Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 2 - 8 December 2021 Issue 1900

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 38 - 41 Issue No. 1900 2 - 8 December 2021

Line 9 surprise THE entire Line 9 rail link be‐ tween Benidorm and Denia will reopen a year earlier than expected.

Generalitat president Ximo Puig revealed during a region‐ al parliament Question and Answer session that the en‐ tire line would be operative by late 2022.

Puig added that it would be necessary to change trains in Teulada as the new dual‐ mode electro‐diesel trains would not be able to continue further until the century‐old viaducts over the River Algar and the Mascarat ravine are replaced in 2023.

The changeover in Teulada will not add time to the jour‐ ney, the Generalitat president confirmed.

Line 9’s Calpe‐Denia section had to be closed on safety grounds in July 2016 during the extensive modernisation and electrification project that began some years earlier.

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Higher bills CAMPELLO Council has voted in favour of asking the Gen‐ eralitat to review the tariffs for the town’s domestic wa‐ ter. These have not been modified since 2013 although over the next 10 years the town hall must pay towards the cost of constructing the €90 million Muchamiel desalina‐ tion plant built in 2015.

The bills are now coming in, explained Campello’s may‐ or Juanjo Berenguer, and the extra outlay will need to be reflected in the water rates.

The motion was approved with just seven Partido Pop‐ ular votes, thanks to the abstention by the PSOE, Compro‐ mis and Vox parties while Ciudadanos, Esquerra Unida, Red and Podemos voted against it.

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2 - 8 December 2021

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Covid passport green light THE controversial use of the Covid passport as requested by President Ximo Puig has been endorsed by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community. The new require‐ ments will come into force from midnight to‐ day Thursday, December 2.

The passport will be required to enter hotel and catering establishments that can house more than 50 people. It has also been en‐ dorsed for use in leisure establishments and recreational gambling locations that have catering services. The certificate has also been endorsed by the High Court for visiting hospi‐ tals. The valid passport requires full vaccina‐ tion, a negative PCR test within the last 72 hours, an antigen test within the last 48 hours or the overcoming of the disease within the last six months. The court considers that the use of the Covid passport is a ‘balanced’ mea‐ sure because it gives ‘more benefits for the

general interest ‐ containment of the pan‐ demic ‐ than harm to other conflicting assets or values.’ The court is satisfied the passport fulfils the ‘constitutional judgement of pro‐ portionality’ and that it ‘will hardly affect eco‐ nomic activity’ and could even boost it.

The court also believes that the passport provides ‘a good fit between the two most im‐ portant pieces (health and economy ‐ in that order) of this unusual puzzle that the current pandemic represents.’ The High Court of Jus‐ tice added: ‘The court understands this type of measure supposes a tenuous limitation of cer‐ tain fundamental rights which, when con‐ fronted with the powerful presence of other fundamental rights ‐ such as life or the protec‐ tion of health ‐ provides an objective and rea‐ sonable justification for its adoption.’

Seven autonomous regions now have court backing for the use of a Covid passport.

Villajoyosa discovery

RECENT renovations to the facade of a building in Villajoyosa’s Old Town revealed vestiges of Modernista embellishment.

The mortar decoration, a style dating from the late 19th century and early 20th and still to be seen in Alcoy and Elda as well as Cartagena

(Murcia), had been buried under layers of mod‐ ern paint. Following an exhaustive search of La Vila’s Municipal Heritage archives it has now been possible to duplicate the three templates that were originally employed and restore the building’s original decoration.

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NIBS EXTRA Poles apart VILLAJOYOSA’S El Charco beach and inland Beniman‐ tell are amongst the loca‐ tions chosen for Unicornios, a full‐length Spanish film di‐ rected by Alex Lora. Due to be released next year, it tells the story of Isa, a young femi‐ nist who wants a poly‐ amorous relationship and Guillem, who believes in monogamy.

Work training BENIDORM will have anoth‐ er 56 allotments on an 8,500‐ square metre plot in the l’Horta neighbourhood on the outskirts of the town.

Ten pupils from Benidorm’s l’Escola d’Ocupacio Et Formem school, which pro‐ vides training for future em‐ ployment, are preparing the allotments which will be ready for use next year.

Bad smell JAVEA residents who live in the zone between l’Arenal and Duanes have com‐ plained about the ‘stench’ that emanates from the local Ramblars rubbish tip where a fire had started some days earlier. Depending on the di‐ rection of the wind, the smell was unbearable throughout the entire area, they main‐ tained.

La Cala run FINESTRAT holds its second Cala de Finestrat Christmas Race on December 18 over a five‐kilometre route for over‐ 14s and with races for chil‐ dren. Setting out from the La Cala beach at 10am, the event will also raise funds for Caritas Finestrat and the Benidorm‐Marina Baja Ani‐ mal Protection Society.

More fish EXPERTS at the Montgo‐De‐ nia Scientific Station have recommended extending the Cabo de San Antonio marine reserve from its exist‐ ing 250 hectares to 1,400.

Not only would this protect the environment, but mak‐ ing it larger could increase catches for the professional fishing sector outside the re‐ serve, the scientists argued.

2 - 8 December 2021

Festive joy for Javea U3A JAVEA U3A put on a pre‐Christmas show to remember even though Covid restric‐ tions prevented their popular November Extravaganza.

Instead, a limited number of members were lucky enough to enjoy an alternative feast of festive fun at Dance Cafe, Tosca‐ mar. Compered by vice‐president Claude Grealy in the style of TV’s Good Old Days’ Music Hall legend, Leonard Sachs, the event entertained, in the words of Sachs, “for our delight and delectation.”

The evening included presentations to retiring executive committee members and lockdown Zoom presenters, with gifts for retiring vice‐president Peter Allin as well

Photo credit: Javea U3A

SPECIAL THANKS: Javea U3A’s vicepresident Claude Grealy with retiring committee members. as Angela Chantry, Alan Oliver and Peter Atkinson, who entertained during lock‐ down via Zoom.

Retiring Membership secretary Stan Staines was thanked in his absence and will

All the fun of the fair THERE will be a Craft Fair in Javea Port between December 6 and Decem‐ ber 8.

Organisers Amata pointed out that this co‐ incides with the Consti‐ tution Day and Inmacula‐ da national holidays, giving everyone time to visit the 20 stalls set up around an enormous Christmas tree.

“Every stall offers something different and all participants are real craftspeople who bring their tools along to make small changes or personalise a chosen item,” said Elvira from Amata.

“They can even accept special orders if you don’t find what you are looking for.”

Opening times for the three days are from 11am continuously until

8pm, although on Wednesday they will close a bit earlier For general informa‐ tion about the Amata fairs, visit www.amata. es (available in English), or you ring 639 979 678 and talk ‐ in English ‐ to Elvira.

Possible last‐minute changes will be an‐ nounced in Facebook and Instagram (Amigos de Amata).

receive his gift when he returns to Spain from the UK in the next few days.

Non‐executive committee members Jacqui Rogerson (Deputy secretary) and Linda Coughlin (Meet and Greet) were also recognised for their contributions.

There were also special thanks to secre‐ tary Margaret March for all her work and IT expertise in setting up the Zoom presenta‐ tions. After the formalities, members en‐ joyed food and drink while being enter‐ tained by the singer‐guitarist Dave Peachy.

The event also raised €350 for the U3A’s charity of the year, Make A Smile, plus some donations of notepads, pens and other gifts for the children they support.

Tons of rubbish A CLEAN‐UP of the seabed at Calpe port produced two tons of rubbish and litter.

It was organised by Calpe’s Fishing Guild and the Marine and Environment Research In‐ stitute (IMEDMAR‐UCV) al‐ though Calpe Town Hall, the Ifach‐Calpe Rotary Club, the Red Cross and Calpe’s Yacht Club cooperated with the op‐ eration. Approximately 120 volunteers on land, including helpers with paddle‐boards, and more than 40 divers from

WITH the worst of the pandemic over, the Bil‐ ingüe El Campello group are once again meet‐ ing each Thursday evening at Bar Barroko.

Campello mayor Juanjo Berenguer recently visited the group, who outlined their Christmas plans and also told him about their forthcom‐ ing Burns Night on January 25, explaining the traditional rituals that celebrate the life and works of Scotland’s most famous poet.

The principal objective of Bilingüe el Campel‐ lo is to promote integration between Spanish‐

different Valencian Communi‐ ty clubs took part in the clean‐ up. The two tons of rubbish that included an ‘enormous’ number of bottles, eight large vehicle tyres, six car batteries, fishing nets, cans and plastics were sorted and later deposit‐ ed in the appropriate recycling containers. The Cantal Roig beach also received a thor‐ ough clean, where volunteers removed the inevitable plas‐ tics and cigarette ends as well large quantities of fishing line.

Bilingual group speakers and English‐speakers in Campello and neighbouring areas.

The weekly Thursday meetings in Bar Bar‐ roko are free for both members and non‐ members wishing to practise their English or Spanish and socialise at the same time.

“You can choose to participate in a small group or simply socialise, speaking either Span‐ ish or English or both,” the organisers said.

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Rainy day for anglers THE Teulada‐Moraira Fishing Club’s most re‐ cent outing was to sec‐ tion B3 of the River Ju‐ car.

Ten members made the trip to the neigh‐ bouring province of Valencia, making a chilly start with a tem‐ perature of only nine degrees.

“And then the rain came,” said the club’s secretary Jeff Richards.

“Water temperature was 18 degrees, but the air temperature never rose above 12 degrees and the fish‐ ing seemed a little slow.”

Mick Owen had the best total weight of the day with 9.75 kilos and the second‐best total weight went to Ray Turvey (8.2 kilos) with Jeff Richards in third place (6.95 kilos).

There was one dry net.

“Overall it was an‐ other strange day’s fishing. I put it down to the cold weather,” Jeff said.

For further informa‐ tion about the Teula‐ da‐Moraira Fishing Club, please contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or frank.povey @btopenworld.com or call Ray Craig on 966 492 083.

Increased gender violence and finally...

BY September 30 this year reported gender vio‐ lence in Alicante Province increased by 14 per cent on 2020. The number of offences where the victim was a woman rose by 24 per cent, according to national statistics.

The calls that Alicante Province women made to helplines were also 100 points above the national average. These latest figures were released as the Costa Blanca ‐ and all of Spain ‐ commemorated International Day for the Elim‐

ination of Violence against Women on Novem‐ ber 25. They also revealed that the Valencian Community, with a total of 5,656 official com‐ plaints of gender violence, has the third‐highest incidence in Spain after Andalucia and Madrid.

Proportionately, the Valencian region has a gender abuse rate of 21.8 for every 10,000 women, more than five points above the na‐ tional average of 16.6 per 10,000 women and exceeded only by Baleares’ 25.7 victims.

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CALPE comes back to life. Thirty‐eight local groups and collec‐ tives took part in the first edition of Calpe’s Feria de las Asocia‐ ciones (Associations Fair).

Announcing the event beforehand, Calpe mayor Ana Sala ex‐ plained that the town hall wished both to give visibility to the town’s groups and enable them to make themselves known to the local population.

The event included a Food Trucks zone with live music from rock groups, the Ramonets and the Liverpool Band. Other at‐ tractions included a zip‐line, climbing wall and a rowing simula‐ tor.

“We have suffered a great deal over the last 18 months and little by little we are trying to restore Calpe’s social activities,” Sala said. “We wanted to give the municipality its life back.”

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Barbarians win RUGBY TEAM: Welcomes everyone to train and join the club.

THE Barbarians rugby team con‐ tinued their winning form against a tough AKRA outfit on Sunday November 28. In very cold early morning conditions, they quickly dominated the play but poor decision making let them down at crucial times.

Against a stubborn defence, they managed to put points on the board and start to pull away from the home team.

In the second half they unfor‐ tunately lost two key players to injuries but battled on to win a hard‐fought game and stay on

top of the league in the run up to the Xmas period. The next game is at home to second placed Castellon on Saturday December 11 in what will be a hard battle based on last season’s meetings.

The Barbarians run Academy teams from under 14s to 16s to 18s and through to seniors and welcomes everyone to come and train and join the club.

Free qualified coaching is available at all levels. Please call Santi (Spanish) on 676 612 357 or Mac (English) on 609 646 349 for more information.

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Christmas comes to Benidorm Giving 4 Giving

CHRISTMAS starts in Benidorm on Satur‐ day, December 4, and continues until Jan‐ uary 6. “This will be a responsible Christmas without renouncing anything,” Perez em‐ phasised.

“Events will, if necessary, be modified in line with all health measures announced by the Generalitat Valenciano,” he added.

“BeniNadal is a first class programme with all ages in mind, but especially the very young,” Perez said.

As always, Plaza Reyes de España be‐ comes Plaza de la Navidad with children’s merry‐go‐rounds, bouncy castles, an ice‐rink and a Christmas market.

On January 6 the world’s tallest Three Kings ‐ each around 10 metres high ‐ will visit the Plaza, the mayor revealed.

The Casa de la Navidad is located in the lo‐ cal history museum, Hort de Colon, which will also receive a visit from Father Christ‐ mas. The Christmas Porrat market is to be held at the Parque de Elche at the start of

Photo credit: Benidorm town hall

CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME: Toni Perez and Jesus Carrobles announce holiday season events.

the Poniente beach on January 4.

There are four separate Nativity scenes, with a Crib in Plaza Reyes de España, in the town hall foyer, at the La Barqueta head‐ quarters in Calle Tomas Ortuña and the Casa de Andalucia in Calle Mercurio. These can be visited between December 8 and January 6.

There will also be 14 free music and dance spectacles at the Julio Iglesias auditorium in the Aiguera park, again for all ages but with capacity limitations in line with health and safety requirements.

ONCE again G4G have been giving to the local charities. The first was a €1,000 donation to Caritas which was presented to Jo Hollingworth at the Le Cal bar in Finestrat village and the second €1,000 was handed to Andy of Rainbow Animal charity with the final €1,000 to Anemona breast cancer charity in Benidorm which now brings us up to a whopping €214,000 do‐ nated.

G4G still need volun‐ teers to help them contin‐ ue with their good work, so if you can spare a few hours a week please call Gary on 603 137 697.

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2 - 8 December 2021

No child without a present FOR the second consecutive year, Alfaz Town Hall is collaborating with the Corazon Expres Christmas tree scheme.

Not every home will have a Christmas tree this year or presents left underneath it for the youngest members of the family.

Aware of this, Corazon Expres has installed Solidarity trees in Altea, Altea la Vieja, Benidorm, Finestrat, Villajoyosa and Bolulla as well as Alfaz. The charity’s president Magdale‐ na Lopez, who recently visited Alfaz accompa‐ nied by the association’s secretary Tone Dys‐ jaland and volunteer Emilia Moratinos, explained to Mayor Vicente Arques how the Christmas Tree scheme works. Each tree is hung with cards that give the age and details of a child. Those wishing to participate need only choose a card, buy a present and leave it

MEGHAN MARKLE’S lawyer has broken silence over BBC documentary allegations. The new documentary Princes and the Press has claimed that Meghan bullied staff. The programme claims that she left them: ‘severely psycho‐ logically traumatised.’

Meghan and Harry left the Royal firm in January 2020 for the United States. They have made their home now in Los Angeles. Meghan’s lawyer, Jenny Afia from legal firm Schillings, has hit back at alle‐ gations made in the BBC doc‐ umentary: “There were mas‐ sive inaccuracies in that story.

It’s hard to prove a negative.

“If you haven’t bullied someone, how do you show you haven’t?” Jenny went on to add: “What bullying actual‐ ly means is improperly using

under the Christmas tree until December 17.

All the presents will later be sent to different associations and collectives, as well as local Social Welfare departments.

Alfaz Town Hall and the Casa de Cultura each have a Corazon Expres tree, with more installed in You Lounge Bar, Plaza Mexico, Corral Pollos and Grill, Centro Sarepta, Kiro Nilsson, Medicina Manual Albir, NaturTek, Academia Studio and Optica Novaluz.

Based in Altea, the charity links resources and needs, connecting charitable associations and organisations with families in difficult cir‐ cumstances.

“This is the scheme’s third year,” the Cora‐ zon Expres president said: “The first time there were seven Christmas trees, 14 the sec‐ ond and 29 this year.”

Meghan’s lawyer speaks power to hurt someone emo‐ tionally or physically. The

Duchess has absolutely de‐ nied doing that.”

Frozen lake tragedy A FROZEN lake video mishap has claimed a YouTuber’s life. The acci‐ dent happened while Tor Eckhoff was filming for his popular channel.

Norwegian national Eck‐ hoff, also known as ‘Apetor,’ died on November 26 at the Jakobs dam out‐ side Kongsberg in Norway.

Eyewitnesses report hear‐ ing the YouTuber’s screams after he fell into the lake.

The emergency services were alerted and sped to the scene. They were able

to pull him out of the frozen lake while he was still alive.

He was rushed to the hospi‐ tal, but later died due to the accident.

Eckhoff’s YouTube chan‐ nel has over one million subscribers and he has nearly 70,000 followers on Instagram. The last video he posted was titled: ‘I am not dead; I am 57 today.’

Tor was known by many for his extreme content in‐ cluding ice swimming in freezing water and ice skat‐ ing.

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Sagrada Familia crowned THE Barcelona skyline has changed after the Sagrada Familia’s Maria tower was crowned with a stunning star. The star is made of glass and steel and comes in the shape of a dodeca‐ hedron. The object is 7.5 metres in diameter and weighs in at a staggering 5.5 tons. Putting the star in place took some doing by engineers.

The pinnacle now comes in at 138 metres high. This makes it the tallest tower at the

Sagrada Familia basilica. The star, along with the entire Maria tower, is set to be illuminated from the day of the Immaculate Conception, December 8. All 800 windows in the tower will also be illuminated every night.

Over 100 people gathered in the streets to watch as the star was carefully put in place. The event’s conclusion was greeted by a round of applause from all those gathered to watch.

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Beatlemania is back!

Tribute to the Beatles.

THE 31st edition of the most traditional event in the history of Spanish Beatlemania takes place on Sunday, December 5, 2021, on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death. The Sala Malander in Sevilla will be the venue for the 31st Homenaje Nacional a Beatles.

There will be a special per‐

New MP sleaze rules

AN MP sleaze rules shake‐up has been unveiled. The new plans will mean that Boris Johnson will have to reveal how much his Spanish holiday had cost.

Johnson had jetted off to a Marbella retreat, but had avoided saying how much it cost by recording it on a minis‐ terial register. The Standards Commit‐ tee has put forward proposed changes to the rules which would mean freebie holidays would need to be added to the MPs’ register too.

Recommendations from the commit‐ tee include: “ending the exemption whereby ministers are not required to register gifts and hospitality they re‐

ceive in their ministerial capacity with the Commons Register, so that all of a Member’s outside interests can be found in a single place.”

The committee has also proposed: “introducing a new requirement that a Member must have a written contract for any outside work which makes ex‐ plicit that their duties cannot include lobbying ministers, Members or public officials, or providing advice about how to lobby or influence Parliament, and that their employer will give them an undertaking not to ask them to do so.”

Second jobs are also on the crackdown list for similar reasons.

formance by top Beatles trib‐ ute band, Los Escarabajos, along with guest artists and a Beatlemania collectors’ mar‐ ket. After two years of waiting due to the Covid‐19 pandem‐ ic, Spain’s National Tribute to The Beatles returns in time for the Puente de la Inmaculada on the eve of Constitution Day with its historic concert presented by Enrique Sánchez, musician, writer, and founder of the host band.

The event is produced by BeatleBiz (Beatlemania & Bis Managers) and Strawberry Fields Radio Beatles, with the involvement of Beatle 6‐7 Route and Los Escarabajos.

Opening the show is the new line‐up of the group Los Beat‐ os, which evokes the fab four’s live rockers between 1964 and 1966.

The event attracts fans of the band from far and wide and promises to be an edition to remember after a two‐year wait.

Sala Malander is located on Calle Torneo 43 in Sevilla.

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2 - 8 December 2021

Gifts may be red-taped A N Y O N E in the UK sending Christmas pre‐ sents to loved ones in the EU needs to be aware of possible cus‐ toms charges and VAT charges.

Experts have said that people sending gifts to the EU face the possibili‐ ty of delays, missing items, and charges that they were not expecting.

Many Brits are trying

to send gifts to friends and family in the EU this Christmas. This means that this could be the first time they have had to contend with VAT and customs charges.

Adam French of con‐ sumer rights group Which? commented: “The changes brought about by Brexit have created a greater bur‐ den of customs paper‐

work for consumers and couriers alike.

“You now have to at‐ tach customs declara‐ tion forms to anything you send, very clearly describing what it is and where it has originated from.”

Brexit rule changes came into force on Jan‐ uary 1. In July further changes also came into effect regarding VAT.

Xmas present charges.

Public defibrillator becomes life saver ON November 24, a nurse of the Re‐ gional University Hospital of Malaga saved the life of a 66‐year‐old man who

was suffering a heart attack on a public road. Nurse Esther Diaz used a munici‐ pal defibrillator that was installed less

New republic born THE British monarchy has reigned over Barbados in the Caribbean for 396 years.

At midnight on Monday November 29, this reign ended, and Barbados became the world’s newest republic. The Royal Standard flag which represents the Queen was lowered at midnight. Barba‐ dos was declared a republic by Carol Roberts‐Reifer, the Chief Executive Offi‐ cer of the National Cultural Foundation.

Many people gathered to watch the ceremony and applause could be heard as the Chief Justice swore in Dame San‐ dra Mason as president. The national anthem was played, and a 21‐gun salute was fired to mark the occasion.

Renowned singer Rhianna was declared

a national hero at the ceremony.

Mason gave her first speech as presi‐ dent and commented: “Republic Barba‐ dos has set sail on her maiden voyage.”

She went on to highlight that Barbados will have to navigate a “complex, frac‐ tured and turbulent world.”

She added: “Our country must dream big dreams and fight to realise them.”

Prince Charles attended the ceremo‐ ny and said: “The creation of this repub‐ lic offers a new beginning.

“From the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, people of this island forged their path with ex‐ traordinary fortitude.”

than 20 metres away, without which, according to her, she would not have been able to revive him.

The events took place around 9:30am on Avenida de Andalucia. Diaz was out of her working hours and was about to have breakfast in a cafeteria when she found a man lying on the street in seri‐ ous condition. She started to assist him while another citizen contacted 061.

The health care provider explained: “The patient was in a lateral security position, he was pulsing and breathing but had lost consciousness. I started doing cardiac massage, because I knew that at any moment, he could stop breathing,” she added.

Another citizen approached Diaz with a defibrillator that was installed on the road and thanks to this device the man began to regain conscious‐ ness. “If it were not for the AED (auto‐ mated external defibrillator), I would not have been able to save him,” said the nurse.

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Gordon Brown’s Xmas warning FORMER prime minister Gordon Brown has warned that this and next Christmas could both be at risk from Covid restrictions.

He believes the UK and other well‐off nations need to share vaccines and stop hoarding them.

The UK had promised to donate 100 million coron‐ avirus jabs, but so far only 11 per cent have been deliv‐ ered. Brown has called on Chris Whitty and Patrick Val‐ lance to “sit Boris Johnson down and acquaint him with some basic medical facts.”

Brown has hit out at John‐ son for claiming that the Omicron variant can be blamed on countries having a low uptake of coronavirus vaccines. Brown has instead blamed this on a shortage of jabs.

Mr Brown commented on donated jabs being delayed: “Through no fault of their own ‐ a number of countries have become spaces for out‐ breaks of new variants of the virus.

“Not for the first time, Johnson has shown a casual disregard for the facts.”

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ADELE’S new album, 30, has topped the UK album charts as the fastest‐selling record of 2021 so far. This is despite the sales being 68 per cent lower than her previous album 25, released in 2015.

The 261,000 first‐week sales of 30 means it shoots past Ab‐ ba’s comeback album ‘Voyage’ which sold 204,000 in its open‐

Adele tops charts ing week. The drop in Adele’s sales can partially be explained by the massive explosion of streaming services between 2015 and now. Also, 25 was only available to buy and not stream for its first six months of release. Adele’s new album

pushed Ed Sheeran off the top spot with his album = (Equals).

This means she has now se‐ cured a chart double, with the album’s lead single, Easy On Me, remaining number one for a sixth consecutive week.

The singer has also broken the record for a female act by

Business as usual A chart double for Adele.

having all four of her albums reach number one.

TikTok warning A WARNING has been is‐ sued by school officials in the USA after students were allegedly suspended for tak‐ ing part in the ‘Who Want Smoke’ TikTok challenge.

The students were filmed while pretending to hold guns while at school. One school prank even saw teachers conned into taking part in the challenge.

The TikTok challenge was inspired by Nardo Wick’s song ‘Who Want Smoke.’

People taking part in the challenge are filmed while using their phones to make it

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look like they are holding guns and promoting gun vio‐ lence.

One student told Clarksville Now: “I was at school and I was on my phone just going through random Instagram stories. I saw the trend on someone’s page and I’m like, ‘Oh, we need to do this, we need to do this. We could probably go viral for this’.”

The student’s video went viral, but he was soon pulled into the principal’s office for breaching the student code of conduct.

THE UK Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, has urged peo‐ ple to keep planning for Christmas as normal. He believes that the UK is some way off implement‐ ing harsher coronavirus re‐ strictions, despite con‐ cerns raised globally over the new Omicron coron‐ avirus variant.

So far two cases of the mutant strain have been detected in the UK. Javid said: “I think people should continue with their plans as normal for Christmas, I think it’s going to be a great Christmas.”

The Health Secretary said that the UK is “nowhere near” reintro‐ ducing social distancing and work from home rules.

He explained: “We know now those types of mea‐ sures do carry a very heavy price, both economically, and socially, in terms of non‐Covid health out‐ comes such as impact on mental health.”

“So if one was to make decisions like that they would have to be done very, very carefully and we’re not there yet, we’re nowhere near that.”

and finally...

JUST like all of us, the Queen of England has her own mobile phone. But there are only two people she will ever take calls from, and neither are her sons! The lucky two are her daughter Princess Anne, and her racing manager John Warren. One of the world’s leading horsemen, John takes care of all rac‐ ing and breeding concerns for Her Majesty.

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Macron slams Johnson Police march

EMMANUEL MACRON has slammed Boris John‐ son as not being “serious” about the growing num‐ ber of migrant crossings over the Channel as the UK prime minister took to

Twitter to publish a letter to the French Govern‐ ment.

This comes shortly af‐ ter the deaths of 27 peo‐ ple who undertook the crossing on Wednesday

November 22.

France has now with‐ drawn a summit invitation to the Home Secretary Priti Patel, a move that the UK Government has urged them to reconsider. John‐

son said of the move: “This is a problem we have to fix together.”

Mr Macron set up talks in Calais on Sunday November 28 to address the recent surge in migrant crossings of the channel.

Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and the European Com‐ mission were invited.

The deaths of the 27 migrants on November 22 was the biggest loss of life in the Channel in many years. Ahead of the meeting on Novem‐ ber 28, Johnson posted the letter to Mr Macron which was then shared on Twitter.

Mr Macron blasted Johnson saying: “I am surprised by methods when they are not seri‐ ous. We do not commu‐ nicate from one leader to another on these is‐ sues by tweets and let‐ ters that we make pub‐ lic.”

on Madrid

THOUSANDS of Spanish police officers marched through Madrid on Sat‐ urday, November 27 to protest a newly pro‐ posed change to a secu‐ rity law that they say will affect their ability to work.

Politicians from across the country’s political spectrum joined the Spanish police march to oppose the changes to the 2015 Citizens Securi‐ ty Law, which critics say damages the right to protest.

People who disagree with the current bill have named the legisla‐ tion the ‘gag law’ as it allows authorities to fine media organisations f o r d i s t r i b u t i n g u n a u‐ thorised images of po‐ lice, strictly limits demonstrations and im‐

poses heavy fines for of‐ fenders.

Spain’s centre‐left government wants to declassify taking pho‐ tographs or filming po‐ lice officers at demon‐ strations from being a serious offence.

Under the new changes, police will have to adapt what ma‐ terials they use at protests to items that are less harmful after several people were se‐ riously injured by police rubber bullets.

The custody time for people arrested at protests will be cut from six hours to two, and fines will be proportion‐ ate to the offender’s earnings.

Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros, of the far‐ right Vox party, said: “There is strong opposi‐ tion against (the reform) of this law. It is against our police, and we will not let it happen.”

However, Isa Serra, spokeswoman for the far‐left Unidas Podemos party, said at a rally in Cantabria in northern Spain that the law had done a “lot of damage to Spanish democracy.”

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Flying taxi INVENTORS have chased the dream of creating flying cars for decades and they have been seen in many sci‐fi films.

But now, Umiles, a company which specialises in the manu‐ facture of drones, has a plan to launch the first‐ever fully electric air taxi in Spain.

Carlos Poveda, the CEO of Umiles, confessed that his company’s taxi is still a proto‐

ACCORDING to a press re‐ lease from the luxury car man‐ ufacturer Rolls‐Royce on November 16, the company has created the fastest electric aircraft in the world. It has sent the details of this achievement to the Federation Aeronau‐ tique Internationale (FAI) locat‐ ed in Lausanne, Switzerland, to certify their aeronautical record. Rolls‐Royce claim their ‘Spirit of Innovation’ reached a speed of 555.9 km/h, whilst travelling three kilometres. Its maximum speed at one point was allegedly 623 km/h. If this turns out to be true, then it

type and cannot fly. However, he assured that after a series of tests the model will take flight. The model was first re‐ vealed at the Expodronica fair in October.

Poveda explained that their flying taxi ‐ initially dubbed ‘In‐ tegrity’ ‐ will be able to connect the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and Barcelona. The vehicle will have the capacity to transport

Will transport 5 people.

five passengers and be capable of handling routes of up to 300km.

Poveda said the first test model will transport only one or two people. But he claimed they will be able to carry five passengers plus the pilot by June 2022.

Rolls-Royce record completely smashes the previ‐ ous record of 213.04 km/h.

As explained on their web‐ site, “The aircraft was pro‐ pelled in its record trips by a 400kW electric propulsion sys‐ tem, and the propulsion bat‐ tery pack with the highest power density ever assembled in the aerospace industry.”

The creation of this electric plane is part of the ACCEL (Ac‐ celeration of the Electrification of Flight) project. Half of its funding is provided by the Aerospace Institute of Technol‐ ogy (ATI), in partnership with the UK Department for Busi‐ ness, Industrial Energy, and In‐ novation.

STATS

10

Switzerland eats the most chocolate equating to 10 kilos per person per year.

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New coin for Queen

THE Queen’s Platinum Ju‐ bilee will be celebrated by the Royal Mint with a newly designed 50p coin to be re‐ leased next year. The coin will feature the number 70, which represents the num‐ ber of years the Queen will have been on the throne by 2022.

The Queen’s royal cypher is nestled inside the zero and forms the heart of the design. It has been seen and approved by the Queen her‐ self, and it is the first time a royal event has been com‐ memorated on the ‘tails’ side of a 50 pence.

Clare Maclennan, division‐ al director of commemora‐ tive coins at the Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint has a proud history of striking coins for British monarchs and 2022 sees one of the greatest celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen with the

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

upcoming Platinum Jubilee.

“Marking 70 days until the anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, the Royal Mint is delighted to reveal the commemorative Platinum Jubilee new 50p design ahead of its launch in the new year.

“In recognition of the landmark occasion, this is the first time a royal mile‐ stone has been commemo‐ rated on a 50p coin and is a fitting celebration for Britain’s longest‐reigning monarch.”

NEWS

First drone highway

WHILE countries like the USA are seen to be taking the lead on unmanned aircraft, here in Spain, the Valencian community are taking the lead. The re‐ gion is working on a pro‐ ject with UPV (Universitat Politècnica de Valencia) that will see Valencia get Spain’s first aerial drone highway.

What may come as a surprise to many is that the region has already built three drone high‐ ways and is currently qualifying secondary roads or corridors.

Once in place these will allow the normalisation of drone flights around the community, allowing for a variety of uses in‐ cluding the delivery of medicines. The process is expected to be complete between 2023 and 2025.

A crucial step in this process was agreed this week with the signing of a protocol with Enaire, the company that manages the national airspace. This protocol allows for the in‐ tegration of the commu‐ nity’s drone highways in‐ to the national network.

and finally...

ONE mum has gone viral after she shared her husband’s X‐rat‐ ed Christmas light display on social media. When setting up the Santa, her husband had accidentally missed out on a zip tie that had been meant to tie Santa’s hand up so that he ap‐ peared to be waving. Now, Santa appeared to be making an explicit gesture. The mum’s TikTok video has been seen over 35 million times.

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FEATURE

Plusvalia Tax Calculation. And now what? New regulations and the calculation of this local tax.

AFTER the court ruling of the Constitutional Court, declar‐ ing unconstitutional the form of determination of the Plus‐ valia tax base; We all ask our‐

selves a basic and practical question: and now what? In this article we are going to dis‐ cuss the new criteria intro‐ duced in the regulation about

Plusvalia Tax Calculation as per the Royal Decree‐Law 26/2021.

1. TWO METHODS FOR THE PLUSVALIA TAX CALCULA‐ TION. BASED ON REAL OVER VALUE OR BASED ON THE OB‐ JECTIVE ESTIMATE METHOD The Royal Decree establish‐ es two ways to calculate the municipal Plusvalia Tax. The taxpayer may choose the most favourable one.

Let's explain it with an ex‐ ample. Let's think that we own a property that we bought for €100,000 in 2019 and we sell it for €120,000 in 2021. In this situation there will be two methods to calculate the tax base. Let's say that the total cadastral value is €150,000, in which 30 per cent corresponds to the value of the land: ‐ METHOD 1. Calculation of the tax base for the real profit.

If this method is applied, the effective profit would be

€20,000. The real Plusvalia Tax attributed to the taxpayer is €6,000. (30 per cent of the val‐ ue is for the land; so we multi‐ ply this by the real gain €20,000). ‐ METHOD 2. The taxable base of the tax calculated ac‐ cording to the objective esti‐ mation method will be the re‐ sult of multiplying the cadastral value of the land at the time of accrual (that is, at the time of sale) by the coeffi‐ cients approved by the town councils, depending on the number of years that have elapsed since the acquisition of the property.

If the cadastral value of the land is 30 per cent and there has been a generation period of three years (let’s say a coef‐ ficient of 0.16 or 16 per cent), the total charged to the tax‐ payer would be €7,200 (30 per cent of 150,000, multiplied by the coefficient).

These multiplying coeffi‐

cients to be approved by the town hall, must never exceed those stipulated in the Royal Decree. In addition, they may be updated annually.

In this case, the taxpayer would opt for the most benefi‐ cial option, that is, calculate the tax base for the real profit.

This way is calculate the tax base that will be used to fix the tax to be paid; but it is not the amount to be paid.

2. IF THERE IS NO PROFIT, THERE IS NO TAX As a novelty, the Royal De‐ cree stipulates that no taxpay‐ er will pay the tax if he does not obtain a profit. It will be the same taxpayer who will have to justify that there has not been an increase in value.

It also establishes that the municipalities will be able to do tax revisions.

3. THE GAINS GENERATED IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR ARE

TAXED Plusvalia for sales that take less than one year from the ac‐ quisition, will be taxed. Before, it was not like this.

4.‐ CONCLUSION In principle, the administra‐ tion wants to offer greater cer‐ tainty to both municipalities and taxpayers. In addition also, to adapt the tax base to the re‐ al economic capacity. Finally, it is an attempt to improve the way to calculate the tax base, in order to reflect the reality of the real estate market.

To remember what the TC had established in the court decision granted; and how the tax base was previously calcu‐ lated, we refer you to our pre‐ vious article.

If you need legal advice, Contact Us. The information provided in this article is not in‐ tended to be legal advice, but merely conveys information re‐ lating to legal matters.

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

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NEWS

Pregnant women crisis DOCTORS have warned that maternity services are at crisis point over the number of unvaccinated pregnant women who are in-

fected with Covid on labour wards.

Expectant mothers who have Covid need additional care and doctors are wor-

Spain’s richest menu DABIZ MUÑOZ’S restau‐ rant, DiverXO, in Madrid, boasts three Michelin stars, and three Repsol suns.

Not surprisingly, the chef has just been given the award for Best Chef in the World 2021. How‐ ever, after a price in‐ crease, it seems that his establishment is also about to become the most expensive in Spain.

From January 2022, Cristina Pedroche’s hus‐ band’s restaurant will raise the price of its tast‐

ing menu from €250 to €360. Added to this amount would be €150 per person if you want to enjoy a selection of wines chosen by the sommelier Miguel Angel Millan, or €300 if you want a high‐ class pairing.

DiverXO is, since this year, positioned at num‐ ber 20 in the list of the best restaurants in the world, and the only one with three Michelin stars ‐ of the 11 in Spain ‐ to raise the price of its menu.

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Koalas sleep around 18 hours a day.

ried that this could be compromising the care of other pregnant women.

Dr Biswas is an adviser to the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch. The doctor revealed: “Covid-positive expectant mothers in hospital need a lot closer monitoring.

“If they are in labour, they will need detailed heartmonitoring every few hours.

We’re supposed to have one midwife to every pregnant woman. But if you’re running those tests on the Covid patient every few hours, you can’t be with another woman in labour.

“If there are not enough midwives to go around, it’s feasible the patient who doesn’t have Covid will miss out on adequate care.”

Doctors all agree that maternity services across the country are not set up to deal with the current situation. There has been a chronic staff shortage for years, and the pandemic has made this much worse.

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NEWS

Asylum for Afghan Girl THE National Geographic’s ‘Afghan Girl’, who was immor‐ talised more than 30 years ago on the front cover of the mag‐ azine, has arrived in Rome af‐ ter being evacuated from Afghanistan following the re‐ turn of the Taliban.

The Italian government made the official announce‐ ment that green‐eyed Sharbat Gula, who was photographed in 1984 at a refugee camp in Pakistan, had reached Rome on Thursday, November 25.

She had gone to Pakistan at four or five years old following the Soviet invasion of

Green-eyed Sharbat Gula.

Afghanistan, having fled the country along with thousands of others. She was just 12 years old when the iconic photo was taken by Steve McCurry, and it

made her into an emblem of the suffering and economic in‐ stability of the region.

Her image caught the world’s attention a second time in 2002, when the same pho‐ tographer went back to Afghanistan to find her again.

He found that she was still living in poverty, and once again, she appeared on the front cover of the National Geographic.

Gula, an illiterate mother of four, had no idea millions of people around the world had seen her photo and she had sparked an international move‐ ment for the rights of refugees.

Barcelona on silver screen LIAM NEESON has recently been spotted shooting his new film ‘Marlowe’ in sever‐ al different locations near Barcelona including Sitges, Alella, Blanes, Manresa, and Terrassa. In this thriller, the Irish actor plays the iconic de‐ tective Philip Marlowe, creat‐ ed by the celebrated Ameri‐

can‐British writer, Raymond Chandler.

The character initially ap‐ peared in the novel, ‘The Big Sleep’, published in 1939.

Years later, his stories were brought to the big screen featuring stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and Elliott Gould

as protagonists.

Now the adventures of the intrepid inspector return to the cinema screens in an adaptation of ‘The Blonde with Black Eyes’, a novel from the writer, John Banville, resurrected starring the detective created by Chandler.

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La Palma lottery rush THE devastation and loss ex‐ perienced by people in La Pal‐ ma has touched the world, with many people losing ev‐ erything. So, it’s no surprise to hear that Christmas lottery sales have soared on the is‐ land.

Whilst this is a positive story it’s also a sad one, reflecting just how desperate many peo‐ ple on the island are to recov‐ er their lives. Some €360 mil‐ lion, not including private donations, has been commit‐ ted by both the government of Spain and the Canary Is‐ lands, but many residents still don’t believe they will recover all that they have lost.

But there is also another side to this as explained by Borja Muñiz, president of the National Association of Provincial Lottery Administra‐ tors Associations (ANAPAL): “People believe that where there is misfortune there is al‐ so luck, so they play the lot‐ tery.” That makes La Palma a good place to buy a ticket.

2 - 8 December 2021

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Charles’ racism denial LAWYERS were reportedly called in by Prince Charles regarding claims that he was the ‘Royal racist.’ Earlier this year, Meghan Markle shared her concerns surrounding one member of the family with Oprah Win‐ frey. A new book written by Christopher An‐ dersen claims that Charles was the person that Meghan was talking about. Anderson’s new book, Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan was scheduled to be released on November 30.

In the book, Andersen claims that Charles was having breakfast with his wife Camilla when he commented: “I wonder what the children will look like?’’ Camilla was some‐ what taken aback, then reportedly replied: “Well, absolutely gorgeous, I’m certain.”

Charles then commented: “I mean, what do you think their complexion might be?’’

The claims have been denied and a spokesperson for Prince Charles comment‐ ed: “This is fiction and not worth further comment.”

Neighbour threat

A MAN in the municipality of Manises, Valencia, banged on his neighbour’s wall and got more than he bargained for when his neighbour responded by threatening him with a shotgun. The National Po‐ lice have arrested a 58‐ year‐old man.

The incident occurred at around 12.30 on Saturday, November 28, when the police were called to a house where an armed man was threatening to kill

his neighbour. When they arrived on the scene, the police officers were in‐ formed that just moments before, the irate man had been on the balcony, pointing a shotgun at his neighbour on the adjacent balcony and claiming that he was going to kill him.

The victim had taken refuge inside.

The police went to the suspect’s flat. He gave them permission to enter and openly confessed that

he had threatened his neighbour because he was “banging on the wall.” He also informed the officers that he had the full inten‐ tion of killing him.

Immediately after speaking to the police offi‐ cers, the man opened the door to the balcony and tried to jump off, but one of the officers was able to grab him and pull him back inside.The man has been arrested and will now face trial.

ELKAR: Is located on the 33rd floor of the Madrid building.

High in the sky A NEW restaurant which has just opened in Madrid, has the notoriety of being the highest in the country. Elkar, which translated from Basque means ‘Together’ is locat‐ ed on the 33rd floor of the Torre Emperador Castellana and sits at 160 metres (525ft) above the city.

This haute cuisine es‐ tablishment is the new project in Madrid of Ara‐ mark Spain. It was born from the union of two chefs, Sergio Ortiz de

Zarate, who has a Miche‐ lin star, and Beñat Or‐ maetxea, who won the National Award for Young chefs. They have merged their two kitchens to form a gastronomic heav‐ en. It is the first time they have worked together.

A unique feature of the restaurant is that diners must first enter through the wine cellar before making their way up to the 33rd floor, where they can sit and enjoy the panorama of the Madrid skyline.

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NEWS

Commemorative beer

THE terrible fire that broke out in Jubrique on September 8, and devastated around 8,400 hectares of the Sierra Bermeja, was the worst blaze in the history of Malaga Province.

The owners of the La Catarina craft brewery, which manufactures beer in the Malaga munic‐ ipality of Estepona witnessed the event: “We are on the Guadalmansa river, in Estepona, and, at night, both clients of the restaurant and ourselves could not stop looking at the burning mountains. It affected us a lot. After witnessing this catastrophe, we decided to design some‐ thing in recognition of all the emergency ser‐ vices.”

They have now created a limited‐edition beer dedicated to all the people who participat‐ ed in the fire’s extinction efforts. All the costs of which have been borne by one of the brand’s

OFFICERS from the Na‐ tional Police announced on November 28, they had arrested a man for drugging and sexually abusing a young boy in Valencia.

The man was a friend of the boy’s family, and the abuse allegedly be‐ gan during the coron‐ avirus confinement. The boy’s father initiated

NEW BRAND: Dedicated to fire efforts.

partners. Their new brand has been christened ‘La Catarina Aid’, and 10 per cent of all its sales will be donated to the various recovery plans that are being carried out in the coming months. Around 700 litres of this beer have al‐ ready been put on sale. It has been brewed without additives, and without pasteurisation, and comes in two formats, 33cl bottles at €2.50 each, and in barrels.

Abuser arrested the complaint with the police.

Reportedly, the abuse started in March 2020 around the time that the coronavirus restric‐ tions came into place.

The alleged perpetrator had spent time living with the boy and his family and had gained his trust which he then abused.

The man had threat‐ ened and bribed the boy not to tell his fami‐ ly. The man has now been remanded in prison due to the seri‐ ousness of the crime.

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Pyromaniac caught Brian May rants

A N arsonist was caught by officers from the National Police in Almeria’s El Ejido. The details of the arrest were released on Sunday November 28. The man had allegedly set fire to a series of containers and caused damage to both vehicles and proper‐ ty in the process.

Multiple complaints had come into the El Ejido police station saying that waste containers were being set on fire. At least 10 containers were set ablaze.

Police officers carried out an inves‐ tigation. They set out to watch local areas at different times of the day.

The operation proved successful and

on Monday November 15 in the evening, officers from the National Police spotted a man inside a con‐ tainer. The man had been spotted at Calle Granada and was soon identi‐ fied.

A fire broke out inside the contain‐ er which the man had been in. Offi‐ cers discovered that the fire had been started using a t‐shirt. When the detained man was searched offi‐ cers discovered a lighter in one of his pockets.

The arrested man has been placed at the disposal of the courts in El Eji‐ do. He has been accused of a crime of aggravated damage by fire.

Olympic school visit

OLYMPIC mountain bike bronze medalist David Valero visited a local school in Baza to share his experiences of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The bronze medalist’s visit to the local school gave the children the op‐ portunity to ask him any‐

thing they wanted to know about his career, about the sport of moun‐ tain biking, and the bronze medal.

The opportunity to see an Olympian and a medal up close evoked much excitement in the chil‐ dren. Some of the chil‐

dren prepared drawings and special gifts for David and many of them took home a signed auto‐ graph.

The visit to the Francis‐ co de Velasco school was especially poignant as it is the former primary school of the champion.

QUEEN guitarist Brian May has blasted the BRIT Awards for getting rid of their gendered prize cate‐ gories in a rant against ‘woke cancel culture.’ The organisers announced this week they are replacing their traditional male and female categories and re‐ placing them with ‘artist of the year’ and ‘international artist of the year,’ the Queen legend exploded with anger in an interview.

The organisers of the awards have said that the move was a “small but seis‐ mic” way of ensuring artists of all genders are celebrat‐ ed, bringing the focus on their “music and work, rather than how they choose to identify.” But May, 74, shouted down the “knee‐jerk” reaction, be‐ fore claiming Queen “would be forced” to be di‐ verse if remade today.

His comments have left critics baffled, as Queen’s iconic frontman Freddie

Comments were baffling.

Mercury was an openly bi‐ sexual man, born in Zanz‐ ibar to Parsi‐Indian parents.

Queen has also toured with Adam Lambert, the gay

American Idol performer who regularly dresses in gender non‐conforming outfits.

May said on November 23: “I feel very uncomfort‐ able about some of the de‐ cisions that are being made, often out of fear. It’s a decision that has been made without enough thought,” he said of a move that has been in the pipeline since at least 2019.

Motorbike tragedy

A 51-YEAR-OLD motorcyclist has lost their life after an accident in Alicante’s Elche. The accident hap‐ pened on Saturday, November 27 when the motorcy‐ clist left the road while travelling along the EL‐20 road in the municipality.

The Traffic Management Centre of the DGT con‐ firmed that the accident took place at around 8.30pm. The accident occurred on a roundabout, but the exact cause is not yet known.

Reportedly the motorcyclist left the road when they were driving around a roundabout, but it ap‐ pears no other vehicles were involved. No further de‐ tails regarding the incident are known at this time.

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NEWS

Passengers test positive I T was reported on Fri‐ day November 26, that at least 61 passengers arriving at Amster‐ dam’s Schiphol airport from South Africa, test‐ ed positive for Covid.

They flew in on flights from Cape Town, and

Johannesburg.

Because new rules banning flights from South Africa had come into force while they were in the air, all 600 passengers subsequent‐ ly underwent CPR tests on arrival in the Nether‐

Israel closes borders ON November 27, Naftali Bennett, the prime minister of Israel, announced the closure of his country’s bor‐ ders to all foreign travellers.

This move has been introduced in an effort to com‐ bat the new Omicron variant of coronavirus. One case has been confirmed so far, along with seven suspect‐ ed cases.

In a statement, Mr Bennett said that the travel ban would last for 14 days but is pending government ap‐ proval. The Israeli government will also reportedly reintroduce phone‐tracking technology that is used for counterterrorism.

Other countries, including the UK, Australia, the US, and some in the EU, have enforced travel bans on South African nations. Scientists have voiced their concerns over the latest variant’s capability of being transmitted much easier. It was first detected in South Africa, and is believed to have more tolerance against the current vaccines, and could have a higher rate of re‐infection.

lands. A team from the municipal health ser‐ vice (GGD) went to the airport to conduct the tests.

Although they tested positive, it was not clear if all or any pas‐ sengers carried the new Omicron variant.

The passengers were kept segregated from the rest of the terminal.

Those who tested posi‐ tive were moved to a hotel in the Schiphol area, under the surveil‐ lance of local authori‐ ties. There, they must serve a quarantine of at least seven days if they present symptoms, and five days if they are asymptomatic.

The rest of the pas‐ sengers who obtained a negative result in the test must also undergo a five‐day home quar‐ antine, until a new PCR is carried out, which, if negative, allows them to exit quarantine.

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New lobster law Lobsters can feel pain.

A NEW report by the Lon‐ don School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has found there is strong scientific evidence that lob‐ sters and other crus‐ taceans feel pain just like

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us. The results of the gov‐ ernment‐commissioned study mean boiling lob‐ sters alive will be illegal un‐ der new laws.

The animals will be recognised as sentient be‐ ings, and this will facilitate their inclusion in the up‐ coming Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. “The sci‐ ence is now clear that de‐ capods and cephalopods can feel pain and therefore it is only right they are cov‐ ered by this vital piece of legislation,” said Animal welfare minister, Lord Gold‐ smith.

Before this research, de‐ capod crustaceans ‐ includ‐ ing crabs, lobsters, and crayfish ‐ and cephalopods ‐ including octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish ‐ were ex‐ cluded from the bill. This was the case even though these animals have a com‐ plex central nervous sys‐ tem, which is classed as one of the true hallmarks of sentience.

NATIONAL POLICE have recovered a 2,000‐ year‐old Iberian sword just before it was sold online on what they have called a “well‐ known social media site.” The rare sword would have belonged to a warrior some‐ where on the Iberian peninsula in pre‐Roman times.

The falcata is a double‐edged, curved sword that would have been used by the Iberians between the fifth and first centuries BC. It was seized as part of a group lot of 203

THE European Commission proposed on November 25 that vaccination certificates issued after the second Covid dose should become invalid if the person does not get the third booster jab within nine months.

In line with indications from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that the vaccines start to lose their effect after six months, Brussels is plan‐ ning to use this move to encourage people to get the third dose. Their idea is to allow a three‐month grace period after the first six months, in which to get the booster vaccination done.

More than 650 million

NEWS

Sword recovered archaeological pieces that had been posted for sale on social media.

This particular sword would be very popu‐ lar with collectors due to the condition of the blade on the piece. Falcatas were personal weapons and they tended to be buried with their owners, with the blades deliberately bent and misshapen so no one else could wield the weapon.

EU booster plans EU Digital Covid Certificates, or ‘health passports’, have been issued to date. This has led the Community Execu‐

tive to believe that the ac‐ ceptance of vaccines ‘has in‐ creased significantly’ since last summer.

and finally...

MANY have had to rearrange their weddings due to the pandemic. One couple was so determined to get married they even carried on when the groom could not make it.

They had already rescheduled twice, and on the third at‐ tempt the groom fell ill with food poisoning. They did not want to cancel last minute so they devised quite a creative plan. They used a pole with wheels with an iPad strapped on showing a photo of the groom’s face. The bride cut the cake beside her husband and even enjoyed their first dance.

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Amazon stores planned AC CO R D I N G to reports, Amazon plans to open physical stores in Spain next year. This news follows hot on the heels of the opening of the first store in the UK in 2021.

The online retailer, which has had physical stores in the USA for some time, believes that there is still plenty of opportunity for growth in Europe, although the pandemic has delayed their plans.

Up to five stores could be opened in Spain in 2022 along with 10 elsewhere in Europe and up to a 100 in the UK. There could be up to 17 in Spain and Italy by 2023.

Holiday passport chaos B R I T I S H holidaymak‐ ers eager for some winter sun this Christ‐ mas are facing the prospect of potential‐ ly losing their holi‐ days.

Due to the sudden rush in post‐Covid passport renewal ap‐ plications, which has caused a backlog in processing time, many may not receive their passports on time.

This comes as pass‐ port processing times have allegedly tripled during the pandemic.

Processing their pass‐ port is not the only problem though.

The Passport Of‐ fice’s courier service has admitted that t h e r e c o u l d b e d e l i v‐ ery issues. Some trav‐ ellers have been told they may face up to a 10‐week delay.

2 - 8 December 2021

A SPANISH couple were ar‐ rested for hacking 16 store computers to mine cryptocur‐ rencies. The pair, who in‐ stalled malware on the store’s machines, intended to benefit from the lucrative trade in cryptocurrencies using the greater computing power of the store’s machines.

The malware installed by the couple enabled them to remotely manipulate the de‐ vices and, in the process, carry out the transactions. Staff in the store became suspicious

EWN 25

Hackers arrested

when they noticed that the fans of the computers which were on display were operat‐ ing at maximum capacity.

The staff examined the ma‐ chines, which were new and on display, as they should not have been operating, only to find they had been tampered with and were being con‐ trolled remotely. The au‐ tonomous police force in Tar‐ ragona (Mossos d’Esquadra)

Ant invasion

THE Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of Catalonia is monitoring and controlling the actions of the so‐ called ‘crazy ant’ (Paratrechina longicornis). This is an invasive species, which seems to have found a new home in the Port of Barcelona. As reported by the Generalitat in a statement, the work will allow an in‐depth survey of the area and verify the ex‐ tent of this species. They can then carry out controls with bio‐ cides and assess the effects of the treatment. This species of ex‐ otic ant is native to tropical Africa. Its presence was first detected in Catalonia when a worker ant was found at an access door to the Port of Barcelona back in February 2020. Subsequently, more were detected in a roundabout and then several colonies were located under the sewer and supply covers. Their distribu‐ tion is still very limited in the vicinity of the Port of Barcelona. The invasive species displaces other native species and invertebrates.

were called and their investiga‐ tors identified who was behind the breach, despite their at‐ tempts to hide their identity and their location. Had the breach not been identified, the hackers would have stood to make significant profits.

Hackers were identified.

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Sex doll honeymoon Y U R I T O LO C H KO, a 36year-old bodybuilder from Kazakhstan, went viral on the internet last year after he married his sex doll, Margot, in a lavish wedding attended by all their friends and family. Unfortunately for Yuri, the marriage didn’t last long, because his plastic wife broke soon after they tied the knot.

Undeterred, Yuri soon found another lover, in the form of Luna, and has now - after the pandemic delayed their plans whisked her away to Bul-

Luna went on honeymoon.

garia for a belated honeymoon.

Yuri shared their holiday snaps with his 100,000 followers on Instagram who have been party to his turbulent love life. He always keeps them updated on

what he and Luna are doing. “The pandemic changed everyone’s plans massively, so when the chance came to go to Bulgaria for work, I was happy I could take Luna. It was a work trip, but it was also so romantic that I consider it a honeymoon as well. We stayed in the capital Sofia for about a week, and it was fabulous,” explained Yuri.

Windows 11 Cyberattack MICROSOFT has an‐ nounced that Windows 11, its newest operating sys‐ tem, suffered its first cyber‐ attack last month. The soft‐ ware, which has already received some criticism for its impact on performance, has been hit by an attack, which grants hackers ad‐ ministrator privileges on all versions of the Windows operating system.

Microsoft thought they had dealt with the attack, which takes advantage of a bug in the Windows in‐ staller. However, it is now clear the patch issued has not worked. Microsoft has rated the vulnerability to be of medium severity, though the company has yet to pro‐ vide a timeline for when they will release a ‘fix.’

NEWS

Interpol torture accusation A GENERAL from the United Arab Emirates who has previously been accused of com‐ plicity in torture has been elected as presi‐ dent of the global police agency Interpol. The in‐ spector general of the UAE’s interior ministry, Ahmed Nasser al‐Raisi, was elected at the agen‐ cy’s general assembly in Istanbul, Turkey.

Human rights groups have led campaigns against the candidate, citing accusations of fail‐ ing to investigate credi‐ ble complaints of tor‐ ture. Gen Raisi denies the allegations. The UAE’s foreign ministry said he “strongly be‐ lieves that the abuse or mistreatment by police is abhorrent and intoler‐ able.”

The Interpol presi‐ dent role is part‐time and unpaid and his du‐ ties will include chairing meetings of the execu‐ tive committee.

The committee su‐ pervises the work of Secretary General Jür‐ gen Stock who is a full‐ time official who over‐ sees the day‐to‐day running of Interpol.

NEWS

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2 - 8 December 2021

Airlines want simpler forms UK airlines have demanded that the online passenger lo‐ cator form which must be completed when flying into Britain is simplified.

The form must be filled in 48 hours before arriving in Britain and while many other countries require documenta‐ tion to be filled out, none are as complex as the UK’s pas‐ senger locator form.

Chief executive of the Dutch airline KLM, Pieter Elbers, said that a colleague completed his form for him ahead of his trip to the UK. “My assistant al‐ most asked for a pay rise for sorting it out,” he said.

Chief executive of Virgin At‐ lantic Shai Weiss said that dur‐ ing the Covid pandemic the amount of paperwork and bu‐ reaucracy had increased.

“We’re behaving as though we don’t have a vaccine,” he said.

Eurostar’s strategy direc‐ tor Gareth Williams told a committee from the House of Lords earlier this month that the form “runs on a list of redundant questions for

six pages.”

The length of the form has increased since it was intro‐ duced in summer last year, with extra questions such as the code number for the mandatory ‘day two’ test and

any islands visited in the 10 days before arrival in the UK. At the Airlines 2021 event, aviation minister Robert Courts insisted: “We’ve al‐ ready simplified the passenger locator form.”

Formula 1 renews FORMULA 1 has renewed its contract with the Circuit de Barcelona‐Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix until 2026.

As part of the new agreement, improvements to the track and facilities will be made ahead of the race on May 22, 2022 including upgrades and improvements towards the circuit’s ambitious sustainability plans.

Formula 1 racing began in 1950 and is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series. The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1913 and has been a part of the F1 world championship since 1968 at a variety of venues.

FORMULA 1: The first one held in Spain was in 1913.

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SPAIN’S People’s Party (PP) has had to issue a statement confirming its condemnation of the Franco regime after the party leader attended a Fran‐ co mass. The visit to a church service in which prayers were said for the soul of the dicta‐ tor on the 46th anniversary of his death is said to have been

Franco mass visit Babies not allowed inadvertent. Pablo Casado has been leader of the PP since July 2018 and was seen attending the mass in Grana‐ da on November 20.

According to the PP, Casa‐ do attended this particular

church as he was staying with his family nearby. They were in Andalucia for a party con‐ ference and he feared work commitments would prevent him from making church the following day.

I T has been stated that babies are not allowed in the House of Com‐ mons.

Following Labour’s Stella Creasy bringing her three‐month‐old baby in‐ to the House of Com‐ mons on November 24, it has been stated that bringing children is against the rules.

Ms Creasy was in‐ formed it was against the rules to bring children to a debate at Westminster Halls and Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has now asked the procedure committee to investi‐ gate.

She said she was “pleased to hear this” as the rule means she could not enter the chamber to

BABY: Against the rules.

hear his statement.

Sir Lindsay told MPs it was “extremely impor‐ tant” for parents to be able to fully participate in the work of the House, and that is why it has a nursery.

“Rules have to be seen in context and they change with the times,” he told the House.

Brits travel queues BRITISH travellers face huge queues for holidays as the EU gets set for fingerprint checks at airports next year.

New plans are being put together by the European Commission which will affect non‐EU citizens. The new plans will involve a new European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS) along with an Entry/Exit System (EES). The schemes will affect non‐EU citizens and are expected to come into force next year.

Under the new ETIAS scheme travellers who want to access the Schengen Area would need to pay €7.

Many favourite tourist destinations for Brits are in the Schengen Area including Spain, Greece, France, and Por‐ tugal.

As part of the EES system, travellers would be re‐ quired to undergo comprehensive security checks. This would include fingerprints and facial images too.

NEWS

Move over Squid Game THE smash hit Netflix show Squid Game has been knocked off its throne by another South Korean fantasy horror show, Hell‐ bound. The title of most‐watched show on the streaming plat‐ form was passed to Hellbound on Novem‐ ber 20, just 24 hours after the show was re‐ leased.

The new series topped the charts in more than 80 coun‐ tries on its first day.

The series theme is one of religious retri‐ bution and features a team of hairy demons who hunt down sin‐ ners and send them to hell. They do this through a mix of graphic violence and burning, so it is not a watch for the faint‐ hearted.

The victims of the creatures are informed ahead of their arrival of the date and time that they will die. The reasons the victims are chosen prompts public hysteria and religious zealotry as people try to avoid a fiery demise.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

Government formed

A NEW German government has finally been formed. This puts an end to Angela Merkel’s 16‐year rule of the country. Germany will have a new government before Christmas, probably in the week of December 6, with the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz as Chancellor. Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals presented on Wednesday November 24 in Berlin the coali‐ tion agreement that will give way to a tripartite system unprecedented since the 1950s.

The leaders of the parties that make up the new German government unveiled the impor‐ tant issues that will unite the parties over the next four years. They are mainly based on the de‐carbonisation of the economy, the digitalisa‐

Uniting the parties.

tion, and modernisation of the country, and so‐ cial protection.

The tripartite has agreed “to favour a more rapid development of renewable energies to en‐ courage the exit from fossil fuels as soon as pos‐ sible, and to increase investment for projects re‐ lated to green hydrogen.”

French billionaire arrested

THE Mossos d’Esquadra an‐ nounced that Barcelona po‐ lice arrested French billionaire Conrad Dadak on Sunday November 21. He is wanted by a Marbella court for fraud and is thought to be a warlord accused of trafficking weapons. The arrest comes after a hotel in the Ciutat Vella neighbourhood that makes use of the identification sys‐ tem used by establishments in Spain, notified the authori‐

ties that a client had an out‐ standing arrest warrant.

The man was arrested and taken back to the police sta‐ tion where further checks re‐ vealed an international alert from Germany investigating him for money laundering.

Dadak has a long record of

fraud, threats, and crimes.

This is not the first time Dadak has been arrested in Spain. In 2018, he was arrest‐ ed in an Ibiza mansion under an international warrant. He was released hours later and had been missing until his ar‐ rest last month.

STATS

11%

of people are left handed.

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NEWS

Poachers caught OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have success‐ fully managed to dismantle a poaching group.

The group had been illegally manipulating hunting seals to pass their taxidermy works off as legitimate. Officers discovered a shocking variety of animal trophies during the investiga‐ tion, which included one wolf skull, 13 roe deer trophies along with four male wild boar tro‐ phies. They also found and seized more than 100 hunting seals, most of which had been tampered with.

The Guardia Civil operation began in May af‐ ter an illegal taxidermy workshop was discov‐ ered in Madrid’s Móstoles.

The illegal taxidermy workshop has now been

TROPHIES: Poaching group dismantled.

successfully shut. The Guardia Civil have asked for people to cooperate and help them detect il‐ legal hunting, as poaching causes severe dam‐ age to the local ecosystem.

History-making PM quits MAGDALENA ANDERSSON was an‐ nounced as the first‐ever female prime min‐ ister in Sweden on November 24, but her time in power was short‐lived. The new prime minister resigned just a few hours lat‐ er after her coalition partner quit the gov‐ ernment and her budget failed to pass.

Instead, parliament voted for a budget drawn up by the opposition: “I have told the speaker that I wish to resign,” Ms. Anders‐ son told reporters.

Her coalition partner, the Green Party said it could not accept a budget “drafted for the

first time with the far‐right.”

Ms Andersson said that she hoped to be‐ come prime minister again, however, next time it will be as a single‐party government leader. The fact that she had support from so many members of the Swedish parlia‐ ment means this could be a possibility.

“There is a constitutional practice that a coalition government should resign when one party quits,” said the Social Democrat.

Andersson said that she chose to resign because “I don’t want to lead a government whose legitimacy will be questioned.”

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Has the Spanish tax office knocked on your door? Don’t be afraid to answer!

WE don’t have to tell you these are difficult times for the Spanish Tax Au‐ thorities. They need to generate more revenue at a time when tax col‐ lection levels are not what they ex‐ pected.

But we must ask if chasing foreign‐ ers who regularly submit their income tax returns and aim to have their tax affairs in order, is the right way to do this.

It’s normal for the Spanish Tax Au‐ thorities to send out tax inspection letters querying a particular tax year.

If you are one of those people who have received an unexpected letter querying how you have declared your income received from a British source, we know how you feel.

You need help to understand what the letter is about and what action is required, so you ask the person who prepared and submitted the tax re‐ turn on your behalf in the first place.

The problems start when the Span‐

ish Tax Authorities do not accept your reply to their letter and ask you to pay more tax on top of what you have al‐ ready paid. It’s hard when you did what was expected, declaring your in‐ come, and paying tax and now the au‐ thorities claim you have not.

You are not on your own. We know because many of those people have contacted us. They explain that the person who submitted their tax return has not given them an explanation of the tax query and what they need to do to defend themselves correctly.

It’s important to meet the timelines for replying to the Spanish Tax Au‐ thorities. You may have everything re‐ quired to win your case, but if you miss the deadline then you could lose.

At this point, UK Tax Refund SL should be the company you contact.

We are registered Agents with HMRC and understand the English and Span‐ ish tax systems and the way they fit together.

You may be in receipt of a state re‐ tirement pension, a private works pension and/or a pension paid by a government or local government au‐ thority, or you may receive rental in‐ come. If the Spanish tax office asks you for proof of the sources of your income and the way in which they have been included on the income tax return, then you must be able to give them proof and an explanation.

If you receive an income which ac‐ cording to the Double Taxation Treaty has to be declared in both countries and this income you receive is from a British source, then you have the right to deduct the tax paid in the UK when completing the Spanish income tax re‐ turn. This said, if the Spanish tax au‐ thorities query this you must be able to prove this has been done correctly.

And here is where the problems arise. There are lots of Tax Advisers in Spain who are very good when it comes to dealing with Spanish in‐

come, but they struggle when it comes to understanding and dealing with British pensions and other sources of British income and how they should be declared in Spain. Or those who understand how to include the income from a British source in the Spanish tax return, but struggle to produce the documents to satisfy the tax inspection.

You could end up paying extra tax, not because you have made an error, but simply for not being able to prove it was done correctly in the first place, or by missing the deadline to reply.

If you are one of the many expats who received a letter from the Span‐ ish Tax Authorities, please do not pan‐ ic, we can help put your tax affairs in order.

Give us a call on 965 636 938 and stop worrying! Or e-mail us: michelle@uktaxrefund.net

NEWS

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2 - 8 December 2021

Underwater village reappears THE Spanish village of Acere‐ do, near Lobois which was abandoned in 1992 has reap‐ peared.

Families were forced to abandon their homes when a reservoir was built, and a Por‐ tuguese hydroelectric plant closed its floodgates causing the Limia river to flood the val‐ ley.

Five villages in the province of Ourense tried to oppose the evictions but failed and were forced to evacuate. With 51 per cent of homeowners agreeing to depart, a forced seizure of land was published which meant that the rest of the inhabitants also had to leave. Aceredo has been un‐ derwater ever since, only emerging in the very rare case that Lindoso reservoir falls to very low levels ‐ which is hap‐ pening now.

Images taken on Monday, November 22, show an eerie and partially preserved Acere‐ do. The stone structures in the village have survived, howev‐ er, many of the roofs have de‐ teriorated and collapsed. Met‐ al has been rusted and mud

has filled doorways and homes due to three decades of being underwater.

Now, with water levels low, roads, pathways and outlines of farmland can be seen.

There are also abandoned

cars, personal objects and even possessions on shelves and tables.

Villagers who still live nearby have been seen wandering around what remains of the lost village.

UK booze shortage BRITS face an alcohol short‐ age at Christmas over sup‐ ply chain troubles where deliveries could be delayed by weeks.

Alcohol producers are concerned that there could be a shortage of Christmas favourites such as mulled wine, gin, whisky, Cham‐ pagne, wine, and Buck’s fizz.

Shipping costs have risen by around 7 per cent com‐ pared to last year and deliv‐ ery times have increased dramatically too going from just days to weeks.

Brits could see less choice.

Big brands have the pow‐ er to absorb more of these costs, but the smaller brands will struggle. Brits could see less choice at Christmas.

STATS

12

The national flag with the most colours in it is Belize, with 12.

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NEWS

Cash is disappearing J O N C U N L I F F E, deputy governor of the Bank of England, said cash is dis‐ appearing with improving technology and the popu‐ larity of debit and credit cards. Online shopping, self‐service, ease of use and security are all given as reasons for the decline in cash purchases which

Cash is being used less.

in 2019 accounted for on‐ ly 23 per cent of sales transactions.

Cunliffe, said that the

Asteroid smash ON November 24, NASA’s DART (Double Aster‐ oid Redirection Test) spacecraft launched from Vandenberg Air Force base on a historic mission to deflect an asteroid.

The aim is to deflect the 160‐metre asteroid Dimosphos, which orbits the larger asteroid Didymos. The object is travelling at a speed of 24,000 kilometres per hour.

If successful, the mission will deviate the course of the asteroid. DART will test the theory that the kinetic energy from the impact will re‐ duce the threat of the asteroid heading towards Earth.

DART is being carried by a SpaceX rocket on a mission that will take almost a year, travelling 11 million kilometres before it reaches its desti‐ nation in September 2022.

percentage of cash trans‐ actions declined further due to the pandemic and highlights the need for politicians to support a new form of safe, flexible, and useful money, such as cards and cryptocurren‐ cies. An example of this is the attempt by authorities to put their faith in the Central Bank Digital Cur‐ rency (CBDC), a proposal if adopted would work with online payment platforms and allow banks to further evolve their technologies alongside.

The situation in Spain is quite different with a re‐ cent survey by Plataforma Denaria published in September 2021, showing the need to preserve cash.

According to the survey most Spanish consumers still consider cash to be critical to their lives, with a significant percentage of the population still living in less populated areas and therefore areas less well served by banks.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

New €30 coin

SPAIN now has a brand‐ new coin. One of this coin’s main hallmarks is its colours. Gold, silver, and even purple can be seen in this new piece, which also stands out for its value ‐ €30.

Numismatics fans will surely want to get hold of the latest coin made by the National Cur‐ rency and Stamp Factory (FNMT). It was launched on November 22 and will interest those who want to expand their collec‐ tions. The coin cannot be used as money to make purchases and is purely for collectors.

The coin pays homage to the Camino de Santiago (the Pilgrim’s Way), which is travelled by many peo‐ ple every year and has be‐

come a once‐in‐a‐lifetime challenge for Spaniards and tourists alike. It is such an iconic route; it is no surprise it €30 COIN: For collectors only.

has been recognised by this commemoration.

The coin has an image of a pilgrim with his back‐ pack, looking at the stun‐ ning cathedral of Santiago de Compostela after com‐ pleting the Camino.

Those interested can get the coin for their collec‐ tion at any branch of the Bank of Spain by paying face value.

Uber munchies UBEREATS is entering the marihuana market by al‐ lowing customers in Ontario, Canada, to order from cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke via the Uber app and then pick it up at a store nearby.

The firm has not answered on whether they will offer this service in the rest of Canada and the US. Canada’s marihuana market is worth around £3 bil‐ lion per year and the drug has been legal in Canada since 2018, however, it is still illegal to deliver it.

The company said users of the UberEats app will have to verify their age and can then pick up their order within an hour. The company is said to have been planning on entering the booming marihuana market for some time.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Anti-ants

Green taxis

A NEW European Union directive requires that all food not eaten in member states prior to 1997 has to be given special approval before it can be sold. This means that the restaurant voted the world’s best, Noma in Copenhagen has to remove ants from the menu.

IN a first step towards meeting the Danish Government’s plans to ensuring that all taxis issue zero CO2 by 2030, Toyota has supplied 100 hydrogen powered taxis to the DRIVR service operating in Copenhagen by way of an initial experiment with more to follow.

THE NETHERLANDS Drug smacks

New register

DUE to EU restrictions on pulse fishing, a number of small Dutch fishermen are suffering financial difficulties which according to research revealed by police and prosecutors has led to some being approached and recruited by drug smugglers to pick up cocaine from container ships.

ALL vehicles such as golf carts and lawn mowers which use public roads (which include private land with access) and can travel faster than six kilometres an hour will have to be registered before January 1 or their owners will have to pay to have them inspected.

BELGIUM Corona monument

Uber and out

IN a cruel twist of fate, a monument to highlight the pandemic was commissioned in 2020 by the town of Izegem. The local sculptor Piet Duthoit has now completed the work, but the unveiling ceremony had to be postponed due to the new wave of coronavirus.

A BRUSSELS Court has confirmed that a decision made in 2015 to ban the use by drivers of the Uber App is still in force which means that the 2,000+ drivers on the company’s books will find it much harder to receive bookings for travel.

GERMANY Coalition formed

Taiwan support

FINALLY, an agreement has been reached between the three parties set to form the next German government, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats who announced their alliance under the title ‘Dare more progress’ and said that they promoted freedom, justice, and sustainability.

ALTHOUGH China won’t be pleased, the new German Government is the first in recent years to acknowledge Taiwan and to suggest that it should be allowed routine participation in international organisations, albeit in accordance with the European Union’s One China Policy.

FRANCE Airbnb pledge

Clever lights

ALTHOUGH some countries are unhappy with Airbnb as not all owners declare taxes and long-term rental is reduced, France is delighted that the American company has entered into an agreement with a national charity to supply funds to restore heritage buildings.

AN interesting experiment in energy saving is taking place in the parts of the city of Lyon where street lights on busy roads only brighten as cars are detected by the LED lights whilst on smaller roads, they are also illuminated by pedestrians walking past.

NORWAY Annual gift

World Cup

THIS year, Norway will send its 75th holiday gift of a fir tree to London in thanks to the British people for their help during the Second World War. The 22-metre-tree was cut down near Oslo with schoolchildren singing carols and will as usual be erected in Trafalgar Square.

MANY in Norway argued that the Norwegian national team should not take part in next year’s Qatar World Cup due to distaste for the regime and two Norwegian journalists were arrested whilst in that country, but the matter is now irrelevant as the team didn’t qualify.

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND

Ear lights

Terminal 2

IT was hoped 10 years ago that a new product, the Valkee 2, a pair of ear buds that shine bright LED lights into the wearer’s ears in order to relieve seasonal affective disorderrelated depression would be successful.

Sadly, the company has now filed for bankruptcy.

THE pandemic and the shutting down of international flights gave impetus to Finavia, the company that operates Finland’s airport to speed up the extension of Terminal 2 at Helsinki airport which opened on December 1.

The architecture is influenced by classical Finnish design.

IRELAND Exploding lightbulb

St Brigid

A COURT has agreed that a 10-year-old boy should receive €27,000 in damages after a lightbulb in his bedside lamp exploded and caused him facial injuries which meant that he had to be rushed to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin for emergency treatment in 2016.

THE Irish Government is in a quandary as to when a new bank holiday should be introduced. The General feeling is that it should be on February 1, the feast day of St Brigid which heralds the start of spring, but with Covid surging it may be postponed.

ITALY Massive fine

Vatican tree

BOTH Amazon and Apple have been jointly fined a total of €203 million by Italy’s antitrust authority, following an investigation into reselling of Apple and (Apple-owned) Beats kit on Amazon’s Italian e-commerce marketplace as the authority alleges collusion to keep the price high in Italy.

THE Vatican City Christmas tree, a 28-metrehigh spruce from the northern Trentino region of Italy, arrived in St Peter's Square so that it could be raised and decorated with low energy lights in St Peter’s Square in time for the Christmas celebrations.

PORTUGAL Operation Sashimi

Food banks

THE Portuguese Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) undertook an investigation of some 60 operations across the country which produce sushi and other dishes where fish is not fully cooked. As a result, some 25 breaches of health requirements were noted and five establishments suspended.

FOR nearly two years, due to pandemic restrictions, volunteers from food banks were stopped from visiting supermarkets and asking for donations, but the ban was lifted so that on the weekend of November 27, teams were in evidence again collecting food for those in need.

RUSSIA Netflix investigation

Orphaned kittens

AFTER a formal complaint from the St Petersburg based Olga Baranets, the Russian police will probe Netflix for streaming content that contains alleged gay propaganda and only labelling it 16+, whilst Russian law requires such material to carry an 18+ warning.

THE Moscow Zoo which has a mascot of a Manul or Pallas cat has taken into care two such kittens discovered by villagers in eastern Siberia weighing just under 200 grams each. Alisa and Brungilda were looked after locally until it was safe to send them to Moscow.

SWEDEN PM resigns

State visit

JUST 12 hours after becoming Sweden's first female prime minister, Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson had to step down when Green Party coalition partners decided to walk away after Parliament rejected the proposed budget bill. She now hopes to be reappointed as head of a single party minority.

QUEEN SILVIA donned a special tiara for the State Banquet in honour of the King and Queen of Spain at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on Thursday November 25, marking the first Spanish State visit since 1979, although the couple have visited informally before.

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Green deodorant SUSTAINABLE and natural deodorant brand Wild is having some success in launching its green brands in the UK with distribution in 285 Sainsbury’s stores as well as tests in Boots and Waitrose and the eco‐ friendly products finding a new outlet in Selfridges.

Official languages IT appears that it is the intention of the Spanish Government to require by law that at least 6 per cent of all programmes in streaming platforms such as Netflix should be presented in one of the other official languages of Spain, namely Basque, Catalan or Galician.

Lidl plans PLEASED with its current growth and the potential to increase dramatically, Lidl GB has announced plans to open 1,100 new stores by the end of 2025, creating 4,000 new jobs across the country and many will feature solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Own goal THE National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has announced that it is upset with former Barcelona football star Andrés Iniesta for promoting investment in cryptocurrencies on his Instagram and Twitter social networks at a time when a number of companies offering investment are in trouble.

Back to work METAL workers in Cadiz city and province have called off their strike over wages after some fairly angry demonstrations in the streets of Cadiz. Workers from the oil refinery in San Roque managed to block one of the two main arteries into La Linea and Gibraltar for nine days, with rocks thrown and at least one car set on fire. Now it appears that after unions accepted a pay deal offered by employers, the matter was resolved and roads opened to traffic.

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is the amount that Spanish brewery company Estrella Galicia STAT OF plans to spend on opening a new factory in Sao Paulo, Brazil. €300 million WEEK

Pandora tests new store in the UK DANISH jewellery company Pandora opened doors to its first stores under the new store concept Evoke in Mi‐ lan and London.

The new concept, which is still in its test phase, aims to make shop‐ ping more intuitive and will improve speed of service, enabling customers to easily explore, find and try on products.

From the moment customers en‐ ter the store, the simplified layout al‐ lows them to navigate through dif‐ ferent product categories and view the jewellery in newly designed dis‐ plays.

Two‐thirds of Pandora’s revenue comes from gifting and the new stores will have a dedicated ‘gifting zone’ with inspirational displays therefore as a further way to person‐ alise the jewellery, the stores will al‐ so offer an engraving service to cus‐ tomers.

The layout of the stores has been designed with today’s multi‐channel journey in mind. More than 80 per cent of consumers start their shop‐ ping online, and when they enter the new stores, they will recognise Pan‐ dora’s campaigns at the front.

Following the openings in Italy and

the UK, Evoke will launch in Guangzhou, China in December and Pandora expects to introduce it in other key markets later in 2022. The new store concept will gradually be evaluated and improved, and new features will be added.

“Pandora is built on the concept of personalisation and the idea that you can tell your story through your jewellery.

“We now want to bring personali‐ sation to all customer touch points and create a unique shopping experi‐ ence,” said Martino Pessina, Chief Commercial Officer, Pandora.

December offer from Golden Leaves Can they extend 90 days?

LEGALLY SPEAKING

I have seen reports that some groups are work‐ ing to get a reciprocal agreement between Spain and the UK because the UK allows stays of 180 days and Spain only 90 days. This does not seem fair to those UK citizens who want to spend more time in their Spanish villas. What are the possibilities? Also, what punishments can be imposed on a person who spends more than 90 days in Spain?

S D (Costa del Sol) To answer DAVID SEARL your sec‐ ond question first, YOU AND THE LAW the Spanish border IN SPAIN control officers have a wide range of discretion. If a person has over‐ stayed his limit by just a few days, they are often let go with only a warning.

Those who have chosen to stay longer might be fined up to €300. For those serious offenders who simply stay as long as they want, one suggestion has been to put a stamp in their passport and put them in the computer with a prohibition from returning to Spain for, say, two years. Nobody wants to go to such extremes. As to an agreement between Spain and the UK based on re‐ ciprocity, this is very unlikely.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

SPAIN’S brave new financial world is taking a bit of a beating as more workers go on strike and shocking rises in electricity costs hit manu‐ facturers.

Naturally if it costs more to make products locally, then it is clear that the consumer will be hit twice, first with their electric bills and then with an increase in prices of a number of products.

THE funeral plan experts at Golden Leaves have announced this year’s De‐ cember offer, with a reduction on deposits and two years’ interest‐ free payments.

This offer, which is Interest-free payments. available throughout December, will also see the payment term on their plans increased to up to seven years, making the monthly payments on their Opal plan €51.43 a month and payments on their Pearl plan €58.23 a month.

Funeral plan deposits will be reduced to €100.

Golden Leaves are experts in funeral plans, ensuring that your wishes are carried out in full when the time comes and saving your loved ones from having to plan your funeral in another country and another language.

Their plans also ensure that you beat rising funeral costs, making sure that your service is paid in full and that your loved ones are not left with any further costs.

To save money on your funeral plan and ensure that your loved ones are not left to plan your service or with further costs, contact Golden Leaves before De‐ cember 31 and begin choosing the right funeral plan for you.

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

Economy stalling The European Union Recovery Fund is going to help in the medi‐ um to long term without doubt but as HGV drivers threaten to strike before Christmas and the forecast for 2021 GDP (Gross Do‐ mestic Product) continues to be

revised downwards, then 2022 could be a difficult year for the government.

Much will depend on whether the government can somehow persuade or instruct the energy companies to reduce their fees,

Government special loan WITH 1.7 million customers, energy supplier Bulb is sim‐ ply too big to be allowed to go bankrupt, especially as the giant providers in the UK don’t want to take on new customers used to cheaper rates.

For this reason, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed that the UK Government will make a spe‐ cial loan of around £1.7 bil‐ lion to Administrators in or‐ der to try to keep the company trading until next spring.

Without this assistance, they would have had to close down in December, but it is hoped that this lifeline will al‐ low the Administrators to ei‐ ther sell the company or find ‘new homes’ for its cus‐ tomers.

Spain links with Iran UNDER the Partido Popular Government it was an‐ nounced that once Iran was able to export oil again, it had agreed to invest in southern Spain to open at least one new oil refinery.

With the decision by the Trump Administration to once again treat Iran as a pari‐ ah, the flow of investment quickly faded, but things may be changing. When welcom‐ ing the new Spanish Ambas‐ sador to Tehran, President Ebrahim Raisi said, “The cur‐ rent level of economic rela‐ tions between Iran and Spain is not acceptable and efforts should be made to further de‐ velop these relations.”

He indicated further that he wanted to develop economic, political, cultural and sports relations with Spain. assuming the promises of ade‐ quate supplies of liquid gas from Algeria are maintained by that country’s government.

If that happens and the tourist industry continues to recover in 2022, then there is every chance that the economy will turn around again and see some positive news in the first two quarters of next year.

40 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 29

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.392,00 Abrdn 235,80 Admiral Group 3.017,0 Anglo American 2.691,5 Antofagasta 1.401,00 Ashtead Group 6.144,0 Associated British Foods 1.915,0 AstraZeneca 8.335,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 727,40 Avast 599,60 Aveva 3.210,0 Aviva 380,05 B&M European Value R. SA 625,20 BAE Systems 547,20 Bank VTB DRC 1,216 Barclays 185,52 Barratt Developments 703,40 Berkeley 4.365,0 BHP Group 1.993,00 BP 327,65 British American Tobacco 2.556,0 British Land Company 529,10 BT Group 163,40 Bunzl 2.866,0 Burberry Group 1.811,0 Carnival 1.269,0 Centrica 65,80 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.370,0 Compass 1.525,50 CRH 3.687,0 Croda Intl 10.130,0 DCC 5.642,0 Diageo 3.802,5 DS Smith 368,29 EasyJet 517,60 Experian 3.360,0 Ferguson 11.480,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.490,0 Fresnillo 909,76 GlaxoSmithKline 1.518,60 Glencore 357,30 Halma 2.999,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.403,00 Hikma Pharma 2.264,00 HSBC 419,35 IAG 137,68 Imperial Brands 1.561,50 Informa 477,70 InterContinental 4.650,0 Intermediate Capital 2.175,00

CHANGE(P) 1.401,00 241,10 3.021,0 2.716,0 1.416,00 6.222,0 1.917,5 8.421,0 739,40 602,80 3.266,0 380,40 634,20 554,35 1,230 186,25 715,00 4.425,0 2.000,50 327,75 2.565,0 531,40 168,60 2.889,0 1.828,5 1.269,6 66,24 2.391,0 1.525,50 3.778,0 10.155,0 5.700,0 3.803,0 373,00 528,20 3.391,0 11.665,0 10.565,0 911,80 1.526,40 360,15 3.030,0 1.434,50 2.283,00 421,15 138,44 1.572,00 486,30 4.708,0 2.213,00

% CHG. +2,17% -0,97% +1,76% +2,14% +1,19% +0,99% +1,59% -0,90% -0,33% -0,37% +0,25% +2,43% -0,45% -0,47% +1,33% +2,12% +2,33% +1,68% +1,58% +3,15% +0,59% +2,72% +6,10% +1,09% +1,60% +7,29% +1,36% +1,15% +4,95% -0,59% +2,30% +0,36% +1,14% -0,11% +3,56% +1,11% -0,04% +1,84% +0,31% +0,50% +1,51% +0,91% -1,30% -0,62% +1,28% +4,78% +0,78% +2,53% +1,53% +3,13%

NET VOL 510,39K 1,15M 92,05K 947,95K 222,93K 171,13K 403,06K 430,47K 450,73K 316,28K 21,31K 4,14M 456,30K 157,87K 551,22K 2,77M 1,45M 35,71K 1,35M 15,73M 505,70K 603,18K 17,47M 202,55K 234,37K 548,65K 2,88M 100,67K 1,40M 155,43K 61,93K 21,43K 772,23K 454,68K 3,99M 168,96K 241,73K 115,05K 88,15K 2,16M 9,52M 66,59K 231,12K 59,96K 8,23M 28,43M 588,61K 820,77K 147,07K 138,13K

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

5.468,0 110,05 290,90 2.160,0 762,64 285,30 46,90 6.780,0 739,20 147,55 1.749,16 1.005,48 213,50 7.938,0 29,20 1.823,00 2.793,0 643,20 1.314,50 6.155,0 2.330,16 614,00 736,60 4.590,0 124,44 7,55 1.600,0 1.600,01 1.601,8 775,80 1.523,50 16,88 3.494,0 1.511,25 1.431,50 2.898,0 1.248,00 1.455,50 15.815,0 1.569,50 1.562,00 417,60 156,75 280,15 207,60 3.927,5 1.094,50 111,40 2.931,0 1.069,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.514,0 111,40 293,70 2.179,0 763,80 287,00 47,02 6.926,0 741,80 149,50 1.760,50 1.006,80 213,90 7.984,0 29,24 1.861,00 2.820,0 643,60 1.319,00 6.195,0 2.337,00 621,40 740,20 4.642,0 125,16 7,56 1.600,0 1.600,20 1.604,2 784,60 1.526,50 16,93 3.524,0 1.514,50 1.433,50 2.912,0 1.250,50 1.469,00 16.170,0 1.583,50 1.578,00 423,70 159,10 281,70 207,80 3.948,5 1.098,50 111,48 2.945,0 1.079,00

+0,29% +1,34% -0,92% +4,55% +2,83% +0,88% +1,86% -1,05% -0,11% +2,25% +0,06% +0,32% +2,55% +1,15% +2,42% -0,33% +2,31% +1,01% +0,81% -0,50% +0,95% -0,33% +0,74% +1,05% +2,34% +3,03% +2,81% +2,87% +2,87% +0,28% +1,94% +5,14% +1,19% +1,55% +2,40% -0,03% +1,05% +0,41% +0,67% +0,35% +1,59% +1,46% +1,65% +0,36% +4,58% -0,61% -0,14% +1,55% +3,31% +1,47%

120,01K 4,49M 1,90M 306,39K 921,42K 3,04M 61,90M 266,89K 222,66K 4,06M 494,03K 2,67M 7,92M 27,89K 207,25K 236,52K 152,45K 473,29K 2,06M 174,03K 1,57M 334,11K 240,83K 923,40K 23,43M 621,36K 1,75M 1,75M 1,79M 351,96K 3,22K 1,68M 43,70K 966,47K 328,83K 67,90K 295,89K 194,39K 24,03K 750,27K 126,61K 2,39M 5,51M 3,95M 3,59M 771,28K 186,83K 20,53M 233,85K 758,87K

1.1818

0.84488

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1282 Japan yen (JPY)........................................128.00 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0447 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4366 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.2376

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 29

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

PRICE 175,52 2.856,1 3.504,56 201,09 156,81 199,21 198,73 114,51 54,67 53,73 389,39 402,70 208,21 115,81 48,78 159,20 161,93 250,01 79,16 333,12 329,68 168,02 147,47 284,21 1.081,92 439,91 51,80 197,65 144,90 148,11

CHANGE 176,83 2.905,9 3.633,50 206,00 160,45 199,42 201,45 114,83 55,19 54,75 391,71 414,14 209,00 116,33 49,17 161,16 162,65 253,16 79,93 337,75 337,93 169,68 149,71 287,57 1.108,78 448,18 52,20 199,19 147,88 148,85

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) -1,19% 1,91M -2,67% 849,49K -2,12% 2,99M -1,41% 3,12M -3,17% 76,09M -5,41% 17,58M -4,03% 3,49M -2,29% 11,36M -1,57% 16,73M -3,07% 14,75M -2,46% 2,69M -2,28% 2,84M -1,88% 3,86M -0,79% 3,32M -1,97% 25,26M -0,65% 7,08M -3,01% 13,61M -2,76% 2,57M -3,79% 18,02M -2,33% 14,69M -2,44% 23,68M -2,33% 4,75M -0,80% 6,05M -1,72% 4,19M -3,05% 11,62M -2,28% 2,48M +0,27% 17,04M -2,76% 10,99M -1,12% 7,01M -2,13% 12,02M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 29

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Danaher Corp. Mandatory Conv. Pfd. Series A Cable One Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Cl A Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A Danaher Corp.

Snowflake Inc. Sea Ltd. ADR Twilio Inc. Cl A PerkinElmer Inc. Clorox Co. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

5.33% 1.63% 1.81% 1.39% 2.69% 2.04% 2.50% 2.24% 3.47% 3.65% 0.91%

1.55K 17.91K 65.53K 78 3.08M 1.57M 3.85M 1.81M 633.27K 2.36M 1.68M

-1.27% -4.93% -1.13% -9.18% -3.19% -2.20% -4.25% -2.62% -3.79% -3.12% -15.45%

1.61K 21.77K 14.97K 1.11M 755.75K 90.61K 430 30.69K 1.82K 543.22K 770.97K

Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A Texas Pacific Land Corp.

NVR Inc. TransDigm Group Inc. Shopify Inc. Cl A AutoZone Inc. UBS AG FI Enhanced Large Cap Growth ETN Markel Corp.

Credit Suisse FI Large Cap Growth Enh. ETN BlackRock Inc. MicroSectors U.S. Big Oil Index 3X Lev. ETN

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Currency outlook: Euro plunges to 2021 low amidst European Covid resurgence, Pound rocked by the BoE’s miscommunication

LOOKING AHEAD: The single currency could face an uphill battle in the coming weeks.

ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday

Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

• Euro EUR/GBP: Unmoved at £0.84 EUR/USD: Down from $1.16 to $1.12 The euro has come under some consistent pressure over the past month, with the single currency slumping to year‐to‐date lows against the US dollar. This slump in EUR ex‐ change rates has been partially attributed to the European Central Bank (ECB) as the policy divergence between it and the other major central banks only looks to be growing wider as the ECB remains glued to its dovish bias.

Accelerating the downtrend in the euro through the second half of November has been the dramatic resurgence of Covid cases in many parts of Europe, which has prompted countries such as Austria to reimpose lock‐ down measures. Looking ahead, the single currency could face an uphill battle in the com‐ ing weeks if the Eurozone’s economic recov‐ ery is undermined by more countries being forced to impose restrictions.

• Pound GBP/EUR: Unmoved at €1.18 GBP/USD: Down from $1.37 to $1.34 The pound has traded in a wide range over the past four weeks, as the currency was rocked by the Bank of England’s (BoE) latest in‐ terest rate decision. Ahead of its November policy meeting, a series of hawkish comments from BoE policymakers had seen the majority of GBP investors price in an interest rate hike this month. However, the BoE then pulled the rug out from underneath the pound after it opted not to hike rates, leading to accusations of governor Andrew Bailey being an ‘unreli‐ able boyfriend’, a moniker which was previ‐ ously given to his predecessor Mark Carney.

Sterling then languished in mid‐November amidst heightened Brexit jitters, with GBP in‐

vestors fearing the UK government’s threat to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland pro‐ tocol could prompt a UK‐EU trade war.

But Sterling rebounded in the second half of November as some stronger‐than‐expected employment and inflation figures reignited speculation the BoE could hike interest rates by the end of 2021. Hopes for a December rate hike may help to underpin the pound over the next few weeks, but GBP investors are likely to be wary of being too aggressive with their bets, after being wrong footed by the BoE earlier this month.

• US Dollar USD/GBP: Up from £0.72 to $0.74 USD/EUR: Up from €0.85 to €0.88 The US dollar made steady gains over the past month, with the currency being under‐ pinned by a deterioration of market senti‐ ment. There are multiple factors for this, in‐ cluding concerns over slowing growth in China, a resurgence of Covid cases in Europe as well as the collapse of the Turkish Lira, all of which have helped to bolster the appeal of the safe‐haven ‘greenback’.

The US dollar was also bolstered by the Fed‐ eral Reserve’s long‐awaited tapering an‐ nouncement at the start of this month, de‐ spite the bank also indicating that its next rate hike may be a little further off than previously forecast. While the Fed was a little more cau‐ tious with its forward guidance, a surge in US inflation has seen USD investors predict the US central bank could still hike rates earlier than mid‐2022. The US dollar now looks well poised to maintain its momentum through to the end of the year as renewed coronavirus con‐ cerns in Europe and other parts of the world are likely to raise additional questions over the trajectory of the global economic recovery.

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

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

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

2 - 8 December 2021

EWN 41

42 EWN

2 - 8 December 2021

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT WELL, it’s all coming apart, isn’t it? Trying to remain positive and retain some degree of optimism through all the doom and gloom is becoming more difficult by the day. And the whingers don’t help. The moaners and groaners are everywhere.

Even drama queen vocalist Adele, who you would think had very little to complain about, recently occupied Oprah’s ‘griping chair’, bleating about people ‘not knowing what goes on behind closed doors,’ while conveniently plugging yet another money‐spinning album.

Priorities have gone completely haywire. Recently the UK public has had to put up with hypocritical, anti‐Semitic cricketers, crying on TV because they’ve been ‘offended.’ Celebrities, who are earning more in a fortnight than most people can hope for in years, bewailing the fact that they failed to digest the testicles of some animal or another, added to the ever‐increasing uncontrolled numbers of illegal immigrants pouring in, and floundering politicians at a complete loss what to do about it ‐ does truly makes you feel it is all going completely to pot!

www.euroweeklynews.com

Coming apart Is this the start of the demise of Western civilisation as we know it? Well, I personally thought it embarked on that journey years ago. The trouble is that so‐called progress has made it all too easy. Even in the light of yet another ‘variant’ and the indisputable climate change, the complacency among the masses, particularly the young, is almost beyond belief.

The age of technology has led the present generation to believe that all the nation’s problems can be settled at the press of a button. ‘Nanny State’ attitudes have raised the public’s sense of entitlement to unprecedented levels, while getting something for nothing has become an acceptable mode of existence.

Many great civilisations have peaked and subsequently foundered when the going got too easy. I came across a statement by one Sheik Rahid, the founder of Dubai, which hit the nail decisively on the head. When asked about the future of his own country, he replied: “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel. I ride a Mercedes; my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover; but my great grandson

will have to ride a camel again. You must raise warriors, not parasites. Past civilisations were not conquered by external enemies, they rotted from within.”

He went on to observe: “The greatest Western generation consisted of 18‐year‐ old kids storming the beaches of Normandy and now, two generations later, the young people want to hide in safe rooms when they hear words that hurt their feelings!”

Well, personally I think that just about sums it all up. The sheik went on to astutely remark that “hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times, easy times create weak men and weak men create difficult times.” So, in the light of all that, folks, all I can declare is ‐ the camels are on the horizon!

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

Mon and Fri. 1pm till 4.

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

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

FEATURE

Film Review by Laura Kemp

Streaming Now: Last night in Soho

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO follows a young fashionista from Corn‐ wall who moves to London where she finds that ‘London can be a lot’ and isn’t quite what she expected.

Last Night in Soho, directed

by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) and released on November 19, is a slick, funny, and chaotic depic‐ tion of London in the 60s, run‐ ning simultaneously alongside current day life. It’s worth watching if you’re into thrillers with a twist.

Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace) plays Eloise, a wide‐ eyed student obsessed with the 60s who is accepted into the London College of Fashion.

She is taken back to Soho in the 60s through her dreams where she watches an aspiring singer called Sandy, played by Anya Taylor‐Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), trying to make it on the scene. Sandy meets a suave and charming man called Jack, played by Matt

A thriller with a twist.

Smith (Doctor Who), who tells her he works on the club scene and can help her become a performer around London, but things take a sinister turn.

The music, dancing and styling in this film is incredible, it takes you effortlessly back in‐ to the 60s and builds tension as Eloise finds it increasingly difficult to decipher her dreams from reality. There’s twists and turns that you won’t expect which will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.

The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Ap‐ ple TV so you can be taken back in time from the comfort of your sofa.

44 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

Advertising Feature INTEROPTICS has two exciting new ventures with upgrades to its charity eye care centre in Gambia and the opening of its new audiology centre at its Alfaz del Pi office.

Run by optician Fay Gallagher, InterOptics helps both the com‐ munity on the Costa Blanca as well as those who cannot afford eye care through its charity in Senegal, Gambia and the Sahara.

Working on both at the same time, Fay’s hard work has paid off and she will soon be sending a container full of furniture and medical equipment to her chari‐ ty’s centre in Gambia to provide further care for those who can‐ not afford it in Africa.

Opening in February 2019, the Aborigen View centre and its team of opticians has helped more than 4,000 people in Africa, providing free eye care and glass‐ es.

While based in Africa, the char‐ ity works alongside the Spanish community, with donation boxes to collect second‐hand glasses

FEATURE

New ventures at InterOptics

EXCITING: Helping the Costa Blance and the charity in Gambia.

that people no longer use placed in opticians across Spain.

Meanwhile, the local commu‐ nity in Alfaz del Pi is also in‐ volved, with local businesses and the council helping out to raise funds for the charity.

Fay told the Euro Weekly News

that when she began travelling to Africa to offer eye care in 2016, on the first day she had 200 people waiting for an eye test, and this made her want to be able to help more people.

And now following the success

of the charity’s centre in Gambia, Fay has said she also has plans to open an opticians in Senegal to be able to treat even more peo‐ ple.

At the same time as the work to her charity, Fay has also been making improvements to In‐ terOptics in Alfaz del Pi, with a re‐ furbishment in August which has seen upgrades to its audiology centre, which can now offer complete hearing tests and de‐ tect hearing problems.

Their team can also offer a free month trial on hearing aids, as well as a photo of the eye with their new retinoscopy machine.

The refurbishment has also seen new brands of glasses added to the shop and a com‐ pletely new look.

Fay is now calling on the public to help out in Africa by donating or by taking part in the charity’s raffle which started at the end of November.

Tickets will be €5 and can bought at InterOptics in Alfaz de Pi with all proceeds going to charity.

And for all your eye care needs, visit InterOptics on Carrer Princeps d’Espanya 17, 03580, Alfaz del Pi, Alicante.

From Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm and Saturdays 10am to 1.30pm. Alternatively, contact 965 033 038 or info@interoptics.es, or visit www.interoptics.es.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

EWN 45

Advertising Feature

UK standards of customer service with Jennifer Cunningham Insurances SL WHEN you are abroad, whether it is because you have a second home in Spain or you have relo‐ cated here, you will want to know that if anything happens you can deal with someone in English and with UK levels of customer service, and that is where Jennifer Cunningham In‐ surances SL can help.

Offering all types of insurance, from pets to homes to cars, Jen‐ nifer Cunningham Insurances SL provides specialised policies, all in English, aimed at your exact needs.

Both Liberty Seguros and ASS‐ SA both have special divisions, created exclusively for the ex‐ pat. To support these policies, Jennifer has two very special, unique additions to her compa‐ ny, a dedicated Claims Adminis‐ trator and a Renewals Depart‐

ment, which means you will be contacted every year to check your policy at renewal. There is no such thing as an automatic renewal, where you can lose control.

Jennifer initially specialised in health insurance, on the Costa Blanca in 1992, but it was not long before she was asked to ex‐ pand into general insurance.

The company, led by Jennifer Cunningham, has an extensive network of eight offices with an expert team who can tailor make the policy for you to suit all your needs and that of your family.

Jennifer is still a hands‐on Managing Director and she keeps herself and her staff aware of changes to Spanish in‐ surance regulations and laws, keeping a steady hand at the

JENNIFER CUNNINGHAM: The woman behind the name. helm of the company. Jennifer is well‐known and respected throughout by Spanish nationals and especially expats for offer‐ ing excellent service. Jennifer Cunningham Insurances SL is now spreading further afield to

cover all of Spain, including Malaga, Barcelona and Madrid.

Jennifer’s philosophy is that of straightforward and honest ad‐ vice, which is instilled in all her staff members up and down the coast. Jennifer is passionate about her team providing a pro‐ fessional quality of service to all her clients. It is vital that the ad‐ vice offered with regard to cov‐ erage is taken to ensure you are never under‐insured, which of‐ fers you better protection should you have to make a claim. To be advised by an as‐ sessor that you are under‐in‐ sured, will be the start of a nightmare.

Jennifer Cunningham Insur‐ ances SL offers all types of insur‐ ance, including cars, motorcycle, classic car, health, dental, com‐ prehensive home, second

home, public liability, commer‐ cial, landlord, funeral, travel, life insurance, pets, and marine policies, and Jennifer is very proud to be working with both Liberty Seguros and ASSSA to provide quality policies for her clients.

Jennifer Cunningham Insur‐ ances SL is now also offering cashback with Liberty Seguros until 22nd December and offers on ASSSA health insurance.

So if you are concerned about protecting your valuables, home or car and want great customer service in English, contact Jen‐ nifer Cunningham Insurances SL on 966 461 690 or for more in‐ formation, visit www.jennifer cunningham.net.

We look forward to hearing from you and becoming one of our valued customers.

THURSDAY 02/12

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BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon MasterChef: The Professionals BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather

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BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals Have I Got News for You BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather

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BBC London News; Weather Weather Superman & Lois Strictly Come Dancing Michael McIntyre's The Wheel Blankety Blank Casualty BBC News Weather Match of the Day

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Weather Countryfile Doctor Who: Flux Strictly Come Dancing: The Results Top Gear You Don't Know Me BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Match of the Day 2

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Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Crisis in Care: Follow the Money Panorama EastEnders Outnumbered You Don't Know Me

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Escape to the Country Virtually Home The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Holby City Would I Lie to You?

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The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Still Open All Hours The Repair Shop MasterChef: The Professionals BBC News at Ten

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FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

Catastrophising

CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD I HAVE been thinking a lot this week about the mental leaps people make when they are upset over something, and how these jumps in logic create such big divides between people that it makes discussion and debate almost impossible. I looked up what I was trying to describe, and the closest thing I can find is called ‘catastrophising’.

A lot of people involuntarily suffer from this way of imagining things and it only relates to themselves. It is an issue that mental health counsellors describe as a type of distorted thinking that is not based in reality and can be debilitating to those who cannot physically shake themselves free of it. Future-oriented catastrophising is believing something terrible will happen, without evidence to support this belief, and this is where I mostly pick up the other type of person I encounter with this train of thought. These people don’t necessarily have a medical problem that causes them to think in this way, but instead, lean into this way of thinking as a means to further

their political or personal opinion. This allor-nothing thinking can actually hurt their coherence and does nothing for the spirit of debate or discussion as they pick up their imaginary scenario and refuse to let it go.

“Next thing you know…” is a common, and relatively innocuous, starter for this kind of conversation. The person that brings out the idea of never being able to say the word Christmas again because they’ve been asked to consider other holidays. The thought of white people disappearing from their television because there is a black woman with a supermarket loyalty card on their screen. They run down their line of thought until they reach a scenario so extreme that they panic, then hold firm that belief as if it is here in reality already. Catastrophising.

Right-wing politicians adore it when people create their own false dichotomy, or allor-nothing situations, as it saves them the job of creating them on the campaign podium. Psychology professor Ryan Martin says: “When things happen to us and we evaluate those events in highly negative

ways, we’re more likely to get angry about them, and we’re more likely to get scared.”

Scared people are easier to manipulate into voting against their own interests to protect themselves from the imaginary scenarios created from fear.

The more that these thoughts become ingrained into people’s minds, the more self-perpetuating they become, until small things explode. This way of thinking leads to chronic anger and in turn, this creates misattributed causation, putting the blame where it doesn’t belong. This is how people are easily turned against each other in times of hardship when they have more in common with each other than they do with the people in charge who are actually creating awful situations. This goes some of the way to explain the current rise in rightwing ideology and individualism across the globe, at a time when we should really be helping each other instead.

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

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

THE Sierra Nevada is Eu‐ rope’s southernmost ski re‐ sort and on November 27, its ski‐lifts were activated once more, as this year's winter season got under‐ way. It is reported that there is already 20cm of fresh snow on the ground, and nine kilometres of slopes are skiable.

In the hope of a more sta‐ ble season this year, after last year’s on‐and‐off restric‐ tions, the Sierra Nevada’s

Travel

Winter underway

hoteliers and business own‐ ers in Pradollano and Bor‐ reguiles are optimistic. Now they just need a return to the numbers generated in 2019.

The drop in temperatures, combined with rainfall in re‐ cent weeks has helped to get the doors open. While the capital of the province,

and other parts of the region experienced rain, the moun‐ tain peaks received a gener‐ ous covering of snow.

A real bonus for the Sier‐ ra Nevada is that data shows the Granada Province currently has the lowest virus infection rates in Andalucia at more than 30 points below the sec‐

ond‐lowest, Jaen.

Masks must be worn on ski lifts and chairs, but there are no capacity restrictions on the slopes. Although that could change if it becomes overcrowded.

According to Enrique de la Higuera, a spokesman for lo‐ cal businesspersons, a hotel occupancy of 50 per cent is expected for this first week of the season. That’s com‐ pared to a 30 per cent occu‐ pancy last season.

EWN 47

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.

BRITS IMPORT WARNING From our Facebook Hola, I have just read your article in this week’s EWN about import charges and thought that you might like to know how much I have just had to pay.

I have just had delivered from the UK a new fabric cover for a folding frame for a motorcycle cover which was destroyed in the recent high winds.

The cost of the cover was £59.99. The cost of import charges was €31.50 Customs, €14.91 Administration charge and €6.62 IVA. A grand total of €53.03 charges which is a complete rip-off! I was expecting to have to pay some charges, but not just short of the cost of the item!

David Lomas

Leapy Lee Commentary Loopy at his best again this week. White American shoots three other White Americans, fortunately killing only two, but Leapy makes this a racial issue and the fault of a black guy who was killed by a white policeman.

I must be missing something. George Floyd was no innocent bystander, but maybe just arresting him would have been enough.

PS. Loved this week’s letter asking about Little Arrows. I can assure the writer that that was all Leapy ever did.

All the best, Peter

Importing into Spain Dear Editor, Having read your warning in the EWN , I know what you mean. I sent off for 50 tins of food from the UK which is not stocked by any Brit shops here.

WE’VE COME SO FAR THE controversial topic of Covid passports has been in the news this week, with several Spanish communities giving the green light to new restrictions.

With mandatory vaccinations ruled out at this stage and a new variant of the coronavirus detected, the move seems like a natural response. Just as everyone in Spain was feeling relieved at a sense of normality returning, alarm bells started to ring again.

The news will not be welcomed by those who see any

CORRECTIONS

RIP-OFF: Watch out for import charges.

The normal price would be €3 a tin for similar products by Princes. With postage it came out to €3.80 a tin.

I tracked the parcel and it quickly arrived at Customs at Madrid airport 17 days ago. Instead of just using the customs information on the package, they instead sent me a two-page document (in Spanish) to fill in, to decide how much taxes I have to pay, which I have returned to them and I will have to pay whatever they decide before they will release the parcel.

This I did not understand. A few years ago, I had to pay set taxes on a parcel from California directly to the postman who delivered the package. Now Spanish customs seem to be making it up as they go along on how much I pay and I have no choice but to pay whatever inflated figure the señors decide, as punishment for Britain leaving the EU and for Gibraltar.

Significant charges could ruin it for British shops in Spain, making food and other things too expensive for we expats to buy.

Michael Hill Benidorm

OUR VIEW

restrictions as an impingement on their freedom. But for the 35.5 million people who have had at least two doses of the vaccine, the news will mean the path to normality can continue to some extent.

Anyone who has visited the UK in the past year will have noticed the stark contrast in the adherence to protocols such as mask-wearing compared to Spain.

Here, it has become a habit for many, and most people comply without fuss. Walking into a shop without a mask

almost seems unthinkable and many still wear them in open spaces.

After a tough 20 months in which people have missed events such as births, weddings, and funerals and many more have been separated from friends and families, the introduction of Covid passports now seems like a minor inconvenience.

There is no solution that satisfies everyone, but with so much hard work done to get this far, these latest measures might be what is needed to get us over the line.

BABIES AT WORK: Most people said absolutely not!

Malcolm Stoddart No, they have a creche there, she is being paid enough to afford professional care! Attention seeker!

Deborah Clynshaw No. Maternity leave should be increased. For everyone!

Pamela Symons It’s not proffesional to take a baby or child to work. Where are her work ethics.! You can’t have everything in life. Pay for a nanny. And express your milk.

Helen Jordan Definitely not. What do any other mothers do, get childcare.

After all she’s paid enough to afford it but being an MP she thinks she can do as she likes. Maybe Boris can take the child to Peppa Pig World and give her a day off.

Nick Houghton No there are many industries where it is impossible. What happens when the baby gets cranky at work and screams the place down - no one can work.

Elaine Smith No way, there is an expensive creche there if children need to be looked after, if they don’t want to use that either, stay home or employ a nanny.

Richard Gill Davies No. Do what everyone else does and make suitable arrangements before embarking on starting a family. Take responsibility and think ahead. This child will need you to be a role model.

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

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

By Clinica Britannia

Get ready for Xmas AFTER a very stressful year, I have noticed the lines around my eyes and lips have become more promi‐ nent. With Christmas around the corner, I want to sort this out so I can look and feel like the old, younger me again, can you give me some advice?

Aesthetic treatments are non‐sur‐ gical procedures designed to combat signs of ageing, treat acne, pigmenta‐ tion, rejuvenate, and refresh your skin, they can be used on almost any part of the body, but most often on the face, neck, and décolletage area.

Treatment with both Dermal fillers and Botox reduce the appearance of wrinkles, with each working in a dif‐ ferent way. Fillers are placed under the surface of the skin literally to ‘fill’ the wrinkle, Botox however when in‐ jected relaxes the muscles which are causing the wrinkles and is used on the forehead, brow, and eye area.

Fillers can be used in many ways, to enhance the cheeks, remove lines around the mouth and lips to give

FILLERS: Can be used in many ways.

you a perfect pout or simply to make the skin look more radiant and youthful.

Thread Lifts can also be used to lift any part of the face, including the forehead, cheeks, jawline, and neck area for a smooth look, like a mini face lift.

Contact an Aesthetic specialist who can give advice on how to make you look amazing for the upcoming festive season.

2 - 8 December 2021

EWN 53

Take time IN this fast‐paced world we can all benefit from taking a little more time just to relax and take care of ourselves.

According to one re‐ search company, this need is now fuelling a trend for beauty products which re‐ quire us to take more time for ourselves, rather than simply seeking a quick fix.

Researchers at Mintel, report that consumers are increasingly searching for products which form part of a longer skin care rou‐ tine, forcing us to slow down.

To take part in the trend, swap your cleansing wipes for a balm cleanser or oil‐based alternative.

The act of massaging this into the face at the end of the day, before re‐ moving it with a warm, damp cloth is both relax‐ ing and good for the skin.

CLEANSING: Make sure you take care of your skin.

54 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Incredible shrinking pores AS we age, the amount of collagen and elastin we have keeping our skin springy decreases and our skin sags slight‐ ly, leaving us with pores which appear larger.

And while there is nothing that can change the size of your pores, there is plenty that you can do to make them ap‐ pear smaller.

Firstly, while you can‐ not pysyically shrink your pores, a build‐up of dirt and sebum in them can certainly have the opposite effect so start

your skincare routine ev‐ ery day by gently cleans‐ ing. Using an oil‐based cleanser will work well for most skin types as oil actually attracts oil which means these cleansers are a very ef‐ fective way of ridding your skin of any grease without using stripping detergents.

The latest oil‐based cleansers use emollients which turn milky on con‐ tact with water, allowing the product to dive deep into your pores and bring out any dirt too,

preventing blackheads.

Next, use a gentle ex‐ foliator to slough off dead skin cells which can make pores look more prominent. Dead skin will also prevent any products you use af‐ terwards penetrating as deeply as they should.

Ensure that at every stage you are gentle with your skin, however, as being overly‐aggres‐ sive with any products can cause permanent damage to the pores, even stretching them out.

By Clinica Britannia

Finding that Perfect Match

WHEN searching for your perfect match of dentist to patient, it is impor‐ tant to take various things into consid‐ eration, one of the first questions should be what infection/Covid proto‐ col is in place to give maximum protec‐ tion to the patient and dental team.

Look for a dentist that can offer ad‐ vanced dental treatment at a realistic and affordable price. It is important that your dentist can explain exactly what treatment plan is necessary so you can understand fully and feel at ease during the treatment. Check that the quality of the materials used are of a high standard, and if they offer a guarantee on work carried out.

Your dentist should have the latest x‐ ray technology and cameras to enable an in‐depth check‐up of your teeth, jawbone, and gums to be performed.

Match check list: • Covid‐19 Protocol • Strict Protocol against infections • Denture Repairs within the hour

Choose your dentist carefully.

• Specialised Dentists working in a team • High‐tech Equipment • All types of services provided • Easy access to the surgery • Painless Procedures • Emergency 24h/365d • State of the Art Technology • Fluent in English, Dutch, Spanish, French, German, Flemish and Romani‐ an.

• Amazing quality/price ratio Remember take time and choose your dentist carefully, for that Perfect Match.

Appointments Landline: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851 • 24H/365D Emergency Number: (+34) 607 255 755 • Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 9:00am / 5:00pm

Clinica Britannia Calpe Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe

Retinoid products (ones containing vitamin A) naturally exfoliate the skin without using any beads or scrubs and in‐ crease cell turnover, making the pores appear smaller.

Next, before applying any make‐up or primers, make sure to moisturise your skin. While this may seem counterintu‐ itive, well‐hydrated skin should not over‐produce oil to compensate for dryness, meaning you actually produce less se‐ bum which makes your pores look bigger when you have moisturised.

Finally, make sure to a l w a y s u s e a n S P F. Apart from its benefits in helping to prevent skin cancer, sun protec‐ tion will help you pre‐ vent further fine lines, wrinkles and sagging caused by excess sun, which in turn will help prevent your pores en‐ larging further.

Now apply a make‐up primer or BB cream to your skin. These prod ‐ ucts often contain parti‐ cles which diffuse the light, ‘blurring’ out im‐ perfections and provid‐ ing a softer appearance to the skin. This will help to make pores look sig‐ nificantly smaller while also helping your make‐ up last longer.

These cosmetic changes should make an overall difference to the appearance of pores.

You can help to treat your body from the in‐ side too though, by stay‐ ing hydrated which in turn plumps up the skin’s surface and reduc‐ ing the look of pores.

56 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 December 2021

FEATURE

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have, and some you haven’t thought of, on their FAQ page (Frequently Asked Questions). The

choice of heaters, along with their avail‐ ability and prices are on display in the online shop. You click, select, and pay, and within days your purchase is deliv‐ ered to you. You are now a Neater Heater Customer and will be protected by their conscientious customer service.

With many online purchases, when things go wrong, this can be the start of a very frustrating process that is fre‐ quently not solved to the customer’s satisfaction, However, Neater Heater accept that occasionally mistakes and accidents happen. Sometimes it is hu‐ man error, but usually it is out of their control. They will do their utmost to personally solve any problems their cus‐ tomers may have. In over a decade, they have never failed to honour a gen‐ uine warranty complaint.

Richard and Tony take pride in their customer service. You will never regret making your online heater purchase from Neater Heater.

NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA NORTH MORAIRA: S&W, The Tool Bar. Tel. 965 745 805 ALTEA: Leo’s Superstore. Tel. 965 844 848 Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery.

WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171 (WhatsApp available)

THE HALLMARK OF HAPPY HUMANS TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA

#TheWomanBeyond IF there’s one thing I have had to get used to, being in business, particularly over the last 18 months, it’s being able to turn on a sixpence, to be flexible, to have to look at what’s going on and make some sort of sense and be able to make what may seem like sponta‐ neous decisions, only to turn them on their head again just a few days later!!

That can mess with your head, and your teams. As a leader, we have to be able to put in place structures that keep the engines oiled and the wheels turn‐ ing. We also have to make the most of what the data is telling us in any one moment and be willing to make a deci‐ sion, a choice, even though that may have to be overturned in light of new information.

Dan Siegel is one of the world’s lead‐ ing mindfulness, neuroscience and in‐ terpersonal neurobiology experts.

Dan tells us that the healthy human being is psychologically flexible. He says we need to be kind of like a river flow‐ ing between two banks, on one side we have structure and on the other we have spontaneity.

So, what is the trick to maintaining flexibility, well it is to make sure we don’t flood one side or the other. We want to have just the right amount of structure, too much and you get rigid.

And we know that’s not good.

On the other side of our river of flexi‐ bility we have spontaneity. Again, we need a certain amount, but not too much. If we go over the top on spon‐ taneity, we can flood that side and wind up with chaos. Also, not good.

Dan tells us that the hallmark of a healthy human being is just like the riv‐ er of flexibility, it runs between the banks of structure and spontaneity.

Structure + Spontaneity = Flexibility.

How’s your river? Are you sticking rigidly to structures that don’t work anymore, or can you be a little too spontaneous?

Are you flooding one side or the oth‐ er?

As with all these things it’s a delicate balance, the tightrope of life and busi‐ ness.

What’s one little thing you can do to Optimise today?

Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment. Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Great‐ ness!

PS. Want PERSONAL TRANSFORMA‐ TION or BUSINESS SUCCESS, to get laser focused on your Vision or Biggest Most Audacious Goals?

We have a couple of places left on my Visionary Women Programme, the last programme before the year is out!!! In just four, three‐hour online sessions you could Reach Beyond Your Limits, Soar Beyond Your Barriers and Live Beyond Your Dreams.

Twenty five per cent off for Euro Weekly News readers – Just Quote Of‐ fer Code EWN25 – for more info and to book head on over to https://quan tumvantage.co.uk/visionarywomen programme Don’t hold back another moment.

You could be just one step away…

Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #TheWom‐ anBeyond

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

Please do get in touch if you have any questions. Follow me, chat and share your thoughts and network with other fabulous women in my Visionary Women Facebook Group.

@tonieastwood

@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen

tonieastwoodobe

sixsecretstosuccess

SOCIAL SCENE

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Micro-vineyard tour THE micro‐vineyard near the Moli dels Moros has hosted 50 people from the world of agriculture and from Altea Council to discover more about the area’s heritage.

Mayor Jaume Llinares and several councillors visited the micro‐vineyard which was created by the Department for the Envi‐ ronment this summer.

The vineyard, which has 600 vines, is part of a pro‐ gramme to recover mi‐ cro‐vineyards and is looked after viticulturist Joan Cascant and IES Al‐ tea Bellaguarda.

Councillor for the Envi‐ ronment Jose Orozco said: “The aim of this vineyard is to contribute and expand the heritage recovery of the Moli dels Moros through its links with agriculture and viti‐ culture.”

The event was also at‐ tended by the Community

VINEYARD TOUR: Discovering the area’s heritage.

of Irrigators, students of the module of Agroecolo‐ gy at IES Altea Bellaguar‐ da, representatives of the Agrollotja Association, the Armada‐Jorro family, owners of the plot, Juanvi Martin, historian and spe‐ cialist in traditional irriga‐ tion, and others from the world of agriculture.

At the end of the visit, there was a wine tasting from Joan Cascant, of the Garnatxa Tintorera vari‐ ety; which he said has adapted well to this terri‐ tory.

During the visit, Joan Cascant explained the de‐ tails of a micro‐vineyard and the reason that led him to accept the coun‐ cil’s proposal to launch it.

He said: “It’s not just about planting vines, but about regaining value in the territory. In Altea there is this will and we thought that recovering a plantation as old as this, next to the Moli dels Mo‐ ros, was interesting.”

He added: “The recov‐ ery must go beyond eco‐ nomic issues.”

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Christmas lights ON Friday, November 26, the Christmas lights began to illuminate the streets of La Nucia after the Christmas lights were turned on.

At 6pm the lights and Christmas decorations began to shine and decorate the streets and roads of the mu‐ nicipality, and for yet anoth‐ er year, the Christmas star shines on a spectacular tree that has been mounted in Placa Major and that is the symbol of the Christmas Lighting in La Nucia.

There is also an illuminat‐ ed sleigh at the door of the council and many children and adults have already pho‐ tographed themselves on the sleigh in Placa Major.

Other decorations include stars, gift packages and vari‐ ous Christmas motifs on the different roads.

The decorations have been lit on streets across the town, including on Placa Ma‐ jor, Avenida Carreteras, as well as Avenida Marina Baixa.

LIT UP SLEIGH: Go along and get your photograph taken.

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SOCIAL SCENE

FINESTRAT MUSUEM: Has opened a new exhibition called ‘Muses per a l’Art’.

Art muses

THE Museu de Finestrat has opened an exhibition, ‘Muses per a l’Art,’ by painter and sculptor Maria Carmen Llinares Lloret until Janaury 15.

The inauguration took place at the Font de Carre Park Museum on Friday, November 26 with Mayor Juanfran Perez Llorca and members of the council taking part.

In his speech, Mayor Perez Llorca con‐ gratulated the artist on the exhibition and said that the success of these initia‐ tives is “down to the artists when making their exhibitions and also the warmth of the public.”

Councillor for Culture, Hector Baldo, said: “Many of us know Maria Carmen in her role as Professor of Drawing and Painting at l’Escola d’Art de Finestrat.

However, now we are going to discover her work as an artist in this first exhibi‐ tion that she carries out alone in our Museu de Finestrat. So very excited and with the desire that many people take

advantage of this Christmas season to come and visit because it will remain on display until January and with longer mu‐ seum hours.”

The exhibition can be visited until Jan‐ uary 15 with an extended museum schedule that will see it open to the pub‐ lic on Wednesdays, from 4pm to 9pm, Thursday and Friday, in the morning and in the afternoon, from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 9pm, and also on weekends in the morning, from 10am to 2pm.

Finestrat is also hosting an exhibition from the Finestrat Collage Club, including the winning work of the first ‘Finestrat Public Art’ contest organised by the city council in collaboration with the Miguel Hernandez University of Elche.

Representatives of both entities chose a work by Alberto Feijoo Rodriguez from among more than 30 submitted to this contest aimed at integrating contempo‐ rary art in Finestrat and, at the same time, supporting the talent of its creators.

SOCIAL SCENE

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Photo contest

LA NUCIA Council has an‐ nounced a photography contest, #NadalenLaNu‐ cia, which will run until January 9.

The mobile phone pho‐ tography contest will take place on Instagram and offer prizes for the five best photos and the five with the most ‘likes’.

Participation is com‐ pletely free through the Instagram app and is open to people of all ages.

In order to participate in the second Instagram Photo Contest #NadalEn‐ LaNucia the first require‐ ment is to be a follower of La Nucia’s profile on Instagram, @LaNuciaES. The second require‐ ment is to share photos of La Nucia at Christmas on Instagram, including La Nucia decorated for Christmas, Christmas lighting, or Christmas events or concerts.

The third requirement

LA NUCIA COUNCIL: Will run the contest until January 9.

is to tag the photo that is submitted with the hash‐ tag #NadalEnLaNucia in the photo description.

The fourth is to tag the photos with the profile @LaNuciaEs. The fifth re‐ quirement is to indicate its location.

Each participant may submit as many photos as they want to the con‐ test, as long as they are related to the theme of the #NadalEnLaNucia contest and have not

been published before.

The five best photos will be awarded by a jury and the five photos with the most ‘likes’ will be awarded after review by the council.

The winners agree to send the awarded pho‐ tographs to the email so cialmedia@lanucia.es in their highest quality within two days, after be‐ ing informed.

For more information, visit www.lanucia.es.

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Calpe exhibition

CALPE will be hosting a stamp exhibition from De‐ cember 4 to January 31 at the Exhibition Hall of the council.

The exhibition, which has been hosted every year

since 1996, will be com‐ memorating its 25th an‐ niversary this year.

It will house a large group of philatelic collections, from collectors from Valen‐ cia, Alicante, Benissa, Elda, Orihuela and Calpe.

President of the Calpe Philatelic Association Jose Ivarsa said: “In this way, the visitor will be able to get to know the world of stamp collecting.”

The festival will also of‐ fer a programme of activi‐ ties, including Initiation Workshops to Philately.

There will also be an ex‐ cursion and visit to the on‐ ly section of the Camino

Medieval that is still stand‐ ing as it passes through Calpe and which is also known as Camino de Postas.

The excursion will take place on Sunday, December 12 at 10am.

EXFICALP 2021 will also feature a photography exhi‐ bition with photos of Calpe and the participation of the Toni Sendra, who will ex‐ hibit part of his collection.

The exhibition is spon‐ sored by the Calpe Council and has the collaboration of the Federation of Philatelic Associations of the Valen‐ cian Community, which is also chaired by Jose Ivars.

STAMP EXHIBITION: Commemorating its 25th year.

SOCIAL SCENE

Tourism talk

THE Event’s Hall at the central li‐ brary at Gandia Council will be hosting a talk on sustainable tourism. Taking place today, Thursday, December 2 at 7.30pm, the talk, ‘Jemina Morell, Pioneer of Sustainable Tourism,’ will be held by Lola Teruel Serrano.

Jemina Morrell was a female explorer, who made the first combined trip to Switzerland in the 19th century. Her experi‐ ence of touring the Swiss Alps, compiled through her travel book, inspired other business‐ men of the time, specifically Thomas Cook, a forerunner of tour packages as known today.

Various documents, writings and audiovisuals on Jemina Morell have been discovered that recreate the landscapes, heritage and tourism customs.

The talk can also be followed live through the #Biblioteques Gandia channel on Youtube.

It has been organised by IMAB and has the collabora‐ tion of UPV, CEIC Alfons el Vell and CEFIRE.CEIC Alfons el Vell.

SOCIAL SCENE

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2 - 8 December 2021

RBL update

SALT: Members enjoyed a delicious high tea.

THE Javea branch of the Roy‐ al British Legion has been easing out of pandemic re‐ strictions with regular branch meetings, and social and fundraising events in the last few months.

They held their joint 30th and 31st anniversary dinner in September attended by 68 members and guests. The branch attended the Poppy Appeal launch in Benidorm in October, held two brief services of remembrance, and the Branch AGM in November.

Four branch amigos completed their 1,950km journey from Denia to the Cenotaph on cycle and foot, covering routes in the Marina Alta region. Despite setbacks including a fractured elbow and broken arm, they completed the chal‐ lenge by Remembrance Day. Sponsorship pledges raised

more than €2,000 for the Poppy Appeal. Following the challenge, a quiz, raffle, and auction was held at Bar Ole in Denia with proceeds and do‐ nations amounting to a fur‐ ther €571.

On November 24, 22 mem‐ bers attended a delicious high tea at Salt in Javea. A raffle with the prize of breakfast for two donated by Salt raised €110 for the Branch. Lots of fun social events and fundraisers are planned for 2022.

The British Legion is here to support serving and retired UK Armed Forces and their families. But remember, you don’t have to have served to become a member!

If you would like to join, please contact the secretary at Javea.secretary@RBL.com munity Go to the Facebook page: Royal British legion ‐ Javea Branch Or visit the website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/bra nches/javea.

BUSY TIME: Meetings, social and fundraising events.

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PETS

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www.euroweeklynews.com • 2 - 8 December 2021

SPONSORED BY

Find great pet-sitters so you can relax on holiday 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 particular may benefit from staying be‐ hind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. Now is the time to get

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HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our net‐ work for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday.

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Christmas decorations and pets THE Christmas tree could be real or artificial. The real trees have sharp needles which can become lodged in your pet’s throat. They also produce oils that can irritate the mouth and stomach.

Artificial trees pose less risk but they can be pulled down by in‐ quisitive pets. The decorations of the trees could be dangerous as well. Some of them are made of glass, and can leave sharp frag‐ ments if accidentally smashed or damaged. Fairy lights can be very attractive to curious pets, but can cause dangerous electric shocks and burns if chewed. Several festive plants are toxic to pets if swal‐ lowed or brushed up against. Some wrapping paper unlikely poses a poison risk to pets, but they can contain small levels of chlorine bleach and toxic dyes. Eating a large amount can cause a blockage in the stomach or intestines.

Some recommendations to keep in mind: Don’t leave your pet alone in the room with the Christmas tree, at least not for long periods. Avoid hanging decorations on the lowest branches of your tree and always keep an eye on your pet if they get too close. Fix the tree well to the ground with transparent tape.

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

SERVICES

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2 - 8 December 2021

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2 - 8 December 2021 REMOVALS & STORAGE

REMOVALS & STORAGE

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El Campello Christian Community Evangelical Church - Life and Family Sunday Service in English at 10.00 a.m. and a Spanish Service at 11.45am. C / San Bartolomé 35 bajo, No.6 campellocc@gmail .com www.elcampellochris tiancommunity.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop 610 63 94 26 (English) THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service.

Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome.

Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieterzim merer@hotmail.com, w w w. c e n t r o s a r o n . c o m (10008) www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396.

We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members. We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market. Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis.

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Each week different - clairvoyance, discussions, talks and demonstrations on spiritual or holistic subjects. email sp.fr.cb@gmai l.com website www.spiritu alfriendscostablanca.com or contact Jan. 600 837 054 (10000)

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MOTORING

ORA CAT - new all-electric Cat on the prowl from 2022 ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack ONE of the most frequent criticisms of electric cars is their price, it’s all too often high and beyond the reach of normal drivers. Whether

buying outright, increasingly unusual these days, or on some kind of personal lease scheme, the costs are still prohibitive for many drivers. The other issue is our poor infrastructure in the UK, EVs are great to drive but only practically

useful as commuter cars in the main, unless you have the funds to buy more premium models with a long range. Hence those higher prices are still dissuading a lot of motorists from taking the EV route, unless they also keep a combustion engine car on the drive.

You will struggle to find an EV for under €23,832/ £20,000 with only Fiat’s chic 500 Electric promising a de‐ cent range of 199 miles, but bear in mind, as with all EVs, this is a perfect conditions scenario. However, there is a potentially very useable new EV about to start prowling the roads with the launch of the ORA CAT. Due next year, and priced from around €29,790/£25,000, it has a promised range of 261 miles for the larger battery model.

It will perhaps be no sur‐ prise that the ORA CAT is from a Chinese company, Great Wall Motor who are best known in the UK for

Due to launch in 2022.

Facts at a Glance Model: ORA CAT Engine: all-electric with 48kwh or 63kwh battery options Price: €29,790/£25,000 estimated Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 8.5 seconds/Maximum Speed 160 kph (100 mph) Economy: Range 209 miles for 48kwh version and 261 miles for 63kwh version Emissions: 0 g/km Model quoted is UK-specification and equipment and final version specification and prices may vary.

pick‐ups. Two battery op‐ tions are listed, 48 kwh with a predicted range of 209 miles, and 63 kwh that will offer the aforementioned 261 mile range.

The ORA CAT reaches the benchmark 62mph in a rela‐ tively spritely 8.5 seconds and then on to a maximum speed of 100 mph. Technol‐ ogy includes a 10.25 inch

screen with infotainment, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, rear parking sensors, lane keep, autonomous parking, facial recognition for fatigue and distrac‐ tion detection, 360‐de‐ gree camera integra‐ tion, 12 ultrasonic radars and updates over‐the‐air a’ la Tesla style.

Additionally, there are full LED headlights, 18‐inch alloys and safety wise six airbags.

Customers will have a five‐ year vehicle warranty and an eight‐year warranty on the battery.

Pre‐orders of the ORA CAT 01 will begin in December 2021. While exact details will be revealed later this year, indicative pricing for the en‐ try level trim version sug‐ gests the vehicle will be available to purchase for around £25,000. First deliv‐ eries of the ORA CAT are scheduled for the first half of 2022 and additional models and variants will be an‐ nounced in due course.

MOTORING

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New traffic fines!

T H I S year, in terms of regulatory changes and driver‐related of‐ fences, has been a par‐ ticularly turbulent one. With a starting gun focused on elec‐ tric scooter users and ending with a modifi‐ cation of the Traffic Law that is still under‐ way and yet to be fi‐ nalised, drivers should be on their toes as new traffic fines are already in place.

Electric scooters Scooters must not ride on pavements.

The fine for this of‐ fence is €200 and has already been imposed for months. In addi‐ tion, it is expected that before the end of the year it will also be compulsory for riders of electric scooters to ride with a helmet.

Other vehicles The rest of the new penalties are from amendments to the Traffic Law. The fines associated with these changes will be as fol‐ lows: Fine number one Driving while holding a mobile phone in your hand, regardless of whether it is being used or not holds a hefty traffic fine of €200 and six points de‐ ducted.

Fine number two Having a radar detec‐ tor or inhibitor in the car, even if it is not connected, will also hold a traffic fine of €200 and three points.

Fine number three Not turning off the car engine when idling or waiting carries a fine of €100.

A quick reminder With the change in speed limits on certain streets, this year also saw the start of penal‐ ties for vehicles driving over 30 km/hr on some roads.

Although this is not a new penalty, the zones now have different speed limits to im‐

NEW RULES: Drivers should be on their toes.

prove coexistence be‐ tween motor vehicles

and other vulnerable road users.

2 - 8 December 2021

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