“I walked around to the pas‐ senger side and that was flat too. I thought how strange it was, and was absolutely shocked to see they had both been slashed, it had been done deliberately.”

The devastated marketing agent’s car was not the only one parked in the public car park, there were cars either side, but these hadn’t been touched.

“The car park wasn’t full, but it certainly wasn’t empty, and only my car which has the Euro Weekly News logo on the side, was targeted.”

Despite asking around, no‐ body had seen anything.

“I’m absolutely furious and

can’t believe someone would do this.”

It’s been a difficult time for the marketing agent who has been with the company for six years, having been involved in a car accident last month which meant they were unable to work.

“It’s really upsetting, times are extremely hard for every‐ body at the moment without having to pay out €160 because

A DEBATE posted by the Euro Weekly News on its Facebook page on Sunday saw thousands of readers take part to share their views.

The picture, which asked readers whether they were type ‘A or B’ when it comes to hanging their toilet roll saw al‐ most 1,200 people get involved to share their thoughts, and sparked fierce debate among the expat community in Spain.

Britons took to Facebook to share their thoughts on the toilet roll divide, with the overwhelming majority voting that ‘B,’ with toilet paper falling to the front, was the correct way.

And while the debate offered a little ‘Sunday fun’ to readers, there is also a sci‐ ence behind the great toilet roll divide.

of spiteful vandals. It’s in times like these that we should all be pulling together, not setting out to deliberately cause hurt and fi‐ nancial problems for one anoth‐ er.

“Nothing like this has hap‐ pened to me before, and I have no doubt at all that it was delib‐ erate,” they added.

SLASHED: Two tyres.

Loo Roll Divide In the Toilet Paper Test, 2,000 people were asked which way they roll toilet pa‐ per and how assertive they were in rela‐ tionships on a scale of one to 10.

The results reportedly found that those who roll over are more dominant than those who roll under.

Whichever way readers prefer to hang their toilet paper however, an 1891 patent for the toilet paper roll shows it should be hung with the paper hanging

To the front or the back. on the outside, but despite the science, the EWN expects this debate to continue to roll on.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

Meeting through window SINCE the Covid pandemic struck Spain, Xavier Antó and Carmen Panzano have been separated for the first prolonged period of time in the couple’s 65-year marriage,

they now meet through a pane of glass at a nursing home.

Antó, 90, goes three or four times a week to the streetlevel window that looks into

HEALTH experts ACCORDING to the CDC, we should all be wearing double masks as this could prevent the spread of Covid-19 by nearly 95 per cent.

They have said we should wear both a cloth mask and a surgical mask, “knotting the ear loops of the surgical mask where they attach to the mask’s edges and then tuck in and flatten the extra material close to the face.”

According to CDC numbers, they have recorded that “unknotted surgical masks blocked only 56.1 per cent, while a cloth mask blocked only 51.4 per cent of cough particles."

“A knot and tuck surgical mask blocked 77 per cent.”

A combination of both a cloth mask and a surgical mask “blocked cough particles up to 85.4 per cent.”

It has been advised to not spray your mask with chemical disinfectants, not to wear two surgical masks at one time, and to also assess the cleanliness of masks you are going to wear - making sure they are not visibly damaged or soiled.

the nursing home in Barcelona where his 92-yearold wife lives after the home closed to visitors more than a year ago to protect its residents from Covid.

Employees provide him with a chair and bring Panzano, who has Alzheimer’s disease, to the other side of the window so they can speak through the pane of glass.

Antó uses his phone to show Panzano photos of their grandchildren, the husband and wife also place their

hands on the glass and blow each other kisses.

Both of them have had their Covid vaccines, however, nursing homes in Spain are still are under tight restrictions after tens of thousands of people died in senior care facilities during the early months of the pandemic.

The couple met in 1953 and got married in 1955. They have always been at each other’s side, except for a short time at the beginning of their relationship when Antó worked away from home.

Fake PCR tests used at borders ALL people travelling must provide a negative PCR test that has been taken in the previous 72 hours when they arrive in England.

However, according to Professional Officer for the Immigration Services Union’s Lucy Morton, hundreds of passengers are being caught trying to travel with fake PCR tests. “About 100 fake Covid test certificates are being discovered by UK border officials every day, say reports.”

The main reason border controls are discovering these tests are fake is because they contain spelling mistakes.

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FEATURE

Cancellation of a timeshare contract. Refund of money paid. New court success IN today’s article, we are going to talk about a recent court de‐ cision; obtained by our law firm. Relating to a timeshare claim. Where our claim was es‐ timated. Consequently, the contract has been cancelled and part of the money paid asked to be returned to our clients.

The specific case: Marriott Son Antem Complex.

Our clients were sold a ‘Sil‐ ver’ week at the Son Antem complex of Marriott, in the Balearic Islands.

The contract was signed in 2002, with Law 42/1998 about timesharing already in force.

In the information provided by the vendors, the MCVI com‐ panies, it was not specified: ‐ the duration of the con‐ tract. ‐ characteristics of the com‐ plex, property, etc. ‐ rights of the buyers. With‐ drawing from the contract, etc.

Much of this information, ac‐ cording to the seller, was in the

general conditions or terms. A brochure, with certain informa‐ tion, that was never actually de‐ livered to my clients. Despite the fact that the contract said it was.

The mis‐sold of the Time‐ share. Legal basis of our claim.

Our claim was based, basical‐ ly on the following points: 1. The signed contract did not respect the 1998 law re‐ garding maximum duration. As it was for over 50 years.

2. The contract did not in‐ clude the basic information.

That is, it did not have the terms required by law: details of the deed of the complex, de‐ scription of property, amounts to be paid, etc.

3. Despite what is stated in the private contract; the gener‐

al conditions were never deliv‐ ered. So, the real information provided was minimal.

Finally, we requested the cancellation of the contract, and the return of what was paid by our clients, or alterna‐ tively, the proportional part of it, taking into account the time they enjoyed their rights.

The court decision granted by the Spanish court: The court decision obtained by us, can be checked on our website: www.white‐baos.com The court, as requested in our lawsuit, confirmed in its judgement that: ‐ Although the complex was prior to the approval of the 1998 law; it had to adapt and respect it. All complexes prior to it, must comply with it; if

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

they are sold after the approval.

They cannot, as the MCVI de‐ fended, opt for the continua‐ tion of the existing regime, without respecting the law. ‐ The contract, being older than 50 years, is null and void. ‐ In addition, the contract does not include the minimum information required by law. therefore, it must be declared null and void.

Finally, it declares the nullity of the contract, and the obliga‐ tion of the sellers of the Mar‐ riott complex, to return €7,522.67 to my clients.

Conclusion If you have a timeshare con‐ tract. In any complex: Marriott, Son Antem, Ogisaka Garden, Parque Denia, Anfi Beach, etc.

Contact us and we will help you with your timeshare claim.

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

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NEWS

McCann’s £750,000 Fund Meningitis cases drop

MADELEINE MCCANN’S parents have more than £750,000 €862,473 in a fund to pay for a private search if the police hunt ever ends and the investigation stops. The latest accounts for Madeleine’s Fund - Leaving No Stone Unturned Ltd - show a balance of £773,629 - €889,646 for

the year ending March 31, 2020.

According to the publicly available documents, the money will be used to “secure the safe return to her family” of Madeleine McCann and to ensure her “abduction is thoroughly investigated” and her alleged abductors “are identified and

brought to justice.”

Once that objective has been fulfilled any remaining money will be donated to help crack similar cases. According to reports, 90 per cent of children who go missing in the UK are found within 48 hours, and the vast majority return home unharmed.

LAST Saturday, April 24,was World Meningitis Day, which the Ministry of Health and Families of the Junta de Andalucia joined in with, by promoting vaccination against meningitis as a means of prevention of this disease (meningococcal disease).

Shakira could face jail time ON Wednesday April 21, the Spanish Tax Agency sent a new report to the court in which it confirms that the singer Shakira defrauded €14.5 million (£12,568,875) to the Treasury between 2012 and 2014. She may sing about how her ‘hips don’t lie’, but it would seem she lied about residing in Spain and hid her earnings through a network of companies.

According to legal sources, the Spanish Treasury contradicts the arguments of the defence of the Colombian singer, who presents her concert and television schedule to try to appear as though she remained in Spain for less than 184 days and, therefore, had no obligation to pay taxes in this country.

The head of the Court of Instruction number two of Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona) summoned the Treasury and the defence to testify on July 8 to present their thesis on what Shakira’s tax obligations were.

Figures reveal that during the last 12 months, there have been only 24 cases in all of Spain, six of which have been in Andalucia, compared to the 257 cases of meningitis the previous year - of which 31 died - a staggering drop of 90.6 per cent.

Last year, the Ministry of Health and Families launched a meningitis awareness campaign, aimed at informing adolescents and their families of the importance of getting vaccinated, called ‘#ZeroMeningitis that nothing stops you,’ and it is being continued again this year.

Since January 2020 the menin-

gitis vaccine has been administered free of charge in health centres throughout Andalucia to infants at 12 months of age, to help protect them from a younger age, whereas in the rest of Spain, it is given when a child reaches 12 years of age, with a rescue of all those aged 13 to 18 years.

The ultimate objective of the Andalucian health authorities is to enable every adolescent in the province, aged between 12 and 18 to be vaccinated against this disease over the next three years, as meningitis can cause sequelae, or even death in some cases.

VACCINE: Is free of charge for children.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

UK Pensions are Low THE UK’s pensions have been ranked showing that UK pen‐ sioners see some of the highest levels of poverty in the world, sparking debate from expats about whether the UK state pension is enough to live on in Spain.

Following the news that the UK has some of the highest lev‐ els of pensioner poverty, ex‐ pats in Spain have been debat‐ ing whether a state pension is enough to live on.

According to the Express newspaper, the UK govern‐ ment produced a briefing pa‐ per showing how prevalent ‘pensioner poverty’ is across the EU and Organisation for Economic Co‐Operation and Development (OECD) coun‐ tries.

Roderick McInnes, the re‐ port’s writer, said: “The OECD uses a common set of statistical conventions to measure in‐ comes consistently across countries to determine the pro‐ portion of the pensioner popu‐ lation in each country living in relative income poverty (de‐ fined as having incomes less

SPANISH LIFE: Can expats on a pension still afford to live here? than 50 per cent of the medi‐ an).

“The proportion of people aged 66 and over living in rela‐ tive income poverty varies widely. In the UK it was 14.9 per cent in 2018, the 13th high‐ est out of the 33 OECD coun‐ tries for which data is available for 2016‐2018.”

The data showed that UK pensioner property rates were 12.9 per cent for those aged 66 to 75, with those aged over 76 seeing poverty rates rise to 17.8 per cent.

The news has sparked de‐ bate among British expats about whether the average UK state pension of £137.60 (€157.81) a week is enough to live on in Spain.

One reader said: “I think the pension amount is definitely not enough to live on when you take into account bills, rent and other expenses.”

However, other expats said they were pleased with the amount they receive.

One said: “I paid in for so lit‐ tle time that mine just about pays the phone bill. I am grate‐ ful for it all the same, but that is why I still work.”

Another said: “I receive around £900 (€1,032.16) a month.

“As a pensioner I am more than happy with the latest in‐ crease and the fact that after contributing for more than 40 years I can still receive my UK pension in Spain.”

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NEWS

Benidorm Dream Ends In Food Bank LINDSEY EVERS, a 45-year-old mother of three, originally from Halifax, West Yorkshire, and her partner, chef Peter Chadwick, have seen their dream life in the popular Spanish tourist destination of Benidorm shattered by the pandemic, as they find themselves surviving on handouts from a local British-run food bank, with just €20 (£17) in her pocket, and facing eviction from their two-bed flat in four weeks’ time for rent arrears.

Without the funds to fly home to Britain, Lindsey, who moved to Benidorm 10 years ago, told The Sun, “We’re relying on charity and goodwill to put food on the table for us

and the children. We’ve been legal residents here for years, worked hard, and paid our taxes. Now we’re one step away from living on the streets. Coronavirus has been an absolute disaster for us and a lot of other Brits who moved to Benidorm and had made a good life for themselves here.”

Karen Maling Cowles, the president of Benidorm’s British Businesses Association, which is running the food bank, revealed, “I never thought I would see so much sadness and so many people struggling. We’re talking about families who have always worked and are hard workers. Benidorm’s just not the same at the moment.

What you see everywhere are ‘For Rent’ and ‘For Sale’ signs.

The Little England area is completely dead.”

She added, “We’re current-

BENIDORM: Is just not the same at the moment. ly feeding about 26 families, 24 of whom are British. This is something that never happened before coronavirus. We provide them with everything they need, from meat and washing powder through to soap, shampoo, nappies and tea bags. Without that weekly

shop, these families wouldn’t survive. The British community has been fantastic in supporting those in need here.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to try and raise the funds for Lindsey and her family to fly home, so far raising £426 of the £1,739 target.

7yr old saved mother’s life AT only seven years old, Alba has become a re‐ al heroine. The little girl saved the life of her mother, Nuria, who suffered low blood sugar while she was sleeping.

At 7am, Alba noticed that her mother was complaining and making strange sounds whilst they slept next to each other.

When her mother did not respond, the little girl did what her parents have always taught her: “I had to give her a soda or sugar water, but she wouldn’t wake up,” the girl said.

She then tried to call for help using a mobile phone that had facial recognition. “She tried to put it on my face but having my eyes closed it

didn’t work,” says her mother. However, Alba then saw an SOS appear on the screen and contacted 112.

“I told them the street where I lived and what happened to my mother,” explains the girl who was also taking care of her younger sister who was in the house and very scared. “I cried and just repeated: my mother is sick.”

Two Guardia Civil officers appeared at the house in Sevilla moments later and jumped over the fence. They were able to contact Al‐ ba, who was calm throughout and handed them a bunch of keys through the window so they could enter the house.

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Concerns over PCR cost EASYJET: Carried out a recent poll.

THE figures from a poll carried out by easyJet found that Brits would pay up to €57 for a PCR test, sparking hopes the news could push the government to cap costs and help expats see their loved ones again.

The research also found that the average Brit believes the cost of a PCR test should be re‐ duced to £30 (€34), while 58 per cent of Britons are more likely to take a holiday abroad to low‐risk green countries this summer if the government introduced cheaper lateral flow tests.

New research has found 61 per cent of Brits believe under the traffic light travel system, the green tier should mean restric‐ tion‐free travel this summer.

Which? found the current cost for return travel to Spain could cost up to £330 per per‐ son.

Concerns about the price of PCR tests were voiced by Euro Weekly News readers signing our Cap the Costs petition in www.euroweeklynews.com urg‐ ing the government to lower the price of tests so that expats can see their loved ones again.

NEWS

Confusion and contradiction THE Internet and Facebook pages are awash with con‐ fusing and contradicting in‐ formation for expats re‐ turning to Spain from the UK. Since January 1, 2021, when the UK officially left

the European Union, expats have been faced with a string of hurdles when try‐ ing to return back to Spain.

It would appear, judging by what expats are saying on social media, that your chances of being allowed to

UK ‘No Longer in a Pandemic’ THE UK is no longer in a pandemic after the vaccine roll‐ out has cut infections by 90 per cent, according to an expert.

The expert said the UK is no longer in a pandemic.

According to the Sun newspaper, Sarah Walker, a pro‐ fessor of medical statistics and epidemiology at Oxford, said Britain had “moved from a pandemic to an endem‐ ic situation.”

She added: “Without vaccines, I don’t think getting close to zero is really feasible in the situation now in the UK where we’re effectively endemic, we’ve moved from a pandemic to an endemic situation.”

Professor Walker said falling infections were due to lockdown and vaccines. She said: “Long‐term lockdown isn’t a viable solution so vaccines are clearly going to be the only way that we are going to have a chance to con‐ trol this,” she said.

Data from a study of the impact of the vaccine shows it reduces infection and helps cut transmission.

return to Spain from the UK rely a lot on which airline you fly with, and which air‐ ports you fly in and out of.

Jessica said: "I am stuck in the UK. I checked my resi‐ dency application status this morning to find ‘Resuel‐ to ‐ Favorable’. I am thrilled but would like to know if I can now get back to Spain with this. I had problems with easyJet in March from Gatwick to Alicante because they would only accept the TIE or residency document.

It was a very stressful expe‐ rience and I would not want to go through that again, so am rather reluctant to risk it. I would really appreciate it if anyone has any experi‐ ence of travelling with their favourable decision email."

Jessica’s situation isn’t an isolated one, EWN has pre‐ viously covered stories of confused expats trying to return to Spain believing that they have the correct documentation only to be turned around at the air‐ port and forced back to the UK.

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SINCE Britain left the EU, a whole bar‐ rage of bureaucratic nightmares have been thrown at UK expats in Spain, be‐ tween applying for residency for those currently living here and visa applica‐ tions for Brits looking to make the move. The latest debacle which is really quite worrying for expats is the fact that, following one extension already, expats with a driving licence from the UK won’t be allowed to drive here in Spain after June unless they can ex‐

Wheels Are Off change it for a Spanish licence. Simple enough right? Afraid not.

Panicked expats have been phoning embassies, consulting lawyers and pleading with the DGT in order to speed the complicated process up, of‐

ten without any success. The issue is this: All UK licence holders who are resi‐ dent in Spain must change to a Spanish licence, but they also must have regis‐ tered their intent to swap over with the DGT before December 31 last year.

The DGT won’t exchange the li‐ cences until Spanish residency has been approved, which is taking an inordinate amount of time due to a huge backlog.

And the trouble doesn’t end there.

Unless some sort of agreement is

NEWS

reached between the Spanish and UK governments, anyone who failed to register their intent in December, or isn’t able to conduct the exchange be‐ fore the end of June, will have to sit a Spanish driving test.

One last fly in the ointment: there is currently a waiting list of up to eight months in many regions for a driving test, meaning countless expats could be without wheels in the coming months.

CYBERATTACK PHONE HOUSE: Assured that no ransom was paid.

Bar For Rent At €5pm ISMAEL LAGUNA, the mayor of Caracuel de Calatrava, a small town of 122 inhabitants, Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, posted an advert on social media on April 16, looking for a young family with children to run the only bar in the municipality, calling the bar, “in perfect condition for use and exploitation.”

Mr Laguna commented, “We are overwhelmed because we did not expect so many requests. Since we posted the ad on social media on April 16, we have received more than 650 replies, and not only from Spain, but also from Italy, France, and South America.”

The monthly rent on the bar is €5, but, for an extra €150 month, the family can have the use of a four-roomed house, with a garage, terrace and to qualify, a family must have at least two children of school age, and have a background in the hospitality sector, and produce a reference from a previous employer.

The job application is open, and the mayor offers it until the end of April, and can still be applied for by emailing - re pueblacaracuel@gmail.com.

THE Phone House chain of mobile telephone stores in Spain was hit by the ‘Babuk’ ransomware cyberattack on Sunday April 11, but did not become public until April 21, and now, reportedly, the instigators of the attack claim to have published data on the dark web of 13 million customers who were on the company’s database.

The company assured that no ransom was paid to the cybercriminals, on the advice of cybersecurity experts, Hispasec, who claim that giving in to such demands only leads to funding more similar attacks, and still does not guarantee that the criminals would not publish the stolen data anyway.

Around 13 million customers’ personal information was stored on the Phone House’s servers, including full names, addresses, date of birth, email address, telephone contact number, home address, nationality, as well as bank account details, passport or identity document information, and the IMEI codes of all the devices sold to those customers.

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NEWS

Spain Child Protection Law ON Thursday, April 15, the Congress of Deputies in Spain’s lower house of parliament approved a pioneering new child protection law aimed at protecting children and adolescents against violence. The legislation was voted through with an absolute majority of 268 votes to 57 - 16 abstained.

The decision was not expected in the cur-

rent political climate.

British concert pianist, James Rhodes, pioneered the new legislation, known as Rhodes Law, in the defence of children’s rights. Rhodes, a Madrid resident, suffered sexual abuse when he was a boy and has been one of the most public faces pushing for a law to combat violence suffered by

youngsters and adolescents.

The child protection law must now be passed in the Senate, where more amendments are likely to be presented. More than 40,000 offences against children were recorded in 2019, and children and adolescents make up nearly half of all sexual abuse victims in Spain.

Mass Car SORN in Spain EWN previously reported on how millions of vehicle owners could face fines for not having insurance. It has now been announced that thousands of cars in Spain that have not been insured for over 10 years or have not

passed their ITV, so-called zombie cars, will be suddenly cancelled by the DGT. The Official State Gazette (BOE) published last week a Royal Decree on end-of-life vehicles that includes, among other new features, the es-

Reading comes back

LIKE every other non‐essential retailer in Spain, book‐ stores were hit hard during the coronavirus, being forced to shut up shop and left at the mercy of online sellers. However, as International Book Day 2021 was celebrated around the globe on Friday, April 23, Span‐ ish bibliophiles had a reason to rejoice, as national sell‐ ers saw an increase of €9 million in their turnover com‐ pared with the same day last year.

In a turn up for the books (so sorry!), sales have not only increased this year around the world, but they are actually higher than in the years leading up to the pan‐ demic. As reported by Spanish press, during the first three months of 2019, the global amount of book sales totalled €85 million; this dropped to €78 million during the coronavirus pandemic, but for the same period in 2021, €87 million worth of books have been sold.

tablishment of one year from the date of application for the temporary deregistration of a vehicle.

After this time period, if an extension hasn’t been requested, the car will be in active status again which will mean the corresponding administrative and fiscal obligations, such as the payment of the circulation tax, are to be addressed. The extension may be requested at the Traffic Headquarters and has to be requested no later than two months before the end date of the temporary deregistration. Many vehicles were temporarily deregistered so that illegal scrapyards could export them or cut them up with a lower tax burden.

Another of the rules included in this Royal Decree is the obligation to pass an ITV inspection on cars that have been declared a total loss by the insurance company, whether the owner intends to continue with it or for it to be transferred to another owner.

Missions To Mars A GROUP of talented youngsters from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) have designed three manned missions that could make it to Mars.

The students, all studying In‐ dustrial, Aerospace and Audiovisu‐ al Engineering under the tutorship of Professor Miguel Sureda, have designed the space vehicles, com‐ plete with the necessary technolo‐ gy for them to land on the planet.

The professor told Spanish press that the engineering stu‐ dents “during their training, must understand and learn formulas, equations, theorems and the en‐ tire set of scientific language” and, throughout their professional lives, “they must transform it into technological solutions.”

One of the bright students, Lorena Tortajada, said her space‐ craft “could transport three astro‐ nauts and would reach Mars after six months of space travel.” Yet another group designed a vehicle for up to three people “who would travel to Mars for about 200 days in a spacecraft similar to the one built in the framework of the Apollo space programmes.”

NEWS

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29 April - 5 May 2021

Filming hair removal THE National Police have ar‐ rested a couple from Elda in Alicante that operated an aes‐ thetic centre. The couple filmed about 100 clients un‐ dergoing hair removal treat‐ ment in the genital area‐ naked from the waist down.

Some of the victims, includ‐ ing minors, were also touched

and were told it was part of the waxing procedure. Police have arrested the couple who were in possession of more than 500 videos of clients.

They are accused of alleged crimes of sexual abuse and production, distribution, and possession of child sexual ma‐ terial.

Avoid another wave WITH the end of the State of Alarm on May 9, now more than ever it is important to be clear about the basic key measures to follow to avoid another wave of Covid‐19.

One of the most important factors we do know about the virus is its transmission through air particles emitted by people when they speak, cough or breathe. These tiny droplets of saliva can remain in the air for hours and trav‐ el several metres. You are 20 times more likely to be in‐ fected indoors than outdoors.

We have also come to find that surface transmission of the virus is of less relevance than first thought. The most important measure is the use of masks; all public and pri‐ vate places must and should have adequate ventilation. It is advised to not meet with large groups and to maintain a safe distance of between 1.5 and 2 metres, whether in‐ doors or outdoors.

Finally, although hand hygiene is not as important as first thought, soap and water or hydroalcoholic gel is still highly recommended.

Both arrested are Spanish Nationals and in their 50s, they are on bail after appearing in court number 2 of Alicante.

The couple had apparently al‐ so been arrested back in 2019 for possession of child pornog‐ raphy.

According to police sources, the complaint that led to the couple’s arrest came from the United States. One of the so‐ cial platforms or associations that fight against the dissemi‐ nation of child pornography alerted US authorities, who forwarded the complaint to the Minors Protection group of the General Police Station in Madrid ‐ through the US Em‐ bassy.

According to the investiga‐ tion, a Spanish user had been detected who had uploaded several pictures and videos to a platform that showed mi‐ nors being subject to sexual abuse.

It was then that the case was taken over by the judicial group of the National Police in Alicante, which sent several of‐ ficers to the suspects’ homes.

EWN 25

26 EWN

29 April - 5 May 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Keeping Green

Not guilty

THE latest report from the World Economic Forum (WEF), says that Denmark remains one of the top countries in the world when it comes to embracing renewable resources. According to the WEF, Denmark comes third after Sweden and Norway out of a list of 115 countries.

IN an interview with Le Figaro, President Macron said that he believed that the law should be changed after a man who killed his neighbour by throwing her out of a window was found not guilty of murder as he was high on drugs.

NETHERLANDS Cash rich

NORWAY Naval disaster Norway’s accident investigations commission has ruled that due to poor training, the crew of the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad contributed to its sinking as they did not close doors and hatches when they abandoned ship after colliding with a tanker in 2018.

CRIMINALS in Holland are finding that the pandemic has made money laundering activities more difficult as regular ‘fronts’ such as bars, restaurants and hairdressers were unable to open according to a report from the public prosecution department and around €100 million in cash was seized in 2020.

FINLAND

BELGIUM

Battery power

Wolf cubs A FEMALE wolf named Noella, is expecting a new litter of cubs according to the Agency for Nature and Woodland having taken photographs of her in Limburg Province. The photos will not be released for some time in case the area is recognised and attracts hunters.

GERMANY Offering refuge LIKE other governments, Germany is getting ready to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan but unlike some others, it believes that it has an obligation to offer refuge or protection to those who have helped the military according to the German Defence Minister.

AN undisclosed investment by UK group Johnson Matthey and the Finnish Minerals Group will see the construction of a new plant in Vaasa which will see Finland becoming an important player in the supply of batteries for electric vehicles in the future.

SWEDEN Woman Ambassador AS the Saudi Arabian government appears to become slightly more progressive and tolerant, it has appointed Einas Al-Shahwan as the Kingdom’s ambassadordesignate to Sweden during a virtual meeting with King Salman. She will be the Saudi’s third female Ambassador to be appointed over the years.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Scoliosis Awareness Month June 2021 C H E C K Y our B ack - C heck Y our C hild’s Back. I am often contacted by parents of children who have recently been diagnosed with scoliosis.

What many of them have in common is that before hearing this diagnosis they have never heard of the condition or its symptoms. Scoliosis is an S-shaped double curvature of the spine affecting three to four children in every 1,000.

My mother had never heard of scoliosis before the fateful day of my diagnosis.

I often wonder how life might be different if my symptoms had been noticed earlier.

If caught early, it is sometimes possible to correct scoliosis with the use of a back brace and proper exercises.

W hen my scoliosis was discovered at age 15, the condition was already too severe for me to be able to consider this option. My ribs had buckled and twisted giving me a large rib hump.

At 20, I had surgery to prevent my spine from crushing my heart and lungs.

Since then, I have had two further surgeries to help straighten my spine and correct the placement of my ribs.

Advised by doctors and surgeons to train regularly and strengthen my muscles, I became passionate about exercise.

Following this path has truly helped immeasurably with my recovery.

With proper care and treatment, and with the support of my family and friends, I feel lucky to have been able to lead a full and normal life, raise my wonderful children, and pursue a personal training career, supporting others with scoliosis.

To check yourself or your child for scoliosis, bend over to touch the toes and observe the symmetry of the spine.

Signs of scoliosis as advised by the NHS include: • A visibly curved spine • Leaning to one side • Uneven shoulders • One shoulder or hip sticking out

If you think you or your child may be displaying signs of scoliosis, visit your GP who can refer you for further diagnosis.

Scoliosis Awareness day is 26th June 2021 The Scoliosis Association UK

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 27

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Telefónica THE re-elected Chairman of the Board of Telefónica José María Alvarez-Pallete told shareholders as he unveiled the company’s new logo that he believed that the share price would rise once the market saw the financial impact of the merger of 02 and Virgin in the UK.

An apology AMERICAN bankers JPMorgan which advises both Real Madrid and Manchester Football clubs have issued a formal apology saying “We misjudged the reception of the Super League among the football community.” The shortlived Super League caused nothing but trouble for all involved.

Retail sales up NEW figures released by the UK Office for National Statistics indicate that March retail sales were much better than forecast by many analysts, growing by 5.4 per cent thanks to the gradual easing of Covid-19 restrictions with more opportunities for people to visit retail outlets.

Company restructure ALTHOUGH some online betting companies in the UK have done well during the pandemic, Spain’s Codere SA has not been so lucky.

The gaming group which has betting shops and casinos in Spain, Italy and South America has been heavily hit by the Covid-19 pandemic meaning that its physical operations have been closed for much of the last year. With significant debts and bonds that need to be honoured, it is coming to an arrangement to convert much of its debt into shares in a new company which will be 95 per cent owned by the bond holders.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 29 April - 5 May 2021

€919 billion

is the record amount of money that Spaniards have deposited in banks and savings institutions since the start of the pandemic according to America’s Moody’s.

Turning the other cheek INITIALLY launched in Asia by an American based com‐ pany, green toilet paper made out of bamboo could soon arrive in Spain and the rest of Europe.

According to producers of Bambooloo, bamboo is the fastest growing material in the world and is packed with great benefits for peo‐ ple and the planet.

It’s 100 per cent hypoal‐ lergenic, 100 per cent chem‐ ical free, highly absorbent

(25 per cent more ab‐ sorbent than wood pulp) and septic safe.

Not only is it better for us, it is also better on the planet. Bamboo grows around a metre a day and reaches maturity in around five years, while trees take 20 to 50 years to reach ma‐ turity.

Bamboo can grow in soil where other plants can’t and thus highly arable land can be saved for other crops

LEGALLY SPEAKING

and what’s more the type of bamboo they use is too hard for pandas to eat!

In order to make 220 sheets of bamboo toilet pa‐ per, it takes 2.6 gallons of water and 132g of carbon, whilst it takes 37 gallons of water and 440g of carbon to make the same amount of toilet paper out of wood pulp.

Parent company The Nur‐ turing Co has attracted a sig‐ nificant investment from

the Razer Green Fund and Razer which is a well‐known and respected company supplying tech equipment to gamers (with outlets in El Corte Ingles, FNAC and oth‐ ers in Spain) is investing part of its profits into supporting sustainable business.

So confident are they in the concept of bamboo toi‐ let paper that they will be using Bambooloo in the toi‐ lets of all their offices around the world.

Covered wherever you are

They break parking rules We live in a community that has painted single, no‐parking lines on our street.

Despite this, and the fact it is contained in our community rules, some owners and renters choose to ignore these signs. There are at times as many as eight vehicles parked up, causing problems of entry and blind spots which could result in a accident. What can be done legally to enforce the law and the com‐ munity rules? All owners have a dedicated parking space in the garage area.

Sparkling news AFTER the initial boycott of Catalan produced cava because of the push for independence, things have recovered and Raventós Codorníu. The cava and wine group owned by US fund Carlyle has launched its new e-commerce platform, 15bodegas.com to try to expand worldwide market share.

28

L I (Costa del Sol)

It seems that your street is part of YOU AND THE LAW your community IN SPAIN and not a public way so you cannot just call a policeman to issue a parking ticket. Nor is it feasible for the community to charge fines to the owners who break the rule. The only possibility that I can suggest is to place a physical barrier such as a chain where the white line is now.

The chain could be removed when necessary. You will have to be sure that community regulations do not prohibit this.

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.

SANTANDER BANK, BBVA and Caixa have become founding members of the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), which has been convened by the United Na‐ tions Environment Pro‐ gramme Finance Initiative.

The group plans to help mobilise the financial sup‐ port necessary to build a

Your funeral can take place wherever you wish.

MANY people are concerned about what could happen if they die when they are away from their country of resi‐ dence.

Having a Golden Leaves Plan means that this is some‐ thing that neither you nor your family will have to wor‐ ry about.

When you choose your fu‐ neral plan, you can arrange for dual coverage in Spain and the UK at no extra charge, so your funeral can take place in your country of origin if you wish.

Everything will be ar‐

ranged for you, whether you want to be buried or cremat‐ ed in Spain or if you want your body to be returned to your home soil.

Plus, if you have a global portability plan, even if you pass away while you are away from your country of residence your plan covers you wherever you are, even if you don’t want to be repa‐ triated.

The value of the plan can be used either to pay all or part of the cost of a funeral service in the country where you pass away.

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

Net Zero Banking Alliance global zero emissions econ‐ omy and deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement, and provide a forum for strate‐ gic coordination among fi‐ nancial institutions to ac‐ celerate the transition to a net zero economy.

NZBA brings together 43 of the world’s leading banks (although this may increase) and members are committed to phasing out all operational and at‐ tributable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their

lending and investment portfolios.

At the end of 2020, San‐ tander CIB was the world leader in renewable financ‐ ing, according to Dealogic.

In 2020, the bank helped fi‐ nance greenfield renewable

Record borrowings THE UK Government’s bor‐ rowing has hit its highest level since the Second World War as the total by the end of March reached £303.1 billion (€333 billion) according to the ONU. The Office for National Statistics added that bor‐ rowing in March alone rose t o £ 2 8 b i l l i o n ( € 3 0 . 8 b i l‐ lion) and compared to the same time last year, bor‐ rowings over income for the Government were up by £250 billion (€275 bil‐ lion).

There is no doubt that the pandemic is to blame for this huge increase in borrowing, but as Britain comes out of lockdown, the road to economic re‐ covery is going to be rocky to say the least.

The Hut Group THE highly successful Hut Group has announced that it will take over food manufacturer Brighter Foods from Real Good Food, paying £43 million (€47 million).

The market for this type of nutritional bar is growing con‐ siderably which might explain why Hut are paying a 12‐x mul‐ tiple of turnover for the Welsh company that produces the Wild Trail range of vegan op‐ tions as well.

In a tweet, Hut said that it ex‐ pects to create more than 100 new jobs in Wales and to con‐ tinue to support British manu‐ facturing wherever possible.

Completion of the sale is ex‐ pected by the end of May. energy projects with enough installed capacity to power 10.3 million households, and prevent 60 million tons of CO2 emis‐ sions.

The bank also announced the appointment of Anto‐ nio Simoes as CEO of San‐ tander Spain who joined a year ago from HSBC.

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 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 26

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.236,50 1.240,50 Admiral Group 3.195,0 3.198,0 Anglo American 3.132,0 3.148,0 Antofagasta 1.827,50 1.837,50 Ashtead Group 4.782,0 4.783,0 Associated British Foods 2.294,0 2.316,0 AstraZeneca 7.564,0 7.702,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 574,60 576,40 Avast 481,70 481,70 Aveva 3.930,0 3.945,0 Aviva 399,00 401,40 B&M European Value Retail SA558,40 564,20 BAE Systems 496,30 499,50 Bank VTB DRC 1,320 1,320 Barclays 181,98 182,44 Barratt Developments 782,40 786,00 Berkeley 4.579,0 4.588,0 BHP Group 2.212,50 2.219,50 BP 292,10 293,45 British American Tobacco 2.734,0 2.737,5 British Land Company 510,00 512,60 BT Group 155,05 155,65 Bunzl 2.454,0 2.457,0 Burberry Group 2.078,0 2.083,0 Carnival 1.654,4 1.657,0 Centrica 55,26 56,28 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.534,0 2.543,0 Compass 1.567,50 1.584,50 CRH 3.430,0 3.441,0 Croda Intl 6.930,0 6.932,0 DCC 6.352,0 6.422,0 Diageo 3.296,0 3.312,0 DS Smith 423,20 423,20 EasyJet 986,40 1.005,50 Experian 2.767,0 2.787,0 Ferguson 9.282,0 9.318,0 Flutter Entertainment 15.295,0 15.330,0 Fresnillo 893,40 919,60 GlaxoSmithKline 1.342,60 1.349,80 Glencore 296,25 297,95 Halma 2.628,0 2.634,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.677,00 1.684,50 Hikma Pharma 2.392,00 2.444,00 HSBC 419,00 419,00 IAG 196,74 199,50 Imperial Brands 1.486,50 1.490,00 Informa 550,00 551,40 InterContinental 5.182,0 5.204,0 Intermediate Capital 2.046,00 2.049,00 Intertek 6.198,0 6.266,0 ITV 117,60 118,50

% CHG. 1.225,50 3.163,0 3.073,0 1.803,50 4.682,0 2.289,0 7.548,0 565,80 473,10 3.903,0 395,50 553,80 489,00 1,230 178,36 773,80 4.530,0 2.183,50 289,80 2.705,5 503,80 153,10 2.436,0 2.050,0 1.602,0 54,78 2.511,0 1.555,00 3.373,0 6.838,0 6.320,0 3.254,0 410,10 972,20 2.747,0 9.212,0 14.860,0 886,80 1.335,60 290,30 2.606,0 1.657,00 2.381,00 412,40 193,24 1.472,50 537,20 5.080,0 2.016,00 6.112,0 115,65

NET VOL 708,09K 584,87K 1,78M 735,35K 640,20K 440,72K 1,68M 1,99M 2,39M 151,70K 7,05M 1,60M 7,24M 3,92M 51,56M 1,14M 209,60K 2,61M 32,44M 2,03M 1,62M 20,91M 616,02K 457,62K 1,14M 11,96M 220,39K 1,50M 887,13K 237,76K 91,31K 2,62M 1,65M 2,25M 1,12M 322,96K 370,52K 1,24M 4,90M 30,47M 397,51K 670,60K 384,87K 15,51M 25,71M 1,06M 3,43M 310,55K 310,35K 243,61K 5,90M

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

242,20 3.294,0 711,60 272,50 42,63 7.726,0 467,50 163,45 1.991,50 903,50 194,95 8.012,0 34,32 2.236,00 3.178,0 722,40 1.510,00 6.654,0 1.940,00 511,40 619,00 6.119,0 101,76 7,11 1.356,51 1.356,2 1.294,6 682,60 645,00 1.866,50 15,55 3.539,0 1.251,00 996,00 2.438,0 1.492,00 1.647,00 12.265,0 1.493,50 1.320,50 479,80 272,30 187,35 222,55 389,10 4.113,5 959,00 133,58 3.403,0 967,80

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

248,70 3.309,0 714,40 272,50 42,67 7.726,0 470,00 164,10 1.995,00 918,00 195,10 8.012,0 34,47 2.246,00 3.178,0 727,00 1.510,00 6.802,0 1.941,00 511,80 619,40 6.130,0 102,40 7,19 1.362,50 1.362,4 1.304,4 682,80 648,40 1.867,50 15,67 3.562,0 1.256,00 1.013,00 2.453,0 1.492,50 1.647,50 12.320,0 1.517,50 1.326,00 480,50 274,70 187,65 226,45 391,80 4.133,0 967,20 134,34 3.432,0 967,80

241,70 3.250,0 703,60 268,40 41,76 7.636,0 456,40 160,45 1.965,00 899,50 191,05 7.798,0 34,09 2.207,00 3.125,0 718,20 1.477,50 6.612,0 1.901,00 499,50 611,60 5.977,0 99,33 7,08 1.347,20 1.347,4 1.288,8 682,20 638,80 1.850,00 15,44 3.499,0 1.229,00 993,80 2.416,0 1.466,00 1.615,00 12.215,0 1.486,50 1.303,50 471,60 271,00 184,45 222,25 385,20 4.072,0 950,40 132,52 3.353,0 946,20

5,62M 354,45K 752,02K 7,74M 117,34M 491,66K 1,81M 6,97M 449,43K 4,59M 8,79M 585,61K 1,10M 685,37K 372,00K 1,79M 4,16M 835,26K 1,50M 2,90M 1,05M 1,89M 33,01M 997,00K 2,48M 2,48M 3,18M 2,13M 2,13M 11,00K 4,44M 147,70K 2,04M 2,46M 343,84K 3,86M 546,67K 64,23K 1,86M 588,19K 2,93M 2,77M 6,02M 38,21M 2,71M 2,38M 1,27M 42,97M 579,49K 2,31M

1.14768

0.87137

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.21051 Japan yen (JPY)......................................130.505 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1050 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4360 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.026

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 26

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 202,20 2.315,30 3.340,88 257,03 134,32 238,38 230,11 101,55 51,91 54,47 301,13 339,35 323,89 224,50 142,43 59,24 165,52 150,19 234,58 77,88 261,15 130,19 133,94 233,51 729,40 400,31 57,30 230,00 139,90 183,02

CHANGE 203,16 2.325,82 3.375,00 258,14 135,12 238,58 231,65 102,17 52,13 54,59 302,59 340,67 325,53 226,95 143,61 60,00 166,06 151,13 235,24 78,20 261,51 130,65 135,08 235,49 737,36 401,99 57,47 231,82 140,34 183,90

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 200,99 1,86M 2.278,21 1,44M 3.308,50 3,20M 253,67 2,43M 132,16 78,76M 233,11 11,55M 227,88 3,46M 100,72 6,76M 51,18 14,02M 54,17 9,02M 297,15 17,56M 330,72 2,17M 319,58 3,41M 222,22 5,31M 140,95 4,56M 57,90 77,52M 164,00 6,03M 146,69 14,04M 233,10 2,14M 77,46 8,21M 257,27 21,50M 128,46 7,49M 133,25 6,71M 231,75 5,45M 715,46 28,41M 394,50 2,26M 56,78 18,10M 227,71 5,35M 139,03 7,66M 181,96 6,08M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 26

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Booking Holdings Inc. Alphabet Inc. Cl A Alphabet Inc. Cl C SVB Financial Group First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A MercadoLibre Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Amazon.com Inc. Trade Desk Inc. Cl A ASML Holding N.V. CoStar Group Inc.

+2.06% +2.10% +2.09% +8.72% +4.95% +2.40% +2.28% +0.96% +3.75% +3.68% +2.27%

253,725 1.46M 1.44M 996,602 62,194 309,216 655 3.20M 445,677 1.13M 167,317

-1.22% -5.08% -3.22% -2.54% -8.56% -5.80% -1.80% -5.66% -8.43% -5.32% -1.45%

8,891 3.50M 574,853 8,747 114,623 1.23M 1,646 1.35M 523,247 77.52M 166,758

Most Declined Atrion Corp.

Quidel Corp.

Mirati Therapeutics Inc. Winmark Corp.

Strattec Security Corp.

Applovin Corp. Cl A Sabre Corp. 6.5% Pfd. BJ's Restaurants Inc. Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc. Intel Corp.

Helen of Troy Ltd.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Micro numbers of micro chips

WORLDWIDE SHORTAGE: So much technology relies on microchips.

A COMBINATION of the pan‐ demic, Brexit (for the UK) and a major fire in Japan have led to a massive worldwide short‐ age of microchips.

It may get better in the long term, but in the short term the problem is getting worse which may result in the cost of computers and mobile phones shooting up.

This has been made worse by the increase in home work‐ ers, many of whom have up‐ graded their laptops and PCs so demand has risen faster than production.

5G needs fuel an increase in demand for new mobile phones and there has also been a steady increase in the sale of video games during lockdown What’s more with so many car manufacturers relying on microchips to control the ever more advanced brains of their vehicles, the problem is slow‐

ing down production consider‐ ably.

Indeed Tata, the Indian owners of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), now Britain’s largest car manufacturer have recently announced that because of the shortage of microchips that it will have to suspend produc‐ tion at two of its three UK fac‐ tories.

This slow down would not only affect the company’s rev‐ enue, but could see some form of financial loss for its nearly 6,000 workers if they are forced to work part time.

It’s not just the UK that is suffering as the majority of au‐ to manufacturers in Europe and the USA have reported similar problems especially as the demand for new vehicles is beginning to increase.

According to the BBC, Vaux‐ hall has decided that due to the problem it will install ‘old style’ analogue rather than

3,800 job losses BBVA SA, Spain’s second-largest bank, with around 23,000 employees, announced on April 22, the proposed dismissal of 3,798 employees across the country, which is around 16 per cent of their total workforce, and involves the closure of 530 branches.

The management claims the action is a necessary result of the advancement of the digital era, with interest rates dropping, and new companies moving into the digital realm, with customers taking advantage of those new portals, hence making it necessary for the company to reduce its cost structure.

digital speedometers into its new cars.

BUSINESS EXTRA Banker’s salaries “WE have been saying that we find the high salaries and bonuses unacceptable,” Nadia Calvino, Spain’s Minister of the Economy told journalists outside the Cortes Building in Madrid, about recompense of senior bankers. She added that she would be taking the matter up with the Bank of Spain.

Generation Z THOSE now aged between 15 and 24 are known as Generation Z and research by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) suggests that Spanish workers in that age bracket have suffered most with 38 per cent unemployed since the start of the pandemic.

Bitcoin jitters THE announcement by President Biden that he is considering increasing the tax on capital gains and the decision by the USA and Spain amongst others to require holdings of cryptocurrency to be declared has seen a fall in Bitcoin value from €52,500 to just over €40,000.

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 31

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

The defence was rubbish

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I WAS actually more than a little disturbed about the speed that police officer Derek Chauvin’s conviction was obtained.

Despite a record‐breaking backlog of cases waiting to be heard, this man was arrested, brought before the court and convicted less than a year after the offence was committed. The jury was out for only nine hours before reaching their verdict ‐ guilty on all three counts.

In a case as complex and controversial as this, having it all conveniently wrapped up so quickly, absolutely reeks of political interference and mob appeasement.

Almost before the ink was dry, a noticeably relieved Biden appeared before the public pontificating about ‘stamping out racism’, ‘new beginnings’ and almost unbelievably proclaiming he had ‘prayed for the right result’ ‐ which actually was a bit rich coming from someone who once attended the memorial of a leading member of the Klu Klux Klan!

Anyway it all worked (I could hear the sighs of Democratic leftie relief

COURT CASE: Was a trial by media.

from here!), the rioting and mayhem which could have been sparked never ignited and, apart from the accused, the only other people who were unhappy with the verdict were the looters, who will now have to look elsewhere for a reason to plunder and pillage.

I personally believe the defence was rubbish. They presented extremely

scant footage of the events prior to the actual arrest, where this thug was shown to be violently resisting. They conveniently overlooked one police video camera, which briefly caught Floyd shouting he ‘couldn’t breathe,’ when he was standing by the car with no one anywhere near his neck and to insist that no Jury member had any prior knowledge of this extremely high

profile case before they sat in judgement, is as naïve and intelligence insulting as believing the authorities had no influence in the proceedings.

No, this was a trial by media and left wing manipulation who have now blatantly martyred a vicious criminal thug for their own political gain.

Chauvin’s appeal could be very interesting indeed.

FEATURE

About a year ago I wrote a piece decrying Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to hold another Scottish independence referendum. One observation of mine was that should it be successful she would need to erect a border akin to Hadrian’s Wall. This week I read that a ‘think tank’ committee had recently formed the same conclusion.

Presumably these people had been engaged and no doubt paid handsomely for their efforts. Strange to think that if they were readers of this publication they could have been informed of this conclusion months ago ‐ and a great deal cheaper! For the sake of sanity and good sense let us hope our friends north of the border see through Ms Sturgeon’s biased and mealy mouthed tirades and send her and her SNP party back into their Jurassic bolt holes where they belong, leaving us all to enjoy and prosper from the magnificent and exciting future that awaits our precious and wholly unique UNITED Kingdom.

I’ve just heard ITV announce a Stephen Lawrence day. Any chance of a Lee Rigby day? Just asking!

Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2003@gmail.com expatradioscotland.

Mon. Wed. Frid. 1pm till 4.

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 33

CRACKING DOWN ON PASSWORD COMPLACENCY name isn’t brilliant, but the most damaging form of password complacency is using the SAME password across multiple sites and ser‐ vices. Individuals have had their Instagram ac‐ counts hacked or Spotify memberships stolen as a result of this password repetition compla‐ cency.

On the other hand, having multiple pass‐ words has its own problems. I mean, remem‐ bering which password goes with which on‐ line account / email address / secure website etc. And being locked out of various online ac‐ counts / email addresses / secure websites etc just because when you try to login to one of them, you punch in the wrong password.

All because you think, of course, you re‐ member which password you need to use so you don’t need to hit that infamous ‘Can’t re‐ member your password?’ button. And almost every single time, you don’t remember...

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

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

LAST time I wrote about the problem of ‘phishing’. Well, the online passwords you use could put you at an even greater risk. Ac‐ cording to a recent survey, millions of Brits are using their pet’s name as their online password, despite it being an easy target for hackers.

The National Cyber Security Centre said 15 per cent of the population used pets’ names like Maggie, Molly, Max or Milo or other very common names. (Oops! Is that one of your passwords?) Moreover, 14 per cent use a family member’s name, and 13 per cent pick a notable date (like birthdays) which can also often be gleaned from social media. And 6 per cent of people are still using ‘password’ as all ‐ or a part ‐ of their password. (Oops! That you again?)

Other problematic passwords included a sports team the user supported (6 per cent), a string of numbers such as ‘123456’ (6 per

COMPUTER HACKERS: People aren’t protecting themselves in the simplest of ways. cent), or a favourite TV show (5 per cent) such as Strictly or Masterchef. (Oh, not you again!)

But passwords are a pain, aren’t they? Ac‐ cording to a study by NordPass, the average

person has to remember 100. Help!

But this new survey proves yet again that people aren’t protecting themselves in the simplest of ways. Using your pet or child’s

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), Ap‐ ple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

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

34 EWN

29 April - 5 May 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

TESTIMONIALS

Testimonials are the fuel that keeps us going!

WE are living in uncertain times but if one thing is sure, we all need people who we can count on to help us get through it.

Our clients know that competition is tougher than ever, but they also know that we’ve got their backs and they can count on us to go the extra mile to make them stand out from the rest and get the results that they need.

Euro Weekly News gets our advertisers where they want to go, but don’t take our word for it, read what they have to say about us. po‐ The Euro Weekly is a fantastic way to make of nt amou huge the tential customers aware of com‐ le peop many ble, availa products we have ment that our advert was the reason they arranged a no obligation site visit, and when people visit the showroom in Antas they always pick up the latest copy! or Damian Benbow Sales & Project Co‐ordinat 063 196 Lifestyle Enclosures: +34 950 459 060 • +34 638 ail.com c@gm yle.en lifest • com ures. nclos www.lifestyle‐e ria Alme .

8 Calle El Garcel 11 Pol Ind El Real, Antas 0462

I would like to say a big thank you to the Euro Weekly team and especially my rep Mich elle for five years of great flexible profession al ser‐ vice and long may it continue.

Mozzie Paul 711 006 718 • +44 7444 737 796 • pleslie@h otmail.co.uk

a We have been advertising with Euro Weekly for a have We us. for s work it use long time beca looks s alway she elle, Mich with p onshi relati great of any new after us and keeps in contact via phone and email in. sted intere be may offers or feature pieces we Keep up the good work Emma • Premier 966 190 643 • info@premiermovespain.com

Hi EWN. I have know n Mich elle for man y years now. She has always helped me and pointed me in the right direction as an ex RETAILER and Ex Area Manager I know abou t service and know that Michelle has always had my back. i would recommend her and have to all my acquaintances.

She and EWN are an asset to my business.

Pete ‐ AA Free English TV Call Stuart 634 373 797 or Pete 606 297 825

or Whatsapp

We advertise in the Euro Weekly because it’s the most popular free newspaper in our opinion.

Michelle looks after us with 100 per cent dedica‐ tion and professionalism at all times.

Ben Cook | Sales Consultant The Property Shop Mob +34 628 045 614 • Tel +34 966 718 836 Avda. de las Naciones N°8, Ciudad Quesada 03170 Rojales (Alicante) Spain • www.propshopspain.com

Loyalty means everything In these times we are living, with everything changing from one day to the next we all need constants in our lives, and team EWN, from the CEO to the writers, from sales to production, have stood tall through thick and thin, despite everything that Covid‐19 brought upon us.

Our clients know and appreciate this, they are aware that we were there for them through lockdown, while we were all facing huge changes and upheaval, to ensure that we could all make it out at the other end.

Their praise and their loyalty means the world to us and the fact that they speak so well of us and decide to put their trust in us, even at times when many people are understandably afraid to invest, is what keeps us going and keep us fighting to be the best.

To have clients praise your products, your team, your service and your results is high praise indeed.

No less than the best We all need to offer the best service in these times, as competition is tougher than ever and we can’t do anything less than our best to be the ones who get the results.

At a time when people are afraid to invest in themselves or in their products because they can’t be sure of what will work and can’t afford to take risks, our clients’ testimonials are all the proof they need to make the choice and choose the best in the business.

Our team, our amazing EWN family, ensures that everything runs smoothly and our clients’ testimonials are proof of this, they are the fuel that keeps our fire alight and the reason we strive to always be the best.

Relatable experiences Testimonials are proof of just how trustworthy our company is and al‐ though we can tell you over and over how good we are, we understand that potential clients are more likely to be swayed by the positive opin‐ ions of our existing clients than what we tell them.

It’s a lot easier for potential clients to relate to the experiences they read in the testimonials than with company directors.

Sometimes they can explain even better than us just how we can help you with what you need and how our services can be beneficial to your business.

Deciding to invest Testimonials are proof of our credibility as one of the leading compa‐ nies on the Spanish costas and our expertise in what we can do for com‐ panies who are now facing one of the most difficult times ever. We un‐ derstand that at this time, people are more cautious about where they invest their money and need extra confidence in the company they de‐ cide to trust with their advertising needs.

They will choose the company with the best track record and will look for those who can show the results of their accomplishments. That’s us.

Did you know that according to certain studies, 92 per cent of people read testimonials before making a decision to invest their money and that almost 90 per cent trust them as much as a personal recommenda‐ tion? So our clients’ testimonials and their satisfaction are of utmost im‐ portance to us and always have been.

Just see for yourself what our clients have to say about us.

Our advertising campaign with the Euro Weekly has always been both easy and effective. The team are always on hand our to assist if required and go the extra mile to make tial. poten its meet aign camp Vic Underwood Ecocorp Solar 671 716 597 ‐ 950 096 166 ‐ www.ecocorp.solar Since arriving in Spain in 2005 I have adve rtised in the Euro Weekly News. They have help ed me flourish and grow my business througho ut the years which has been a massive help.

They offer guidance and help when needed and have been there throughout this Pandemic with good deals and edito rial about my Com‐ pany throughout this time. I am very grateful for all their support. It has been a very difficult coup le of years for all businesses, especially with Brexit and Covi d.

Wendy Codd Res Framire Local 6, C/Alcornoque, 2960 4, Marbella, Málaga (0034) 952 830 843 or 951 080 118 Mob : 635 592 610/676 098 464 • Info@euinsuranced irect.com

kly for We have advertised with the Euro Wee mely extre is r pape news The . now over 10 years is al‐ Coy elle Mich t agen my and d ibute distr well an up write rt, adve ways at the end of the phone to edit our . need may any comp a as we ing editorial or assist with anyth not could We . costs g rtisin adve llent exce Great service and team enough and praise both Michelle and the Euro Weekly er 10 years. anoth for them will continue to advertise WITH Pamela Bradley Breakers Bradleybreakerscatral1@outlook.com 607 848 332 ‐ Cars • 632 320 195 ‐ Parts Facebook: Bradley Breakers

The Eur o We ekl y Ne ws hav e ass iste d The British Removal Company for many years now promoting our removal and storage services.

Advertising within this popula r and respected publication has certainly helped The Brit ish Removal Company to be‐ come a leading removal bus iness within the Costa del Sol. It definitely has worked for us and we would highly rec ‐ ommend other businesses to advertise with them.

Zaina Sierra The British Removal Compan y: Polígono Industrial Fase 1‐30B ‐ Paseo de La His panidad Torre 4 ‐ Buzón 23, Alhaurin de La Torre Málaga 29130 • Tel: 952 426 463

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Let real entertainment return MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man I WATCHED the funeral of Prince Philip, not all of it, but I really don’t understand why on earth they let the Queen sit on her own? Forget she’s the Queen; all I saw was an old Granny burying her husband of 70 odd years. It could have been anyone’s granny and it’s wrong.

Masked up, all vaccinated, it’s just a total nonsense. They should have moved it from Windsor to the nearest Ikea or Primark because the UK’s stupid rules allow you to walk round stores with very little space between you. You can sit outside and have a drink but not inside. WHY? Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people. But I’ve seen on the news punters going into Ikea, Primark etc and it’s mobbed. No-one is paying much attention to ‘social distancing’; they’re just going about their business like normal people do. So why make an old lady not have her kids sitting next her? It’s crazy and it’s wicked.

I love movies and the odd awards ceremonies that go with them. But this year’s

Oscar nominations have got some seriously depressing stuff as subjects with films like Nomadland, The Father and Pieces of a Woman, to name three. I’ve watched them all and a few others including Sound of Metal which is about a drummer in a band that goes deaf and that’s the most cheerful one!

Along with all the woke rubbish that’s included with the awards is everyone treading on eggshells. Maybe it’s time to knock them on the head or, and I really mean this, go back to the old style of real entertaining, non thought provoking films that make you laugh. Or Rocky types that make you feel good or Godfathers that make you feel like you’ve sat through a proper film.

Not the depressing stuff being churned out now and the awards ceremony where the host can take the piss out of everyone and say he or she and not worry about them getting outraged. Let actors act and give the awards to the best of the bunch regardless of race, religion or sexual persuasion because, as I see it now, they have completely lost the plot.

Let the best man win or woman or any of the other 20 or 30 genders I’ve missed.

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 35

THURSDAY 29/04 FRIDAY 30/04 SATURDAY 01/05 SUNDAY 02/05 MONDAY 03/05 TUESDAY 04/05 WEDNESDAY 05/05

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Live Snooker: The World Championship Richard Osman's House of Games Great British Railway Journeys MOTDx Live Snooker: The World Championship Great British Menu Gardeners' World I'll Get This

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Great British Menu Orson Welles: Talking Pictures Citizen Kane Live Snooker: The World Championship Flog It! All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star Live Snooker: The World Championship David Bowie: Finding Fame

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The Beechgrove Garden Saturday Kitchen Best Bites Rick Stein's India Great British Menu Live Snooker: The World Championship Steve Backshall's Extreme River Challenge Live Snooker: The World Championship Michael Palin's Himalaya: Journey of a Lifetime

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The Week in Parliament BBC News at 9 BBC News Live Snooker: The World Championship Richard Osman's House of Games Great British Railway Journeys Live Snooker: The World Championship FilmTulip Fever

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Richard Osman's House of Games Great British Railway Journeys The Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star Makeup: A Glamorous History Have I Got a Bit More News for You

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Eggheads Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great British Railway Journeys The Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure Great British Menu The Britney Battle: Searching for Truth QI XL

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BBC Young Musician 2020 Live Snooker: The World Championship Ronnie's: Ronnie Scott & his World Famous Jazz Club Jazz 625 Live: For One Night Only Smashing Hits! The 80's Pop Map of Britain and Ireland Jazz Divas Gold

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Dawn Chorus: The Sounds of Spring Coast Great Guides The Killing The Killing The Killing Motherland Motherland Motherland Motherland Motherland

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Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century BBC Young Musician 2020 Between the Lines Between the Lines Motherland Motherland Motherland Motherland Motherland

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River Walks: The Severn The Joy of Painting Yes, Minister To the Manor Born The Violence Paradox The Violence Paradox Horizon: Is Your Brain Male or Female?

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River Walks: The Dart The Joy of Painting Digging for Britain The 1951 Festival of Britain: Brave New World The Treasure Hunters Handmade Bacchus Uncovered The Joy of Painting River Walks: The Dart The 1951 Festival of Britain: Brave New World

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Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Giving Up Sugar: For Good?

Tonight Emmerdale Britain's Brightest Celebrity Family?

Viewpoint

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The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Giving Up Sugar: For Good?

Tonight - Part 2 Coronation Street Viewpoint ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London

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Britain's Brightest Celebrity Family?

Tipping Point The Chase ITV News and Weather ITV News London In for a Penny Game of Talents Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow The Jonathan Ross Show ITV News and Weather

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Game of Talents ITV Racing: Live from Newmarket You've Been Framed!

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The Chase ITV Evening News ITV News London Party Election Broadcast Emmerdale Coronation Street Alan Titchmarsh: Spring into Summer Coronation Street Beat the Chasers ITV News at Ten and Weather

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Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast By the Labour Party.

ITV Evening News Emmerdale Ainsley's Mediterranean Cookbook Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Beat the Chasers

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The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Coronation Street Beat the Chasers ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London

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A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun: Road Trip Four in a Bed The Simpsons Ackley Bridge Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Dog House Taskmaster Frank of Ireland Naked Attraction

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A New Life in the Sun: Road Trip Four in a Bed The Simpsons Ackley Bridge Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Food Unwrapped Rosie Jones Gogglebox 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

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Four in a Bed Heineken Champions Cup Rugby Union Grand Designs Channel 4 News Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights The Great Garden Revolution Assassin's Creed Cowboys & Aliens

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The Simpsons The Simpsons 27 Dresses Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Channel 4 News Escape to the Chateau Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix Highlights Pet Sematary Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA

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Four in a Bed Beat the Chef The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Jamie: Keep Cooking Family Favourites How to Save a Grand in 24 Hours Baby Surgeons: Delivering Miracles Gogglebox

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A New Life in the Sun: Road Trip Four in a Bed Beat the Chef The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer The Money Maker Naked Attraction

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A New Life in the Sun: Road Trip Four in a Bed Beat the Chef The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location First Dates Hotel Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping

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Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight How to Garden with Carol Klein Escape to the Farm with Kate Humble 10 Years Younger in 10 Days Acne A&E

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Good Morning Murder 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: Curtain Call Britain's Favourite 80s Songs

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How to Garden with Carol Klein Secret Scotland with Susan Calman 5 News Weekend The Yorkshire Vet Our Yorkshire Farm The Plaza: The World's Most Expensive Hotels Zara and Mike When Saturday Night TV Goes Horribly Wrong

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Sky Sports News Live LPGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Saturday Social Soccer A.M. Live EFL Live EFL Live Premier League Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

5 News Weekend Secrets of the Cadbury Factory Caravan Holidays with Shane Richie Bargain-Loving Brits in Blackpool Rich House, Poor House Gibraltar: Brits in the Sun Britain's Favourite 80s Songs

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Super Sunday Matchday Scottish Premiership Live Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live PGA Tour Golf Portuguese F1 Grand Prix Hlts

Neighbours Morning Show Mystery: Mortal Mishaps Morning Show Mystery: Murder on the Menu 5 News Update Neighbours Home and Away Cornwall's Most Scenic Railway Journey Traffic Cops A&E After Dark

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5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Dream Kitchens and Bathrooms with Mark Millar The Yorkshire Vet Our Yorkshire Farm QE2: The World's Most Luxurious Hotel

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Neighbours Killer Secrets Rich House, Poor House 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Mega Volcano: Draining the Pacific Police Interceptors Here Come the Gypsies!

Raids

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Good Morning Sports Fans Good Morning Sports Fans The Football Show Live Indian Premier League Live Indian Premier League Live Betfred Super League Katie Taylor: All Action Live Formula 1 Katie Taylor: Goldengirl Derek Chisora v Joseph Parker Live Weigh-In Show Live European Tour Golf Live Indian Premier League War Chisora Live FNF Derek Chisora v Joseph Parker Weigh-In Show

Good Morning Sports Fans he Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Indian Premier League Live MNF Live MNF Live NFL The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Indian Premier League Gillette Soccer Special Soccer Special PostMatch Live NFL Sky Sports News Good Morning Sports Fans The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Indian Premier League Live Premier League Darts 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.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 37

Advertising Feature

Great start for Ceru Design in Altea CERU DESIGN has got off to a very good start.

The newly established business in Altea on the Costa Blanca is experiencing positive days, de‐ spite Covid‐19 and the challenges it brings.

Ceru Design sells ‘American’ fireplace tables and garden furniture, and it is the former prod‐ uct that is a best seller. ‐ On the opening day a few months ago, we sold well and in general have received an over‐ whelming reception. We are very satisfied, says Rune Pedersen to Euro Weekly.

Rune Pedersen owns Ceru Design together with his wife Cecilie Violett Beyer. ‐ We have many fireplace tables to order and get new items all the time. Right now we have all the items shown on our website in stock. Several of the tables can be shipped to other parts of Spain, such as Sotogrande and Marbella, says Pedersen, who adds that there is free shipping throughout Spain at the moment.

Ceru Design is located in Altea Centre and has Danish Design as its nearest neighbour. The store is located on the N‐332 between Albir and Altea.

The fireplace tables cost approx. €1,500. For that price you get a complete table delivered to your door. The tables provide up to 17.5 Kw of

BEST SELLER: American fireplace tables. heat and there are several models to choose from.

The tables provide even heat for those sitting around the table and the heat keeps away mosquitoes and other insects. This table will be a jewel in your garden. ‐ We have an exclusive dealer agreement in Spain for these fireplace tables, says Rune Peder‐ sen.

cerudesign.com • 744 616 333 • post@cerudesign.com • Partida Cap Blanc 43. Altea Centre. 03590 Alicante

38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

NEWS

GO LOCAL

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

During this lockdown, we chal‐ lenge you to rediscover your lo‐ cal high streets, markets, butch‐ ers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent businesses in your area.

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

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

Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or on‐ line, consider where your money is actually going.

By shopping at an indepen‐ dent store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a bet‐ ter gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these dif‐ ficult times.

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

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

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

Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction.

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

First, they sell to a local restau‐ rant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restau‐ rant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour‐ hood hardware store. This exam‐ ple illustrates how the recircula‐ tion of money in the local economy leads to a stronger fi‐ nancial foundation for our neigh‐ bours and communities.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportuni‐ ties for people within our com‐ munity.

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

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

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

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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.

VACCINATION I AM 80 years old, English, have been to my Health Centre and made enquiries - AND I HAVE STILL NOT HAD MY FIRST VACCINATION!!!! I see in your paper the authorities saying how well they are doing!! NO!!! Here I am WAITING ENDLESSLY for the call!!!!! My Healtth Centre says ‘SOON’ what the heck does that mean!!! BEFORE or AFTER I die?????

Yours Helen Heil Torrevieja area

Anglo Spanish Crossword I was very pleased to collect my Euro Weekly News today to find that the Anglo Spanish crossword was back in the Time Out section of the paper.

Many thanks to all, it made my day.

Regards, Peter Row

English/Spanish Crossword So glad you have found a new Crossword compiler for the above crossword. Have missed it the last few weeks.

Regards Lyn Ferris, Vera Playa

Crosswords I wrote to you last month expressing my disappointment that the English - Spanish crossword had been cut from your paper. You replied promptly and suggested that it could be reintroduced if possible.

I am delighted to see the return of the crossword in the Euro Weekly . The challenge is enjoyed by many of my friends and neighbours, both British and Spanish and it is a great way of improving our language skills.

Thank you for your assistance.

Climate…. What climate?

Remember these? (mebbe not) Dire Warnings from ExSpurts... A colleague, when I worked in Papua New Guinea 1980s, owned a small island off Manus Island. He was told it would disappear... it’s actually a bit bigger now!

STATE OF ALARM ONCE again there is some disagreement between Regional Governments and the National Government over the removal of the State of Alarm on May 9.

In theory, this should see the end of the curfew and restrictions on the opening times or bars, restaurants and shops as well as remove perimeter restrictions, but many Regional Governments think that this is far too early and have asked Prime Minister Sánchez to introduce a new State of Alarm.

All indications are that this will not happen, although if there is a nationwide spike in infections this could change, but it is more likely that once

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

Mr Leapy Lee Isn’t it about time you retired the old bigot Mr Lee? Looks like he won’t be happy until black people are banned from driving and all women of a certain socio-economic class are sterilised. Oh, and England returns to the 18th century Empire days. By the way your headline Letters to the Editor shouldn’t have an apostrophe (letter’s).

Hi Leapy On a damp overcast day on the Costa I thought to myself - what better time to put finger to keyboard and send an email to someone who speaks more sense than most of the journalists out there put together!

I should start by saying that I am unashamedly a true blue, Tory boy through and through, and, no, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I slogged for everything that I achieved and ‘sponged’ from no one. The point that I am heading to is, having just listened to the UK news, isn’t it about time that the voting public woke up to the inadequacies of the Labour Party, led by Sir Kier ‘oil slick’ Starmer.

At a time of unprecedented pressure dealing with the dreaded Covid and its economic fall out, the best political strategy that they can come up with is to make an issue out of the funding for decorating the flat at No10. All this stemming from the pungent, lying, little turd Dominic Cummings. I was in business all of my working life and by concentrating on priorities was able to successfully employ 100s of people and pay my taxes for the better good of all. Surely it would be better if the government were allowed to concentrate on the priorities in hand rather than be burdened with insignificant, political mud slinging from a non fit for purpose opposition?

On a different note, it is heartening to see the Spanish vaccination programme gain momentum and also to know that we live in an area of low incidence (Valencia region). What I do find worrying is, after a long period of rigidly enforced restrictions, that there appears to be little or no control over the influx of visitors from France, Belgium or Germany that, by all accounts, are not so fortunate with their rates of infection. We have neighbours from all of these countries who have confirmed that we’re not checked at any stage of their road journeys.

Surely this is a recipe for Covid resurgence? On a similar subject, can anyone explain why Covid testing (necessary for safe travel and the consequent kick starting of the economy) is so expensive? Perhaps the misguided politicians’ time would be better spent sorting that out!

Keep up the good work Leapy.

Regards, Pete

OUR VIEW

again regions will complain that the Government is avoiding its responsibility by leaving each region to pick up the pieces.

Lawyers will possibly be rubbing their hands as although the curfew can’t be re-instated individually, past experience has shown that when the Basque Government tried to impose a restriction on opening times and the number of people who could meet, the local High Court overturned their decision.

Currently perimeter restrictions are still in place and again in theory, these restrictions could be rescinded to allow

freedom of movement which would be welcomed by many, but also objected to by a number of people.

Using Andalucia as an example, Huelva, Malaga Province and Cadiz are mainly in Level 2, whilst much of Cordoba and Sevilla is in Level 3 and Almeria, Granada and much of Jaen are in Level 4 which indicates a huge disparity in the rate and number of infections.

One possible compromise, rather than restricting movement between provinces, could be to only allow movement between provinces that have the same infection level.

Rose Fuller I have worked in a number of good quality hotels and the paper is always ‘B’. Then fold bottom corners in and make a V.

Simon Aronson The strength of feeling on this is astonishing.

Janet Cresswell How could it be anything but ‘B’... when a friend used to visit years ago his first job was to nip to the loo and change the roll to ‘A’...

Gearoid Hoare B for sure and if it’s the other way and I’m at yours I’ll change it over to the correct way too.

Header Pattinson Wrapped around your hand... so you have plenty of padding... forget the holder...

Josh Tricker As long as it’s in my toilet I’m not fussed about what way it goes, the real struggle is when your desperate and you go in there to find out you’ve ran out.

Andy Mountain Definitely B, as if your finger goes thru and you get poo on your finger you won’t smear it on the wall.

Claire Bennett B and I’ve changed toilet rolls that were A.

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

ADVERTISING

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29 April - 5 May 2021

By Clinica Britannia

Unbalanced hormones YOUR body’s hormones control most of your basic bodily functions. They serve as an inter‐ nal communication system, coordinating ev‐ erything from digestion, appetite, immune function, moods, and libido.

So, when your hormones become unbal‐ anced it can affect the well‐being of the body.

There are various treatments available when this happens, one being Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). This is a more ‘natural’ solution to hormone issues but is not suitable for everyone, so it is important to get the advice from a specialist in this field.

Symptoms of perimenopause and menopause like thinning hair, lowered sex drive, vaginal dryness, unusual weight gain, chronic fatigue, mood swings, hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety and male hormone in‐ balances can all be successfully treated with BHRT. Bioidentical hormones are different from those used in traditional hormone replace‐ ment therapy (HRT). They mimic the hor‐ mones that our bodies produce naturally and

are derived from plant oestrogens. It increas‐ es the levels of the hormones that have dropped and helps to moderate symptoms.

BHRT can be administered in pill form or through the skin using gels, patches or per‐ sonalised creams made in specialised phar‐ macies to treat each person’s individual needs.

Contact your health provider for advice on if this treatment would be suitable for you.

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

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Preventing Parkinson’s WITH more people living to a ripe old age, the prevalence of diseases such as Parkinson’s disease is set to increase.

Events such as the recent World Parkinson’s Day offer the chance to get informed about this disease and know what actions can be taken to try and keep it at bay.

Parkinson’s disease is a central nervous system disorder which affects the part of the brain that controls movement.

The primary symptoms are body tremors, slow movements, rigid limbs, memory problems, a shuffled walk and speech impairment.

Its exact cause is unknown and there is no available cure at present. However, there are some things that you can incorporate into your daily routine to prevent symptoms before they arise. Here are a few simple steps you can begin today.

Try and include lots of fruits, vegetables and other foods high in protein, vitamins, antioxidants and miner-

SUMMER STROLLS: Get your daily dose of Vitamin D3.

als into your diet.

In particular, studies have shown that increased amounts of Vitamin B - which is primarily found in vegetables - can significantly reduce the risk of Parkinson’s.

In addition, try to eat plenty of Omega-3 and CoQ10.

Both of these are abundant in wild-caught fish, especially mackerel, salmon and cod.

Now the summer is almost here, enjoy more strolls out in the sun.

Not only will this top you up with your necessary intake of vitamin D3, but that stroll can also be part of your exercise routine. Even a simple 40minute walk three days per

week has been proven to keep in check the factors that contribute to the disease.

Don’t just exercise your body. Performing cognitive stimulation, such as crosswords, puzzles, reading or calculations are vital to stimulate your brain and prevent the occurrence of demential syndromes, such as Parkinson’s disease.

And remember, this advice is not just for those getting on in years.

The earlier you can build these practices into your daily routine, the more chance you have of preventing Parkinson’s disease developing at a later stage.

The baggage I carry MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED I WILL always be a little bit strange. A second-guesser of even my most obvious traits and talents. I will often wonder when I will break… again.

And settle for the ups and downs only a person like me can have. I search constantly for a sign - some signal to alert me I am finally free.

I slide on by, hoping my stride won’t slip.

You may see me in my glory, in my happiness and in my joy, but I will always refrain from committing fully to being happy.

No, it’s not fair that at times I doubt myself, and, at times, I start to think, “ I s this really me? Is this really me?”

Built on a foundation of pills, held on by a balance not quite my own.

O ne giant hope this identity of mine really

belongs to me. Is this really me?

I crumble when your words twist into 10,000 meanings at once. My brain overloads, and I wonder which meaning you wished for me to understand. The air in the space around my head caves in, and I lose

sensibility.

Please know if I end up not the person I say I am, I am the person I mean to be. I t’s a constant struggle between reality and sanity. One I do not wish to fight, but neither silence nor giving up is an option.

Expectations of you understanding me, I do not have for you.

For the baggage I carry is not for you. And it clings to my back tied up with chains. And I don’t even know where it’ll go when I’m through. And when I’m done with this obnoxious disease that refuses to be polite … when I can brave life without these pills … oh, if that day were to come. Oh, if that day were to come.

I wont be needing this baggage any more.

Love from a tired Ms Bipolar X

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

48 EWN

29 April - 5 May 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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

Battle of the bulge U K government figures show that men in the UK are officially the fattest men in western Europe.

Some 27 per cent of the British population is now obese, putting the UK as the sixth highest in a league table of the 34 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations.

The average male Brit now tips the scales at 84kg. Only Americans and - perhaps surprisingly - Australians are heavier.

In fact, obesity rates in the UK are up 92 per cent since the early 1990’s, according to the OECD, who also predict that 40 per cent of people in Britain will be obese by 2030.

The figures also confirm that men in the U K are heavier than their Spanish counterparts, who actually weigh the DIET DAMAGE: British men are least in western Europe at 74.8kg. In the most Spain, which is famed for its healthy overweight in Mediterranean diet, only 17 per cent Western Europe. of the population are obese.

Head to foot T H E feet are two of the most used and battered parts of the body given that they are trodden on every day. However, when it comes to taking care of our health and looking after ourselves, we often forget our feet and toenails.

But it’s important to take care of them by practising good hygiene and pampering them to avoid any pain or calluses.

Feet tend to get dirty and sweat more than other parts of the body, so be sure to wash your feet every day. If you shower in the morning, do try to wash your feet when you get home at night. Apart from being a habit of good hygiene, this will prevent you from dirtying your bed.

As part of this routine, keep your feet hydrated by applying a moisturising cream. Just remember not to over-hydrate the area between the toes, because this could cause fungi to grow.

Wear shoes appropriate for the weather and the occasion. As the temperature begins to rise, keep your feet cool with sandals or shoes that are ventilated.

Wearing shoes in hot weather could mean you end up with smelly feet or worse with a fungal infection. If you do walk in sandals, you will see that your nails get dirty, so take the time to clean them every time you wash.

Finally, remember to cut your toenails every few weeks. In addition to keeping your nails healthy and strong, this will avoid your feet looking ghastly in sandals.

PETS Planning for pet-sitters beyond the pandemic 50

HAVE you enjoyed staying at home and hav‐ ing staycations this last year but are now finding it all too much of a good thing? Per‐ haps you are already making plans for a post pandemic get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Puppies espe‐ cially usually need to stay behind so they can follow their routines at home. 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 philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSit Match.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 permitting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable

www.euroweeklynews.com • 29 April - 5 May 2021

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Advertising Feature

Sprains, strains and muscle tears in dogs DIRECT or indirect trauma can cause injury or strain of ligaments, ten‐ dons or muscles. The most common causes are severe activities such as running, jumping or slipping. The dog stretches too far, too much, or too often. Sport dogs are more exposed to this type of injury. Also di‐ rect causes such as laceration from a deep cut or damage from a bone fracture can cause it. The most noticeable sign that a dog has a sprain or strain is limping. Sometimes if the tear is mild, the clinical signs may be difficult to detect.

The vet will check your dog’s muscles and joints. He will see his gait, how he sits, and lies down. Then he will touch and press on certain points to see if they’re sore, warm, swollen, or out of place. Next step is to make X‐rays. Radiographs are of little value in the early phase. The use of ad‐ vanced imaging modalities to demonstrate lesions of the affected mus‐ cle and/or tendon can increase confidence in the diagnosis. Ultrasonog‐ raphy is a relatively inexpensive non‐invasive imaging modality, but is particularly dependent on the expertise of the operator. The use of MRI has greatly increased the ability to detect lesions that otherwise is not possible. Treatment depends on the type and the severity of the injury. In very mild cases with rest and NSAIDs, but in many cases physical therapy techniques and oth‐ er surgery are required. Physiotherapy techniques similar to those used in human medicine are currently used.

For more information about physical therapy: Shock waves, scan the QR.

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

Beauty of a Bengal cat THE Bengal cat has an exotic look about them. They are smaller than wild cats and for‐ tunately, not as dangerous.

The Bengal cat came about through the crossing of Asian leopard cats with domestic cats. They have spotted and

marbled coats of many colours, large bones and short hair.

They are also very intelligent and require a great deal of at‐ tention, which may be due to their inquisitive nature and high energy. They are con‐ stantly on the move and love

to climb to the highest of places.

Bengal cats also love the great outdoors, where their ancestral genes kick in to ac‐ tion and then they become a predator, while enjoying other pursuits like a bit of bird watch‐ ing.

There is a sensitive and play‐ ful side to this cat and when they have gained trust in their owner, they can become the most affectionate of pets, nev‐ er leaving your side. If they are left alone for a period of time, when the owner goes on holi‐ day; there could be a few gifts dotted around the house, on returning. It’s their way of telling you they’re upset, but this applies to most cats.

Cats do understand much more than we imagine, so it’s worth explaining things for them, as the meaning trans‐ lates through your body lan‐ guage.

Once you’re home, the Ben‐ gal cat settles down very quick‐ ly and as they are not as vocal as other cats, it’s easy to get plenty of sleep.

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

Thanks very much.

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

“

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ARCHITECTS

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ly Sunday Service in English at 10.00 a.m. and a Spanish Service at 11.45am. C / San Bartolomé 35 bajo, No.6 campellocc@gmail.com www.elcampellochristiancommuni ty.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop - 610 63 94 26 (English) THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome. Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzimmerer@hotmail. com, www.centrosaron.com (10008)

www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners.

Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396. We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members. We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market.

Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis. (288658)

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

CARE HOME CARE /NURSING HOME. COMPLETE PROFESSIONAL CARE. REASONABLE RATES. CALL 697 834 934 (291981)

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Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www.mbelectrics.es

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

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www.euroweeklynews.com

29 April - 5 May 2021

EWN 55

Ford Fiesta ST-Line - a case where fun beats speed ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack THE Fiesta has been a sta‐ ple of Ford’s sales lists for decades not to mention the nation’s garages and driveways. As the decades and fashion has moved on so too has the Fiesta. The initial rather boxy design has morphed into a larger, sleeker model that’s laden with tech that wasn’t even thought of when the Fiesta was first launched.

The ST‐Line is designed to offer the more sporting looks of the ST without the hardcore driving experi ‐ ence. The Fiesta range is priced from £16,385 (€18,925) and the ST‐Line sits roughly mid‐table in the line‐up with the ST‐ Line Edition (from £19,585 / €22,620) and the X Edi‐ tion (from £21,830 / €25,213). Standard fare on both models includes such things as rear parking sen‐ sors, powered, heated,

folding door mirrors, auto lights and wipers, auto dimming mirrors, privacy glass, heated windscreen, navigation, cruise, air con‐ ditioning, keyless start, sports tuned suspension and ST‐Line body styling and grey alloys.

Fords have always han‐ dled well and the ST‐Line is no exception, yet the three engine options, all 1.0‐litre EcoBoost units, which range from 95 to 155 PS, with two options of mild hybrid electric power, certainly don’t pro‐ vide blistering perfor‐ mance.

In top power mode the benchmark 62mph is reached in a whisker under nine seconds. However outright speed isn’t the point of the ST‐Line, it’s one of those cars that very ably demonstrates fun doesn’t have to equate to speed. My 125 PS mild hy‐ brid model proved great fun when on cross country routes with a few nice

bends for good measure.

The steering is sharp, the peppy performance and engine note add to the fun and the car is a joy to drive. If you want outright performance then go for the ST and you’ll give

much more premium sports models a fright. If you want a decent turn of speed matched to a sensi‐ ble ride then the ST‐Line is hard to fault.

The Fiesta has a smart and sophisticated look but

there are signs of where the pennies have been saved inside the car. The plastics look and feel a lit‐ tle too bargain basement in places, the front door panels have cloth inserts, but the rear ones are all

plastic, and the carpets are rather poor. However, it’s a relatively small price to pay for a car that provides a compelling blend of ur‐ ban, long distance and fun all rolled into one rather neat automotive package.