Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 13 - 19 May 2021 Issue 1871

News

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1871

13 - 19 May 2021

Keep off JAVEA is spending €683,655 on a four-year contract to install marker buoys that will protect its coastline from growing pressure from yachts and pleasure boats, especially in increasingly popular coves like En Calo.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

THEY’RE COMING!

Jab time TEULADA-MORAIRA’S Auditorium has been confirmed as the joint centre for the vaccination campaign that will begin on May 24 for residents living in TeuladaMoraira and Benitachell who are registered on their local Padron.

More jobs THE unemployment rate in L’Alacanti, which despite its name does not include Alicante City, is lower than the provincial average, with 217 people finding employment last March despite the effects of the pandemic.

TV INTERVIEW: Marcelo Cornella gives details of the forthcoming holidays to a La Sexta interviewer.

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THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 34 - 37 FREE • GRATIS

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13 - 19 May 2021

Step up for Jalon museum T H E Generalitat’s Culture, Education and Science department has recognised Jalon’s museum as specialising in both ethnology and archaeology.

It was officially classed as an Ethnology museum,

dedicated to the branch of anthropology that deals with races and peoples, in 2006.

Recognition as an Archaeology museum was “fundamental,” declared J alon’s H eritage councillor Gerard Fullana.

“In future, our museum can put on show all the items found during archaeological operations inside the municipality,” he said.

The regional Culture department has also provided a €20,000 grant that the town hall will use to modify the museum, changing the current permanent exhibition and introducing new elements with audio-visual formats, Fullana said.

“The museum needs a change of image, which we are working on. We also want to thank bodies like the M arge L larg cultural association,” Fullana added.

J alon has countless archaeological sites that include the M ançano shelter and the Meravelles cave - both of which contain prehistoric wall art as well as the Moorish castles of d’Aixa castle and B ernia. A ll four are protected as Assets of Cultural interest (BICS).

Less of a climb C A L P E’S Calle Alcalde Vicente P astor is getting a makeover that includes an escalator for its steep upper section.

The lower section nearest to Avenida de Ifach will also have ramps with intermittent breaks that allow residents to access their homes.

The improvements, which will cost €180,000 are part of the town hall’s Revitalise

C alpe plan that is co-financed by the E U ’s E uropean Regional Development Plan.

N ext in line are C alle Benissa, Calle Murillo and Calle de Fora, all of which are in the O ld T own and, like C alle A lcalde V icente P astor, are included in Calpe’s Sustainable Urban D evelopment S trategy (Edusi).

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LIONS GOLF TOURNAMENT OM May 16, the Lions club Alfaz del Pi, is organising another golf tournament in collaboration with the Altea Golf Club and Albir Golf Club. The proceeds from this day will go to the dog shelter and to the food bank. You can register for the golf and lunch or for each separately. To register for this, please contact Peter de Lint on (0034) 669 943 734.

Artist goes to work on an egg

Affordable housing

ENCA CAEN, a Belgian artist who lives in Alicante Province is sculpting a gigantic marble egg in Orxeta.

More than five metres tall, the egg is a symbol of rebirth during the difficult times of the Covid pandemic, the artist ex‐ plained.

The egg will be topped by a huge crown and a statement from Orxeta Town Hall has explained that although not yet fin‐ ished, the egg’s “surprising purpose” will be revealed later.

THE Generalitat has given Javea Town Hall the right to first refusal when properties belonging to banks or the courts are sold off.

Once these are in municipal hands, they can be used for social housing, explained Javea’s mayor Jose Chulvi, as he signed the agreement with Ruben Martinez Dalmau who heads the regional government’s Housing department. Chulvi pointed out that by 2020 the number of apartments and houses registered as tourist accommodation had risen from 3,406 in 2019 to 4,623. This increase has had an inevitable impact on the price of long-term rentals the mayor said.

Madrid doesn’t get its delicacy THE Guardia Civil swooped on 110 kilos of undersized hake in Altea port before they could be sent to Madrid.

N one of the hake were over 16 centimetres long,

when the minimum length is 20 centimetres, explained the Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Unit, Seprona.

According to Seprona, as the hake had not been sold at Altea’s harbourside fish

market, it lacked the required certificate confirming the catch’s traceability and legality.

On the contrary, Seprona said, the 110 kilos of immature hake had been hidden and camouflaged amongst fish of the right size and traceability.

A ll the fish had been loaded onto a lorry bound for Madrid, where it would have sold at €12 a kilo, compared with the €3 per kilo paid in Altea.

T he A licante company that bought the fish now faces a €60,000 fine, S eprona said, while the fish was donated to charity once it had passed the necessary health checks.

Seprona also explained that catching young fish significantly undermines the survival of species like hake, while pointing out that if the impounded fish had been left a little longer, they would soon have reached the required size and reproductive age.

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NIBS EXTRA Tree surgeons OPERATIVES from a specialist firm are lopping the town’s 600 palms and other trees in Alfaz’s public places during the Technical Services department’s annual campaign. This is always carried out at the same time each year, not only to prune the trees but also detect and treat possible diseases.

Exam time PUPILS from seven high schools in Benidorm and La Nucia will sit their university entrance exams in La Nucia’s Muixara sports stadium on June 8, 9 and 10. Spacious and well-ventilated, it is an ideal location and complies with all anti-Covid health and safety requirements, municipal sources said.

Tyre slasher A 75-YEAR-OLD man who was arrested in San Vicente and charged with slashing 20 tyres on 14 vehicles claimed they were “in his way.” The constant comings and goings of the clients of a car-repair garage in his street prevented him from entering his own garage, he alleged.

Night bus AS wrangling continues over the concession to run Benidorm bus station’s commercial area and with few travellers during the State of Alarm, the homeless have broken into empty premises there. Arriving each evening to sleep overnight, they intimidate clients visiting the few businesses that remain open, employees claimed.

Spring concert BENITACHELL hosts the 15th edition of its Primavera Concert Cycle that continues until June 20. This begins with a recital of songs from operas and zarzuelas at 6pm today, Thursday May 16 in the Santa Maria Magdalena parish church by the soprano Teresa Albero and baritone Rodrigo Esteves.

Chance find VILLAJOYOSA’S Vilamuseu museum is celebrating the town charter’s 720th anniversary by displaying a silver coin that was minted more than 700 years ago in Barcelona and depicts Jaime II of Aragon. Found by chance during Calle Pizarro roadworks in 1999, the coin can be seen until next July.

13 - 19 May 2021

Another notch for Paula’s gun IT was time for Alfaz Town Hall to arrange yet another reception following young markswoman Paula Morcilla’s latest victory.

Paula was recently proclaimed winner of the women’s category of the Valencian Community’s Olympic Shooting Championships. Afterwards she visited the municipal sports centre for a relaxed meeting with Alfaz’s mayor Vicente Arquest, accompanied

by Loli Albero, Oscar Perez and Toni Such, respective councillors for Education, Sport and Urban Development.

This latest achievement follows Paula’s triumph last March

BUDDING CHAMPION: Paula Morcillo with Vicente Arques and Alfaz councillors. on winning the junior section of Spain’s Young Promises Championships.

As a member of the Spanish Federation of Olympic Shooting’s

top-level competition group, Paula recently received a call to attend the European Championships on May 27 in Osijek (Croatia) where she will be com-

peting against some of the best markswomen in the world.

She is currently training for the event by practising up to three times a week at the Cheste shooting range in Valencia Province.

Paula began shooting at the Alfaz’s Clay Pigeon Shooting Club in July 2019 when she was just 15, obtaining such spectacular results that she was soon snapped up by the Valencian Olympic Shooting Federation and later the Spanish Federation where she belongs to the top-level competition group.

In 2020 she set a new record by shattering a record 109 plates.

Fugitive caught on way to cafe NATIONAL POLICE in Valencia have detained a suspected killer wanted in Ukraine over the murder of two policemen during a demonstration.

The officers were shot dead during riots in Kiev in 2013, when the detainee, carrying a rifle and approximately 60 cartridges, al‐ legedly opened fire on the police.

“He took extreme security measures in order not to be detected by the authorities

Protected Birds Nesting Nearby WITH a very short season lined up, and warmer weather on its way, beach bar owners in Dénia are preparing themselves, with the anticipation of recovering some of the huge losses they have incurred during the pan‐ demic, but, due to the presence of a protected species of bird ‐ the plover ‐ nesting in the nearby dunes, only two out of the six beach bars have so far been granted permission to open, with the other four being told they must wait until July 1.

This action means that the two beach bars planned for Punta del Raset, along with the others in Al‐ baranes, and Molins, must wait another two months before they can open for what will be a very short season surely.

La Marineta Cassiana and Les Bovetes beach bars ‐ both be‐ longing to Marisa Fuentes ‐ are prepared and ready to welcome patrons, with Marisa hoping for good business after Marineta Cassiana didn’t even open last year, saying she is excited at the prospect of opening again, and that “people want to be out‐ doors.”

and continuously changed his residence, spending the last weeks in a cabin located in a remote rural area of the Valencian town of Puzol,” said the Spanish police in a state‐ ment.

Police investigations began in April when it became known, through the Spanish At‐ taché Office in Ukraine, that the fugitive could be hiding out in the province of Valen‐ cia, possibly in Puzol.

Detectives learned the suspect used pub‐ lic transport ‘to avoid detection,’ moving be‐ tween Madrid and Barcelona over the last few years, and most recently in Valencia.

He was finally tracked down to a rural chalet, having previously rented several apartments in Puzol.

Officers set up surveillance and the fugi‐ tive was captured on his way to a local cafe.

Introducing Khalan JAVEA’S Local Police recently made an addition to their Canine Unit.

The newest member is a young Belgian Malinois named Khalan who is being trained for Search and Rescue (SAR) opera‐ tions.

Public Safety councillor Pepa Gizbert explained that Khalan

will join Kosmo, whose speciali‐ ty is sniffing out drugs although he is also used for security checks, patrolling at special events and accompanying the Local Police on visits to local schools.

Once Khalan has been trained in his speciality, he will be anoth‐ er resource for the Forward

Command Post during search and rescue emergencies in Javea or wherever needed, Gisbert said.

The Local Police recently pre‐ sented both Khalan and Kosmo to Javea’s mayor, where Kosmo gave a brief demonstration of his newly‐learnt skills in detecting drugs.

Beach access Ready for the off to be denied

WORK began on stabilising the coast between Campello’s Muchavista beach and the mouth of the Rio Seco.

The Environment Ministry project will take six months to complete and residents are up in arms as 500 properties will no longer have direct access to the promenade, the beach or the dogs‐allowed Punta del Riu beach, they complained. One property, only ac‐ cessible via the Paseo, is completely isolated.

The construction company has put up ‘No Entry’ signs and asked urbanisations to padlock gates giving access to the Paseo.

Construction operatives quoted in the Spanish me‐ dia ‐ and later confirmed by the town hall ‐ explained that work will be carried out in phases and not all res‐ idents will be affected at the same time.

COINCIDING with the State of Alarm de‐escalation, more hotels will open, the Costa Blanca hoteliers’ associa‐ tion Hosbec predicted.

At present between 23 and 46 per cent of Hosbec hotels, aparthotels tourist apartments and campsites are already functioning, with 38 in Benidorm alone, and 29 more prepar‐ ing to open their doors.

“In recent weeks and particularly in the last few days, we have detected more interest in travelling with in‐ creased travel searches especially from the national market,” Hosbec said.

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Cave home goes viral ANDRES CANTO is a young man living with his family in La Romana, a small rural town of just 2,400 inhabitants.

Like most teenage boys, Andrés is prone to arguing with his par‐ ents, but never could have imagined one such argument turning him into a viral phe‐ nomenon.

It started on March 9, 2015, when an argu‐ ment with his parents resulted in Andres heading to where the family had planned to build a swimming pool the year before.

The boy took a pick‐ axe lying nearby and started to hit the ground with it, joking on Twitter when recall‐ ing the moment, “I did not handle emotions very well.”

Each time he felt anger, he would vent his anger with the pick‐ axe until by 2018, the hole was deep, and An‐ drés explained to his friend Andreu what he wanted to do.

He went every after‐ noon with his electric pickaxe until, within a few months, the hole even had a staircase.

Andreu eventually tired of the hard work but Andrés continued with hammer and chisel to shape what was now a cave and which, by 2019 it had its first ‘room.’

He has now set up an electrical installation and run a network of pipes for a heating sys‐ tem, building a furnace with an iron pipe and motor attached to ex‐ tract all the smoke.

Better still, he even has wi‐fi.

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Holidays returning WITH all regional perimeters lifted in Spain, Fuenlabrada resi‐ dents hope to descend on Benidorm within days.

Although the government‐subsidised Imserso holidays for pensioners are due to start in the autumn, the Fuenlabrada Senior Citizens’ Cultural Association (Acumafu) has no inten‐ tion of waiting that long.

As it did last summer, Acumafu is organising package holi‐ days, although the 2021 holidays were short‐lived owing to the worsening Covid pandemic.

Now the association is offering all‐inclusive five‐day pack‐ age holidays in three‐star Benidorm and Torremolinos hotels for €150 per person, beginning on May 16.

Almost 9,000 people have already put their names down for the trips although only 3,600 are from the Madrid munici‐ pality, while the remainder are from elsewhere in Spain.

“Practically all of them want to go to Benidorm,” Acuma‐ fu’s president Marcelo Cornella said.

“We began to get organised some time ago so that we would be ready when the time came,” he added.

Passengers on the Acumufu coaches will travel in bubbles, only mixing with their own group while travelling and once they arrive at their hotels to guarantee that there is no risk of spreading infection. Prior vaccination is obligatory, while health and safety regulations including social distancing will be in place. “Everyone must wear a mask and each person will receive an FPP2 mask every day,” Cornella said.

Calpe U3A Ladies Lunch EIGHTEEN ladies arrived at the ‘Just us girls’ Lunch on Thursday May 6 held at the restaurant ‘La Fossa’ on La Fos‐ sa Beach, Calpe. The food was excellent which was a three‐course menu with wine and bread served with home‐made Ali‐Oli .

The restaurant has a spectacular sea view. The ladies loved the atmosphere and everyone enjoyed the outing. If you would like to join the Ladies who Lunch contact Anita Sanchez on e‐mail tinka.tinkabel@yahoo.co.uk.

They are pleased to announce that their General Meet‐ ing will take place on Thursday May 20 at the Salon Blau in the Casa de Cultura, Calpe. The doors open at 10.00am and the meeting will start at 10.30am. All the Covid regulations will be in place and you will be directed to the seating.

The speaker will be Carole Saunders from the town Hall who will give a talk about the next measures to affect us all and what to expect in the future. Non‐members are very welcome to attend the meeting (numbers in the hall permitting). All new members to Calpe U3A in 2021 can sign up for free, see the membership table in the foy‐ er, email Jan Luxton membership@u3acalpe.org.

Their groups are active in padel tennis, badminton, and table tennis, the Book Club and writing group. Please check the Calpe U3A web page for the latest information. www.u3acalpe.org. Good health to all.

Disabled People Begging A C O U P L E have been ar‐ rested in Alicante for forc‐ ing disabled people to beg for them under the threat of violence. The disabled victims were threatened that they would be left without food if they did not beg for the couple and bring in a minimum amount of money each day.

Alicante’s National Police have arrested two people age 48 and 51 years old who are believed to be married and had been al‐ legedly recruiting disabled people to beg for them throughout Alicante.

The victims were de‐ prived of their documents and all the money that was collected each day was tak‐ en by their alleged ‘cap‐ tors’.

The victims were said to have been living in inhuman conditions and controlled

by threats of violence in‐ cluding being threatened with death. Also their docu‐ ments had been taken away from them to prevent them

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from leaving. One of the victims had even overheard that their captors had planned to sell them on for €2,000.

The return of the ‘Cockney Capers’ THE next charity event at the Marina Bar Calle de las Rosas is the return of ‘Cockney Capers’ on Tuesday May 25 at 1.30pm for a 2pm start.

There will be a two‐course lunch, Quiz, Raffle, Tombola, and music, plus the chance to win a prize if you are the best dressed Cockney character.

The price is €12.50 and bookings are now being taken.

Well‐known charity fundraisers David and Lorraine Whit‐ ney are hoping for a good turnout for this popular event which will have Dave and Rita of the Marina Bar ensuring your Covid safety. For more information or to book please ring the bar on 965 705 907 as soon as possible as spaces will be limited.

In need of volunteers THE Charity Shop of Calpe is now open ev‐ ery morning except Sundays and is looking for additional volun‐ teers to help out.

If you would like to join this friendly team in the shop ‐ in a Covid safe environment ‐ then pop in on Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday and ask for Liz who can explain more. You don’t need to have any retail ex‐ perience, just enjoy meeting people and want do your bit for the local community.

The shop is halfway up Gabriel Miró on the right‐hand side ‐ inside the Galerías Mar Azul.

And from May 17 there will be a half price mid‐ season sale.

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GERIAN’S GOOD FORM CONTINUES WITH a smaller field of only 13 this week, Montgo members played a stableford sponsored by Ilona Mathieu. It was a lovely warm and sunny day but that didn’t help many of the scores. Gerian van Ooi‐ jen had a tremendous 38 points, her new handicap now at 5.9. Unfortunately, she is returning to Hol‐ land next week so we won’t be able to follow her good golf until October when she returns to play with us again.

Second with 32 was Peter Gardiner and third with 30 was Nigel Siddall. Nearest the pins this week went to Neil Cuming, John Day and Geoff Willcock. We also welcomed Heiko Schram on his return from Germany.

Next week there is work being carried out on the greens at Oliva so the Society are having an awayday competition at Villaitana sponsored by the society.

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BOOK FAIR FINESTRAT ON May 15 and 16, there will be a book fair in Finestrat at which point, Mr Germain Droogen‐ broodt’s publishing house of modern international poetry, will exhibit a number of poetry publica‐ tions, including some of his own poetry collections, published in 20 countries.

He has been invited to give three poetry read‐ ings at the book fair, each lasting 10 minutes. Since an international audience is expected, he will read his ‐ always very short ‐ poems in several lan‐ guages, as I do during the Poetic Evening Concerts at Ithaca: Spanish, English, German and also Dutch.

Please see the programme of the lectures oppo‐ site.

Mr Droogenbroodt received last week in India the Sahitto International Literature award from the jury. His latest collection of poetry, ‘The Ephemeral Flower of Time’ will be published in China next month and has just been translated in‐ to Serbian as well. The book has been published in bilingual English‐Japanese at the beginning of the year in Japan.

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Readings Finestrat Book Fair on 15 and 16 May Sat May 15 from 12.00 to 13.30: 1. Germain Droogenbroodt 2. Jesús Urceloy 3. Heriberto Morales Vindel 4. Jean‐Marc Baude 5. Eva García Romo 6. Isabel Pérez Aranda 8. Gloria Almendáriz 9. Paco Carrión Saturday from 17.00: 1. Francisco J.Illán Vivas 2. Germain Droogenbroodt 3. Reme m.Gisbert 4. Juana Calle 5. Pablo Guillén 6. José Carlos Gimeno 7. Paloma Moset 8. Nelly Baude 9. Luisa Ruiz Bueno

10.Jesús Urceloy 18.45: Manifesto for reading by Irene Vallejo (some participants of the reading club) Sunday, May 16 from 11.00 to 12.00: 1. JustI.Sellés 2. Doli Pereira 3. Inma Maestre 4. Mónica Nombela 5. Petra Marina Duss 6. Ana Esmeralda P.Recuenco 13.00 Jesus Urceloy 13.10 Germain Droogenbroodt 13.10 Manifesto for reading by Irene Vallejo (some participants of the reading club)

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Equal Sexes Pay A WAGE register has been created in a bid to close the inequality wage gap be‐ tween women and men.

Currently the gap in wages between the sexes in Spain is thought to be about 22

per cent.

In a bid to see the gap closed, companies in Spain will need to keep a register of salaries provided to work‐ ers. When the regulation was first approved the Min‐

Bombshell Storyline

COMEDIAN, West End performer, and all-round entertainment legend Brian Conley makes his Albert Square debut as character Terry Cant next week on BBC1 soap EastEnders, and fans are being promised a bombshell storyline to go with his appearance, which will apparently involve a huge shock for one of Walford’s principal characters.

Jon Sen, the executive producer of EastEnders said back in February when announcing the casting of Conley, “We had been searching for some time, but the moment we met Brian, we knew instantly we had found our man.”

Adding, “Brian’s a talented performer whose charm, wit, and charisma are exactly the qualities we want for Terry.

We’ve got some wonderful stories in store for him and can’t wait for the audience to see Brian bring him to life.”

EastEnders fans have to wait until Tuesday, May 18 for the episode, but you can still catch the soap every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7.30pm on BBC1, and on RTÉ One in Ireland.

ister of Labour, Yolanda Díaz, commented on how the data will permit workers to fight back against wage inequality. Fines of up to €187,000 can be given out by the Labour Inspectorate to companies found to have wage inequality.

According to INE, “The measure affects almost 1.5 million companies, which are those with employees, according to the Central Di‐ rectory of Companies (DIRCE) as of January 1, 2020 of the National Statistics In‐ stitute (INE), although around 900,000 have only one or two employees.”

Many companies though could have trouble compiling the registers, so in a bid to help them the government developed a tool to use. The tool is free of charge to com‐ panies and will also be vol‐ untary as was confirmed to EFE by the Ministry of Labour.

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Spain’s New Tax Reforms THE Spanish government, through Pedro Sanchez, recently presented to the EU, proposals for tax and labour reforms that the EU requires if Spain wants access to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan - a fund that includes €79.5 billion in subsidies available until 2023.

The fiscal reform is ‘across the board’ and is set to increase personal income tax, wealth tax, inheritances, the price of diesel, and much more. This will of course affect British expats, who, before knowledge of the tax hikes were expecting to live in Spain on a fixed budget that could afford them a decent lifestyle without too many headaches and not too much tax!

Here below is the breakdown of a tax reform that affects all taxpayers in Spain, some more than others.

The report sent to the European Commission lists the tax increases that it plans to put into force in the first quarter of 2023, which will bring Spain’s tax levels more in line with neighbouring countries.

There will be a ‘gradual increase of the tax system’s maximum contribution base,’ which in practice will result in a greater tax burden for those lucky enough to earn more than €2,400 net per month.

The contribution base, in Spanish, la base de cotización, is the gross monthly remunera-

PEDRO SANCHEZ: Has proposed tax and labour reforms.

tion, including prorated bonuses, that a worker receives. At the moment, the maximum contribution base is €4,070.10 gross per month. Workers who earn more than that amount are exempt from paying tax on the remainder of their income.

For example, if a person has a contribution base of €5,000 per month, then they are not taxed for the extra €929.90 they have earned.

This modification of the maximum contribution bases, which the Spanish government aims to carry out gradually over the next 30 years, will also cause ‘a modification of the maximum pension so as not to alter the contributory nature of the tax system.’

Another part of Pedro Sánchez’s government plans for the country’s ‘tax harmonisation,’ places emphasis on wealth (patrimonio), inheritance (sucesiones), and gift (donaciones) taxes.

These tax rates are currently decided by the Spanish State, however, all of the country’s

17 regions have the right to apply exemptions or conditions to make them more beneficial or detrimental to taxpayers, with the general trend generally being towards the former but this could soon change, however.

“In the area of taxation on wealth, there are significant improvements to be made, both from a technical point of view and from the perspective of implementing a coherent redistributive policy at a national level,” reads the government document.

There is a “need to apply wealth taxation in a more coordinated way between the different regions to guarantee a minimum and coordinated level of taxation, avoiding harmful tax competition between the different autonomous communities.”

The Spanish government has also hinted it intends to gradually phase out ‘La declaración conjunta,’ which is a tax law that allows couples who are married or with chil-

dren to file their personal income tax return together.

According to financial experts, the cancellation of this tax option would affect two million households in Spain

and would have negative and detrimental effects on divorced people and pensioners.

There has been so much negative reaction to the announcement in fact that

Spain’s second Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Affairs Minister Nadia Calviño has since referred to the publication of the annulment of joint tax returns as a “misprint.”

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RENFE Monopoly Ends THE National Spanish Rail Network (Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles, or RENFE) has lasted a stagger‐ ing 80 years without having any competition, but the rail service was opened to others in December 2020. It was ex‐ pected that the French low‐ cost rail service Ouigo would

enter the market and this has finally happened.

The new service Ouigo, is part of the French National Rail Society, also known as the SNCF Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français.

This could be great news for travellers as the French firm aims to undercut RENFE

Infoca New Helicopters BRINGING Andalucia to the forefront of firefighting in Spain, Infoca now has three brand new Super Puma helicopters, which will replace their previous Bell 412 helicopters, with the new models capable of carrying more firefighters, and also has a larger capacity water tank for fighting forest fires.

Built at the Airbus factory in Cadiz, which has a five-year contract with the Junta de Andalucia, the helicopters cost around €3 million (£2.6m). These helicopters also offer a higher level of security to the firefighters during any incident, and will be located at the three bases of Jerez del Marquesado, in Granada, Cartama in the province of Malaga, and, Madroñalejo in Sevilla, which means that Andalucia has more of these state-of-the-art helicopters than any other autonomous community in Spain.

Also, seven new fire engines were unveiled, at a cost of €2.38m (£2.06m), with six more planned for 2022.

prices, and the Spanish firm is sure to respond.

The first lucky travellers to benefit from Ouigo will be those travelling between Madrid and Barcelona, which is one of the highest travelled routes within Spain.

Competition will be fierce though as the route is also covered by air by Iberia, and RENFE already runs the AVLO service.

It is suspected that the French company will soon branch out to offer other routes in Spain.

The trains running on the Madrid to Barcelona line will have a staggering capacity of over 500 travellers and have a buffet car, which at present travellers will not be able to benefit from, as due to the ongoing Coronavirus pan‐ demic they are currently closed.

Prices will vary from €9 all the way up to €79 depending on time of travel and when tickets are bought.

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Pilot Dies In Crash

THE deceased is a 66‐year‐ old British man who lived in Cartagena. The tragic acci‐ dent occurred on Saturday morning May 8 near Cala Reona (Cartagena) when the plane he was piloting

crashed into the sea. The causes behind the accident have not been disclosed at this time, according to a re‐ port by the Government Delegation of Murcia.

Around 11.30am the 112

Spain Pushes Ahead SPAIN’S end to the State of Alarm does not end the pandemic, but it does put it on the road to normality, with the goal of vaccinating 33 million citizens between July and August.

That milestone will make it possible to reach the longawaited herd immunity that, supposedly, will reduce the risks of this virus.It will not end with it, experts have said, because even if developed countries will have managed by then to defend themselves with the vaccine, there will still be many more (developing countries) without any vaccines.

The use of masks, hand washing, and social distancing will be maintained until herd immunity is reached. This has been indicated by Ministry of Health officials, who are confident that these measures will keep the virus at bay. Although they have warned that it is possible that these measures will be maintained through to the second half of the year, especially the wearing of masks, although while inside public spaces, as they have already done in Israel and Gibraltar, which is where the majority of the populations have been vaccinated.

Emergency Service received notice that the plane had fallen into the sea between the beaches of Dischargers and Cala Reona. Divers from Maritime Rescue and the Guardia Civil travelled to the scene of the accident to rule out the presence of other possible survivors.

Sources of the investiga‐ tion indicate that no one else had been injured and that the pilot was the only casualty ‐ he was also the only person listed to fly the plane that day.

Soon after the discovery of the body, the Emergency Services of Murcia con‐ firmed the death of the man. It is understood that the occupants of a leisure boat found the lifeless body of the pilot floating in the sea and transferred him to Cabo de Palo. They were al‐ so aided by a canoeist who had seen the accident. An investigation is underway by the Guardia Civil.

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13 - 19 May 2021

Bizum Scam warning

PAYMENT APP: Money can be sent to individuals within seconds, but is subject to fraud.

BIZUM is an app that makes pay‐ ments simple and immediate. For example, money can be sent to individuals in a matter of three seconds. If the amount is small, some banks do not request an ex‐ tra PIN. For large quantities, Bizum usually sends a message with a code that needs to be in‐ putted to process the payment.

The maximum amount that can be sent per day is €1,000 (£867), however, you can receive up to €2,000 (£1,735) per day. The speed of the payments and the option to send these small amounts has led to Bizum being an easy target for different types of fraud.

One of the most widespread types of fraud, as reported this week at the La Rioja Superior

Headquarters, is when the alleged buyer ‐ in this case, of a vehicle ‐ contacted the seller to make a de‐ posit on the purchase for the amount of €400 (£347) through the Bizum app. The seller then ac‐ cepted the procedure, however, instead of making the payment, the buyer sends a request of the €400 payment to which the seller accepts and unknowingly sends over €400.

Subsequently, when realising the error the seller attempts to contact the alleged buyer to re‐ quest the money back and the buyer does not reply. This was re‐ ported to the police.

Another case, which is a more widespread example, is where the victim receives a phone call from their company (supposedly) offer‐

ing to lower their bill or offer them a gift. When the victim accepts the offer, they then have to provide their bank account details and the scammer associates these details with Bizum. As a PIN number is re‐ quired to carry out the transaction, the victim, believing it is a code to activate the offer, provides the PIN and transfers are made.

These are the recommenda‐ tions to follow so as not to fall for the scam: • Contact the bank directly to take the corresponding security measures • Regularly monitor informa‐ tion online about yourself to make sure it cannot be used with‐ out your consent • File a complaint at the near‐ est National Police Headquarters.

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NEWS

AstraZeneca Vaccine Contract Happy Constitution Day Contract not renewed.

T H I E R R Y B R E T O N, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market stated on Sunday May 9, that the European com‐ mission will not be re‐ newing the contract for coronavirus vaccines with

AstraZeneca after June.

This news comes only shortly after the European commission started legal action against As‐ traZeneca as they had been said to not be hon‐ ouring the contract for the supply of coronavirus vaccines, and that they al‐ so did not have a plan which was considered “re‐ liable” to ensure deliver‐ ies were made in a timely manner as originally promised.

Brussels had already sent a legal letter on March 19 to AstraZeneca which was considered to be, “the first step towards the courts.” A conflict res‐ olution process is includ‐ ed in the contract be‐ tween the European Union and AstraZeneca but it has been deemed that this has not given a satisfactory result, so the “EU decided to initiate a legal procedure that has led to the termination of the contract renewal.”

to our Norwegian friends

ON Monday, May 17, we will say Happy Nasjonaldagen to all our Norwegian friends on the Costas.

It is Constitution Day, an offi‐ cial public holiday in Norway, which the Norwegians also call Syttende Mai (May 17) or less frequently, Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day).

Origins The Norwegian Constitution was signed on this date in 1814 and declared Norway an inde‐ pendent kingdom.

It was first celebrated by stu‐ dents and some other groups, and because the King of Sweden and Norway was reluctant to mark the day, it was banned for a few years.

This changed in 1829, follow‐ ing the Battle of the Square, al‐ though it wasn’t until 1833 that it became official. The first Chil‐ dren’s Parade to mark the day was in 1864, although until 1899, only boys were allowed.

Celebrations The day is not marked in a mil‐

PARADES: Mainly involving children.

itary manner, but instead with parades mainly involving chil‐ dren who wave the national flag while they walk through the streets, often stopping to visit se‐ nior citizens and war memorials, where flowers are often laid.

It is a way of bringing young and old together, and explaining to children the importance of the sacrifices that others have made for the country. People wear ribbons with the national colours, red, white and blue, as well as traditional garments.

The largest is held in the capi‐ tal, Oslo, and many people come from all over the country to take part and watch, as well as it be‐ ing televised. The parade passes by the Royal Palace and the Roy‐

al Family greets people from the balcony.

A day for children Parades usually end with the children singing the national and royal anthems and there is also time for them to shout, make noise, play games and eat treats.

Some places let off fireworks too.

The Norwegian communities abroad often celebrate Constitu‐ tion Day, especially in the United States and Canada, but also in an increasing number of countries worldwide.

Poet Henrik Wergeland is credited with having made the day a celebration for children rather than an occasion for mili‐ tary or patriotic activities.

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FEATURE

Execution of foreign judgements in Spain. Exequatur. Brexit.

Court order from the European Union and third countries Execution of foreign judge‐ ments in Spain In principle, it can be said that it is easier to enforce a court order from European Union countries in Spain. Be‐ cause, there are numerous Eu‐ ropean Regulations, which fa‐ cilitate direct executions. That is, without the need for any prior recognition procedure.

On the other hand, the exe‐ cution of judgements granted in countries outside the Union is not direct. In these cases, the possible bilateral agreements that may exist between the countries apply. And, in Spain, the law of International Legal Cooperation in civil matters, law 29/2015, is essential.

In these cases, a recognition process will be necessary prior to execution. Which is known as an exequatur.

BREXIT. Judgements granted in the United Kingdom, in rela‐ tion to proceedings that start‐ ed before January 1, 2021, may be enforced under Union law. Post Brexit will need the exequatur.

Main differences Thus, the basic difference is that when European law is ap‐ plied, there is normally direct recognition and enforcement.

But, for third country judge‐ ments, the procedure is longer. Before being able to execute them, and demand their fulfilment, they must be recognised. Through the exe‐ quatur. Although, to the re‐ quest for recognition in the ex‐ equatur, it could be added the request for execution.

Also, it could be requested the approval of interim mea‐ sures, like freezing order, em‐ bargo, etc.

Exequatur. The documenta‐ tion to provide It must be provided: ‐ The original or authentic copy of the foreign resolution, apostilled. ‐ If the judgement was issued in default, that is, without the

defendant having answered; it must be proven that it was no‐ tified. And it was given the chance to defend the case. ‐ It must be proven that the court decision is final and definitive (that is, it cannot be appealed) and has enforceable force (that is, that it can be en‐ forced, the debtor can be seized, etc). ‐ A translation.

The main causes of denial of recognition and enforce‐ ment In principle, foreign judge‐ ments will be recognised and can be executed in Spain. Ex‐ cept, for example: ‐ If they are contrary to Spanish public order. ‐ If they have been issued in violation of the rights of de‐ fence of any of the parties. For example, if the defendant was unable to defend himself. ‐ When there is a pending

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

litigation in Spain for the same matter.

Previous actions It is always advisable to car‐ ry out a search regarding the possible solvency of the exe‐ cuted in Spain. That is, see if there are real estate assets, etc.

Conclusion If you wish to request the Execution of foreign judge‐ ments in Spain, our firm can help you, from start to finish.

Carrying out a check about the debtor's assets in Spain. And requesting the execution and recognition of the judgement of your country in Spain.

These procedures are essen‐ tially written, without it being normally necessary to hold a court hearing. So our office deals with executions through‐ out the whole Spain.

For our professional advice and help, please contact us.

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

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NEWS

How the Breathalyser Works ACCORDING to the National Road Safety Observatory of Spain’s Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), which is the government department responsible for the Spanish road transport network, one in every four fatal road accidents is due to alcohol and is the second-highest cause of accidents in the country.

This is the reason why regular controls are carried out on the roads said the DGT - in an effort to prevent this statistic from growing - by specially trained officers from the Guardia Civil’s Traffic Group (AGTC), which involves the use of the Breathalyser system of testing drivers for excess use of alcohol or drugs.

Two types of breathalyser are used, with different sensitivities, one for approximation or indicator, which detects the presence of alcohol; and another evidential one, which confirms the first result and specifies the exact amount of alcohol in expired air. Its operation must always be certified by the National Metrology Institute.

CONTROLS: Are regularly carried out.

Fees and penalties, according to the DGT: The Road Safety law estab-

lishes the maximum levels of alcohol allowed for drivers (0.25 gm/l in air and 0.5 gm/l in

Gibraltar Is Green

GRANT SHAPPS, the British government’s Transport Secretary held a press conference at Downing Street on Friday May 7, during which he announced the names of the countries being placed on the ‘green list,’ meaning they are deemed safe for British holiday‐ makers to visit from May 17, and not have to undergo any quar‐ antine on return to Britain.

Out of all the popular European destinations, the government’s ‘green list’ on the traffic light system ‐ which only contains nine countries worldwide ‐ includes Gibraltar, Portugal, and Israel, while Spain, France, Italy, and Greece remain, for now, in the ‘am‐ ber list,’ which will be assessed again on June 7, while Turkey is in the ‘red list.’ This is potentially excellent news for the economy of the tiny British Overseas Territory, and its tourism industry, who would never have expected to become the most popular holiday destination in the Med this summer.

blood), as well as the total prohibition of driving with the presence of drugs in the body.

When a driver exceeds these limits in a control, there is an administrative infraction and these sanctions are applied (fine and loss of points).

ALCOHOL • 0.25-0.50 mg / l -> €500 and four points.

• + 0.5 mg / l -> €1,000 and six points.

• Repeat offenders -> €1,000 and four or six points depending on the rate.

DRUGS • Presence of narcotics -> €1,000 and six points.

But in the most serious cases, driving with positive alcohol or under the influence of drugs, as well as refusing to take the test, can constitute crimes against traffic safety with prison sentences of up to six months and deprivation of the right to drive from one to four years.

A Taste for Mediterranean Diet Grows

DURING the ongoing Coron‐ avirus pandemic many parts of Spain have seen the taste for the Mediterranean diet recover. The pandemic has affected the eating habits of many Spanish residents and throughout the pandemic and the intake of vegetables, fruit, fish, meat and sweets has been seen to increase.

The pandemic unfortunately has had a negative effect on many people’s mental health and according to the European Health Survey released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), up to 3 per cent of the population have seen their mental health de‐ teriorate.

According to the press, “This is the percentage of the Spanish population that has been added to those who already showed ‘lit‐ tle interest or joy in doing things’ before March 2020.”

Citizens in Spain have been dramatically affected during the pandemic as unemployment rates have risen and the use of teleworking for those in work has grown.

This has reduced the ‘feeling of tiredness’ in many people and al‐ so affected their ‘lack of appetite,’ ‘excessive food intake’ or ‘prob‐ lems sleeping.’

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Travel ‘Window Dressing’ Speed Control Campaign

SCIENTISTS warn that the gov‐ ernment’s green list traffic light system is only “window dress‐ ing.” The system has been de‐ signed to relaunch foreign trav‐ el, but scientists are concerned that it is not based on evidence surrounding different Covid mutations.

Brits will soon be able to holi‐ day abroad as the ban on inter‐ national travel is set to be lifted.

Although when they return from most countries they will still have to isolate. Depending on the country visited this will either be in a Covid hotel cost‐ ing a considerable amount of

TRAVEL ABROAD: Is still a concern for Brits. money or at home.

Countries that are on the government’s ‘green list’

Sadiq Khan Is Re-Elected

SADIQ KHAN, has won a second term as mayor of London, after winning 55.2 per cent of the votes, compared to the 44.8 per cent for Shaun Bailey, his Conservative rival, a smaller margin than his first term win five years ago, and the result had looked close until Khan went into a five‐point lead on Saturday May 8.

Mr Khan tweeted, “Thank you London. It’s the absolute honour of my life to serve the city I love for another three years. I’ll leave no stone unturned to get our city back on its feet. A brighter future is possible, and we’ll deliver it together.”

Sadiq Khan had won 1,013,721 first preference votes compared to his nearest challenger’s 893,051, and then he received 192,313 second preference votes, with Mr Bailey picking up 84,550.

though will be exempt from these rules, but the number of countries on the list is currently very limited as reported The Mirror.

Travellers will also have to in‐ cur the costs of Covid testing with the aim of controlling the spread of mutant variations of the potentially deadly virus.

Gurch Randhawa, professor of diversity in public health at the University of Bedfordshire has warned that Coronavirus deaths could possibly grow in the future as variants of the virus are imported, and that he feels travellers should holiday in the UK currently.

SPAIN’S General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) announced in a statement that it was going to launch a speed control campaign between May 10 and 16, a period in which traffic officers will intensify the monitoring of compliance with the speed limits established on all interurban roads.

The DGT has emphasised that road traffic accident data shows that excess speed is a key factor in road accidents, being the prevailing cause in 23 per cent of fatal accidents in 2019, where more than 300 people died in accidents in which speed was one of the concurrent factors.

As this will be a preventive campaign, the existence of all controls will be made obvious to drivers, either through variable message panels above the road, or circumstantial vertical signage when the road does not have such panels.

They reiterate that this type of campaign is designed to raise awareness among drivers about the importance of respecting established speed limits, maintain-

ing that such limits are still necessary on the roads given their direct influence on accidents.

The DGT also reminded drivers that on May 11, the modification of article 50 of the General Traffic Regulations will come into force with regard to

speed limits in urban areas, whereby the limit will be 20kph on roads that have a single carriageway and pavement, 30kph on roads with a single lane in each direction, and 50kph on roads with two or more lanes in each direction.

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NEWS

Attack Changed The History Of Tennis ON April 30, 1993, at the age of 19, elite tennis player Monica Seles’ tennis career was ruined when a fan of her opponent stabbed her in the back.

Last week marked the 28th anniversary of the chilling event that would change the face of tennis forever. On that day, world number one tennis player Monica Seles held a 6-4 and 4-3 advantage against Bulgarian player, Magdalena Maleeva on the centre court of the Hamburg tournament.

A person in the crowd bypassed security controls during the change of ends and literally stabbed Seles in the back as she was waiting to restart the match.

Images of the incident were

MONICA SELES: Was stabbed in the back. not captured, however, a guard could be seen taking the perpetrator by the neck. The

villain turned out to be Günter Parche, a 38-year-old German whose extreme fanaticism for

Madrid Delegate Demands A New Curfew THE Government delegate for the Community of Madrid, Mer‐ cedes González, has demanded that Isabel Díaz Ayuso reactivates the curfew in the region.

González said: “It is a brave measure,” after witnessing crowds and parties on Saturday May 8 in the streets of the capital to cele‐ brate the end of the State of Alarm and the lifting of the curfew.

However, the regional Executive in Madrid is actively opposing the measure. The Minister of the Interior, Enrique López, pointed out that the reactivation of this measure, which prohibited move‐ ments from 11.00pm to 6.00am, must have a judicial endorsement that not all communities are successful in obtaining.

It did not help matters that Madrid started the weekend with a cumulative incidence of 317.56 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, plac‐ ing it with the second‐worst record in Spain, after the Basque Coun‐ try, according to a report published on Friday May 7 by the Ministry of Health.

Councillor López said on Monday, May 10, that he will ask the Na‐ tional Police and the Guardia Civil to help control crowds of drinkers that flooded the streets of Madrid such as those that occurred at the weekend after the end of the State of Alarm.

Steffi Graf would be confirmed later. Seles only managed to save herself from death with a reflex action of leaning her body forwards.

A few seconds later, Seles stood up and started walking towards the court, however, she then collapsed onto the people who were helping her.

Seles recalled years after the incident: “I moved my legs when changing sides because I felt cold and all of a sudden that cold entered my back.”

Following the attack, Parche was imprisoned for six months and after the final sentence was given two years on probation. However, the attack would ruin Seles’s career and her life. Decades later, she admitted to falling into depression and said: “Parche acknowledged having stabbed me and will return to his normal life, while I still recover from an assault that could have killed me.”

Her talent, however, was undeniable. She returned to the court in August 1995, more than 10 kilos overweight because of eating problems brought on by the attack.

She won her first official tournament in Montreal, Canada, and other victories included matches against the French Nathalie Tauziat (12th), the German Anke Huber (seventh) and Gabriela Sabatini (sixth).

That same year she returned to perform at the US Open and lost to Graf in the final.

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NEWS

No More Masks

AS reported by Spain’s Nation‐ al Organisation of Consumers (OCU) has asked the central government and regions to lift the order on mandatory masks outdoors ‐ except for when there is close contact

with other people and there is no guarantee of social distanc‐ ing.

The OCU has highlighted that “The constant obligation is an ineffective measure at the present time that causes citizen

Parties Begin AS the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the world, Spain finally saw an end to its State of Alarm. As many people still remain cautious of the potentially deadly virus, others took advantage of the end of the State of Alarm and many Spanish cities saw their streets flooded with people in less than an hour.

Cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Sevilla, Salamanca and Bilbao saw locals rush to the streets in order to party and celebrate the end of the State of Alarm. The scenes across Spain have worried many Spanish and British expats alike as thousands of people rushed into the streets, many of which had abandoned masks and all social distancing.

One expat told EWN how the “scenes of partying after the State of Alarm ended were extremely worrying as they feared that the Coronavirus pandemic would rapidly begin to grow again, risking people’s lives and businesses.”

fatigue with a counter‐produc‐ tive result,” and asks that the mask use rules be modified and clarified.

According to the OCU, the scientific evidence that was col‐ lected since the beginning of the pandemic makes it neces‐ sary to look back at some of the prevention measures that were put into place when there was more uncertainty about the transmission of the virus.

The group has warned of the public’s “tiredness” around having to constantly wear a mask in the open air. They have also urged for care home and residence visitations for the elderly to be “standard‐ ised,” considering nearly all of the residents, users and work‐ ers have already been vaccinat‐ ed.

The OCU stresses that visita‐ tions to care and residential homes are vital to maintaining the mood and the mental well‐ being of residents and the fam‐ ily members that want to visit them.

To read more stories like this go to ww.euroweeklynews.com

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NEWS

Return to Hugging Save the World CLOSE CONTACT: Could be set to return.

A C C O R D I N G to reports friends and family will soon be allowed to hug each oth‐ er as long as common sense is used. It is expected that on Monday May 17 Boris Johnson will reveal that friends and family that do not live in the same house‐ hold or bubble will be able to legally embrace each oth‐ er from Monday. This will be the first time that this will legally be allowed after a staggering 15 months.

Downing Street has claimed that no decisions have so far been made but did not deny the reports that hugging will soon be possible.

Michael Grove, Cabinet Office minister was able to confirm the hugging plans though, on the BBC ’s An‐ drew Marr Show.

Speaking on the show Grove said, “As we move in‐ to Stage Three of our roadmap, it will be the case that we will see people ca‐ pable of meeting indoors.

“And without prejudice to a broader review of social distancing, it is also the case that friendly contact ‐ inti‐ mate contact ‐ between friends and family is some‐ thing we want to see re‐ stored.”

When he was asked if his comments meant that hug‐ ging would be able to re‐ sume from May 17, he stat‐ ed, “Yes.”

IT appears that eating insects could apparently save the world, but would you be willing to not only try them, but eat them as a main source of food.

Many people are coming to terms with the fact that the way the world currently eats is

not sustainable, and that a fundamental shift will have to be made in the future in order to prevent half the world being underweight, and the other half becoming obese.

According to the EATLancet international commission “civilisation is in crisis.” The

Lost - An Eight Metre Long Grey Whale IN an incredible failure of nature, an eight-metre-long grey whale (eschrichtius robustus) - whose normal habitat is the vast Pacific Ocean - is totally lost and has been spotted heading through the Mediterranean towards the Spanish coast of Catalonia.

Specialists from the Generalitat’s fauna service, the Department of Territory and Sustainability, together with rural officers using helicopters, are at sea monitoring the waters off the coast of Catalonia in the hope of sighting the mammal they have dubbed ‘Wally’, who, it is feared, could die, unless he can be redirected back out into the Atlantic, from where he could cross back to his normal surroundings and his normal food source at the depth of the Pacific.

Wally, who can travel 80 to 90km per day, was initially sighted near the Bormes-les-Mimosas coast of France, and then off Morocco in March, then again in Italian waters near Naples, and then Rome, and finally, Genoa, having entered the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Eric Hansen, the director of the state biodiversity agency in southern France, told Reuters, “We are very concerned about its future, since its fat reserves, which is its fuel for travel, has been greatly reduced. The animal is exhausted and has only skin on bones. We have not seen it eat since we started tracking it.”

Adding, “He is trying to get into the ports as if looking for a way out. His strategy should work and we hope he can return to Gibraltar in about a week.”

commission looked into the global food chain in 2019 and issued a warning that the human race could be heading for ecological disaster.

Research has shown that in the UK many people are willing to try out eating insects and the edible insect market is expected to grow dramatically over the next few years. Getting someone to test out eating an insect though is a long way off from it becoming a stable source of food.

There is much hype surrounding the future of food that is both good for the environment and healthy for your body. Many businesses are investing in the hopes that conscientious consumers will make sustainable choices for their food in the future.

Last year the world’s first synthetic chicken nugget was given approval by the Singapore Food agency, although many people will not be queueing up to try this.

Could you eat this?

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NEWS

Internet Security And VPNs Become Essential RECENT trends, the side effects of a global pandemic, and cybersecurity statistics reveal a huge increase in hacked and breached data from sources that are increasingly common in the workplace, like mobile, desktop, and IoT (Internet of things) devices.

On top of this, Covid-19 has ramped up remote workforces, increasing the prevalence of cyberattacks.

Covid-19 has forced companies to create remote workforces and operate off cloud-

based platforms such as iCloud, Google Drive, One Drive, and Dropbox, etc.

The rollout of 5G has made connected devices a lot more connected than ever meaning more prone to attacks - cybersecurity has never been more important.

On your PC, Mac, or Android device it is essential to install the best you can afford in Anti-Virus and VPN software, and this cannot be overstated. Important files, pictures and documents can be

A Useful Severed Fingertip A MAN has been able to prove that it is possible to unlock his Samsung Galaxy phone using the tip of his finger that was severed two weeks ago. The index fingertip of Kieran Higgins was unfortunately severed during an industrial accident. He lives in Spain and is a semi-retired auditor.

Higgins has been keeping his fingertip in medicinal alcohol since the accident and now alleges that he can use the severed digit to unlock his mobile phone. Speaking to The Register, Higgins explained his cunning plan to put his severed fingertip to good use. He explained, “I devised a cunning plan to register the fingerprint on my brand new shiny whatsit.”

“I extracted [the fingertip] from its grave of medicinal alcohol, dried it off and... eureka! ... managed to register my dead finger on my phone.”

Unfortunately though the fingertip was too damaged to be reattached in hospital and medics were only able to bandage what remained of his injured finger and send him home with antibiotics and painkillers as reported The Mail Online.

He decided to keep his injured fingertip and explained to The Register that, “Keeping evidence and stuff is always a good idea.'”

“You never know when it’s gonna turn nasty. So I kept it in case anybody asked me first... because insurance companies never like to pay out.”

Be safe, not sorry!

fully protected and you can then sleep easy knowing your precious data is safe.

What is a VPN? So that protects your machine but what about when you want to surf the net? This is where a good reliable VPN (Virtual Private Network)

comes into its own - you basically become ‘invisible’ to others while you are online.

A VPN is the easiest and most effective way for people to protect their internet traffic and keep their identities private while online. As you connect to a secure VPN server, your internet traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel that nobody can see into, including hackers, governments, and even your own internet service provider!

So, with a VPN, you can keep your online activity private and ensure access to sites and services that might otherwise be restricted. Remember, be safe, not sorry!

Worry Over Planned Tax Increases THE Spanish government is planning to hit airlines with a new tax from 2022 onwards, but this couold hit tourism too. The controversial plans have angered airlines who operate in Spain, and claim that the move would “be devastating for tourism.”

The new tax proposals were sent to Brussels as part of documents in order to prepare for incoming reconstruction funds, with the aim of compensating for the aviation industry’s negative effects on the envi‐ ronment, via increasing taxes. The measure had previously been sub‐ mitted for public consideration last year, although this was put on the backburner when the Coronavirus pandemic started.

This comes at a time when the ongoing pandemic is causing the biggest crisis for the airline industry in history. The plans have raised strong objections from airlines. Javier Gándara, president of ALA, the association that brings together many airlines who operate in Spain, said that domestic flights represent “little more than 10 per cent of to‐ tal emissions and many of them are essential, because they provide connectivity” between Spanish islands and the Spanish mainland.

He went on to propose alternatives to taxes and said, “Rather than taking resources away from the industry via taxes, we need to invest in more sustainable aviation with alternatives to paraffin such as elec‐ tricity or hydrogen, scale up the production of biofuels and develop in‐ frastructures so that aviation emits less.”

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ABBA returns Spaniard Deported from France BJÖRN ULVAEUS, one of the songwriting geniuses behind the legendary Swedish hitmakers ABBA has informed Australian publication The Herald Sun, that the four original members of the iconic group have been in the studio in Stockholm, Sweden, and are discussing the band’s reunion.

Ulvaeus said on Saturday May 8, “There will be new music this year, that is definite, it’s not a case anymore of it might happen, it will happen,” revealing that the four of them are still good friends, and will release their first music since 1981.

Joined in the studio by Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog, and Frida Lyndstad, Björn knows they are going to be making music that their fans have been waiting for, for such a long time, as he explained, “The four of us stand in the studio for the first time in 40 years and there’s just something in knowing what we’ve been through. It’s hard to describe, but there are such strong, strong bonds between us.”

Abba split at the height of their success in 1982, but they did reveal last year that they would be recording five new songs in 2021, after originally announcing in 2018 that they were planning on going into the studio, but now it has been confirmed for sure.

Thanks to the pandemic, the song releases of’'I Still Have Faith In You’, and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, had to be delayed, along with the planned ABBAtar hologram tour.

A SPANIARD has been deported from France after pushing a woman down the stairs of the Metro in Paris on April 17. As reported by Malaga Hoy, a video showing the young man pushing the woman went viral on social media platforms.

The video shows an aggressive man arguing heatedly at the top of the stairs of the Porte de la Chapelle station.

The argument is believed to have been over a mobile phone that ended up smashing onto the ground.

The argument appears to have started when the man is talking on a mobile phone and the woman is upset with him, the woman then hits him and the individual responds by pushing her down the stairs entering the Metro station.

Airbnb Increasing In Demand T O U R I S T accommodation platform Airbnb has reported a significant increase in demand for accommodation in Spain. With the State of Alarm having ended on M ay 9, travellers can now move freely around Spain.

Airbnb has also reported a 30 per cent increase in searches being carried out by those over 60 years of age. The company wants to ensure that as the number of vaccinated people increases and conditions improve, senior travellers can make more plans to see family and friends as many have had to shield themselves dur-

ing the health crises due to the higher risk of suffering serious complications brought on by the virus.

Many seniors are wanting a guarantee of health security that is offered by a rental home, thus, the number of searches for this type of accommodation has increased. According to Airbnb, the elderly are also searching for accommodation that allows them to travel with their pets. They have revealed that the most sought-after feature by Spanish guests over the age of 60 is ‘pet friendly’ accommodation.

The reaction of the Spaniard has been met with anger amongst the French, with the Minister of Citizenship, Marlène Schiappa, de-

scribing his actions as “inadmissible street harassment and disgusting physical aggression.”

The Paris police prefecture

said on its Twitter account that the perpetrator was “under an obligation to leave the territory,” and was deported back to Spain on May 2.

Arrested For Voting Twice THE National Police have arrested three people for voting twice in last week’s Elections in the community of Madrid. According to EFE police sources, there have also been 10 further cases discovered.

The three people who have been arrested are a 40-year-old man and two women, aged 39 and 36, they are all of Spanish nationality.

They were all arrested at three different polling stations in the Puente de Vallecas district. Cases of double voting were detected 13

times until 6pm on Tuesday May 4.

The news follows the announcement that Pablo Iglesias, the founder and leader of the Podemos Party, has quit politics after his party was defeated by the conservative Popular Party in the elections.

The former political science professor, with his trademark ponytail, became one of the fixtures of Spanish politics when the leftwing party, Podemos (we can), formed in 2014.

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NEWS

Ione Belarra Takes Over IGLESIAS announced he was leaving his position in politics following defeat in the Madrid elections last week. Iglesias expressed that he wanted his successor to be female, which placed the ministers’ Irene Montero and Ione Belarra in the running. Both ministers, as well as having

an excellent relationship, are the number two and three of Podemos, respectively.

Following his exit from the coalition government, Iglesias pointed to Yolanda Díaz, third vice president and minister of labour, as his successor. However, at the moment, Díaz has refused the training.

She has also said on several occasions that she does not militate in Podemos but in the PCE. Just one and a half months ago, Belarra came to the forefront in the coalition government and in United We Can as the new Minister of Social Rights and the

2030 Agenda.

The decision has not yet been made

by Podemos as to whether the replacement will be carried out formally through a new assembly a year after the ‘Vistalegre III’ that re-elected Iglesias for four years.

Ione Belarra is the successor.

The reality of Brexit

A YOUNG Spanish woman who was held for four days at the Yarl’s Wood immigrant centre in Bedfordshire was finally able to move to her sister’s home in the UK on Friday May 7.

Maria, 25, (a fictitious name) to hide her identity - arrived at London’s Gatwick airport on Monday evening, May 3 and is from Valencia. She had set out on the British adventure that many other young Europeans have carried out for decades in 2019 and spent six months of that year working, with a legal contract, in the hospitality industry.

After returning to Spain for academic reasons - pending exams - she wanted to return to the UK. She was convinced that her previous stay would allow her to obtain the so-called UK pre-settlement status, the residence and work permit that the British Government grants to all EU citizens who can demonstrate their stay in the country prior to December 31.

The deadline to request it ex-

tends until June 30 and she made the ‘mistake’ of saying at border control that she was returning to the country ‘for work reasons.’ This is where the nightmare for ‘Maria’ began.

Held for several hours in an airport lounge she was transferred at dawn to an immigrant detention centre, establishments that, for the most part, are managed by private companies who are unable to precisely control the specific details of each case.

Maria’s stay in the centre would last for at least 10 days, the time required by the British government for quarantine.

“She needed her personal belongings, her dental braces, and other things, but they had been seized. She filled out a form within two days, but they still didn’t give it to her. You can imagine that all this time she was ill, disoriented, and impatient,” said her sister, Anna.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the consular services in the United Kingdom, became interested in her

as soon as they learned of the matter. They spoke with her at least a couple of times, to find out what her condition was. And they contacted the British Home Office for more information.

“Above all to ensure that your rights are respected and to see if you need anything. But it is about the immigration legislation of another country and in that case we cannot carry out any type of legal intermediation,” ministry sources explained to the press. “We trust that she can leave in a few days.”

Pressure, from the media and from María’s friends through social networks, helped alleviate her situation. She was then allowed to move to her sister’s home, where she must complete the full quarantine.

The Border Force agents have not returned her passport to her and she still does not know if at some point they will return to carry out her deportation.

She now just wants to rest and tell her story properly herself when she clears her head after these surreal days.

NEWS

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Raspberry Flavour Banana THE exotic fruit that is grown in the Canary Islands is now also appearing on the Peninsula.

We are seeing more and more exotic fruits in our supermarkets, such as lychees, passion fruit and tamarinds, but the most recent is the red banana which, unlike the rest, doesn’t come from the other side of the world, but from the Canary Islands.

The red banana is not of the Cavendish variety, like the traditional Canary Island banana, and as well as the exterior colour difference they also have a different flavour. They are slightly smaller and have a tougher ‘bright purple, between purple and brown’ skin.

However, the interior of the fruit looks much like a normal banana, although, there is a slightly pinkish tone to it. The texture is very similar, but the flavour has subtle hints of red fruits, particularly raspberry.

Despite the premier of the red banana on the Peninsula, it is possible to find this variety in Spain outside of the Canary Is-

lands. “In the microclimate of Almuñecar the plant has adapted extraordinarily, in fact, it is much more robust than the other types of plantains and bananas that we grow,” explains Manuel Mateos, head of Tiendadefruta.com.

They are priced at €3.2 per kilo.

From the Canary Islands.

Hero rescues his neighbour A MAN in Spain has been called a hero after a dramatic rescue scaling a two-storey building to rescue his elderly neighbour who was about to plunge to her death from a balcony - almost 10 metres from the ground.

Twenty-four-year-old Camilo Medina scaled the building to rescue the 80-year-old neighbour who had become stuck on the balcony in Calahorra, in the La Rioja region, on Monday May 3. It is believed that the woman, suffers from Parkinson’s disease.

Medina said of the event: “I was in the store with my mother when my father came in saying that a lady was about to fall out of the window.

“Without thinking, I took the ladder from the store, climbed to the first-floor balcony and kept climbing up however I could.

Police officers arrived not long after, however, they could not enter the flat due to it being locked from the inside and Medina could not locate the keys. The woman’s son-in-law was called and was able to get into the flat.

To read more stories like this go to ww.euroweeklynews.com

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NEWS

Spain Ramps Up Vaccine Plan THE EU has concluded a deal with BioNTech/Pfizer for up to 1.8 billion extra doses of its Covid‐19 vac‐ cine, according to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

This comes as Spain’s Presi‐ dent Pedro Sanchez is due to present on Friday at a Euro‐

Ursula von der Leyen.

New Maximum capacities WITH the end of the State of Alarm on Sunday, May 9, the president of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, announced the new maximum capacities for beaches, swimming pools and shows.

On Thursday May 6, the head of the regional government explained that municipalities in alert levels one and two will have audiences or spectators separated from each other by one seat in bullrings, shows and theatres. In municipalities that are in alert level three and four, a distance of 1.5 metres will need to be used between people.

With regards to swimming pools and beaches, there will no longer be a limit on hours, however, there will be a mandatory distance of 1.5 metres between groups that are out of the water.

From Sunday May 9, nightclubs are now able to stay open until 2am, however, the use of dance floors will only be permitted in areas in alert level one and users must wear masks.

pean Union summit in Porto, calls for the removal of trade barriers and logistical hurdles to reduce a global shortfall in vaccine production.

Several areas in Spain are now making appointments for people in the 55‐60 age group, who will receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, as a decision has not yet been made on the use of the Janssen drug.

“Happy to announce that the EU Commission has just approved a contract for guar‐ anteed 900 million doses (+900 million options) with BioNTech/Pfizer for 2021‐ 2023,” she tweeted from an EU summit in Portugal.

“Other contracts and other vaccine technologies will fol‐ low,” she promised.

Ms von der Leyen said Eu‐ rope is preparing the next stage of its response includ‐ ing giving booster shots, al‐ lowing for vaccination of chil‐ dren and teenagers, and dealing with possible escape variants.

To read more stories like this go to ww.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 May 2021

Iglesias Leaves Politics THE Podemos leader and former deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias has announced he is leaving the political stage for good.

Ayuso secured a landslide victory on Tuesday, winning 65 seats in the 136-seat Assembly (up from 30 seats in the 2019 election). Podemos won 10 seats (up from seven in 2019). Ponytailed Iglesias, 42, said to reporters on Tuesday evening (May 4): “I’m leaving all party politics - I won’t be an obstacle for the renewal of leadership our political force needs.

“We have failed, we have been far from putting together a sufficient majority,” said Igle-

A Number 1 Album At 80 AT 80 years old, Sir Tom Jones has become the oldest man to have a number one album in the UK. As reported by the Evening Standard, this is Sir Tom’s fourth number one album and his first since the release of Reload in 1999.

Sir Tom is also now the oldest artist to top the Official Charts Company rankings with an album that is new material.

PABLO IGLESIAS: Leaving all party politics for good. sias. “When you are no longer useful, you need to know when to withdraw,” he added.

Speaking after the conserva-

No Covid Test

GIBRALTAR has confirmed that UK tourists will not need to be tested for Covid-19 after May 17 which is when international travel is planned to resume.

Fabian Picardo, the ‘Rocks’ Chief Minister said the British Overseas Territory is ready to offer a ‘great British staycation in the Mediterranean’ after travel restrictions are eased in Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.

Gibraltar, which is close to the south coast of Spain, became the first nation to fully vaccinate its entire adult population in March after achieving the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe.

Gibraltar is home to 33,000 people and has had 4,286 cases as well as 94 deaths. According to data from Gibraltar Government, the last positive resident case of the virus was detected on March 23 and that person had recovered by April 8. After that, there were no active resident cases on the Rock.

tive People’s Party (PP) triumphed in the Madrid regional election in which he had stood as his party’s candidate, Iglesias said the time had come for him to “leave my post and leave politics.” However, the former politics lecturer added that he remained “very proud” to have led “a project that changed the history of our country.”

It was not an empty boast as, during the seven years since Podemos was born from the fury of Spain’s indignados movement, the far-left, antiausterity party has transformed the country’s politics.

After breaking through in 2014’s European elections, Podemos - together with the now moribund, centre-right Citizens party - brought an end to four decades of dominance by the duopoly of the PP and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE).

To read more stories like this go to ww.euroweeklynews.com

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The overall record for being the oldest person to top the charts is the late Dame Vera Lynn, with We’ll Meet Again - The Very Best of Vera Lynn. Her album was number one in 2009 when she was aged 92.

Fans have been celebrating Sir Tom’s achievement on social media, with one Twitter user joking: ‘Congratulations to Tom Jones! Should Top of the Pops be renamed Top of the Grandpops?’

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NEWS

Covid killer mask

AS reported by Ideal, on Thurs‐ day, May 6, the Catholic Universi‐ ty of Valencia (UCV) presented a mask that is capable of inactivat‐ ing SARS‐CoV‐2, influenza and multi‐resistant bacteria ‘in less than a minute.’ The presentation took place at the Valencia Carlos Campus.

The masks have been devel‐ oped in collaboration with Valen‐ cian company Visor Medical and the research has been ongoing by the UCV Biomaterials and Bioinge‐ ria Laboratory, led by Professor

Ángel Serrano, since the start of the pandemic.

Several months ago, re‐ searchers from the University and in collaboration with researchers from the United Kingdom, South Korea and Norway, developed fil‐ ters for masks that are capable of inactivating SARS‐CoV‐2 and mul‐ ti‐resistant bacteria in less than a minute.

An anti‐Covid nasal spray using carbon nanomaterials and benza‐ lkonium chloride is also being de‐ veloped by the Biomaterials and

Monthly ‘menstrual leave’ FEMALE employees at Girona City Council will have a monthly allowance of eight hours to be absent from work due to discomfort caused by menstruation.

It’s part of a flexible working scheme, and staff will have to recover the hours within a maximum period of three months, reports El Periodico. The proposal was approved last week unanimously by the General Negotiating Committee and is expected to be ratified by the plenary in June.

Female members of the Catalonian trade union, Intersindical, have welcomed the move which will mean employees won’t have to use sick or holiday leave.

Bioengineering Group led by Ser‐ rano and the University of Louisiana.

Megan Markle’s Royal Title THE QUEEN, 95, has been urged to instruct her lawyers to contact the publishers of Meghan’s 40‐ page children’s storybook to have the title of the former working royal blotted out. Meghan, 39, this week announced she had written a book to mark Archie’s second birthday on Thursday May 6.

On the front cover, the author’s name is listed as ‘Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’ ‐ something which sent some royal fans into a frenzy now that she is no longer a working member of the Royal Family. A year on from Megxit and two months after the Sussex‐ es’ bombshell interview with Oprah was aired, many royal watchers said it is high time the Queen put her foot down and re‐ moved Harry and Meghan’s titles.

To read more stories like this go to ww.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

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13 - 19 May 2021

Muslims go to church Celebrating Ramadan.

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AFTER a year marked by Covid, the Barcelona summer festival returns with an edition marked by optimism, safe culture and a creative drive.

“Grec Festival 2021 is characterised by the effort to revitalise the cultural sector and support theatres, companies, local talent and creation, contemporary drama and languages,” said the city council, adding that “special attention has been given to the proposals led by women, who account for 55 per cent of the programme.” From June 27 to July 31 , the Grec 2021 Festival will offer around 100 shows of performing arts, music and cinema in 37 locations around the city.

Half of the festival will take place outside the main Montjuïc stage, in museums such as the CCCB, the Macba, the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Ethnological and World Cultures Museum.

There will also be shows at public facilities such as the Palau de la Musica, the Mercat de les Flors and theatres such as Borràs, Condal or Tantarantana.

To find out more, visit the InfoBarcelona website.

AS reported in Premier Christian News, a church of Santa Anna in the centre of Barcelona has opened its doors to Muslims who are celebrating Ramadan so that they can eat and pray together.

The current coronavirus restrictions in Barcelona means that the venues where the Muslim community would usually celebrate the religious festival are closed.

Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan, only breaking their fasting when the sun has set with a meal called Iftar.

People are very happy that Muslims can do Iftar in a Catholic church, because religions serve to unite us, not to separate us.

However, the campaign has not been welcomed by everyone, with people on social media complaining. The church responded to criticism in a Tweet: “As always when there is novelty there is criticism. As we are still in a pandemic the Association of Moroccan Women asked us for the possibility of celebrating Iftar for the homeless. Because we can do so, we welcome this celebration. Fraternity is about being welcoming.”

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NEWS

£20 COVID Tests TUI has said it is ready to cut the cost of Covid tests to make them more affordable for UK travellers flying to green list countries this sum‐

mer. The holiday agent has announced today that it will subsidise the cost of manda‐ tory testing, which could save UK holidaymakers hun‐

Capital lifts curfew FOLLOWING the end of the State of Alarm at midnight on Sunday, May 9, the regional Madrid government has allowed bar and restaurants to open until 12pm - with last customers at 11pm - and agreed they can reopen at 6am.

There will no longer be a curfew imposed at night, and the ban on meeting in private homes has been lifted, reports El Pais.

However, the Minister of Health, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, has recommended that meetings in private spaces be limited only to cohabitants and has again called for “prudence and individual responsibility” to stop the spread of Covid.

The decision to extend the hospitality sector’s opening hours was made to try to tackle and control the problem of illegal parties in homes, streets - known as botellóns - and in established venues.

Despite the end of the State of Alarm, the regional government will maintain the perimeter confinements by basic health areas, which will have to be ratified from now on by the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid.

dreds of pounds.

This comes a day before the government is expected to reveal the classification of each country following the new traffic light system that will be in place on May 17, the same day that is set to relax the travel ban from the UK. Those countries allowed on the government’s green list will be quarantine free ‐ this will mean that people can travel without the need to quarantine on return.

According to TUI, the packages are targeted at passengers travelling to green and amber list coun‐ tries and will range between £20 and £90, depending on destination.

When travelling to and from a green country, the £20 ‐ €23 package will be ap‐ plicable which will include a pre‐departure lateral flow test and a PCR test on day two after their return.

To read more stories like this go to ww.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Harald Bluetooth

Great War

MORE than 100 years ago, a collection of Viking remains said to be linked with Harald Bluetooth mysteriously disappeared from the National Museum of Denmark. Now, thanks to some clever sleuthing by two archaeologists they have been found stored in a mislabelled box in the museum.

IN 1914 the 16-year-old William Swift joined the army and was sent to France, losing his life in 1917. Now a couple living in Noeux-les Mines in northern France have discovered a letter from his parents as they were renovating their property and have tracked down his descendants.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Pavlov’s Dog

Joining PESCO

SCIENTISTS in Holland have taken 150 bees and conditioned them to recognise the smell of coronavirus using the Pavlov’s Dog methodology by feeding them sugar water whenever exposed to the virus. They believe that these bees could sniff out the virus in developing countries.

EU defence ministers have voted to allow Norway, Canada and the United States, to join the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) group designed to ensure seamless movement of military equipment across the EU in response to crises which was formed after Trump threatened to reduce support of NATO.

BELGIUM Two hour curfew FOR several months the curfew in Brussels started at 10pm and for the rest of Belgium at midnight but on Friday May 7, the people of Brussels were required to start curfew as usual at 10pm but then came out at midnight as curfew was cancelled.

GERMANY Clubbing it THE Berlin Building Committee voted unanimously to request the German Government to change the status of the city’s numerous clubs from entertainment sites to cultural sites. If approved, this will give these clubs greater legal protection and some reduction in noise level restrictions.

FINLAND Bumpy ride FINNISH police believe that they have uncovered a black market in the sale of often stolen bicycles with some suspects selling between 7,000 and 10,000 bikes over a four-year period and no tax has been declared on the profits from their sale.

SWEDEN Dead wrong A 33-year-old man from Gothenburg visited a local hospital as he had sprained his finger but a few weeks later was amazed to discover that he had been declared dead when a letter addressed to his estate arrived at his home. All is now resolved.

13 - 19 May 2021

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Gary Lineker ACCORDING to Personnel Today, HM Revenue and Customs has accused TV pundit and former footballer Gary Lineker of having a £4.9 million (€5.4 million) tax liability as he should be considered a ‘disguised employee’ of both the BBC and BT Sports between 2013 and 2018.

Fewer jobless SPAIN lost 137,500 jobs in the first quarter of the year, according to a recent survey published by Spain’s National Statistical Institute (INE) but as more people return to work following the easing of the State of Alarm, unemployment fell by 16 per cent.

Garden insurance IT is estimated that British households spent more than £8.5 billion (€9.35 billion) on purchasing items for their gardens during lockdown according to research by MoneySuperMarket but many of those have overlooked the fact that expensive purchases should be declared for insurance and may not be covered.

Increased charges THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has come out strongly against plans by Spanish airport authority AENA to raise charges at its 46 Spanish airports by 5.5 per cent and said that this “could damage Spain’s economic and employment recovery from Covid-19.”

Mercosur talks ONE of the negative aspects for Spain as part of the EU is the fact that it generally has to abide by EU regulations concerning trade and tariffs. This is particularly important to the country with regards to Latin and South America where language and cultural ties give Spain an edge with trade. For several years there have been discussions between the EU and the Mercosur countries (which includes all of the main South American economies) but because nothing has happened the Chinese are gaining ground and Pedro Sánchez has reportedly written to the EU urging this be resolved quickly.

34

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 13 - 19 May 2021

€1.067 billion

is the amount that troubled IAG, owner of Aer Lingus, BA, Iberia and Vueling lost in the first quarter of 2021.

Diamonds are forever JEWELLERY manufacturer Pandora is phasing out all mined diamonds from its products and will in future be promoting the sale of lab‐cre‐ ated diamonds.

The Danish company which employs 26,000 people worldwide and uses mainly recycled gold and silver, has become a top name in rea‐ sonably priced collectable jewellery since 1982.

There has been much talk about ‘blood diamonds’

which have been dug up us‐ ing slave labour or stolen dur‐ ing civil wars in Africa but now, it is possible to be abso‐ lutely certain that the dia‐ monds in the new Pandora Brilliance collection are actu‐ ally made in a laboratory.

Aiming to transform the market for diamond jewellery with affordable, sustainably created products, Pandora Brilliance is initially intro‐ duced in the UK with global launch expected in 2022.

LEGALLY SPEAKING

The Pandora Brilliance col‐ lection was available from May 6 in the UK with prices starting from £250 (€275) and each stone ranges from 0.15 to one carat in weight.

The diamond jewellery market is expected to contin‐ ue to grow, and lab‐created diamonds are outpacing the industry’s overall growth.

Lab‐created diamonds are identical to mined diamonds but grown in a laboratory rather than being excavated.

According to Pandora, they have the same optical, chemi‐ cal, thermal and physical characteristics and are graded by the same standards known as the 4Cs ‐ cut, colour, clarity and carat ‐ be‐ fore being set within the Pan‐ dora Brilliance collection.

The lab‐created diamonds in the collection have been grown with more than 60 per cent renewable energy on av‐ erage and by 2022 will be 100 per cent carbon neutral.

We speak your language

Can they block account?

Our community bank account has been blocked until I give details of my personal pension income as president to the Caja Rural.

This comes as we try to change our account to a local bank branch and install a new administrator.

The three of us had to sign an astounding number of documents and now this. Is it not a violation of the Data Protection Act? The new administrator gave me no notice. Can you advise?

24/7 Helpline.

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.

ON May 6, World Password Day is celebrated, an event that aims to raise awareness about the importance of having secure passwords that protect personal infor‐ mation.

Data from the Acierto.com comparator says that very few people or companies know how to properly pro‐

WHEN choosing a funeral plan in Spain, one of the most im‐ portant reasons is being able to speak to someone in your own language.

Golden Leaves knows how important it is to have as little worry as possible at such a dis‐ tressing time, which is why the emergency helpline is available 24/7 and your call will always be answered.

The main language used by Golden Leaves is English but the team is multilingual.

Between 9am and 5.30pm from Monday to Friday, the of‐

fice based in Spain takes the calls in English. At other times, there is a specialist out‐of‐ hours team based in the UK manning the phones so that your call will be dealt with pro‐ fessionally whatever the time, by real people, not automated messages.

In any case, the Golden Leaves team will take action immediately and begin to act upon the plan which you had in place.

Your plan comes with an emergency contact card with all relevant numbers.

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

Strong passwords needed tect their computers and Apps that need passwords.

Among the most common mistakes is the use of per‐ sonal data or obvious words, simplicity, not combining let‐ ters and numbers, and so on.

Another common failure is

to use the same password for different services, some‐ thing that more than half of the respondents do.

At work, the issue be‐ comes especially tricky in times of pandemic, when many companies have been

SPANISH Minister of Eco‐ nomic Affairs, Nadia Calvino has written a foreword in the Spanish Video Game Associa‐ tion yearbook confirming the government’s support of the video game industry.

She says that the situation resulting from the pandemic has accelerated the process of digitalisation in Spain, which means that the pre‐ sent and future of employ‐ ment, trade, commerce, business contacts and leisure are digital.

Video games have estab‐ lished themselves as a widespread consumer prod‐ uct almost 16 million video gamers in the country, 46 per cent of whom are women and Spain is in the top 10 in the world in terms of market size, with a turnover that ex‐ ceeds €1.7 billion.

10p plastic bags

M G (Costa del Sol) 1. It is, un‐ fortunately, quite normal for any YOU AND THE LAW change in bank ac‐ IN SPAIN counts to produce all the confusion you have described. And when the account is a Community of Property Owners, with various persons having authorised signatures, even more so.

2. The bank’s request for your pension details seems extreme but it is not a violation of the Data Protection Act. Only a mis‐ use of your personal information would be that.

3. Blocking your account without previous warning is also ex‐ treme.

4. As to what you can do now, my advice is to establish a close personal relation with your new administrator and also with your local bank manager. Make sure the bank has your tele‐ phone number.

Video Game support

forced to digitise at full speed and implement tele‐ working in record time which has also resulted in the lack of training for em‐ ployees, the failure to imple‐ ment the appropriate securi‐ ty systems and barriers and

FROM May 21 in England, the minimum charge for plastic bags will increase from 5p to 10p per bag, and will be appli‐ cable to all businesses regard‐ less of size.

This is already in place in Scotland and Wales and the As‐ sociation of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed the long‐ awaited extension of plastic bag charging to all businesses which will provide consistency for consumers and further op‐ portunity for retailers to raise money for good causes.

Environment Minister Rebec‐ ca Pow said, “The introduction of the 5p charge has been a phenomenal success, driving down sales of harmful plastic bags in supermarkets by a re‐ markable 95 per cent.” the absence of clear action protocols.

Limiting the use of com‐ mon passwords is also im‐ portant so avoid 12345678 and date of birth or name and other similar practices, but do include special char‐ acters mixing uppercase and lowercase and the longer, the safer.

36 EWN

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C LOSING P RICES M AY 10

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.244,50 1.252,50 Admiral Group 2.973,0 2.981,4 Anglo American 3.429,5 3.509,0 Antofagasta 1.912,00 1.927,50 Ashtead Group 4.801,0 4.817,0 Associated British Foods 2.347,3 2.366,9 AstraZeneca 7.703,0 7.718,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 567,80 574,60 Avast 462,30 470,00 Aveva 3.300,0 3.342,4 Aviva 411,10 413,76 B&M European Value Retail SA578,40 580,80 BAE Systems 507,80 511,86 Bank VTB DRC 1,364 1,388 Barclays 184,44 185,00 Barratt Developments 788,20 790,80 Berkeley 4.869,0 4.876,0 BHP Group 2.414,25 2.417,50 BP 316,58 319,13 British American Tobacco 2.817,3 2.841,2 British Land Company 543,20 545,29 BT Group 169,85 170,60 Bunzl 2.332,0 2.351,0 Burberry Group 2.168,0 2.190,0 Carnival 1.610,2 1.640,4 Centrica 57,76 57,95 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.548,0 2.559,0 Compass 1.602,00 1.640,50 CRH 3.655,0 3.659,0 Croda Intl 6.706,0 6.744,0 DCC 6.180,0 6.222,0 Diageo 3.255,0 3.278,5 DS Smith 428,20 430,10 EasyJet 1.063,84 1.086,04 Experian 2.780,0 2.802,0 Ferguson 9.510,0 9.518,0 Flutter Entertainment 14.360,0 14.645,0 Fresnillo 930,71 941,36 GlaxoSmithKline 1.352,64 1.356,30 Glencore 328,50 330,00 Halma 2.576,5 2.604,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.745,47 1.758,03 Hikma Pharma 2.339,00 2.347,00 HSBC 450,05 451,20 IAG 209,00 214,20 Imperial Brands 1.607,50 1.621,00 Informa 570,60 578,40 InterContinental 5.072,6 5.148,6 Intermediate Capital 2.113,00 2.150,00 Intertek 6.072,0 6.178,0 ITV 126,43 127,23

% CHG. 1.241,00 2.956,0 3.420,0 1.896,50 4.777,0 2.347,3 7.668,0 564,80 459,60 3.288,0 410,59 576,60 507,20 1,364 182,88 782,80 4.799,0 2.387,50 315,80 2.814,2 539,06 169,20 2.324,0 2.164,0 1.607,4 56,54 2.546,0 1.599,00 3.644,0 6.698,0 6.162,0 3.253,5 426,60 1.047,00 2.772,0 9.398,0 14.360,0 921,40 1.349,32 323,30 2.571,5 1.742,99 2.334,00 448,85 207,64 1.607,00 570,40 5.068,0 2.113,00 6.068,0 125,46

NET VOL 29,41K 4,29K 47,79K 224,35K 23,18K 6,21K 237,25K 94,48K 335,28K 7,01K 172,56K 50,04K 92,50K 73,45K 5,99M 183,75K 80,09K 596,86K 806,31K 24,28K 42,93K 1,72M 37,33K 32,13K 112,78K 698,78K 21,35K 147,74K 17,27K 6,78K 22,36K 125,41K 300,76K 221,11K 90,38K 18,86K 3,51K 134,49K 113,98K 11,76M 30,87K 11,15K 15,07K 1,53M 3,01M 112,66K 61,86K 4,54K 6,26K 10,00K 196,55K

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

254,14 3.272,0 746,60 286,00 47,23 7.096,0 478,64 166,85 1.951,50 931,50 200,90 8.276,0 36,88 1.974,80 3.207,0 740,80 1.592,50 6.350,0 1.891,00 487,40 596,40 6.767,0 106,02 7,23 1.430,0 1.431,61 1.372,5 684,00 631,20 1.863,00 17,11 3.605,0 1.195,00 1.011,86 2.497,0 1.566,36 1.599,50 11.951,8 1.493,71 1.385,50 518,80 280,00 181,05 227,85 441,22 4.250,4 988,80 142,18 3.248,6 990,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

254,40 3.289,0 749,20 288,00 47,37 7.176,0 502,20 170,15 1.976,50 931,50 203,60 8.310,0 36,89 1.984,50 3.246,0 741,80 1.595,00 6.364,0 1.910,50 489,80 606,00 6.786,0 107,95 7,26 1.447,1 1.447,75 1.386,4 684,00 634,80 1.870,00 17,11 3.623,0 1.210,00 1.013,43 2.503,0 1.573,50 1.632,50 11.984,6 1.495,50 1.392,00 520,20 282,20 182,05 228,80 454,60 4.261,3 990,00 142,50 3.308,0 992,00

252,10 3.263,0 741,60 285,85 46,79 7.074,0 477,80 166,75 1.949,50 925,30 200,60 8.254,0 36,50 1.950,50 3.194,0 736,00 1.583,50 6.333,0 1.887,50 483,90 594,40 6.694,0 105,19 7,19 1.431,2 1.430,50 1.371,5 683,60 630,40 1.860,50 17,07 3.590,0 1.191,50 1.008,75 2.487,0 1.561,81 1.597,00 11.951,8 1.484,59 1.379,50 516,20 279,00 179,10 226,00 441,22 4.232,1 982,40 141,84 3.241,0 986,80

167,84K 14,70K 60,65K 455,23K 14,02M 30,43K 24,73K 369,04K 39,94K 380,84K 2,07M 1,40K 42,47K 24,51K 98,31K 172,77K 176,20K 44,87K 254,91K 230,44K 113,70K 72,82K 2,38M 40,93K 44,64K 22,53K 103,02K 514,85K 120,50K 1,37K 8,68K 11,25K 471,27K 5,32K 19,35K 11,31K 46,71K 0,42K 120,79K 19,40K 222,07K 218,48K 800,22K 1,17M 422,28K 26,07K 51,75K 3,77M 9,36K 149,72K

1.15682

0.86302

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.2145 Japan yen (JPY)......................................132.335 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0946 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................9.9631

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 10

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 203,07 2.398,69 3.291,61 254,21 130,21 235,47 240,99 110,02 53,43 54,51 319,08 370,89 339,25 228,79 145,46 57,67 168,50 161,24 234,84 78,41 252,46 137,81 135,15 216,50 672,37 417,65 58,72 232,12 140,20 184,84

CHANGE 203,87 2.416,41 3.330,89 255,73 131,26 235,91 241,89 110,67 53,68 54,77 322,94 371,65 339,81 229,70 146,14 58,01 169,18 161,50 235,72 78,66 254,30 139,36 136,03 221,25 690,00 419,02 59,07 233,22 141,72 185,12

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 201,24 1,84M 2.390,00 1,16M 3.289,07 4,71M 251,78 2,51M 129,48 78,97M 227,99 12,82M 233,16 3,33M 107,70 10,27M 52,22 24,15M 54,16 10,64M 318,75 15,92M 360,93 3,38M 335,53 3,00M 226,37 1,96M 144,57 7,00M 57,24 19,96M 167,83 5,32M 157,02 14,26M 233,99 1,41M 77,89 11,68M 251,17 27,03M 134,72 10,57M 134,77 6,30M 215,09 5,77M 660,22 23,47M 414,07 1,85M 58,60 15,68M 230,71 4,53M 139,32 7,80M 181,51 6,89M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M AY 10

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+8.02% +2.09% +2.41% +11.55% +3.66% +7.10% +2.61% +0.73% +3.64% +9.35% +1.04%

1.13M 381,586 642,304 16.76M 250,288 2,625 718,916 1.16M 330,664 4.46M 1,860

-7.49% -61.95% -0.45% -5.25% -10.78% -6.99% -8.81% -13.64% -4.49% -3.51% -38.63%

2.93M 41.43M 4.71M 273,960 2.97M 9.34M 687,275 210,165 2.04M 546,828 25,398

Most Advanced Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Booking Holdings Inc. MercadoLibre Inc. Roku Inc. Cl A CoStar Group Inc. II-VI Inc. 6% Pfd. Charter Communications Inc. Cl A Alphabet Inc. Cl C Zebra Technologies Corp. Cl A BioNTech SE ADR Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A

Most Declined Insulet Corp.

ChemoCentryx Inc. Amazon.com Inc. ICU Medical Inc. Appian Corp. Cl A Beyond Meat Inc. Reata Pharmaceuticals Inc. Cl A Universal Electronics Inc. Mirati Therapeutics Inc. Stamps.com Inc. Golden Arrow Merger Corp. Cl A

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

World Cheese Awards

FOUR-DAY FESTIVAL: Cheese is an important export product for Spain.

THE Guild of Fine Food has an‐ nounced that the World Cheese Awards will be held in the Spanish Principality of As‐ turias this year, taking place in Oviedo on Wednesday November 3.

Having extended Oviedo’s tenure as World Cheese Capi‐ tal following the event’s post‐ ponement as a result of the Covid‐19 crisis, the 33rd edi‐ tion of the competition will now form part of the Asturias Paraíso Natural International Cheese Festival 2021, run by the Instituto del Queso, in partnership with the Principali‐ ty of Asturias and the City Council of Oviedo.

This will be an opportunity for the global cheese commu‐ nity to come together after a year of unprecedented chal‐ lenges for cheesemakers and the industry as a whole as the World Cheese Awards will be

at the heart of a four‐day festi‐ val dedicated only to cheese.

The competition is set to be bigger and more international than ever before, following the record‐breaking 3,804 entries from 42 different countries judged in Bergamo, Italy in 2019.

According to a US Depart‐ ment of Agriculture report, Spain exported $593 million (€492.5 million) in 2020, main‐ ly to Europe but around 20 per cent went to other countries and with some 100 different types of cheese produced in the country the industry uses up around 28 per cent of Spain’s milk production.

John Farrand, managing di‐ rector of the Guild of Fine Food, commented: “Following the trials and tribulations of the past 12 months, we’re de‐ lighted to be making plans for the World Cheese Awards’ re‐

Second-hand clothes CONTINUING its commitment to sustainable fashion, George at Asda in the UK has announced it will be launching a new second-hand vintage fashion range in its stores, giving a new lease of life to pre-worn garments.

In partnership with vintage fashion wholesaler ‘Preloved Vintage Wholesale,’ the new concept will be rolled out across the UK, with customers able to buy vintage, retro and second-hand branded pieces, preventing thousands of tonnes of garments going to landfill each year.

Following a successful trial in Asda’s sustainability store in Leeds, George is now launching the sustainable fashion partnership in a further 50 of its stores.

turn to Spain. The cheese world has felt the economic impact of Covid‐19 in a big way, so this year’s competition holds greater significance than ever before.”

BUSINESS EXTRA Boohoo closures AFTER more than 200 years of trading, the last of the 101 Debenham stores on British high streets and shopping centres will close its doors as the brand, which was purchased

by Boohoo in January for £55 million (€60.5 million) goes online only.

Profit boom VALENCIAN based technology multinational Power Electronics which has a very strong presence in the USA has reported sales for 2020 at €490.7 million which is an increase of some 42 per cent over 2019 results. It sees long term growth in the field of battery production.

Buy back THE Frasers Group which is controlled by Newcastle United Football Club owner Mike Ashley and trades under such brand names as Sports Direct and House of Fraser has announced that it is prepared to spend up to £60 million (€66 million) to buy back its own shares.

13 - 19 May 2021

EWN 37

38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 May 2021

FEATURE

Conspiracy theorists abound

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT CONSPIRACY theorists are everywhere.

Wearing my columnist hat, I have over the years, researched and investigated large numbers of these theories; from Queen Elizabeth 1 being a man, to Area 51, the assassination of Kennedy, the death of Princess Diana and the Twin Towers attack etc.

One thing I endeavoured to do is to always retain an open mind. This can give you a clear advantage over these theorists ‐ it is the one asset they most definitely do not possess! Once a CT has its teeth into something, irrespective of any proof to the contrary, they are virtually impossible to shake off.

With this in mind I thought I would delve a little further into the psyche of the compulsive theorists and what makes them actually tick. According to one school of psychiatry the paranoia that drives individuals to constantly scan the world for dangers and imagines the worst from others, is a throwback to Neanderthal times.

To mitigate threats from other tribes, these ancient humans needed to be suspicious of everything and everyone,

ONE THEORY: That the earth is flat. merely to survive. The doctors also reached the conclusion that many theorists were people who retained manipulative unusual patterns of thought, practised Machiavellianism, were insecure, lonely or stressed, which made them more inclined to believe in conspiracies and the supernatural.

These suspicious people are of course not always in the wrong. Although some of

their theories, ie that the earth is flat or the moon landing didn’t take place ‐ are laughable; there have been a number of instances where they were proven to be correct.

That the FBI was spying on John Lennon (True). Project Sunshine, where the US government was accused of stealing dead bodies to test for radiation after a nuclear explosion. (True). That as far back as 1950

tobacco companies were fully aware smoking was lethal and could cause cancer. (True) That you can be spied on through your laptop camera. (True ‐ and worrying!)

On the other hand some of their theories can be highly dangerous. Those who believe the Covid pandemic doesn’t exist could, if they were in charge, be responsible for the deaths of millions.

In 2016 the personal mail of John, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager was hacked.

He was found to have ordered large numbers of pizzas. The conspiracy theorists decided that these orders were a code for a child sex ring run by the members of the diplomatic party. The shop who supplied the pizzas was subsequently attacked by a man with a semi‐automatic rifle! It was a miracle no one was killed. It ultimately transpired that Podesta really liked pizzas!

All I can say to the conspiracy theorists is keep believing what your heart and mind tells you. But please don’t patronise and pour scorn on others who hold a different point of view. What about turning your efforts to the biggest conspiracy theory of all; that we are merely figments of our own imagination? Now that is one I would truly like your views on. Good hunting!

Keep the Faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

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Police Interceptors How to Garden with Carol Klein Secret Scotland with Susan Calman 5 News Weekend Amazing Spain with Alex Polizzi Our Yorkshire Farm The World's Most Expensive Hotels Harry & Charles

9:00am

The Tutankhamun Mystery with Dan Snow Cher & the Loneliest Elephant Bargain-Loving Brits in Blackpool Cruising with Jane McDonald Gibraltar: Brits in the Sun Britain's Favourite 90s Songs

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13 - 19 May 2021

NEWS

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to support local businesses in the com‐ munity by going local through the lockdown and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super‐ stores.

During this lockdown, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, mar‐ kets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent business‐ es in your area.

Due to the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic, you may have to sup‐ port many local businesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate if you are unable to get out due to health reasons or lock‐ down restrictions.

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

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

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

Many local stores support local charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actu‐ ally much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, of‐ ten passed down through nu‐ merous generations and sup‐ port not just the current owner but the generation be‐

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

fore.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of eu‐ ros spent there are support‐ ing 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 independent store and com‐ pete with the multinational and chains.

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butch‐ er and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us re‐ vive that community spirit and get to know our neigh‐ bours again.

You could also consider purchasing 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 difficult times.

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference 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 mon‐ ey circulating within the local economy.

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

Data shows that local re‐ tailers return 52 per cent of their revenue back into the local economy, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers.

Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For exam‐ ple, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn pre‐ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employ‐ ees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour‐ hood hardware store. This ex‐ ample illustrates how the re‐ circulation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and com‐ munities.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job oppor‐ tunities for people within our community.

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

A fantastic example of how to support your local commu‐ nity is with a Charity Gift cer‐ tificate, 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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13 - 19 May 2021

EWN 47

EMBARRASSING EMAIL GAFFES sign from a recruitment firm after he replied to an employment inquiry that had also been sent to 4,000 other people, copy‐ ing them all in. He told the individual: ‘You are too stupid to get a job, even in bank‐ ing.’ Oops, again!

But the original viral email blunder dates from 2000 when City lawyer Bradley Chait forwarded an explicit email from a Claire Swire to his colleagues. It spread across the country and then globally. Mr Chait later said it was a hoax by col‐ leagues. Yes, right!

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

EMAILS can be irritating, can’t they? Espe‐ cially the passive‐aggressive ones.

Ones like: ‘Not sure if you saw my last email.’ (Translation: I know you saw my last email, but you still haven’t done whatever was mentioned in it. I’m trying politely to ask you to do it this time.) Or: ‘Any up‐ dates on this?’ (Translation: I don’t really want an update, because I know what the situation is. Nothing has happened. I want you to do what you are supposed to do and then ‘update’ me that you have finally done it.) ‘Please advise.’ (Translation: What the **** is going on?)

‘Passive‐aggressive’ is an interesting con‐ cept, isn’t it? It means a type of behaviour that avoids direct confrontation whilst be‐ ing rude or sabotaging or undermining.

For example: ‘That’s an unusual jumper.

Not many people can get away with that

EMAIL BLUNDERS: Have you ever written one that you regret sending? shade with your skin tone.’ ‘You’ve done very well, given your level of education.’

‘It’s good that you have the time to... (in‐ sert activity here, such as exercise, paint, read...) despite your children/family’ imply‐ ing a neglect of your family whilst having time to indulge your own pleasures. And the classic ‘I’m not angry/upset; I’m just hurt.’

But have you ever written an email you regret sending?

When Radio 5 Live signed Andy Gray and Jonathan Pearce for the 2002 World Cup, the executive editor of BBC sports news emailed a colleague: ‘I think they’re both c***s,’ copying in 50 staff, including Gray and Pearce. Oops!

In 2011 Gary Chaplin was forced to re‐

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, pa‐ perback and audiobook. All profits to Cos‐ ta del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 May 2021

FEATURE

What is holding you back?

ROBERT SHALLIS HAVE you ever had a wonderful idea or had a compulsion to achieve something amazing? Some‐ thing you think about day and night, and become excited to the point where you cannot sleep by imagining the outcome you desire?

You find it consuming your thoughts in a positive and fun way giving you renewed enthusiasm and a new sense of hope for the future.

You invest hours, weeks, months, sometimes even years of your time and energy only to find that the dream starts to fade away, your en‐ thusiasm diminishes and a sense of so‐called reality knocking at your door saying to you ‘what were you thinking? Don’t be so silly, you can’t do that.’

This is all too often the pattern for many of us resulting in that feeling of disappointment in ourselves, re‐ sentment and eventually thoughts of ‘what if, if only.’

So why is it that we spring out of the starting blocks, fired up, full of

NEW IDEAS: Allow things to really start happening for you. energy, excitement and enthusiasm only to fall at the last few hurdles and on many occasions, the first few?

When an idea is new and exciting it gives us Faith and belief making it feel so very real, achievable and possible, but the problem is, that

powerful enemy ‘doubt’ starts to edge its way in, gently reminding us of the potential difficulties that lie ahead in achieving your dream. It builds that invisible wall in front of us stopping us from continuing any further. Confidence and the assur‐ ance of the dream have all but dis‐

appeared.

So, what is the answer, how do you overcome the things that hold you back, how do you break through that invisible wall and finish the race?

The key is ‘awareness.’ Once you become aware of your thoughts and feelings around certain situations and events, you can then notice and catch yourself and switch back to where you need to be, change track and head back on the right path dis‐ missing the usual obstacles always trying to get in your way which can be anything from a related financial challenge to a jealous or overcau‐ tious friend outlining the many rea‐ sons why you shouldn’t be following your desires.

There will always be reasons to hold you back but the key is to re‐ member that it is only yourself hold‐ ing you back, everything else are just external distractions to help feed your doubts and fears until they prevail over that exciting initial belief you once had in your dream and yourself.

Change is never easy as we’re not used to it and when the payoff for change feels overwhelming, we then tend to retreat.

The important thing to also re‐ member is that if you do fail at something, it simply means you have not reached the desired out‐ come, you are not a failure, if any‐ thing you are a success for trying as learning from one’s failings is the route to success.

So, notice what’s holding you back and know that you and only you can overcome that battle with‐ in. You can let life live you and let things happen to you or begin to live your life and allow things to re‐ ally start happening for you.

Rob Shallis www.robshallis.com

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

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

THIRD WORLD MY wife and I bought a house in Algorfa village for our daughter and her four children in February 2020. The electricity had been cut off but we were assured by the agent and our solicitor that it wouldn’t be a problem to have it reconnected. Almost 18 months later we have no electricity connected. Some work has been carried out due to supply from the neighbours, but they stopped it as it was going on too long. Personally I believe it’s disgraceful that a young family cannot have one of the necessities of life. I never thought that Spain was a third world country, but I’m not convinced.

Thank you Brendan Staunton Costa Blanca

minority of likewise voters would be an understatement. There were more Muslims than any other race/religion. What chance have we got getting our chosen candidate elected? None! In many areas of London the government has allowed the excess immigration of Muslims to take control of our councils. Westminster Council is one of them. Any available flats are disproportionately given to Muslims. Our local primary schools are the same. I am not anti anyone, but I can see what the French generals are worried about.

Keep the faith, Bill

Vaccines

Although born and raised in England, I consider myself as European because it’s a big wide world out there and I’m not what’s come to be known as a ‘Little Englander’.

Sadly this term can be applied to a lot of British pensioners who move to Spain, or any other European country. So many among this generation feel an entitlement to land grab, as if they own the place, and want everything British when living in a European country of their choice. This view has spawned from the days of our Empire when we ruled the waves to quote the saying. This view is ultimately childish, arrogant, and infantile, to say the very least.

But since Brexit things have changed, British immigrant expats are having to leave Spain for example, to avoid illegal immigrant status after Brexit. British pensioners now can only stay without a permit in most EU countries for 90 days out of every 180 days. In short since Freedom of Movement has been abolished by Brexit, Brits living in other EU countries are now regarded as illegal immigrants if they don’t go through the correct process to become a legal citizen of the EU country they have set up home in.

Euro Weekly News, I read your article ‘Easier Appointments’ today with much frustration.

I am a resident of Mallorca, but have private health insurance.

So I am not registered in the Spanish health system.

So when I try to apply to get a vaccine, that’s all I get told: “Sorry , you don’t have a health card, you cannot get vaccinated.”

I feel I am being treated like a second class citizen.

Anthony Lynch Resident of Mallorca for three and a half years.

No chance Hi Leapy, Love your articles in Euro Weekly, always level headed, straight to the point facts that no other journalist has the balls to write. Just voted in the local elections at my polling station in Pimlico, London. I am a white, English hetrosexual man. To say I was in the

Letter to the editor

SOME FREEDOM WITH the removal of the State of Alarm we must all now hope that life will begin to return to some semblance of normality.

In the majority of the Autonomous Regions, curfew has been removed and bars and restaurants are allowed to stay open longer which has to be a major shot in the arm for the hospitality industry.

As more people are allowed to congregate on tables in those same restaurants it rather looks as if there will be an added bonus as communion celebrations which are

CORRECTIONS

I am wondering how many of these immigrant expats actually voted Leave in the EU referendum in 2016? How many of them have shot themselves in the foot? I do not feel sorry for these people, I feel pity for them.

If we Brits have learnt anything from the result of the June 2016 EU referendum vote, it is that referendums should be held ‘only’ when there is clarity about the options on offer.

It has to be remembered that this referendum was initiated because the then British Tory leader David Cameron wanted to appease the European sceptics in his party.

The 2016 referendum vote was not held for the good or benefit of this country.

If a second EU referendum were to be held, it would be vital that the detail of each of the options was made clear to the general public.

In 2016 the options were not made clear. Far from it ! The options by the Leave campaigners were based on lies, misinformation, and deceptions. Those responsible should be in jail.

As we are finding out on virtually a daily basis, not all Leave voters could have known what they were voting for, unless they voted against immigration, then they are getting their wish.

Recent figures show that in the UK, 22,000 EU nationals have left our National Health Service since the EU referendum was held in 2016.

Also responses by 88 NHS hospital trusts to freedom of information enquiries revealed that the 22,600 EU nationals leaving the service over the past three years included 8, 800 nurses and midwives, and Royal College of Nursing figures reveal a shortage of 10,000 doctors. The number of EU nationals quitting the NHS increased to 8,540 the year after the EU referendum in 2017, and that the NHS started fighting this virus with a shortage of 50,000 nur-

OUR VIEW

part of Spain’s culture will also return with much larger numbers of customers.

It has been made clear that the end of the State of Alarm does mean that the crisis of the pandemic is over and we will still have to wear masks for a while and also observe social distancing as much as possible, but it’s great to see we are heading in the right direction.

Next target has to be vaccination and it appears that around five million (just over 10 per cent of Spain’s population) have received at least one injection and it seems that after

a very slow start, the organisation is getting better as is supply of the vaccine around the country.

The main need now is that people do act sensibly and don’t imagine that we are out of the woods, especially looking back to Christmas and the New Year which resulted in a spike in infections.

The important thing is to embrace the lifting of the most irksome restrictions whilst still observing the need to be level-headed and follow sensible precautions in order to protect ourselves and others.

ses.

Now that the full negative consequences of leaving the EU grow more and more stark as the days, weeks and months pass that livelihoods are at stake here, ask the farmers, the fishermen, the hauliers, meat exporters, and small businesses, anybody trying to export to the EU. I believe it is essential that a second EU referendum vote is held so that now people can make an ‘informed’ decision about whether they want to rejoin Europe, or they do not ?

A second referendum is neither anti democratic, nor does it make a mockery of democracy.

On the contrary, another vote by an ‘in-

formed’ British public is the democratic and common sense thing to do.

I have put together a petition on social media care of a site called 38 Degrees, for Parliament to hold a Cross Party Debate and hopefully decree a second European referendum vote.

My petition may not be successful, but I always say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Anybody with access to the internet, and who would like to sign my petition, should email me at the following address: michaelthompson533@btinternet.com and I will forward them the petition link.

Yours sincerely, Michael Thompson

From our Facebook

Isabel Papa Bauset It’s definitely too early. Already there are huge crowds of people and not wearing masks. This is a great shame because this isn’t over yet and before we know it we’ll be locked up again. Please take care.

Norman Shaw Yes far too early, we will pay for it eventually, some villages and towns are still struggling to keep figures below the 500 limit (which during the alarm would have meant boundary closures) but not any more.

Nicki Burgess As long as everybody is sensible should be ok!

Chris McGovern We have to try very hard to get on with our lives otherwise we will end up with most of the small shops and restaurants gone forever, so where will all the unemployment money come from?

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

EMMA WALLSWORTH WELCOME to our new monthly article where you, your family and friends can all learn to make simple herbal creams, balms and salves in the comfort of your own home, whilst learn‐ ing about the individual health benefits of the selected ingredients. Our articles will include different eco friendly living tips, which can help us all reduce our carbon footprint.

A Little About Us Our family live on a 28 hectare farm which is situated in the desert region of Almeria. We have left 25 hectares fallow, in the hope to rein‐ troduce lost local wildlife from previously over‐ worked farmed land. The last four years have been a real eye opener to see just how quickly the land has grown and flourished when left.

Within four months the wildlife started to move back in. Every year we have had an increase in visiting birds including golden eagles, eagle owls, little owls, bee‐eaters, an array of different finches, hoopoes and many more, reptiles in‐ cluding snakes and lizards, insects and mam‐ mals including a large herd of wild boar of all sizes.

We live an eco friendly lifestyle which for us personally involves recycling waste which in‐ cludes plastics and metals/paper and glass, we have a number of compost heaps that dispose of any other waste which is then turned into compost and is then used on our land. We con‐ serve water and minimise the use of electric,

Simply Natural FREE LEARNING with the Euro Weekly:

13 - 19 May 2021

EWN 51

just turning off and unplugging sockets makes a huge difference. All this helps us as a family re‐ duce our carbon footprint.

We have 120 almond and olive trees, we use the organic oil in our home‐made products. Our family support a number of local charities by do‐ nating an amount to them from every single sale we make. So far we support AA Dog Res‐ cue, Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre and we reg‐ ularly donate to the Arboleas families in need charity. We buy our padded envelopes from our local Spanish post office (Correos) as an amount from each envelope bought goes to the WWF Reforestation project. Our family Facebook page ‘The Simply Natural Group’ is open to everyone.

Please follow our progress by scanning the Facebook QR code below and like our page. Sub‐ scribe to our YouTube Channel QR code below.

Happy Learning and stay safe everyone.

You can contact us at email: thesimplynaturalgroupltd@gmail.com.

Our next article will be on the 15th where you can learn how to make a soothing foot balm at home.

Face book The Simply Natural Group

YouTube Simply Back 2 Basics

HOME-MADE PRODUCTS: We have almond and olive trees and make organic oil.

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

52 EWN

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13 - 19 May 2021

DAVID WORBOYS YOU can see her in one of the most famous and successful movies in his‐ tory but not as the leading lady. The leading man and woman in this film are highly respected stars but not among the all‐time Hollywood greats. In this movie our actress plays a relatively minor role and she is not a household name.

She did, however, have a remark‐ able career in cinema dating from 1942 (aged 20) to 1991 (aged 69).

She took top billing over Charlton He‐ ston in a 1954 film and Robert Cum‐ mings in 1973. During the course of her career, she has shared top billing with the following leading men. Erroll Flynn and Robert Taylor (both three times), William Holden, Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Stew‐ art Granger, Humphrey Bogart, Glenn Ford, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, Jeff Chandler and Maurice Chevalier. She died in 2013 at the age of 91.

She was considered one of the top beauties of Hollywood’s golden age.

After the release of ‘The Naked Jun‐ gle’ with Charlton Heston in 1954,

LEADING LADY

HOLLYWOOD HISTORY: Eleanor Parker symbolises a lost golden age. she was described as ‘La caballera mas sensual de la historia del cine.’

She is best known for her role, at the age of 46, as Elsa Elberfeld, the woman who threatened to break up a potential romance that most cin‐

emagoers wanted to succeed. Elsa is better known as Baroness von Schraeder in ‘The Sound of Music.’

The actress is, of course, Eleanor Parker.

The Rogers and Hammerstein clas‐

sic was made in 1968 and almost ev‐ erybody I know has seen it at least three times. Its appeal lies partly in its setting, both time and place, and partly in the fresh innocence of its plot.

FEATURE

The opening scene, shot from the air, zooms in on some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth. The film deals with the soul‐searching dilem‐ ma of love versus spiritual calling.

There are enduring family problems and a determination to resolve them in the face of hostility. We have com‐ edy, suspense and some wonderful songs. And all this against the back‐ ground of the Anschluss in 1938. It is also based on characters who exist‐ ed.

Despite a celebrated Hollywood history, Eleanor Parker is mostly re‐ membered today for a relatively short appearance in the shadow of Julie Andrews. But the role of the Baroness is beautifully played with restrained emotion and elegant dig‐ nity. She is essential to the develop‐ ment of the unlikely love that tri‐ umphs for the main characters.

By the time the Golden age of Hol‐ lywood succumbed to television, Eleanor Parker had been an integral part of its legacy. She symbolises a lost golden age.

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

13 - 19 May 2021

EWN 53

Advertising Feature

Health insurance with and without copayments WE live in a time when the health care has become a priority. In this situation health insurances play a crucial role and when it comes to choose a policy, attention should focus on all terms and conditions of the contract, especially if it has copayments or not.

When we talk about copayments we refer to the amount that has to be paid by the policyholder each time he/she makes use of the med‐ ical services included in the policy.

This amount is independent of the premium paid by the insurance.

Health insurance with copay‐ ments Copayment is usually applied to GP and specialist consultations, di‐ agnostic tests and therapeutic acts and even to hospitalisations and emergencies. It can therefore re‐ sult in an important increase in the insurance cost.

The price of the copayment may vary depending on the medical ser‐ vice and the terms and conditions of the contract. Hospitalisations and advanced diagnostic tests nor‐

ASSSA INSURANCE: The best investment for your health.

Frictionless thighs on you AS things steam up outside, now is the time of year to fold your tights away into the bottom drawer until autumn.

However, with the donning of summer dresses and the baring of legs, the heat of the sun can cause some unwelcome and unpleasant chaffing.

This rubbing of skin-on-skin is often unavoidable as most women’s inner thighs do touch.

However, it can be painful so remedies must be found to alleviate any discomfort. Some swear by Vaseline but a cheap and cheerful solution is to use roll-on deodorant. Yes, the very same one you have at home and use for your underarms.

Of course, the fact that roll-on deodorant will stop you from sweating is no great news. But, this deodorant will also act as a lubricant, and will even continue to work once it’s dry.

Save your tired legs from chaffing, allowing you to enjoy your fashion to the full.

NO SWEAT: Use some roll-on deodorant to lubricate your thighs.

mally involve a high copayment.

Health insurance without co‐ payments Only the insurance premium has to be paid, thus giving peace of mind as no additional payments are requested to have access to the benefits and services guaranteed by the policy.

In case the private medical insur‐ ance is needed to get the residence permit in Spain, having a policy without copayments is essential, as it is one of the requirements to get it.

ASSSA health insurance policies have no copayments. Thus no ex‐ tra payments have to be done, af‐ ter having paid the premium, to have access to all benefits included in the policy. Moreover, they have medical, surgical and hospital cov‐ erage.

ASSSA health insurance is the best investment for your health, as it is a policy without copayments and with lifetime guarantee of no cancellation and no premium in‐ crease due to age.

ASSSA Branches: Altea Tel: 966 882 680 Denia Tel: 965 786 969 Jávea Tel: 965 795 077 Moraira Tel: 965 744 033 www.asssa.es

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13 - 19 May 2021

What does ‘recovery’ look like?

MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED I ’ D like to say I ’m in recovery from my bipolar disorder. I’m stable, I have a job, I take care of my family and I’m able to function somewhat successfully in this world, I know this won’t last forever, therefore I am going to hold on to every little bit of happiness and peace I can get.

What does recovery look like? It looks like you or me, to be honest. It looks like an average J oe going to work each day. It looks like your typical mama cooking dinner for her daughter.

It also looks like doctor visits every month and lots of pills. It looks like going out with friends and catching your-

self smiling and laughing, and surprising yourself that you are actually enjoying yourself. It’s making plans and not feeling daunted by them.

In the midst of this recovery, I’ve been writing this column over the last 18 months, and have blogged my journey to where I am now. I believe in being authentic and real, and telling the real story, no matter how ugly I think it is.

I’ve been on this journey for 10 years now and I know people look up to me for how much I’ve overcome. People need to see the highs of mental illness just as much as they need to know and understand the dips.

I feel I can give hope to others, I am living proof that it is possible to find some happiness, a breathing space to enjoy the little things in life.

I may fall again, but I know I can rise as I regain control of my internal demons, and take control once again.

B ut for now, I am just going to enjoy being me, with this I’d like to say I’m having a break from being Ms Bipolar, this isn’t forever, but for NOW! I can’t thank you all enough for taking the time to read my columns, to write your lovely letters of encouragement and for sharing your stories with me. P lease know that you can still write to me on Facebook on @Mswillowbipolar should you feel like you need any guidance.

Thank you to the E W N team for giving me the opportunity to tell my story and being so supportive on my journey!

You will see me again!

Love always, Ms Bipolar x

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

By Clinica Britannia

OVERWEIGHT, TIREDNESS, LACK OF ENERGY consequences of COVID-19 Lockdown

SPECIALISTS: Can give you professional advice to help you tackle your weight problems.

IF you have experienced un‐ wanted weight gain tiredness and lack of energy during the pandemic, you are not alone.

The pandemic period as you mention has been a giant stressor for everybody af‐ fecting our diet, sleep, lifestyle, and causing stress and mental distress such as anxiety and depression.

Contact your GP as he might recommend and help you to seek professional advice from specialists such as: ‐ A Nutritionist who can monitor and sup‐ port you, giving advice on healthy diet plans and lifestyle changes, enabling you to be

succesful in your new healthy lifestyle. ‐ A Therapist/Psychologist who can equip you with the tools to find a real solution. ‐ A Consultant to check your sleep problems that can be causing this tiredness, lack of energy and overweight. ‐ Other Specialists like a Surgeon would be very helpful in some extreme cases, per‐ forming a minimally invasive surgical proce‐ dure to quicken your weight loss.

Visit your GP to start looking for a REAL SOLUTION. NO ACTION, NO CHANGE

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

PETS

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www.euroweeklynews.com • 13 - 19 May 2021

SPONSORED BY

Caring for your Covid Puppy

DID you buy or rescue a puppy during the Covid lockdown? Many pet lovers did. So now you need to find sitters to care for your pup while you are away this holiday.

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 plan‐ ning just a short trip you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Ma‐ ture pets may benefit from staying be‐ hind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on 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

Patch loves his routine daily walks. plans for this year’s holiday Covid permit‐ ting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suit‐ able 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.

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

HouseSitMatch found us a perfect hous‐ esitter while we were away in Canada and we were delighted with the care and at‐ tention that HouseSitMatch took in help‐ ing us find the right person.

Ros Morris – Dog owner How do you join?

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

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.

REPTILES can make excellent pets but can be expensive and difficult to care for.

Some reptiles can be unsuit‐ able for novices as they have very specific dietary and environmental needs, not to mention some can grow to an unmanageable size.

There are however, some rep‐ tiles that are suitable for begin‐ ners, but they still require a signifi‐ cant investment in their

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Urinary problems in dogs and cats HERE are some signs that may lead you to think that your dog or cat has a urinary tract prob‐ lem: Change in urine colour and in‐ creased turbidity Presence of blood in urine Strong smell of urine Straining or pain when urinat‐ ing He urinates at home or in the case of the cat outside the litter box Needs to be let out more often (Increased amount or frequency of urination) Licking the vulva or penis Fever Lethargy Higher water consumption.

Vomiting Changes in appetite Weight loss What Causes Urinary Tract Problems in Dogs?

There are many causes of low‐ er urinary tract problems, such as: Inflammation or infection of

the bladder or kidneys Presence of stones, crystals, or cellular debris in the bladder or urethra Trauma, congenital anomalies or cancer in the kidneys, ureter, bladder or urethra.

Prostate disease Spinal cord abnormalities Diagnosing urinary tract prob‐ lems requires your veterinarian to do a physical exam that includes checking the kidneys and bladder.

They will also likely perform a uri‐ nalysis. A urine culture, blood tests, ultrasound, or X‐rays may also be necessary, depending on findings. Sometimes it is even necessary to perform a CT scan for more complex pathologies.

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

Reptiles for beginners equipment up front.

Thorough research before de‐ ciding on one of these pets and getting your enclosure set up be‐ fore bringing your new pet home is essential.

The Iguana is not a great choice due to their size, tendency to be‐ come aggressive at maturity and

their specific dietary and environ‐ mental needs. However, Leopard Geckos are considered to be ideal for the novice as they are relative‐ ly small and easy to care for.

With snakes, the biggest obsta‐ cle for many owners is their di‐ etary needs. Owners must be will‐ ing to feed whole prey such as mice or rats. They do have the ad‐ vantage of often only needing to be fed once a week or less so they can easily be left on their own for a few days without a pet‐sitter.

Corn snakes and Ball pythons are usually easy to care for and docile so make an ideal choice.

However, Ball pythons have a rep‐ utation for refusing to eat so a feeding demon may be required.

Turtles are another option but it can be very challenging to meet the housing and environmental needs of most turtles (aquatic tur‐ tles and tortoises).

Eastern Box turtles live in varied climates so they are quite adapt‐ able. They are omnivores so eat both plants and insects.

Unmet expectations and poor advice about reptile care can re‐ sult in a bad experience for the owner and can be fatal for the reptile, so do your research first.

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13 - 19 May 2021

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

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SERVICES

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

Thanks very much.

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

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AIR CONDITIONING

campellocc@gmail.com www.el campellochristiancommunity.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop - 610 63 94 26 (English) THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome.

Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzimmerer@hotmail.com, www.centrosaron.com (10008)

ARCHITECTS

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

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

BUSINESS OPP. LEAD WAY GROUP offers a simple, easy and fast way to generate additional income with our investment plan in Forex Trade. For more information on our investment plans, please email robernorris@fbttilemar ble.com (292481)

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CAMPING

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

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

(288658)

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

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

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WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance.

Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market.

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ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack MG was an iconic British car, but in terms of new models is now an iconic British badge. Taken from the ashes of the Rover Group the Chinese car maker SAIC owns MG and produces a small range of

MOTORING

MG3 - a budget car that’s fun! cars and SUVs in petrol, hy‐ brid and all‐electric.

The main models are SU‐ Vs, understandable given their popularity, and just two cars, one of which is the MG3 supermini.

This five‐door hatchback

is a smart and equipment laden model at, by today’s standards, a bargain price.

The two models start from €14,166 (£12,300) with s t a n d a r d e q u i p m e n t i n‐ cluding air conditioning, p o w e r w i n d o w s , DA B

sound system with Apple Car Play, Bluetooth, re‐ mote steering wheel con‐ trols, eight‐inch colour touchscreen, hill hold and auto door locking. The higher trim version at €15,663 (£13,600) adds

navigation, cruise control, parking sensors and sports seats.

The Achilles heel of the MG3 is its engine, a four‐ cylinder, 1.5‐litre petrol unit that is best described as old school technology.

Mated to a manual five‐ speed gearbox the combi‐ nation is adequate, but lacks sufficient power and at cruising speed you al‐ ways find yourself going for a sixth gear that isn’t there.

At 70mph the MG sits at around 3,200 rpm, which makes things a tad busy where a more relaxed gearing pattern would help. The need to work the engine also doesn’t help the economy, my mainly local driving week saw a 7.2 l/100km (39mpg) aver‐ age.

On cross country roads the MG comes alive with decent steering and a slightly firm suspension set‐up that keeps the car sitting quite flat through

energetic cornering. The power is at the higher end of the engine’s rev range and with a nice gear change makes it a fun drive.

The nearest equivalent Fo r d F i e s t a w i l l s e t y o u back an additional €5,407 (£4,695), that’s a substan‐ tial difference. Of course, the Fiesta will depreciate less, most likely prove more durable on the quali‐ ty front and drive better.

Keep the MG for a longer time though and allied to that cheaper price tag it makes for an appealing proposition.

Despite some misgivings the MG is an endearing car, it handles well, is good fun and very well priced. It’s comfortable with a good driving position and for those on a budget the cheapest way to get a new car that is a bit different, to the normal mass of bud‐ get cars, and actually does‐ n’t look like a budget mod‐ el.

SPORT

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 May 2021

Lewis Hamilton Wins LEWIS HAMILTON won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sun‐ day May 9, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, for the seven‐time champion to claim a record‐equalling fifth win in a row, extending his lead over Max Verstappen to 14 points, after an almighty battle with the Dutchman, who had to be content with second place in the end.

Hamilton had started the race on pole, alongside the Dutchman, but as the light turned green, it was Ver‐ stappen who got the drop on the Brit, firing his Red Bull down the inside of Hamilton’s Mercedes, forc‐ ing him to go wide, and roar‐ ing off in the lead on Turn One, and by the end of the first lap he was al‐

ready 1.7 seconds ahead.

Fortune favoured Hamil‐ ton when Yuki Tsunoda’s Al‐ phaTauri seemed to simply stop at Turn 10 for no rea‐ son, and the safety car came out until the race got going again on Lap 9, where Ver‐ stappen again left

UEFA Europa League 2021 Final

the rest of the field standing as he took off, as reported by skysports.com.

Pit stops played a big part in the race, and with a set of fresh tyres, the Brit closed Verstappen down until he pounced on Lap 60, charging up to the Red Bull with DRS and braking late into Turn One to regain the lead, tak‐ ing the chequered flag al‐ most 16 seconds clear of the young Dutchman, with Valt‐ teri Bottas of Finland in third, and France’s Charles LeClerc in fourth.

The seven-time champion.

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Final to be held on May 26.

V I L L A R R EA L, the ‘unfancied’ team from Spain’s La Liga have realised their European dream and reached the final of the 2021 UEFA Europa League, playing out a 0‐0 draw against Arsenal, at the Emirates stadium in London, on Thursday May 6, to win 2‐1 on aggregate.

Arsenal’s worst‐case scenario was that they needed one goal to draw level on aggregate and take the match to extra time, but it was never going to be, as the line of yellow shirts held solid at the back for the Spaniards, and it looked unlikely that the Gunners could hit the net anyway, the closest coming from a shot that hit the post from Pierre‐Emerick Aubameyang.

Even with the game running away from

them, Mikel Arteta’s men simply didn’t look up for the fight, apart from Nicolas Pepe and Emile Smith Rowe firing efforts wide early in the sec‐ ond half, and an Aubameyang header that hit the post again towards the end.

This result looks like ending Arsenal’s unbro‐ ken run of 25 seasons in European football, and coming at the hands of Unai Emery, the manag‐ er who they sacked in 2019, it must feel terrible for those in the halls of power at the Emirates.

With the other semi‐final ending in an 8‐5 ag‐ gregate win for Manchester United over Serie A club Roma, Villarreal can look forward to one last European exploit in the final in the fabulous Stadion Miejski in Gdańsk, Poland, on Wednes‐ day, May 26.