Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 6 -12 May 2021 Issue 1870

News

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1870

6 - 12 May 2021

Quite safe THE Generalitat is likely to authorise large-scale ‘safe’ cultural and sporting events after none of the 5,000 face-masked audience at last month’s Love of Lesbian concert in Barcelona later contracted the coronavirus.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

ROYAL VISIT

Slow down NOW that more vehicles use the toll-free AP-7 motorway, Oliva Town Hall has asked permission to increase the number of pedestrian crossings on the N-332 main road that cuts through the town centre.

Fourth term GABRIEL SAPENA SALINES was sworn in as Javea’s Justice of the Peace for a fourth consecutive term with the backing of all town hall councillors who applauded his commitment as a local mediator.

BUDDING SCIENTISTS: Spain’s King Felipe speaks to pupils attending the Princesa de Girona awards.

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THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 30 - 33 FREE • GRATIS

Some very old gold NATIONAL POLICE officers traced to Calpe a 716 gold coin that was offered for sale online.

Only 24 of the gold dinars that were minted in Cordoba and amongst the first in circulation follow‐ ing the Moorish conquest of Spain have ever been located.

Traces of earth found on the coin’s surface sug‐ gested that it was dug up recently and looted from a still unidentified site, the police revealed.

The coin is now in the keeping of Alicante’s Ar‐ chaeological Museum (MARQ) and its would‐be sell‐ er has been charged with looting and heritage of‐ fences.

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6 - 12 May 2021

NEWS

Learn about the Sierra Helada Sport makes a comeback

A L FA Z Town Hall has produced an English-language guide to the route leading up to the Albir lighthouse.

“We want this guide to help residents and visitors learn more about the Sierra Helada’s cultural and intangible heritage,” explained

Alfaz’s mayor Vicente Arques.

Details of the national park’s plants, wildlife, history, geology and fossils as well as the Sierra Helada’s marine reserve have been condensed into 32 pages, the mayor said, as he intro-

duced the guide accompanied by Environment councillor Luis Morant and Other Residents councillor Martine Mertens.

The guide is the work of Alfaz’s municipal archaeologist, Carolina Frias, biologist Jose Santamaria and the designer Andres Diaz.

It can be downloaded to a mobile phone using the QR codes that are strategicallyplaced along the 2.5-kilometre Lighthouse route as well as via the Guía Camino Faro en Inglés link.

The Lighthouse, which was built in 1863 and still guides shipping, has been an Interpretation Centre or informal museum since 201l and the handbook gives extensive details of its history.

“Our intention then and now remains the same,” Arques said. “We wish to preserve this important element of our heritage while sharing the Sierra Helada’s cultural and environment wealth as well while involving everybody in its protection,” Arques said.

BENISSA is to host the final stage of the 25th edition of the Alicante Province Vuelta Ciclista cycle race on May 29.

The competitors will set out from Benissa’s Old Quarter before passing through several inland Marina Alta towns before going on to Alcoy and finishing in Campello.

After a year with only token sporting events, the first signs of recovery are beginning to emerge, Benissa’s Sports councillor Adrian Cabrera commented.

“The town hall is investing €3,000 on restaurant meals and accommodation for the teams taking part in the race,” Cabrera said.

“This is directed at helping to revitalise and promote sectors that have suffered most during the economic crisis.”

Although he did not give details of his department’s future strategies, Cabrera predicted that sporting events were going to make a comeback and would be “even stronger” than before the pandemic.

What a whopper!

It’s such a gas

THE Teulada‐Moraira Fishing Club were back on the River Jucar in Valencia Province, trying their luck on Section B1.

There was a good turnout with 11 Sum‐ mer League contestants and although the start was a little misty, this soon cleared.

Best catch of the day was an enormous 19.2‐kilo carp caught by Frank Povey and Jeff Richards was not too far behind with another weighing 13.575 kilos.

There were catches for practically every‐ body, with only one dry net.

“We are a very friendly club and always happy to welcome new members,” said the club secretary, Jeff Richards.

For more information, contact Frank Povey (966 490 338 and frank.povey@btopen world.com) or call Ray Craig on 966 492 083.

BALEARIA’S Eleanor Roosevelt, the world’s first fast ferry with dual natural gas engines, began covering the Denia-Baleares crossing on May 1.

“We want to promote Baleares, a destination that we have always been involved with and towards whose population we are firmly committed,” said Balearia’s president Adolfo Utor.

The Eleanor Roosevelt, which Utor described as the shipping line’s “most revolutionary, green and smart” vessel, can carry 1,200 passengers with a hold with for 450 vehicles.

Work began on the Eleanor Roosevelt at the Armon shipyard in Gijon in late 2018.

It is Balearia’s seventh vessel with the gas-powered engines that have allowed the shipping line to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 37,000 tons.

The Eleanor Roosevelt alone will reduce greenhouse gases by the same amount as 8,900 cars and have the same effect as planting 27,000 trees.

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NIBS EXTRA Great woman ALFAZ’S Equality department proposed that Albir’s new road linking the CV-753 and the N332 roads should be named Avenida Clara Campoamor after the Spanish politician, feminist and advocate for women’s rights born in 1888. This would honour a “great woman,” the town hall’s Equality councillor Rocio Guijarro declared.

Too fast A GUARDIA CIVIL speed trap registered a vehicle driving at 171kph on the A-77 near San Vicente, breaking the 80kph limit.

The driver, a 35-year-old Spanish man, faces a six-month prison term or community service as well as losing his driving licence for up to four years.

Fish farm CAMPELLO’S Fishing Guild welcomed the future arrival of what will be the Valencian Community’s largest fish farm.

Its presence will increase the presence of more species in the area around the cages, said the Guild, while it will also provide work for fishing industry professionals and Campello residents.

Charge sheet GANDIA Town Hall will install 20 charging stations for electric vehicles over the next 18 months to promote sustainable transport while providing this service for visitors. Municipal technicians and the Local Police are now studying the needs of each district to determine where each station should be located.

Piracy police THE React Spain association, which collaborates with the Justice and Interior administrations, presented Benidorm’s National Police with a plaque in appreciation of their work in combatting offences against industrial and intellectual rights.

Last year, the police impounded 83,000 fakes, arresting 26 people and successfully resolving 100 piracy cases.

Fire victim FIREFIGHTERS extinguishing a fire in inland Pinosa discovered the body of a local man who was in his 80s. Initial investigations suggest that he was burning weeds in his olive grove near the Prado wetlands when the bonfire got out of hand and later spread to nearby reedbeds.

6 - 12 May 2021

Lola Lightning Strike ELECTRIC storms took their toll on the Costa Blanca last week during Storm Lola.

The top floor of a Benidorm tower block suffered a lightning strike and so, too, did La Nucia’s Purisima Concepcion parish church.

A bolt of lightning passed through the weathervane, damaging the small dome on top of the tower and affecting the electrical wiring.

ANCHORED: Technical Services secure the parish church’s weathervane.

The church clocked stopped at 10.35pm, the moment that the lightning struck, but it was later found to be working although the computerised bells system could only strike the quarters and not the hours.

Employees from the town hall’s Technical Services department made temporary repairs to the weathervane, anchoring it with ropes to prevent it from falling, and have now patched up the tower.

Every little helps farmacias CONFRIDES‐L’ABDET Town Hall’s income was recently reduced by €200 a month.

Local mayor Ruben Pico decided to waive the €200 that pharmacist Jose Manuel Zaragoza pays each month to occupy munic‐ ipally‐owned premises.

The last council meeting approved the four‐year agreement in a move that Pico trusts will ensure that the farmacia can re‐ main open. “Losing essential services is a fac‐ tor that has favoured the exodus of the

Travel vouchers ALTEA, Benidorm and Finestrat have long been favourite holiday destinations for Valencian Com‐ munity residents.

The pandemic has done noth‐ ing to alter their popularity, said Altea’s Tourism councillor, Xelo Gonzalez, who revealed that they are currently amongst the desti‐ nations that are most‐chosen by those using the Generalitat’s €12 million Bono Viaje voucher scheme.

This was introduced to assist the region’s beleaguered tourist sector and so far this year the re‐ gional government has issued 22,000 of the vouchers that can be used to pay up to 70 per cent of accommodation costs from January 1 to June 15 and from September 15 to December 31.

Eleven Altea hotels and tourist accommodation firms have signed up to the initiative, Gonza‐ lez said, as well as two travel agencies.

The councillor also urged Altea residents to take advantage of the Bono Viaje vouchers and travel inside the Valencian Com‐ munity.

“Not only can they explore the region at greatly reduced prices but they will also be helping to re‐ active a sector that has been bad‐ ly affected by the pandemic re‐ strictions,” she said.

young,” Pico said. Farmacias are a symbol for villages.”

The Confrides‐L’Abdet farmacia also helps, in a modest way, to create employ‐ ment as Zaragoza also employs a part‐time assistant from Confrides.

The two linked mountain villages in the Marina Baja have a combined population of 187, of whom roughly half are elderly. They would have problems going elsewhere for their medication, Pico pointed out.

“It is one of my obligations as mayor is to take necessary decisions,” he explained.

“If we don’t help each other, we run the risk of finding ourselves without residents,” Pico warned. Jose Manuel Zaragoza makes the 45‐minute journey to and from Con‐ frides each day from his Altea home, high‐ lighting the difficulties that threaten rural farmacias. “Most of us with farmacias like these aren’t in it for business,” Zaragoza said, “but because of a vocation to serve.”

New name, new image THE regional government gave the go‐ahead for Benidorm’s En‐ sanche‐Levante development project.

Formerly known as Plan Ar‐ manello, this will transform the largest‐remaining tract of land on Benidorm’s Levante side with 20 hotels and 2,000 apartments.

Once a rural neighbourhood of smallholdings and holiday homes, this is now run‐down

with its remaining properties oc‐ cupied by squatters, many of whom deal drugs.

According to a report by the Generalitat’s General Directorate of Tourism, the Ensanche‐Lev‐ ante plans comply with the Va‐ lencian Community’s White Pa‐ per on tourism strategy and legislation.

The development was adapt‐ ed to good environmental prac‐

tices, the report continued, while incorporating sustainability pro‐ cedures directed at “rationalised use of energy resources, waste production, re‐use of materials and minimalisation of the impact of smoke, odours and noise.”

All of this, the report conclud‐ ed, would contribute to improv‐ ing the development’s surround‐ ings and integration into the landscape.

A very showery April Buffets on the menu ALICANTE Province has just said goodbye to the wettest April in 20 years.

According to Alicante University’s Climatology Laboratory, rainfall was 40 per cent above aver‐ age for April while sunlight hours were below av‐ erage.

Alicante City, for instance, registered 48 mil‐ limetres of rain compared with an average 29 mil‐ limetres.

Javea, which habitually has heavier rain than its neighbours, received 36 millimetres last month, with a total of 400 since January 1.

During this period, Torrevieja has had 220 mil‐ limetres of rain, followed by Elche (170), Villenas (167), Orihuela (156), Elda (110) and Alicante City (100).

Climatology Laboratory director Jorge Olcina, explained that throughout April there had been considerable instability and cold air masses in the upper levels of the atmosphere.

“Instability brings cloudy days and fewer hours of sunlight,” Olcina said.

COSTA BLANCA hotels, restaurants and banqueting rooms welcomed the Generali‐ tat’s decision to allow buffet meals once more.

Now that buffets are no longer barred on anti‐Covid grounds, clients may again serve themselves, although strict health and safety regulations remain in place.

Hoteliers’ association Hosbec pointed out that reopening the buffets would allow ho‐ tels to reduce overheads while maintaining quality.

The “assisted buffet” compromise in‐ creased the cost of each meal by up to 40 per cent, requiring twice the number of waiting staff, and doubling the time that clients took over a meal, Hosbec’s secretary general Nuria Montes said.

“Everybody likes to go up to the counter to look at the food and choose or to try a lit‐ tle first, but direct table service made this very complicated,” she pointed out.

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Prudent but hopeful ANA SALA, Calpe’s mayor, recently tackled the issue of safe tourism.

Talking to the local Spanish media as the second Covid summer approaches, Sala pru‐ dently suggested that frontiers should not open “just like that.”

The mayor stressed that foreign tourists needed to arrive with guarantees “like PCR tests or a Covid pass‐ port” and said that the central govern‐ ment should take steps to ensure that these would be mandatory.

It was vital not to waste everything that had been accomplished during the pandemic and to make certain that tourism was not affected by more coro‐ navirus outbreaks.

“With regard to tourism we cannot turn back, we cannot lose all that we have achieved,” Sala added, emphasising that the Covid incidence in oth‐ er parts of Spain was still worrying, particu‐ larly in the north.

“Apart from a few outbreaks there has been practically no third wave in the Va‐ lencian Community and we are advancing with mass vaccinations,” the mayor said.

Sala admitted that the international situa‐ tion and the prolifera‐ tion of new variants were a cause for con‐ cern, but was still opti‐ mistic regarding the summer season.

Hotels that closed last October were be‐ ginning to open and she was hopeful that by late June hotels would be “as near as possible” to 100 per cent occupancy, while allowing for pandemic restrictions.

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King’s low-key visit ANTI‐COVID restrictions imposed a less tumultuous wel‐ come than usual for Spain’s King Felipe during his recent visit to Alicante City.

There was no walkabout, but he waved through his car’s open window as he arrived at the Las Cigarreras cultural centre for the annual Fundacion Princesa de Girona awards.

Nevertheless, an entire detachment of the National Police’s elite Prevention and Response Unit (UPR) was brought in while police were positioned at street level and on rooftops.

The Foundation, presided by King Felipe’s daughter, the Infanta Leonor, presents yearly awards for Science, Art and Literature, Businesses and Social Affairs as well as an International category.

This year’s Science prize went to pioneering bio‐tech‐ nologist Cesar de la Fuente Nuñez from La Coruña (Gali‐ cia) who leads a Pennsylvania University team that uses artificial intelligence to create computer‐generated an‐ tibiotics capable of fighting deadly superbugs.

Although King Felipe did not make an official speech, he spent three hours at Las Cigarreras, talking not only to local, provincial and regional politicians but also to pupils and students taking part in the event.

Amongst them were pupils aged 16 and 17 from Fray Ignacio Barrachina high school in Ibi who will represent the Valencian Community in the national finals thanks to their game making science a fun subject.

To offset King Felipe’s inevitably low‐key visit, Ali‐ cante City mayor Luis Barcala invited him to return in June for the start of the Ocean Race and the inaugura‐ tion of an extension to the Rey Felipe VI business incu‐ bator.

NEWS

Giving4Giving

DONATIONS: Have now reached €192,000 so far.

ONCE again Gary and the team at Giving4Giving have sur‐ passed themselves during April with four more substantial donations. The first was €1,000 to Crazon Express accepted by their president, the second €1,000 went to Karen Mal‐ ing Cowels on behalf of the Benidorm Food Bank, the third to Finestrat Social Services and the last to the Red Cross in Altea making a total of €4,000 for the month taking them to a whopping grand total of €192,000 donated so far.

As always Giving4Giving are always in need of volun‐ teers at all of their shops and donations to continue the good work they do.

CARP-R-US FOR the first time in several weeks the Carp‐R‐Us match took place in much calmer conditions. Sadly, the recent rains had left the River Segura at Jacarilla/Bigastro running high, fast and dirty so, whilst Round 7 of the Spring Series took place mainly in sunshine, the fish didn’t feel inclined to feed.

First, continuing his good form, was Dave Hutchin‐ son with 4.12kg caught on pole and corn from peg 7.

Second was Ken Wilcock (peg 4) whose single carp of 2.30kg caught on feeder and maggots was enough to just pip Richard Crawshaw who had 2.28kg from peg 11. Fourth was Willy Moons with 2.14kg caught using his customary feeder and chickpeas.

Don’t miss Botifarra VILLAJOYOSA’S cultural programme for the month of May begins next Saturday, May 15 with Pep Gimeno ‘Botifar‐ ra.’

The concert in the Barbera dels Aragones auditorium at 7pm brings an opportunity to hear the well‐known Xativa singer who has compiled and conserved the Valencia re‐ gion’s traditional music, Canto de Estilo.

“Invitations are available at the Teatre Auditori box of‐ fice on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 5pm and 8pm or from 10m until 1.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday.

They can also be acquired an hour before the perfor‐ mance,” the town hall’s Culture department announced.

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IT is with great sadness that our lovely Lisa LeMehaute, of the Fiddler, Moraira, left this earthly coil last week, but before she went she ensured that her life was fully celebrated by her husband Tim, all of her family and friends in a fantastic knees up on Thursday April 29.

Tears were cried, songs were sung, laughs were had and her joyful, wonderful existence was truly remembered just as she had insisted!!!!

The loss of Lisa is a devastating blow to her beloved Tim, her sons Tom and Matt, her grandchildren and sister’s Vicky and Claire, along with friends and anyone who had the pleasure of meeting her!

Lisa had an amazing gift of getting what she wanted and although she was going through many trials in the last 16 months

6 - 12 May 2021

From Lisa with Love

LISA: Was committed to charity.

of her precious life, she ensured that donations continued for the Milk Fund for the children of el Preventorio Infantil de Gandia.

We honour her commitment to this particular charity and the many other charities that she supported.

Tim, along with all the wonderful sponsors and patrons of the Fiddler in Moraira, are determined to carry out her future wishes by ensuring the Milk Fund will continue every month for the children.

To this end, with Lisa’s approval, we have a new poster with which to continue her wonderful work and contributions to the continuous well-being of the children at el Preventorio Infantil de Gandia.

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Anglicans in Albir & Alfaz ALL our services have resumed. We worship in Albir on Sundays starting at 9.30am. You can find us in the centre of Albir, turn up the main road hill, Camino de la Cantera, (quite near Consum Supermarket), signposted Rober Palas Hotel, turn right in front of the hotel and the Church (Norwegian Seaman’s Church) is just inside the next road on the left, Carrer Mart. We also have a service of Holy Communion every Thursday at 11am at the Forum Mare Nostrum.

The second Thursday monthly is a healing service.

We are excited across the Chaplaincy because in May we will celebrate our 50 years anniversary. In Albir we will celebrate this with a special Sung Evensong at 3.30pm on Sunday May 23. We will also be serving refresh-

ments afterwards. More details later.

Our services at The Forum are small and meaningful. Above is a photograph of our chaplain Fr Paul Dean leading our service last week.

We still comply with all the Covid regulations, social distancing is not a problem and we continue to wear masks. You can certainly be assured of safety and a warm welcome.

If you would like any further information please contact one of the local church wardens, Elaine Mitchell on 636 164 467 or Paul Winter 602 218 483.

There is also a lot of information on all seven churches in the Chaplaincy from Gandia to El Campello, on the Chaplaincy website, www.costablan ca-anglicanchaplaincy.org.

We look forward to welcoming you.

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6 - 12 May 2021

Over 5 million vaccinated SPAIN’S vaccination programme progressed at a good pace last weekend with 766,003 doses being administered - the highest number ever managed in a weekend.

More than five million people have now received their full double doses (5,098,90310.7 per cent of the population). The programme has met the objective that the government had set for the first week of May. According to the forecasts, 10 million people should be immunised by the beginning of June.

Spain has so far registered 3,540,430 cases and 78,293 deaths with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, after reporting 16,353 cases and 77 deaths over the weekend which are lower than those of the same day last week.

Four possible cases of the Indian strain of the coronavirus are being investigated on a ship which arrived at the port of Bilbao on Sunday May 2. The four have been isolated in a hotel, although at the moment they are not seriously ill and the rest of the crew, 17 other people, are being kept in quarantine on the ship.

Worldwide, the coronavirus pandemic continues, adding 3.2 million deaths and more than 153 million infected people.

To date, one billion doses of the Covid vaccine have already been administered in about 190 countries worldwide.

GOOD PROGRESS: High numbers jabbed.

CALPE U3A SUNNY and warm weather enabled 10 diners to eat outdoors on Thursday April 29, although the UK‐based members of this group were unable to join us ‐ hopefully, next month will be dif‐ ferent.

Member John will be organising a lunch at the Punjabi restaurant near the dry river bed in Calpe, 1pm for 1.30pm, de‐ tails will be circulated when finalised, diary date May 27 ‐ at which time our UK participants hope to have returned to Spain.

Numbers should be higher and hopefully, restrictions in Spain should be fewer, to enable a really good attendance.

All men are welcome as guests and U3A Members can invite friends. Contact Arthur Croasdell by e‐mail arthurandfreda@ yahoo.com.

Our May General Meeting will be held at the Salon Blau at the Casa De Cultura, Calpe on Thursday May 20. All Covid regu‐ lations will be in place and you will be directed to the seating.

Doors open at 10.00am, the meeting starts at 10.30am.

Speaker, Carole Saunders from the town hall will be speaking on the next measures to affect us and what to expect in the fu‐ ture.

Contact Jan Luxton by e‐mail membership@u3acalpe.org.

Check the Calpe U3A Facebook page. www.u3acalpe.org.

Good health to all and stay safe. David Stockton

NEWS

€180 million losses

ALGERIE FERRIES, is the company that operates the Alicante‐Oran fer‐ ry crossing, which before the pandemic, was making 120 crossings an‐ nually from Algeria to the Spanish port city, with each trip bringing an in‐ come of around €1.5 million to businesses in Alicante and surrounding cities such as Elche.

This means that the region’s shops and warehouses have incurred loss‐ es of around €180 million thanks to the pandemic stopping these cross‐ ings, an enormous loss for a region that is suffering one of the biggest drops in GDP in Spain, along with one of the highest increases in unem‐ ployment. The Djazair II passenger ferry would make the 10‐hour trip from Algeria, and arrive from Oran at 8am, with 1,200 passengers and 300 mostly empty transport vehicles, which would then proceed to the various outlets and industrial estates on the immediate Spanish mainland before returning at 8pm in the evening . Felipe Garrigós, a customs officer, and the owner of the company of the same name, explained, “They come to buy a lot of clothes, footwear, they know perfectly where to find the best deals. Also food products, a lot of perfumery and cosmetics, as well as household appliances and mobile phones.”

Graffiti Artists Arrested

Damage to the trains.

VALENCIA Local Police have arrested three graffiti artists who painted on three train carriages as they were parked up in the Valencia North Station overnight after arriving from Madrid, causing an estimated €4,000 worth of damage, as well as breaking into the perimeter enclosure to access the train.

The officers from the maritime district carried out the arrests at around 7am, catching the suspects, aged between 21 and 23, by chance, as they were walking on the street of Port Blocks, without the mandatory face masks, and noticed they had paint on their hands and clothing.

The three were read their rights and told they were being arrested for the graffiti on the train, and taken to the Zapadores police complex, from where they will be sent before a judge in a court of law for sentencing.

Closed again SERGI CAMPILLO, the deputy mayor of Valencia and councillor for Urban Ecology, on Monday May 3, ordered the immediate closure of one of the city’s most iconic attractions, the Gulliver Park, which had only just reopened again to the public, having been closed since March 2020.

According to a press publication, throughout the day, several families had made complaints about their children suffering itching sensations after using the attractions, including the slides, after which the town hall launched an investigation and the subsequent finding initially pointed to the paint that was used to recoat the various facilities.

Mr Campillo has assured in a statement that the opening was undertaken only after the endorsement of the technical reports from the engineers of the Autonomous Organisation of Parks and Singular Gardens, who were in charge of the maintenance works, having repaired some minor flaws around the facility.

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MONTGO GS REPORT Are you interested in art?

FRIDAY saw the playing of Montgo’s first medal competition of the year, sponsored by Dirk Knappe.

Although the word ‘Medal’ strikes fear for some people, 17 took part including guests, Frank English and Kati Smitz.

The course was in great condi-

tion and the sun shone again.

Sally Cottrell, recently returned from the UK and not playing much golf, had a fantastic score of nett 67, reducing her handicap to 10.3.

Second, also with a great score of nett 70 was Gerian van Ooijen now playing off 6.3.

Third with nett 74 was Alan Lowans.

Nearest the pins went to Sally, Gerian and Caz Welch.

Sally, Geoff Willcock and Peter Gardiner had two’s.

We said goodbye for the summer to Clare and Brian Stringer and Dirk who are returning to Switzerland and Germany respectively.

Next week’s competition is a stableford sponsored by Ilona Mathieu.

Electric Buses WINNERS: Sally Cottrell had a fantastic score on the day.

Spain Films Banned Series IN an exciting development for TV series production in Spain, Netflix has announced that it will be making an adapted version of hit show ‘If Only’ after it was censored in Turkey when author‐ ities discovered one of the main characters was gay. Rather than changing the plot entirely and removing the character, Turkish screenwriter Ece Yörenç decided to look for alternative countries for filming that didnt have the same censorship rules, and Spain came out on top.

Yörenç will act as consultant to screenwriter Irma Correa, and the show will be renamed ‘Si lo hubiera sabido’ ( If I had Known).

The new series follows the story of a young woman who has be‐ come disillusioned with life after being married for 10 years. The supernatural thriller will see her return to her youth and, some‐ what ironically, rewrite the script of her life.

SPAIN has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the environ‐ ment by approving a new Cli‐ mate Change Law, which will see the sale of all petrol and diesel cars prohibited after the year 2040, but it would seem Barcelona is getting in ahead of the day. Mindful that sustain‐ able travel is the way forward, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has converted 50 per cent of its fleet servicing the H16 line to electric vehicles, with the plan to extend this to all buses on the route by July, and to the H12 and V15 lines in the near future.

The immediate plan is for all non‐electric buses to be re‐ moved from the H16 line this year, with the vehicles on the re‐ maining two lines to be com‐ pletely replaced by the end of 2023.

IF so, then we are pleased to invite you to the exhibition ‘El Robo’ (The Robbery) in Benissa. Eleven artists from the GAB group (Grupo de Artistas de Benissa) are showing various artworks on the theme of ‘El Robo’.

They have been inspired by works of art by world‐famous artists and interpret

them in their very own way.

T w e n t y s t u d e n t s f r o m t h e I ES J o s e p Iborra School in Benissa have also created artwork. The exhibition will be on display at the Centre d’Art Taller D’Ivars, Plaza Germans Ivars 3‐5, Benissa from May 8 to June 21. Tuesday to Saturday, 6.00pm to 8.30pm.

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NEWS

New EU Regulation Toll charges A NEW European Union regulation relating to new vehicle tyres came into force on S aturday, M ay 1, which requires all tyre manufacturers and vendors to display a sticker containing the relevant information relating to that tyre, when sold in the EU. This new system of marking is designed to give the end-user, the vehicle owner, an increased knowledge of the full specifications of any tyre they might be looking to purchase, regarding safety, health protection, plus the economic and environmental efficiency of the tyre.

Each sticker must contain the full manufacturer’s commercial name, plus all the relevant information regarding the tyre’s wet grip, external rolling noise, and rolling resistance,

TYRES: A new system of marking. while also including a QR code that can be scanned to give direct access to the EU product code database, with the exact identification number and article number of the product.

Also contained in the sticker must be the tyre size, load, and speed index, along with a diagram explaining the tyre’s use in snow, and another diagram depicting its use on ice, and will also be mandatory for lorry tyres.

THE Spanish Government has agreed with the Euro‐ pean Union a new Recovery Plan in which ‘it will re‐ view the financing of high‐capacity roads and an in‐ come system will be established that guarantees the necessary funds for the conservation of the state road network.’

Spain has said it will press ahead with its econom‐ ic recovery plan despite an expected delay in the ar‐ rival of European Union support funds, financing ini‐ tial investments via government borrowing, President Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday, April 27.

The Community Executive now has two months to evaluate the plan and, if it gives its approval, the Member States will then have four weeks to ap‐ prove it by qualified majority.

Although it does not explicitly say so, govern‐ ment sources have mentioned on other occasions that the objective would probably be to establish a payment system for use on the highways and roads in Spain.

Primavera Sound festival returns BARCELONA’S Primavera Sound music festival, one of the biggest in Europe, will re‐ sume next year in an expand‐ ed version after being can‐ celled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.

The event will take place on

June 2‐5 and June 9‐12, dou‐ bling its usual length with around 400 shows across two line‐ups that will include major names on the scene.

The industry has been one of the hardest hit by the glob‐ al pandemic, with concerts

and festivals cancelled all over the world, but it is hoped that vaccination campaigns and the easing of restrictions will slowly allow a return to normality.

Around 220,000 people at‐ tended Primavera Sound in

2019, with half of them com‐ ing from outside Spain and the majority of them British.

The festival was due to cele‐ brate its 20th anniversary in 2020, and hopes are high next year’s event will be bigger and better than ever.

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NEWS

Tax returns now due BRITS in Spain are being told what they can claim against their tax returns.

According to the press, while the date by which residents in Spain can file their tax returns is June 30, many people do not know what can be claimed against their returns.

The tax return, known as la declaracion de la renta, is normally completed by anyone who lives in Spain for more than 182 days a year.

For those who divide their time between several countries or have property or businesses in other countries, international tax treaties show where a person is a resident for tax purposes.

Those who are tax resident in Spain who earned €22,000 and over in 2020 must file a return.

However, experts are saying that some people are unsure on what can be claimed against their tax returns and although much of the tax deductible expenses depend on the criteria and regulations of each autonomous community, there are some common deductions

Claiming expenses. on bills related to education or self-employed income.

Self-employed people can claim back some expenses related to where they work, including electricity, water, internet or telephone bills.

They can also claim back some medical expenses, including deductions for their own and their family’s health insurance premiums for children under 25 up to a maximum of €500.

Those who are self employed can also deduct clothing that is used exclusively for work, as well as for public transport costs or work trips. They can also claim back for training expenses, including for conferences or learning materials.

Other deductible expenses include banking services, salaries of employees or the payment of independent external services in Spain.

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‘Double Call’ Scam BULLFIGHTING Returns VISHING: Used to get the user’s data or to change provider.

Speed limits SPAIN’S DGT has revealed an exception to new speed limits from May 11.

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) recently announced changes to Spain’s Highway Code with a series of modifications set to come into force from May 11.

These include changes to the points system of driving li‐ cences, road assistance rules, the wearing of a seatbelt and hel‐ met, overtaking and speed limits in cities and towns.

With regards to the latter, the speed limit on urban roads has been reduced to 30km per hour in an attempt to cut down on the number of accidents, and 20km per hour on roads with a single carriageway.

But not all roads are going to change their generic traffic limit.

According to DGT, there are roads that will maintain their maxi‐ mum speed.

These are urban roads with three lanes in each direction, one being a cycle lane, in which ‘the generic speed limit does not change, it will be 50 km/h,’ explained the DGT in its tweet.

SPAIN’S Organisation of Con‐ sumers and Users (OCU) is warn‐ ing of a new type of telephone con known as the ‘double call’ scam, in which those targeted are first threatened with a price increase in their rates to get victims to change their phone supplier, impersonat‐ ing the companies and even the OCU itself.

The double call scam is actually a ‘vishing’ technique, in which cyber‐ criminals impersonate companies to get the user’s data or, as in this case, to change telephone provider.

How to avoid becoming a victim of the scam: Firstly, verify with your phone company if these increases are real.

If you are offered a good offer over the phone, always ask them to send it to you in writing by email.

Remember that if you decide to contract a new rate over the phone, you have 14 calendar days to withdraw from the contract.

Be wary of those who do not identify themselves properly. And be even more suspicious of anyone who uses the name of OCU to en‐ courage you to agree to a contract, product or service.

THE Spanish capital of Madrid saw the return of bullfighting to the famous Las Ventas bull‐ ring on Sunday May 2, with a well‐publicised charity run that saw a crowd of 6,000 people attend this sold‐out first return, complete with coronavirus protocols to try and guarantee safety, and a capacity of only 40 per cent al‐ lowed inside the bullring.

They watched some top‐ class fighters including En‐ rique Ponce, Julián López El Juli, José María Manzanares, Miguel Ángel Perera, Paco Ureña and the rejoneador Diego Ventura, as well as Guillermo García, a student of the José Cubero Yiyo Bullfight‐ ing School, all of whom gave their services free.

The bulls for this event were provided by top suppliers, in‐ cluding El Capea, Juan Pedro Domecq, Garcigrande, Victori‐ ano del Rio, Fuente Ymbro, Jandilla, and El Parralejo, all part of the charity offering, with no money exchanging hands.

All proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to those in the bullfighting sector most

BULLRING: Was only filled to 40 per cent capacity. affected by the pandemic, with a ‘Row 0’ also set up, where attendees could make

a financial contribution while not being able to attend in person.

New Royal Yacht To Be Commissioned ACCORDING to reports, a new yacht named after Prince Philip will be commissioned by the government. It will be the succes‐ sor to HMY Britannia.

From 2011 until his death in April this year, the Duke of Edin‐ burgh was Lord High Admiral and served in the Royal Navy dur‐ ing the Second World War. It could cost as much as £200 million to build the vessel, with MPs requesting that the ship be built in the UK. A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister has an exciting vision for shipbuilding in this country and is commit‐ ted to making the UK a shipbuilding superpower.”

The yacht would be used to promote British trade and inter‐ est around the world and would also host meetings on board.

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NEWS

Cloth vs surgical masks WhatsApp Privacy Policy Cloth masks are effective.

CLOTH face coverings are as ef‐ fective as surgical masks at pro‐ tecting against Covid according to researchers from the Univer‐ sities of Bristol and Surrey.

A study has found that well‐ fitting, three‐layered cloth masks can be as effective at re‐

ducing the transmission of Covid‐19 as surgical masks.

Face coverings suppress the onward transmission of the virus through exhalation and protect the wearer on inhala‐ tion.

In a paper published by the Physics of Fluids journal, the re‐ searchers detail how they looked at how liquid droplets are captured and filtered out in cloth masks by reviewing and modelling filtration processes, including inertial impaction.

Inertial impaction does not filter as a sieve or colander does ‐ it works by forcing the air in your breath to twist and turn in‐ side the mask so much that the droplets can’t follow the path of the air.

Instead, the droplets crash in‐ to fibres inside the mask to pre‐ vent inhalation.

The team found that, under ideal conditions and dependent on the fit, three‐layered cloth masks can perform similarly to surgical masks for filtering droplets ‐ with both reducing exposure by around 50 to 75 per cent.

WHATSAPP is again at the cen‐ tre of controversy as it delays it’s planned privacy policy. The terms of service has become one of the biggest controversies that the company has suffered since its inception over 10 years ago.

In February 2021, changes in the data collection and informa‐

tion that Facebook would send meant that many users stopped using WhatsApp and even start‐ ed a campaign against it.

Now, a new message sent to users who have not yet accepted these changes announces that the time for acceptance of these conditions is delayed until May 15.

Nose iD App for Dogs AS reported by D P Review, Iams are to launch a new app, NoseiD, that can reunite lost dogs with owners through nose scanning. The company plans to use smartphone cam‐ eras to scan dog’s noses, acting as a unique fingerprint, al‐ lowing someone to track the lost dog back to its owner.

Losing a dog can be a very stressful and traumatic experi‐ ence, for both dogs and owners. Iams says of the app: “The app helps you capture your dog’s unique nose print and guides you through what to do in case your buddy ever gets lost. It can even help people who have found your dog get in touch with you faster.”

Unlike microchips, NoseiD isn’t at all intrusive (it should be said, however, microchips are a great idea for pets should they become lost or stolen). Owners take a photograph of their dog’s nose, with the dog facing the camera head‐on.

Owners can also include photographs and a physical de‐ scription of their dogs on the app, helping to speed up the process of reuniting owners and lost canines.

How is WhatsApp changing?

WhatsApp has now published a chart series which help to un‐ derstand what this is about, but in Europe, the privacy policy is different from that of the rest of the world. The data that What‐ sApp shares with Facebook is much more limited thanks to the General Data Protection Regula‐ tion (GDPR).

WhatsApp have made it clear in their latest statement that, “there are no changes in data ex‐ change practices in the Euro‐ pean region (including the Unit‐ ed Kingdom) arising from the updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.”

Shared data is limited.

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Balearics on the TV A NEW documentary series exploring piracy in the Balearics is being filmed in Mallorca by Canal History, IB3 and Mapa films. Filming locations around the island will include the Caves of

Drach, Bellver Castle, Almu‐ daina Palace, Poble Espany‐ ol, Cap de Pera Castle, Cap Blanc, Alcudia Beach, Pollen‐ sa and on board the Galera Rafael Verdera sail‐boat ‐ which dates back to 1841.

Concerns Over Brits’ Holidays BRITS in Spain have spoken of concerns over the risk of losing money after travellers in the UK are being told to book holidays before the government has published its list of green list coun‐ tries.

However, expats have said they are concerned that the move could see family and friends losing money if they book holidays to Spain and it is then not placed on the UK government’s green list of countries not requiring quarantine to travel to.

Travellers to green list countries will still have to take PCR tests to go abroad, however.

The UK government is due to announce which countries Britons can travel to from May 17 without having to quarantine when returning to the country, however officials are warning that prices are likely to rise once the list is published.

Several airlines are offering refunds if customers have to can‐ cel holidays however, with Jet2’s Holiday Refund Guarantee of‐ fering a refund to customers if the company has to cancel a holi‐ day.

The documentary, ‘Pirates in the Balearics,’ will dive in‐ to the details of piracy in the Mediterranean and the im‐ pact it had on the Balearic Islands. The documentary will depict where bloody battles took place, with the islands being the perfect strategic point to attack, take refuge and make preparations for attacks on other ports in the Mediter‐ ranean.

Broadcast in four episodes and through writers, the military and historians, the series will discover how pri‐ vateers played a pivitol role in the power disputes in the Mediterranean. It will also investigate the most impor‐ tant battles and incursions and the impact they had on the inhabitants of the is‐ lands.

The documentary will broadcast on Canal HISTO‐ RIA, via Movistar+, Voda‐ foneTV, OrangeTV, Virgin Telco, Euskaltel, R, Telecable and Local Cable and on IB3 Televisió.

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FEATURE

Divorce and separation. Civil liability for breach of the visiting regime. Compensation for damages THROUGH the visiting regime, after a separation or divorce, the relationship of the non‐ custodial parent with the mi‐ nor children is established.

That is, it is agreed, the time that will be with them: holi‐ days, weekends, etc. But un‐ fortunately, there are numer‐ ous inquiries that we receive in our law firm, in relation to the breach of the visiting regime.

Breach of the visiting regime by the custodial Unfortunately, not on all oc‐ casions, the parent who has custody of the minor help the fulfilment of the visiting regime. It is essential that all parties care and look out for the interests of minors. Among them is the relationship with the father or mother, who does not have custody.

Represent a breach of the visiting regime, for example: ‐ avoid visits from the non‐ custodial parent; making them coincide with extracurricular activities, with social commit‐ ments, etc.

‐ avoid or make difficult the communications.

Consequences and civil lia‐ bility for non‐compliance Failure to comply with the obligations related to facilitat‐ ing the visitation regime may entail the modification of the custody of minors. In some cas‐ es, even the loss of the cus‐ tody.

But, in addition, it has been declared by Spanish courts, that the parent hindering visits and contact with the non‐cus‐ todial parent, could be claimed for a compensation for civil lia‐ bility.

But, to claim such compen‐ sation, the claimant must prove that all the legal require‐ ments are met. That is, who is responsible, causal relation‐ ship, existence of damage, etc.

Necessity of the existence of the damage For the claim for civil liability,

it is essential that the existence of damage is proven. The loss of a relationship with a minor can cause obvious moral dam‐ age.

As the court precedents have said, depriving a father or mother of contact with the children can cause physical and psychological damage, And can affect the “integrity, dignity or freedom of the person, as basic goods of the personality.”

It is required to be a relevant damage. That is, it will not be enough, with a specific or spo‐ radic breach. It must be a re‐ peated, malicious and inten‐ tional attitude by the other parent.

The existence of patrimonial damage is also possible. For ex‐ ample, loss of money paid for holidays that cannot be en‐ joyed. Travel expenses for a visit that does not take place, etc.

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

Conclusion Obviously, parents must make an effort to protect mi‐ nors. They must try to ensure that the visiting regimes agreed by the parties or the judges are complied with.

Well, repeatedly hindering or preventing the visits of the non‐custodial parent, can cre‐ ate serious harm to minors.

And equally, to the father or mother, who cannot develop an adequate relationship with them.

If you have doubts about the divorce or separation proce‐ dure in Spain. If you want legal advice, on breach of the visiting regime, or other related mat‐ ter, check our family law ser‐ vices on our website www.white‐baos.com and con‐ tact us to receive legal advice.

You can obtain legal infor‐ mation of interest on our Face‐ book.

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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Vaults Of A Roman Amphitheatre UNCOVERED: Two vaults during work.

ANA MUÑOZ, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports for Toledo has announced the significant find of two vaults belonging to what would have been the Roman amphitheatre of Toledo, uncovered during work on a private home on Calle Honda, in the capital city, after she travelled to the location to see this important discovery for herself.

Ms Muñoz explained that in their day, the two vaults would have been attached to a wall in order to support the main structure of the amphitheatre bleachers, “Although the remains that have appeared must be studied, the first indications suggest that they belong to the Roman High Imperial period.”

She pointed out the huge relevance of this find, in relation to the regional capital’s importance in the old Roman era, and stated that the Culture department, although being aware that there had most certainly been a circus located outside the city, no preserved remains have ever been found.

NEWS

Hefty penalties SPAIN’S General Traffic Department (DGT) has recently announced a number of changes to the Highway Code which will come into force from May 11, including alterations to the points system on driving licences and speed limits including hefty penalties for the use of mobile phones, GPS, headsets and radar trackers.

The new law will see an increase in the number of points which can be deducted from your licence from three to six along with a €200 fine for anyone who has a mobile phone in their hand while driving, whether they are using it or not.

But in a major change, motorists will be penalised for using mobiles on conference too, an offence which will carry a €200 fine and the loss of three points.

The same applies to the use of GPS and headsets while driving which, according to the new regulations, ‘causes a distraction and is, therefore, a serious offence.’

The only exception to the

rule is the use of transmitter systems when giving motorcycle driving lessons, and in the corresponding exam.

The only way to legally use a mobile phone while driving is to use an approved hands-free system integrated into the car.

LIFESIZE Pablo Picasso masterpiece A LIFESIZE replica of Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece, ‘Guernica’, is be‐ ing created by a group of chocolatiers in the Basque Country, showcasing their skills and celebrating their cultural heritage. The masterpiece represents the bombing of a small Basque town in 1937.

‘Guernica’ is one of the world’s most famous paintings and Pi‐ casso’s response to the bombing, which was carried out by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy warplanes to assist the forces of Francis‐ co Franco during the Spanish Civil War. A group of around 40 chocolatiers from a local association called Euskal Gozogileak have been working together to produce a chocolate interpretation of ‘Guernica’ to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the bombing.

The project is a technical feat because of the vast size of the painting, which is almost 3.5 metres high and eight metres wide.

The chocolatiers have been working in an industrial kitchen in the small town of Lezo, and have created the masterpiece by mak‐ ing 14 separate chocolate slabs.

“We have had to match up different templates, colours and im‐ ages and we had our work cut out for us,” said Ismael Sayalero, one of the chocolatiers involved. “Maybe we missed a few details but I think it turned out pretty well.”

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Adventure Parks Reopen

AFTER Catalonia’s Procicat civil protection body lifted the coron‐ avirus restrictions on amusement parks, PortAventura World, the theme park located just south of Tarragona, will reopen its doors for the first time on May 15 since October 16, 2020, while its Caribe Park will reopen on June 23.

The company will reopen Por‐ tAventura and Ferrari Land, and the Colorado Creek, plus the PortAven‐ tura, and Gold River hotels, which had all been originally scheduled to reopen on March 27, but had to be postponed due to the extension of the restrictions.

After spending €5 million on se‐

WATER PARK: Is set to open up again on June 23. curity measures, PortAventura World will be hoping that every‐ thing keeps heading in the right di‐ rection, but they will still enforce the mandatory use of face masks, and there will be a limit on the ca‐ pacity allowed into each facility.

Barcelona’s Tibidabo amuse‐

ment park will also reopen to the public on May 15, with health mea‐ sures in place for both visitors and staff, as agreed by the relevant local authorities, with some of the regu‐ lar activities being adapted to suit the current restrictions, and the use of more outdoor shows.

1.5M AstraZeneca Doses SPAIN’S government has sent 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines across differ‐ ent regions, meaning that during this week Spain will have given two doses of vaccines to five million people.

The doses will be joined by 1,750,000 fur‐ ther from Pfizer.

Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, said the doses will mean Spain will have vaccinat‐ ed five million people.

The news comes after it emerged that 100

per cent of all those over the age of 80 in Spain have now received at least their first jab and 78 per cent have received both dos‐ es.

It was also revealed that 67 per cent of those aged between 70 and 79 have also re‐ ceived both doses.

The vaccination of people aged 60 to 69, who have been given the AstraZeneca drug, has accelerated with almost half of this age group having received their first dose.

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Norwegian Air Announces Layoffs NORWEGIAN AIR SHUTTLE announced to its workforce on Monday, May 3, that it intends to initiate a collective dismissal procedure for 1,191 workers from its bases in Spain in the coming days, which would affect 85 per cent of its workforce in the country.

As reported by the USO union and confirmed by the company, the airline, immersed in a deep crisis due to the impact of the pandemic, plans to stop operating long-haul flights from Barcelona, and intends to undertake a ‘brutal cut’ of shorthaul operations, with the closure of three of its five bases.

Norwegian has announced its intention to render the bases in Barcelona, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife ‘inoperative.’

The company has said it will maintain the operational bases of Malaga and Alicante, although one aircraft will operate from each of them during this year.

Norwegian estimates that “for the summer of 2022 and, under the scenario of six aircraft based in Spain (three in Alicante and another in Malaga), it will need crew members in the region of 215 personnel, including pilots and cabin crew.“

NORWEGIAN: Is cutting its services in Spain.

One Million Fines Remain Unpaid WITHIN the first 100 days of the first State of Alarm, the State security forces and other bodies imposed more than a million fines on citizens for breaching the restrictions against the coronavirus that attracted fines of between €600 and €30,000 depending on the severity of the case.

Ten months later and the government has confirmed that 20 per cent of the sanctions have been processed or are in the system and waiting to be processed. However, there is not much information about the remaining 80 per cent of the fines.

In addition, nobody can clarify whether those that are not processed will expire and will end up being annulled, while ministers warn that many of them could end up not being valid due to statutory time limits etc.

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Drunk While Riding A Bicycle WITH the pandemic gripping the country, and mobility restrictions in force, many people have gone out and purchased a bicycle, sometimes as an alternative means of travelling locally instead of using their car, or for others, it has been a new form of coronavirus exercise, as you might have noticed if you go for a walk along the seafront and every few minutes have to step out of the way of a cyclist coming along the pavement.

In the Guardia Civil information about this, on the website www.nn332.es, under alcohol limits and penalties section, it very clearly says that cyclists cannot circulate with a blood

GET FIT: But make sure you stay safe. alcohol level greater than 0.5 grams per litre, or alcohol in expired air greater than 0.25 milligrams per litre, and if you

get stopped, and exceed those figures, you could end up with a fine ranging from €500 up to €1,000 it said.

‘Safe partying’ HUNDREDS ‘partied safely’ as part of a clinical test ‘Abrir Girona’ (Open Girona) at the weekend, without having to social distance ‐ though they had to wear FFP2 masks at all times.

FESTIVAL: A pilot project.

Around 250 partygoers enjoyed La Mercè Electrónica Festival at La Mercè Cultural Cen‐ tre in Girona as part of the pilot project that aimed to get peo‐ ple back on the dance floor safely in ‘spaces with low capacity for transmitting the virus.’

At 5pm on Saturday, May 1, as the doors opened, all of the revellers had to present a digital certificate which confirmed they had been vaccinated or had tested negative in an antigen test.

The five‐hour ‘techno’ festival saw five DJs take to the stage and a chill‐out area with bar service was set up where it was possible to have a drink, but smoking was not allowed.

NEWS

Power of Hope AS if the wonderful Kate Gar‐ raway hadn’t suffered enough with her husband Derek Draper’s illness, now she has divulged fur‐ ther information saying that he had suffered rare brain inflamma‐ tion during his battle with coron‐ avirus, bringing doctors to warn her that he ‘might never recover.’

Writing in her new book, ‘The Power of Hope,’ the 53‐year‐old Good Morning Britain presenter spoke of her and her family’s or‐ deal with Derek’s Covid‐19 battle, revealing that scans of his brain showed ‘fluffy white clouds floating in the top part of his head,’ which concerned his doctors.

She explains how they at first thought the clouds had been caused by the ECMO, a machine that oxygenates the blood, by‐ passing the lungs and heart, and can sometimes cause bleeds or clots to appear on the brain, but further tests revealed that Derek had inflammation on his brain.

The doctors said they had never encountered that in Covid patients, but then, after speaking with doc‐ tors on the continent, they found out similar instances had been dis‐ covered in Europe.

In her book, Kate explains, “This, they told me, was a unique histori‐ cal event, a one‐off splurge of in‐ flammation, and the fact it showed up in some form on the earlier CT scans back in April meant it hap‐ pened right at the start when Derek was first on ECMO.” Thankfully, Derek was allowed to go back home, but needs con‐ stant care and attention, with Kate recalling doctors telling her, “We can’t rule out some kind of recov‐ ery, but we can’t rule out him nev‐ er recovering.”

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NEWS

Third Country travel ban THE Spanish Government has again extended restrictions on entry into Spain by air for pas‐ sengers from countries outside the European Union and the Schengen Area until May 31.

The Ministry of the Interior revealed on April 20 that the country will consider lifting the entry restrictions on non‐es‐ sential travel from European countries while extending the existing restrictions on entry to

Spain from countries where Covid‐19 variants have widely spread.

The new order, which fol‐ lowed one that expired on April 19, was effective until May 3, 2021, but the measures have been extended again for a further 28 days.

As from May 1, travellers coming, with or without stopovers, from India, Brazil, South Africa, Botswana, Co‐

Promising April SPAIN’S Health Ministry has reported fewer than 3,000 deaths last month for the first time since September 2020, a significant drop that experts attribute to the roll‐out of vaccines and may indicate that the country has seen the worst of the pandemic.

In an update on April 30, the ministry confirmed there were 2,757 Covid‐related deaths in April, the first time there have been less than 3,000 fatalities in six months.

In the last 30 days, as more than eight million doses of vaccine have been administered, mortality has plum‐ meted from the more than 200 deaths per day reported in March to around 90 last month.

The Carlos III Health Institute is still analysing the da‐ ta, which can take three weeks, but the trend appears to be promising, reports El Pais.

moros, Ghana, Kenya, Mozam‐ bique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zim‐ babwe, Peru and Colombia may only enter national terri‐ tory if they are ‘persons resi‐ dent in Spain or Andorra.’

Other exceptions are Span‐ ish citizens and their “spouse or partner with whom they maintain an analogous conju‐ gal union registered in a public registry, and those ascendants and descendants living under their care, provided they are travelling with or to join them.”

“They may also do so if they are transport personnel, sailors and aeronautical personnel re‐ quired and it is necessary to carry out air transport activi‐ ties,” added the ministry.

And this applies to “diplo‐ matic, consular, international organisations, military, civil protection and members of hu‐ manitarian organisations, in the exercise of their functions” or “persons who can document reasons of force majeure or sit‐ uation of need, or whose entry is permitted for humanitarian reasons.”

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Nestle cut 600 jobs Robot cooks paella CHOCOLATE confec‐ tioner, Nestle, is plan‐ ning on cutting 600 jobs in the UK, to close a factory and move the produc‐ tion of some of their products to Europe.

Nestle slashing jobs.

New Apple warranty APPLE now has to offer at least a three‐year warranty on their products in Spain after the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a new national consumer protection standard.

The recent approval means the extension of the existing war‐ ranty period to a mandatory three years. The move aims to bring the country a step closer towards a circular economy, according to Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

It is not yet known when the new regulation will take effect, however, it has been confirmed that it will have an impact on all new Apple devices sold in Spain, including Mac devices, iPad and iPhone models.

As well as the extended warranty coverage, manufacturers will also be required to keep spare parts for a minimum of 10 years ‐ this is up from five. The limitation period will also be ex‐ tended from three years to five.

There are further details in the new consumer protection regu‐ lations, such as allowing customers to choose whether they would like a replacement device or a repair on a defective prod‐ uct.

Officially, Apple only offers a one‐year warranty on iPhone products, in addition to local rights provided by country‐specific consumer laws.

The Swiss‐owned firm is plan‐ ning the closure of its site in Fawdon, in Newcastle, at the end of 2023. This will entail cutting around 475 jobs and a further 98 job cuts in York.

A spokeswoman said the company “regrets the uncer‐ tainty” the changes will have on workers and their families.

However, the confectionery gi‐ ant added: “Nestle Confec‐ tionery has an ambitious busi‐ ness strategy in the UK and these proposals are intended to support our long‐term success in an increasingly competitive category.”

However, the GMB union’s national officer Ross Murdoch said it was “sickening” that lives and families were “being ruined in a ruthless pursuit of profits.”

He added: “Nestle is the largest food producer in the world, with astronomical profits. It can afford to treat workers right. In‐ stead, they’ve allowed factories to deteriorate, outsourced pro‐ duction overseas and now slashed 600 jobs.”

SPAIN has created the world’s first robot that cooks paella!

There’s a fine art to making paella, one of Spain’s most‐ loved traditional Valencian dish‐ es, and for those of you who have tried it at home, things can go horribly wrong.

But two Spanish companies have teamed up to create a robotic arm which can pull off the perfect paella without burn‐ ing a grain of rice.

The world’s first robotic paellero was unveiled at a hospi‐ tality industry fair last month, and is already stirring up plenty of interest.

A joint project between the young company br5 (Be a Robot 5) and the paella stove manufac‐ turer Mimcook, the robot has at‐ tracted attention from hotel and restaurant chains, as well as a Japanese firm.

Not surprising really as the robotic arm means all that is necessary is to place sofrito, rice, stock and seafood into a paella pan, and the robotic arm, which is hooked up to a computerised stove, will do the rest.

Br5’s founder, Enrique Lillo,

told the Guardian the invention is the latest in a long line of labour‐saving devices that “save humans drudgery and allow them to focus on creativity.”

“It’s a multifunction robot: right now it cooks rice because it’s hooked up to a Mimcook,

but you could hook it up to a fry‐ er so it fries potatoes, or you could attach a grill so it can cook burgers, or an oven so it can cook pizza or croissants,” said the engineer, who named his company after the robot from the 1986 film Short Circuit.

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NEWS

Tapas Bar challenge Champagne is protected.

TAPAS bars in Barcelona, called champanillos may see a legal challenge from the Champagne region of France if the European Court of Justice responds to a legal opinion that was published on Thursday 29 April.

The industry body that represents Champagne makers in France has made a complaint

Indian Variant In Vigo THE Galician Health Service, Sergas, confirmed on Saturday May 1, the discovery of the B1.617 (Indian variant) subvariant 2 of coronavirus in three of the five crew members of the Prometheus Leader ship which had docked in Vigo, with Sergas assuring that the outbreak is controlled and that the two sailors hospitalised in the Vithas Fátima in Vigo are stable.

After the outbreak was reported on the ship, which docked on Thursday April 29 in the Vigo Trasatlánticos Port, all 22 crew members were tested for coronavirus, with five returning a positive result by the Microbiology Service of the Álvaro Cunqueiro de Vigo Hospital, and two were admitted.

The Singapore-flagged cargo vessel has a crew made up of Filipino and Indian nationals, and had arrived in Spain from Southampton in England, and now with the crew all quarantined, it must remain in the port, unless its owner decides to replace the crew and continue for it to continue on its route.

that the Spanish bars violate their designation protected under EU law by using a name similar to and derived from ‘Champagne.’

The court’s advocate general has said that even though the EU law is in place to prevent protected designation of origin (PDO) products from “all parasitic commercial practices,” which includes services, “does not constitute ‘use’ within the meaning of that regulation, of the PDO ‘Champagne’.” In this case the use of the word ‘champanillo.’

Champanillo comes from the Spanish word for Champagne, ‘champan’, with the diminutive at the end making a word meaning ‘little Champagne’.

The advocate general’s opinion added a warning that, if a champanillo has a sign or a featured link to Champagne then this could infringe the protected Champagne name.

Opinions from the advocate general are considered by the court, though it is not bound to follow them.

FEATURE

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Bill and Melinda Gates DIVORCE BILL and Melinda Gates have announced that they are getting divorced after 27 years of marriage, say‐ ing “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple.”

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we

have made the decision to end our marriage. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life,” the Twitter statement said.

Bill and Melinda began dating in 1987 after meet‐ ing at a New York trade show, and she went on to

Boris Johnson’s Mobile Number THE UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s mobile number has reportedly been available online for 15 years, causing security concerns for the government.

Former UK national security adviser Lord Ricketts said there was an “increased risk” of crimes by hostile states or criminal gangs if Boris Johnson’s number has been available.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “It’s obvi‐ ously a serious situation. It carries a security risk. And he was warned about it. That tells its own story.”

He added: “I think a lot of people will be concerned not just about who’s got the number but who’s been using it.

Labour MP Rachel Hopkins said the availability of the PM’s phone number had “obvious security and lobbying implications.”

She also suggested there was a risk of “blackmail” for the Prime Minister.

work in marketing for Mi‐ crosoft and be appointed as General Manager of In‐ formation Products in the early 90s.

The couple wed on Jan‐ uary 1, 1994, in Hawaii ‐ Melinda left the company in 1996 to focus on starting their family. Bill and Melin‐ da have three adult chil‐ dren, Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe ‐ and reside in their huge, earth‐sheltered fami‐ ly mansion, dubbed Xanadu 2.0, overlooking Lake Washington in Medina, WA. The organisation has since spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children.

The Gates ‐ along with in‐ vestor Warren Buffett ‐ are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes.

According to Forbes, Mi‐ crosoft founder Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest per‐ son in the world.

6 - 12 May 2021

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6 - 12 May 2021

Madeleine McCann Main Suspect

CHRISTIAN B: The main suspect accused of Hazel’s rape.

GERMAN police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann say the main suspect in the case, Christian B, looks certain to be charged with rape in the ‘next three months.’

Christian Brueckner has been accused of the rape of Hazel Behan in Praia de Rocha, three years before the disappearance of Maddie McCann on May 3, 2007. German authorities now say they are confident of charging Brueckner in connection with the case by the end of summer.

Behan, 37, who has waived her right to anonymity, contact-

ed British police after reading in the news about a similar sex attack by Brueckner. The then-20year-old was attacked in her apartment in Praia da Rocha on the Algarve, a 30-minute drive from where Madeleine was abducted.

In a separate development, Brueckner’s lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher claimed German prosecutors think they are ‘special’ and ‘better’ at solving crimes than UK and Portuguese police.

Brueckner, 43, is currently serving a seven-year prison term for raping a 72-year-old American in Praia da Luz in 2005.

NEWS

EastEnders’ New Star THE BBC has pulled off a major coup in signing up former football manager, and ‘King Of The Jungle’ celebrity, 74-yearold Harry Redknapp, to star in their award-winning soap, EastEnders.

Talks had been ongoing for months apparently after Harry had hinted earlier in the year that he would love to be on the soap, saying, “My ambition for 2021 is to get a part in EastEnders because I’m a real East Ender. I grew up in Poplar, so I have a real affinity with the area.”

Adding, “I’ve already written the script so now all the show’s bosses need to do is to call me up. I’d like to be in it for a year, before they bump me off or something.”

The BBC is due to announce Harry’s signing, and he should be making his first appearance this summer, with it rumoured that the storyline reportedly goes something like Mick Carter telling the Queen Vic regulars that Harry Redknapp has moved back to the area, at which point, the door swings open and in walks Harry, who explains he has gone into business at the pub with Mick.

2 Missing girls THE mother of two missing girls in Tenerife has sent a message of hope to her chil‐ dren.

The two girls, a one‐year‐ old and a six‐year‐old disap‐ peared on Tuesday April 27, with their father.

On Friday, April 30, a mar‐ itime search team reported finding a baby chair floating in the sea close to the area where the boat thought to contain the father and his two girls went missing from Tenerife.

Beatriz, who believes her two daughters, Anna and Olivia, are “fine” said: “My message is to send a lot of light and love to the girls, that I am sure they are fine.

Do not watch the news feed‐ ing the bad energy, that ev‐ eryone thinks that girls are a beautiful light that they are protected and that in the less we wait for it, they will be playing and running hap‐ pily.”

It was announced on Sat‐ urday that an international search warrant for the fa‐ ther, Tomás Gimeno, and the two girls has been issued.

There has also been an ex‐ tensive search carried out by the air and maritime service of the Guardia Civil, the Spe‐ cial Group for Underwater Activities (GEAS) and the Or‐ ganic Unit of the Judicial Po‐ lice. On Saturday May 1, the search was joined by officers from the Central Operating Unit (UCO) of Madrid.

NEWS

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4-day working week SINCE the outbreak of the Covid pandemic working from home has become the norm for millions of workers and the crisis has highlighted the fact that roles and industries previously deemed unsuitable for flexible working can be adapted.

The Spanish Government announced last month plans to invest €50 million in an experiment to test whether there would be advantages in changing to a four-day working week without damaging the economy.

It is anticipated that the Government will invite some 200 companies throughout the country to take part in the threeyear experiment starting later this year.

But a study on Business Flexibility and Competitiveness released by the Adecco Group Institute and the Cuatrecasas Institute of Legal Strategy in HR, in which 500 Spanish companies were surveyed - the majority believe the move would not work.

For 74 per cent of the firms consulted, it is “impossible to implement the four-day working week in the short term,” although 14 per cent see it as feasible as long as the salary is proportional to the time worked.

The remaining companies (12 per cent) believe that it could even be achieved, maintaining the current salary level.

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Easier For Juvenile Immigrants To Become Resident THE Spanish Secretary of State for Migration has implemented a change in the Immigration Law to facilitate the procedures for thousands of unaccompanied foreign minors and juveniles who arrive in Spain irregularly.

The objective is to make the set of rules that apply to immigrant children and adolescents more flexible and easier to obtain their residence and work permits.

Without documents, hundreds of children are subject to recurrent targets of farright attacks and are doomed to marginalisation.

The reform focuses especially on juveniles, the most unprotected before the law

was passed, and unravels the bureaucratic knot that minors face when they turn 18 years old. The new law aims to end a dynamic that is constantly repeated: that is those young people who have not been documented in reception centres as re-

quired by law go, overnight, from being protected children to adults in an irregular situation.

The new law prevents foreign children and adolescents from having to renew their permits annually. The first authorisation will be

valid for two years and the renewal will cover you for another five years if still a minor.

Older people, when their residence card expires, may renew it for two more years and opt, depending on each case, for a long-term permit.

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NEWS

Low PCR Prices on offer RYANAIR: Offering a discount.

Animal Cruelty A 27-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for eight months at the Gibraltar Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of cruelty to animals, in what a spokesperson for the local veterinary clinic de‐ scribed as the worst case of neglect and cruelty it had seen to an animal in 32 years.

Dyson Lima, had taken his dead German Shepherd, ‘Rooke’, to the vet’s clinic on October 27, 2019, and the state of neglect was so bad that the Royal Gibraltar Police were informed by an Animal Welfare Officer, and he was later arrested and charged with the crime of cruelty to animals.

Lima claimed in his court hearing that his dog had suddenly deteriorated in health over the weekend, a claim that was reject‐ ed by Stipendiary Magistrate, Charles Pitto, as photos were shown displaying the dog’s emaciated body, with the shape of its rib cage exposed.

Expert witnesses described how the Alsatian dog was clearly ill‐treated and neglected to such an extent that it would have gone through ‘extreme suffering’ before it died, while another witness described the dog as looking like images he had seen from concentration camps in the Second World War.

EXPATS are speaking of hopes of seeing family and friends again this summer after Ryanair announced it was offering low PCR test costs.

Brits in Spain have been speaking of their hopes of seeing family again this summer after Ryanair announced cheap PCR tests for travellers.

According to the press, Ryanair is offering half price PCR tests for its passengers, reducing the costs to £60 (€69).

Ryanair’s discount for passengers will be available on both pre-departure tests, and testing kits for days two and eight once a holidaymaker is back in the UK. The airline has said that discounts will be available to UK-based customers only.

Expats had previously reported concerns that the price of PCR tests, which can cost up to £214 (€246), could stop some from being able to afford to see family and friends this summer.

The news comes after a study found that Brits in the UK would pay up to €57 for PCR tests for travel.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

6 - 12 May 2021

Scrambling to get residency AS many are still scrambling to get their Spanish residency, TIE (Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) completed after the Brexit withdrawal, it has become apparent that third parties are taking advantage of some British people’s desperation.

One EWN reader told us "I contacted a law firm in Valencia to enquire about how much it would cost me for them to assist me with getting my residency, I had tried to look through all of the information I needed and was a bit overwhelmed with getting my documents together. I arrived before the withdrawal agreement came into force on January 1 this year and had been told it wouldn’t cost much to have a gestor help me.

“The lawyer quoted me €1,500 (£1,302) for the help which I thought was extortionate. I then went to my town hall for advice and they gave me a list of gestors in the area, I went to one of them who has sent my residency application and quoted me €120 (£104.21) for the service.

“I think it’s worrying that

other firms are charging so much and preying on the fact people are so confused and stressed about applying for the residency.”

Of course, there will be variants in the fees due to the documents the gestor may need to assist applicants with obtaining,

however, such a huge difference in price does beg the question of whether some third parties may be taking advantage of Brits who are desperate to acquire their residency in Spain.

You can get free help via Age in Spain and Citizens Advice Bureau Spain.

Medical School Applications AS a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, Spain has seen an increased interest in health and well-being, diet and fitness, but the health crisis has also had an impact in the choices youngsters are making about their future careers.

According to data released by the Department of Universities, applications to study Medicine at Valencian public colleges has jumped by a substantial 30 per cent for the 2021-2022 academic year.

According to Jesús Andicoberry, coordinator of the Valencian Community of the State Council of Medical Students (CEEM), while Medicine has always been a very popular course, the reasons for the increased demand this year are twofold: “The romanticisation of the profession and the humanitarian raison d’être of Medicine, which lies in helping others.”

The upsurge may seem surprising since the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the stressful working environment for those in the medical profession, who, for more than a year now have put their own lives at risk in order to treat those less fortunate.

One attraction may be the fact that a university course in Medicine sees students receive six continuous training years, compared to a maximum of four offered by most other courses.

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NEWS

Economic Recovery Plan To The EU SPAIN has said it will press ahead with its economic recov‐ ery plan despite an expected delay in the arrival of European Union support funds, financing initial investments via govern‐ ment borrowing, President Pe‐ dro Sanchez said on Tuesday, April 27.

The Community Executive now has two months to evalu‐ ate the plan and, if it gives its approval, the Member States will then have four weeks to ap‐ prove it by qualified majority.

Spain formally presented its recovery, transformation and resilience plan to the EU with

details of the reforms and in‐ vestments, amounting to €70,000 million, which it plans to execute between 2021 and 2023 with the help of the aid from the European recovery fund.

“We have received the re‐ covery plan from Spain,” said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the social network Twitter. The European funds will help “to finance the coun‐ try’s recovery through projects related to the ecological and digital transition, cohesion and gender equality,” said Von der Leyen.

The 348‐page Spanish plan is structured around four pillars: green transformation; digital transformation; social and terri‐ torial cohesion; and gender equality, the community execu‐ tive specified in a statement.

In addition, the Commission added, it includes measures on sustainable mobility, energy ef‐ ficiency in buildings, clean ener‐ gy, digital skills, digital connec‐ tivity, support for the industrial sector and SMEs, and social housing.

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Sustainable beer

Manslaughter?

IN order to celebrate the fact that it has become Denmark’s first CO2 neutral brewery, Svaneke Bryghus has launched a new beer, appropriately named Game Changer which comes in a white and green can. The brewery has solar panels on the roof and is 100 per cent organic.

HAVING received requests for assistance from the relatives of three people who died of blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccination, French prosecutors are reviewing evidence following postmortems to decide whether they should bring charges of involuntary manslaughter against the company.

NETHERLANDS Party on POLICE in Holland were hard pushed to deal with the thousands of young people who decided to enjoy impromptu parties in Amsterdam, Breda, Haarlem and Utrecht to celebrate the King’s birthday on April 27, ignoring safety rules and riot police arrested 50 people in Amsterdam alone.

BELGIUM Crazy price

NORWAY Munch bunch AFTER considerable delay, made worse by the pandemic and the unavailability of chosen fire doors, the new MUNCH Museum has finally been completed and is expected to open to the public in Oslo by this autumn once the 20,000+ paintings, prints and drawings are hung.

FINLAND

ALTHOUGH the saying goes ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ it certainly does for one house plant in Ghent where a 15cm tall rare Monstera Adansonii variegate (Swiss cheese plant) was sold for €1,799 as it had white and yellow leaves compared to €10 for green leaves.

Recovery plan

GERMANY

SWEDEN

Court order

Explosive whale

IN response to an action taken by environmentalists against the German Government a court has ruled that the country’s 2019 climate protection act is in part unconstitutional as it doesn’t give details of how greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced after 2031.

AFTER the corpse of a humpback whale appeared off the beach of Mörbylånga, locals started to turn up to have a look. The local council has however warned people to keep away as there is a strong possibility that internal gases could make it explode.

A DECISION has been made by the Finnish Constitutional Law Committee that any vote in favour of the European Union €750 billion recovery plan will have to be approved by a two-thirds majority of MPs. If this is not achieved the plan could be cancelled.

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Negative territory SPAIN’S Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 taking it back into negative territory according to the National Institute of Statistics. GDP is defined as the final value of the goods and services produced in a specified period.

Cryptocurrency ALTHOUGH Bitcoin commands all of the headlines due to its massive increase and fall in value, US bankers JP Morgan suggest that the second most popular of this type of digital asset, Ethereum has not been badly affected and continues to rise in value having exceeded €2,300.

British boom AS part of Barclays Bank first quarter report, CEO Jes Staley has indicated his belief that the British economy is on course for its biggest economic boom since 1948 as the country’s vaccination programme allows consumers to go out and spend what they have saved during the pandemic.

Retail sales THE Spanish National Institute of Statistics has released good news about March retail sales which rose by 18.1 per cent, a significant reversal following 12 months of decline attributed to the pandemic and closure of many shops for so long.

Dixons Airport closures ELECTRICAL retailer Dixons Carphone is to close airport store business Dixons Travel after it was hammered by the pandemic and the end of tax-free tourist shopping from January 2021.

The stores will be the first major casualty of the post-Brexit ‘tourist tax’, which was bitterly fought by retailers, hospitality and other tourism-dependent businesses. Experts said the 35 Dixons Travel stores would be the first of many closures, possibly triggering off tens of thousands of job losses.

In London, there are eight Dixons Travel outlets at Heathrow and four at Gatwick.

30

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 6 - 12 May 2021

€1.12 billion

is the profit earned by Spanish bank BBVA in the first quarter of 2021 which is slightly more than earned in the first quarter of 2020 prior to the lockdown.

Property taxes down IN a bid to help stimulate the economy and to gener‐ ate taxable income, the Junta de Andalucia has re‐ duced two taxes with im‐ mediate effect until the end of 2021.

First there’s the Transfer Tax which is payable when‐ ever a ‘second‐hand’ prop‐ erty is sold which ranged from 8 per cent to 10 per cent and will now be charged at a flat rate of 7 per cent regardless of the

price or make up of the property.

Until the Decree‐Law 7/2021 of April 27 came in‐ to effect, there was an 8 per cent tax on properties selling for up to €400,000, 9 per cent on the next €300,000 and 10 per cent on anything higher, there‐ fore the more expensive the property, the bigger the saving.

New builds are not in‐ cluded as they attract an

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Can they cut trees?

Who is responsible for trimming danger‐ ously overgrown trees in a Community?

If trees are outside my fence but so tall one is leaning towards the busy road and likely to fall on my house or road? Community says I cannot touch the trees because they are the other side of my fence. The town hall said exactly the same. Nobody is allowed to trim or cut trees anywhere. Administrator said first it was town hall responsibility. Another time he said it was Junta de Andalucia. A committee member told me that we pay for trimming of trees in our fees. There are many big trees cut down to two meters or less all over our Community.

J O (Costa del Sol) All of the answers to your questions YOU AND THE LAW are correct. The IN SPAIN basic rule is that you cannot trim or cut down trees on your land. The en‐ forcement of this rule might fall to any of the official bodies you mentioned, depending on the circum‐ stances. If a tree is likely to cause danger, you must seek permission from the body in charge. It appears that the two‐metre stumps around your community have been illegally cut.

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.

IN a speech given on April 29, Pablo Hernández de Cos, Governor of the Bank of Spain warned that many businesses were still finan‐ cially vulnerable having seen incomes decline dur‐ ing the pandemic.

He admitted that the out‐ look has improved, but warned that despite the

element of IVA (VAT) and at the moment, with prop‐ erties you shouldn’t be hit with two separate taxes.

The same Law also saw a reduction of Stamp Duty to 1.2 per cent from 1.5 per cent which is charged on the notarisation of any document that has an economic value and un‐ like Transfer Tax, a new build does require that the deed of sale be no‐ tarised and recorded in

public registries.

There has been a great deal of building across An‐ dalucia, especially on the Costa del Sol and it is hoped that these reduc‐ tions will encourage the sale of properties generally throughout the au‐ tonomous community.

This information was provided by Marbella based JCA Abogados, but other lawyers will also be able to advise.

A stressful time

Prepaid plans.

WHEN someone passes away in Spain, their relatives must carry out several procedures in a short space of time.

Doing this abroad, in a for‐ eign language, makes this painful time more difficult; which is why it makes sense to have a prepaid funeral plan to handle things for you.

If someone dies of natural causes, call the Emergency Ser‐ vices (112) for a doctor to certi‐ fy the death. Make sure you have the person’s ID. If the death is not due to natural causes, the Local Police must be called (092).

Once the doctor has issued

the Certifi‐ cado Medico de Defuncion, the funeral parlour (tanatorio) should be contacted to take the body. Within 24 hours, take the temporary certificate to the civil registry office (Reg‐ istro Civil) to get the official death certificate. Get several copies. You will then need the burial or cremation licence from the Civil Registry office, as in Spain, this should go ahead within 48 hours of death.

To ensure your family has fi‐ nancial and emotional support when you pass away, enquire about the different prepaid fu‐ neral plans available.

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

Bank of Spain warning fact that the Spanish Gov‐ ernment had helped con‐ siderably with loans and fi‐ nancial support such as ERTE, the economy was still heavily indebted and the solvency of many compa‐ nies both large and small

was under scrutiny.

Effectively many owe more money and have less income to service their debts which increases the possibility of defaults and bankruptcy.

This in turn could re‐

bound upon the banks who could face some losses if companies do go under, even though part of the loans given during the crises may be underwritten by the Government.

He believes that not only

Cuban trade blockade IT was in 2019 that the Don‐ ald Trump Administration passed the most stringent laws trying to block not just American companies but others around the world with trading with Cuba.

During the Obama admin‐ istrations relationships were established and sanc‐ tions started to be relaxed and due to the long‐stand‐ ing relationship with Cuba, Spanish businesses saw it a decent potential market.

With the election of the new President many Span‐ ish politicians believe that the blockade should be stopped and the council of the Andalucian town of Ara‐ hal has written to the Na‐ tional Government demand‐ ing that it takes action to protect Spanish/Cuban commercial interests.

Staff shortage AS British diners get ready to return to reopened bars and restaurants in May, owners are finding it difficult to recruit staff according to a recent BBC re‐ port.

It appears that many former workers have left the hospitali‐ ty industry due to the lock‐ down and many European workers have left the UK due to Brexit.

Popular recruitment website caterer.com literally has thou‐ sands of hospitality jobs situat‐ ed throughout the UK on offer and also warns that ‘no shows’, people who make reservations and then don’t turn up, could also hit restaurant profitability, especially if ‘walk‐ins’ are not allowed. must the Government look at those who need contin‐ ued financial assistance, but lenders also have to consider the reform of debt structure to try to ensure that the minimum number of businesses face closure.

Banks also need to con‐ sider their bad debt provi‐ sions.

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6 - 12 May 2021

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C LOSING P RICES M AY 3

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.282,00 1.284,50 Admiral Group 3.129,0 3.246,0 Anglo American 3.070,0 3.141,0 Antofagasta 1.865,50 1.911,00 Ashtead Group 4.651,0 4.734,0 Associated British Foods 2.308,0 2.325,0 AstraZeneca 7.715,0 7.867,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 570,20 574,60 Avast 477,70 485,20 Aveva 3.480,0 3.538,0 Aviva 400,30 400,70 B&M European Value Retail SA565,80 567,20 BAE Systems 506,20 509,00 Bank VTB DRC 1,326 1,330 Barclays 175,50 180,24 Barratt Developments 772,00 778,00 Berkeley 4.627,0 4.678,0 BHP Group 2.184,50 2.217,00 BP 303,00 307,45 British American Tobacco 2.682,0 2.695,0 British Land Company 518,40 522,00 BT Group 164,95 165,55 Bunzl 2.327,0 2.339,0 Burberry Group 2.061,0 2.091,0 Carnival 1.681,4 1.702,0 Centrica 56,66 56,66 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.502,0 2.533,0 Compass 1.572,50 1.592,50 CRH 3.427,0 3.494,0 Croda Intl 6.764,0 6.822,0 DCC 6.284,0 6.430,0 Diageo 3.251,0 3.279,0 DS Smith 420,80 427,50 EasyJet 1.036,00 1.042,00 Experian 2.792,0 2.805,0 Ferguson 9.132,0 9.256,0 Flutter Entertainment 14.840,0 15.435,0 Fresnillo 823,60 839,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.339,60 1.348,80 Glencore 295,20 301,20 Halma 2.588,0 2.599,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.719,50 1.722,50 Hikma Pharma 2.440,00 2.468,00 HSBC 452,80 457,00 IAG 202,80 205,15 Imperial Brands 1.507,50 1.512,00 Informa 562,20 567,60 InterContinental 5.152,0 5.230,0 Intermediate Capital 2.186,00 2.196,00 Intertek 6.138,0 6.176,0 ITV 121,00 121,50

% CHG. 1.269,00 3.124,0 3.064,5 1.865,50 4.643,0 2.279,0 7.502,0 566,60 477,60 3.473,0 397,60 551,60 501,40 1,286 174,62 762,00 4.601,0 2.183,50 301,75 2.632,5 513,20 163,25 2.305,0 2.050,0 1.654,0 55,60 2.499,0 1.552,00 3.416,0 6.722,0 6.262,0 3.246,5 417,40 1.007,00 2.768,0 9.058,0 14.765,0 820,20 1.330,80 294,90 2.561,0 1.667,00 2.379,00 448,95 198,00 1.473,50 555,20 5.130,0 2.108,00 6.062,0 119,40

NET VOL 1,50M 486,18K 3,19M 1,65M 750,46K 773,85K 3,37M 2,30M 3,02M 420,44K 6,36M 2,80M 6,81M 3,82M 133,10M 2,54M 308,12K 3,70M 53,34M 5,04M 2,25M 23,22M 821,06K 810,92K 1,24M 17,53M 354,12K 2,76M 612,82K 249,40K 430,57K 2,10M 2,63M 2,04M 1,72M 416,66K 440,08K 1,63M 7,81M 24,46M 569,77K 1,14M 743,34K 30,79M 19,54M 2,43M 2,39M 295,54K 875,34K 251,36K 11,03M

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

237,70 3.250,0 720,80 272,40 45,44 7.400,0 466,00 162,90 1.965,00 910,60 196,60 7.802,0 33,93 2.097,00 3.132,0 711,40 1.534,50 6.451,0 1.879,50 500,40 614,00 6.076,0 104,62 6,91 1.364,11 1.365,0 1.299,0 682,40 638,00 1.821,00 15,74 3.608,0 1.259,00 1.005,50 2.477,0 1.570,50 1.625,50 11.815,0 1.468,00 1.361,50 519,60 277,50 179,60 221,00 430,70 4.231,5 968,20 136,80 3.244,0 975,60

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

238,60 3.295,0 724,80 274,20 45,72 7.502,0 471,90 166,75 1.990,50 914,90 197,70 7.908,0 35,38 2.193,00 3.165,0 717,60 1.544,00 6.461,0 1.882,50 504,40 619,40 6.164,0 105,44 7,05 1.380,90 1.381,0 1.311,6 683,20 643,20 1.840,00 15,92 3.644,0 1.288,00 1.011,00 2.480,0 1.574,50 1.638,00 11.925,0 1.472,50 1.369,50 527,00 279,10 181,05 221,70 431,30 4.262,0 969,80 137,84 3.314,0 994,20

235,10 3.224,0 709,20 270,80 45,14 7.372,0 456,80 162,25 1.951,50 894,30 194,15 7.794,0 33,93 2.089,00 3.108,0 709,20 1.522,00 6.350,0 1.861,00 495,80 610,20 6.062,0 101,46 6,90 1.360,40 1.360,6 1.293,4 682,20 636,20 1.816,50 15,70 3.568,0 1.256,50 997,00 2.422,0 1.543,00 1.622,00 11.780,0 1.454,00 1.343,50 516,40 272,50 178,60 219,75 421,70 4.192,5 947,00 135,32 3.232,0 974,20

6,14M 538,32K 1,66M 11,87M 184,48M 1,00M 1,73M 7,68M 1,19M 6,00M 15,21M 534,98K 2,02M 1,32M 723,70K 1,29M 3,34M 1,29M 2,60M 2,70M 1,95M 2,71M 34,35M 2,25M 6,44M 6,44M 9,03M 2,69M 1,94M 12,66K 3,34M 233,07K 2,08M 1,62M 796,07K 3,70M 1,45M 135,88K 1,69M 1,38M 9,82M 4,81M 21,04M 17,64M 3,23M 3,15M 2,00M 57,44M 659,49K 2,60M

1.14845

0.8695

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.20385 Japan yen (JPY)......................................131.995 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0989 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4361 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.004

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M AY 3

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 197,14 2.410,12 3.467,42 239,64 131,46 234,31 228,11 103,07 50,91 53,98 325,08 348,45 323,67 223,04 141,88 57,53 162,73 153,81 236,08 74,50 252,18 132,62 133,42 230,32 709,44 398,80 57,79 233,56 139,91 186,02

CHANGE 198,99 2.427,14 3.554,00 240,66 133,56 236,77 228,39 105,39 51,23 54,27 329,82 352,82 325,84 223,58 143,83 58,43 164,33 154,49 236,29 75,08 253,08 133,88 133,67 234,50 715,47 401,86 57,86 235,93 139,99 186,32

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 196,13 2,51M 2.402,16 1,96M 3.462,50 7,01M 234,20 3,42M 131,07 109,84M 232,70 10,38M 224,88 3,95M 102,97 13,73M 50,41 19,93M 53,69 14,91M 324,50 26,33M 347,20 2,10M 321,61 3,12M 221,04 2,22M 140,55 8,87M 57,07 30,73M 162,52 9,08M 153,01 11,71M 233,87 2,64M 73,48 17,23M 249,60 30,95M 132,05 5,64M 132,27 9,19M 229,52 5,02M 666,14 40,76M 398,35 2,33M 56,96 16,86M 232,29 10,26M 139,11 6,56M 183,54 7,87M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M AY 3

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+4.79% +2.08% +7.87% +4.32% +4.14% +4.48% +4.80% +0.98% +10.18% +9.44% +2.99%

40.76M 669,770 2.08M 2.06M 3.07M 2.74M 3.51M 119,059 105,867 4.38M 2.59M

-1.64% -2.40% -8.44% -1.41% -2.78% -6.98% -3.20% -0.81% -2.63% -1.09% -8.35%

2.24M 34,724 2.74M 328,219 150,985 15,084 1.37M 1.96M 455,621 271,379 7.12M

Most Advanced Tesla Inc. Equinix Inc. Five9 Inc. Willis Towers Watson PLC Atlassian Corp. PLC Cl A Fortinet Inc. BioNTech SE ADR First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A NVE Corp.

Overstock.com Inc. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Most Declined Alphabet Inc. Cl A Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A DexCom Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. CoStar Group Inc. II-VI Inc. 6% Pfd. Lam Research Corp.

Alphabet Inc. Cl C Trade Desk Inc. Cl A MercadoLibre Inc. Skyworks Solutions Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Currency outlook: Euro firms as EU vaccine rollout accelerates

POUND: Sterling started off strong in April, but struggled to sustain these gains.

ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

Euro EUR/GBP: Up from £0.85 to £0.86 EUR/USD: Up from $1.18 to $1.20 The euro stumbled at the end of March as EUR investors were unnerved by a resurgence of coronavirus cases throughout Europe, and the subsequent renewed restrictions in France and Germany.

However since then, we have seen the euro steadily climb higher throughout April. EUR gains have been partly due to a pullback in the US dollar but are mostly attributed to the accel‐ eration of the EU’s vaccine rollout.

Increasingly positive EUR data releases have also lent support to the single currency recently.

Looking ahead, the immediate focus for EUR investors will be on the Eurozone’s latest GDP release. This could put considerable pressure on the euro as the preliminary figures from the first quarter look set to confirm the bloc suffered a double‐dip recession over the winter.

Pound GBP/EUR: Down from €1.16 to €1.15 GBP/USD: Up from $1.38 to $1.39 The past month has seen the pound trade in a wide range as optimism over the reopening of a large portion of the UK economy was coun‐ tered by profit taking and vaccine concerns.

Sterling enjoyed a strong start to April, with the news that the UK government would be proceeding with its plan to reopen the economy on April 12 helping propel the GBP/EUR ex‐ change rate to a one‐year high of €1.18.

However, the pound struggled to sustain these gains as it was undermined by a bout of profit taking as well as concerns over the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has seen wide use in the UK. Turning to May, the Scottish parliamentary elections will be a key focus for GBP investors as a strong showing for the Scottish National Party could raise the possibility of another indepen‐ dence referendum.

US Dollar USD/GBP: Down from £0.72 to £0.71 USD/EUR: Down from €0.84 to €0.83 The US dollar came under considerable pres‐ sure throughout April, mostly as a result of a se‐ ries of dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

These saw Powell mostly dismiss concerns over rising inflation, whilst also suggesting that the Fed’s next rate hike is unlikely to take place until at least late 2022.

Also denting USD exchange rates has been a weakening of safe‐haven demand in recent weeks as an improving global economic outlook has helped to lift the market mood.

Looking ahead, the upcoming US GDP figures could provide a boost to the US dollar in the short‐term, amidst expectations for a healthy expansion of growth in the first quarter. Howev‐ er, the longer‐term outlook will largely depend on market sentiment, with USD likely to suffer if the mood becomes increasingly upbeat.

Currencies Direct have helped over 325,000 customers save on their currency transfers since 1996. Just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more about how you can save money on your currency transfers.

Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca.

Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.

6 - 12 May 2021

EWN 33

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

6 - 12 May 2021

FEATURE

Heaven forbid they would fight

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT SOME 25 years ago (yep) I wrote that if we didn’t recognise the ‘enemy within,’ one day it will all be far too late. At that time I likened it to large numbers of Germans being allowed to integrate into our societies before the Second World War. Had that situation arisen we would have been defeated and under the domination of Adolf Hitler before you could say Jackboot! Thankfully, we were not at the time influenced by woke lefties and the culture of the politically correct. Well we are now!

If we don’t do something to overrule these naïve numbskulls I’m afraid there is a strong chance that our children will never know the peace and freedom millions of our ancestors fought and died for. What I have noticed of late is the increasing numbers of highly placed military and Secret Service personnel appearing on our media outlets.

Many tell of the changing face of war and are warning that in the so‐called ‘grey zone’ the temperature is rising rapidly and we are simply not giving it enough attention. Cyber‐attacks and

the blatant assassination attempts on foreign soil by the Russians, Chinese and Saudis should be raising red flags but they are not. We prefer to concentrate on organisations akin to the BLM, or whether we should ‘take the knee’ or promote diversity and political correctness to levels of pure insanity. And it’s not only in the UK. Last week a thousand members of the French military, including 30 ex generals, published a letter stating their concern that huge areas of their cities had become no go Muslim enclaves.

They also chastised the Macron government for constantly refusing to acknowledge that immigration was mainly at the root of their civil disobedience and terrorist attacks.

Of course the lefties immediately dismissed the letter as ‘far right propaganda’ which is akin to accusing someone of racism, the usual card these people flourish when an argument they have no answer for tends to disagree with their own biased views. Well to my mind it’s high time we put the wokers out and the awakes in! These high ranking military

personnel are not ‘far righters’ they are intelligent professional experts, warning us of very possible civil or worldwide war. Our complacent politicians really do need to get a grip and start listening to these men and women who, when it hits the fan will be our first and last line of defence. The very least we can do is to give them our full cooperation and support.

Of one thing I can assure you, if it does kick off, the wokers, the lefties and those they choose to support, will desert us in droves. Heaven forbid these people would actually have to fight FOR the country that succours them.

‘So now it’s ‘Shedding’! Apparently, any contact with males who have had the ‘jab’, is now interfering with the menstrual cycle of their partners. No change there then.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com.

Mon. Wed. Fri. 1am till 4.

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

WARNING: Many tell of the changing face of war.

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River Walks: The Lea The Joy of Painting Citizen Kane The Eyes of Orson Welles Handmade A History of Art in Three Colours The Joy of Painting River Walks: The Lea Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema: British History Movies

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Francesco's Venice Michael Palin's New Europe Blinded: Those Who Kill Blinded: Those Who Kill The Killing The Killing The Killing Michael Palin's New Europe Francesco's Venice

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Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century Britain's Pompeii The Windermere Children: In Their Own Words The Sky at Night Horizon: Cosmic Dawn The Real Moment of Creation Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore

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Gettys: The World's Richest Art Dynasty NewDancing Nation Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore Danceworks: Firedance Latin Fever Danceworks: Sharon Eyal A Basic Instinct

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The Pennine Way The Joy of Painting Yes, Minister To the Manor Born Double Cross: The True Story of The D-day Spies Code-Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore Danceworks: Ballet Black - The Waiting Game

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The Pennine Way The Joy of Painting Skies Above Britain Blitz: The Bombs That Changed Britain CThe Treasure Hunters Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore The Sky at Night Blinded: Those Who Kill Blinded: Those Who Kill The Joy of Painting

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38 EWN

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6 - 12 May 2021 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 shop‐ ping this year, instead of feeding online giants and superstores.

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

Due to the Covid‐19 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 lock‐ down restrictions.

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

NEWS

GO LOCAL

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

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

Many local stores support lo‐ cal charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often

passed down through numerous generations and support not just the current owner but the gener‐ ation before.

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

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

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

course for someone looking to change their career path.

As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these dif‐ ficult times.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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FEATURE

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6 - 12 May 2021

EWN 43

Advertising Feature

Transform your house into a beautiful home AT Beautiful Homes by Alvyda we create quali‐ ty Custom‐Made Curtains, Roman Blinds and Pelmets. We also supply and fit all types of Roller, Vertical and Venetian Blinds with a large selection of materials and finishes to choose from.

Our Curtains and Blinds studio is based In Pe‐ dreguer where you will find a very stylish and unique fabric collection to browse through. We cover all areas between Gandia and Benidorm.

We focus on every individual client with care and attention using our experience and knowl‐ edge to make recommendations and find the best suitable window dressings for your home.

It all starts with a visit to our studio where you can browse through our fabrics, curtain pole samples and accessories and with expert guidance decide upon which finishes, fixtures and fittings will work best in your home. ( If you can bring rough window measurements with you, that will help speed up the estimating pro‐ cess.)

Upon acceptance of the estimated cost we can then visit your home to carry out a final measure and to access suitability of chosen fix‐

CURTAINS & BLINDS: With a large selection of materials and finishes to choose from. tures and let you see the fabrics in situ so you can be sure you are making a choice you will love for years to come. We will then set about

sourcing all the materials and creating some‐ thing beautiful ready for the final install in your home.

Why choose us? Alvyda has been designing and making Curtains and Blinds for over 14 years in Northern Ireland and Spain and has an exceptional knowledge, passion and attention to detail when it comes to transforming your house into a beautiful home.

Alvyda started her career in a prestigious in‐ terior design shop where everything had to be finished to the highest possible standard and she works to those same high standards today.

You are guaranteed a professional, reliable and friendly service from start to finish.

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NEWS

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DAVID WORBOYS ARE the world’s hospitals tragically overwhelmed, understaffed and underequipped to cope with mil‐ lions more Covid cases pouring in each week ‐ or are they empty, and is the whole thing a big hoax, as so many people still claim?

Conspiracy theorists claim that harrowing images of overcrowded hospital wards, desperately ill and suffering patients and distressed staff are fabricated in order to cre‐ ate panic. They believe either that there is no such thing as Covid or that it is grossly exaggerated. Are we therefore supposed to accept that the world’s media are involved in in‐ venting a big lie ‐ a global con‐trick?

That we are naïve if we believe the evidence in the press or on the screen in front of our eyes?

In early March, I watched on tele‐ vision a football match in which Ful‐ ham beat Liverpool by 1‐0 at Anfield.

The next day, an acquaintance ‐ a Liverpool supporter ‐ denied the re‐ sult. “No, it was Liverpool who won,” he assured me. I protested.

6 - 12 May 2021

EWN 45

DENIAL OF THE EVIDENCE

IS IT A HOAX?: I don’t believe everything people say on the TV or in the press, but in the absence of facts, I accept most of it.

“But I watched the match on televi‐ sion and it was in the newspaper headlines this morning.” I protested.

“Oh, you don’t want to believe ev‐ erything you see on television or read in the papers,” he said. “There is no way Fulham could beat Liver‐ pool.”

I thought about it. I don’t believe everything that people say on televi‐ sion or report in the press but, in the absence of contradictory facts, I ac‐

cept most of it, because the alterna‐ tive is to dismiss everything I hear.

If I watch a match on television for the full 90 minutes and Fulham score a goal and Liverpool don’t, I assume that Fulham won. But tech‐ nology today is so advanced that I accept the images transmitted could have been doctored. But for what purpose? Are we saying the only way I could have been sure of the result would be to attend the match

in person? That the league tables are fabricated? Perhaps we should ask Trump.

The Liverpool supporter eventual‐ ly admitted he had not been serious, but what about the Covid deniers?

Why would television crews and press reporters all over the world want to fabricate pictures of wards overflowing to bursting point with desperately ill patients, shortage of equipment, grieving relatives and

stressed hospital staff, when wards have plenty of spare capacity and are under control?

And why would the number of cases and fatalities be exaggerated?

Admittedly, it must be impossible to obtain remotely accurate figures worldwide. It is possible, of course that they could be deliberately over‐ stated, thus bringing down public confidence and the economies. But why would they be?

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

46 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

6 - 12 May 2021

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Dont throw the word ‘bipolar’ around MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED IT’S tempting, isn’t it? Automatic almost. The go-to word you want (and will) use for someone who is in a good mood one day and in a bad mood the next.. A mood-shifter in a matter of minutes. I know it’s tempting, I’ve used the word myself, and I felt like the hugest hypocrite in the world!.

The word itself defines an illness one that can be earth-shaking, mindtwisting, trouble-making and at times uncontrollable.

Yes, the illness can convince you out of a happy and healthy life.

Being bipolar can make a person seem to have split personalities or to be high one minute, low the next.

But whenever I have heard ‘bipolar’ used out of context, it is not labelling an actual person with the condition. It is labelling someone who is a terror one day, and

then a saint the next.

The concern is not that calling a person ‘bipolar’ is an insult to people who are bipolar. It is that people who wrongly use the term are transforming the term ‘bipolar’ into an insult. It is always used negatively. .

“She’s always in a bad mood. Oh, she must be bipolar or something.” ( A sentence often followed by laughter.)

“He’s bipolar. He’s happy one day, then, angry the next.”

Anyone can get carried away with the use of the catchy phrases. If he or she actually did struggle with bipolar disorder and you joke, “Are you like bipolar or something?” What then?

You don’t know if that person is barely holding on to every little bit they can, in order not to crumble.

I am writing in hopes people refrain from using a term that can prove dangerous if said to or around the wrong person. A term that can hurt or harm. A term that gets under my skin sometimes and makes me shake my head and makes me hope they are teaching kids about mental illness in schools these days.

Love Ms Bipolar x W e all know we never learned about it growing up. But now that we have the knowledge, we have the power. A nd now that you know, I hope you reconsider your tendency to throw the term around.

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

On the wild side LOVE them or hate them, ani-

By Clinica Britannia

A professional service AT Clinica Britannia we guarantee to offer all our patients old and new the utmost pain‐free professional service by our team of specialised dental professionals. They will explain exactly what treatment is necessary for you to achieve the best results using minimally invasive methods, within the shortest time possible.

Our team offer a wide variety of services including: Cleaning: An air polisher using flash pearls to remove stains and give the teeth a silky‐smooth stain free finish.

Tooth Whitening: SDI Polar Office whiten‐ ing system is performed in‐house to brighten and obtain that perfect white colour without causing damage to the tooth enamel.

Periodontal Treatments: Periodontal cleaning and advice on tooth and gum care.

Prostheses: Metal free, full, or partial dentures with a same day repair service al‐ so available.

Crowns: Highest quality Zirconium crowns made and fitted within a short period.

Dental Implants: This procedure is used

to replace missing or damaged teeth. A screw‐like post replaces the root of the missing tooth and an artificial tooth is built, giving the patient the functionality of a real tooth.

Our New Technology Digital Panoramic X‐ ray machine allows us to obtain in‐depth images of your teeth to diagnose the best option of treatment always at a cost‐effec‐ tive and affordable price.

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

mal prints just never seem to go out of fashion. Wearing them can bring out the animal in you and turn you into an adventurous beast.

The great thing about animal prints is that they suit everyone regardless of age, size or complexion. They are also so versatile and can be worn to different occasions to compliment a range of outfits.

You don’t want to look like you’re going to a fancy dress party so perhaps avoid a top to tail outfit of animal print. You can still achieve the look with an animal print blouse, skirt or even a simple accessory like a belt or clutch.

If you want a more subtle look, then line the interior of your clothes with this print. A brief Marylyn Monroe breeze will show off your animalistic side, allowing you to purr like a pussycat or roar like a lioness in public.

And don’t restrict yourself to just clothes. Cover your cushions in lion print or, if you’re feeling particularly courageous, lay down some zebra print carpets or rugs.

Take the lion by the mane and don’t be afraid to experiment with your wild side.

48 EWN

6 - 12 May 2021

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FEATURE

END OF THE LINE FOR LANDLINES? 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

ARE you a mobile phone devotee or are you still, err, attached to your landline?

Mobile and online calls are increasingly being made while the amount of time Brits spend mak‐ ing landline calls has fallen by more than 60 per cent in the last seven years. Although most UK families still have a landline connection, only 54 per cent actually use their landline to make calls.

The only reason some have a landline is be‐ cause it is part of the contract and, in rural areas, there’s no fibre optic cable anyway. Reportedly, nearly half of under‐25s don’t have a landline. But then, how many under 25s can afford a place to warrant having one installed?

As for scam calls, scammers target both landline and mobiles with programs that just dial random numbers until someone answers.

Romance fraud (scamming someone out of money by pretending to want a relationship) increased during lockdown. According to UK Fi‐ nance, there was a 20 per cent increase in bank transfer fraud linked to romance scams in 2020 compared to 2019 and £68m lost ‐ an‐

other increase on the previous year.

But apart from the fake recorded messages from ‘Amazon’ or ‘HMRC’, beware the ones try‐ ing to gather personal information or sell you fake computer protection, home appliance guaran‐ tees or loft insulation that all start by telling you your name and address in order to delude you in‐ to thinking they are genuine. Having got this info straight out of the phone directory, of course.

We are told that every call made today is on record somewhere in some gigantic ‘provider’ database. We are also told our ISP ‘footprint’ re‐ mains available even if we personally wish to delete it. We are bombarded online to protect our privacy, we accept cookies, then must update new ‘security features’ constantly. Yet the sim‐ plest tracing of spam calls on any phone is almost impossible. Why? However, should you get a text from someone claiming to be the First Lord of the Treasury say‐ ing they can ‘fix’ things for you, it probably IS gen‐ uine...

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

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

PETS

50

www.euroweeklynews.com • 6 - 12 May 2021

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Mature pets prefer to relax at home

IF you have mature pets, you’ll know that often their sense of adventure diminishes.

They often prefer routines in their daily ex‐ ercise, their eating and resting times. It is worth remembering that if you are planning a trip later this year. Perhaps 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. Mature pets may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their rou‐ tines 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 philoso‐ phy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on House SitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can 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

STAYING HOME: Ruby loves to sleep in the same spot every afternoon. started right now.

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

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

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

Advertising Feature

One of the main reasons for lameness in dogs is patella luxation THE patella is a small bone that sits in a groove (trochlea) in the femur in the knee. This is essential for the perfect functioning of the limb and in the case of patella luxation, it comes out of the trochlea. Most of the time it comes out towards the inner (medial) face of the knee and in less than 20 per cent it occurs towards the outer (lateral) face. It occurs mainly in small breeds or toys. It is due to a poor alignment of the limb as a result of poor development of the animal, and can affect one or both limbs. It is a congenital pathology. Sometimes it can be caused by trauma.

There are different grades of patella luxation, from grade 1 in which the patella is manually dislocated but returns to its normal place when pressure is released and the dog only limps sporadically to grade 4 where the patella always remains dislocated and cannot be replaced and limps always. In moderate and severe cases, surgery is required to correct the dislocation. Techniques vary depending on the case: trochleoplasty (deepening of the trochlea), transposition of the tibial tuberosity, medial demotomy and capsular imbrication. In grade 4, it sometimes requires correction of bony angular deformities. But my dog only limps a little. He takes a couple of steps with his leg raised but then he gets it right. It’s even funny. Is it absolutely necessary to op‐ erate? Yes, during the time this condition occurs, the patella constantly jumps from one side to the other, ulcerating the cartilage of the same and of the trochlea. That is why it is convenient to operate when young and not wait for an adult to have permanent lameness due to arthritis generated.

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

Pussycat’s telling tails CAT’S tails are fascinating, seeming to appear as if they have a life of their own. They look like an antennae or some kind of detector that speaks a language all of its own.

In fact, the cat’s tail can open up a world of informa‐

tion to the owner, making them better equipped to care for it. It is worth paying more attention to the tail move‐ ments, as it reveals their moods and intentions.

In general, a whipping tail makes most people instinc‐

tively stay away, as this action has the effect of making the cat look extremely majestic and powerful. This is an accu‐ rate response as it actually means that they are on high alert, nervous or potentially aggressive and it’s a brave person that even thinks about touching them.

Vets advise owners to pay attention to the whole body and not just focus on their tails. A cat that’s asleep can still tap their tail, which is due to dreaming or it could just be resting and focusing on some‐ thing.

A straight tail and hooked tip means that the cat is calm and greeting you, but a straight‐up tail signals aggres‐ siveness. If they have an arched back and a puffed‐out tail, it means they’re afraid of something and with a tail that curves downwards, they are on the defence.

A cat is calm when the tail is in a low and neutral posi‐ tion and finally if it decides to suddenly bolt, it’s just letting off some steam.

SERVICES

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

6 - 12 May 2021 CHIMNEY SERVICES

PLUMBERS

EWN 51

52 EWN

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PLUMBERS

REMOVALS & STORAGE

AIR CONDITIONING

SERVICES

SERVICES

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EWN 53

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack V O LV O’S high‐tech march towards electrification in‐ cludes plug‐in hybrid models that offer a more practical solution to those who cur‐ rently find pure electric isn’t for them.

The V60 is Volvo’s mid‐ size estate and despite the popularity of SUVs Volvo es‐ tates are still in demand, and for good reason. Forget any sign of utility because al‐ though these are load carri‐ ers (not in the same league as the square box Volvos of old but still pretty good) they are also packed with luxury touches.

Standard fare across all models are such things as auto dimming mirrors, auto lights, high beam assist, auto wipers, keyless start, cruise, electric and power folding door mirrors, leather, heat‐ ed front seats with electric adjustment and lumbar sup‐ port, heated wiper blades, dual zone climate control and as you would expect from Volvo there is a pletho‐ ra of standard safety kit.

6 - 12 May 2021

Volvo V60 - modern and minimalist with a luxury feel Prices start from €39,994 (£34,855) and my test model was the T6 AWD Inscription (€53,648/£46,750 + a stag‐ gering €9,180/£8,000 of op‐ tions) which added, amongst many other items, ventilated seats, active lights that match the steering, keyless entry/exit and remote open‐ ing power tailgate, heated wiper blades add to the standard array of features.

Power comes from a 2.0‐ litre four‐cylinder unit mat‐ ed to an eight‐speed auto‐ matic gearbox and all‐wheel‐drive for any kind of weather. With added electric power the V60 pro‐ pels its rather large frame to the benchmark 100 kph (62 mph) in just 5.4 seconds and a maximum of 112 mph. In pure electric mode the Volvo can take you 48‐54 km (30‐ 34 miles) so enough for a commute, but whether you’re running a pure EV or a hybrid you really do need a

home charging point to make EVs a practical propo‐ sition.

Gear changes are smooth, the refinement is excellent

and the V60 has an air of un‐ ruffled calm even when do‐ ing 112 kph (70 mph UK lim‐ it) on a motorway.

It’s one of those cars that

you feel could take you from one end of the country to the other and you would emerge with no aches or feeling in any way jaded. The

EWN 55

interior is modern and mini‐ malist but at the same time has a look and feel of a luxu‐ ry car rather than a premium one. It’s an object lesson in how light interiors can look so classy yet remain practi‐ cal.

In case you haven’t al‐ ready gathered, I liked the V60, I liked it a lot!