Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 10 - 16 June 2021 Issue 1875

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 24 - 27

Issue No. 1875 10 - 16 June 2021

Dropouts ONE in every 10 residents of Almeria Province has higher education studies, but although three-quarters of girls go on to finish ESO - Spain’s compulsory education course that ends at 16 - only 62 per cent of males do so.

News

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COSTA DE ALMERIA • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

JUNTA PLEDGE

Native plants THE AlVelAl association is carrying out another phase of its reforestation project in the Sierra Maria-Los Velez national park which it began in late 2020, planting 26,000 native trees and shrubs that include junipers, holm oaks, hawthorns and dog roses.

Marble music TICKETS sold out within 24 hours to see David Bisbal, the nationally famous singer-songwriter who was born in Almeria and is performing at the Marble Fest due to be held in the Macael quarry on June 17 and 18.

PROTECTION PROMISED: Carmen Crespo with Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco and Esperanza Perez.

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FREE • GRATIS

A bad choice for shoot

THE Amical de Mauthausen association complained after Almeria City’s Monument to Tolerance appeared recently in a televised fashion shoot.

The monument, which was inaugurated in 1999, commemo‐ rates the 252 Almerienses imprisoned in the Mauthausen and Gusen (Austria) concentration camps during the Second World War. The 142 who lost their lives in the camps are represented by the 142 columns that make up part of the monument.

Using the monument as a background during the Canal Sur’s An‐ dalucia Directo fashion feature trivialised the memory of the vic‐ tims, the Amical de Mauthausen association protested afterwards.

Contacted by local Spanish media, Andalucia Directo’s director Modesto Barragan apologised for using the location. This was not their first choice, he explained, but was a last‐minute substitute for the nearby Cable Ingles pier which is currently undergoing repairs.

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10 - 16 June 2021

Paqui heads home to the sea Councillor’s farewell

THE loggerhead turtle Paqui, now recovered from severe pneumonia, has finally made it back to sea.

Almeria’s Guardia Civil carried out the release in conjunction with Equinac, a non‐profit organisa‐ tion attached to the Environment Ministry that as‐ sists stranded sea turtles and cetaceans.

The turtle was returned to her natural environ‐ ment in the Cabo de Gata marine reserve by the

Guardia Civil patrol boat ‘Río Nacimiento.’

Rescued on May 6, nine‐kilo Paqui whose shell measures 36 centimetres, spent a month recover‐ ing at Equinac’s veterinary centre where she re‐ ceived fluid therapy and was later fed on a diet of anchovies, squid and prawns Paqui has now been microchipped and has a satellite transmitter to track her movements.

AGUSTIN MONTOYA PEREZ, a Mojacar councillor for the last 10 years, recently retired.

Responsible for Public Works, Services, Parks and Gardens, Perez would always be remembered for his team spirit and his dedication to his department “24 hours a day, seven days a week for 10 years,” as Mojacar mayor Rosa Maria Cano pointed out. So‐ cialist councillor and party spokesman Manuel Zamaro Fernandez also thanked Montoya for his work over the years and the assis‐ tance he always provided whenever and wherever it was required.

During almost three legislative terms, Montoya supervised mu‐ nicipal lighting, the main drainage system, roads, pavements, parks, gardens and municipal buildings.

“In short,” the mayor said, “he looked after everything that needed doing or repairing to ensure correct functioning and safety inside the municipality.”

Benefits all round

Photo credit: Adra town hall

ADRA REPAIRS: Manuel Cortes with Adra councillors and Junta officials.

THE regional government spent €48,150 on repairing the re‐ taining wall and breakwater on the Poniente (west) side of Adra’s harbour.

Local mayor Manuel Cortes thanked the Junta for carrying out the repairs which, following a request during the regional government’s visit to the town, were “no sooner said than done.” Cortes also highlighted the Junta’s readiness to help Adra. “This was not the first time that action needed to be tak‐ en on improving the port and nor will it be the last,” the mayor said.

The emblematic port has received “important modifica‐ tions” and would soon have a walkway that was going to be another tourist attraction, Cortes said.

“We all benefit from initiatives like these and we shall go on working to promote the spectacular locations inside our his‐ toric town,” Cortes said.

NEWS

Red Cross’ vital role MOJACAR’S Red Cross and town hall recently organised talks on rescuing migrants reaching the Almeria coast.

The meeting was attended by 50 people from bodies routinely involved in assisting those who clandestinely cross from North Africa, as well as the mayors of Mojacar, Turre and Garrucha.

Concepcion Rivera Puche, president of Mojacar’s Red Cross, explained the need for the administrations involved to coordinate procedures when assisting the migrants who arrive in flimsy boats.

According to Red Cross fig‐ ures, 1,600 migrants have al‐ ready entered the province by sea this year, a slightly lower figure than during the same period in 2020.

In the past, the Red Cross experts explained, migrants arrived in large vessels and were principally from sub‐Sa‐ haran, African countries. At present they arrive on the province’s beaches in flimsy, unseaworthy boats and are from North Africa in general and Algeria in particular.

The speakers at the recent talks stressed that as well as their work in assisting mi‐ grants, the Red Cross also as‐ sists vulnerable residents and provides care for the elderly.

This has been increasingly necessary due to the recent health and financial crisis.

NEWS

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NIBS EXTRA Quad squad CUEVAS is increasing security on its beaches and coast with two quad bikes that the Local Police will use for patrolling this summer. The quads, both hired, will complement the existing equipment and security measures that will be in use throughout the summer season that starts on June 15.

Bad loser AN Almeria man must pay €2,0370 to his ex after he sabotaged a greenhouse where she grew peppers commercially.

After insulting her in several WhatsApp messages he deliberately removed the stakes that supported the plants in what a Criminal Court judge said was “an act of revenge.”

Brussels cash THE Calar Alto astronomy observatory and the Solar Platform in Tabernas, which is the largest solar technology centre in Europe, are in line for grants via the central government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience plan that is financed by the EU. Allocations will range from €100,000 to €10 million.

Not here THE Junta confirmed its earlier rejection of an application for a 68-hectare fruit plantation in Aguamarga inside the Cabo de Gata-Nijar national park. This type of agriculture, which would also require regular use of irrigation water, was incompatible with authorised activities inside the protected area, the Junta ruled.

More water THE Diputacion provincial council is guaranteeing the water supply for Las Tres Villas by renewing and financing a new artesian well for the Ocaña and Doña Maria districts. Local mayor, Virtudes Perez, assured the Diputacion president Javier Aureliano Garcia that this would bring new opportunities to the municipality.

Fine to-do ANGELICA and Marius Pintilescu, Roquetas residents for 20 years, were fined for breaching anti-Covid restrictions and being out late in May 2020. Walking home after 10pm, they explained to police that Angelica had felt faint and sat down to rest, but 12 months on must now pay €1,202.

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Trawler fleet threatened MORE than 200 Almeria fishing boats joined a one-day nationwide strike on Friday June 4, protesting at new EU directives.

Owners, skippers and the crews of trawlers and other boats which fish out of Almeria City, Adra, Carboneras, Garrucha and Roquetas once again voiced opposition to new regulations for trawling that will affect 600 Spanish boats.

All called for the resignation of Virginijus Sinkevicius, the Europe’s Fisheries Commissioner, whom they accused of introducing policies on bottom trawling now regarded as a danger to the environment - that threatened

PEACEFUL PROTEST: Carboneras fishing sector demonstrated outside the town hall. the survival of Spain’s fishing industry Almeria Province’s 30 trawlers currently provide direct employ-

ment for 150 people and indirect jobs for 100. They, like their counterparts along Spain’s Mediterranean coast, oppose new condi-

tions reducing the time they may spend at sea and limiting catches.

In Almeria City, more than 100 fishing sector professionals gathered beside the Lonja fish market on the quay.

Using a pallet as a platform, the president of the Boatowners Association, Asopesca Angeles Cayuuela, warned of the catastrophe that awaited the industry should the new EU regulations go ahead.

Spain’s trawler fleet had already made a considerable effort by sending 20 per cent of its boats to the breaker’s yard and would now be forced to put to sea less often, she lamented.

Band falls silent after theft SOME of the instruments stolen from Almeria City’s Nuestra Señora del Carmen band have been found.

They were taken last week after the band’s premises were broken in‐ to and an appeal for help and infor‐ mation was published on the band’s social media pages.

The appeal obtained results, as Almeria City’s Local Police were alerted at 8am three days later on

Fundraising for charities NICO’s Terraza Bar in Alfoquia held a charity Race Night in aid of the Mojacar Area Cancer Support (MACS) charity, raising €300.

The evening was so successful that these events will be held on a regular basis throughout the sum‐ mer in aid of two great causes, MACS and Harmony Community Support which provides practical and informative assistance to those people who are in need.

“It is hoped we can raise sub‐ stantial funds to help these superb causes,” Peter Dell told the Euro Weekly News.

“This can only be achieved with the help of the generous people of the area, so please look out for de‐ tails of these evenings on Nico’s Terraza Bar Facebook page as well as those of MACS and Harmony.

“The organisers and charities would like to thank you all for your help and support, as these great charities are essential for the well‐being of the region,” Peter added.

the 092 line from a caller who claimed to have seen several instru‐ ments, still in their cases, on waste land adjoining Calle Carmen Conde.

Once there, officers found that the call was not a hoax and recovered two tubas, three trombones, three French horns, two euphoniums, five trumpets and four drums as well as two maces and harnesses.

Ten instruments are still missing

however, band sources said.

The Nuestra Señora del Carmen band, which was formed in 2015, has 120 musicians and accompanies four Almeria City brotherhoods during the Holy Week processions.

In the past they have also trav‐ elled to Jaen to accompany the Cal‐ vario and Sagrada Lanzada Easter processions in Jaen and Elche (Ali‐ cante).

Back to normal for market AFTER more than a year, Vera’s Saturday mar‐ ket is returning to its traditional site.

The mercadillo has until now been held in Paseo Miguel Cervantes to comply with anti‐ Covid social distancing requirements, ex‐ plained Vera’s mayor Jose Carmelo Jorge Blan‐ co.

The town hall decided to take this step now that the health situation has im‐ proved throughout Spain and particularly in the Levante‐Norte Health District to

Tomato-growers being snubbed THANKS to the EU’s preferential trade agree‐ ment with Morocco, Almeria tomato‐grow‐ ers say they are losing an annual €750 mil‐ lion.

Morocco is allowed to export an annual 285,000 tons of tomatoes to EU member countries, but Almeria growers maintain that last year they exceeded this quota by 50,000 tons.

The Asaja union, which represents Andalu‐ cia’s agricultural producers, spoke last week with officials from the central government’s Ministry of Agriculture, explaining the con‐ cerns of growers not only in Almeria, but all over Spain.

which Vera belongs.

“We have had countless requests from busi‐ ness associations in the Old Town for the weekly market to return to its habitual loca‐ tion,” Jorge continued.

“Moving the market to Paseo de Miguel de Cervantes had a very negative financial effect on Vera’s traditional shops in addition to the devastating consequences they had to endure during anti‐Covid measures that included lim‐ iting opening hours and perimeter closures.”

The majority of minors ALMERIA has more children than any other An‐ dalucia province.

The latest report from Andalucia’s Childhood Observatory revealed that 20 per cent of the province’s 720,000 inhabits are under 18.

In 2020 Almeria Province’s 145,711 minors rep‐ resented 9 per cent of all the children living in An‐ dalucia.

Almeria City, with 39,387 minors had the great‐ est number last year, followed by Roquetas (21,679), El Ejido (19,517), Vicar (5,914), Adra (4,929, Huercal de Almeria (4,644), Huercal‐Overa (3,831), Vera (3,776) and Cuevas del Almanzora (3,063).

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Fair shares SCHOOLCHILDREN in Palomares believe that more local streets should bear women’s names.

“Inequality is present when choosing names for streets and plazas in our towns and cities,” the Alarcon Fernandez de Arrellano school de‐ cided after carrying out a project that involved pupils and their teach‐ ers.

The centre now be‐ longs to Andalucia’s #Merezcounacalle (I de‐ serve a street) initiative that already involves schools in the provinces of Malaga and Granada.

Headmaster Bar‐ tolome de Haro ex‐ plained that pupils at all levels were immediately intrigued by the assign‐ ment.

After studying street names in Palomares they soon decided that these were heavily weighted in favour of males, who were pre‐ sent 80 per cent of the time.

Women deserved more mentions, the chil‐ dren concluded, and older pupils put forward the names of women in Palomares and Almeria province who ‘deserved a street.’

Their suggestions and the reasons for them were made into a video that was shown at the end of last month with a rose presented to the local women whose names had been put forward.

This event was also attended by Cuevas’ Equality councillor Mel‐ chora Caparros and Cul‐ ture councillor Melchora Caparros.

The town hall would certainly bear the school’s suggestions in mind when naming new streets, Caparros pledged, thanking the pupils for promoting equality from inside their school.

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from Front page »

Cabo de GataNijar protected THE regional government is committed to protecting Andalucia’s rich heritage, pledged Carmen Crespo who heads the Junta’s Environment department.

“This means ensuring, as far as possible, that the region’s natural environment is maintained in the best possible condition so that it can be enjoyed both now and in the future,” she declared.

Crespo was speaking during a recent visit to the Cabo de Gata-Nijar national park, where she was accompanied by Almeria City’s mayor Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco and his Nijar counterpart, Esperanza Perez.

The Environment chief’s visit coincided with the World Environment Day, embodied this year by the Reimagine, Recover, Restore slogan.

Crespo stressed the Junta’s commitment to protecting and promoting the geological heritage of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar park which last year was renewed as a Biosphere Reserve after ‘retaining intact’ the qualities that first earned it European recognition in 1997.

“During the present legislative term, the Junta has spent roughly €5 million on promoting sustainable use of this national park and environmentally-friendly businesses,” Crespo said.

“Our objective is to encourage responsible and sustainable ecotourism that will boost out-of-season demand and diversify the offer while promoting an orderly use of the environment thanks to guidelines that impose a minimum negative impact.”

NEWS

Why has electricity cost risen?

THE new electricity rate in Spain came into ef‐ fect on June 1. It basically consists of setting three different prices for energy (kWh). It is not entirely different from what existed be‐ fore. Now, the billing of the energy term is di‐ vided into three periods instead of the two that previously applied to consumers who had opted for the tariff with hourly rates which works out as the cheapest option.

The new method applied to the rate is more rational since it should cause a large part of the consumption to shift outside the peak pe‐ riod. The objective is to flatten the demand for electricity, which varies greatly throughout the day, forcing an installed overcapacity.

There are plants, usually gas‐fired combined cycle, that operate for only a few hours throughout the year to cover peak demand times.

The introduction of the new billing system has coincided with a sustained increase in the price of electricity in recent months. It could be the case that the new rate is to blame for the increased cost of electricity, but it is not.

In January there was a substantial increase in cost for a few days, but it was a sporadic event mainly due to the storm Philomena. But now the price increase is not a specific event.

In 2020, the price of electricity had been abnormally low compared to previous years. The cause is obvious: the Covid‐19 pandemic contracted the economy and, as a consequence, energy demand fell and there was a drop in prices in electricity

NEW RATES: Vary throughout the day. and other types of energy.

Since March of this year, after the extraordi‐ nary success of pharmaceutical companies in managing to manufacture huge quantities of effective vaccines and of states in vaccinating the population, the effects of the pandemic are mitigating and economic activity is normal‐ ising. As a result, energy demand has in‐ creased approaching pre‐pandemic levels.

Do You Still Have Pesetas To Change?

IT has been almost 20 years since Spain exchanged pese‐ tas for the euro and began the process of collecting and ex‐ changing the currency. How‐ ever, it is estimated that the public still have €1,586 million in unchanged peseta notes and coins.

What many citizens do not know is that the passage of time and with the special characteristics that some pe‐ setas have means they have been revalued and become worth a real fortune today, according to specialised web‐ sites Foronum and Todo Colección.

The deadline for exchang‐ ing peseta bills and coins end‐ ed on December 31, but it has been extended until June 30, 2021 due to the pandemic.

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Jet2 Cancels all its International Flights

THE UK’s second‐ largest tour opera‐ tor, Jet2, in the wake of the latest chaos and uncertainty surrounding the new coronavirus variants has just announced the cancellation of all its inter‐ national flights until July 1, When the green travel list was originally announced by Grant Shapps, Jet2 had can‐ celled all its flights until June 24, but the move on Thursday June 3, to push Portugal, Madeira and the Azores back into the amber list prompted Jet2 to fur‐ ther delay all flights now until July 1, with Steve Heapy, the company’s boss saying, “We know how disappointed our customers will be and we share their concerns and frustra‐ tions.”

He continued, “The govern‐ ment has repeatedly stated that it is making decisions based on infection and vaccination rates,

Offering full refunds or a rebooking.

yet many destinations continue to be left off the Green List despite having low infection rates and high vaccination rates.”

Mr Heapy added, “When you apply the government’s own criteria for making decisions about travel, we simply cannot understand why more destina‐ tions across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands are not allowed to open to UK holidaymakers. We are now calling for complete open‐ ness and transparency when it comes to the data, so that cus‐ tomers and the industry can re‐ ally understand what is driving these decisions.”

Jet2 have said that anybody with a holiday booking in an

amber list destination, due to depart be‐ tween July 1 and 21, can amend their booking free of charge, and that anyone due to travel before July 1 to a destination on the amber list, whose travel plans are affected by this latest change, will be given the option of a full refund or a rebooking.

The boss of Jet2 stressed, “Unlike other companies, we will refund customers if they want their money back, and we will not force them to accept re‐ fund credit notes. Our cus‐ tomers want nothing more than to get away on their much‐ needed holidays, and our col‐ leagues want nothing more than to give customers the holi‐ day they deserve.”

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NEWS

Mobile and internet rates rise Ryanair Announces

SEVERAL main telephone op‐ erators have announced an in‐ crease in some of their rates in the coming months. Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, Euskaltel, R and Telecable will modify their prices this summer.

Movistar was ahead of the pack and did the same last year.

Their Fusion rates rose by €3, al‐ though they added the novelty that new customers who signed up with a change over package also received a new mobile phone ‐ however, it was not al‐ ways gifted, as according to the Organisation for Consumers (OCU) you can pay approximate‐ ly 30 per cent more than if you buy it normally.

Vodafone has advised that customers who have fibre‐optic internet and mobile contracts, including all the options of One Unlimited and Home Unlimited, will pay an extra €3 from July 15.

On top of that, each additional line added to the package will increase by €1.50 per month. If you only have a mobile rate with this operator such as a Mini rate or an Unlimited rate, the in‐ crease will be €3.

Unlike in the case of Movistar, this rate increase affects both new customers and those who were already on Vodafone, al‐ though they will continue to have the discounts they already enjoyed. According to the OCU, the company justifies this in‐ crease due to the investments made to face the increase in traffic and the deployment of 5G networks.

Orange will raise some of its

rates by €2.05 a month including Love Total, Love Total Sin Limits and Love Total Sin Limits 4 and the fibre‐only rate with a speed of 600 Mbps. This change af‐ fects both new customers that contract these rates as well as those who already have them.

Telephone‐only rates, without fixed internet, or convergent rates with less than 300 Mbps will not be affected by the change.

New Summer Route

RYANAIR has announced a new summer route from Mala‐ ga as part of their summer 2021 schedule for Spain to Sofia in Bulgaria, operating two flights each week from July.

Susana Brito, Ryanair’s Sales & Marketing Manager for Spain and Portugal, commented on

EMPLOYMENT RECOVERY REGISTERED IN MAY THE Second Vice President and Minister of Eco‐ nomic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has described as “very positive” the un‐ employment data and Social Security affiliation for the month of May released on Wednesday June 3 and has assured that almost 80 per cent of jobs have been recovered that were lost during the first wave of the pandemic.

Calviño emphasised during the inauguration of the Aslan 2021 Congress that “The Spanish econo‐ my has already entered a new phase, the recovery is underway and this is what all the economic indi‐ cators show us.” The minister stressed that a way out of this unprecedented crisis is being seen very different from the previous one, “largely thanks to the measures deployed since March of last year,” she remarked.

The economic manager explained that al‐ most 212,000 jobs were created in May and the number of affiliates prior to the pandemic has already been recovered. Unemployment has fallen by more than 129,300 people, which is “the largest drop in unemployment registered in May in the entire historical se‐ ries.”

In addition, she highlighted that the num‐ ber of workers in ERTE continues to fall to be‐ low 544,000, which is twice the rate of depar‐ ture of workers in ERTE during May compared to the rate of departure in April. Given these figures, Calviño stressed that Spain faces “a historic opportunity” for the exit from this cri‐ sis not to be limited to a rebound but to lead to “stronger and more sustained” growth.

the new summer season and explained that: “As the vaccina‐ tion programmes move for‐ ward and with the summer sea‐ son just around the corner, we are delighted to announce a new route connecting Malaga to Sofia, Bulgaria, from July as part of Ryanair’s 2021 summer schedule in Spain.”

She also commented on the free flight date changes avail‐ able from Ryanair and said:

“Aware that Covid‐19 restric‐ tions are constantly changing, Ryanair is allowing up to two free flight date changes. This will allow greater flexibility and peace of mind for our cus‐ tomers, who can book their flights to enjoy a well‐deserved break, with the peace of mind of being able to postpone or change their travel dates, if nec‐ essary, for a fee of zero euros until the end of October 2021.”

RYANAIR: Are also offering two free flight date changes.

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NEWS

Scottish Whisky deal

SCOTTISH whisky could be in for a major boost if Britain strikes a trade deal with Australia now that it is no longer a member of the European Union.

Australia is the eighth biggest market for Scotch whisky ex‐ ports, worth £113 million last year. The Scotch Whisky Associa‐

tion said a tariff cut will help boost sales and support distillers across Scotland as Australia is a prime market for premium single malt Scotch.

Secretary of State for Interna‐ tional Trade, Liz Truss, said, “A UK‐Australia trade agreement would be significant for Scotch

Microsoft Paid No Tax MICROSOFT’S Irish subsidiary made €260 billion in profit last year - an amount equal to 75 per cent of Ireland’s GDP - but it has no employees and paid no corporate tax to the state.

The Irish subsidiary collects global licence fees for the use of Microsoft’s copyrighted software. Ireland’s GDP is €375 billion per annum and it has a corporate tax rate of 12.5 per cent.

Microsoft’s tax statement says, “As the company is tax resident in Bermuda, no tax is chargeable on income.” Corporation tax does not exist in Bermuda.

In Ireland, Microsoft has no employees, only directors and the company insists it is tax compliant.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Microsoft has been operating and investing in Ireland for over 35 years and is a long-time taxpayer, employer and contributor to the economy. Our organisational and tax structure reflects our complex global business.

We are fully compliant with all local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate.”

whisky and the Union. Part of the promise of leaving the EU was striking deals with countries well beyond Europe, opening new op‐ portunities for iconic British goods like Scotch overseas.”

The industry currently sup‐ ports more than 10,000 jobs in Scotland and more than 40,000 across the UK. A deal with Australia would be the first in a series of “next gener‐ ation trade deals” that the gov‐ ernment wants to strike with large and fast‐growing consumer markets beyond Europe, the gov‐ ernment added in a statement.

SCOTCH: Boost for sales.

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

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NEWS

Our readers would move here again WITH everything that has gone on in the past year, including Brexit and a worldwide pandemic, Euro Weekly News asked our readers if, knowing what they know now they would still move to Spain.

The consensus was a resound‐ ing yes! Despite the challenges it sometimes presents, Spain offers an amazing lifestyle and most peo‐ ple, given the choice over again, would still decide to move here.

Seventy‐five per cent of our read‐

ers said that they do not regret hav‐ ing moved to Spain.

Suzanne Stokes said “Yes ‐ never regretted it for a day. But we live on the coast, where our limited Span‐ ish is not a problem ‐ and we do ac‐ cept it’s not Britain and we respect things are sometimes done differ‐ ently here. To be honest we liked it better 15 years ago, before there were so many British shops, bars and fast food restaurants ‐ but still a wonderful place to live.”

Recycling Habits Changed RECYCLING habits in Spain changed due to the Covid‐19 lock‐ down, with the amount of cardboard and paper thrown into blue recycling bins dropping by less than 1 per cent in the past year, while the amount of plastic containers and cans thrown in the yellow recycling bins rose by 8.5 per cent.

The rise in yellow bin rubbish has been attributed to people buying more in supermarkets.

Almost 39 million people living in Spain separate and recycle their rubbish daily. In 2020, each citizen deposited more than 18.5 kilos of containers in the yellow container and 19 kilos of paper and cardboard per person.

In the past five years, packaging recycling has grown by 41 per cent and the amount of paper and cardboard that gets recycled has grown by 26 per cent, preventing the emission of 1.67 mil‐ lion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Missing family, especially due to the coronavirus is one of the main reasons why our readers may reconsider their decision, like Bev Somervell, who said “no, didn’t know I wouldn’t be able to see my family for two years and still don’t know when I will see them.”

Sue Peers said how safe she feels in Spain, “Definitely, al‐ most 15 years now, would nev‐ er want to go back to UK now, ev‐ ery day nothing but violence, where we live in Spain never any problems, never afraid of going out on my own, never afraid to walk past a group of teenagers, I know it’s not going to be like that all over Spain, but choose wisely and it’s the best life you could have.”

Carole Evans praised the people Readers’ reasons to do it all again: Weather (except the wind and sandy rain) Cost of living Pace of life Low heating bills Healthy food The Spanish people Safety National Health System Lower rent

and the health system “Absolutely yes, we have lived here for 20 years. The health service is first class and the Spanish people are great, I was taught to treat people like you wish to be treated. Learn‐ ing enough Spanish is a must, hav‐ ing Spanish friends is also good. Our home is here in Spain, wouldn’t change it.”

Readers’ reasons to stay away: Missed family too much The heat Lower wages Bureaucracy, especially the cost of being self‐employed Earthquakes Holidaymakers Bougainvillea (?!)

Mosquitoes and snakes

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NEWS

Lockdown Cooking And Dining ON Thursday June 3, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, presented the ‘Report on

Food Consumption in Spain 2020’ which confirms that, in comparison with 2019, expenditure on food - inside

PLATINUM JUBILEE: To mark 70 years on the throne.

Brits get extra Bank Holiday HER MAJESTY, 95, will enjoy a four-day platinum jubilee bonanza to mark her 70th year on the throne, including a special celebration involving 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians, Buckingham Palace has revealed.

It is the first time in history that any British monarch has ever reached this historic milestone - the Palace revealed that it will be celebrated in style.

The government had already hinted that Brits will be treated to a four-day weekend from June 2 to June 5, 2022 to mark the special occasion. The Palace today confirmed that the extra days off will “provide an opportunity for communities and people to come together and celebrate the historic milestone.”

The May Bank Holiday Weekend - which usually falls at the end of the month - will be moved to Thursday, June 2, 2022, for Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne with the weekend being extended with an extra day off on Friday, June 3.

It was also revealed that workers could take advantage of a special loophole which means they will get nine days off work in a row if they book just three days’ worth of holiday.

and outside the home - stood at €102,082.72 million, 3.2 percent less, while the volume of food products and ingredients purchased in shops for use at home grew by 4.4 per cent.

“The pandemic has inescapably marked the eating habits of Spaniards last year and has generated a change in consumption habits. By staying at home longer due to restrictions, consumption was concentrated there and it decreased significantly in bars and restaurants where it tends to have higher added value,” the Minister said.

Households allocated 14.2 per cent more money to their food shopping budgets in 2020 representing 78 per cent of the total spent on food and drink, but it does not compensate for the 36.8 per cent drop in the spending in bars and restaurants.

If there was one upside, it was that Spaniards rediscovered the joys of cooking at home and “traditional menus” including casseroles and baking, the Minister said.

Fresh products topped the list, but sales of ‘pantry staples’ such as flours, pizza bases and puff pastry doughs, legumes, sugar, rice or pasta increased considerably.

According to the report, the average Spaniard ate 99.7 kilos of fruit, 87.05 of potatoes and fresh vegetables, and 74 litres of milk.

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EU Digital Wallet Could Be ‘Big Brother’

Accessed by retina scans.

Port of Barcelona Approves Terminal MSC Cruises has obtained final approval by the Port of Barcelona’s Board of Directors to build and operate an exclusive cruise terminal.

The multi-year concession will see the construction of an innovative terminal of 11,670 square metres that MSC Cruises will operate and manage for a 31-year period. The project is estimated to represent a €33 million investment

by MSC Cruises. With construction work set to start shortly, the new terminal is expected to enter service in 2024.

The project will allow MSC Cruises to consolidate its presence in Barcelona, which is one of the brand’s most important ports in the western Mediterranean, and to expand its home porting operations out of the city.

This will result in added direct and indirect economic benefit for the city and region as more international guests will transit through Barcelona, likely spending additional days in the city either before or after their cruise, MSC said in a statement.

P L A N S are set to be unveiled by the EU for a digital wallet which could be used throughout the European block. European states previously requested a digital way for citizens to be able to manage and access both private and public services online.

The digital wallet would allow citizens from the 27 countries to store in a secure manner details such as passwords and payment details. It would also allow users to pay utility bills and access government websites, all from a single place.

T he app which is set to go E U wide, in theory will be very secure and will be accessed by users via retina scans, fingerprints or other methods. It also aims to be a central place to store official documents, for example your driver’s licence.

Some though believe

that this could be a sign of ‘Big Brother’ watching. Romanian M E P Cristian Terhes spoke out against the scheme saying “Slowly but surely the European Union is copying and implementing the Chinese governmental style, transforming Europe, from a space of liberty and prosperity, in a huge concentration camp run by Eurocrats that, using a Big Brother centralised style system, want to micromanage and control every aspect of the life of the Europeans.”

He also went on to say: “Besides huge risks for security penetration, the creation of a digital I D of every European under a single EU authority, which wants to ‘take care’ of our passwords, I Ds, credit cards and other financial and personal data, is another step towards more control and less freedom in EU.”

To r e a d m o r e s t o r i e s l i k e t h i s g o t o w w w. e u r o w e e k l y n e w s . c o m

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NEWS

Victoria Sponsor National Football THE Spanish men’s and women’s national football teams have a new sponsor until the end of 2022, after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) signed a deal on Wednesday June 2, with the Malaga‐based beer company, Cervezas Victoria, that becomes the official beer of the national Spanish football teams.

In a press conference at the Ciudad Deportiva de Las Rozas,

TEAMS; New sponsor until the end of 2022. the agreement was signed in the presence of Sergio Ragel from Cervezas Victoria, along with Atlético Madrid captain, and

The Queen To Meet Biden IT has been announced by Buckingham Palace that during their visit to Britain for the G7 Summit, The Queen will meet with US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, at Windsor Castle, on Sunday, June 13. This will be Mr Biden’s first visit overseas since he took over as US President.

There is also speculation that the Bidens will meet with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during their visit to the UK. Donald Trump was the last US President to meet with Her Majesty The Queen, in June 2019 when he made a state visit, during the final days of Theresa May’s time as Prime Minister, and the White House has also confirmed that President Biden will meet with Boris Johnson on Thursday June 10, the day before the G7 Summit starts in Carbis Bay in Cornwall on Friday June 11, the G7 group of nation’s 47th summit.

Spanish international, Koke, Pablo Sarabia, the Paris Saint Germain player, and Albert Luque, the former Malaga play‐ er, who was there representing the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Cervezas Victoria’s Sergio Ragel pointed out during the press conference that “this agree‐ ment between Cervezas Victoria and the Spanish football teams means we will unite, for the first time, two brands that have much in common and who are passion‐ ate, like to do things well done and, of course, to win.”

Luque, speaking for the Span‐ ish Football Federation com‐ mented, “I hope that the spon‐ sorship will last for many years.

Personally, the city of Malaga has given me a lot, and I really appre‐ ciate it, so it is a special day.”

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NEWS

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10 - 16 June 2021

Brutal Dog Attack A BRUTAL attack by a dangerous dog has left a Barcelona woman in critical condition.

The 27‐year‐old woman was attacked and injured and left in a

critical condition after being bit‐ ten by her own dog at her home.

She was rushed to hospital and is in critical condition at the Inten‐ sive Care Unit of the Bellvitge

Spain To Donate Vaccines ACCORDING to Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez, Spain will donate a staggering 15 million vaccines and an amazing €50 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s COVAX programme. This programme aims to ensure that developing Fighting the pandemic. countries are able to vaccinate their populations with help from other nations in the form of donations.

Spain has already set out to help those who need it and has promised Latin America over seven million doses of the vaccines.

It is hoped that the COVAX initiative will greatly benefit the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Sánchez highlighted at the virtual ‘Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment’ summit that: ‘only through solidarity can we overcome the crisis.’

Spain is making rapid progress with the current vaccination programme in a bid to fight the ongoing pandemic. The country has also helped international aid programmes to the tune of €180 million.

Hospital in Barcelona. She was bitten at her home in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, in the province of Barcelona.

Witnesses reported that three dogs were fighting and the wom‐ an stepped in, in a bid to separate them.

One of the dogs was a pit bull and attacked her. Sadly, the dog bit her all over her body and has left her in a critical condition.

A neighbour was able to call emergency services and request help. The neighbour threw sticks and stones at the dog in a bid to get it to let go of her. Emergency services arrived on the scene and were fortunately able to revive her before she was then rushed to hospital.

Local Police attended the scene of the incident and first tried to scare the animal by shooting at the ground. Eventual‐ ly one of the officers was forced to fire directly at the animal after the warning shots were fired.

The two other dogs of the vic‐ tim are now being looked after by an animal charity.

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NEWS

King Felipe to receive Medal of Honour THE King of Spain, Felipe VI will receive the Andalucian Medal of Honour at the Palacio de San Telmo on Monday June 14.

The king will be the first person to achieve this distinction because he “embodies the most solid affective bond of Andalucia with all the State institutions,” according to the Junta de Andalucía.

“The holder of the Crown personifies the principles and values that sustain and reinforce our collective identity as a Spanish nation and that provide Andalucia with the best benchmark of harmony, serenity, enthusiasm and determination with which to face the vicissitudes of the present, undertake the recovery and working together for the future,” the government said in a remarkably florid press release.

“World society in general, and within it Spanish and Andalucian society, is going through one of the most committed moments in contemporary history; a challenge that tests, once again, and with unusual harshness, organisational skills; levels of resistance as a

socioeconomic system; the soundness and suitability of its institutions; and, as a key element, the collaboration between them and the cohesion of citizens and their representatives around their shared objectives.

The figure of Felipe VI provides Andalucians, in this extraordinary situation, a clear mirror of their strengths and a moral reinforcement of the greatest relevance for the development of their capacities,” the statement added.

Game Changing Technology NEW game changing technology software has been created in Spain to detect antibiotic‐resistant infections in minutes. It is able to reduce the time required to identify bacterium that cause infections from days to only a few hours. In Spain each year over 35,000 people die due to multi‐resistant bacteria.

These bacteria are resistant to antibiotics and are a threat to public health.

This new software is said to be a medical breakthrough and will allow medics to diagnose serious infections early on.

Across the globe bacterial infections are one of the leading causes of death. The software has been developed by Clover Biosoft and uses artificial intelligence to identify which strain is causing an infection. This identification is completed in a few hours which means detection time is dramatically reduced.

The company is based in Granada and consists of doctors of medicine, chemistry, artificial intelligence and physics. The sci‐ entists bring all this knowledge together. The software will al‐ low effective treatment and hopefully save lives.

The company has been working on the software since 2016 and hope it will soon be available to be used in hospital labo‐ ratories. The company is the process of commercialising the research version of the product.

Vaccine option for the 40 to 49 age group SPAIN is considering the Janssen vaccine as an option for the 40 to 49 age group. The immunisation campaign in Spain continues from strength to strength and with the aim of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population against Covid‐19 before August on the horizon, even de‐ spite the obstacles that have arisen along the way so far. Neither the delays in the deliveries from certain laboratories nor the unexpected side effects of several vaccines have prevented some communities, such as the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and Castilla‐La Man‐ cha, from already starting to inoculate the first doses to people be‐ tween 40 and 49 years old.

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NEWS

Carolina Marin Withdraws

THE defending badminton champion Carolina has sadly had to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics after having suffered from an Anterior

Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear to her left knee. She only came back from injury in her right knee in September last year, so this must be a

Photographic works A GROUP of famous Spanish photographers and curators are calling for the establishment of a national photography archive to ensure that photographic works are preserved for future generations Spain is one of the few European countries not to have a national centre for photography. In the European Union, 23 countries out of the 27-member block have a visual archive for photography.

The Platform for a Centre of Photography and the Image says the government must show more interest in the photographic arts.

“Archives are living agents awaiting meaning. Many files have been lost, they have been thrown away and that is a memory of all that we have lost,” said photographer Alejandro Castellote.

Juan Manuel Castro Prieto, the 2015 National Prize for Photography winner, said the proposed centre should “not pretend to be simply a museum” but “dynamic, open to collaborations and generating multidisciplinary projects.”

Previous attempts to establish a centre were scuppered by the 2008 financial crisis and a proposal to create a centre in Soria two years ago failed to deliver.

devastating blow.

The ACL tear of her left knee will need surgery along with sufficient recovery time.

The Spanish sports star aged 27 had been training on Sat‐ urday May 29 when she felt discomfort in her knee. After having been medically checked out it was revealed to be an ACL tear.

She took to Twitter to speak about the injury and commented that: “After the examination during the weekend and the medical consultation, I confirm that I have torn the ACL and both meniscus on my left knee. I will undergo surgery this week and start my recovery.

“This is another blow that I have to deal with, but I will certainly be back. The prepa‐ ration during the last two months had become very dif‐ ficult for reasons beyond the team’s control, but we were excited and knew that I would be in the best shape for the Olympics. It won’t be possible.”

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Defenestration

Referendum

A REPORT from the trauma centre in Copenhagen’s Rigshospitalet suggests that a bout of warm weather following a cold winter means that more people are leaving their windows and doors to balconies open which results in more children falling out of them.

DESPITE the fact that the residents of the Pacific Island of New Caledonia have twice voted against independence from France, the French Government has agreed that a third referendum on the matter should be held in December of this year in accordance with existing law.

NETHERLANDS TikTok shock

NORWAY

DUTCH not for profit foundation SOMI is representing some 64,000 parents from across Europe to sue Chinese video platform TikTok for a combined €1.4 billion arguing that it fails to protect young children from potential danger and breaches European advertising and privacy laws.

Everybody out

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Sonic boom

Weight loss

PEOPLE across Brussels thought that a bomb had exploded when they heard a huge bang, but it turned out that it was caused by two Belgian Air Force F16 aircraft who went supersonic 12 kilometres above the city when searching for an out of contact aircraft.

AS it looks to the future, flag carrier airline Finnair is determined to save fuel and cut pollution by reviewing what isn’t needed and this means lighter carpets, food ordered online well before boarding, as well as dropping the inflight magazine for starters.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

On your bike

Doping in Sport

ACCORDING to the German Bicycle Industry Association, the pandemic has seen around a million more bikes than usual sold as Germans tried to avoid public transport and as gyms were closed, used them as a form of exercise although the lazier opted for ebikes.

QUEEN SILVIA took part in a web discussion in which she highlighted Sweden’s leading role in the fight against doping in sport as it was the first nation to sign UNESCO’s anti-doping convention and highlighted her concerns for the physical and mental health risks for younger people.

MORE than 20,000 public sector employees, many of them teachers and nurses, are now on strike in Norway after employers refused to enter into renewed negotiations, despite the fact that both sectors have public support following their continued work during the pandemic.

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What has

got that ma

SPAIN has so much to offer to tourists and residents alike. From coast to coast and everywhere in between we can find large, sprawling cities with all the amenities expected in today’s modern environment, or, at the opposite end of the scale, we have quaint little towns that have lost none of their original charm and where doors are still left open on summer evenings while elderly residents sit outside in groups on wicker-seated chairs chatting until the temperature drops enough to allow sleep.

Many foreign citizens who decide to live in Spain have said that they would never go back to the UK or wherever they came from... the bureaucracy may be beyond frustrating, the timetables take some getting used to for some people, you may think you’ll never get your head around the verb conjugation, but, the way of life still takes some beating.

Once you have settled in, Spain, wherever you may be, has so many up sides. One of the obvious attractions from foreigners who live in colder lands is obviously the climate. The grey, rainy days are few and far between, and in most areas, average yearly temperatures are warmer than

• Marbella, the Costa del Sol and beyond

their countries of origin, which as well as being good for mental well-being, can help with physical ailments such as respiratory problems and arthritis.

Add to this the traditional food, healthy breakfasts; long, lazy lunches and, throughout a good part of the year, dinners which can be enjoyed with friends and family in the fresh air. There is a wealth of tasty fresh fruit and vegetables in Spain, locally produced, as well as tasty fish from the Mediterranean and good quality meats. All this, of course, can be accompanied by delicious Spanish wines and beers, including craft beers from all over the country which are well worth a try.

Whether you are visiting Spain on a trial run or you already live here, don’t just stick to the places you know. Take your car or catch a bus or train, and go exploring. Near, far, whatever takes your fancy, we guarantee that you will find some amazing scenery, history and traditions which you may never have known existed in Spain.

Don’t just live in Spain, live Spain!

Puerto Banus

The Costa del Sol covers 150 kilometres of Malaga’s coastline and boasts more than 325 days of sunshine per year, hence the name. The main area is between Malaga City in the east and Manilva in the west, also including Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Benahavis and Estepona.

like taking to the road. Take the gorges of Ronda with its famous bridge or Ardales with the Caminito del Rey walkway, not for the fainthearted; the amazing rock formations of El Torcal in Antequera, the many castles and ruins from different civilisations found dotted around the province... you will never be short of a place to go.

• Axarquia Malaga is also home to the Axarquia area, which owes its name to the Arabic word, Al Sharq, the east. Nerja, Velez-Malaga, Torrox, Rincon de la Victoria, and Algarrobo are the places with the largest populations, but there are numerous small towns, both on the coast and in the mountains such as Frigiliana, which have also become popular with foreign residents. Each and every one of these has something to offer.

• Marbella Clearly one of the best-known places on the Costa del Sol, the jewel in the crown if you like, is Marbella. This cosmopolitan city has been attracting visitors, both famous and anonymous, for more than half a century now, and has something for everyone. From the amazing beaches, many of which have blue flags for quality and invite visitors to relax, whether it’s soaking up the sunshine or taking a stroll along the senda litoral, to the many top-quality restaurants and night clubs, where you can dance the night away, Marbella has this and almost everything in between. Historic remains dating back to the Roman era and beyond, hikes to the impressive La Concha peak, which watches over Marbella and let’s not forget Puerto Banus, where you can take a stroll surrounded by luxury yachts, expensive cars and top brand boutiques. Marbella boasts its own film office, International Film Festival, and Fashion Week, as well as the Starlite Festival, which during the summer months, brings world renowned stars to the stage in the amazing setting of Nagüeles quarry. From the modern setting of La Cañada shopping centre, one of the most visited places in Spain, to the shops of Old Town Marbella, where you can wander through the

FEATURE

old, narrow streets and soak up some of the real feel of the place, you can find restaurants and entertainment for all budgets and discover the soul of this star of the Costa del Sol, which is guaranteed to keep you coming back time after time.

Frigiliana

• Costa del Sol and Malaga Province Marbella may be the Costa del Sol’s superstar, but along the coast and inland you can find towns and villages which can take your breath away and Malaga City itself is full of museums, historical sites and all sorts of restaurants and cafés which are popular with locals and where you can soak up some of the authentic feel of the city. Within the limits of Malaga Province you can find such varying landscapes and so many places of interest that it is impossible not to find a beautiful place to explore every time you feel

• Heading up the coast to Almeria

Cabo de Gata

While Almeria Province does not have such a famous coastline, don’t let this have you fooled. With 217 kilometres of coastline, from Adra to Pulpi, Almeria beaches are something completely different, and it’s no surprise that much of the area is comprised of protected spaces and natural parks. Near to Almeria City, we have Roquetas de Mar, ideal for a visit or to make your home, which not only has superb beaches, but also the Punta Entinas - Sabinar nature reserve, ideal for bird watchers and anyone who enjoys a stroll through amazing countryside. Almeria City is one of the forgotten gems of Andalucia, and has not only got some superb beaches, but also historical monuments such as the Arab fortress, the Alcazaba, which is in fact in a better state of conservation than those in Granada or in Malaga. To the east of the city, the rugged landscape and spectacular beaches continue, with the Cabo de Gata Nijar natural park, one of the driest landscapes in Europe, created by volcanic rock and home to more than 1,000 plant species on land and another 250 in the sea.

Keep heading along the coast and you find towns such as Carboneras, the very picturesque Mojacar, Garrucha and Vera. From one end to the other, Almeria coast is full of surprises, with a wide variety of restaurants for all tastes and plenty of activities for the whole family. And from anywhere along the coast, just head inland to find traditional old Spanish towns, with local restaurants and typical dishes at prices which will leave you wondering if they forgot to add something to your bill. Drinks and tapas are the way to go if you want to try the local cuisine and let’s not forget that Tabernas, just inland from Almeria, was and continues to be the setting for numerous cowboy films and the sets make for an interesting and entertaining visit. Did you also know that part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range belongs to Almeria? If you’re looking for a real change of scenery, this is the place to head.

FEATURE

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EWN 23

kes so many people want to stay?

Ifach

• Mallorca: good things come in small packages

• Costa Blanca is much more than Benidorm The Costa Blanca, from Pilar de la Horadada in the south, to Denia, in the north, is a long stretch of 244 kilometres of beaches, coves and cliffs in the province of Alicante in the Valencia region. The main cities which also attract the most tourists, are Benidorm and Torrevieja, but there are many other places to visit, both for the amazing beaches and for the impressive historical monuments, churches and natural landscapes.

Add to this the wide variety of restaurants and the nightlife in the bigger cities, and you have a recipe for success, which is why, after the Costa del Sol, the Costa Blanca has been the main attraction for tourists and foreign residents on mainland Spain for decades. There are many marine activities to be enjoyed, such as hiring jet skis or going out on boats, as well as diving.

And if you really want to know the region, no trip would be complete without a visit to Alicante and Valencia cities, where you will find all the hustle and bustle you might expect from a city, but combined with the more laid-back Spanish way of life.

One of the best-known images of the Costa Blanca, is the Peñon de Ifach, a 322-metre-high limestone outcrop which emerges from the sea and is linked to the shore in Calpe, it is the smallest natural park in Spain and was known by the Phoenicians as the Northern Rock, which distinguished it from the very similar-looking Southern Rock, better known to most of us as the Rock of Gibraltar. The Costa Blanca is home to the popular Terra Mitica theme park, in Benidorm, as well as Terra Natura, Mundomar and numerous natural beauty spots both along the coast and further inland.

Tabernas

Let’s not forget there is more to Spain than just the mainland and Mallorca may only have a surface of just over 3,600km2, but it has been home to various cultures ever since prehistoric times and then inhabited by the Phoenicians, Romans and Vandals, the Muslims during the Islamic era, before it was taken back to the Crown of Aragon in 1230. It has come under attack from pirates, which is why watchtowers along the coast can still be seen, and saw the Battle of Mallorca during the Spanish Civil War. Since the 50s, it has been a popular tourist destination and also attracted Spanish workers to settle there. In later years, it has become home to many African and South American immigrants, as well as a large British community.

Temperatures do not get very high, with the averages rarely getting over 30ºC even in July and August. The average low for the year is 14.6, with temperatures rarely dropping below 8ºC in the winter.

With an average of 53 days of rain per year compared to 2,779 hours of sunshine, Mallorca has an enviable climate which attracts tourists and foreign residents.

Comments:

‘

I love living in Benalmadena, it is so well connected to the rest of the Costa del Sol and beyond, there is a lovely cosmopolitan feeling with so many different nationalities living here while it still has the feeling of a Spanish town. I love being able to go out on a summer evening and have dinner and drinks and sit and watch the world go by until the early hours. I moved here from inland Spain 14 years ago, and although I love visiting other areas of Spain, I always feel best when I arrive back here.

Janet Archer

‘

I have been in Coin for 32 years. It’s ideal because it’s in a quieter inland area, but it is close enough to Malaga City, Marbella and other coastal areas to be convenient. It has grown a lot over the years, and I admit it has been challenging at times, but I would never have gone back to the UK. Sue Leigh

‘

The Axarquia area is so interesting. There are some tiny little towns that so many people have never heard of but which are so lovely to visit. We chose to live in Nerja, because we wanted to open a business, but we love visiting the surrounding areas and when we retire, we’ll probably head inland to enjoy the quiet. We have never regretted coming here, despite the difficulties. Everywhere has its ups and downs, but where else can you take the downs in such amazing surroundings and such a healthy lifestyle?

Joseph Barts and Tania Schofield

Mallorca Even Polish composer Frederic Chopin stayed there in 1838 for his health. It is the second largest island in Spain and the second most populated, and was also visited by Agatha Christie in the early 20th century and by English poet Robert Graves in 1946. Artist Joan Miro settled there in 1954.

Mallorca has a superb cathedral and other monuments, including the Bellver Castle, and the coves and beaches are beautiful, with clear, blue waters.

Around the coast, there are large towns and Palma City, and according to the Tourist Board, there are more than 2,400 bars and restaurants on the island, so you are sure to find something to suit your taste and if you’re looking for nightclubs, Mallorca is famous for them.

If you prefer some tranquillity and decide to head into the mountains, there are many places inland, with picturesque villages which are nothing like those found on the mainland. Mallorca may be an island, but there is no end to the things to see and do.

‘

The Costa Blanca may be known best for B enidorm, but it is so much more than that. I have been here for 20 years and it was the best decision I could have made when I retired. I have lovely Spanish neighbours who have treated me so well and helped me to learn the language, I’m closer to them than I ever was to my neighbours back in the UK. Charles Jackson

‘

Almeria’s landscape may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is so raw and natural, I just love it in Nijar. I love the beaches here and I also like to head along to Mojacar and enjoy the bars and restaurants which I think have the best ambience I have experienced.

Alan Rogers

‘

Mallorca is just amazing, I’ve only been here for three years, but I feel like I’m home, finally. It has everything all rolled up into a beautiful island. People here are very friendly and helpful.

It’s a shame that some areas have got a bad name because of foreign visitors, but the island on a whole is an amazing place which has so much more to offer than some people know.

Tony Smithson

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Food inflation AS much of the world moves out of the pandemic to a greater or lesser extent, May figures for the global prices of agricultural product show an alarming increase and according to one index some product has increased in price by up to 40 per cent.

Equal pay FOLLOWING a similar decision with regards to Asda workers earnings, a European Court ruled on June 3 that Tesco shop workers are entitled to expect to receive equal pay if they are earning less than employees working in Tesco distribution centres.

Cash movement TO control movement of cash, the EU has confirmed that it is illegal to take more than €10,000 from one country to another, but officers may check anyone and even if they carry less than that amount, they will have to prove that it was obtained legally.

Aer Lingus TRADE Unions representing staff working for Irish Airline Aer Lingus (owned by IAG) have confirmed that it wants existing staff to take a five year pay freeze, to agree to lower sick pay and for new joiners to start work on the minimum wage of €12.30 per hour.

On the Blok WITH around 2,000 products at prices comparable with other supermarkets, new start up The Blok promises to accept your order and deliver within 10 minutes. It’s a supermarket that is not open to the public and everything is ordered online with staff capable of picking your order in less than two minutes thanks to each trolley having a tablet which records the order and where each item is located.

Then delivery is made using an e-bike and currently they can deliver to around 70 per cent of Barcelona and Madrid central addresses with expansion to other cities on the cards as the business prospers.

24

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 10 - 16 June 2021

€900 million

is the amount that Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica earned from the sale of its transmitter towers in Latin America.

USA to impose ‘Google Tax’ tariffs UNITED STATES trade repre‐ sentative Katherine Tai an‐ nounced on June 2 the con‐ clusion of the one‐year investigations of digital ser‐ vice taxes (DSTs) (so called Google Tax).

These taxes have been adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom and as a re‐ sult of the probe, additional tariffs equivalent to 25 per cent will now be imposed on certain goods from these countries.

However, the tariffs have been suspended for up to 180 days to offer additional time to complete the ongo‐ ing multilateral negotiations and Tai commented “The United States remains com‐ mitted to reaching a consen‐ sus on international tax is‐ sues through the OECD and G20 processes.”

Spain has adopted a DST that applies a 3 per cent tax on certain digital services revenues related to online advertising services, online

LEGALLY SPEAKING

intermediary services, and data transmission services.

Companies with world‐ wide revenues of €750 mil‐ lion or more and €3 million in certain digital services rev‐ enues are subject to the DST. As far as Spain is con‐ cerned, these tariffs will be collected on imports of belts, handbags, octopus, prawns, shoes and shrimps.

The United Kingdom has adopted a DST that applies a 2 per cent tax on the rev‐ enues of certain search en‐

gines, social media platforms and online marketplaces.

The United Kingdom’s DST applies only to companies with digital services rev‐ enues exceeding £500 (€550) million and United Kingdom digital services revenues ex‐ ceeding £25 (€27.5) million but even though the tax be‐ ing charged by the UK is low‐ er than Spain, considerably more goods, including white goods, clothing and video games are to be charged the additional tariff.

Funerals at today’s prices

More Bank Problems Your answer to my earlier question about our bowling club bank account is not quite clear to me. The club is an official club of the LLB (Levante Lawn Bowls) as registered with the bowls federation, which makes it official in Spain.

Other clubs in Spain have had similar problems but they have ensured that they have enough sig‐ natories available to use in case of death. I believe that you are telling me that the money in the bank belongs equally to all signatories, but not to the club.

T M (Costa Blanca)

Yes, the money in the bank belongs to YOU AND THE LAW the individual sign‐ IN SPAIN ers and not to the club. You are legal but your way forward is to register your club as a Civil Association for the promotion of bowls with the Valencia authorities. This ‘Asociacion Civil’ status makes your club a legal body that can hold a bank account. It means you must file your accounts and list your officers and activities each year. And you may even be able to apply for grants to help meet your expenses. You need a lawyer to help you ap‐ ply.

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.

SPAIN’S President Pedro Sánchez, met with the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, in the 13th Hispano‐Polish Summit, held in Madrid on May 31.

In a broad joint statement, they confirmed the intense economic and social ties between the two coun‐ tries which have many similarities.

Sánchez stressed that the Summit has made it possible to “seek syner‐

Secure the cost for the future.

A SURVEY showed that the cost of a funeral in Spain has risen by more than 25 per cent in the last five years and will continue to do so.

That’s why it makes sense to secure the funeral you want in the future at the current price.

When you purchase a fu‐ neral plan with Golden Leaves you will ensure that you get your desired funeral and when the time comes it will not cost your family any extra no matter how much funeral costs rise.

With Golden Leaves, you can choose to pay for your funeral plan in one instal‐ ment 30 days after you ap‐ ply, or pay over the course of one to five years. If you pass away before you’ve fin‐ ished paying, your family will only be asked to pay what is left.

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Spain and Poland gies in the respective national recov‐ ery plans to resume the path of growth and economic and social re‐ covery, facing the important chal‐ lenge of the green and digital transi‐ tions.”

Both leaders confirmed the solid

economic and commercial relations between the countries, in which Spanish intra‐industrial exports stand out, and the investments of companies from Spain in Poland in renewable energy, telecommunica‐ tions and industrial construction is‐

Cryptoasset companies THE Financial Conduct Author‐ ity (FCA) in the UK is extending the end date for registering existing cryptoasset business‐ es to March 31, 2022.

A significantly high number of businesses are not meet‐ ing the required standards under the Money Laundering Regulations. This has resulted in an unprecedented number of businesses withdrawing their applications.

Anti‐money laundering and counter terrorist financ‐ ing legislation are aimed at protecting against enabling the transfer and disguise of funds from criminal activity, or funding of terrorist groups.

It argues that many cryp‐ toassets are highly specula‐ tive and can therefore lose value quickly and currently the FCA does not have con‐ sumer protection powers for the cryptoasset activities of firms.

June Prime Day CONSUMERS in 20 countries who are Amazon Prime Members are already able to take advantage of special member discounts in the run up to Prime Day. In fact, it is to be Prime Day x two as it will be in op‐ eration on June 20 and 21 and Amazon say that there will be at least two million specially discounted deals available taking in all of the many categories of goods that it supplies.

Many other businesses take advantage of this and offer their own discounts to consumers online at the same time. sues, as well as the more than 500 Spanish companies operating in that country.

Spain and Poland, fourth and fifth European economies respectively, share similarities such as territorial dimensions, population figures, geo‐ graphical position on the external border of the EU, and rapid develop‐ ment after their accessions to the EU.

26 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

10 - 16 June 2021

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

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C LOSING P RICES J UNE 7

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.251,50 1.254,00 Admiral Group 3.078,0 3.089,0 Anglo American 3.177,8 3.217,9 Antofagasta 1.529,61 1.560,68 Ashtead Group 5.226,0 5.248,0 Associated British Foods 2.290,0 2.299,0 AstraZeneca 7.980,0 8.034,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 557,00 557,96 Avast 467,00 471,90 Aveva 3.469,0 3.516,0 Aviva 414,20 414,70 B&M European Value Retail SA533,88 539,28 BAE Systems 532,20 535,00 Bank VTB DRC 1,352 1,352 Barclays 187,90 187,99 Barratt Developments 773,20 774,20 Berkeley 4.755,0 4.772,0 BHP Group 2.171,50 2.186,50 BP 320,65 320,90 British American Tobacco 2.738,5 2.745,5 British Land Company 514,00 514,00 BT Group 179,30 180,50 Bunzl 2.282,0 2.282,0 Burberry Group 2.184,0 2.191,0 Carnival 1.834,2 1.834,4 Centrica 53,14 53,48 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.615,0 2.617,0 Compass 1.620,50 1.621,00 CRH 3.754,0 3.760,0 Croda Intl 6.954,0 7.048,0 DCC 6.128,4 6.132,0 Diageo 3.410,0 3.412,5 DS Smith 426,20 428,03 EasyJet 942,20 947,80 Experian 2.658,5 2.672,3 Ferguson 9.878,9 9.950,0 Flutter Entertainment 13.285,0 13.335,0 Fresnillo 859,80 868,56 GlaxoSmithKline 1.350,00 1.352,80 Glencore 326,81 328,97 Halma 2.639,0 2.655,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.659,50 1.662,50 Hikma Pharma 2.400,00 2.410,00 HSBC 446,60 447,00 IAG 198,50 199,00 Imperial Brands 1.603,50 1.610,00 Informa 550,60 552,20 InterContinental 4.980,4 4.983,5 Intermediate Capital 2.163,60 2.169,00 Intertek 5.314,0 5.374,0

% CHG. 1.248,01 3.056,5 3.172,8 1.524,41 5.202,0 2.270,9 7.963,0 554,20 465,90 3.462,0 411,50 533,28 529,20 1,340 184,50 755,80 4.669,0 2.151,00 315,80 2.722,0 507,16 177,85 2.267,0 2.173,0 1.813,0 52,88 2.601,0 1.599,00 3.703,0 6.952,0 6.118,4 3.392,0 424,57 925,15 2.638,5 9.878,9 13.190,0 855,90 1.343,40 324,19 2.634,0 1.646,78 2.385,00 442,40 194,70 1.596,50 542,24 4.948,0 2.157,00 5.306,0

NET VOL 6,01K 7,72K 13,40K 16,72K 21,44K 14,86K 154,79K 7,21K 163,66K 11,58K 261,16K 71,20K 146,59K 12,98K 2,69M 179,93K 15,64K 344,48K 2,37M 77,11K 24,01K 2,22M 49,10K 16,72K 40,65K 520,99K 13,61K 110,79K 49,66K 8,21K 0,77K 113,29K 43,69K 122,64K 18,37K 1,02K 8,57K 37,88K 447,10K 561,60K 21,03K 20,84K 6,16K 1,37M 2,03M 77,44K 17,25K 2,05K 2,13K 13,27K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

ITV 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 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

129,55 263,60 3.205,0 723,00 283,52 49,62 7.542,4 505,80 168,95 1.919,00 915,00 212,10 8.282,0 36,05 1.876,50 3.225,3 744,60 1.490,50 6.492,0 1.856,50 478,40 617,60 6.218,6 107,24 7,54 1.394,4 1.394,70 1.330,8 658,51 1.844,50 17,14 3.605,0 1.218,90 1.062,00 2.483,4 1.508,50 1.555,00 12.975,0 1.539,46 1.445,50 504,00 278,70 175,75 225,65 420,30 4.275,5 1.012,00 129,03 3.227,0 1.013,57

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

129,60 265,40 3.210,0 723,80 284,00 49,77 7.630,0 506,20 169,62 1.929,00 918,90 212,10 8.328,0 36,13 1.901,00 3.235,7 746,00 1.492,50 6.523,0 1.857,70 481,40 618,80 6.251,0 108,28 7,57 1.398,2 1.395,25 1.334,4 661,80 1.849,00 17,14 3.615,0 1.223,96 1.064,00 2.487,0 1.510,50 1.559,50 13.015,0 1.542,69 1.446,50 504,00 279,60 176,15 226,60 424,00 4.288,5 1.012,66 129,50 3.249,0 1.013,86

127,70 262,50 3.167,0 711,20 280,52 49,03 7.526,0 498,50 167,63 1.907,50 913,00 208,10 8.230,0 35,94 1.876,00 3.148,8 740,61 1.476,00 6.471,0 1.847,50 476,70 612,40 6.153,0 105,85 7,49 1.377,0 1.376,75 1.313,4 657,14 1.841,50 16,84 3.581,0 1.215,59 1.058,00 2.472,6 1.498,50 1.548,00 12.970,0 1.528,44 1.427,50 494,61 277,10 172,05 224,65 419,10 4.253,5 1.004,05 128,17 3.204,0 998,96

802,87K 791,53K 34,15K 209,14K 436,50K 9,68M 27,11K 40,86K 87,73K 37,20K 335,09K 844,91K 44,59K 141,88K 50,74K 19,83K 10,93K 125,67K 85,13K 17,56K 125,68K 157,15K 17,59K 1,28M 188,89K 316,53K 309,36K 266,30K 13,63K 1,27K 825,53K 8,92K 270,53K 50,42K 3,68K 62,45K 14,77K 0,41K 31,10K 33,05K 84,63K 218,21K 1,05M 1,39M 298,44K 202,65K 20,28K 954,18K 34,53K 33,04K

1.16225

0.86608

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.21608 Japan yen (JPY)......................................133.098 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0939 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4370 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.095

currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J UNE 7

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 206,05 2.451,76 3.206,22 236,85 125,89 249,92 244,02 108,45 54,07 56,24 330,35 391,45 311,01 230,05 147,42 57,37 165,97 166,44 233,38 74,11 250,79 133,74 135,95 237,48 599,05 405,64 57,30 230,14 141,85 177,18

CHANGE 206,12 2.453,86 3.221,00 239,28 126,16 251,80 246,69 108,67 54,17 56,48 332,46 392,05 313,45 230,75 147,55 57,75 167,57 166,67 233,80 74,48 251,65 134,94 136,62 237,89 600,61 411,00 57,37 230,70 142,29 177,52

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 203,77 1,87M 2.417,77 1,30M 3.198,81 2,25M 235,75 1,88M 123,85 75,17M 248,49 8,80M 242,32 1,84M 107,21 6,70M 53,44 11,68M 55,78 18,94M 325,18 13,29M 386,32 2,51M 309,35 2,64M 229,19 1,30M 145,76 3,12M 56,54 21,49M 165,87 6,51M 165,03 8,51M 232,07 1,62M 73,90 12,73M 247,51 25,28M 132,28 5,22M 135,40 6,89M 231,52 6,18M 577,20 24,04M 404,65 2,99M 56,90 11,87M 228,73 5,09M 141,25 4,55M 175,61 6,34M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J UNE 7

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. II Wt L&F Acquisition Corp. Wt Peridot Acquisition Corp. Wt D & Z Media Acquisition Corp. Wt Golden Falcon Acquisition Corp. Wt IDT Corp. Cl B Blue Owl Capital Inc. Wt Tuya Inc. ADR Climate Change Crisis Real Impact I Aldel Financial Inc. Wt Washington Prime Group Inc.

23.80% 17.11% 17.07% 16.94% 16.70% 15.89% 15.78% 15.02% 15.01% 14.07% 13.95%

77.55K 24.12K 407.92K 100 68.36K 320.49K 843.93K 1.035M 162.20K 2,900 19.292M

-19.81% -19.59% -14.61% -13.10% -12.97% -12.72% -12.59% -11.94% -11.63% -10.96% -10.67%

6.145M 205.96K 17.703M 82.25K 5.774M 174.184M 5,118 22.657M 671.13K 5,576 17.65K

Most Declined NGL Energy Partners LP Atlantic Street Acquisition Corp. Wt GTT Communications Inc. NGL Energy Partners LP Perp. Pfd. Cl PagerDuty Inc. BlackBerry Ltd. Nuvation Bio Inc. Wt Pershing Square Tontine Holdings Ltd. Cl A Jupai Holdings Ltd. ADR Simon Property Group Acquisition Holdings NGL Energy Partners LP Perp. Pfd. Cl C

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Record numbers

VERY POSITIVE: Minister Nadia Calviño is pleased with unemployment figures.

EMPLOYMENT recovery in Spain has been estimated at close to 80 per cent of pre‐ pandemic level.

The Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transforma‐ tion, Nadia Calviño, described as “very positive” the unem‐ ployment data and Social Se‐ curity affiliation for the month of May released on Wednes‐ day June 2 and confirmed that almost 80 per cent of jobs have been recovered that were lost during the first wave of the pandemic.

As reported in the Spanish press, Calviño emphasised during the inauguration of the Aslan 2021 Congress that “The Spanish economy has already entered a new phase, the re‐ covery is underway and this is what all the economic indica‐ tors show us.”

The minister stressed that a way out of this unprecedented

crisis is being seen very differ‐ ently from the previous one, “largely thanks to the mea‐ sures deployed since March of last year,” she remarked.

She explained that almost 212,000 jobs were created in May and the number of affili‐ ates prior to the pandemic has already been recovered. Un‐ employment has fallen by more than 129,300 people, which is “the largest drop in unemployment registered in May since records began.”

In addition, she highlighted that the number of workers in ERTE continues to fall to be‐ low 544,000, which is twice the rate of departure of work‐ ers in ERTE during May com‐ pared to the rate of departure in April.

Given these figures, Calviño stressed that Spain faces “a historic opportunity” for the exit from this crisis not to be

EU Recovery Fund FOLLOWING his meeting with the Polish Prime Minister on Monday May 31, Pedro Sánchez spoke to the press and has urged Brussels to approve all EU member states’ recovery plans.

He needs to have the promised funding as soon as possible as his whole economic forecast has been based on the expectation of a huge financial injection from the European Union in order to help Spain recover from the effects of the pandemic.

With tourism still on its knees and yet another extension of ERTE, the Spanish economy needs to start seeing the first tranche of Recovery Fund money in its coffers this year.

limited to a rebound but to lead to “stronger and more sustained” growth.

BUSINESS EXTRA David Beckham THE former footballer and now growing entrepreneur is making a new investment by taking a 10 per cent equity stake in a very niche company, Silverstone-based Lunaz which specialises in the conversion of classic and vintage cars to run on electric power.

Uzbekistan trade LOOKING for external investment into the country, the Uzbekistan Embassy in Madrid organised an online seminar on the possibilities of cooperation between Portugal, Uzbekistan and the Spanish region of Galicia through their respective Chambers of Commerce as all emerge from the pandemic.

Mixed blessing AS the UK economy emerges from the lockdown there are mixed blessings as it has seen the fastest monthly growth since 1997 in the service sector, according to The Guardian, but many businesses face higher operating costs as well as a short-term lack of staff.

10 - 16 June 2021

EWN 27

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

10 - 16 June 2021

All gone up in smoke!

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT WELL of course the attitudes and actions of the police have changed, what do people expect?

Over the last couple of decades the protectors of law and order have simply had no choice. The standards of respect and lawful compliance from certain sections of the public have now sunk to such alarming ‘pit’ levels that it has almost literally become a case of adapt or die. The days of your friendly boys in blue have long gone.

In that far off era the very worst the beat copper could expect would be to have their tall hat knocked off by a tipsy late night reveller. All he required to keep the peace was his (seldom used) truncheon, a whistle and an intermittently placed phone kiosk to inform his local station that ‘all was quiet.’ He certainly didn’t expect to be spat on, attacked and possibly killed as he went about his nightly vigil.

The problem with today’s youngsters is they have never experienced this long past amicable form of relationship with the police.

Today’s youth have sadly never

Days of our friendly boys in blue have long gone.

known what it is like to safely walk home after the last bus has gone, using any route you chose without worrying you may inadvertently broach on someone else’s ‘territory’ and get beaten or killed for ‘showing disrespect’!

No wonder the police now waddle about in knife‐proof vests, laden down with Tasers, expandable night sticks,

pepper sprays, body ‘cams’ and firearms. It is simply not their fault.

To combat today’s very real threat of a violent lawless anarchy, they have to weigh up the risks and act accordingly. They are reacting, not instigating and those among us who are law abiding and peace seeking should give them all the encouragement we can.

Writing these observations did however remind me of a funny story relating to a, sadly departed father‐in‐ law of mine. Pat was the only policeman in a small Tipperary village in Ireland. In his whole 40‐year career, he only arrested one person. The perp’s ‘crime’? Peeing in the large open grate of the local pub!

I also understand that after he was

FEATURE

arrested, Policeman Pat wheeled him home in a wheelbarrow! Now that was what proper policing was all about.

Well folks, they final admitted it.

After years of excuses, including the citing of purely imaginary fires in the archive department, the BBC have finally come clean and admitted that, to save money, they actually recorded over practically all the iconic Top of The Pops tapes prior to 1969.

This means that as Little Arrows was released in 1968, I have now become a victim of the official ‘Lost BBC Tapes.’

So, not only did I lose a fortune by coming second to Hey Jude ‐ the Beatles’ biggest number one seller of all time, but all my TOTP appearances have gone up in smoke. And you thought your timing was bad!?

Can you imagine the ‘entitled’ youth of today laying down their young lives for what they now take utterly for granted? June 6 D‐day. Normandy 1944. Never forget. For your tomorrow they gave their today.

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

Mon. Wed. Fri. 1pm till 4.

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.

32 EWN

10 - 16 June 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

THE RISE & RISE OF THE MICRO-WEDDING 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

BORIS and Carrie may have postponed the par‐ ty until next year, but doubtless their recent ‘mi‐ cro‐wedding’ was every bit as special as the grand affair Carrie probably imagined before the pandemic hit.

Until recently, far too much attention has been focused on the ‘Big Day’, and possibly outdoing friends and relatives, and not enough on the meaning of the event. Couples so preoccupied with having a lavish wedding that they forget that the marriage itself is the important thing.

But the bigger and more complex the event, the more stress for all concerned and the less likely they’re able to focus on each other. Some marriages may never happen (many young peo‐ ple are completely put off marriage because of the ludicrous wedding industry) without the lure of an extravaganza ‐ and that’s probably for the best!

A friend persuaded her daughter to down‐size her wedding since her own big affair was one of the worst, most stressful days of her life. Of course, we now all have a good laugh when any‐

one mentions this grand affair years ago. But so many things went wrong from a totally drunk waiter who couldn’t stop himself making a pass at all the women guests to one of the caterer’s large refrigerators packing up, so that practically all the Champagne on that blisteringly hot sum‐ mer’s day was lukewarm...

However, there is something really classy and meaningful about a small wedding. Not to men‐ tion lighter on the pocket. If Covid has done away with overblown, showy, narcissistic affairs and stag and hen weekends which cost the bride and groom their house deposit and the guests their annual holiday, then that’s surely a good thing.

Small, intimate, beautiful and meaningful is the way ahead.

In brief, I think the whole ‘splash the cash’ thing is looking increasingly naff, so three cheers for couples more focused on actually getting married than showing off.

Or as my dear departed Granny used to put it: the bigger the wedding, the shorter the mar‐ riage...

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

N o r a J o h n s o n ’s o p i n i o n s a r e h e r o w n a n d a r e n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

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BBC London News Doctors Unbeatable Escape to the Country Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News MOTD: Euro 2020 Live BBC News at Ten

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BBC News BBC London News Weather MOTD: Euro 2020 Live The Hit List The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty BBC News Weather UEFA Euro 2020 Highlights

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Paddington 2 BBC News BBC London News Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow Time BBC News BBC London News Weather Crouchy's Year Late Euros: Live

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Bargain Hunt BBC News at One MOTD: Euro 2020 Live BBC London News The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show MOTD: Euro 2020 Live BBC News at Ten Regional News

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TUESDAY 15/06

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The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders EastEnders Holby City The Repair Shop BBC News at Ten Regional News Weather

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BBC London News MOTD: Euro 2020 Live MOTD: Euro 2020 Live BBC News at Six EastEnders EastEnders The Great British Sewing Bee BBC News at Ten Regional News UEFA Euro 2020 Highlights

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THURSDAY 10/06

Garden Rescue Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den UEFA Euro 2020 Preview BBC News at Ten Regional News

WEDNESDAY 16/06

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Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great British Railway Journeys Cricket: Today at the Test Springwatch 2021 The Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol Mock the Week Comedy Short: Shuttlecock Newsnight

8:00pm

Sicily: Wonder of the Mediterranean Springwatch 2021 Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Great British Railway Journeys Cricket: Today at the Test Springwatch 2021 Gardeners' World Later - with Jools Holland

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Talking Pictures Great British Photography Challenge Flog It! Brian Cox's Adventures in Space and Time Cricket: Today at the Test Trooping The Colour Highlights 2021 Phil Collins at the BBC Buster Kinky Boots

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Homes Under the Hammer Songs of Praise Summer Holiday Your Home Made Perfect Flog It! Africa with Ade Adepitan Cricket: Today at the Test Journeys into the Wild Brian Cox's Adventures in Space and Time Arctic with Bruce Parry

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Tennis from Queen's Richard Osman's House of Games Great Continental Railway Journeys Cricket: Today at the Test Your Home Made Perfect Peter Taylor: Ireland Beyond Partition Inside No 9 Comedy Shorts Newsnight

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Politics Live Tennis from Queen's Richard Osman's House of Games Great Continental Railway Journeys Nigellissima Between the Covers Saving Lives at Sea Hospital I'll Get This Newsnight

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Politics Live Tennis from Queen's Richard Osman's House of Games Great Continental Railway Journeys Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Remarkable Places to Eat Horizon Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Newsnight

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Athletics: Diamond League: Florence A Town Like Alice Coventry Cathedral: Building for a New Britain How to Build a Cathedral Architects of the Divine: The First Gothic Age Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

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The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Britain After Brexit: Winners & Losers? Tonight Emmerdale The Greek Islands with Julia Bradbury Billion Pound Bond Street ITV News at Ten

Singer-Songwriters at the BBC Top of the Pops: 1991 Top of the Pops: 1991 Boy George and Culture Club: Radio 2 in Concert Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity Boy George's 1970s: Save Me from Suburbia Huey Morgan's Latin Music Adventure

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Forest: A Year In the Wild Michael Palin's New Europe The Young Montalbano Timeshift: Crime & Punishment - The Story of Corporal Punishment The Killing The Killing The Killing Michael Palin's New Europe

1:40pm

The Lark Ascending BBC Cardiff Singer of the World The Search for the Lost Manuscript The Sky at Night African Renaissance: When Art Meets Power Horizon: Goodbye Cassini - Hello Saturn

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Return to Pembrokeshire Farm The Joy of Painting Fake or Fortune?

Great British Photography Challenge BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Britain in Focus: A Photographic History The Joy of Painting

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Return to Pembrokeshire Farm The Joy of Painting Yes, Minister To the Manor Born Reporting History: Mandela BBC Cardiff Singer of the World South Africa in Pictures

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IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK GO TO WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM FOR THIS WEEK’S ANSWERS

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

They always get away with it MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man SO Gove got to see his football match in Portugal and then surprise, surprise Portugal goes from green to amber with no thought for the punters that had booked a wellearned holiday. What is this whole green, amber, red nonsense? It really is like when you’re in a car - some stop at amber, some accelerate through and some just haven’t got a clue. Make it simple - either you can go or you can’t, it really isn’t rocket science.

I now think there is no science involved at all. The fact is very soon people are just going to ignore these rules of having to pay hundreds of pounds for PCR tests and quarantining. Where’s the information on how many cases there were from the folks locked up in the hotels? Or the 5,000 in the test done in Liverpool? These suits are getting paid every week and have no clue of the real world and the damage their chopping and changing is doing to the health and wealth to the ordinary man in the street.

Here’s another gem I saw today. Dating apps are now allowing folks to put whether they have had the vaccine - WTF!!! Really?

I’d have a load more questions to ask before that came up like have you had any STDs, have you got a criminal record, have you ever been treated for any mental illness, have you ever been accused or found guilty of any domestic violence? The truth is you can’t ask those questions and that’s exactly how it should be. I’m fed up of watching idiot after idiot telling everyone how to act rolling out a doctor from Bolton who thinks this, then a doctor from somewhere else backing him up. They’re usually good looking young GPs that you can’t get an appointment with because they’re too busy on TV. I’m sorry, it’s got to stop now. If what they say is correct and most of the world is vaccinated, let’s all just get back to our lives again.

I’m looking forward to seeing Hancock answer all the accusations from Cummings. He has already denied a load of things but seems to forget it’s all on public record, timestamped by all the various news agencies. But no doubt he will get away with it as all these lying politicians seem to do time after time.

And as sophisticated as Spain’s border controls are, they managed to date my daughter’s arrival as June 31 instead of May 31, because they didn’t move the dial correctly on their rubber stamp!!

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

10 - 16 June 2021

EWN 41

42 EWN

10 - 16 June 2021

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature

How to find your dream home

DREAM HOMES ALMERIA is located in the heart of Arboleas village, directly opposite the riv‐ er bed and next door to Bar Palmeras.

The owner Andrea has been living in the area with her family for over 16 years and the majority of her working life in Spain has been in property sales in the area.

Dream Homes Almeria is a small independent agency with Andrea and Vicki dealing with prop‐ erty valuations, property listings and taking clients out to view properties whilst Sian runs the office and administrative side of things.

Covering mainly Arboleas, Zurgena, La Alfo‐ quia, Albox, Partaloa and Oria areas the Dream Homes Almeria team have over 20 years experi‐ ence with hundreds of satisfied clients, many be‐ coming friends.

They offer an unrivalled friendly and profes‐ sional service and their reputation precedes them.

The last 16 months has been a very difficult time for many businesses, but thinking outside the box is one of the things Dream Homes Alme‐ ria does best.

DREAM HOMES ALMERIA: The 3D tours are part of their extensive marketing package.

They are constantly looking at new marketing ideas to promote the area, showcase their prop‐ erties and reach as many people as possible.

They were the first in the area to use high quality professional 3D virtual tours (the same as used by leading estate agents in the UK and USA) sell‐ ing property to clients all over the world based on the tours and virtual viewings.

When the clients couldn’t come to visit the area DHA took the properties and the area to the clients.

Now included as part of their extensive mar‐ keting package the 3D tours continue to be very popular with buyers as are the much sought after and very rarely available floor plans.

Add to this professional photographs, walk around videos, on site virtual viewings, world‐ wide property portal marketing, extensive and innovative social media, a bilingual team for the ever growing European market and you have the perfect agency to promote your property to its best potential with the widest audience as a sell‐ er and the best people by your side to help you find your dream home in Almeria.

+34 850 991 470 • +44 1138 680 215 • +34 697 875 717 • www.dreamhomesalmeria.com • info@dreamhomesalmeria.com Edificio Atalaya 3, Calle Carrera, Arboleas 04660 opposite the rambla and next door to Bar Palmeras

44 EWN

10 - 16 June 2021

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Staying safe in the sun

WITH temperatures really beginning to rise now is the time to take some advice about how to protect yourself from unwanted sunburn and decrease your chances of developing skin cancer in the future.

When you’re out and about wear protective clothing. It may be hot, but there’s no reason not to don a pair of linen pants, a long sleeved silk shirt or a straw hat. The great thing about hats, apart from being a fabulous fashion accessory, is that their wide brims will cover your face as well as your ears and scalp.

And don’t leave home without your sunglasses. These will protect your eyes from the UV rays which can cause eye problems. Always buy sunglasses that blocks as close to 100 per cent as possible of UVB and UVA rays. If you can, restrict your time outside in the sun, particular around the hours of midday.

If you are out during these hours make use of any shade offered. Don’t forget to put sunscreen on before your leave the house and reapply it as necessary during the day. Cover every part of your body which will be exposed to the sun. Taking these few steps can help to reduce your chances of developing skin cancer and lessen premature signs of ageing.

HOT IN THE SUN: Wearing a hat and shades will offer you extra protection.

46 EWN

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10 - 16 June 2021

FEATURE

NAME CHANGES

DAVID WORBOYS

MIKE is an Idaho Senator. His brother Terry is majority leader in the Idaho House of Representatives. A distant cousin Henry was governor of Michi‐ gan, whose grandson William found‐ ed General Motors, once the world’s biggest company. Not bad for a family called Crapo. Crapaud is the French word for ‘toad’ but the family has tak‐ en the precaution of pronouncing the name Kray‐po.

When I was 13, on a cycling holiday with a friend, staying at Youth Hostels, we had reached Leicester, when I needed to call an aunt who lived local‐ ly. I went into a phone box and, as I was rustling through the pages of the direc‐ tory, I came across the name Terdifer.

We joked about it, but it started me thinking. How do people get such em‐ barrassing names and why don’t they change them?

Many names originate from the

CRAPAUD: French word for toad.

ESCAPES ME: Why anyone would go through life called Ramsbottom.

trades practised by the forbears, such as Turner, Boulanger and Schneider.

But why anybody would go through life identified as Ramsbottom has always escaped me. By the way, has any family saddled with this surname for genera‐ tions ever thought of christening their firstborn Ivor or Henrietta?

I once asked a colleague named Joanne Smellie if she had ever thought of changing or modifying her name (in

the way that millions of Jews have done). She looked aghast; why on earth would she want to do that?

Of more concern was someone I met in a hotel bar called Dennis Loopy.

After a couple of drinks, it occurred to me that he was quite a few strawber‐ ries short of the full punnet. But, as I re‐ morselessly proceeded to question his name, it became apparent that it suit‐ ed him. He started sniggering when I

asked him if others had teased him over it and said he liked his name. I gave up, accepting it was none of my business. Getting him even to consider changing his name would be like trying to teach a bullfrog to sing ‘Ave Maria’.

Sally Fartinghouse is apparently not related to the writer Guiy Fartinghouse, which means they are unlikely to have a shared competitive existence blowing raspberries in a very stuffy dwelling with permanently open windows.

Other names that do exist today in‐ clude Licker, Stroker and Dump. Even without matching Christian names such as Fannie, Richard and Eva, such names must be a burden through life.

It should be a relatively simple proce‐

dure to change them, but there must be a kind of bizarre loyalty to the ances‐ tral line. For most people, the act of changing their name is about as likely as a pet badger becoming a county cricketer.

My own name is odd and I can’t ex‐ plain it. I guess the ‘boys’ part is from the French word ‘bois’, but what about the ‘wor’? What were my ancestors up to in the Ardennes forests before think‐ ing about joining King William in his conquest of England?

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.

48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

10 - 16 June 2021

FEATURE

Welcome to the dry summer

LETTER FROM

CANARIES

DEAR reader, welcome to June and summer.

Down here on the islands we’ve al‐ ready had a taste of things to come, with an out of control fire which burnt hectares of land, approaching the Tei‐ de National Park, beautiful at the mo‐ ment with its extraordinary tajinaste flowers, at a horribly fast pace.

It was disastrous. High winds fanned the fire, the air was dry, the firefighters exhausted. Then the wind changed direction, a day later it dropped completely and the fire was under control, then out. And it was still only May, albeit late May! There have been small fires in oth‐ er locations, more easily put out be‐ cause of different weather condi‐ tions, but there’s a big problem waiting to happen and, although there’s always danger of summer fires, this year the situation’s exacer‐

DRY GRASS: Makes for stunning landscapes, but it’s tinder waiting for a spark. bated by the amount of tall grasses and excessive undergrowth on all the islands, caused by much heavier than usual rainfall during the winter months.

Spring was beautiful, with green, wildflower‐dotted landscapes every‐ where. The downside being that ev‐ erywhere dried out by late April when dry weather started earlier than usual.

Rain in the Canaries isn’t the ‘to‐ day’s a rainy day,’ type, by the way.

It pelts down for anywhere be‐ tween five minutes to an hour, then it’s sunny again. This winter enough fell to fill all the reservoirs and green up places I’ve never seen green before in the 35 years we’ve been here.

The resultant tall, dry grass rip‐ pling in the breeze everywhere now also makes for stunning land‐ scapes, contrasting with the dark drystone walled terraces, but it’s tinder waiting for a spark, much of

MOUNTAIN SLOPES: Contrast with deep valleys. it inaccessible.

The Canarians have constructed agricultural land by painstakingly ter‐ racing mountain slopes and deep val‐ leys. Although there’s more flat land on the Eastern islands, the Western province has precipes in abundance.

You need to come and see for your‐ selves really, but please refrain from doing anything that causes sparks if you do.

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

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

50 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

10 - 16 June 2021

FEATURE

GO LOCAL

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to sup‐ port local businesses in the community by going local now that the lockdown has ended and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and superstores.

We challenge you to re‐ discover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky indepen‐ dent businesses in your area.

Now that the Covid‐19 pandemic appears to be un‐ der control, it is a good idea to try and support many lo‐ cal businesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect ser‐ vices they can operate, es‐ pecially if you are unable to get out due to health rea‐ sons or any other restric‐ tions.

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 go‐ ing.

By shopping at an inde‐ pendent store you’re putting food on a local fami‐

ly’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your communi‐ ty 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 ac‐ tually much more than just a small high street shop,

they’re a family’s legacy, of‐ ten passed down through numerous generations and support not just the current owner but the generation before.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are supporting someone’s dream and ambition, and al‐ so 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 compete with the multinational and chains.

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

You could also consider 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 ca‐ reer 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 actual‐ ly be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

10 - 16 June 2021

SPENDING LOCALLY: Will make a difference to the local economy.

To advertise here contact us on:

951 386 161

worry, give the gift of peace of mind through these diffi‐ cult times.

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the re‐ covery of the local econo‐ my. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local econ‐ omy in two ways. First, buy‐ ing local keeps money circu‐ lating within the local economy.

Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every eu‐ ro as they create locally owned supply chains and in‐ vest 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

bene‐ fits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For ex‐ ample, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce.

First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local cus‐ tomers.

The farmer pays its local employees and the restau‐ rant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hardware store. This example illus‐ trates how the recirculation of money in the local econ‐ omy leads to a stronger fi‐ nancial foundation for our neighbours and communi‐ ties.

Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportunities for people within our community.

Studies show, locally owned businesses employ

more people per unit of sales and retain more em‐ ployees over time.

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

Just remember to still fol‐ low the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep ev‐ eryone safe in the future.

EWN 51

PETS

52

www.euroweeklynews.com • 10 - 16 June 2021

SPONSORED BY

Some pets need to stay home - Need pet-sitters?

IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters.

Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away.

Even if you are planning just a short trip you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Mature pets may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their 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.

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Work in the way of being a pet owner?

WOULD you skip work or a prior commitment if your pet was ill? It seems there’s a trend emerging where our animals are taking priority, and some employers are en‐ abling this too.

A report by Animal Friends pet insurance, which sur‐ veyed 2,000 British workers found that 42 per cent told their boss it was a family member that they had to stay home and look after, whereas it was actually their furry friend.

When breaking down the statis‐ tics, it seems this reluctance may be a generational trend, 40 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds compared to just 18 per cent of peo‐ ple in the over 55 age range.

Just like

parents of human children, pet owners must weigh up the disruption and expense of leaving someone else to take care of matters. Dog sit‐ ters, pet taxis and cat visi‐ tors are not an insignificant cost if friends or family are not able to help. Grandpar‐ ents are often called to look after animals as well as chil‐ dren.

PAWTERNITY LEAVE: It’s a real thing.

Early Diagnosis of Hip Dysplasia in dogs OFFICIAL hip radiographs with the traditional ven‐ trodorsal projection method and with extended fe‐ murs are not always effective for the early diagnosis of hips that later develop osteoarthritis (Hip Dyspla‐ sia). At the University of Pennsylvania, a radiography method was developed based on the evaluation of the laxity of the hips of dogs.

This radiographic technique can be performed from a very early age, specifically from 16 weeks of age.

Published studies have shown that patients with nor‐ mal official Standard X‐rays but with significant pas‐ sive laxity determined with the PennHip system have subsequently developed hip osteoarthritis.

The PennHip method allows early diagnosis and elimination of dysplasia carriers from reproduction.

PennHip is already the dog hip dysplasia screening method of choice for guide dog schools, the US Air Force, and the US Army.

In these centres, it is essential to know the predis‐ position that the puppies have to develop this pathol‐ ogy. These X‐rays must be performed by certified vet‐ erinarians (PennHip certified member) and will be sent to the University of Pennsylvania where they will be evaluated by a committee. Any dog, whether owned by a private individual or a breeder, can be evaluated using this method.

José Rial, veterinary PennHip certified member

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you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com . If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.britishlegion.org.uk/coun ties/spain-north ZURGENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at The Heathers La Alfoquia, for further details please email zurge narblsecretary@yahoo.co.uk (253989)

DRAINAGE

ELECTRICAL ABBOTT ELECTRICS. From a Light Fitting to a Full Rewire.

Tel: 950 137 208 / 638 010 691 (292250)

ESTATE AGENT VOSS HOMES are a professional, British family-run Estate Agents with an office in HuercalOvera town. They specialise in selling and renting properties in the Huercal-Overa, La Alfoquia, Zurgena & Taberno area. Andy, Anna, Jess, Adele, Hannah, Amy & Karen look forward to helping you buy, sell or rent your ideal property. Please call 678 002 006 for more information (283824)

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INSURANCE AWARD-WINNING AGENT for ALL your insurance needs.

LIBERTY SEGUROS ALBOX/MOJACAR INSURANCE, ALBOX OFFICE: 950 121 943. Mojacar office: 634 323 399 (10003) MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 309, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 309 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

CLASSIFIEDS

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

MOTORING

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Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

THE FIVE BONE HOTEL, TURRE. We are still here and would love to discuss your future requirements. 630 234 556 / the5bonehotelturre@gmail .com (279669)

PLUMBERS KNOWLES PLUMBING No 1 for all plumbing jobs big or small. Central heating, solar hot water and water deposits. Tel: 606 807 797 or 684 143 560 (291752)

PROPERTY TO LET

REMOVALS/STORAGE

Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section.

Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.

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

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NAUTICAL

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54 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

10 - 16 June 2021

ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack AMONGST the automotive pantheon that is Volkswagen Audi, SEAT has arguably the least heritage, some may de‐ termine a bit of an also ran within the group. However, SEAT has carved its own niche as the brand offering more for less and is arguably out styling some of VAG’s more illustrious badges.

The Leon h a s

MOTORING

SEAT Leon FR Plug-in Hybrid sharp, sleek looks and prices start from a very rea‐ sonable €23,732 (£20,405) for the manual SE with a standard equipment that includes keyless start, rear parking sensors, air condi‐ tioning, metallic paint, LED headlights and eight‐inch touch‐

screen media system.

My FR model sits mid‐ range but being the plug‐in hybrid comes at a somewhat hefty €38,189 (£32,835).

Power from the 1.4‐litre TSi engine is bolstered by a 13 kwh battery which in my case managed a creditable (for a plug‐in) 39 miles on pure electric. That’s decent enough for a com‐ mute

but a home charger is a must have with the poor public charging infrastructure and pure convenience. You soon get into the habit of arriving home and taking just a cou‐ ple of minutes to plug the car in for its nightly dose of volts. The benefit of plug‐ins is that you have a petrol en‐ gine to back you up some, so no range concerns here.

Standard fare includes heated door and folding mir‐ rors, auto dimming rear view mirror, auto lights including main beam assist, auto wipers,

cornering lights, cruise con‐ trol, three zone climate con‐ trol, wireless phone charging and a larger touchscreen me‐ dia system.

On the road the Leon han‐ dles particularly well with a ride that while firm still smooths out the worst of the bumps in the tarmac. The hy‐ brid system starts on pure EV and can be a bit of a pain, thanks to excess digitalisa‐ tion of the controls, to move it to hybrid if you are on a longer journey and want to save the battery power for an urban destination.

Depending on your view a

potential downside is VAG’s decision to go digital is a dis‐ tinct lack of proper buttons.

It makes for multiple out‐ stretched finger movements where a button required just one. Admittedly, you would get used to the system but it’s another example of man‐ ufacturers moving to sys‐ tems that don’t appear to have universal approval.

Digital disapprobation apart, the Leon is a very smart and stylish machine that offers the best of elec‐ tric and petrol power. Urban electric and petrol power for range.

Facts at a Glance

Sharp, sleek looks.

Model: SEAT Leon FR Plug-in Hybrid Engine: 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged petrol Gears: 6-Speed automatic Price: €38,189 (£32,835) Performance: 0-100 kmh (62 mph) 7.5 seconds/Maximum Speed 220 kmh (137 mph) Economy: 1.3l/100km (217 mpg) Combined driving WLTP Electric only range: 57-64 km (36-40 miles) Emissions: 27 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

DGT Modifies Law UNTIL recently in Spain, a vehicle could be declared off road indefinitely, as long as the owner intended to then put it back on the road again, however, due to the misuse of this regulation by drivers, the DGT has made an amendment to the Offi‐ cial State Gazette of Royal Decree 265/2021, that was dated April 13, 2020, and now the circumstances sur‐ rounding vehicles being ‘parked up’ have changed.

Now, the General Direc‐ torate of Traffic (DGT) has stated that the longest time that a vehicle can be on tem‐ porary leave is one year from the date of it first being registered off road, after which period, if the owner has not requested an exten‐ sion of this temporary dis‐ ablement, the DGT will auto‐ matically re‐register the vehicle, making it liable to all administrative and fiscal obligations that are appro‐ priate, such as the collection of the tax on mechanical traction vehicles.

OFF ROAD: The timescale has now been amended.

As specified by the DGT, the extension can be applied for from Traffic Headquar‐ ters a maximum of two months before the termina‐ tion date of the temporary withdrawal.

In a statement, the reason the DGT has modified the regulation and made this amendment is to avoid “the abusive use of the tempo‐ rary withdrawal that some workshops carried out with the aim of evading the obli‐ gation to take a vehicle to an Authorised Treatment Cen‐ tre (CAT) at the end of its

useful life,” where the vehi‐ cles would be disposed of in a correct fashion.

They added that a report from the European Commis‐ sion had also urged member states to adopt measures “on the administrative pro‐ cedures of temporary can‐ cellations” and to enable “the improvement of the knowledge of the informa‐ tion of the Vehicle Registry,” something that would avoid situations where vehicles were not sent to Authorised Treatment Centres at the end of their useful life.

10 - 16 June 2021

EWN 55

Safer to Charge Electric Vehicles PLACE TO PLUG, a Spanish start‐ up, has launched a first‐of‐its‐kind new platform that guarantees ac‐ cess to ad‐hoc charging for all elec‐ tric vehicle drivers.

As the number of electric vehi‐ cles grows in Spain, demand for charging points is increasing and drivers want to to use them and make payments securely.

Josep Cester, COO of Place to Plug, said compliance with Euro‐ pean legislation regarding privacy in accessibility to charging stations, is key to customer confidence.

“The electric vehicle is one of the most effective tools in this new era to start controlling CO2 emissions and other pollutants produced by transport activity, both public and private, and meets the goal of de‐ carbonising the economy, the

most important challenge facing us in the 21st century,” he said.

“After all, the transport electrifi‐ cation is a key and fundamental el‐ ement in achieving the stringent emission targets set by Europe and included in the European Climate Law,” he added.

Place to Plug has activated a new feature to provide users easy access to ad‐hoc charging by scan‐ ning a QR code where the user can choose between three registration options: download the app for free, login with an already regis‐ tered user or continue as a guest user.

This initiates the vehicle charging in private mode, by selecting the third option and adding the pay‐ ment method, so when the user wants to stop charging, can contin‐

PLACE TO PLUG: For all electric vehicles.

ue their journey without their de‐ tails being viewed by a third party.

Thanks to this improvement, the user has the possibility to per‐ form an ad‐hoc charge without the need to enter into a data transfer contract either with the charging point operator or with Place to Plug as an e‐mobility service provider.

SPORT

56

10 -16 June 2021

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

Spain Captain Tests Positive IN shock news Spain captain Sergio Busquets has tested positive for the potentially deadly coronavirus.

Sergio tested positive for the virus on Sunday June 6, luckily though the rest of the squad have all test‐ ed negative. This news comes at a bad time as Spain is prepping for Euro 2020.

The midfielder for Barcelona played in a friendly match against Portugal on Friday June 4, but he is believed to have contracted the virus during the weekend.

Sergio will now have to under‐ go a period of self‐isola‐ tion.

Fortunately, the rest of the football squad have re‐ ceived negative results for their Covid‐19 tests.

But staff and players who have been in close contact with Sergio al‐ so obviously have to self‐isolate to pre‐ vent the spread of the virus.

The Royal Spanish Football

Fe d e r a t i o n s p o k e a b o u t t h e shocking news and commented that: “The RFEF regrets to an‐ nounce that its captain Sergio Busquets has given a posi‐ tive result in the last PCR test that was carried out this morning on the national team in Las Rozas.

“The rest of the members have all tested negative.

“Both the workers and the close contacts of the player will re‐ main isolated for pre‐ vention and personalised training routines will be activated, maintaining the isolation, to continue with the preparation for the Eu‐ ros.

“Regarding the second friendly match against Lithua‐ nia, it will be held under the direction of Luis De La Fuente and with members of the un‐ der‐21 national team.”

POSITIVE TEST: Sergio Busquets.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix ONE of the most extraordinary Formula One races of all time took place on Sunday June 6 in Baku, the capital city of Azer‐ baijan, where after a series of dramatic events the race was eventually red‐flagged, leaving Mexico’s Sergio Perez in the Red Bull, as the winner, Aston Martin gaining their first podi‐ um points as Sebastian Vettel took second, and Pierre Gasly in third.

Lance Stroll in the Aston Mar‐ tin had a dramatic spin at around 200mph on the main straight when his left‐rear tyre suddenly gave up.

Max Verstappen had been out in front for most of the race, and looked to be heading for an‐ other victory, to extend his lead in the driver’s championship, but, on lap 46, with only five laps remaining, he had a high‐ speed spin similar to that of Stroll, crashing into the circuit’s wall on the pit strait, and out of the race, with the Dutchman seen kicking the offending tyre as walked from the track.

DUTCHMAN: Was seen kicking the tyre as he walked off.

The race was halted while the track was cleared, with the cars returned to the pit lane, leaving Lewis Hamilton in second place, just behind Perez, and if he could make a good start from the subsequent standing‐start, then he would have an appar‐ ent clear run at the chequered flag for the final two laps, but, fate had a different ending in mind.

As the cars sped away, Hamil‐ ton looked to have got the jump on Perez and the result of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix now seemed a foregone conclusion, but all of a sudden, as they roared into Turn One, Hamil‐

ton’s car ran straight on, drop‐ ping him down to 16th place by the time he rejoined, eventually finishing the race in 15th, which leaves Verstappen still four points in front in the champi‐ onship.

Speaking after the race, the seven‐time world champion ex‐ plained, “Just on the restart, I think when Checo moved over towards me I clipped a switch and it basically switches the brakes off, and I went straight.

Very hard to take, but I’m most‐ ly just really sorry to the men and women in the team who have worked so hard for these points.”