Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 24 - 30 June 2021 Issue 1877

News

The people’s paper Issue No. 1877

24 - 30 June 2021

Off-Road Events MOTORSPORT fans best get ready for September as Torrox is set to host two important off-road events. During a single weekend Torrox will host the 2021 CAEX 4×4 Andalucia Extreme Championship on September 18 and September 19, and also the Iberian King’s third round of the season organised by the Club Torrox Extremo and Club Deportivo Team Zapatito 4×4, and it will take place on September 17, 18 and 19.

AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

JUSTICE DONE

Employment vacancies THE town hall of Rincón de la Victoria announced on June 16, the start of the application process for civil servant positions associated with the Public Employment Offer 2021, totalling eight open positions in addition to three internal promotion positions. Four for Local Police, one for Technical Industrial Engineer, one for Technical Architect, one for a Medium Human Resources Technician, and one for the Economic Area.

Additionally, three posts are available for internal advancement.

Terms and conditions and an application form are available at www.rincondelavicto ria.es The application deadline is July 13.

Thief returns bicycle A THIEF returned a bicycle after the victim displayed a threatening poster stating: ‘We know who you are.’ The bike was discovered on Monday June 21 in the same location from which it was stolen hours earlier from a community garage in Velez-Malaga. What the alleged culprit did not anticipate was his neighbours recognising him. The owner of the bicycle decided to post a sign on the building doorway with a clear warning ‘Important. We know who you are; return it to the location from which you got it, and I will not report you to the police. They’ve seen you.’

FREE • GRATIS

Identity Theft Loan NATIONAL POLICE officers have arrested a 42‐year‐old woman, of Spanish nationality ‐ who has a previous po‐ lice record ‐ suspected of being the perpetrator of a crime of fraud, and identity theft, after using the identity and bank account details of a former work colleague, along with a falsified payroll slip, to obtain an online loan of €18,000.

The scam came to light only after her victim received a call from a well‐known bank that specialises in online loans and credit cards, to say that she had defaulted on three instalments of an eight‐year loan in her name in September 2020, totalling €830.

Fully aware that she had not taken out the loan in question, the victim asked for information, including the documentation that had been used to obtain it originally, and was told that payslips from the SAS had been pre‐ sented as proof of income, which is when she started to suspect her former workmate.

Police investigators were quickly able to identify the suspect once the victim told them who her former col‐ league was, as she had a prior police record for a similar incident, and is an expert in digital marketing, and it soon became apparent that several payroll slips had been ma‐ nipulated, containing the victim’s name while she had never even worked for the health service.

The Granada woman has been arrested and is now awaiting sentencing by a judge.

NEW LIFE: The three rescued ponies.

THERE was a landmark victory for animal rights thanks to A R C H the Andalucian Rescue Centre for Horses charity.

In January 2019 A R C H were called by Guardia Civil animal welfare branch Seprona, along with ‘El Refugio de Burrito’ and ‘Caballos Luna’, to assist in the rescue of a number of horses, donkeys and mules from a horse dealer in a small town north of Malaga.

Over two years later, the case finally came to court in Malaga, and justice has

caught up with the former owner.

Thanks to the tenacity of ARCH’s animal rights lawyer Aritz Toribio and a caring judge, who was well informed on the new animal rights legislation, he has now been prohibited from keeping, or having anything to do with animals for eight years.

In addition, he has to pay the charities involved their costs over two and a half years, with a heavy jail sentence if he defaults.

ARCH took in three small ponies from the rescue

which had not been there long, and their condition was not giving cause for alarm.

The trio, who were given the names Dinky, Dusty and Gucci spent several months at the Centre until permission was given to allow them to go into foster homes.

To learn more about A R C H and the horses and donkeys they have rescued, follow the charity on their Facebook page - Centro Andalusi de Rescate de Caballos - or go to their website www.horserescuespain.org.

ONLINE LOAN: Police quickly identified the suspect.

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Park improvement Nerja Against Cancer works on the way JESS PÉREZ ATENCIA, first deputy mayor of Velez‐Malaga and Antonio Ariza, councillor for the environment, presented on Thursday June 17 the start of the improvement works to be carried out in the children’s area of the well‐known Maria Zambrano park in Velez‐Malaga.

Atencia, stated that “as part of our ongoing effort to devel‐ op parks and gardens throughout the municipality, we are an‐ nouncing today a new initiative spearheaded by the Depart‐ ment of the Environment.

“Since my colleague Antonio Ariza took over, a specific em‐ phasis has been placed on work being done in the areas dedi‐ cated to the municipality’s children.”

According to Atencia, “this is a component that will signifi‐ cantly improve the safety and hygiene of the youngsters that use this facility.”

THE mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, has thanked the Spanish Association Against Cancer of Nerja for the important work it carries out in the fight against the disease and in supporting patients and their families.

This has been transferred to the local president of the association, Aurelia López, and the volunteers, during the visit to one of the tables installed on Thursday June 17 in Calles Pintada and Castilla Pérez, as well as in Plazas Ermita and Cavana.

The mayor, accompanied by the councillor for Social Services, Daniel Rivas, has reiterated the commitment of the Nerja Town Council in supporting and collaborating with the Local Board of the AECC in all the actions and awareness campaigns

RAISING FUNDS: Tables were set up on the street.

that develop throughout the year. It has also highlighted the commendable work carried out by its volunteers, helping and accompanying those who are going through this terrible disease.

The president of the association, Aurelia López, thanked the town council for its involvement, informing that this year’s cost is dedicated to sick people without financial resources. “Due to the health, social and economic crisis

No Masks Outdoors SPAIN’S President Pedro Sanchez has confimred the end of masks outdoors from Saturday, June 26.

Sánchez said in Barcelona that he will hold the extraordinary Council of Ministers today, Thursday June 24 to approve the end of the use of the mask outdoors from Saturday, June 26. “We will enjoy life on the street again without a mask. We are approaching normality without conditions,” said the head of the Executive, stating that this last weekend was the last with a mandatory mask.

of the coronavirus, the number of people in a situation of economic vulnerability who suffer from the disease and cannot afford the expenses has increased.”

She reiterated that the AECC has a headquarters on the first floor of the municipal building, located at number 12 Calle Almirante Ferrandiz, as well as the telephone number 654 740 993 for anyone who needs information, help or attention.

Blue Flag to Algarrobo NURIA RODRGUEZ, the territorial tourism representative of La Junta de Andaluca in Malaga, awarded the Blue Flag to Algarrobo mayor Alberto Pérez Gil on Thursday June 17.

Rodriguez stated that “these distinctions are a testament to the quality, safety, accessibility, and sustainability of our coastline, which undoubtedly contributes to the enhancement of our brand as a tourist destination for the upcoming summer season.”

This season, Malaga set a new record for the number of Blue Flags awarded, with 39 out of 137 in Andalucia (34 for beaches and five for marinas), in addition to the prizes for sustainable vessels (two), which are held exclusively by this province this year.

“We have more than doubled the quantity of flags in two years.

“When we came to power, Malaga had only 22 awards, and we have worked closely with the local governments to reverse this trend,” he said.

NEWS

Museum concert programme THE Velez-Malaga Town Hall’s Culture Department is resuming its summer schedule of Thursday performances at the MVVEL following the pandemic interruptions. This is the third edition of a highly successful initiative that reintroduces musical activity to the Museum of Velez-Malaga, which will hold seven performances.

Emilio Martin, director of the Museum, revealed that the MVVEL’s Summer Concert series would kick off on Thursday July 8 with Maestro Iribarren’s ‘Concert of Baroque Music.’

Flamenco will take over the MVVEL on July 15 with the concert ‘Flamenco en Andalucia’. To conclude the month of July, a wind concert will be held on the 29th, and the MVVEL will be invaded by ‘World Music.’

August will begin with ‘Romances de Zarzuela’on the 5th.

The MVVEL will hold a performance as part of the Flamenco Biennial of Flamenco on August 12. The concert will include the flamenco guitarist Chaparro de Malaga performing his work ‘Chaparreando’.

The MVVEL will hold a pop opera concert by Los Tres Tenores on Thursday, 19th. On August 26, the month bids farewell to the MVVEL with the music of piano, courtesy of Paula Coronas and her show ‘La emoción desde el Piano’.

Seating is restricted, and anybody interested in attending should request admission in advance through email to mvvel@velezmalaga.es.

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NIBS EXTRA Surfing showers THE Almuñecar Council is installing five new showers on local beaches with La Herradura to follow those at San Cristobal, Puerta del Mar and Tesorillo, all of which are in the shape of a surf board, are highly coloured and carries the wording Playas Almuñecar-La Herradura.

English sessions YOUNG Spaniards living in Velez-Malaga are being invited by the council to have fun and improve their English during July as on each Thursday from 9.30 to 1.30 there will be one hour coffee sessions and on Fridays from 11.30 to 1.30 there will be two English games.

Beach soccer THE beautiful, (but slightly sandy) game will be on show in Torrox this weekend with the National League of Women’s Beach Soccer competitions and from July 6 to 10 with matches from the Men’s first division in preparation for the finals in Portugal.

Acoustic study ALTHOUGH bars and restaurants in Motril are able to apply for a licence allowing them to open terraces for customers, the council has announced that their application must be accompanied by a study showing the possible effect that noise from the terrace will have on neighbouring households.

Better communication IN order to keep up-to-date with the latest technology, the Local Police in Rincon de la Victoria has been issued with new digital devices consisting of laptop computers with a Bluetooth system, two transmitters and 55 handheld walkie talkies.

TV programme FOUR reporters from Canal Sur’s At All Cost TV programme spent some time in the village of Frigiliana recording interviews with both residents and visitors about the various options that exist for tourists who want to enjoy one of the prettiest villages in Andalucia.

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Nerja police get two new bikes POLICE in Nerja have been provided with two new bikes by the local council.

The mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, said Local Police have been provided with two new 350cc bikes at a cost of more than €15,000.

The announcement was made at the police headquarters and the mayor was accompanied by Francisco Arce, the councillor for Security and Transport, Police Chief Francisco Iranzo of the Local Police and Officer José

NEW BIKES: Providing a better service for residents.

Francisco Losada.

“With these two new mo-

torbikes there are now four vehicles that we have acquired

since the beginning of the mandate, fulfilling the commitment to increase the fleet and provide better means to the Local Police,” the mayor said, the bikes mean better service and greater security for residents and visitors.

Arce said that he hopes Local Police will soon benefit from “two new SUV type vehicles.”

The town intends to provide new uniforms, accessories and equipment for the first such update in a decade.

Support given to Cudeca THE Department of Social Welfare in Rincon de la Victoria has awarded the foundation a grant of €30,000 to meet its operating costs.

This year, Cudeca has aided more than 50 residents of the municipality.

The Cancer Care Foundation (Cudeca) met with Elena Aguilar (Cs), the town council’s second deputy mayor and coun‐ cillor for Social Welfare, to express their gratitude “for the dedication and assis‐

DELSUR hosts national championships THE Spanish Under 23 athletics championships were hosted last weekend at the Enrique López Cuenca Stadium in Nerja, with five local athletes from Club Atletismo DELSUR testing their prowess on the national stage.

Miranda Pérez, a thrower from Motril and a pupil of José Mara Hernández was fifth in the shot put with a throw of 11.83m.

Guillermo Garcés also fin‐ ished fifth in shot put with a fan‐ tastic mark of 15.16m. He threw two leads over 15 metres, plac‐ ing him among the best throw‐ ers at the national level.

Gabri Auón, the Malaga pole‐ vaulter trained by Antonio Orta, finished ninth with a mark of 4.20m ‐ a little short of his per‐ sonal best.

Karla Ruiz finished 11th in the discus with a mark of 34.95m, just failing to make the top‐10 last round for an extra three throws.

Fran Padial competed in the 1,500m heats that featured an impressive field of competitors.

Padial finished in 4:03:37 ‐ not quite good enough for the fi‐ nal.

tance received so that they can sustain their care in the municipality,” according to the foundation.

“Cudeca has cared for 704 individuals in Rincón de la Victoria since 1992, 53 of whom relate to the year 2021,” Aurea Per‐ alta, Cudeca’s head of institutional relations and corporate social responsibility, said.

Additionally, the councillor expressed gratitude to Cudeca “for their effort and

courage, particularly in the last year, when they have not ceased assisting those in need.”

“Our commitment is to continue improv‐ ing patients’ living conditions through this free integrated and multifunctional care service provided by Cudeca in Rincón de la Victoria, ensuring that each patient receives the essential care to live a life of quality and dignity,” Aguilar stated.

Nerja keeps close eye on Chillar river NERJA Town Council is to step up surveillance on stretches of the Chillar river to stop crowds gath‐ ering there. The council’s health, safety and envi‐ ronment officials say the crowds are a danger during the coronavirus pandemic.

Francisco Arce, the town’s security coordinator, said that a team of Local Police and security offi‐ cers “will reinforce surveillance at the access barri‐ ers.”

He noted that despite the barriers being in place, people are still ignoring safety measures in

place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The council has issued fines and enforced park‐ ing restrictions in the area.

Javier Rodríguez, responsible for health and the environment, is asking people to follow the restric‐ tions to prevent cases from increasing. He con‐ firmed that swimming is prohibited along the en‐ tire river, and there are restrictions of hiking, camping or other recreational activities there and in the wider district that includes where the Chillar and Higerón rivers meet.

Free buses Velez to play in Torrox Malaga in friendly

TORROX Town Council has approved free public transport for residents of the munici‐ pality. The measure, approved on Thursday June 17, has been in the works for the past six years.

“We are aware of municipal technicians’ reservations about not knowing how many people will use the service in the future,” said delegate Paula Moreno. “But we also understand how critical it is to provide high‐ quality public services, which we have been working on for six years, including the urban bus service.”

Moreno said that the free transport mea‐ sure was necessary to encourage public transport, reduce pollution and reduce the number of private vehicles and alleviate parking woes ‐ which is a pressing issue in the summer months in particular.”

VELEZ will be showing just how they have progressed as a team when they square off against Malaga in a pre‐season friendly.

While the time and venue have yet to be set, the game is being pencilled on for July 21.

It’s a time of transition for Velez as the team are currently looking for a new head coach following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Gómez. He has since joined Don Benito’s.

Despite the lack of the head coach, the club have extended the contracts of Cris‐ tian, Pablo, and Pedro and have inked Fer Navarro, a right back from Villarobledo, to a new contract.

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La Vega back to Level 1 IT’S good news in the fight against the pan‐ demic with the health district of La Vega moving to Level 1 from June 16, accord‐ ing to local public health officials.

And the Territorial Committee for High Impact Public Health alerts now say that the entire province of Malaga is back at the lowest level of coron‐ avirus threats.

Officials say Malaga and Almeria are the only Andalucian provinces that have all their health dis‐ tricts at Level 1.

The La Vega health district has a cumula‐ tive incidence rate of 176.1 cases per 100,000 over the past two weeks, compared with a rate of 302.2 the previous week.

In the Costa del Sol, officials say cases have increased from 166.7 cases per 100,000 two weeks ago, and now stands at 182.1.

There was also a slight increase in cas‐ es in Malaga over the same two‐week peri‐ od, up from 136.1 to the current 143.5 per 100,0000.

Officials say, how‐ ever, the increase in cases don’t mean that there’s any need to restrict movements.

Overall across the province of Malaga there is an average caseload of 156.8 per 100,000, down on the previous week when it stood at 161.0. The capital’s rate is 152.6.

There were some 1,500 positive cases in the province over the past week ‐ an infec‐ tion rate similar to the previous two weeks.

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NEWS

2,900 Soldiers Prepared EWN And Daily Mail THE State Coordination Committee (CECOD), announced on Sunday June 20, its annual plan for fighting forest fires in the summer period from June 15 to October 31, 2021, which monitors the Autonomous Communities of Spain most at risk, and Civil Protection and forest management, can provide aircraft, material means, and the U M E, as well as Brigades for the Fight against Forest Fires (BRIF).

During this campaign, the UME will make a total of 1,400 military personnel available in the fight against forest fires, the UME will have logistical and operational support when necessary to carry out an intervention, bringing the total number of available personnel up to 2,900.

In addition to its permanent headquarters located in Torrejón de Ardoz, in Madrid, Morón in Sevilla, Bétera in Valencia, Zaragoza and San Andrés de Rabanedo in León, the UME will also have personnel tem-

FOREST FIRES: An annual plan is in place. porarily installed in several other precise detachments off their bases in order to reduce deployment time in case of intervention.

The Units, with almost 3,000 Spanish military personnel, have been conducting exercises in preparation for fighting this summer’s inevitable forest fires, working with engineering machinery, mastering the efficient use of water supplied by the fire engines, use of drones, along with joint exercises with the air resources of the 43 Group and BHELEME.

EURO WEEKLY NEWS, Spain’s largest expat paper, has been bringing you the best in news reporting for more than 20 years.

And in that time Euro Weekly News’ credibility and popularity for breaking local and national news has grown, with even London’s biggest papers turning to our newsroom for the infor‐ mation they need.

On June 21, one of Britain’s most popular newspapers, the Daily Mail, drew on our long‐ standing reputation for the best reporting from the Costa del Sol when it reprised Euro Weekly News’ coverage of the tragic death of Rocio Wanninkhof in La Cala in 1999 in an article about a new Netflix documen‐ tary about the horrific murder.

Michel Euesden, the owner and co‐founder of Euro Weekly News, said “I remember the events well and coverage of ev‐

BEST NEWS: Supporting each other. ery aspect of this tragic but grip‐ ping story was a priority in our newsroom. In our 22 years of coverage of southern Spain, from glitzy Marbella to rural Cadiz, this was one of the most shocking stories we encoun‐ tered.

“It remains one of the most high‐profile murders ever on the Costa del Sol and I’m not at all surprised Netflix have made a documentary about it. Euro Weekly News covered every as‐

pect of it, from the initial crime to the conviction of British bar‐ man Tony King for the murder of Rocio and of another young woman, Sonia Carabantes. But not before Dolores Vazquez, the lesbian lover of Rocio’s mother, had served 17 months for the murder when she was wrongly convicted in Spain’s first ever trial by jury,” Michel added.

Murder by the Coast airs on Netflix from June 23.

New Ryanair Base At Turin Airport

RYANAIR has opened its 16th Italian base at Turin with two based aircraft - an investment of €167.5 million - and 32

routes connecting Turin, both domestically and internationally, to 13 countries including Spain.

40-year-old divorce law ON Tuesday June 22, 2021, it was precisely 40 years since the first law of divorce from democracy, a right that now seems the most normal, but that was taboo since the Second Re‐ public in Spain.

Julia Ibars is the name of the woman who, unintentionally, has gone down in history for being the first divorcee in con‐ temporary Spain, in September 1981. This woman from San‐ tander would later recall “the tranquillity” she felt in being able to continue with her life, remarrying ‐ something her ex‐ husband did as well ‐ although for a long time she noticed the looks and comments behind her back.

The divorce law was promoted by the government of Adolfo Suarez and by Justice Minister Francisco Fernández Ordóñez, who was accused of wanting to approve it to di‐ vorce himself. The minister affirmed in the Cortes: “We can‐ not prevent marriages from breaking, but we can prevent the suffering of broken marriages.”

Since 1981, the year in which some 16,300 couples were divorced or separated, until now there have been more than three million marital dissolutions, between divorces and sep‐ arations, according to data from the CGPJ and the INE.

The new base will have connections to winter holiday destinations such as Lanzarote, Malta, Mallorca and Marrakech, city breaks to Copenhagen, Budapest, London and Paris as well as domestic connections to Palermo, Naples and Bari.

Over 123 flights will depart from the new base each week including two flights per week to Sevilla, Madrid, Malaga, Lanzarote and Palma.

Ryanair’s CEO, Eddie Wilson said, “We are delighted to open our 16th Italian base which represents a $200 million investment at Turin Airport, with over 30 destinations to choose from this winter, including 18 new connections.

“We have enjoyed a great partnership with this airport since our first ever flight from London Stansted to Turin in 1999 and we are very pleased to continue growing in the region after 22 successful years.”

NEWS

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11% Drop On Electricity IVA THE Spanish Government plans to propose to the Council of Ministers today, Thursday, June 24, the reduction of the VAT (IVA) on electricity to 10 per cent, compared to the current 21 per cent.

The idea is that, although it is a temporary measure, it will be extended during the current period of rising costs of the bills. According to various experts on the matter, the discount will be extended at least this year.

The Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, already opened the possibility last week for a reduction in electricity taxes “on an exceptional and provisional basis” to stop the rise in the price of electricity. The Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, said that the measure would be studied very carefully, while the Finance Ministry has misgivings, according to the same Executive sources.

Life statistics

THE number of births in Spain has fallen while the mortality rate hit its highest level since Spain started keeping statistics in the 1970s. Life expectancy has also been reduced.

According to the National Statistics Institute, the number of deaths in 2020 totalled 492,930, up 17.7 per cent from the pre‐ vious year and average life expectancy in Spain fell by 1.24 years to 82.3 years, the data showed.

Restrictions on indoor gatherings almost halved the number of weddings from the previous year to 90,416, the data showed and births fell by 5.9 per cent to 339,206, another record low, as couples postponed pregnancies as well as weddings.

“The decrease in the number of births was observed throughout all the months of 2020, although it was accentuated from November. The biggest drop occurred in the month of De‐ cember, with a reduction of 21.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2019,” the IME said.

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UK Embassy Offers Reassurance THE UK Embassy in Madrid has sought to quell a rising tide of anxiety as British expats wonder if Spain has a deadline to secure to residency like France. Short answer: It doesn’t.

“Some of you have contacted us about areas of concern around your residency, so we wanted to provide re‐ assurance on two key points,” the Em‐ bassy wrote on their popular ‘Brits in Spain’ Facebook page.

“Unlike some other countries, such as France, which have a deadline of June 30 for UK Nationals to secure their residency status, Spain has not set a hard deadline by which UK Nationals must apply for residency under the Withdrawal Agreement.

“Of course, you must take steps to apply as soon as possible, but if you are waiting for a decision or unable to get an appointment, please do not worry.

As long as you were legally resident be‐ fore December 31, 2020 you can contin‐ ue to apply under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement,” it explained.

“The second thing to reassure you about is that if you are in the process of applying for residency ‐ perhaps you have submitted your documents, are waiting for a decision or are in the pro‐ cess of an appeal ‐ the 90 in 180‐day limit for staying in the Schengen area

does not apply to you.

“Remember that if you need addi‐ tional help with applying for residency, there is free support available from three organisations funded by the UK Government,” it added.

These organisations include the In‐ ternational Organisation for Migration; BabeLia; and Age in Spain.

RESIDENCY: You must take steps to apply as soon as possible.

Get it off! Readers ready to get rid of masks WE asked and our readers answered: they are looking forward to the freedom of not having to wear masks outdoors from Saturday, June 26.

We asked: After 15 months of being forced to wear masks will you feel safer or attain a new sense of purpose and freedom this weekend when they will no longer be necessary outside in Spain?

Our readers are happy that wearing masks outdoors will no longer be mandatory so we can get back to ‘normal’, but they feel it is safer to con‐ tinue wearing them in crowded spaces.

Meanwhile, readers who have not yet have their second dose of the vaccine say that they are not ready to remove their masks around people, because they don’t feel they are protected.

Some feel that with so many people not yet having had their second jab, it is way too early, and will continue to wear them, especially when there are a lot of people around, even if distance can be maintained.

The measure will be approved Thursday, June 24, Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez announced last week. Andalucia has finally also gone ahead with the measure, saying that those who wish to do so can remove their masks in open spaces. They were somewhat reticent to the mea‐ sure.

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NEWS

Digital Covid Certificate Trip on Electric Bus THE digital Covid certificate is now in use in 12 EU countries and 16 more are ready to intro‐ duce it soon.

According to the European Parliament the certificates must be available to travellers by July 1. As it stands, 12 countries, in‐ cluding Spain, are running ahead

of schedule.

The certificate was approved by the European Commission in May to regulate Covid‐19 entry requirement across the EU. The free mobile app supplies on‐demand digital proof of a per‐ son’s vaccination against the coronavirus, a recent negative

€200m internet boost

THE European Commission has permitted a plan that will enable high‐speed broad‐ band to those who live in un‐ derpopulated rural areas in Spain with poor connections.

The new plan is to encourage people to relocate to dying Underpopulated areas. villages.

A total of €200 million in funds will be allocated to Spain through the Next Generation recovery plan and internet speeds of up to 300Mbps will be offered to rural areas with slow inter‐ net speeds.

Brussels has said that this measure will help guarantee down‐ load speeds of over 100 Mbps for the whole of the Spanish pop‐ ulation by 2025.

There are around 8 per cent of people in Spain living in areas where internet speeds of 100Mbps are not available, mainly in the nearly 7,000 villages in the country that have less than 5,000 inhabitants.

test result or proof they had the virus and recovered with antibod‐ ies.

Along with personal details the app includes a one‐off QR code.

Or if preferred, travellers can re‐ quest a paper document with the same information.

The 12 EU nations already us‐ ing the digital certificate include: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Spain The app is ready to launch in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lux‐ embourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzer‐ land. Finland, Hungary and Malta are still in the testing phase.

It comes into force on July 1, for an initial 12 months and certi‐ fies the EU citizen’s Covid status, whether they are vaccinated or not, how they have tested, or if they have immunity from a previ‐ ous infection. The certificate will exempt EU citizens from stricter Covid restrictions when travelling between member states.

TWO companies, Circontrol, and e‐busKar, have made the first route in an all‐electric bus between Barcelona and Madrid, to conduct an experi‐ ment to check the viability of this mode of transport, with a journey that will last 11 hours and cover a distance of 610km, including breaks to recharge the vehicle.

PILOT TEST: To show viability on longhaul trips.

The electric bus left Sabadell in Barcelona on June 14 at 6am and arrived at San

Vaccines For over 12s

ALL of the autonomous regions in Spain and the Spanish Min‐ istry of Health were represented at the Public Health Commis‐ sion which has now approved the vaccination of a series of new age groups. The three age groups range from 39 years of age down to 12 years of age.

According to the Spanish Ministry of Health now that more vaccines are available the possibility of overlapping vaccination age groups has arisen. The groups will still maintain the descend‐ ing order by age though.

The new age groups to be vaccinated in the next stage of vac‐ cination plan are group 11 (aged 30 to 39), group 12 (aged 20 to 29) and group 13 (aged 12 to 19) The prioritisation of adolescents aged 12 and over that are considered at very high risk or who are highly dependent has al‐ so been emphasised. This group was approved for vaccination earlier this year in late May.

Sebastián de Los Reyes in Madrid at 7pm.

This was a pilot test which aims to demonstrate the via‐ bility of electric transport on long‐haul trips, as reported by its promoters in a statement, and as this was the first trip of its type, the promoters planned recharge times that are longer than they really needed to be, with stops in Torrefarera in Lleida, Zaragoza, and Monreal de Ariza in Zaragoza.

The model used on this pi‐ oneering journey was a 100 per cent electric Karsan Atak EV 220kwh Bus, which is eight metres long, with a ca‐ pacity for 52 passengers, and has a maximum range of 300km.

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

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Double jabbed for hols Summer sales begin BRITISH holidaymakers who have had both dos‐ es of a Covid vaccine may not have to quaran‐ tine upon arrival back to the UK after holidaying in amber list destinations if a plan to loosen travel restrictions is approved.

Changes are being considered to the traffic light system under which places are graded ac‐ cording to their Covid case and jab rate, deter‐ mining whether and how people coming from them must isolate.

It is hoped that the new rules would encour‐

age people to get both shots sooner rather than later.

Former prime minister Theresa May is among those who have criticised the govern‐ ment’s handling of travel restrictions.

“We are falling behind the rest of Europe in our decisions to open up … It’s incomprehensi‐ ble that one of the most heavily vaccinated countries in the world is one that is most reluc‐ tant to give its citizens the freedoms those vac‐ cinations should support,” she said last week.

Blyton’s books branded racist

ENID BLYTON’S children’s books and stories have been branded racist and xenophobic

by English Heritage after a review of its blue plaques following last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.

Enid Blyton is best remembered for her series of children’s books, the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. A blue plaque was added in 1997 to commemorate her former home at 207 Hook Road in Chessington, where she started to develop her storytelling skills.

BEST REMEMBERED: For her Famous Five series.

The organisation said, “Blyton’s work has been criticised during her lifetime and after

for its racism, xenophobia and lack of literary merit. A 1966 Guardian article noted the racism of The Little Black Doll (1966), in which the doll of the title, Sambo, is only accepted by his owner once his ‘ugly black face’ is washed ‘clean’ by rain. In 1960 the publisher Macmillan refused to publish her story The Mystery That Never Was for what it called its ‘faint but unattractive touch of old-fashioned xenophobia.’

The book, however, was later published by William Collins.

BUSINESSES are preparing for the start of summer sales due to the hope that the sector can pull through to the end of the worst phase of Covid‐19, to reduce the fall in sales in physical stores and secure them through online sales. This optimism for the summer is shared by the Spanish Confederation of Com‐ merce (CEC), as it foresees that the volume of sales for the sales campaign, which begins to a greater extent on the 24th in the fashion

and footwear sector, will be reactivated com‐ pared to last year.

The employer’s association, however, stresses that the improvement will be ‘slight’ with respect to the 2020 campaign and warns that it will stay far from the 2019 fig‐ ures, the turnover could still fall between 20 per cent and 30 per cent. Each store, each chain, initiates the sales when it deems it ap‐ propriate and for this reason, the employer casts doubt on the impact of the campaign on consump‐ tion. In addition, he believes that the increase in sales will be linked to the relaxation of restrictions, greater mobility ITV’S exclusive coverage of England and Scotland’s draw at and the advancement of vac‐ Wembley last Friday June 18, peaked with 20 million viewers cination. a 79 per cent share across ITV and STV - becoming the mostThe traditional date of Ju‐ watched match of Euro 2020 so far. ly 1, where the cameras cap‐ The match set a new broadcaster streaming record with 4.8 tured the races to reach the million streams across ITV Hub and STV Player. bargains first, has almost With a 20 million one-minute peak, the game becomes the gone down in history as the most-watched football match since ITV’s exclusive coverage of opening day of the summer England’s World Cup semi-final against Croatia in 2018 drew a sale campaign. Some compa‐ peak of 27.5 million viewers. nies have already launched The match coverage, from kick off to final whistle, which saw with a range of discounts, both Gareth Southgate and Steve Clarke’s teams play out a such as Decathlon, H&M, tense goalless draw, was watched by 18.4 million viewers, a 74 Mango, Springfield, Tendam per cent share, of viewing across ITV and STV. (Cortefiel), Amazon, AliEx‐ press and eBay.

England v Scotland scores 20 million on ITV

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

NEWS

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Spanish Wine tops list SPANISH wine maker, Miguel A Torres, has ap‐ peared in Food & Wine’s first annual Game Changers list. The influential magazine says it is “celebrating the people, products, organisations and movements that have had the most mean‐ ingful impact on the way we eat, drink and live right now.”

Torres, together with Jackson Family Wines in California, created International Wineries for Cli‐ mate Action, a group of wineries focused on re‐ ducing carbon emissions across the wine indus‐ try, the magazine notes.

“Ecology was always a part of our philosophy.

We live from the earth, and we are also a family‐ owned company, so this combination always led us, and still does, to care for our land and re‐ sources. Not just for this generation, but also for future generations,” Torres said.

“Between 2008 and 2019, we also reduced our CO2 emissions by 30 per cent per bottle and our plan is now to reach 55 per cent per bottle by 2030, becoming ‘climate positive’ by 2050.

“Practically every vine grower in the world was already noticing climate change three decades ago, as vines are very sensitive to temperature shifts. We need to drastically decarbonise our world economy to contain the increase in global temperatures, and this requires the participation of all: governments, countries, sectors, individu‐

24 - 30 June 2021

als. We have to work together,” he added.

Food & Wine editor Hunter Lewis said, “We are thrilled to debut this first annual list and share the stories of so many inventive, creative, and forward‐thinking people and organisations.

Their innovations are creating positive changes by empowering home cooks with new tools and more sustainable products and by modelling more equitable workplaces and supporting local communities. These people and companies in‐ spire us, and they also inspire future change makers to do great things.”

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

9

O’Leary Calls UK ‘Shambolic’ THE boss of Europe’s largest budget airline has hit out at what he calls “Boris Johnson’s mismanagement of the Covid pandemic” and demanded that vaccinated travellers be able to fly between the UK and EU without any restrictions.

Ryanair’s chief executive,

Michael O’Leary, said: “The UK’s Covid travel policy is a shambles. The green list is non‐ existent because countries such as Malta and Portugal, with lower Covid case numbers than the UK and rapidly rising vacci‐ nation rates, remain on amber.

“Meanwhile, UK citizens, al‐

Decathlon Recall Product

WINE: Vines are sensitive to temperature.

EWN

SPORTING brand Decathlon have issued a recall for a chil‐ dren’s product that is not considered to be safe.

According to their safety team they have discovered a defect in the Olaian brand’s Boardshort BBS 500 KID swim‐ ming costumes. The defect is said to be in the drawstring which is integrated and believe that it poses a possible risk of snagging.

According to a Facua report, Decathlon has stated that the article in question has the reference numbers 8518136, 2609002, 2609003, 2609004 and 2609005.

The batches with these numbers were sold from March 11, 2019.

The company has issued a safety warning on its website stating that if the waist strap is longer than 14 centimetres, please discontinue use. It also indicates that, if in doubt, they should visit one of its shops or call its free phone num‐ ber (900 100 903).”

Decathlon have commented on refunds and said that: “if you return your defective product to a Decathlon shop, a refund will be made.”

most 80 per cent of whom will be vaccinated by the end of June, continue to face Covid re‐ strictions on travel to and from the European Union ‐ despite the fact that the majority of EU citizens will also be vaccinated by the end of June.”

The controversial boss of Ryanair called for a “pragmatic travel policy” which permits vaccinated UK and EU citizens to travel between the UK and the EU without the need for quarantine or negative PCR tests.

“This will at least allow the UK tourism industry to plan for what is left of the summer sea‐ son and get hundreds of thou‐ sands of people back to work,” O’Leary added.

“It is time for Boris Johnson to end his gross mismanage‐ ment of Covid and the recovery from Covid, and take advantage of the UK’s successful vaccine programme to allow the restoration of free movement of vaccinated UK citizens and their families to and from the EU, where Covid case rates are lower than the UK and vaccina‐ tion rates are rising rapidly.”

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

During this lockdown, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde‐ pendent businesses in your area.

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

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

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

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

GO LOCAL

shopping in this way.

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

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

So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us revive that

community spirit and get to know our neighbours again.

You could also consider pur‐ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking out‐ side 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 on‐ line study course for someone looking to change their career path.

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

really make a difference in the recovery of the local economy.

When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways.

First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local econ‐ omy. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and invest in their em‐ ployees.

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

Money circulating through the local economy benefits ev‐ eryone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce. First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn pre‐ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The

farmer pays its local employees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hardware store.

This example illustrates how the recirculation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communi‐ ties. Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportuni‐ ties for people within our com‐ munity.

Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more employees over time. A fantas‐ tic example of how to support your local community is with a Charity Gift certificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause.

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

Removal of LGBTi flag

THE Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers has asked a judge to order the removal of an LGBTi flag raised by the Sevilla City Council on a round‐ about where the Andalucian flag normally flies and has warned the mayor, Juan Es‐

padas, that they will report it if he does not do so.

As reported in a statement, the legal organisation explains that it has asked a judge to adopt very precautionary mea‐ sures to remove the LGBTi flag located on Avenida de Andalu‐

Jobs At Renfe

RENFE hope to employ 305 new commercial operators. Ac‐ cording to the company, 17 of these jobs have been reserved for people with disabilities. The application process is open un‐ til June 25 and anyone wishing to apply must pay a €15 ‘partici‐ pation fee’.

All applicants need to be willing to work shifts and will also be ‘geographically mobile’. Renfe hope to find applicants who have knowledge of English, German, French and for those working in Catalonia, Catalan.

According to the company they hope to recruit ‘permanent staff’, and they aim to ‘promote gender balance, encouraging as much as possible the increase of the underrepresented gender within their staff’.

The application process is open now on the ‘Employment and Talent’ section of the Renfe website. Applicants are also encour‐ aged to check out the website for further new job possibilities with the company.

Anyone wishing to apply for the positions reserved for people with disabilities will need to have a ‘degree of disability equal to or greater than 33 per cent’.

cia and has compared this case with that of ‘the independence flags’ of Catalonia. They also warn Espadas, recently pro‐ claimed PSOE candidate for the presidency of the Junta de An‐ dalucia, that if he does not back down ‘they will study criminal actions’ against him.

The president of Abogados Cristianos, Polonia Castellanos, recalls that the Supreme Court “has been clear in establishing as a doctrine that only official flags can be raised to comply with the duty of neutrality of public administrations.” In this sense, it highlights several judgements of 2020 that ac‐ cepted the requests of Chris‐ tian Lawyers ‘in several cities, such as Valladolid or Zaragoza.’

The case of Sevilla, continues the president of the association, is ‘the same case’ as that of ‘the pro‐independence flags’.

He added, “an administra‐ tion cannot be allowed to place a flag that only represents a part of the citizenry. It is not ac‐ ceptable that public institu‐ tions are used to impose an ideology.”

NEWS

Nutri-Score Labelling NUTRI-SCORE labelling on food products could save thousands of lives in Spain each year, Minister of Con‐ sumer Affairs Alberto Gar‐ zon has said.

Speaking in Parliament on June 16, Garzon said, “Its implementation could reduce by 3.4 per cent the number of deaths caused by obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes or certain types of cancer.”

The Nutri‐Score, also known as the 5‐Colour Nu‐ trition label or 5‐CNL, is a nutritional rating system that was selected by the French government in March 2017 to be dis‐ played on food products after it was compared against several labels pro‐ posed by industry or retail‐ ers. It is based on the com‐ putation of a nutrient profiling system derived from the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency nu‐ trient profiling system.

A Nutri‐Score for a par‐ ticular food item is given in one of five classification letters, with ‘A’ being the best preferable score and ‘E’ being a worst. The cal‐ culation of the score in‐ volves seven different pa‐ rameters of nutrient information per 100 grams of food which are usually available on food packag‐ ing.

A high content of fruits and vegetables, fibres, pro‐ tein and healthy oils such as rapeseed, walnut and olive oils, produces a good score, while a high content of energy, sugar, saturated fatty acids, and sodium produces a bad score.

In addition to the gener‐ al calculation rules applied to most types of food, there are special rules for cheese, for ‘added fats’ ‐ fats that are meant as in‐ gredients, such as veg‐ etable oils or butter ‐ and for beverages.

EU laws do not allow countries to unilaterally impose their own food la‐ belling system, therefore they can only give recom‐ mendations.

NEWS

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24 - 30 June 2021

Stall Rising Electricity

ELECTRICITY prices have spiked yet again and Teresa Ribera, the vice‐prime minister and minister for Ecological

Transition has admitted that the Spanish government will “probably” have to implement temporary measures in a bid

Minimum wage increase

Racing will take place.

A REPORT by the Advisory Commission for the Analysis of the Minimum Wage presented on June 18, has suggested a 10 per cent hike to wages.

If approved, the increase could see the minimum wage in Spain rise from €950 per month to €1,045 per month.

The report was presented by the Ministry of Labour and So‐ cial Economy and Minister Yolanda Diaz will assess it.

The government will be under pressure to approve the pro‐ posed hike not only because they will face re‐election in 2023, but because of growing public anger against increasing expenses such as costly electricity bills.

However, earlier this month the Bank of Spain said the last minimum wage hike may have backfired and cost the country 180,000 jobs, as it impacted young people the most but barely workers over the age of 45.

to stall rising electricity prices.

This move could possibly in‐ volve taxes being suspended.

Ribera has not commented on which taxes could possibly be suspended but hinted when she commented that: “We have already done it and we will probably have to do it in the immediate future.”

In 2018 the government sus‐ pended the 7 per cent tax on the generation of electricity for a period of six months. They also disabled the ‘green cent’ which is intended for fossil fu‐ els that are used to generate electricity.

According to Ribera the gov‐ ernment has not ruled out the possibility of the suspension of: “some of the fiscal ele‐ ments, on an exceptional and provisional basis.”

The new tariff system has only been in force a few weeks now and has left many people confused on how to fit daily life around the new tariff, in a bid to save money.

Spain is currently hit with the most expensive electricity price in Europe.

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Spain Receives Billions SPAIN is set to receive €70bn in grants and €70bn in loans in the next five years from the EU over the next five years.

The Spanish economy shrank by 10.8 per cent in 2020 and the EU Recovery Fund is ear‐ marked to be distributed to the autonomous regions “quickly and fairly.”

Speaking at a joint press con‐ ference with the EU’s Ursula Von der Leyen in Madrid on June 16, President Pedro Sanchez said, “Our aim is to make sure that the recovery is quick and fair ‐ so that no re‐ gion and no generation is left behind ‐ and that we look to‐ wards the future. This is a na‐ tionwide plan; a plan that in‐ volves all of us. We have an enormous opportunity to mod‐ ernise our country for the gen‐ erations to come.

“The plans approved for Por‐ tugal and Spain open the door to a new way of cooperating together and responding to the challenges we face as soci‐ eties,” he added.

“These reforms, I’m deeply

Joint press conference.

convinced, will make Spain come out of the pandemic stronger than ever before. Next Generation EU is our unique chance to move forward into a more green, a more digital, a more sustainable society,” Von der Leyen said, noting that 40 per cent of the funds would be driven into the green transi‐ tion.

Harry May Not Attend Statue Unveiling ROYAL expert Duncan Larcombe has claimed that Harry may not attend the unveiling of the statue in honour of his late mother.

The statue is set to be unveiled on July 1, at Kensington Palace.

Mr Larcombe believes that Meghan Markle will not attend due to the fact that she has recently given birth to Lilibet.

Mr Larcombe emphasised the fact that for the Duke of Sussex London is a ‘trigger’. Prince Harry previously opened up about this in the Apple TV documentary series with Oprah Winfrey.

The series has caused much controversy recently for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan gave birth to Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana in early June and this provides the perfect reason for her to not return to the UK, for the statue unveiling. Mr Larcombe believes that Harry may not attend either as he is on paternity leave.

NEWS

More toll roads

A MONTH ago it was merely a rumour, however on Friday June 18, it finally become a re‐ ality: there will be tolls on mo‐ torways and possibly sec‐ ondary roads in Spain.

It was stated in the Recov‐ ery, Transformation and Re‐ silience Plan of Spain which was approved on Wednesday, June 16, that there will be a “payment for use of the high‐ capacity road network” in the report approved by the presi‐ dent of the European Commis‐ sion, Ursula von der Leyen, in the company of the President, Pedro Sanchez.

As reported in the Re‐ silience Plan of Spain, corre‐ sponding to point D on Sus‐ tainable Infrastructures, the following is stated: “Finally, it is necessary to develop a pay‐ ment system for use of the high‐capacity road network that allows us to cover main‐ tenance costs and integrate the negative externalities of road transport as in other in‐ frastructures.” That is, they ratify the implementation of

payment for use, or toll, on the busiest motorways, and justify it by means of the need

to be able to address the maintenance of the state’s road network in this way.

Honours granted

by King Felipe KING FELIPE VI granted last Friday, June 18, the Order of Civil Merit to 24 ‘exemplary citizens’ in recognition of their effort and selfless dedication ‘putting the common good before their own’, which has been extended to many oth‐ er compatriots who have also sacrificed for others during the pandemic. Among them was chef Miguel Herrera from Ronda, who during the pandemic led a volunteer pro‐ gramme to help the elderly and people who, due to those hard times were unable to have hot food.

The ceremony took place in the Royal Palace in the presence of Queen Letizia, the Princess of Asturias and one day before the seventh anniversary of the King’s as‐ cension to the throne, a day that states “its importance for our parliamentary monarchy, for our democracy, and ultimately, for Spain.

“Today is a day for the recognition and gratitude to the people who, with their daily work, their effort and their dedication, almost always in silence and without protago‐ nism, serve exemplarily the society of which they are part,” explained Don Felipe.

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Car confiscated

50th Anniversary

A NEW law in Denmark which allows for any car involved in a dangerous driving incident to be confiscated saw the owner of a Mazda lose her car after she lent it to her boyfriend who was clocked doing 108km/h in a 50 limit.

IT is now 50 years since the foundation Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) that sends medical aid to disaster areas, which grew out of the ideals of a group of newly qualified French doctors who wanted to help those in need around the world.

THE NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Animal deaths

In the air

DUTCH animal rights organisations have called for better fire safety on factory farms after two fires in June led to the death of thousands of animals as first 4,600 pigs were killed in a fire in Nederweert and then 220 calves died in a fire in Elspeet.

AFTER restructuring the organisation due to significant financial difficulties, Norwegian Air is back in business, concentrating initially on internal Scandinavian flights but then expanding to take in other parts of Europe including a number of Spanish destinations as well as London.

BELGIUM Refurbishment NINETY-FIVE pieces of furniture and other items from ‘Hotel le Palace’, once called “the best hotel in Brussels” by Maigret writer Georges Simenon, are being put up for auction as the 100-year-old property is due to be refurbished in a more modern style.

GERMANY Reckless stunt WHAT Greenpeace thought would be a great publicity stunt as a paraglider swept over the stadium in Munich as Germany were about to play France turned into a nightmare when the pilot lost control and made an emergency landing injuring two people in the process.

FINLAND Sustainability FOR the first time, Finland has taken the top spot in an index that tracks and compares the progress made by UN member states in achieving sustainable development goals. The annual report, from the UN and the Bertelsmann Foundation, reviews the performance of 165 countries.

SWEDEN Easier access PEOPLE who live in Sweden but commute on a daily basis to work in Norway are to be allowed to use the old Svinesund bridge (previously open only to Norwegian passport holders) to cross the border, provided that they have proof of residence and work.

24 - 30 June 2021

EWN 13

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Ethereum WHEN Elon Musk, owner of Tesla said that he would stop accepting cryptocurrency unless it had been mined using sustainable electricity, the bottom dropped out of the market, but now, Ethereum the number two currency has confirmed that it will consume 99.5 per cent less power.

Victorian Plumbing REASONABLY priced British supplier of bathrooms, Victorian Plumbing is to launch shares on the UK AIM market later this month at a price which is likely to value the company at £850 (€935) million, with the bulk of shares being sold by existing private shareholders.

Moroccan fallout

14

STAT OF WEEK

€136 million

ACCORDING to Sky News, supermarket group Mor‐ risons may become the sub‐ ject of a hostile takeover bid by mid‐July.

Within a few hours of Sky News revealing that it had received information that there was a potential takeover bid from US pri‐ vate equity group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice valuing the group at £5.5 (€6) billion, Morrisons issued the fol‐ lowing statement: “The board of Morrisons

evaluated the conditional proposal together with its financial adviser, Rothschild & Co, and unanimously con‐ cluded that the conditional proposal significantly un‐ dervalued Morrisons and its future prospects.

“Accordingly, the board rejected the conditional proposal on June 17, 2021.”

Following up on this in‐ formation, the Financial Times revealed that under the UK’s takeover rules, the private equity firm must

LEGALLY SPEAKING

90-day rule Yet again I think that the rule of 90‐day stay in Spain has been misinterpreted in recent press coverage and that a stay of 180 days is possible. I enclose the EU response to my question on the subject, and nowhere do I see a require‐ ment to leave the ‘Schengen area’ between 90‐day stays.

Would this not make it possible to unite two stays of 90 days, one at the end of 180 days and the other at the beginning of the next 180‐day period?

M B (e‐mail)

Halfords hike

You are right to ob‐ serve that nowhere YOU AND THE LAW in the complicated IN SPAIN EU response to your query does it specifically say that a person must leave the ‘Schengen area’ for 90 days. The Schengen area actually in‐ cludes the 26 EU countries. In the full set of 90‐day stay regu‐ lations issued by the EU, it is made clear that any person, EU or not, is limited to a tourist stay of 90 days in a 180‐day peri‐ od in any country not his own. After that period, he must leave the EU or, if he is a citizen of the EU, return to his home country for 90 days before he can return.

Tax fraud AS part of its submission to the European Commission when applying for funds from the Recovery Fund, the Spanish Government undertook to step up investigations into tax evasion and fraud. To do this, the Government will rely heavily on the use of new technology, coupled with an undertaking to employ more staff in the Tax Office which had dropped during the last 10 years.

It is expected that there will be nearly 6,000 new investigations during 2021 according to the Expansion news outlet, a number of which will concentrate on companies trading internationally.

is the value of the bid that Spanish construction company has made to win a contract to expand a subway line in Toronto, Canada.

Possible hostile takeover

SPAIN’S problem with its relationship with Morocco continues to escalate as the Moroccan Government has reportedly refused to renew the contract covering the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline, which brings Algerian gas through Morocco and on to Cordoba which was first signed 25 years ago.

HALFORDS has seen latest pretax profits jump by more than 70 per cent to £96 (€105) million thanks to a huge boost in customer interest in bicycle products as well as the e-bike and scooter market, where regular servicing is required as well as battery changes.

www.euroweeklynews.com • 24 - 30 June 2021

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.

DESPITE Spain’s questionable fi‐ nancial situation, Bank of Spain employees can enjoy a paid for summer break on the coast.

Last year the Bank issued a tender inviting travel agents to offer two and three bedroom ac‐ commodation across the country to be used for staff summer holi‐ days, but this was cancelled due to the pandemic and restriction

publicly announce full de‐ tails of its intended bid by July 17 or not progress the matter again for some time.

Morrisons’ senior man‐ agement were ‘under the cosh’ at a recent sharehold‐ er’s meeting when 70 per cent voted against pro‐ posed significant bonuses for a number of executives, even though profits were down last year despite ris‐ ing sales.

As the fourth largest su‐ permarket chain in the UK

with a large number of free‐ hold properties and the un‐ til recently highly successful Gibraltar branch (which is having difficulty in bringing in certain stock due to Brex‐ it), it appears a likely candi‐ date for takeover especially as it is supplying Amazon with products for its Prime Pantry service.

If nothing happens with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, gi‐ ants such as Amazon may just be ready to step in and make their own offer.

How to help someone who is grieving

Everyone grieves differently.

IF someone close to you is grieving over the loss of a loved one, it is often hard to know what to say and you may think that whatever you do, it won’t be ade‐ quate or helpful.

Here are some tips to help others deal with the loss of a loved one. ‐ What you may think is an uplifting comment is probably not helpful, and neither is humour. Your in‐ tentions may be good, but it can make the person feel that their pain is not valid.

‐ Don’t make them talk about how they feel if they don’t want to. ‐ Don’t get upset if they push you away. Give them space, but make sure they know you’re there if they need you.

Everyone grieves differ‐ ently and there is no set time frame for the grieving process. They will have bet‐ ter and worse moments, the most important thing you can do for them is offer your support whenever they need it.

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

Staff apartments on travel.

Nothing daunted, a similar ten‐ der was issued this year and ac‐ cording to a number of news sources including the Canadian News, four agencies will be shar‐ ing almost €1 million as they sup‐

ply some 100 apartments for use

by Bank of Spain staff this sum‐ mer.

Although cost was one of the main criteria, their employer wanted to ensure that staff would be able to enjoy similar standards

Cautious optimism THE Bank of Spain believes that activity will return to pre‐pandemic levels by the end of 2022 thanks to re‐ openings of businesses across the country that are supported by the much‐im‐ proved coronavirus figures.

The economic outlook for Spain is improving as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic eases. Declining coronavirus cases and deaths, coupled with a steady and successful vacci‐ nation drive, are stimulat‐ ing activity, consumption and public confidence.

As a result, the Bank of Spain has slightly raised its 2021 growth prospects for the Spanish economy from 6 per cent to 6.2 per cent and for next year, the fore‐ cast is being raised from 5.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent.

Cheaper internet THE National Commission for Markets and Competition (CN‐ MC) which is a Spanish Govern‐ ment body tasked with ensuring that consumers are protected wherever possible has made a decision which could make in‐ ternet connection cheaper.

It has decided that giant tech‐ nology company Telefónica will have to reduce the amount it charges to competitors for ac‐ cess to its underground con‐ duits, manholes and telegraph poles by 22 per cent.

If all goes to plan therefore, ri‐ val companies should pass on the bulk of the savings to their customers even though there will be a reduction in profits for Telefónica. to those they enjoy at home, so all properties had to have air condi‐ tioning, a swimming pool, decent views and be within 100 metres of a beach.

The Bank of Spain is of course 100 per cent state owned and therefore funded by the Spanish taxpayer, many of whom have been on furlough or out of work for as much as a year.

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COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.185,00 1.194,00 Admiral Group 3.165,9 3.221,0 Anglo American 2.716,5 2.728,7 Antofagasta 1.384,50 1.391,50 Ashtead Group 5.036,0 5.066,0 Associated British Foods 2.270,0 2.272,9 AstraZeneca 8.408,6 8.476,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 632,00 635,60 Avast 492,90 495,60 Aveva 3.590,0 3.600,0 Aviva 412,80 414,10 B&M European Value Retail SA546,80 550,80 BAE Systems 531,00 533,00 Bank VTB DRC 1,280 1,296 Barclays 170,76 171,70 Barratt Developments 706,20 711,60 Berkeley 4.559,0 4.567,0 BHP Group 2.005,00 2.015,00 BP 312,20 313,88 British American Tobacco 2.793,5 2.806,5 British Land Company 490,25 492,43 BT Group 196,85 199,00 Bunzl 2.355,0 2.359,0 Burberry Group 2.184,0 2.190,0 Carnival 1.710,0 1.727,2 Centrica 50,81 51,16 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.641,0 2.649,9 Compass 1.565,00 1.572,00 CRH 3.570,0 3.577,0 Croda Intl 7.082,0 7.126,0 DCC 5.906,0 5.940,0 Diageo 3.471,0 3.480,6 DS Smith 422,10 425,30 EasyJet 956,20 962,00 Experian 2.769,7 2.785,0 Ferguson 9.722,0 9.788,0 Flutter Entertainment 13.465,0 13.610,0 Fresnillo 819,80 825,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.414,81 1.425,40 Glencore 294,40 296,55 Halma 2.696,8 2.714,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.632,71 1.638,50 Hikma Pharma 2.368,00 2.385,97 HSBC 423,45 426,25 IAG 195,56 197,42 Imperial Brands 1.576,36 1.588,26 Informa 521,60 524,20 InterContinental 5.056,0 5.070,0 Intermediate Capital 2.135,00 2.153,00 Intertek 5.542,0 5.562,0

% CHG. 1.175,00 3.165,9 2.677,4 1.362,00 4.931,0 2.244,4 8.364,0 629,26 489,10 3.554,0 407,60 541,00 527,20 1,278 167,97 694,60 4.473,0 1.980,00 308,70 2.782,0 485,12 195,20 2.323,0 2.152,0 1.692,8 50,22 2.623,6 1.549,00 3.538,0 7.046,0 5.848,0 3.429,4 415,60 929,36 2.744,0 9.602,0 13.400,0 813,60 1.412,20 290,03 2.686,8 1.609,60 2.368,00 422,30 192,21 1.568,00 511,60 4.938,0 2.097,00 5.480,0

NET VOL 141,42K 19,09K 81,07K 21,64K 8,37K 14,32K 47,30K 64,90K 461,62K 16,12K 921,27K 269,67K 433,27K 218,71K 2,55M 639,23K 27,62K 730,68K 2,74M 221,47K 33,31K 4,35M 71,98K 31,27K 38,86K 451,80K 11,94K 233,11K 75,91K 13,47K 16,29K 27,87K 274,46K 304,35K 26,65K 40,99K 14,17K 77,78K 201,29K 4,04M 19,78K 8,62K 1,82K 335,61K 2,77M 47,17K 220,98K 32,17K 55,84K 29,88K

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

127,87 269,84 3.027,0 675,00 268,30 46,06 8.034,0 484,00 156,51 1.836,50 925,34 201,30 7.752,0 34,29 1.956,00 3.032,0 696,63 1.441,00 6.475,5 1.919,00 492,80 650,00 5.657,5 106,12 7,26 1.406,2 1.405,81 1.354,6 680,20 1.760,00 16,74 3.544,0 1.233,97 1.090,50 2.517,6 1.527,14 1.593,76 13.240,0 1.514,00 1.454,00 466,00 272,60 162,30 224,40 396,30 4.334,0 1.030,00 127,92 3.204,0 976,40

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

128,00 274,90 3.048,0 676,80 271,25 46,30 8.080,0 484,60 157,50 1.842,50 929,10 202,30 7.782,0 34,41 1.961,00 3.049,0 714,91 1.449,50 6.523,0 1.924,60 495,16 654,00 5.700,0 106,90 7,37 1.408,8 1.409,51 1.356,8 684,20 1.764,00 16,85 3.579,0 1.244,50 1.099,00 2.530,0 1.528,50 1.599,00 13.350,0 1.523,50 1.462,00 469,25 274,20 163,15 228,31 401,30 4.349,9 1.035,50 128,42 3.219,0 981,20

124,00 268,80 2.983,0 662,00 266,15 45,60 7.912,0 474,56 152,53 1.802,41 920,20 198,90 7.712,0 34,05 1.897,09 2.965,0 692,01 1.418,00 6.394,0 1.904,00 483,20 646,00 5.617,0 104,05 7,25 1.383,6 1.383,00 1.332,8 670,60 1.750,50 16,68 3.530,0 1.221,63 1.087,00 2.495,0 1.515,00 1.571,76 13.165,0 1.497,50 1.440,00 462,85 269,05 158,55 224,28 391,70 4.284,8 1.019,50 126,40 3.145,0 962,92

323,79K 1,26M 30,38K 150,64K 1,08M 19,30M 59,57K 14,77K 339,74K 16,69K 536,04K 1,03M 31,50K 76,50K 48,43K 46,57K 119,33K 63,38K 88,03K 26,56K 51,61K 132,60K 88,67K 4,70M 200,22K 773,90K 772,58K 182,50K 23,96K 2,09K 885,04K 27,86K 217,49K 105,43K 15,76K 49,68K 4,66K 8,50K 209,85K 137,89K 81,58K 110,49K 1,14M 1,46M 566,80K 41,50K 95,16K 7,35M 67,11K 59,49K

1.16335

0.85922

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.18875 Japan yen (JPY)......................................130.767 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0953 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4366 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.303

currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 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 21

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 191,60 2.511,35 3.486,90 238,68 130,46 237,35 208,86 103,03 52,07 53,77 329,66 348,83 302,61 212,50 143,12 55,67 161,98 147,92 229,62 76,61 259,43 128,41 132,03 242,78 623,31 389,37 55,82 230,41 135,17 172,42

CHANGE 193,57 2.527,78 3.507,00 241,00 131,51 239,31 211,81 106,27 52,84 54,62 336,15 358,38 303,83 215,29 144,68 56,75 164,19 149,70 232,89 77,22 262,30 129,03 133,35 246,01 628,35 392,66 56,31 232,18 136,39 173,86

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 191,53 5,05M 2.492,06 2,67M 3.473,71 5,25M 236,47 5,56M 130,24 108,95M 235,80 11,97M 205,50 7,16M 102,91 22,28M 51,88 35,76M 53,72 31,45M 329,00 23,04M 348,13 6,29M 298,40 8,79M 211,96 5,43M 143,04 9,16M 55,10 55,12M 161,79 12,99M 147,56 43,60M 228,82 4,41M 76,16 19,35M 258,75 37,20M 126,68 9,78M 131,94 14,00M 241,06 7,82M 611,80 24,56M 387,25 5,52M 55,57 38,21M 229,22 8,84M 134,40 14,94M 172,12 12,36M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J UNE 21

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced NVR Inc. 1.86% Cable One Inc. 3.94% Danaher Corp. 4.75% Mandatory Conv. Pfd. A 4.04% HubSpot Inc. 3.97% CAI International Inc. 46.88% Shopify Inc. Cl A 1.21% Fiverr International Ltd. 7.23% Generac Holdings Inc. 1.97% Texas Pacific Land Corp.

0.47% Twilio Inc. Cl A 1.84% Procore Technologies Inc. 7.33%

40.15K 97.60K 3,383 735.43K 9.447M 2.549M 1.211M 1.421M 109.76K 2.718M 699.92K

Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A -1.82% Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A -7.80% Markel Corp.

-2.61% BlackRock Inc. -3.23% Alleghany Corp.

-3.69% Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares -9.93% Mettler-Toledo International Inc. -1.11% Goldman Sachs Group Inc. -3.50% TransDigm Group Inc. -1.88% MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index 3X Leveraged ETN-7.36% Asbury Automotive Group Inc. -6.84%

1,903 371 106.74K 1.059M 235.29K 578.60K 464.08K 6.290M 354.86K 324.98K 280.68K

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Telefónica press centre

Artificial intelligence consortium is a first

NEW TECHNOLOGY: Telefónica is one of the main forces behind the consortium.

AS part of Spain’s concentra‐ tion on new technology, six Spanish corporations have cre‐ ated a data economy and arti‐ ficial intelligence consortium.

Repsol, Gestamp, Navantia, Técnicas Reunidas, Telefónica, and Microsoft have joined forces to create IndesIA, the first consortium of its kind in the Spanish industrial sector.

Focused on Spain with a Eu‐ ropean outlook, the consor‐ tium aims to take on more companies and integrate dif‐ ferent business sectors.

IndesIA is a catalyst project whose goal is to position Spain as a leader in data and artifi‐ cial intelligence applications for industry, while also stimu‐ lating a new economy to spark growth at the national level.

The Spanish industrial sec‐ tor currently faces a number of important challenges. The need to become more com‐ petitive through automation and optimisation of industrial processes stands out among

these, as does improving sus‐ tainability through energy effi‐ ciency, developing new mate‐ rials with lower environmental impact, and following through the commitment to the circu‐ lar economy.

The new consortium ‐ which draws on the support and ex‐ perience of the leading organi‐ zations in this field, such as the Basque Artificial Intelligence Centre (BAIC) ‐ is also focused on working to galvanise em‐ ployment and bridge the train‐ ing gap in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engi‐ neering, and mathematics) to create new high‐skill jobs, while also mobilising the at‐ traction and retention of tech talent in Spain.

Data processing will be car‐ ried out in strict adherence with EU data protection and sovereignty principles. This in‐ cludes facilitating mechanisms for data owners to control where data is stored, who has access, and what type of pro‐

President Moon visit THE South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a major annual economic forum in Spain and addressing the inaugural dinner of the three-day event in Barcelona, Moon proposed that the two countries spearhead preparations for the post-coronavirus era via a win-win approach.

During the meeting, Sánchez and Moon Jae-in have shown their harmony on the vision of how to face the great global challenges with renewable energies, technological innovation, the digitisation of the economy and protecting the planet.

Both politicians inaugurated a Spanish-South Korean business forum focused on opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the green and digital economy.

cessing can be performed.

The consortium is also working with public and pri‐ vate universities to strengthen employability through up‐ skilling and reskilling for em‐ ployees in STEM disciplines, with a special focus on artifi‐ cial intelligence.

BUSINESS EXTRA Ever Given WHILST it was assumed that the unblocking of the Suez Canal would mean that all would go smoothly from then on, owners of the 180,000+ containers on board are still without their products as the ship is caught up in a legal battle with the Egyptian authorities.

Export boost MORE than 100,000 containers were exported from the docks of Valencia in May, a figure that represents an increase of 50 per cent compared to last year, and 12.26 per cent per compared to 2019, a year not affected by Covid-19 according to PortSEurope.

ASDA deal EVEN though an in principle deal was struck between owners Walmart and the Issa brothers to take over ASDA last October, it is only now that the UK competition regulator has confirmed that the €7.3 billion deal may go ahead if the Issa’s sell 27 petrol stations.

24 - 30 June 2021

EWN 17

18 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 - 30 June 2021

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT ‘THE clapping from the fans is now louder than the booing’; triumphantly declare the supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Well bully for them I say.

What this reaction does in fact reveal is that this shadowy organisation is managing to cause more division and disruption among the public than ever. It’s the oldest Marxist trick in the book ‐ divide and conquer.

Setting half the public against the other, or having one team taking the knee whilst the opposing side abstains, is not helping diversity and integration; it is creating gulfs so wide it is feeding the seeds of animosity like never before.

Take one example of the damage the ‘woke’ influence and attitude is having on the general populace.

A few years ago UK teams were fined a total of some £80,000 for displaying the poppy on Remembrance Day. At the time they were told that FIFA policies decreed that no political, religious or

More division

FANS CLAPPING: Is now louder than the booing - bully for them! commercial messages could be displayed on the field.

How much hostility do you think is being generated among the already beleaguered public when they see players taking the knee and openly displaying BLM propaganda on their

shirts? Have no doubt; this is a dangerous organisation taking advantage of people’s high emotional state to bring its ideologies to bear.

Don’t take my word for it.

According to the New York Post, in a recently surfaced video, BLM’s co‐

founder Patrisse Cullors stated that she and her fellow organisers are ‘trained Marxists’. It was also reported that Cullors (36) was the protégé of Eric Mann, former agitator of the ‘Weather’ underground domestic terror organisation, and spent years absorbing the Marxist‐ Leninist ideology that has subsequently shaped her world view!

The BLM movement also advocates a guaranteed minimum income for all black people, free health care, free schooling, free food, free real estate, free gender reassignment surgery and free abortion (already disproportionately high among African American women ‐ but apparently unborn black lives don’t actually matter to the BLM!) They also want to abolish any plans for new jails, a defunding of the police and a global liberation movement which will overturn imperialism and capitalism! Basically they want it all.

Do you think Mr Southgate has any knowledge of these aims when he

FEATURE

instructs his players to take the knee before international matches?

Which brings me neatly to last week’s ‘faux pas’ when I had a senior moment and inadvertently referred to England’s manager as Gary Neville instead of Gareth Southgate. Neville was of course assistant manager from 2012 to 2016. But oh how the nasty negatives loved it! I could hear the gleeful rubbing of hands from here.

Don’t worry you ‘orrible lot; slips of this nature occur in the best of publications. Many thanks to those who took it all in good spirits, even those who jibed me (some unmercifully!). Perhaps this usually silent majority can also answer me one puzzling question; just why are most of the lefties such a nasty bunch?

Sorry I can’t reply to all your letters, but I do take oodles of pleasure in reading every one.

Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. Wed. Fri. 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.

20 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

24 - 30 June 2021

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

R E C E N T LY I read somewhere that the terms ‘top set’ and ‘bottom set’ in schools should be replaced with descriptions less demoralising for those who find them‐ selves dumped in the ‘bottom’ one.

But children aren’t daft, they soon see through well‐meaning contrivances like the following ones. At the primary school where a friend taught, the tables were all named after flowers. But that didn’t stop one six‐year‐old throwing a wobbly be‐ cause “I don’t want to be on ‘Stupid Table’.” Call it ‘Daisy Table’ all you like, she wasn’t fooled.

Another school split the ‘bottom set’ into two. One half had all the students who were not very, um, ‘gifted’ and the other had all those with ‘behavioural’ problems.

The two sets were called Flora and Fauna.

In yet another school, the streaming was: A) Smart or at least understands exam technique. B) Needs to try harder and knows it. C) Not smart but doesn’t care, just wants to leave school ASAP and make a

FEATURE

NEVER TRY FOOLING KIDS! by students 1‐Nuts and 2‐Nuts. To get around this, the school changed the classes to 1‐P and 2‐P, which swiftly became known as 1‐Peanuts and 2‐Peanuts.

In my aunt’s school they had a ‘Gifted and Talented’ set. I always wondered what that made the others feel like.

Another friend had Super Table, Top Table, Middle Table and Bottom Table.

Wasn’t great for motivation, but wonderful for teasing. Still, one guy from Bottom Table is now a QC and another runs one of the UK’s biggest companies. Beat that!

SPLITTING CLASSES: Children aren’t daft and soon see things as they really are. few quid. And not have to wear a poncey blazer and tie ever again.

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.

Decades ago in my own junior school in Malta (Verdala, since you ask ‐ and if any‐ one was there too, do let me know!) the

‘Houses’ were named after local luminaries but we kids knew what that was about too.

I was in White House, but had to wear a yellow sash (don’t ask!).

My uncle’s school had the bottom two classes named 1‐N and 2‐N, rapidly called

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

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

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

TRAVEL GUIDE

Sevilla: A friendly city that has it all

SEVILLA just about has it all. Yet the city man‐ ages to retain a likeable modesty: it’s grand but not flashy, modern but full of history, diverse but traditional.

And Spain’s fourth largest city ‐ which is also the capital of Andalucia ‐ is home to three UN‐ ESCO World Heritage Sites.

That is probably part of the reason why it has named ‘Best City to Travel’ in the past by the Lonely Planet.

Originally a Roman settlement, it has histori‐ cal charm by the bucket load.

Later influenced by Moors, Castillians and Muslims, the points of interest in the city are hugely diverse.

The Cathedral, Torre Giralda, Plaza de Espana and historical centre are good places to start for antique architecture buffs and pretty‐city strollers.

Torre Giralda, the bell tower, is particularly quaint and pleasing on the eye ‐ much like the Royal Tobacco Factory.

Christopher Columbus is also buried in the city.

Fountains, cobbled streets, greenery and white buildings make up most of the river city’s scenery and ‐ alongside aristocratic mansions ‐ provide some insight into why the place was one of the Moorish empire’s showpiece settlements.

On a more modern note, the Metropol Para‐ sol (Las Setas) is the world’s largest wooden

structure. The slightly bizarre monument ar‐ guably looks most impressive at night from the walking platform.

Around that time, flamenco dancing, and Spanish restaurant culture make for vibrant but relaxed and friendly districts.

There is more than a hint of party atmo‐ sphere, though, indeed, the city’s festivals and crowded bars are considered some of the coun‐ try’s best.

For tourists, the Alcazar of Sevilla is an obvious highlight. Drawing on the city’s medieval Islamic heritage, the stunning building, gardens and fur‐ nishing are an intriguing blend of Christian and Moorish architecture. It is not one to miss.

The city can be sweltering in summer but is on the warm side of perfect for most of the year, so many are glad of the shade from imposing buildings.

Balmy evenings make the tapas scene even more attractive. Local favourites include various seafood dishes, grilled and stewed meats, lamb kidneys in sherry sauce and spinach with chick‐ peas. A ‘Serranito,’ meanwhile, is Sevilla’s an‐ swer to fast food: a warm sandwich with grilled meat, traditional ham, green pepper, tomato and sauce.

Fuelled by the tasty lunchtime treat, sight‐ seers can tick off the main attractions in a few days, especially with a bike in one of the many cycle‐friendly routes.

FEATURE

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24 - 30 June 2021

EWN 21

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FEATURE

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DAVID WORBOYS SEVENTY years ago, when football was still the beautiful game, it was known in England as soccer (Association Football) to distinguish it from rugger (Rugby Football). The player at outside right wore a number 7 on his shirt and was known as a right‐winger, the most fa‐ mous of whom was Stanley Matthews.

Today, ‘right‐winger’ at its extreme has a more sinister meaning.

After the Second World War, with extreme right‐wing aspirations defeat‐ ed, there was a move in the west from nationalism towards socialism. Com‐ munist support rose in France and Italy, but this would not solve any‐ thing. It was social democracy, as epit‐ omised by the Swedes’ implementa‐ tion of a mixed economy and social justice, that pointed the way.

In a few decades, the underprivi‐ leged began to find hope. They could increasingly participate in the develop‐ ing wealth created ironically by capital‐ ism. Wealth and income became more evenly divided. New opportuni‐ ties and experiences opened up and fewer people were left behind.

24 - 30 June 2021

OUTSIDE RIGHT

STANLEY MATTHEWS: Played outside right with number 7.

This century, in many countries, the gulf between rich and poor has widened considerably. Public services, including education and health, have been reduced in favour of private out‐ sourcing, while tax systems are de‐ signed to benefit the super‐rich and the privileged at the expense of the disad‐ vantaged.

FRANCO: An outside right dictator.

The principles of socialism are recog‐ nition that those born with privileges (mental and physical fitness, as well as silver spoons) should support those lacking in opportunities. It is, by defini‐ tion, left‐wing. Well into the new cen‐ tury, it has become fashionable to dis‐ parage any form of socialism. Anybody trying for social change is disdainfully

dismissed as a ‘leftie’. But, although a controlled economy produces less wealth in the long run, it attempts to distribute it more fairly.

Of course, the right stands for a capitalist, free market economy which generates wealth. In principle it means more wealth for all, but in practice it produces wealth mainly for

EWN 23

the privileged. Not an ideal solution.

But it’s the extreme (or outside) right that can cause so much injustice as it seeks to discourage, hold back ‐ or even eliminate ‐ individuals and coun‐ tries that it considers inferior under‐ performers.

During my lifetime, the outside right has brought us nationalism with Hitler, Franco, Daesh and the Trump‐era Re‐ publicans. Terrified of any form of so‐ cialism, quite apart from communism, the USA has befriended and supported such tyrants and oppressors as Batista, the Shah of Iran, Ariel Sharon, Pinochet, Netanyahu and Prince Mo‐ hammed bin Salman. It seems that the USA equates any form of socialism with the communist autocracies from Stalin and Mao to Putin and Xi Jinping.

In 1965, Stanley Matthews managed Port Vale for no salary. For many years he spent his summers freely coaching children in various African countries.

He later established an all‐black team of impoverished boys in Apartheid‐rid‐ dled South Africa. Not exactly the ac‐ tions of an outside right.

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.

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29

PETS

Do you have pets who need a sitter this summer?

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

Perhaps you are already mak‐ ing 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 be‐ hind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philos‐ ophy is that we are all in this to‐ gether. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeown‐ er on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐ count (£89 per year) to en‐ sure you can help online

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

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ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack WE’RE used to manufactur‐ ers launching specification changes and styling tweaks, but Vauxhall has gone somewhat further with their latest Mokka.

It’s so different that dur‐ ing my week’s test I had two previous generation Mokka owners asking me what I was driving. In a way that’s not surprising, be‐ cause one of the

24 - 30 June 2021

EWN 31

The Latest Vauxhall Mokka things lacking on the new Mokka is the name Vaux‐ hall. There’s the Griffin badge but trying to find the word Vauxhall is a harder task, it’s nestled in small script on the Griffin badges.

My SRi Premium model was finished in metallic grey with black trim and a red flash above the windows,

making it a head turner for all the right reasons. The in‐ terior is equally adventur‐ ous with a modern look and judicious use of highlights to remove any trace of styling sobriety.

There’s generous use of piano black on the dash and centre console, which makes me wonder about longer term dura‐ bility when keys

and rings are in close con‐ tact over a period of time.

There’s the inevitable digi‐ talisation with few buttons, but it’s far from the worst I have encountered, even so ‘bring back buttons!’

One issue I found in ex‐ tremely hot weather was a lack of decent ventilation due to a dearth of vents and poor positioning. The centre vent is too low down to di‐ rect cool air to your face.

This results in having the fan on a higher setting with resultant noise to t h e

otherwise refined cabin.

On the road the 1.2‐litre, three‐cylinder petrol engine has plenty of get‐up‐and‐go and produces a lovely thrumming noise under hard acceleration. The eight‐ speed automatic gears are smooth and quick to react, and there are flappy paddles on the steering wheel when you fancy pretending you’re an SUV F1 racer.

There’s commendably little body roll and the ride com‐ fort is good even over the roughest roads. While interi‐ or space is not at all bad, the boot errs on the small side

but remains capacious enough for most owners.

The Mokka endeared it‐ self very quickly, the over excited lawn mower sound‐ track under hard accelera‐ tion, the modern looks, ex‐ cellent equipment and driving experience. It stands out as something different to the usual compact SUV crowd. It’s a good job as al‐ though the range starts at €24,169 (£20,740) my SRi Premium weighs in at €31,994 (£27,455) and there’s plenty of competi‐ tion, not least from the likes of Toyota and Peugeot.

Facts at a Glance Model: Vauxhall Mokka SRI Nav Premium Engine: 1.2-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol Gears: 8-speed automatic Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) Petrol 9.2 secs Maximum Speed Petrol 191 kph (124 mph) Economy: Petrol 5.9 l/100km (47.9 mpg) WLTP Emissions: 137 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

Something different.

Full Speed Cameras In Use AS summer in Spain officially be‐ gan on June 21, many people will go on some sort of holiday, some will travel by boat, others by plane, others by train, but the majority will do so by road, in a car or motorcycle, and they are the ones who need to be aware that the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has guaranteed that this summer they will be out in force monitoring the roads, with a full arsenal of speed cameras in operation.

The DGT has reminded road users that it controls the speed on the road through different meth‐ ods and devices, in different loca‐ tions: gantries, posts, side cabins, vehicles, tripods, and the reason is

they say, ‘Because speed brings fines.’

With the DGT controlling the roads so strictly, it is well worth being aware of the type of radar equipment they have available, so here is some information, with their descriptions as given by the DGT in its magazine.

Portable: The DGT explains, “These devices are usually radars themselves: an antenna emits a signal, this ‘bounces’ against the moving vehicle and returns to the antenna. The variation produced in the frequency of the wave al‐ lows the radar to calculate the speed of the vehicle at that mo‐ ment. They are automatic equip‐ ment, they do not require an op‐

erator.”

Posts: “Most of them are of the radar type, but there are also the laser type. Located on the side of the road.”

Side Cabins: “They can be radars and laser kinemometers. The lat‐ ter ‘shoot’ several beams of light transverse to the road. When a moving vehicle interrupts them, the device calculates its speed.”

Vehicles: “Installed in patrol ve‐ hicles, they are operated by offi‐ cers of the Guardia Civil Traffic Group and the Local Police, and can be used both in static and in motion,” and these of course are the type that can be where you least expect them!

Tripod: “Located on the side of

SPEED CHECKS: The DGT will be monitoring the roads. the road and operated by offi‐ cers.”

Average Speed: “They consist of two or more artificial vision cam‐

eras that calculate the average speed of the vehicle throughout the section. Currently there are 62 section radars operating.”

SPORT

32

24 - 30 June 2021

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BENALMADENA TAKE THE INITIATIVE

THE collapse of Danish foot‐ baller Christian Erickson while playing football is still fresh in people’s minds. Be‐ nalmadena Walking Foot‐ ball player Martyn Heath decided to put his profes‐ sional skills to good use.

Martyn is an Operating Theatre Practitioner at the University Hospital Coven‐ try. Before going back to work after a spell of relax‐ ation on the Costa in agree‐ ment with the Benalmade‐ na Coordinator, he agreed to show all players at ses‐ sions, taking six at a time, how to carry out CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

With all walking foot‐ ballers over 50 years of age, (the oldest walking foot‐ baller on the Costa is 81) those taking part thought this was a very useful exer‐ cise and learning point and it was deemed a great success.

Practice sessions would con‐ tinue from time to time.

FLURRY OF FRIENDLIES. Calahonda made the jour‐ ney to Viñuela on Wednes‐ day June 16 and while it was not a good day results wise, all who were on the trip agreed it was an enjoy‐ able outing.

The mixed age game was one of these ‘games of two halves’. Viñuela dominated the first half taking a 2‐0 lead. A team shuffle, two substitutions and it was the Greens dominating. Two su‐ perb goals from Tony Hagi and Charles brought Cala‐ honda right back in the game. Only an unfortunate defensive error allowed the home side to snatch a late winner. Most agreed Cala‐ honda deserved at least a draw.

The Calahonda Over 70s team facing a ‘younger’ Viñuela seniors team took the lead on half time with a well taken penalty resulting from the experimental four

USEFUL EXERCISE: CPR students with Martyn Heath, the instructor. fouls against a team is a penalty. The home side came back strongly in the second half to win comfort‐ ably 5‐1.

Special mention to stand‐ in referee Ian Flynn, who earned the accolades of both teams for his excellent

fair, but firm performance.

The Walking Dead made a rare journey away from their Calahonda base with a visit to Nerja on Saturday June 19. With the A team winning 8‐3 and the B team winning 5‐1, it was a suc‐ cessful outing. Match Re‐

ports in next week’s Euro Weekly News.

The next friendlies to be played were... Walking Dead v Malaga, Wednesday June 30, Kick Off 6.30pm at Finca Naundrup. This was expected to be an intrigu‐ ing match between the two

old rivals and both expect‐ ed to be challengers for the League Title.

And finally the ‘Do for Della’ postponed from June 8 will now take place on Fri‐ day July 2 from 6pm until late.

Benalmadena Ladies’ two teams will compete with Viñuela Ladies while Cala‐ honda Over 70s’ team will play a Benalmadena Se‐ niors side and Malaga will play a League Seniors Se‐ lect.

At the conclusion of the football a Disco will enter‐ tain until close at 11.30pm.

Proceeds of a raffle, a Chelsea Special 2012 Cup Double Jersey auctioned and players’ donations will go to Benalmadena woman Della Hall who is seriously ill with Motor Nueron Dis‐ ease.

Spectators welcome, en‐ try free, donations appreci‐ ated.