Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 19 - 25 August 2021 Issue 1885

News

The people’s paper Issue No. 1885 19 - 25 August 2021

Fire alert

LIFE’S A BEACH Photo credit: Torrevieja town hall

THE Crevillent fire brigade, called out to extinguish a scrub fire adjoining Calle Santa Agueda in Catral, also received backup from a Provincial Fire Consortium helicopter to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby houses.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Life-savers A ONE-YEAR-OLD who choked on an ice cube was saved by Red Cross lifeguards on Santa Pola’s Calas del Este beach who had to perform 16 Heimlich manoeuvre thrusts before the child expelled the obstruction.

Forever homes A TOTAL of 339 animals were abandoned in Alicante City during the first seven months of this year although the Animal Protection Society has also managed to find homes for 176 dogs and 31 cats.

Big spenders RUSSIANS and the Chinese lead the recovery in sales of luxury goods in Alicante Province, spending up to €12,000 at a time on jewellery and exclusive brands of clothing, shoes and handbags.

ALL MOD-CONS: Torrevieja’s canine beach has agility games and a shower.

TORREVIEJA’S dogs‐allowed beach at Cala del Rocio now has everything dogs, and their owners, could wish for.

This includes a special ca‐ nine shower as well as a platform with agility games, although the beach located on the southern section of the Torrevieja coast is also open to all those wanting to use it.

The new features were

made possible thanks to a joint initiative by the town hall’s Animal Protection and Beaches departments, which between them received a €6,000 budget to make the beach more dog‐friendly.

Concha Sala and Antonio Vidal, respective Animal Protection and Beaches councillors, recently visited Cala del Rocio to inspect the new equipment where they

were soon congratulated by the many dog‐owners who were already using the beach.

“It was a pleasure to take in the friendly atmosphere on the beach where owners and their dogs have been given priority,” said the councillors.

“We shall also continue to increase the services at Cala del Rocio,” they revealed.

FREE • GRATIS

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19 - 25 August 2021

NEWS

‘Lady of Elche’ CARLES MULET, the Senator of Compromis, has made known his intention to demand from Miquel Iceta, the new Spanish Minister of Culture, the definitive return of the statue of the ‘Lady of Elche’, the Archaeological Museum of Madrid, to the Alicante municipality, so that, as he says, the desire of the residents of Elche becomes a reality.

This limestone bust was discovered on an archaeological site on a private estate in La Al-

cudia, two kilometres south of Elche, in 1897, and this year is the 125th anniversary of the historic find, generally known as an Iberian artefact from the fourth century BC, although the artisanship also suggests strong Hellenistic influences, and is currently exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain in Madrid.

Mulet has pointed out that any assignment of the Lady of Elche that is not final, is a ‘prejudice’ for Elche, its economy, and heritage, and in a

Violent robber arrested NATIONAL POLICE officers of Elche have arrested a 34year-old man suspected of being the alleged perpetrator of several robberies with violence and intimidation that occurred in the town.

As explained by the police in a statement, a special operation ensued to find out who was responsible for several robberies with violence, during which the aggressor had placed a knife to threaten to cut the throats of his victims, and thus, get them to hand over their valuables to him, with the individual not hesitating to cause injuries to his victims if they resisted.

His modus operandi used to carry out the robberies was similar, and so the investigators focused their operation on just one person since all the physical characteristics provided by the complainants also coincided. Together with the fact that the statements from the injured were that he always requested money, and mobile phones, more facts that each crime had in common, with his victims all reporting that the aggressor left the scene on a motorcycle.

The detainee, who already had a police record for a criminal act of the same nature, was placed at the disposal of the Investigating Court of the Guardia de Elche.

statement, insisting that Iceta and the PSOE have in ‘La Dama’ a “golden opportunity to declare once and for all their commitment to Culture and decentralisation,” adding that concentrating assets in the capital “is not the best cultural policy for explaining the Iberian world.”

Adding, “There is life beyond the M-30, the National Archaeological Museum would work perfectly with a replica, and Elche is a city mature enough to manage its heritage.”

Alicante suffers rare tsunami AFTER a sudden drop in air pressure on August 12, a meteorological tsunami occurred in Santa Pola, Alicante.

The rise in the tide, which was around 1 metre high, flooded the Playa Lisa area and caused damage to the fishing boats moored in the port of Alicante.

The Santa Pola Council said that the phenomenon took place shortly before 3am: “We have suffered a rise, approximately one metre, and a sharp drop in sea level in a very short time,” they detailed, which flooded “the beaches in the Playa Lisa area, overflowing into the street.”

The meteotsunami, as it is also known, has caused ‘damage to several fishing vessels, caused by collisions between some of them’, which they say is ‘another hard blow’ for their fishing sector.

Aemet, the meteorological agency, reported that this kind of situation isn’t new, however, it can be said that it is a ‘rare maritime phenomenon’.

The high waves are due to gravitational waves that make variations in atmospheric pressure at sea level.

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NIBS EXTRA Segura grant ORIHUELA City Hall received a €403,706 grant from the provincial council to renovate the banks of the River Segura inside the city centre. The Diputacion cash will cover the entire cost of improving this section of the river between the Levante bridge and the Principe de Asturias bridge.

Sorry state THE 18th century Casa de Los Balcones, responsible for the Torrevieja district’s name is on the Red Heritage List owing to its ruinous state. Although protected in Torrevieja’s PGOU town plan, its private owners would prefer to demolish it and have taken legal action to avert compulsory purchase.

Quiet night OWING to the pandemic, Elche City Hall once again suspended the traditional Nit de l’Alba on August 13 which is traditionally a night of organised and individual fireworks. Despite the cancellation Elche’s Local Police issued 96 fines for drinking on the street and 18 for letting off firecrackers.

No plans ELCHE entrepreneurs based in the city’s Business Park have been asking since 2017 for a direct A-70 motorway link. They have now learnt, following a Questions and Answers session in the national parliament, that no request has ever been received “and there are no plans for a connection.”

In disguise ALICANTE City’s Guardia Civil arrested a 33-year-old Ukrainian accused of burgling several homes in a Torrevieja residential area. Investigators tracked him down after scrutinising CCTV footage and discovering that he had been present, wearing a boilersuit and looking like a workman, each time that a robbery was reported.

Shut up THE PSOE opposition on Alicante City Council claimed that unmaintained green spaces and gardens were responsible for increased electricity consumption at night. Families were having to close windows and balcony doors and use air-conditioning instead of natural ventilation, rather than risk invasion from “mosquitos, cockroaches and other insects.”

19 - 25 August 2021

Very early inhabitants GROUPS of 25 visitors were shown round at Alcoy’s El Salt archaeological site at last Sunday’s Open Day. El Salt, inhabited 60,000 years ago, is protected by a huge cliff of travertine rock that is of geological interest in itself, regardless of Alcoy’s earliest inhabitants, guides explained.

The groups learnt more about the environment in Alcoy’s valleys at that time and could see firsthand the finds from ongoing excavations that have provided valuable information about the hunter-gatherers who left behind well-preserved firepits and flint tools.

Photo credit: Alcoy city hall

OPEN DAY: Successive groups of 25 people were shown round the El Salt site in Alcoy.

Decades of intense research at El Salt has also revealed that as the

A VEGA BAJA developer has applied to the regional government for authorisation to install a solar power plant in Almoradi.

The same company has also had to ask for permission to install the plant’s under‐ ground cables as these could affect the Co‐ lada de Catral, an ancient cattle‐droving trail.

The €9.17 million project’s 69,000 solar panels would occupy 54.6 hectares of agri‐ cultural land generating a peak power of 31.74 megawatts, revealed sources quoted in the Spanish media.

Padron push SANTA POLA wants to increase the number of residents registered on the local Padron.

It is doing so by pointing out in both Spanish and English the advantages to residents. Services and infrastruc‐ ture will improve, because the alloca‐ tions from the central government are based on the number on regis‐ tered residents, the town hall ex‐ plained.

Residents, too, will benefit by being able to access the health system and all levels of Spain’s education system as well as social services.

At the same time, Santa Pola Town Hall has reminded residents, once again in English and Spanish, that the Diputacion provincial council has made a €2,165 grant for projects, pro‐ grammes and activities relating to in‐ ternational residents, expanding the activities and services available from the Community Social Centre office.

These will focus on in‐person or on‐ line workshops (depending on the evolution of the pandemic) in Santa Pola itself and Gran Alacant.

Some of these will be carried out at the Jose Antonio Alemañ sports cen‐ tre and others at the Playa Lisa and Tamarit municipal offices.

climate changed, these early humans began to leave El Salt around

Another Vega Baja Owing to legal and economic considera‐ tions, the plant would be divided into two adjoining installations sharing the same sub‐ station and power lines, according to the En‐ vironmental Impact study that has now been submitted to the regional govern‐ ment’s Sustainable Economy department.

45,000 years ago and had disappeared entirely 2,000 years later.

The Almoradi plant, one of several planned for the area, would be of intermedi‐ ate size like that of Catral ‐ which is now functioning ‐ together with others in Callosa and Dolores, which are smaller. Meanwhile, proposals for two huge solar plants planned on Sierra Escalona are meeting opposition from two environmentalist groups, the Ami‐ gos de Sierra Escalona (ASE) and the Friends of the South Alicante Wetlands (AHSA).

“We believe this will have a negative im‐ pact on the landscape and environment,” said ASE president Miguel Angel Pavon.

Drone to the rescue A DRONE now patrols the Guardamar beaches, complementing the Red Cross lifesaving service.

Guardamar is one of 10 Valencian Community resorts taking part in the regional government’s pi‐ lot scheme to reduce the number of drownings.

The drones work closely with the public safety, maritime rescue and lifesaving services, providing backup in bathing zones and, for instance, drop‐ ping lifebelts to swimmers in difficulties. The Guardamar zone is based in the Playa Centro

where the municipality’s mayor, Jose Luis Saez, ac‐ companied by the Jose Maria Angel Batalla, re‐ gional secretary for Public Safety and Emergencies, saw the drone put through its paces for the first time. Guardamar has 11 kilometres of beaches that are visited by up to 200,000 people each day in the summer. “Drones are important and people will be glad to see ours on the beach Saez said.

“But I hope that we don’t have to use it very of‐ ten,” he added.

Suggestion time TORREVIEJA residents have until August 27 to submit suggestions for the 2022 Participatory Budget.

Entitled, ‘You propose, your town hall does it,’ all residents who are aged over 16 and are registered on the municipal Padron as well as local groups, associ‐ ations and professional bodies are asked to put for‐ ward their ideas. Sugges‐ tions should be “in the pub‐ lic interest, linked to the town or a district” but nei‐ ther “illegal, slanderous nor

discriminatory” explained Torrevieja’s Innovation and Finance councillors, Ricardo Recuero and Domingo Paredes. They should be presented to the www.tor revieja.es website, under the Presupuestos Participa‐ tivos 2022 tab.

All the proposals will be made public and later as‐ sessed to decide which are workable and which are not, the councillors said.

Once studied, a list of the most‐requested will be put to a public vote.

Reducing the fire risk LAST weekend, as temperatures shot up, Pilar de la Horadada Town Hall coordinat‐ ed a fire‐prevention operation in wooded areas. Mayor Jose Maria Perez Sanchez called an emergency meeting of the Local Government Operational Coordination Centre (CECOPAL) attended by councillors and the respective chiefs of the Local Po‐ lice and Proteccion Civil as well as repre‐ sentatives from the Fire Brigade Consor‐ tium. Watch was then kept over Pilar de la Horadada’s 30 kilometres of wooded areas as well as the Seco and Nacimiento rivers and zones adjoining Sierra Escalona.

Perez Sanchez called on “collective re‐ sponsibility” from members of the public when near woodland andwhere the for‐ est areas overlapped with urban gardens.

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Orihuela takes on Catalonia O R I H U E L A City Hall gave Catalonia a threemonth deadline to return a 14th century volume belonging to the municipality.

The Llibre dels Repartiments, which sets out local land divisions and boundaries at that time, is in the keeping of the Library of Catalonia.

Orihuela mayor Emilio Bascuñana signed a document on August 11, addressed to Catalonia’s regional president, Pere Aragones, quoting historic proof that the Llibre dels Repartiments, an early land registry, belongs to the city.

It was stolen from Orihuela between 1907 and 1908 and bought from a Catalan bookseller in the early 1920s

by Barcelona’s Diputacion council. The purchasers were “almost certainly aware of its illicit origin,” according to Bascuñana’s document.

The three months will not be extended, Bascuñana warned, and should the Catalan authorities fail to return the volume, Orihuela Town Hall will start legal proceedings.

The Llibre dels Repartiments relates the constitution and setting up of the Orihuela that emerged after the Reconquest and it could also be considered a constitutional act of its heir, presentday Orihuela, Bascuña said.

“This book is of great patrimonial value, together with the Libro de Privilegios, kept in the municipal archive, and our glorious Oriol Flag, the symbols of Orihuela’s identity,” the mayor declared.

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Our readers are finding the weather too hot to handle SEVENTY‐TWO per cent of our readers said that the high temperatures we are having at the moment in Spain are just too much!

According to the results from our online survey, 28 per cent say that they love the heat, adding that it was the reason they had moved to Spain.

Those who wish someone would bring back the cooler weather mainly say that it is the humidity more than the high temper‐ atures that bother them and some even said that it’s not as hot as normal.

Some residents said that it’s part of the climate in Spain and only lasts for a couple of months, so if you live here, you need to adapt to it, do your jobs and shopping early in the morning when it’s cooler. As for how to beat the heat, our readers suggest dip‐ ping in the pool, using the air‐conditioning in the house and in the car, and cold beers!

HOT AND HUMID: Keep your pets cool.

Others worried that while humans may be able to beat the heat, it’s a lot harder on our pets, especially dogs, and pointed out how important it is not to take them for walks in the heat of the day.

Criticism for Sanchez PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez faced criticism this week for not ending his holiday while chaos engulfs Afghanistan.

Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron suspended their August holidays to return to the business of government as an international crisis un‐ folds in Afghanistan.

But Sanchez stayed on holiday in the opulent Pala‐ cio de La Mareta in Lan‐ zarote.

His Interior Minister, Fer‐ nando Grande‐Marlaska, was also criticised for claim‐ ing that the Hamid Karzai In‐ ternational Airport in Kabul was “secure” while Afghans and the international com‐ munity alike struggled to leave the country amid dis‐ turbing scenes of stam‐ pedes and deaths.

Spain, the UK, America and others issued a joint statement on develop‐ ments in Afghanistan on August 15. The statement came as Taliban overran the capital Kabul and Afghanistan’s leadership scrambled to escape the country.

NEWS

Shark shock on beach

HOLIDAYMAKERS and locals on the Benidorm coast were shocked last week on the Poniente beach as a shark appeared to try and beach itself.

The shark came very close to the shore and created much excitement among tourists and holidaymakers who SURPRISE: The were able to watch it. The event hap‐ shark reached shore. pened on the coast of Marina Baixa.

Beachgoers were soon ordered to be evacuated and emergency services were called in to assess the situation and attempted to evaluate the state of the shark. They needed to see if the shark was well or injured and if it could be returned to the sea safe‐ ly. The biodiversity of sharks in the Mediterranean Sea is quite rich and the most common shark to be spotted is a blue shark. These are small to medium‐sized sharks but can obviously be a shock to anyone who sees them.

When sharks head to the shore and become stranded it is normally because they are sick or injured.

Prank caller crashes lines A MAN from Elche in Alicante, has been arrested for collapsing the 091 system with ‘incessant unjustified calls’.

The man made nearly 600 calls to the emergency services using different mobile phone numbers over the space of a week. The calls were continu‐ ous and intentional and none of them were for an emergency, as he did not need any help.

The volume of the calls was so incessant during short peri‐ ods that the computer applica‐ tion used by 091 actually col‐ lapsed.

This meant that real emer‐ gency calls could not be dealt with according to the National Police.

The police began an opera‐ tion to catch the man responsi‐ ble and once he was arrested he was taken to the police head‐ quarters where he was charged with a crime of damage for in‐ tentionally collapsing the 091 Service of Alicante.

The man had a police record and was actually wanted in Ali‐ cante. The case has been hand‐ ed over to the Elche Examining Magistrate’s Court.

Lucky winners THE Euromillions draw held on Friday August 13, saw a jack‐ pot of a staggering €113,156,128 for a first catego‐ ry winner with two stars and five correct numbers.

This ticket was sold in Spain to one extremely lucky person.

According to reports the win‐ ning jackpot ticket was sold at the at Lottery Administration No. 4 located in Vizcaya’s Leioa. The actual ticket was sold in the Artea shopping cen‐ tre. This is not the only lucky ticket for a person in Spain, as another millionaire has been made after winning the El Mil‐ lon. Reportedly this ticket was validated in the town of Madrigueras in Albacete.

NEWS

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19 - 25 August 2021

Pet adoption grows THE number of pets adopted in Alicante during 2021 reached 206 animals as of July.

Sadly though a total of 339 animals were abandoned and had to be taken in by the Department of Animal Protection.

During the first seven months of the year 176 dogs and 31 cats were adopted from the Alicante Sociedad Protectora de Ani‐ males y Plantas.

This means that the number of animals adopted compared to the same period last year has grown. Last year from January to

Strong wind THE Valencia town of Gandia suffered strong gusts of wind recently, with sudden hot blowouts, caused by sudden thermal variations, one of which was so strong that at around 6.30pm, as reported by the Provincial Firefighters Consortium, it actu‐ ally blew down a Ferris wheel that was part of the attractions at a beachside fair installed on the Cami Vell de Valencia.

Fortunately at the time of the incident, nobody was riding the attraction, as it was not open, so there were no injuries report‐ ed, but a fire crew attended the scene, which they proceeded to cordon off, and close.

July a total of 203 animals were adopted.

The councillor for Health and Animal Pro‐ tection, Julia Llopis has encouraged people in Alicante to be responsible with their pets.

She said: “When we decide to share our lives with a pet we not only make a com‐ mitment to the animal itself but with soci‐ ety, that is what responsible ownership is all about, guaranteeing the rights of the ani‐ mal and fulfilling the duties we have as part of this society.”

Escaped prisoner caught GUARDIA CIVIL officers have been able to arrest a man in Guardamar del Segura in Alicante.

The man had been on the run from Valencia’s Picassent prison since December 2020. According to the security forces the man had failed to return to prison after being on leave.

The detainee had numerous arrest warrants for his imprisonment from courts in Spain

and officers were able to arrest him thanks to the collaboration of locals, when they alerted them to a man who was said to be squatting in a property in the town.

He was stopped when driving and presented false identification. The I D he used was a driving licence from a person in Cuenca, this person had no criminal record but the ID was false.

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19 - 25 August 2021

Vodafone for equality Amputee creates camp EARLIER this year, Vodafone Spain broadcast their new heartwarming inclusive advert, showing a young girl using Vodafone’s house security system as a clever way to come out to her parents.

The advert received a lot of positive responses, but it was also met with some negative comments.

One person said, “Why should my eight‐year‐old daugh‐ ter or four‐year‐old son have to see something like this in a Vodafone advert?” Another asked, “Why does it have to be a lesbian? Why not a heterosexual kiss?”

The social media team at Vodafone took the opportuni‐ ty to stand up for equality and inclusion.

“Usually, global brands don’t get involved in controver‐ sial debates,” explains Roberto Tamayo, Social Media Manager at Vodafone Spain.

“But this time, we decided to say: ‘enough is enough’.”

Vodafone Spain also published a tweet to let their stance on discrimination be known: “Given the unfortunate comments received on our last announcement, we confirm that: yes, we have made this video and we are proud that our mission is to connect ALL people, regardless of their sexual, political or religious ori‐ entation.”

Vodafone’s competitor, Movistar, even showed their support stating, “There are times when competition does‐ n’t exist ‐ and this is one of those times. We join you in taking #OneStepForward.”

An article recently published on Vodafone’s website writes: “At Vodafone, we believe diversity makes us stronger, and we are passionate about technology’s ability to give everyone the ability to be their authentic selves ‐ just like the girl in our ad.”

BEN L O V E L L, a British above knee amputee who has been running a camp for adults who have lost a limb, is now fundraising to be able to offer the camp for free to children.

The first AmpCamp Kids is set to take place in Febru‐ ary 2022 and Ben is raising funds to pay for six children and their families to take part in the camp in Tener‐ ife.

Ben lost his leg in 2017 following a blood clot and has since worked to help other amputees.

His camp in Tenerife al‐ lows others who have lost a limb to speak to other am‐ putees, while receiving a personal chief, nutritionist, fitness programme and work on all the things they think they need to help them move forward with their new life.

After AmpCamp was formed Ben had a thought about focusing on children and their families coming to terms with their new way of

BEN LOVELL: Is fundraising to help the children. life and that’s how Amp‐ Camp Kids was born.

With the same concept as the adult camp, Ben will be sending six children who have all suffered amputation through meningitis, cancer and other serious health is‐ sues, with their families to the camp for free.

The camp is aimed at fun, giving them back a piece of childhood which lots of them missed out on due to having so many treatments and hospital visits, but also allowing siblings and par‐ ents to join.

Ben has personally been raising the funds himself to send children to the camp and is encouraging other amputees to take part in his fundraising challenges.

He currently has his first six families and he is on his way to reaching target, however he wants to con‐ tinue fundraising to help as many families and send them to the camp.

To donate to Ben’s fundraising drive, visit www.gogetfunding.com/ ampcamp‐kids

NEWS

Aid granted THE Junta de Andalucia has granted aid worth more than €1 million to 982 winegrowers in the province of Cordoba.

This was announced by the territorial delegate for Agricul‐ ture, Livestock and Fisheries in Cordoba, Juan Ramon Perez, that winegrowers in the province will receive aid. He adds that “the commitment is to pay these incentives before De‐ cember 31.”

The delegate pointed out that in the province of Cordoba there are 5,456 hectares of vineyards distributed mainly between the municipalities of Montilla and Aguilar, followed by Montemay‐ or, Moriles, Lucena, Monturque, Cabra, La Rambla, Puente Genil, Castro del Río and Santaella. The province of Cordoba represents around a fifth of the Andalucian vineyards.

Perez pointed out that the aid is “based on the decrease in the commercialisation of wines due to the prohibitions established in the celebration of events and in the containment measures that have been imposed during the pandemic in the field of ho‐ tels and restaurants.”

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19 - 25 August 2021

Trafico declare ‘open war’ TRAFICO are waging an ‘open war’ on radar detectors and laser jammers, and anything else that assists drivers in detecting police presence that cannot be legally used, but that nobody can pre‐ vent them from carrying in their cars.

The DGT is willing to put a stop to these behaviours and will apply a harsher penalty on drivers who have any of these types of devices installed with fines of up to €500 and the withdrawal of three li‐ cence points in place as a deter‐ rent. According to paragraph 6, Article 13, of the Traffic Law of the Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015, it is prohibited to install and use

TRAFICO: There will be harsher penalties applied. radar inhibitors and detectors, but there is no mention of the simple fact of having the device or de‐ vices in the vehicle and ready for use. The DGT reform seeks to

amend the law in this regard by clarifying that ‘It is forbidden to in‐ stall or carry in vehicles radar or speed inhibitors or any other in‐ struments aimed at evading or in‐

Women filmmakers denounce Donostia

ON Tuesday August 10, Spain’s leading group of women filmmakers hit back against the decision to award Depp with the Donostia award. They believe that it will give the San Sebastian film Festival a bad name. The president of Spain’s Assn. of Female Film‐ makers and Audiovisual Media, Cristina Andreu an‐ nounced that she was “very surprised” that Depp is set to receive the award. This will be the San Sebas‐ tian festival’s 69th edition. “This speaks very badly of

the festival and its leadership, and transmits a terri‐ ble message to the public: ‘It doesn’t matter if you are an abuser as long as you are a good actor’,” An‐ dreu said. She also added that the association are “studying the next steps.”

The Donostia award is a lifetime achievement award and honours ‘outstanding contributions to the film world’ and is due to be awarded on Septem‐ ber 22 at the Kursaal Auditorium in San Sebastian.

terfering with the proper function‐ ing of traffic surveillance systems, as well as to issue or make signals for that purpose.’

It is also forbidden to carry in the vehicle radar or speed detec‐ tion. Excluded from this prohibi‐ tion are warning mechanisms that inform of the position of traffic surveillance systems like GPS sys‐ tems. However, the sanction will affect those drivers who drive just holding a mobile phone.

Using a jammer while driving amounts to a fine of up to €6,000 and the loss of six licence points. In addition, the garage that installed it can also be fined up to €30,000.

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easyJet uniforms to be recycled EASYJET are set to roll out new uniforms to all its cabin crew and pilots with a difference, as they will be made from recycled plastic bottles. The move is set to recycle more than half a mil‐ lion plastic bottles each year and the five‐year contract will see 2.7 million bottles saved from ending up in the trash or even in the oceans. easyJet teamed up with manu‐ facturer Tailored Image, who are based in Northern Ireland and each uniform will use 45 bottles to make.

“Our role as a bespoke uni‐ form and corporate wear provider is to deliver innovative solutions for our clients, built around comfort and practicality for their wearers. The additional challenge with the easyjet project was to meet their exceptionally high standards in reducing envi‐ ronmental impact,” said Bernard Birt, managing director of Tai‐ lored Image.

“We were excited from the outset to be involved in this pro‐ ject and are delighted that the

success of the new easyjet wardrobe demonstrates the re‐ sult of our award‐winning cus‐ tomer‐focused approach and our ability to meet even the most ex‐ acting briefs.”

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19 - 25 August 2021

Irish gangster arrested IRISH gangster Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch was ar‐ rested in Fuengirola on August 12.

Hutch, 58, is wanted in Ireland in connection with the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in February 2016. Byrne, a member of the rival Kinahan gang, was shot dead by armed men dressed as gardaí. It is believed that the attack was ordered by Hutch in retaliation for the murder

of Gary Hutch, the Monk’s nephew, in Spain in September of 2015.

“The Spanish put a lot of resources into this. A lot of time and effort, and so did the gardai. The ar‐ rest of Gerard Hutch is a major result for the joint Garda‐Spanish international operation and for the Serious and Organised Crime detectives,” a source said.

Una Stubbs dies BRITISH actress Una Stubbs, known for her roles in TV shows like Worzel Gummidge, Till Death Us Do Part, Sherlock and East‐ Enders, has died aged of 84.

Una became famous in the 1960s and appeared on films such as Sir Cliff Richard’s Summer Holiday, and has since remained one of the UK’s best‐loved actresses.

Her family have said that she died at her Edin‐ burgh home with her fami‐ ly around her, her agent told the BBC that she had been unwell for a few months.

NEWS

Bullfighting ban SPAIN has a long history of bullfighting events and in some of these shows people with dwarfism can be seen fight‐ ing young or small cows.

Activists claim that this is “de‐ grading” but the ‘bullfighters’ have hit back and said “we do not want to live on subsidies, we want to fight. It’s our trade.”

Many had thought that the on‐ going coronavirus pandemic would see the end to bullfighting which was postponed when Spain issued its State of Alarm last March. Shows soon returned but the Social Rights Ministry in Spain hopes to see the sport banned. According to reports the Ministry was recently told that the sport had to be banned to comply with a recent UN compliance review.

Many expats are torn over the sport.

One expat EWN reader said, “I don’t like the sport personally but I’m a foreigner living in Spain so is it really my call on whether it should be banned, or seen as a tradition.”

The issue came to the forefront again after the Ministry set out to cancel a show organised by comedy troupe Diversiones en el Ruedo. The show is home to bull‐ fighters with dwarfism.

Daniel Calderon, the manager of Diver‐

Spain has a long history of bullfighting events. siones en el Ruedo, has hit out against the proposals to ban what he considers to be a trade.

“I think these attacks show a lack of re‐ spect and freedom,” he said.

“Everyone should be able to work at what they want.

“We are all professionals; we are ac‐ credited with the Culture Ministry; we contribute to the Social Security system, and we do not want to live on subsidies, we want to fight. It’s our trade.

“I invite everyone to come and see if they are really laughing at them or laugh‐ ing with them. It’s a show like any other.

“Contrary to what’s being said, they are idols for the children.

“The kids go down to the bullring; they do some bullfighting; they have a good time with them, and being of the same stature, they feel like the real thing.”

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Spain has issued 18 million certificates SPAIN has issued 18,177,202 Covid‐19 certificates, 17,361,058 for vac‐ cination, 400,522 for recovery and 415,622 for diagnostic tests. The electronic format is the most popular. The autonomous Communities that have issued the most certificates in relation to their population are the Canary Islands (57 per cent have an EU Digital Covid Certifi‐ cate), Galicia (55 per cent) and Catalonia (52 per cent). The least are Murcia (21 per cent) Castilla‐La Mancha (20 per cent), and Madrid (16 per cent). On June 7, Spain became one of the first countries to start is‐ suing and recognising the EU Digital Covid Certificate.

NEWS

Bumper season for olive oil THE total output of olive oil from mills amounted to 1,318,439 tons up to the month of July. So far this season, there has been an increase of 3 per cent compared to the last one. It is 9 per cent above the average of the previous four despite the slowdown in the olive market in recent months.

The level of total stocks is 12 per cent lower than last season and stands at 640,483 tons, 355,645 of them in oil mills. The inventory da‐ ta reflects a decrease of 8 per cent compared

OLIVE OIL: Having a good year.

to the average of the last four seasons.

In Andalucia, where 87 per cent of the stocks are located, the province of Jaen stands out, where almost half of the total stock is ac‐ cumulated followed by Cordoba, with 19 per cent. In the case of table olives, stocks stand at 387,937 tons, 3 per cent below the last season.

The olive oil campaigns begin on October 1 and lasts until September 30 of the following year.

97,500 tons of watermelon IT has been estimated by the supermarket gi‐ ant that Mercadona will buy more than 97,500 tons of watermelon of Spanish origin this season, from the fields of Andalucia, the Valencian Community, the Region of Murcia, Castilla‐La Mancha, and the Canary Islands.

The chain is committed to purchasing local fruit and vegetables, which is why it buys its watermelon from 22 different suppliers, and in Valencia and Castellon it collaborates with Amifruit, Anecoop, and Ramafrut suppliers, Juan Roig’s company has reported.

Watermelon is a fruit with sweet, juicy flesh, containing many black pips, and is

known to be rich in vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as impor‐ tant minerals and fibre, plus antioxidants, and it can be purchased in the supermarkets whole, or in halves.

Mercadona supports the ‘Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables’ initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and it de‐ fends fair commercial practices, for years it has adhered to the Code of Good Commer‐ cial Practices in Food Contracting.

This voluntary agreement, which repre‐ sents a new step in the promotion of fair

Sweet and juicy watermelon. commercial practices, is a part of the Law of Measures to Improve the Functioning of the Food Chain, and is promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAPA) in collaboration with different associations of the entire national agri‐food chain, as report‐ ed by.

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NEWS

Pay up to leave RESIDENTS of Masalfasar in Va‐ lencia have finally seen their nightmare come to an end after threatening squatters have final‐ ly left a property in the small town.

Squatters had been living in the house for many months and had made life impossible for peo‐ ple living in the small town, for nearly half a year. On August 11, they finally left the property after receiving a considerable amount of money from the bank which owns the property.

As the squatters left the prop‐

erty they stopped to speak to the press and were called out for what many consider to be extor‐ tion. According to reports the man and his partner only left af‐ ter making sure that money was given to them in exchange for leaving, something that the squatter has denied.

The squatter said: “I asked them that if they wanted to make a contribution they could do so, nothing more.”

It was put to him that he had extorted money but he reacted and said “No, that’s not exactly

the way it is. I asked them to pay if they wanted to so that we could leave earlier.”

According to reports, the bank paid around €3,500 to get the squatters to leave, something which is extremely unusual.

One neighbour spoke out with relief and said: “What justice has not been able to achieve, the me‐ dia and pressure from the people have achieved.

“Now at least we will be able to sleep a little more peacefully, although we will always have fear in our bodies.”

Soaring electricity prices AS each day sets a new record for the cost of electricity in Spain, the government has the power to lower it, if it wanted to, the EU commissioner for Energy has said.

In reply to a query from Partido Popular’s Dolors Montserrat, Commissioner Kadri Simson wrote that electricity companies “are free to set the price at which they supply electricity to customers” but she added, “Member States must guarantee effective competition” and “in paral-

lel, Member States can apply some safeguards, such as public interventions in setting prices for the supply of electricity to domestic customers in situations of energy poverty or vulnerability.

“EU state aid rules allow, under certain conditions, Member States to compensate large energy consumers for part of the financing costs of renewables and part of the indirect costs of carbon emissions,” added Commissioner Simson.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

Brexit forces giveaway THE Plants Galore garden centres in UK are giving away £100,000 worth of plants on a first come first served basis.

Due to Brexit, they just

cannot get the staff to help them look after the plants, so they would rather give them away, than have to throw them.

Matt Pollard, team leader

Third product recall THE Spanish consumer organisation Facua has issued the third list of Nestlé ice creams whose manufacturer, Froneri, is urging establishments to remove them due to being contaminated with ‘carcinogenic’ (cancer‐causing) ethylene oxide.

According to the association, it was a ‘whistleblower’ worker from a Supercor Repsol petrol station and another from a small establishment in Zaragoza who provided the information, while the manufacturer still continues to refuse to give the complete list of affected products.

The list received contains details of 21 types of 14 vari‐ eties of Extreme Nata‐Fresa, Pirulo Mikolápiz; Milka Hazel‐ nut; Nuii Almendrado; Nuii Dark chocolate with almonds; Oreo bonbon; Sandwich Bokazas Nata; Toblerone choco‐ late; Smarties; Llra Cup Suprema Nougat; Great Cream La‐ dy; Cream Princess cake; Nestlé Tres Gustos Block and Nestlé Vanilla Block.

Facua is continuing to demand that Nestlé and Froneri act with transparency and make public the complete list of all the affected products.

said: “In any usual year we would return these plants to our nursery to cut them back and grow them on for future years.

“This year it is simply not an option as like many busi‐ nesses in our sector and the region we can’t find enough staff to work at our nurs‐ eries.

“With the advent of Brexit and the departure of many European staff from the UK, we are suffering the same problem as many other busi‐ nesses in finding suitable staff who want to work.

“We also need a sensible government scheme for hor‐ ticulture to employ Euro‐ pean staff on a seasonal or contract basis if UK workers don’t want this type of work,” said Matt.

“We hope the giveaway of these plants will allow our customers the opportunity to pick up some free plants.

There’s no catch ‐ simply turn up and load your car with as many plants as you can fit in.”

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NEWS

Murder or mercy A SMALL fishing village in Cadiz, was left in shock after Beatriz, a woman who was dying of can‐ cer, jumped to her death on the night of Sunday August 8 from a roof. Shortly before that she had

stabbed her husband and left him severely injured.

Ramon had been suffering for many years and was wheelchair‐ bound with a degenerative dis‐ ability and forced to wear nap‐

Endesa X install solar plant ENDESA X, which is electricity supplier Endesa’s energy services subsidiary, has announced its intention of starting up two self-consumption photovoltaic plants for Domca, a company that specialises in the development and commercialisation of natural ingredients and conservation solutions for the agri-food industry.

One of the plants will be installed in the factory that Domca has in Granada - with 114.4kWp of power and 260 solar panels - and another will be located in the headquarters of its technological entity that dedicated to R + D + I, again in Granada, in the DMC Research Centre, with 48.9kWp of power and 103 modules.

According to a statement from the company, with these two self-consumption solar plants it will be possible to cover almost 40 per cent, and 45 per cent respectively, of the energy that these two facilities need for their production processes, with clean and renewable energy.

pies. Beatriz had become his car‐ er, day and night.

Ramon was a renowned painter in Spain and even has his own entry in Wikipedia as an ab‐ stract impressionist painter. His work can be found throughout Spain and across the world in‐ cluding Germany, Japan, Argenti‐ na, the United States and Cuba according to Moron de la Fron‐ tera Council.

Beatriz had previously suf‐ fered from depression for many years and this had taken its toll but she had fought hard to look after her husband.

As reported, locals in the town of Barbate said that Beatriz “suf‐ fered from carer’s syndrome: a continuous psychological exhaus‐ tion, the result of watching over and caring for a dependent per‐ son relentlessly and alone, with no breaks and having been com‐ pletely unaware for several years of what it means to be cared for.”

Sadly, both Beatriz and Ramon died, with Ramon passing away the next day in hospital from his injuries.

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Passport in App SPAIN has joined other EU countries supporting the Covid passport within the iPhone Wallet app, a digital certificate used for citizens to travel be‐ tween countries.

The Covid digital certificate

lets EU citizens that are travelling between countries easily prove that they have been vaccinated, have recovered from the virus or have had a negative test result.

Spain’s Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social

Wind power by 2030 THE European Commission has tabled the Fit‐for‐55 package, a se‐ ries of legislative proposals to deliver the EU’s increased climate tar‐ get of 55 per cent emissions reduction by 2030. The package in‐ cludes a higher renewables target and new rules to support the expansion of renewables as well as being in line with Spain’s green ambitions.

“The Fit‐for‐55 package sends a clear message to consumers and investors. The EU wants a major expansion in renewables by 2030, with nearly twice as much new wind power as we’re currently building. And the EU wants to accelerate the electrification of those sectors that have so far relied on fossil fuels. This is good for the cli‐ mate. And good for the economy. The Fit‐for‐55 package means major new investments. It’s a package for jobs and growth”, said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

The various legislative proposals that make up the “Fit‐for‐55 package” now have to be negotiated and accepted by the 27 EU Member States and the European Parliament.

Welfare says if citizens “don’t have the EU digital COVID cer‐ tificate, they can travel but the process to allow them into an‐ other country is slower and ad‐ ditional measures, such as quarantine, can be requested.”

In July, it was announced that the Covid digital certificate is recognised by 31 countries, including Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, and in all EU mem‐ ber states.

Users in Spain can request the Covid digital certificate af‐ ter following a few steps and opting for the “Certificado Digi‐ tal”. They can choose to re‐ ceive the certificate by text message in English or Spanish and then add it to the Apple Wallet.

Last month, England’s NHS app also added the Covid cer‐ tificate with Apple Wallet, however, the UK government said it can only be used at events and venues in the UK and not for international trav‐ el.

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

NEWS

Fighter pilot speaks out SPANISH Air Force Captain Antonio Cifuentes has spoken about his work on a NATO Baltic Air Policing mission.

Deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission in May 2020, the Spanish fighter pilot talks about the challenge and plea-

Cifuentes enjoys his work.

Amazon resell items

AMAZON looks set to allow its partners in Spain to resell re‐ turned items as used, as it launches two new programmes aimed at helping companies recoup money.

The two new programmes aim to make it easier for compa‐ nies that sell through the Amazon platform to handle goods returned by customers and excess inventory allowing partners to resell items that have been returned, giving a second life to more items.

Amazon already provides this programme in the UK and the US will see it arrive late in the year too. In 2022 it is expected to be made available in Spain, Germany, Italy and France.

“Our business partners will be responsible for selecting the inventory they wish to give a second life to through this ser‐ vice, and we will assess each selected item through a rigorous multi‐point inspection process, resulting in the assignment of one of the following conditions: used‐as‐new, used‐very good, used‐good and used‐acceptable. Afterwards, the item will be put back on sale on Amazon, at the price set by the seller,” said Amazon.

sure of flying.

Cifuentes said he enjoys seeing his work make a difference in the Spanish military and to society.

Across Europe, NATO fighter jets are on duty, ready to scramble in case of suspicious or unannounced flights near the airspace of their allies. NATO calls this activity Air Policing, which has been a part of NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence for 60 years.

There are approximately 35,000 daily air movements inside European airspace, and NATO’s Air Policing carries out around 400 interceptions each year.

NATO a Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs) in Spain and its Air Policing covers 13 countries, with around 786,000 square kilometres of land covered by it.

There are currently around 60 NATO quick-response jets on duty across Europe, with 21 allies contributing fighters, air command and control centres, and air surveillance stations to NATO Air Policing missions.

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NEWS

Mummy’s Boys IN 2020, across the EU, young people left their parental household on average at the age of 26.4 years. However, this average varies among the dif‐ ferent EU Member States, most Spanish will not leave home until they are almost 30 and Spanish men will wait even longer before moving out.

The oldest average ages, all at 30 years or higher, were recorded in Croatia (32.4), Slovakia (30.9), Mal‐ ta and Italy (both 30.2) and Portugal (30.0 years). By contrast, Denmark (21.2 years), Luxembourg (19.8) and Sweden (17.5) recorded the lowest average ages, all under 22 years old, according to EuroStat.

In most northern and western countries, young people left the parental home on average in their early to mid‐20s, while in southern and eastern countries the average age was in the late 20s or early 30s.

In the EU, on average, males left the parental

THE medicine agency in Spain has authorised the first round of clinical trials for the Covid vaccine that was developed by Spanish company Hipra.

The early stages of the clinical trial will see dozens of participants from hospitals in Spain to test the efficiency, immunogenicity, and tolera‐ bility of the drug, said the medicines agency.

Hipra has manufacturing bases in Spain and Brazil and said it could produce up to 400 million doses of the vaccine in 2022 and 1.2 billion in 2023.

IN 2020: The average age was 26.4 years. household at the age of 27.4 years, and females at 25.4 years. This trend was observed in all countries, ie young women moved out of the parental house‐ hold on average earlier than young men. The only slight exception was Sweden, where females left on average 0.1 years after males.

Green light to test Hipra is a pharmaceutical lab that mainly re‐ searches and manufactures veterinary vaccines and has been working on two Covid‐19 shots.

One of the shots is based on the same RNA messenger technology used in the Pfizer Moder‐ na dose, the second, which has just been ap‐ proved for trial, uses a recombinant protein like the American based drugmaker Novavax.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

Don’t assume it’s Covid THE charity Meningitis Now has issued the warning, ‘Don’t assume it’s Covid‐19’. They be‐ lieve that life‐threatening ill‐ nesses risk going undiagnosed if people, particularly young people, follow government advice to self‐isolate if they suspect they have Covid 19.

The charity has warned that people aged 15 to 24 years old need to carefully look at their

Signs can be mistaken.

Amazon TV

AMAZON has announced a decision to produce the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series in the UK from the second season on. Although the first season was filmed in New Zealand, as with Peter Jackson’s movies, Amazon now says pre‐production on season two will begin early next year in the UK. Oscar‐winning director Sir Peter Jackson used New Zealand’s rolling mountains, meadows and forests as a backdrop for his famed Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.

The streaming giant said that season one post‐production will still continue in New Zealand.

Amazon has not revealed the location of where the series will be shot and is at the moment shipping the complex sets it built for the first season over to the UK and is also currently booking stages for them.

symptoms if they fall ill. If the illness is meningitis or septi‐ caemia rather than Covid, then action is vital and could save lives.

Dr Tom Nutt, Meningitis Now chief executive said: “Re‐ search has shown that up to a quarter of 15 to 24‐year‐olds carry the bacteria that cause meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia in the back of their throats compared to one in 10 of the general population.

“Whilst many young people will have been vaccinated against MenACWY, which pro‐ tects against four strains of meningococcal meningitis, at school, we estimate that up to half a million under‐25s may have missed this important vaccination.”

Many of the signs of menin‐ gitis could be mistaken for Covid or even a hangover ac‐ cording to the charity. Meningi‐ tis symptoms include fever, headache and drowsiness. The charity hopes that young peo‐ ple heading to university soon will make sure that they are aware of the symptoms.

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NEWS

15 minutes too early A M OT H E R and son spent the day at Luton airport af‐ ter easyJet would not let them take their flight to Split, Croatia due to their lat‐ eral flow test being out of date by just 15 minutes, with Croatia demanding the test be taken 48 hours be‐ fore departure, not arrival.

Staff turned the pair away, which meant they lost a day of their holiday, the money spent on the Covid tests and they also needed to pay for new flights and an overnight hotel before their flight the next day.

The mother and son, who did not want to be named, had travelled from Norfolk to Luton in the small hours of the morning to make their 6.40am flight to Split.

The pair took the test at 8.55am on the Monday morning, which was within 48 hours of departure. How‐ ever, their flight was arriving to Split at 9.10am, which ex‐ ceeded the window by 15 minutes.

A spokesperson for easyJet said: “We know that flying is currently different to how many of our customers are

used to travelling, which is why we are alerting cus‐ tomers to the importance of checking current local travel requirements ahead of their flight via email and on easy‐ Jet.com via our Covid help hub, where they can also find access to government web‐ site links and the most up‐to‐ date travel information.

“Unfortunately, as these passengers were unable to provide test results in line with the criteria required by the Croatian authorities, they were unable to travel on this occasion.”

Spanish pork overseas THE Spanish food and fisheries sector has consolidated the key role it plays in Span‐ ish foreign trade. The main contribution came from fruit, with an export value of €9.57 billion. In second place was meat, at €8.476 billion, which was the subsector with the highest growth, 17.8 per cent, driven by the demand for pork from China.

Vegetables constituted the third largest

export group at €6.89 billion.

The value of exports to third countries increased last year by 8.5 per cent (€20.088 billion overall) due to the signifi‐ cant boost in sales to China, which in‐ creased by 67.3 per cent. The sector now accounts for more than a fifth of the na‐ tional economy’s total exports, while im‐ ports represent 12.8 per cent.

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NEWS

Hottest month ever JULY 2021 has earned the unenviable distinction as the world’s hottest month ever recorded, according to new global data released by the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis‐

tration’s (NOAA).

“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad.

“July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 out‐ did itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded.

This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”

Around the globe, the combined land and ocean‐ surface temperature was 1.67ºF (0.93ºC) above the 20th century average of

SPAIN’S Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN) has issued an alert for Listeria in several SALGOT sausage products.

The products affected by listeria are: Botifarra Negra, 250 grams, lots 211804 and 212019, expiration dates August 7 and August 23; Botifarra

TOPPING THE LIST: The worst place to be.

60.4ºF (15.8ºC), making it the hottest July since records began 142 years ago.

It was 0.02ºF (0.01ºC) higher than the previous record set in July 2016, which was then tied at the same temperature in 2019 and 2020.

Listeria alert negra Tradiciona, 250 grams, lot 211804, expiration date August 24; and Bull de llengua, 1kg, lot 212017, expiration date August 16. The affected products were sold in the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Catalonia, Aragon and Madrid.

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19 - 25 August 2021 IN a major rule change that came into force on Monday, Au‐ gust 16, fully vaccinated people will no longer need to self‐iso‐ late after coming into contact with a person who has Covid.

Young people are being encour‐ aged to get double jabbed and firms such as last‐minute.com, National Express and even Asda have joined in and are offering incentives for young people to

Young Brits offered vouchers get their second dose.

In the UK over three quarters of adults have now been fully vaccinated against the poten‐ tially deadly virus. But many people are worried that not enough young people are choosing to be vaccinated. Self‐ isolation rules have been

dropped for close Covid con‐ tacts for under 18s and people who are fully vaccinated.

Asda are offering 18 to 30‐ year‐olds £10 vouchers for their clothing brand who spend over £20 and last‐minute.com are handing gift cards out as a re‐ ward too.

NEWS

Cost of NHS travel tests to be reduced U K holidaymakers and expats will benefit from cheaper travel testing packages, with the price of some tests expected to fall by a fifth from August 14.

The cost of NHS Test and T race tests for international arrivals will now be reduced from £88 to £68 for green or fully vaccinated amber arrivals, and from £170 to £136 for two tests for amber arrivals who have not yet been fully vaccinated.

The Health Secretary has also announced there will be a rapid internal review of the pricing and service standards of all providers of day two and eight tests.

Any misleading pricing will be clamped down on swiftly and the government will urgently remove listings found to have misleading prices.

This is the second time pricing of N H S tests has been reduced, following a review in M ay which reduced the cost of a day two and eight package from £210 to £170.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Porkie Pies

Net loss

THE world’s largest pork exporter, Danish Crown, is being taken to court for an alleged ‘greenwash’’ of its marketing claim that its bacon comes from ‘climatecontrolled pigs’ when the single report supporting this claim was funded by the company itself.

ONE of France’s top courts has banned a range of traditional techniques for hunting birds, which include trapping with glue as well as use of nets and cages, which has been welcomed by environmentalists but denounced by hunters, especially in the southwest of the country.

THE NETHERLANDS Covid pets

NORWAY

ACCORDING to animal welfare organisation Sophia Vereeniging, between one and 1.5 million people became pet owners in the Netherlands during the coronavirus pandemic, but sadly many animals have now either been abandoned or given to shelters as the country has begun to emerge from lockdown.

Where’s Wally?

BELGIUM

FINLAND

Jail break

No entry

NORMALLY prisoners try to break out of jail, but bizarrely a young man who was out on parole from the Turhout jail in Antwerp was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and trying to break into the jail as he was out after his 10pm curfew.

THE owners of Helsinki-based cocktail bar Chihuahua Julep have said that they will refuse entry for between three and 12 years to Prime Minister Sanna Marin, as well as five other officials who played a key role in imposing restrictions on Finland’s bars and restaurants during the pandemic.

GERMANY Bowled over WHEN you see the word Bundesliga you probably think of football, but there is another organisation with the same name which caters for German cricket clubs! The ever-growing numbers of settlers from the sub-continent, Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans are forming clubs.

WALLY the Walrus who has spent his summer holidays off the coast of Cornwall and the Scilly Isles causing mischief and delight, has now packed his bags and is returning home to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, with a stop in Waterford, Ireland.

SWEDEN Holy smoke A FIRE in a church in Jönköping was not caused by arson as initially suspected, but the roof was hit by lightning at night and within a matter of minutes had caught fire which spread to a nursery classroom in the same building.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Advertising Feature

Spain to UK transport from J-Hire Ltd J‐HIRE LTD has been offering self‐drive one‐way van hire between Spain and the UK, allowing expats to move their belongings easily and quickly, since 2004.

The company, which also provides driver assistance when required, is based in Jacarilla, Alicante and Whiteparish near Salisbury in the UK offering self‐drive hire to relocate people’s belong‐ ings from Spain to the UK and UK to Spain.

J‐Hire Ltd was the first com‐ pany to offer a one‐way ser‐ vice in 2004, and now offers a collection and delivery service, both in the UK and Spain.

Back in 2009 J‐Hire’s good reputation prompted the United Rentals Group to invite

J-HIRE: Providing a high quality service to customers.

J‐Hire to join them.

After many years of trading, J‐Hire has continued to pro‐ vide a high quality service to its customers, providing clean, well maintained vehicles, and a professional all round ser‐ vice.

Covering all of Spain, includ‐ ing the Balearic Islands and Ca‐ nary Islands and all of the UK, pets are even welcome to travel with their owners, and the company now allows pick up and drop off in all major UK towns and cities.

For more information on renting a J-Hire Ltd van, and for the latest on their discounts, visit www.j-hire.co.uk or their Facebook page, JHIRE LTD. You can also contact them at jhire07@yahooo.com or on 0034 965 023 177 or 0044 01794 884 825.

J-Hire Ltd’s offices are open from 8.30am to 5pm at Petrobene Petrol station 03310 Jacarilla, Alicante, Spain and Glendale Farm Ind Estate, Southampton Road, Whiteparish SP5 2QW.

19 - 25 August 2021

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Messi deal AS Real Madrid decided that it couldn’t afford to pay Lionel Messi’s salary any longer and let him leave for Paris St Germain, the French club has come up with a solution which will see them using their specially created cryptocurrency to settle part of his wage bill.

Gatwick losses LONDON’S second largest airport Gatwick which is owned by investors from Abu Dhabi, Australia, South Korea and the USA has retuned a pre-tax loss of £204 million (€244 million) in the first half of 2021 and is asking lenders for some breathing space.

Pub culture ALTHOUGH there has been a steady decrease in the number of public houses in the UK, the former head of Greene King Rooney Anand, having raised around £200 million (€230 million) is confident enough to purchase 18 historic country pubs to go with 42 already owned.

30

STAT OF WEEK

Delivery riders WHILST the Spanish Government and the Supreme Court thought that they were doing a favour to drivers working for companies such as Glove and Deliveroo, the decision to make them employees has rebounded.

Deliveroo are shutting down in Spain whilst Glovo is employing many riders through agencies and has offered fixed contracts to around 2,000 riders only.

Many are unhappy because they have less control over their ability to work on a selfemployed basis for different companies and it appears that they will find it more difficult to hide their earnings from the tax authorities.

€13.5 million

was the 2020 turnover for Filmin Spanish online supplier of movies, up from €5.9m in 2019 thanks mainly to lockdown.

Breaking into Spain US delivery company Gopuff has signed an agreement to take over UK‐based Dija set up recently by former Deliv‐ eroo workers Alberto Menolascina and Yusuf Sa‐ ban.

Although UK‐based, Dija has a presence in France and Spain which was one of Gopuff’s target markets.

Dija was founded in 2020 and has grown rapidly, opening and operating dozens of micro‐fulfilment

centres across London, Paris, Madrid, Valencia, and other major cities.

There are many similari‐ ties between Gopuff and Di‐ ja as both businesses have a vertically‐integrated operat‐ ing model, sharing many core values and a passion for both innovation and de‐ livering for their customers.

With Gopuff’s earlier ac‐ quisition of the delivery plat‐ form Fancy in the UK, and now Dija, Gopuff will oper‐

LEGALLY SPEAKING

ate in three European coun‐ tries with plans for contin‐ ued rapid expansion, bring‐ ing even more consumers their everyday needs and further redefining the In‐ stant Needs category.

Gopuff plans to operate in those three European countries with some 40 mi‐ cro‐fulfilment centres and 200 employees in the re‐ gion, with further plans for continued rapid expansion.

Following the sale, Dija

will continue to operate un‐ der that name in the short term as the two companies develop an integration plan to enhance the customer ex‐ perience in Europe and the UK. Gopuff has recently raised $1 billion (€850 mil‐ lion) in new funding as in‐ vestors see the strength in quick home delivery which became particularly popular during the worldwide lock‐ down.

Eco-friendly plan

Troublesome neighbour I live in a small development of row houses. My neighbour has become very troublesome. He is verbally abusive when we meet and he slanders me by untrue comments on our internet and he even emails these comments to members of the community where I lived be‐ fore moving here. He also has what I must call a “very aggressive” fig tree planted next to our sep‐ aration wall. This tree drops figs and the rotting figs attract rats, which he refuses to deal with. I am a woman of more than 80 years old and I need advice on how to deal with this situation.

Bailing out FOR reasons not made public, a number of top officials involved in the economic sector of the Spanish Government have been leaving the service and moving into other jobs.

The latest is Carlos San Basilio, who is to join the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

www.euroweeklynews.com • 19 - 25 August 2021

To make defamato‐ YOU AND THE LAW ry comments by IN SPAIN email or Internet is an offence, set out in Article 205 of the Criminal Code. You can bring charges against your neighbour, but this will involve a lawyer, expenses and visits to court. He could even be punished by a prison sentence and a small fine. As to the fig tree, you are entitled to cut any part of it that overhangs your own garden. My own advice is to do your best to ignore him.

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.

YOU may wonder if you can have an eco‐ friendly funeral in Spain. The answer is yes, and they’re becoming increasingly popular, although they differ from the UK. As more people become aware of the impact we have on the environment, being more eco‐friendly in life and after death is more important. In Spain, RestGreen makes ecological coffins and caskets for cremation. Although there aren’t many ecological cemeteries, since 2007 the Roques Blanques Regional Cemetery has held ecological funerals in as much as they allow for biodegrad‐ able urns to be buried there. There are also green niches conceived as vertical gardens with Mediterranean aromatic herbs and wood‐ en plaques with the names of the deceased.

Other locations have created Gardens of Rest within cemeteries where the ashes of the deceased can be spread in a controlled manner.

Having an eco‐friendly funeral in Spain is something that you can include in your funeral plan with Golden Leaves. You’re guaranteed to get the funeral that you want, taking the decision‐making off your family’s shoulders.

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

Pay cut WITH reports across the UK of a general shortage of staff, it seems to be a very brave or possibly foolhardy decision by Pret a Manger to cut staff pay.

There were no major dis‐ agreements when it decided to implement temporary pay cuts during the pandemic and lockdown, but now it has told staff that this will become permanent as trading contin‐ ues to be at lower than pre‐ pandemic levels.

There are three options for its staff, accept the cut which means no payment for breaks, look for work else‐ where or go on strike and it appears that this third option is quite likely.

Double whammy ALTHOUGH much has been said and written about the im‐ pact of higher electricity prices on people’s homes which will be exacerbated with the use of air conditioning during the on and off heatwave, there is an‐ other problem waiting to emerge.

Most Spanish businesses which are not self‐sufficient in energy production will find that their bills could be as much as doubled, especially as they are, in the main, working during the most expensive times of day.

This means that if they are to retain their levels of profit, then they will no doubt have to pass the cost on to cus‐ tomers by increasing prices.

Hacker returns $600 million A HACKER who stole cryptocurrency worth $600 million (€510 million) has now re‐ turned most of it to US‐based Poly Net‐ work.

For some months the Bank of Spain, as well as many other Central Banks, has warned investors that whilst cryptocurren‐

cy may appear attractive, its very nature makes it difficult to trace and is therefore very risky.

It transpires that the hacker in question was more interested in showing how clever he was rather than wanting to make a large financial gain from his actions and

he is considered to be what is known as a White Hat, someone who points out flaws in company systems.

He or she did however make a few do‐ nations to strangers online but turned down a $500,000 (€425,000) reward and promise of immunity of prosecution and

confirmed via Twitter they had undertaken the hack for fun and to point out to Poly Network that its system was vulnerable.

Time will tell whether all of the money will be returned and whether the anonymous hacker will be identified, but it certainly gives investors something to think about.

32 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES A UGUST 16

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.323,50 Abrdn 276,51 Admiral Group 3.645,0 Anglo American 3.333,5 Antofagasta 1.543,00 Ashtead Group 5.668,0 Associated British Foods 2.030,4 AstraZeneca 8.482,6 Auto Trader Group Plc 635,80 Avast 594,00 Aveva 4.048,0 Aviva 416,27 B&M European Value Retail 559,20 BAE Systems 576,80 Bank VTB DRC 1,402 Barclays 181,72 Barratt Developments 714,80 Berkeley 4.911,0 BHP Group 2.430,00 BP 298,65 British American Tobacco 2.690,0 British Land Company 526,20 BT Group 173,60 Bunzl 2.643,0 Burberry Group 2.081,0 Carnival 1.464,8 Centrica 50,08 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.720,0 Compass 1.473,00 CRH 3.782,0 Croda Intl 9.121,4 DCC 6.080,0 Diageo 3.617,0 DS Smith 437,90 EasyJet 795,34 Experian 3.149,0 Ferguson 10.320,0 Flutter Entertainment 13.925,0 Fresnillo 827,58 GlaxoSmithKline 1.498,40 Glencore 327,70 Halma 2.962,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.481,25 Hikma Pharma 2.540,00 HSBC 406,35 IAG 161,00 Imperial Brands 1.590,50 Informa 549,00 InterContinental 4.507,0 Intermediate Capital 2.179,00

CHANGE(P) 1.323,50 277,30 3.650,0 3.339,0 1.543,00 5.670,0 2.055,0 8.512,0 636,60 597,00 4.054,0 418,20 561,60 578,40 1,418 182,22 716,40 4.918,0 2.504,50 298,90 2.695,5 529,40 175,65 2.645,0 2.082,0 1.486,2 50,78 2.723,0 1.478,50 3.787,0 9.130,0 6.128,0 3.626,4 439,40 804,28 3.153,0 10.325,0 14.010,0 833,00 1.498,40 328,90 2.965,0 1.486,50 2.544,00 408,85 162,82 1.593,00 551,60 4.573,0 2.179,50

% CHG. 1.304,50 274,00 3.604,0 3.296,0 1.506,00 5.564,0 2.029,0 8.446,0 629,20 592,00 4.003,0 414,90 557,20 574,80 1,392 180,36 709,20 4.850,0 2.413,50 292,55 2.672,5 525,20 172,40 2.625,0 2.036,0 1.458,4 49,96 2.680,0 1.467,00 3.752,0 8.998,0 6.004,0 3.601,5 433,20 791,37 3.100,0 10.150,0 13.795,0 809,78 1.489,40 325,15 2.936,0 1.475,50 2.504,00 406,00 160,02 1.579,50 539,20 4.494,0 2.148,00

NET VOL 63,68K 914,07K 242,28K 512,79K 149,71K 64,81K 117,28K 939,62K 175,07K 620,94K 21,55K 1,38M 119,98K 537,49K 161,02K 5,80M 144,75K 20,89K 6,48M 5,58M 301,32K 148,75K 2,14M 35,67K 82,03K 117,02K 817,59K 53,29K 228,49K 25,50K 29,43K 21,15K 132,05K 265,97K 106,54K 86,88K 17,41K 34,25K 71,32K 589,14K 3,17M 46,75K 186,68K 41,17K 4,25M 6,23M 207,54K 264,56K 36,96K 4,42K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Intertek 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 Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP

5.198,0 119,14 297,10 2.990,0 720,60 266,70 44,88 8.034,0 816,00 171,50 2.062,72 956,60 215,00 7.928,0 33,63 1.806,02 2.911,0 660,60 1.442,50 5.578,0 2.165,00 566,40 697,09 5.543,0 109,94 7,54 1.430,20 1.430,4 1.417,4 719,60 1.566,50 18,14 3.718,0 1.338,09 1.267,00 2.884,0 1.373,00 1.448,50 15.740,0 1.621,00 1.631,00 451,40 176,20 243,60 313,90 4.108,0 1.084,00 119,52 3.021,0 991,80

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.206,0 119,65 297,80 3.005,9 728,80 270,30 45,29 8.034,0 817,20 171,75 2.064,00 957,20 215,70 7.940,0 33,63 1.827,50 2.918,0 671,00 1.447,50 5.623,0 2.170,00 568,00 697,40 5.542,0 110,29 7,61 1.431,61 1.431,4 1.418,4 719,80 1.571,00 18,18 3.724,0 1.339,28 1.268,00 2.890,0 1.380,00 1.457,00 15.755,0 1.621,50 1.633,50 454,20 176,70 244,95 320,10 4.125,0 1.085,50 119,70 3.066,0 993,20

5.168,0 117,85 295,30 2.981,5 719,00 265,80 44,78 7.948,0 812,00 169,20 2.040,00 951,90 213,70 7.814,0 33,12 1.790,00 2.869,0 660,20 1.429,00 5.553,0 2.154,00 558,40 686,80 5.469,0 107,90 7,54 1.414,25 1.412,4 1.397,6 712,60 1.565,00 17,83 3.694,0 1.319,00 1.257,50 2.866,0 1.365,50 1.435,50 15.580,0 1.603,00 1.612,00 451,10 174,50 239,00 312,50 4.099,0 1.077,50 118,82 3.007,0 980,60

14,24K 700,40K 1,02M 3,67K 79,02K 1,61M 18,47M 45,23K 486,77K 513,72K 70,76K 331,65K 4,20M 10,69K 183,95K 168,00K 109,92K 554,32K 486,67K 160,54K 264,77K 214,51K 338,15K 792,46K 1,84M 310,54K 327,42K 333,66K 795,77K 228,96K 7,15K 610,78K 10,19K 307,77K 105,12K 39,15K 215,31K 38,12K 4,32K 125,04K 154,28K 3,26M 847,69K 2,97M 596,43K 292,85K 116,96K 6,09M 78,59K 304,23K

1.17281

0.85275

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.17725 Japan yen (JPY)......................................128.684 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.07275 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43665 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.4135

currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES A UGUST 16

COMPANY 3M Alphabet C Amazon.com Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Facebook Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com Tesla UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 202,32 2.778,3 3.298,99 231,07 151,12 229,06 217,71 100,92 56,28 57,48 366,56 408,35 335,05 233,74 143,59 53,47 177,84 158,93 240,97 77,93 294,60 172,36 144,64 249,20 686,17 417,21 55,98 235,36 150,75 179,09

CHANGE CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 202,77 200,38 1,61M 2.779,8 2.723,3 842,89K 3.300,00 3.211,13 3,31M 231,29 227,92 2,40M 151,19 146,47 99,92M 232,03 227,14 7,60M 218,00 214,34 3,13M 101,20 99,91 9,46M 56,43 55,93 13,24M 57,49 57,03 7,95M 366,95 357,38 11,15M 408,99 402,15 1,59M 335,63 327,97 3,48M 233,80 230,17 1,73M 143,74 142,23 2,73M 53,49 53,00 17,39M 177,89 175,95 4,77M 159,03 156,78 8,70M 241,05 238,56 2,11M 78,01 76,64 9,32M 294,82 290,02 22,38M 172,40 169,66 3,44M 144,69 143,38 5,55M 251,00 244,47 4,03M 709,50 676,40 22,64M 417,42 407,33 2,35M 56,07 55,58 12,88M 235,48 230,20 7,56M 151,73 149,04 15,84M 180,59 176,51 8,70M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES A UGUST 16

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A Mettler-Toledo International Inc. AutoZone Inc. Cable One Inc. EPAM Systems Inc. Danaher Corp. 4.75% Mandatory Conv.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Paycom Software Inc. Dillard's Inc. Anthem Inc. Inspire Medical Systems Inc.

0.52% 1.39% 1.27% 0.94% 1.83% 0.50% 1.80% 2.09% 4.59% 2.42% 4.45%

1.27K 65.61K 140.98K 47.2K 237.63K 7.5K 1.14M 412.59K 424.15K 826.69K 213.47K

Most Declined Texas Pacific Land Corp.

-2.31% Twilio Inc. Cl A -5.02% Sea Ltd. ADR -5.29% Wayfair Inc. Cl A -3.88% Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A -1.33% HubSpot Inc. -1.62% Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. -0.55% Snowflake Inc. -3.21% Albemarle Corp.

-3.96% Shopify Inc. Cl A -0.60% MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index 3X Leveraged ETN-7.11%

20.27K 2.33M 3.72M 1.32M 218 396.54K 144.31K 3.11M 2.15M 1.28M 321.62K

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Morrisons Media Centre

Morrisons’ takeover news

David Potts, CEO of Morrisons.

THE Morrisons’ takeover in the UK becomes more complicated as bids increase with a further £400 million (€460 million) on the table.

Apparent front runners Fortress upped the value of their takeover bid following rumbles of discontent by large sharehold‐ ers and this was approved by Morrisons Board who recom‐ mended that it should be ac‐ cepted.

However there was a new twist to the tail as previous bid‐ der US investment group Clay‐ ton, Dubilier & Rice asked for the deadline to submit a new bid to be extended and after Morrisons tacitly expressed their agreement, the UK regula‐ tor has extended the deadline until August 20.

Morrisons had delayed the planned shareholder meeting whereby a vote on the Fortress

offer was due and because of this, the extension could be granted although if a new bid from a third party was present‐ ed then the extension would be cancelled.

There have been rumours of other interested parties lurking in the background plus the on‐ going thought that the Amazon group which uses Morrisons for grocery deliveries in the UK might step in and make its own bid.

In the meantime, Clayton, Du‐ bilier & Rice has time to raise more funds from investors whilst Fortress may feel that it has gone to the limit with its lat‐ est offer.

Under UK takeover rules there is a possibility that the company could be put up for auction by the regulator, al‐ though that would be likely to attract legal appeals from some

Fuelling inflation A REPORT by the Bank of Spain suggests that the increase in electricity prices has been responsible for fuelling inflation in 2021.

It estimates that in the first half of the year, soaring electric costs represent 0.8 per cent of the 2.9 per cent growth in consumer pricing.

Not all of this is necessarily the fault of the electric companies as they have been affected by rising gas and CO2 costs, but wholesale electricity prices have almost doubled in the first half of the year and this has been passed on to the consumer.

A reduction in IVA (VAT) has helped to soften the blow slightly, but prices are still up by over 20 per cent.

of the larger shareholders who oppose the sale as they believe that the company has underval‐ ued many of its assets.

BUSINESS EXTRA Led by Donkeys ANTI-Brexit campaigners Led

by Donkeys claim that their campaign against Sainsbury’s advertising on GB News was successful after Nigel Forage said that the RNLI was “a taxi service for migrants.” The supermarket chain denies being influenced, simply confirming that its short campaign was finished.

Pigging out THE Port of Valencia has announced that every year thousands of containers filled with pork leave there and are shipped to around 75 countries to be consumed in North America, Asia, Oceania, Europe and South America, with this being an important activity which generates significant income for Spain.

Merry Xmas IT will be more than turkey for Christmas for 2,000 workers across the UK as ALDI has revealed that it is continuing to expand and will be opening a number of new stores during the second half of 2021 which will need staffing.

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 33

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

The US lost this war

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

Photo by: Jono Photography / Shutterstock.com

THE recent decisions of the Americans in Afghanistan are almost beyond belief. If they truly were naïve enough to believe that diplomatic and peaceful negotiations with the Taliban would prevail with the withdrawal of American troops, then the whole world should be in in very real fear that the USA, our strongest and most powerful ally, is now under the control of a bunch of completely inept idiots.

At the time of writing, White House spokespeople (while arranging for their own staff to flee the country) are actually announcing that the Afghan diplomats in Kabul are still hoping to negotiate with the enemy when they take over the city. You really couldn’t make it up. The two facts that emerge from statements of this ilk are that either the American hierarchy is naïve beyond belief or they think everyone else is! No, the truth of the matter is that the Americans have lost this war and hung the Afghan people out to dry.

US and UK troops have been in the country 20 years. A whole generation has grown up under their protection. Most of their economy has been dominated by the American investment and military

DUMPED: A whole generation has grown up in Afghanistan under UK and US protection. infrastructure. And they have now been unceremoniously dumped. Yet another American president has become the toast of the Taliban Chai houses. Obama was the first.

I always questioned his motives for withdrawing vast numbers of troops under the guise of ‘bringing our boys

home,’ which the gullible American public lapped up and quite brilliantly enabled him to retain his popularity with both his Muslim supporters and his home crowd.

Trump then condoned the plans by promising the troops would be out by 2021, and bungling Biden, who probably has no more than another six months or so

of presidential power left before Kamala Harris takes over (as per plan!), has now finished it off.

They have even left the enemy millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to fight with. The mind truly does boggle. All of this is of course not helped by the hundreds of thousands of fighting age young men who

FEATURE

have fled the country and been allowed sanctuary in the West. If these cowards had been sent back and made to fight for their homeland they may have been in with half a chance.

Well, I hope the woke brigade are truly proud of themselves. Allowing these people to infiltrate the West in droves has left the indigenous people of Afghanistan with an impossibly depleted army and devastatingly vulnerable to all the atrocities which will now undoubtedly ensue. I hope the leftie do‐gooders sleep peacefully in their beds when, under their misguided insistence, the men who should be defending the women and children of Afghanistan are lounging in their hotel beds and complaining about the food, while the terrified women and children they have abandoned and thrown to the wolves are suffering the almost unspeakable brutalities and barbarisms we know their new ‘government’ is capable of. Global Jihad also now has a firm base to operate from.

A more dangerous scenario is difficult to imagine. Heaven help us all.

Keep the Faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com 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.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 35

Advertising Feature

Villa Paradiso Group opens first Eco Rehab THE renowned Villa Paradiso Group, awarded best addiction treatment centre in Europe 2020, is opening a brand‐new, 100 per cent ecological re‐ hab concept in Malaga.

Welcome to the first Eco Rehab in the world.

Spain’s Hacienda Paradiso is set to become the world’s very first eco‐re‐ hab. Situated in Malaga on the Costa del Sol, Hacienda Paradiso works with clients to end the cycle of addiction and behavioural problems in a com‐ pletely eco‐friendly atmosphere.

The five‐star rehab facility is nothing like traditional rehabs, and is an experi‐ ence like never before. Guests spend their time recovering in an affordable, natural retreat allowing them to recov‐ er in complete relaxation.

Addiction and mental health recov‐ ery can be exceptionally challenging, but Hacienda Paradiso does everything to provide guests with the most com‐ fortable stay imaginable.

Award‐winning treatments Hacienda Paradiso provides guests with a bespoke 28‐day treatment.

The package includes an individual

HACIENDA PARADISO: Works in an eco-friendly atmosphere. treatment programme and an addi‐ tional 12‐month aftercare pro‐ gramme. Guests are treated from the moment they walk in the doors with a psychiatrist evaluation upon arrival.

A blood test is also administered to discover if there are any underlying health problems.

Clients attend group therapy ses‐ sions seven times per week during

their stay. On‐site chefs provide excep‐ tional, healthy meals for clients during.

Daily exercise and weekly excursions are also part of the plan.

Jasmine’s Eco Farm Two healthy, nutritional meals are provided by the rehab, but there is more in store for clients of Hacienda Paradiso. Clients will enjoy a healthy, on‐ site eco‐market where they can shop for

fresh fruit and vegetables from local suppliers, all in one place. Or perhaps or‐ der a fresh smoothy after the daily workout routine in the open air.

Jasmine’s Eco Farm shop also pro‐ vides breakfast products such as differ‐ ent kinds of cereals, eggs and fresh croissants or different eco friendly products.

“Allow nature’s peace to flow into you as sunshine flows into trees” Nature dominates life at Hacienda Paradiso Rehab: Magnificent views stretch across high Spanish plains, sun‐ light dances across the Caminito del Rey, and white Andalucian villages melt into the landscape. Clients synch

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completely with nature, including open‐air workouts, outdoor excursions (e‐bike tours) and cultivating the on‐ site ecological garden.

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by World’s Best Rehab, beating over 30 other treatment clinics in the UK, Ire‐ land, Scandinavia and Spain to the cov‐ eted award.

Hacienda Paradiso is part of the award‐winning Villa Paradiso Group, consisting of: • Villa Paradiso Spain ‐ Individual treatment clinic in Marbella, Andalucia.

• Villa Paradiso Tunisia ‐ Individual wellness rehab in Gammarth, Les Côtes de Carthage.

• Hacienda Paradiso Spain ‐ World’s first Eco Rehab in Malaga, Andalucia.

In 2020, the Villa Paradiso group was rewarded for their unique approach and named ‘Best Treatment Centre in Europe 2020’ by the renowned World’s Best Rehab Magazine.

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FEATURE

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READERS TURNING TO CRIME (ERR, CRIME NOVELS!) FOR COMFORT 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

AS the culture wars rage on, alongside movements like #MeToo, #ExtinctionRebellion and #BlackLivesMatter, an increasing and equally important fringe has started to emerge in… wait for it… crime fiction writing!

In ‘The Sentinel’, the latest in my own psychological crime thriller series, DI Barbara Forster (or ‘DI Barbara’ as my audiobook reviewers call her) is praised for her suc‐ cess in an earlier case, but is suddenly accused of having tampered with evidence in it. An accusation that threat‐ ens to derail her entire career. As the man who was wrongfully convicted 10 years earlier goes free, a young woman goes missing. Meanwhile, Barbara is suspended and the media smell blood.

And again, narrated by my good friend, the actor Rayner Bourton (listen to the free audio samples on Amazon!) who created the role of ‘Rocky’ in the original London production of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’.

Frankly, I’m always amazed how some readers turn to ‘true crime’ for entertainment. Why waste precious hours of your life immersing yourself in unsolved mys‐

teries? They’re so frustrating! The joy of crime fiction is providing an answer to a riddle, seeing the good guys win and loose ends tied up (in a story with seemingly more loose ends than a bowl of spaghetti) and an order‐ ly dénouement. Precisely why we love crosswords, jig‐ saw puzzles and quiz shows! We are consoled by bring‐ ing order to chaos.

Though chaos can sometimes rear its head in unex‐ pected ways...

I’ve already described how, in an early novel, I had to make a late change to a character’s name, using ‘find and replace’ to change all Joans to Beryls (don’t ask!) which worked well until a key character visited Paris and discovered in the Place des Pyramides the magnificent gilded bronze equestrian statue of... Beryl of Arc. In an even earlier story, I had to use ‘find and replace’ to change all Lisas to Muriels. Worked a treat until read‐ ers got to the point when someone talked about visiting the Louvre and seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s famous paint‐ ing of... Mona Muriel.

Oops!

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

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

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 37

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

PARALYMPIC GAMES

From our Facebook

OLYMPIANS: The Paralympics deserve to be on regular TV, not relegated to Channel 4.

Hi Leapy It amazes me how much sport is on TV. But more than that, how come the ‘normal’ Olympics were on BBC1 and BBC2 but the Paralympics are relegated to Channel 4? These gallant Olympians deserve better than that!

For the record I’m not a sports fan, but I plan to watch the Paralympics every chance I get!

I read your column every week.

Regards.

Christine Shepherd

Strong views Good to see you back in the groove this week Leapy, voicing strong views on an important subject and one which you know something about! The nation will vacillate at its peril!

FULL OF HOT AIR AFTER all of the trials and tribulations of the past 18 months, you would think that it was time for a bit of respite, but that’s not the case.

Almost as if by design, no sooner has the cost of domestic and commercial electricity been increased quite dramatically at peak times, Spain is hit by some of the hottest weather it has ever known.

The temperature rose to an astonishing 50°C (122°F) in Granada last Saturday and much of the country has endured higher temperatures than previously, so peo-

CORRECTIONS

PRINCE ANDREW: Should he lose his royal title?

Kind regards.

Ken Turner

Pesky roadworks Normally it will take you less then five minutes to go from Villa Martin to La Zenia. Now, in mid August, the roundabout at AP7 and Blvd. La Zenia is being repaired.

Is there a good reason for doing this right in the middle of most busy month of the year?

Today it took more than 30 minutes with detours through various living quarters.

Is it the way Orihuela City Hall wants to thank the tax payers in Orihuela Costa?

Kr Peter

Sandy Sandra He obviously knew her by the look of that photo of him with her. If it’s been doctored then why isn’t he countersuing for defamation??????? No mention of that strategy.

Stephen Chatt Milne Well I’m a staunch Royalist, but I think nothing should be done in Her Majesty’s lifetime,as she has devoted her entire life to us and should be given as little pressure as possible before the curtain falls, let’s face it, sadly it will only be a few more years, then I’m certain that King Charles will sort his brother out... till then of course the show must go on... cheers.

Teresa Whaley

OUR VIEW

ple are trying to keep cool and it can be expensive.

The logical thing, if you have it is to turn on the air conditioning but many are having to run it much longer than they would normally do which means higher costs, especially as it will often be running in the peak times.

Offices and shops are running the air conditioning for staff or customers which means that they will see the results in higher than forecast bills and these costs will inevitably be passed on to the consumer.

Another problem which some

people ignore, is the fact that pavements heat up considerably during the day and whilst humans have the advantage of wearing shoes to protect their feet, our four-legged friends can easily find the paws being burned and as cats and dogs don’t sweat, they have to be allowed access to plenty of water so that they don’t become dehydrated.

There is an irony that many expatriates came to Spain to enjoy the hot weather, but it is now so hot (hopefully for just a short period of time) that the decision may have rebounded on them.

First off, what about innocent until proven guilty. Second, what about all the others who should be held to account because of Epstein? Why aren’t we hearing about them? Also, is this woman suing everyone who was responsible?

Claire Nina Spinks I don’t think ‘options’ come into it yet. This is a lawsuit, and it needs to run its course before anything else.

Caz Webb Yes most definitely, he’s abused his position, thinks he’s a law above himself because of it, what an embarrassment he is to the Royal family.

Sylvia Saunders Feel so sorry for the Queen’s eldest son, a self confessed adulterer and now younger son accused of paedophilia must be heartbreaking.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com • 19 - 25 August 2021

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

The answers could be at your fingertips GEL fillers and shellac tech‐ niques have become huge money spinners within the fe‐ male beauty industry, but your nails are more than just an aesthetic tool.

They can say a lot about your health, and can tip you off to any irregularities, ac‐ cording to the Berkeley Uni‐ versity of California, Well‐ ness.

Here are a few examples of how the nail can indicate problems in other parts of the body.

Nails normally curve at a slight upward angle from ac‐ tual bed. But nails that arc downward may indicate dis‐ ease of the lung, liver, inflam‐ matory bowel or cardiovascu‐ lar, as well as HIV infection.

White bands, Muehrcke’s nails, is a condition charac‐ terised by a pair of horizontal white lines running parallel to the nail base. These may arise

PROBLEMS: Injury or health problems can result in changes to the nail plate. after chemotherapy, but are also associated with liver and kidney disease.

Beau’s lines are horizontal indentations that may be a sign of injury to the nail and again can occur as a result of chemotherapy or as a result of a high fever.

But they can also suggest a zinc deficiency, diabetes or peripheral vascular disease.

Spoon nails, or koilony‐ chias, may be abnormally thin and flat, or even concave

enough to hold a drop of wa‐ ter. This is apparently associ‐ ated with anaemia or repeat‐ ed exposure to chemicals or trauma.

Terry’s nails are white plates with a dark band at the tip. Common in people with liver disease, the condition may also occur as part of nor‐ mal ageing. However, re‐ search shows that they are al‐ so associated with diabetes, congestive heart failure and HIV infection.

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 43

Mental health illnesses rising ALMOST two in five workers are suffering from stress and anxi‐ ety.

According to a survey conduct‐ ed by Behaviour and Attitudes, mental health issues are now the most common illness in the workplace.

In fact, it suggests that these health conditions have pushed cancer and back pain into second and third place for illnesses among staff.

Some 38 per cent of employ‐ ees say they are under stress, ac‐ cording to the survey which was commissioned by Friends First and conducted by B&A. It found cancer in second place with 33 per cent of workers citing it, followed by chronic back pain, which is suffered by 32 per cent of workers.

Almost half of under‐35s say they have taken extended sick leave of a week or more due to stress or anxiety.

While four out of 10 surveyed say they have taken extended sick leave due to an accident or illness. The average sick leave pe‐ riod was 14 weeks.

However, a quarter of employ‐ ees say they would not be paid

for a period of sick leave, even for one month or less, adding more stress to an existing problem.

Friends First said that in gener‐ al most of the workers surveyed described themselves as being ‘reasonably healthy’ or ‘very healthy,’ with just 10 per cent claiming they are less healthy

than they would like to be.

Karen Gallagher, protection di‐ rector of Friends First, said the re‐ search showed mental health is‐ sues had the potential to affect us all and the effects of stress and anxiety knew no boundaries when it came to age, gender or profession.

44 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

Age Concern opens new centre AGE CONCERN is holding a grand opening of its new centre on Avenida de los Covachos in Cam‐ posol.

The opening will take place on Monday, September 6 at 10am with refreshments and treats.

The charity is inviting everyone

to, “come along, meet the team, see what we do and celebrate with us in our new home opening Mondays to Thursdays 10am to 2pm.”

On Saturday, September 25, Age Concern will be holding a fundraising event with president

Isabel Stewart and equipment of‐ ficer Alec Hammond skydiving to raise money.

The fundraiser will take place at Totana airport with Skydive Totana. They would love to have spectators to support them so come along and cheer them on, and if you would like to sponsor this event or make a donation please phone Isabel on 634 344 589 or Alec on 634 306 927.

For more information, visit the Age Concern centre on Avenida de los Covachos, 2B Camposol C, Mazarron, call 634 344 589, or contact ageconcerncostacali da@gmail.com.

SOCIAL SCENE

Sidonie in Torrevieja THE band Sidonie will be performing at Torrevieja’s Eras de la Sal on Friday, August 27.

The concert, which will take place at 10pm, will see Spanish band Sidonie perform.

Founded in Barcelona, Sidonie has released more than 10 albums.

In the 20 years since the band made its public de‐ but with ‘Dragonfly’, it has managed to gain a foothold in the national music scene to become one of the most successful bands in the country.

The band is made up of

SIDONIE: The band was founded in Barcelona. singer Marc Ros, Jesus Senra, on vocals and bass, and Axel Pi on drums.

They started singing in English, and their first two albums were per‐

U3A summer party THE U3A Torrevieja is holding its sum‐ mer party on Wednesday, September 8.

Taking place from 7pm at the Vista Vella Golf Club, the event includes a three‐course meal and organisers have booked an entertainer.

To book for the event, contact Carol Alexander at the following email:

torreviejau3asocialteam@gmail.com.

The U3A Torrevieja offer activities for members to have the chance to meet new friends and study many different subjects in varied fields.

Their current activities include mili‐ tary history, and art appreciation in Torrevieja.

formed in English.

Their concert has been organised by Torrevieja council and will no doubt be popular with locals and visitors of all ages.

1st Festival TORREVIEJA has held its first ur‐ ban music festival.

The festival, which took place from August 12 to 14, hosted ur‐ ban acts, including Bad Gyal and Prok. Taking place in the Eras de la Sal venue, the festival hosted four concerts, as well as various DJs and other activities for rev‐ ellers at the festival.

SOCIAL SCENE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Advertising Feature

Lounge View, Quesada THE Lounge View in Quesada specialises in pro‐ viding some of the best breakfast and tapas around.

Owned by the company behind the three Pun‐ jabi Palace restaurants, with the first restaurant opened in 2008, The Lounge View is open seven days a week. Offering a wide se‐ lection of fresh fish, pasta and steaks, as well as breakfast from 8.30am to 12pm, The Lounge View has a stunning decor with an outside terrace, upstairs lounge bar and rooftop terrace.

All the company’s restaurants are synonymous with serving su‐ perb quality food coupled with outstanding service and a friendly atmosphere for you to enjoy your lunch or din‐ ner. That’s why they get so many repeat cus‐ tomers not only English and Spanish but Scandi‐ navian, French, Italian and German, who all come back for an evening of amazing food and the wonderful atmosphere.

The Lounge View is open 8.30am until late on

You’ll keep on coming back.

Avenida de las Na‐ ciones 11, Quesada, 03170, Rojales.

Or why not head over to the Punjabi Palace restaurants, which open daily between noon and 3pm, when you can enjoy the popular lunchtime special for only € 10.95 per person. In the evenings they are open from 6pm until late. They cater for younger din‐ ers and have a varied Children’s Menu. There is also a takeaway service available.

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 8:30am til late Av. de las Naciones 11, Quesada, 03170, Rojales Tel: 865 662 066

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 45

PETS

46

www.euroweeklynews.com • 19 - 25 August 2021

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How to find a great pet-sitter

IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in par‐ ticular may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sitters, if you have trips planned later this year.

Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can.

Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for your next holiday,

are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a per‐ fect house‐sitter while we were away in Canada and we were de‐ lighted with the care and attention that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person.

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Advertising Feature

The benefits of Canine physiotherapy PHYSIOTHERAPY can help a variety of problems including spine and other neurologic problems, arthritis, strains and sprains and post‐operative re‐ habilitation.

The life expectancy of animals is increasing a lot, which mainly leads to more osteoarthritis and joint and mobility problems. Os‐ teoarthritis is the most frequent cause of lameness in dogs, esti‐ mating that 20 per cent of dogs older than one year are affected.

Physiotherapy, included in a multidisciplinary programme, is where it can bring us the great‐ est benefit.

A variety of soft tissue tech‐ niques (eg massage), Joint tech‐ niques (eg mobilisations and stretching), and electrotherapy treatments (eg TENS) , laserther‐ apy, Ultrasound, hydrotherapy and Shockwaves are incorporat‐

Treating problems. ed into animal physiotherapy treatments. Exercise rehabilita‐ tion is also a very important part.

In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante C/Los arcos 23 Ciudad Quesada, Rojales. Tel: 609 779 109

Habits that our pets hate WHILE pets may be man’s best friends, it is not always a match made in heaven as there are ac‐ tually many things that humans do to annoy their furry friends.

Hugging may be a comforting and personal gesture among people, but pets can often feel scared and trapped when their

owners pull them in for a tight embrace. This can often result in a struggle for freedom which is not pleasant for anyone.

Pets also don’t appreciate be‐ ing woken up as they can feel startled and confused ‐ especially if you do it abruptly. Dogs, in par‐ ticular, sleep more heavily as

they age so are likely to react fair‐ ly grumpily if you wake them up from a nap.

Animals also don’t appreciate change and can find it harder to adapt than humans to alterations in schedule or environment. This can cause them to act out and misbehave which may lead to problems such as chewing, scratching, digging and barking.

Keeping them on a routine schedule as much as possible will help to prevent this.

Newcomers can also be a dis‐ ruptive presence for animals, so don’t expect them to warm to any unfamiliar faces right away.

Animals are often very territorial over their home so try to do any introductions outside the house.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 August 2021

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

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS urged its readers to support local businesses in the com‐ munity by going local now that the lockdown has ended and for your all your shop‐ ping this year, instead of feeding online giants and su‐ perstores.

We challenge you to redis‐ cover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengro‐ cers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent business‐ es in your area.

Now that the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic appears to be under control, it is a good idea to try and support many local busi‐ nesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect services they can oper‐ ate, especially if you are un‐ able to get out due to health reasons or any other restric‐ tions. The joy of shopping lo‐ cal means that independent businesses can help support the local community.

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

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

ture and shopping in this way.

Many local stores support local charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actu‐ ally much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous gen‐ erations and support not just the current owner but the generation before.

For those stores which are new, that extra couple of eu‐ ros spent there are support‐ ing someone’s dream and am‐ bition, 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 compete with the multinational and chains.

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

You could also consider purchasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, think‐ ing outside the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas.

Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a lo‐

cal studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an online study course for someone looking to change their career path.

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

Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays lo‐ cal, and it strengthens the lo‐ cal economy in two ways.

First, buying local keeps mon‐ ey circulating within the local economy.

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

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

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

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

Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more employees over time. A fantastic exam‐ ple of how to support your lo‐ cal community is with a Chari‐ ty Gift certificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause.

Just remember to still fol‐ low the latest government ad‐ vice and any guidance busi‐ nesses have to keep everyone safe in the future.

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48 EWN

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19 - 25 August 2021

AIR CONDITIONING

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

APPLIANCE REPAIRS

ELECTRICAL

BLINDS

BOILERS

BUILDERS

SERVICES

AUCTIONS

ALARMS

GRILLS

BALUSTRADES

MOBILITY

GATES CONSTRUCTION

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SERVICES

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DRAINS

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 49

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

LOCKSMITHS

POOL MAINTENANCE

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

50 EWN PLUMBERS

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

POOLS

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

SERVICES

SERVICES

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

19 - 25 August 2021 TV & SATELLITE

EWN 51

WINDOW TINTING

CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS

BUILDING SERVICES J & J PAINTERS. Inside - outside - clean - fast low cost. Torrevieja Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (290728)

BUSINESS OPPS. CARE HOME AND CARER SERVICE. WELL ESTABLISHED. EXCELLENT INCOME. NEED PARTNER 25.000 EUROS BUY IN, OR SELL OUTRIGHT. CALL 697 834 934. (292916)

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

CARE HOME CARERS /CARE HOME. COMPLETE PROFESSIONAL CARE. REASONABLE RATES. CALL 697 834 934 (292956)

CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every

CARS WANTED

CHARITY

52

other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aa-costablanca. org (93323)

HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area.

Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja. com. We also have a 24hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456)

CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campel lo@hotmail.com (95475)

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11:00am. All nationalities welcome Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorrevieja.org (95476)

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(10006) FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meetings up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477)

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangeli calchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information.

(95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH 1359. The association supports the welfare needs of ex-members of the RAF and their dependents. We also provide a social hub for members by organising monthly events.

To fund Welfare we raise money through the Wings Appeal. New members are very welcome. To find out more contact Chairman Tony at tony.elaine.cuen ta@gmail.com.

For Welfare contact Bill or Pauline on 0034 634 38 99 83 or email rafacbpresident2@ gmail.com. For general information on RAFA visit www.rafa.org.uk.

(238593)

12 - 18 August 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyh hvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishle gion.org.uk/branches/ori huela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier.

More info can be found on branch website www.ori huelacostarbl.co.uk.

(95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.secretary@rbl. community ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details Hon Sec 692 938 664.

(10004) ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455) STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesupport group@hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesup port.org. We are always

looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)

GOLD WANTED

THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.aca costablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465)

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461)

BATHROOM & KITCHEN Conversions Costa Blanca, contact 698 320 434.

(288988)

THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458) THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information.

(253807) THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar will be closed for the immediate future due to Covid-19.

Identification Fiscal G54713789 (95454)

DEBT RECOVERY REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL TENNANTS AND RECOVERY OF DEBTS. 603 154 830 (292712)

ELECTRICIAN MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs.

No call out charge. 698 320 434 (287535)

FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662) www.euroweeklynews.com

INSURANCE FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UPTO A €1000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686116297 (WHATS APP TO) OR VISIT www.sosinsurancein spain.com or email tracey@sosinsurancein spain.com (292419) BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English.

BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes.

Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@beneficialinsurance inspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsurancein spain.com for online quote.

(292527) STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygateinsure.com

CLASSIFIEDS MEETING POINT GENTLEMAN 77yrs old WLTM a dog friendly lady of similar age for companionship. I have a car for days out and enjoy a round of golf. Torrevieja. Contact 634 360 747 (293570) 70YRS OLD GENTLEMAN WLTM a lady of similar age for companionship, for going out for day trips or evening meals. Quesada / Algorfa. Call 677 805 105 (293610)

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

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com PERGOLAS TAILOR MADE, durable canvas, sails, umbrella, spa and CAR COVERS. Mazarron based, and serving the Costa Blanca too.

Mail Order and Ordering online 667 879 399 kruger canopies@yahoo.co.uk (290481)

PET CHARITY EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorsecare.net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 (95706) GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

INSURANCE

P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708) SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting re-homing.

Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spamasafor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

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19 - 25 August 2021 PLUMBERS

SPAS & JACUZZI

MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (287535)

EXPERIENCE the best with a 1hr unique massage with Veronica. Shaving or permanent hair removal available. For appointments call 679 292 678 (291680) SPANISH lady - classic.

Playa Flamenca, private house, 40 years, attractive.

All erotic services, massage, sexy lingerie. From €40. Ana 657 603 495 (293221)

POOL MAINTENANCE POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 w w w. p o o l t e c h s p a i n . c o m (284911)

EWN 53

SERVICES

PROPERTY TO RENT

PET SITTING HOUSE/PET SITTING. Retired couple available to do house/pet sitting.

Non-smokers.

References available. If we are able to help you, please e-mail jswingler1@gmail.com (293496)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

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TORREVIEJA. 58yr blonde lady. Gives massage with happy end. English spoken.

Miriam 604 382 799 (290858) TORREVIEJA Mulata big ass, bit tits, dominant, vibrators, harness games outcalls by appointment 602 698 120 (293394) TORREVIEJA Colombian & Dominican hot kisses with tongue outcalls by appointment 691 128 099 (293394) TORREVIEJA 58yr blonde lady. Gives massage with happy end. English spoken. Miriam 604 382 799 (293611)

XXX MALE RELAXING MASSAGE FOR MEN - Mario qualified masseur in Alicante - Special Massage for Men - 7 days 10AM to 10PM - APPOINTMENTS visit: www.handsonyourskin.blogsp ot.com or WHATSAPP 649 761 607 (293342)

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QUALITY LHD & RHD Vehicles bought & sold. All paperwork undertaken quickly & professionally.

Immediate payment for all purchases. Mobile / WhatsApp +34 600 726 221 Office +34 965 687 946 www.fwreurocars.com info@fwreurocars.com (289942)

FOR SALE WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

MUSIC TUITION PIANO, Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (290217)

XXX RELAXATION Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing.

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

XXX FEMALE SOPHIE naughty, slim, elegant, sexy French lady. 3 languages spoken. Visit all areas 693 357 526 (291686) www.euroweeklynews.com

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XXX RELAXATION

54 EWN

19 - 25 August 2021

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MOTORING

New noise radars THERE are already fines given out in Spain for excess noise, known as ‘noise pollution’, but this autumn you can expect a whole new headache, as noise radars start to be installed on the roads and streets of Spain, that measure the decibels emitted by your vehicle as it drives along, and it is predicted that by 2022, these radars could be in place, and ready to fine drivers whose vehicles ex‐ ceed the permitted level of noise.

This type of radar has already been test‐ ed for more than one year in Switzerland, and France, with Paris, Nice, Lyon, and Bron, all taking part in this initiative, with the main problem of course coming from vehicles with noisy exhausts.

In Spain, the government of Catalonia has already announced that it intends to in‐ stall a noise radar on the C‐31 road, so it should not come as any big surprise if these radars start springing up all over the coun‐ try very soon.

These devices are fitted with a 360 de‐ gree camera, along with acoustic antennas that pick up the sound waves from passing vehicles through microphones that mea‐ sure the ambient decibels every 10th of a second, but the revolutionary technology is such, that it can apparently distinguish be‐ tween different sources, for example, a car.

In the same way as any other radar al‐

ready on the roads, if the device deter‐ mines the decibels emitted by your car ex‐ ceed the permitted noise level, then it takes a photograph of your vehicle’s number plate, and you will be issued with a fine, which, depending on the location of the radar, can reportedly range from €90 to €600, but of course, the information relat‐ ing to fines from these new radars will be made available when the time comes.

Data provided by the European Environ‐ ment Agency, in their fight against noise pollution, claims that around 113 million people are affected by it annually, and that 12,000 premature deaths occur as a result, with the European standard establishing that during the day, a level of 55 decibels is acceptable, while at night, this is lowered to 50 decibels.

In Spain, it is reported that each city will set its own maximum noise limits, and that the rule does not apply only to moving ve‐ hicles, it could apply to a parked car with loud music playing, and using Madrid as an example, exceeding the legal limit of 87 decibels by up to four decibels will bring a €90 fine; exceeding the limit of 87dB by up to seven Db brings a €300 fine; and exceed‐ ing the limit by more than seven dB means a €600 fine, plus your vehicle being immo‐ bilised.

MOTORING

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ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack MANY people think that unless you have owned an Alfa Romeo you are a not a true petrol head, you can kind of see their point. While classic Alfas probably still deserve their reputation for being tem‐ peramental, newer models have long left that aspect of ownership behind.

The trouble is reputations can take a long time to disap‐ pear and that’s a shame be‐ cause it prevents many people from enjoying some cracking cars, and they don’t come any‐ more cracking than the Giulia.

The ‘standard’ Giulia range is by no means backward in accel‐ erating forward, with even the least athletic en‐ gine producing 200hp and the most power‐ ful 510 hp.

The lead‐in Sprint has an envi‐ able stan‐ d a r d equipment list that in‐ cludes active

19 - 25 August 2021

EWN 55

Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce cruise control, dual zone cli‐ mate, navigation, Bi‐Xenon headlights and all the other niceties one might expect at this level.

My mid‐range Veloce out‐ sprints the lead‐in model with a 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) time of 5.7 seconds and then on to a 239 kph (149 mph) maximum.

The 280hp developed by the 2.0‐litre turbocharged petrol engine is quite a feat and when you think this isn’t the top of the range model, it shows how good the Giulia range is on the performance front. One would

expect no less from Alfa Romeo!

At €50,261 (£42,595) the Alfa is up against some very stiff competition from arguably much more premium badges.

However, the Alfa not only has history and heritage but an ex‐ cellent standard equipment package, looks that turn heads for all the right reasons and re‐ mains commendably practical.

This is a four‐door saloon where you can carry four adults in space and comfort.

On the road the Giulia has a bit of a dual personality. It is quite happy to potter through urban streets, but show it a more open road

On the road this car has a dual personality.

and its inner performance de‐ mon is revealed. It’s not just ac‐ celeration and speed, but all round performance.

From the way it puts power down to the handling and steering. It is superbly accom‐

plished. Gear changes through the eight‐speed automatic box can be encouraged manually via some lovely aluminium pad‐ dles.

This is a well‐honed, well‐ crafted and hugely entertaining

car. It manages to combine so many positive attributes and is a delight to drive. Here in the UK many premium badge buy‐ ers will stay loyal to their usual fare, but the few who venture to Italy will not be disappointed.

SPORT NEWLY promoted Brentford had a baptism of fire by being given Arsenal as their first oppo‐ nents in their Premier League debut on Friday, August 13, in the first match of the 2021‐22 season, playing at home, in front of a packed house of very enthu‐ siastic supporters, including Eng‐ land manager, Gareth South‐ gate.

As stats go, Brentford last played in the top‐flight of English football way back in the 1946‐47 season, and become the 50th dif‐ ferent club to play in the Premier‐ ship, the 10th from London, with their Brentford Community Stadi‐ um the 60th ground to host Pre‐ mier League football.

Thomas Frank ‐ who becomes only the second Dane to manage a club in the Premiership, after Michael Laudrup at Swansea in 2012 ‐ could not have got off to a better start than for Sergi Canos to grab the first Premier League goal of this season, after wrong‐ footing Calum Chambers and fir‐ ing a right‐foot shot past Bernd Leno from 15 yards out, for 1‐0 after 22 minutes, with the crowd going crazy.

A 1‐0 lead at half time was

56

19 - 25 August 2021

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

Newly promoted Brentford stun Arsenal

Walking football THE Costa Blanca will see a new football league begin in October when the Costa Blanca Walking Football League kicks off thanks to the efforts of Portobello WFC , For‐ mentera WFC, San Miguel WFC and several other clubs.

Walking Football Association of Iberia are keen to see walking football leagues flourish in the Alicante/Almeria areas. Other leagues are planned for the near future with the Walking Football Association of Iberia assisting in the initial stages.

The opening fixtures are: HONDON VALLEY FLIERS v MORAIRA WFC /// PORTO‐ BELLO WFC v PINOSO /// FORMENTERA WFC v PORTO‐ BELLO WFC This is the third Walking Football League set up with WFAI member clubs and the only walking football leagues in Spain outwith Catalonia.

There is even the prospect of a second league starting up in the Almeria/Alicante area in the near future.

THOROUGHLY DESERVED: 2-0 for Brentford in their baptism of fire. thoroughly deserved, and as the second half got underway, it was Arsenal who seemed inspired, as they finally put some moves to‐ gether, but as the half pro‐ gressed, it really looked like the Gunners were not going to score,

and Brentford made Mikel Arte‐ ta's evening even worse on 73 minutes, as some sloppy defend‐ ing from a long throw eventually found the head of Christian Nor‐ gaard at the far post, who placed the ball beyond Leno into the Ar‐

senal net and it was 2‐0 the Bees.

This 2‐0 result leaves Brentford perched on top of the Premier League with the rest of the clubs still in action, it’s really a dream start for Thomas Frank and his players.

MEMBERS WANTED: They hope to see you soon!