Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 9 - 15 December 2021 Issue 1901

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 32 - 35 Issue No. 1901 9 - 15 December 2021

Budget pact ROJALES has approved its €14.128 million Budget for next year thanks to votes from the Partido Popular’s six councillors as well as those of the 11 councillors from the PSOE party which controls the town hall.

Spending for 2022 has been cut by €250,504, although jobs have been created, while allocations for social entities and investment have increased.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

THE MINISTRY INTERVENES Photo credit: inspain.org

Turn to page 2 » CALA MOSCA: Orihuela Costa’s only remaining unbuilt coastal area.

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9 - 15 December 2021

Dazzling Christmas show I N T E R N AT I O N A L LY RECOGNISED Carnival group La Sal de Torrevieja, are delighted to announce that they will be performing again this Christmas.

The group of 46 girls was

formed more than 30 years ago and has performed in many countries around the world, including France, Romania, Hong Kong, Italy and Spain amongst others.

This dazzling Benidorm

Palace-style show, with its array of magnificent costumes, musical theatre and spectacular dancing, will be appearing at the Torrevieja Theatre on Thursday December 30.

Owing to demand there will be two showings, with performances at

6pm and 9pm.

Tickets cost €10 each and can be purchased from the office of Home España in La Zenia, just off the La Zenia roundabout between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

For more information call 634 024 010.

More mullet than carp CARP‐R‐US held their annual Fur and Feather match at the El Bosquet complex near Crevillent.

“For the time of year, it was quite mild, and the pre‐ dicted high wind did not arrive until midday,” said Carp‐ R‐Us secretary Steve Fell.

“When it did, it made pole fishing difficult but al‐ though lots of mullet were caught, for most people the carp never showed.”

Willy Moons won the match from Peg 37, managing 6.80 kilos of carp and mulle, fishing his usual feeder and pellet method.

Tony Flett from Peg 35 came second with 5.09 kilos, and Steve Fell from Peg 29 had 4.49 kilos of mullet while Jeremy Fardoe on Peg 38 was fourth with 3.10 kilos.

For more information about Carp‐R‐Us, visit their www.carp‐r‐us.weebly.com website.

NEWS

from Front page »

Another No for Cala Mosca SPAIN’S Ministry of Transport ordered Orihuela City Hall to revoke permission to build more than 2,200 properties in Cala Mosca.

These plans, confirmed last September, are already opposed not only by opposition parties on the city council like CLARO or Cambiemos Orihuela, but also residents anxious to save the last unbuilt kilometre of Orihuela Costa’s coastline.

The Ministry of Transport’s opposition is based on the development’s effect on the already-saturated N-332 main road, which Carreteras (General Directorate for Roads) spelled out in an unfavourable report in August 2019.

There were deficiencies in city hall’s Traffic Study, the report argued, as plans failed to present ‘correctly and coherently’ the N-332’s protection zones. The report also complained that the study did not establish noise pollution mea-

sures but although city hall produced another Traffic Stud, this again failed to meet with Carreteras’ approval.

Last July the Roads authority issued yet another report, announcing that its decisions were binding, prompting the development company to complain in writing about the Ministry report.

The company also requested a meeting with the Roads authority, although according to reports in the provincial media, the promoter and Carreteras are already in talks to reach agreement regarding the development’s road links.

Meanwhile, Carreteras maintains that by definitively approving Cala Mosca project, Orihuela City Hall has disregarded highways’ legislation while ignoring the unfavourable reports.

The Ministry now wants city hall to annul last September’s go-head without ruling out legal action, should it not comply.

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NIBS EXTRA Good figures UNEMPLOYMENT in the Ve‐ ga Baja fell by 2,031 in November, particularly in the services sector, the construc‐ tion industry and agriculture, revealed the Valencian Com‐ munity’s official employ‐ ment service LABORA. Torre‐ vieja had the biggeste drop in unemployment with 536 people finding work, fol‐ lowed by Orihuela (403) and Almoradi (216).

In memory THERE is a simple explana‐ tion for those puzzled by a yellow submarine visible on a flat roof at Alicante General Hospital. It belongs to an open‐air play area for the youngest patients, installed with a donation from the parents of a child who died of cancer in 2002.

Big bill ELCHE’S €39.4 million con‐ tract for street‐cleaning and rubbish collection will ac‐ count for one out of every €6 in Elche City Hall’s €231.8 mil‐ lion 2022 Budget. The in‐ crease covers renewing the fleet of lorries which will run on natural gas and installing brown recycling containers for organic waste.

More jobs THIRTY‐EIGHT over‐30s and 33 under‐30s recently started work in different depart‐ ments at Torrevieja Town Hall on 12‐month contracts.

The programme, together with training initiatives, was introduced to improve the participants’ future employ‐ ment prospects while help‐ ing to reactivate the local economy and alleviate the effects of the pandemic.

Brine drain ON 18 occasions, principally in the Vega Baja, the Guardia Civil detected unauthorised desalinisation units used to process brackish water ille‐ gally obtained from under‐ ground aquifers. Usually hid‐ den or camouflaged, the equipment was used to pro‐ duce irrigation water while subsequently polluting streams and ravines.

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Rescuers need help LAST June, the Euro Weekly News featured the Asociacion y Refugio para Animales sin Posibilidades (ASRA) in Muro de Alcoy.

This non‐profitmaking sanc‐ tuary is run by Alex Veld‐ huizen, ASRA’s co‐president with her brother Dieko, helped by parents Rosa and Helco.

They save and take in ani‐ mals that are handicapped, traumatised, or chronically or terminally‐ill but without any official funding, they are strug‐ gling to keep going.

“This makes it difficult to take in any new animals, as we must focus on caring for those that are already with us,” Alex

VELDHUIZEN FAMILY: They provide a forever home for 100 animals. explained to the Euro Weekly News.

The Veldhuizens have around 100 animals to look af‐ ter, principally cats, although there are 18 dogs, a sheep saved from the slaughter‐ house and rescue hens.

“All the animals that we take in stay with us forever,” Alex said.

“We are having to say no to the requests that we receive practically every day to take in animals.”

ASRA currently owe their

vet more than €1,000, but with overheads of around €5,000 a month, there are many expenses ‐ like wet food for the cats each week ‐ that they simply cannot cover.

“We hope the New Year will be better for us and that our Teaming group can grow,” Alex said.

Teaming is a platform where donors arrange to pay €1 a month to a group of their choice. More details of this and other ways of donating to help ASRA can be found on the Asociacion y Refugio para Ani‐ males sin Posibilidades Face‐ book page and their www.as raspain.org website.

Shop and win in San Fulgencio

Stars come out for ASOKA

SAN FULGENCIO Town Hall is promoting local commerce over the Christmas season.

During the ‘Christmas in San Fulgencio, bringing business closer to you’ campaign, which continues until December 19, the town hall is distributing 20,000 tickets amongst partici‐ pating establishments.

These tickets ‐ which shop‐ pers receive each time they make a purchase ‐will enter a draw for vouchers worth €1,000, €600, €400 and €100.

“These can later be ex‐ changed for purchases in es‐ tablishments taking part in the campaign,” explained Lo‐ cal Development and Promo‐ tion councillor Ana Maria Vil‐ lena.

The draw will take place during the Christmas Fair on December 19, where local businesses will also be present with stalls displaying their products.

STAR, the annual Christ‐ mas concert in aid of ASOKA , returns for its 10th edition on Saturday December 18 at 7pm.

Christmas musical favourites meet in a fun and emotional evening, as the Orihuela and Ori‐

Commerce councillor Dar‐ ren Parmenter invited all San Fulgencio residents to take part in the campaign.

“This type of initiative pro‐ moting the town’s shops and establishments benefits both consumers and establish‐ ments,” he said.

It’s time to mingle!

MINGLE BELLS is the next event in fundraisers David and Lorraine Whitney’s calendar.

The popular event will be held at the Marina Bar in Tor‐ revieja’s Calle de las Rosas on Friday December 10 at 1.30pm.

Originally a one‐off event, this has now become an annu‐ al occasion that provides the chance to meet new friends over a two‐course Christmas lunch while enjoying a fun af‐ ternoon with a raffle, quiz, and spot prizes.

Hosts David and Lorraine will be there, of course, to make sure everybody enjoys this increasingly popular af‐ ternoon, but places are limited, so booking is essential. The price is €15 a head, as it was last year.

This year’s Mingle Bells event supports the Stroke Associ‐ ation. For information, ring 965 705 907.

More headroom required A LORRYDRIVER’S miscalculation caused exten‐ sive damage to the N‐332 bridge over the CV‐95 between Torrevieja and Orihuela.

The crane‐lorry was heading in the direction of San Miguel de Salinas when the crane smashed into the bridge, displacing a horizontal concrete girder. This remained intact although rubble fell to the road below, hitting the windscreen of a car travelling in the opposite direction.

According to witnesses, the car’s driver was the only person affected by the accident, as she suffered a panic attack and needed medical help.

The N‐332 remained open while traffic on the affected section of the CV‐95 was diverted to‐ wards the main road from the Finca La Ceñuela roundabout for vehicles driving towards Cartage‐ na, and the La Veleta for those heading for Ali‐ cante.

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huela Costa animal res‐ cue shares its success in homing animals across the region and Europe.

The concert has spe‐ cially‐created projections showing the volunteers’ work, and daily life in the rescue with many images of adopted ani‐ mals with their new fam‐ ilies.

The concert will be held at the La Lonja Con‐ cert Hall in Orihuela’s Calle Aragon, next to Telepizza with plenty of on‐road parking near Consum.

Tickets cost €5 and can be booked at Networks Theatre (Calle San Agustín 25).

There will also be a do‐ nation point for any food or much‐needed blan‐ kets to keep the aban‐ doned animals warm.

For more information, ring 966 740 251.

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Palmeral’s future assured THANKS to Orihuela pupils, 600 more palm trees will one day be growing in the Palmeral forest.

The seedlings are cur‐ rently housed in the mu‐ nicipal nursery which was damaged during the storms and flooding caused in September 2019 but has now been re‐ paired, Orihuela’s Environ‐ ment councillor Damaso Aparicio explained.

The plants were grown from date stones that fifth‐year pupils from local primary schools planted last year in the Environ‐ ment department’s The Palm Forest in Your Hands project aimed at involving Orihuela’s young in the palm forest.

“These are authentic Orihuela palms germinat‐ ed from carefully‐selected species,” the councillor said.

City hall is now certified as a palm‐grower by the regional government’s Agriculture department, guaranteeing that proce‐ dures are carried out cor‐ rectly, Aparicio added.

“This means we shall have enough reserves to ensure the continuity of future plantations,” he said.

In line with city hall’s Palmeral Master Plan, it will be necessary to plant 3,000 palms over the next 10 years in order to main‐ tain the required density, Aparicio revealed.

“This year we have transplanted 350 young trees, with a further 368 in our nurseries,” he said.

and finally...

EMPTY gesture. A Santa Pola restaurant‐owner announced last week that he would not ask clients for their Covid passports. Af‐ ter declaring his opposition to the regional government’s mea‐ sure that came into force on December 3, he put a poster out‐ side his establishment, headed ‘No to the Covid passport’, describing the restaurant as a ‘Free Zone’ and criticising the Generalitat move as ‘anti‐constitutional.’

But adding ‘Capacity 50’ to the notice also gave him a ‘get out of jail free’ card, with no risk of a fine of up to €30,000, since passports are not required for restaurants with seating for 50 or fewer.

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Pink ladies are at it again Crescendo Choir

Christmas Santa walk in aid of AACC.

IT’S that time of year again when the Pink Ladies have their annual Santa Walk in aid of the AACC to help in the fight against can‐ cer. This event is normally held every De‐ cember, although last year Covid inter‐ vened and they were not able to hold the event.

The walk is Sunday December 12 and starts and finishes at Zenia Boulevard. The

Walk will start at 12.00 noon and registra‐ tion will begin at 11.00am. Registration is €5 per person, however for children under the age of 13 it is free to enter.

All funds raised will be donated to the AACC to help in the fight against cancer. On the day they will also be collecting items of food or hygiene to donate to Reach Out from all those that enter.

CRESCENDO INTERNATIONAL CHOIR will per‐ form in two concerts in December 2021. The first event will be a singing of Christmas carols with the British Royal Legion Band on Friday, December 10 at 6 pm in Torrevieja’s Con‐ stitution Plaza. The sec‐ ond event will be held in Benijofar at Canada Marsa Park on Sunday De‐ cember 12 at 5 pm.

Crescendo Choir re‐ hearses at Rincon de Miquel, a restaurant and bar in Los Montesinos.

They rehearse on Monday evenings from 17.45 to 20.15. They sit in a social‐ ly‐distanced manner and wear masks. Despite these restrictions, they still have a lovely time singing together.

If you are interested in joining them, please see the Crescendo website at http://www.crescendo‐

choir.com/index.html for details. They are especial‐ ly seeking men to join them.

Please join if you are looking for something to do and like to sing with others. The choir is made up of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. They sing a wide variety of songs ranging from musi‐ cals to spirituals, from pop to classical, in English, Spanish, Dutch, and Latin.

When they give concerts, the money they raise goes to local charities.

Crescendo lives up to its name of International be‐ cause of the many nation‐ alities in its membership, including English, Dutch, German, Scandinavian and American, with a Spanish Musical Director and pianist. Allthough they are many nationali‐ ties, English is the main language spoken.

RBL concert band THE Royal British Legion Concert Band will be performing a carol concert on the main stage at La Zenia Boulevard on Wednesday December 15 starting at 5pm. The singing will be led by Stevie Spit, so please come along and join in the festive fun, we look forward to seeing you all there!

NEWS

Disappearing beaches FIRST‐LINE over‐devel‐ opment was blamed for the regression and ero‐ sion of beaches in Ali‐ cante City, Elche and Guardamar.

Experts from the In‐ stitute of Coastal Ecolo‐ gy explained that these “weak spots” were vul‐ nerable to high winds and heavy seas.

This was aggravated in the case of Alicante City’s Albufereta beach, located at the mouth of a watercourse that dur‐ ing bad weather dis‐ gorges millions of litres of rainwater and sedi‐ ment that wash away everything in their path.

Sections of devel‐ oped coastline where dunes had disappeared were also at risk.

Earthquake shakes residents ON Friday December 3 at 6:47am, residents in Tor‐ revieja were woken up by an earthquake. Ac‐ cording to the National Geographic Institute (In‐ stituto Geográfico Na‐ cional), the tremor regis‐ tered at 1.6 on the Richter scale. The epicen‐ tre of the quake was only a few kilometres from the coast.

The quake hit to the southeast of Torrevieja, with the epicentre be‐ tween Torrevieja and Punta Prima. The last earthquake recorded in the Alicante Province was on November 16.

The latest quake hit in the municipality of Famorca and is reported‐ ly the fifth official quake to hit the area so far this year. Unofficial reports claim that three more tremors have hit Torre‐ vieja in the space of a week.

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Food alert in Spain A NEW food alert has been issued by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nu‐ trition (AESAN). They have warned that a ‘chicken shawarma’ spice mix has been discovered to contain undeclared mus‐ tard. The ingredient could be a danger‐ ous ingredient for allergy sufferers.

The agency was notified of the issue by the health authorities of the Commu‐ nity of Madrid through the Coordinated Rapid Information Exchange System (SCIRI). The ‘chicken shawarma’ spice mix is often used to prepare Turkish food including durums. Mustard aller‐ gies can be serious, but the product pos‐

es no risk to anyone who does not have a mustard allergy. The affected product is Shawarma Pollo Halal Madrid in 100‐ gram packs. The affected batch is batch number 4. The product has a best before date of 12/2024.

AESAN has said that the product has been distributed in Valencia, Andalucia, and Castilla La Mancha. The product has also been distributed to Portugal and France.

The food agency commented: “The aim is to verify the withdrawal of the af‐ fected products from the marketing channels.”

Fines for wrapping up!

WITH winter upon us, we are all wear‐ ing warmer clothes when we go outside.

But we must be aware that, as with warm weather, there are still regula‐ tions relating to what you can wear be‐ hind the wheel.

Driving with flip‐flops in summertime comes to mind, something many traffic cops have issued fines for. The Direc‐ torate‐General for Traffic (DGT) recom‐ mends wearing suitable clothing for driving, with which we can comfortably

operate the vehicle’s controls. They do not specify what clothing is considered uncomfortable.

However, this is always at the discre‐ tion of the traffic officer. A coat or jacket that is too thick, or winter gloves or shoes can reduce mobility in the arms and hands, or interfere with the correct operation of the seat belt, so wearing them while behind the wheel may fall within the reckless driving interpretation of an officer.

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Indonesia volcano erupts A VOLCANIC eruption in In‐ donesia on December 4 has resulted in a significant loss of life.

The event at Mount Se‐ meru in East Java sent a boil‐ ing plume of ash 50,000 feet into the air and residents were forced to flee as the deadly ash cloud engulfed everything in its path. This is the second eruption this year.

By December 7, the death toll was at 34 and more than 2,000 people had been evac‐ uated according to the head

of the task force for the man‐ agement of the eruption, In‐ fantry Col Irwan Surbekti. An Australian organisation which monitors volcanic ash said that the column became disconnected from the sum‐ mit and moved west at a speed of over 70km per hour at heights of up to 50,000 ft.

Semeru, also known as ‘The Great Mountain,’ is the tallest peak on the island and is renowned for its volcanic activity. However, this latest eruption is on a scale not seen in recent times.

and finally...

GOVERNMENT ministers have thrown Christmas messaging into confusion by offering different advice around socialising this Christmas. In an effort to clarify the situation No 10 has told people to carry on partying. On Thursday December 2, the prime minister’s official spokesperson insisted that this year’s celebrations are down to “individual judgement.” This after it became clear that Science Minister George Freeman let it be known that he had cancelled his work party in light of latest coronavirus developments and instead would be mark‐ ing the festive season via Zoom.

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ON Friday December 3, the Scottish Government con‐ firmed an outbreak of bird flu among several free‐range hens that tested positive on a commercial premises near Gretna in Dumfries and Gal‐ loway. As a result, and to stop the spread, the area has been put in lockdown. Restrictions to contain the virus, including curbs on the movement of poultry or eggs, have been im‐ plemented.

To prevent the possibility of more cases emerging, it is re‐ ported that all the remaining birds at the location have been humanely culled. Mairi Gougeon, Scotland’s Rural Af‐

FREE-RANGE HENS: Restrictions have now been put into place.

Bird flu outbreak fairs Secretary said, “With the recent disease confirmations in wild and captive birds across the UK, it is not unexpected for avian influenza to be found in birds here in Scotland. We ask that the public remains vigilant and report any findings of

AMAZON has made the controver‐ sial decision to ban UK issued Visa credit cards from next year. The de‐ cision is said to be due to increasing transaction fees. Brexit has been partially blamed for this as fees have risen since the UK left the EU. A spokesperson for Amazon com‐ mented: “The cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obsta‐ cle for businesses striving to pro‐ vide the best prices for customers.”

Amazon customers were notified

dead wild birds to Defra’s na‐ tional telephone helpline. Do not touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that you find.”

Sheila Voas, Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer, comment‐ ed, “We have already made clear that all bird keepers ‐

whether major businesses or small keepers with just a few birds ‐ must ensure that their biosecurity is up to scratch to protect their birds from dis‐ ease and prevent any contact between their birds and wild birds.”

Brexit’s role in Amazon ban that the changes will come into force from January 19, 2022. High transaction fees mean that Ama‐ zon: “will no longer accept Visa credit cards issued in the UK.” Ama‐ zon customers with Visa cards that were issued outside of the UK will be okay though as will customers using Visa debit cards, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards.

Since Brexit, the cap on transac‐ tion fees between the UK and the European Economic Area has been ditched, which has meant that fees have increased.

When customers purchase prod‐ ucts on Amazon UK, the company still processes the payments in the EU. This means high ‘cross‐border’ fees are applied.

NEWS

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Deep fake call D E E P fake porn and nude images are becom‐ ing more common with improvements in tech‐ nology making it easier for those in the business to create lifelike images.

Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, believes that women are mainly the target and that these images should be made a sex crime with commensurate penal‐ ties.

Including the making and sharing of these im‐ ages in the ‘sexual abuse’ section of the online safety bill, would allow those affected to seek proper redress by allow‐ ing police to take appro‐ priate action.

Miller took an adjourn‐ ment debate to the Com‐ mons on December 2 in which she outlined the ‘devastating’ impact such images have on the vic‐ tims. Deep fake images make use of ordinary

MILLER: Women are targets.

photos that are taken with or without the per‐ son’s consent and literal‐ ly ‘undressed’ by the software before being

shared publicly.

Such images can also be used for videos de‐ picting violent or illegal acts including rape.

Miller said that “Wom‐ en in the UK have faced a growing problem of im‐ age‐based sexual abuse over the past decade, but the scale of the prob‐ lem is increasing.” Offi‐ cial figures show the number of image‐based abuse reports have in‐ creased by 87 per cent in the last year alone.

Paddleboarder scare A YOUNG man was rescued in Alicante after being dragged out to sea while paddleboarding. The Salvamento Marítimo boat Salvamar Mirfak swung into action to make the rescue off the coast of El Campello.

The man was caught up in intense winds of 35 knots that dragged him out to sea on his board. He required medical as‐ sistance after he was rescued. He had not been wearing a wetsuit which was dangerous in the conditions and allowed his body temperature to drop dramatically. The man was tak‐ en to hospital to be treated.

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NEWS

Bizum scam warning Vaccine being wasted U S E R S who sell their products using the application Bizum on platforms such as Mi‐ lanuncios, Vinted or Wallapop have be‐ come the new target

of cybercriminals, as informed by the Spanish Office of In‐ ternet Security (OSI).

The scammers pre‐ tend to be potential buyers who are inter‐

ested in one of the items for sale. They then send a request for money via Bizum instead of sending a payment. Vendors who do not read the message carefully be‐ fore pressing ‘Accept’ will become victims of the scam and end up losing money.

The solution to the problem is simple: read the message be‐ fore accepting. If you have already accept‐ ed the request for money, it is unlikely that you will get it back.

However, it is still important to report the incident.

You should contact your bank to let them know. Report the in‐ cident on the plat‐ form and on the crim‐ inal’s profile. And report the incident to the police.

T H E Spanish govern‐ ment has let almost a million vaccines go to waste, allowing them to expire rather than do‐ nating them to other countries.

The rapid spread of the new Omicron vari‐

ant has the whole world on the alert. While in the first world vulnera‐ ble people and the el‐ derly are already receiv‐ ing the third dosis of the vaccine, in Africa only 7 per cent of the popula‐ tion is vaccinated. This

Delivery discrimination LINGUISTIC tensions continue to rise in Catalo‐ nia. The latest incident involves a GLS delivery driver who refused to hand a parcel over to a man who did not wish to speak Spanish and re‐ sponded in Catalan when asked for his details.

The video was recorded by the front‐door camera of a house in Palafrugell, Girona, and uploaded to Twitter by the man’s son.

The images show how the Catalan‐speaking client gives his ID number to the delivery man, who then asks him to repeat it in Spanish. The man refuses to do so, which causes the deliv‐ eryman to get back into his van with the parcel and leave.

The man’s son complained about the incident to his followers on Twitter and asked for advice on how to file a complaint. The story provoked comments from people on either side of the ar‐ gument.

is evidence that the Cov‐ ax mechanism, an al‐ liance of 190 countries with the aim of making sure the antidote reach‐ es the whole world, is not functioning as it should.

This December, the Spanish Ministry of Health will have to throw away hundreds of thousands of doses that have expired in storage when they could have been donated to coun‐ tries in the third world.

Specifically, there are 343,000 doses of As‐ traZeneca and around half a million doses of Janssen that have not been used.

The exact number of Janssen vaccines to go to waste will not be re‐ vealed until the end of December, when all the batches that have been returned by the Au‐ tonomous Communities and are currently in storage expire.

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Smallest church in world AC CO R D I N G to the Guinness Book of Records, the smallest church in the world is the Santa Isabel de Hungria, which is just 1.96m² in size. It is in the Malaga Province, in the municipality of Benal‐ madena.

Constructed by Esteban Martin, between 1987 and 1994, this tiny place of worship can be found inside the Castillo de Colo‐

mares. It is a monument featuring many different architectural styles. Mr Martin re‐ portedly built it as a tribute to the cultural exchange unleashed after the discovery of America in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.

The church is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who dedicated her life to help‐ ing the most disadvantaged people. It has everything necessary to carry out services,

Anti-vax campaigner dies MARCUS LAMB, the co‐ founder of the leading Chris‐ tian television network, Daystar, that pushed alter‐ native therapies to Covid‐19 and dismissed the vaccine, has died of the virus at 64 years old. Lamb was the chief executive of the con‐ servative church network that reaches an estimated two billion people world‐ wide.

He passed away on Tues‐ day 30 November. “It’s with a heavy heart we announce that Marcus Lamb, president

and founder of Daystar Tele‐ vision Network, went home to be with the Lord this morning,” the network an‐ nounced in a tweet on Tues‐ day. “The family asks that their privacy be respected as they grieve this difficult loss.

Please continue to lift them up in prayer.”

Evangelical Christians have

been getting the vaccine at a much slower rate than the rest of the US population, and over the last few months, several prominent Christian broadcasters have died of the virus. In Novem‐ ber, Lamb’s son Jonathan was recorded saying his fa‐ ther’s illness was due to sin‐ ister outside forces.

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An average person will spend 25 years asleep.

being also consecrated by the Prior of the Monastery of La Rabida.

Benalmadena is a popular holiday desti‐ nation among tourists thanks to its high‐ quality beaches. But this municipality has many more tourist attractions that should not be missed including the Castle of Colo‐ mares, Jardines del Muro, and the cobbled streets of its charming old town.

Still without power THE UK Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has lashed out at companies after it was revealed that more than 4,000 homes were still without power nine days after Storm Arwen hit. He called it “completely unac‐ ceptable” that people had been left waiting while temperatures were so low.

Mr Kwarteng made his remarks as he visited Durham to see the damage the storm has done to the area. The North‐East holds most of the homes impacted by the power loss. The Energy Networks Association (ENA) gave a report stating that 4,025 homes were still awaiting reconnection on Sunday, December 5. Mr Kwarteng said: “As I said 99.5 per cent of people are back on, now for the 4,000 I think it’s completely unacceptable that they are still off power, that is why I have instituted a review into whether the companies have invested enough.”

NEWS

La Diabla arrested SPAIN’S National Police force, in col‐ laboration with the German police, have arrested Leudis Isaac Corro Ca‐ macho in Hamburg, nicknamed ‘La Di‐ abla’, on charges of pimping. Along with Antonio Angles, and the drug trafficker Norbert Kohler, Camacho was on Interpol’s list of the most wanted criminal offenders and was wanted by Spain.

Police sources have confirmed the detainee was on Interpol’s list for be‐ longing to a European criminal organi‐ sation that captured and then sexually exploited victims. Specifically, the de‐ tainee, who is also known as Donatel‐ la, had the main function of recruiting her victims by ‘taking advantage of their economic precariousness.’ Ac‐ cording to the sources, she would or‐ ganise their transport, either via Ger‐ many, or directly to the final destination, which was normally Madrid or Barcelona.

Once in Spain, the detainee accom‐ modated her victims in her home and told them that they owed her a great debt for the trip, which they subse‐ quently had to pay through the prac‐ tice of forced prostitution.

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THE scientists behind the latest must‐have trend in fashion, the ‘mushroom leather’ handbag, believe that the material they are using for accessories has the power to save more than just animals. Mycelium is a mate‐ rial grown from fungi that can be engineered to look and feel like calfskin or sheepskin, and the researchers think it can save the planet.

Dr Matt Scullin, CEO of biomaterials company MycoWorks, forecast that mushroom leather

NEWS

Vegan leather to save planet could be a sustainability gamechanger “un‐ locking a future of design which begins with the material, not with the object.”

The material made its high‐end debut as an exclusive Hermes handbag, which has be‐ come a much sought‐after item. The material

can be grown from fungi in a matter of weeks and replicates the feel and look of leather while being stronger and more durable.

“It can give the same emotional response as animal leather. It has that hand‐feel of rari‐ ty,” said Scullin.

On a planet of finite natural resources, Scullin believes both the technology and the mindset of carbon‐neutral, grown‐to‐order mushroom leather could be “revolutionary” ‐ and have implications for innovation in man‐ ufacture beyond fashion.

British teen croc attack ACCORDING to reports, a British teenager was attacked by a crocodile while travelling with friends in Zambia.

Amelie Osborn‐Smith, 18, from Hampshire was travelling with friends on a gap‐year and was white‐water rafting on the Zambezi River near the fa‐ mous Victoria Falls.

Amelie was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her and dragged her into the water.

ON Friday December 3, the Congress of Deputies defini‐ tively approved the reform of the Civil Code that changes the legal status of animals so that, in the eyes of the law, they are considered ‘sentient beings.’

Therefore, animals are now considered to have certain rights and are not considered mere objects, as they have been up to now.

The change of considera‐ tion of the character of com‐ panion animals in the Civil Code will have concrete ef‐

A friend reportedly saved her by punching the croc on the nose, and other rafters and guides reportedly also got into the water to fight off the huge 10ft animal. Amelie was then airlifted to hospital in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, which is about 240 miles away. She is being treated for leg injuries.

Amelei’s father, a former army officer said: “She’s a very sensible girl, but on this occa‐ sion, she was being guided by the rafting company and it was

Amelie bitten on the leg.

on their advice.

“Obviously with a crocodile bite there’s a huge risk of infec‐ tion and she’s got a very severely damaged leg.”

The Zambezi River is popular for water sports, however, it is also home to various potential‐ ly dangerous animals, includ‐ ing crocs.

Pets are sentient fects on many aspects. The judges, for example, will have to take animals into account when sentencing inheritances or divorces as the reform es‐ tablishes that the magistrates must specify the “regime of coexistence and care” of ani‐

mals when a marriage is legal‐ ly broken, and the spouses are not in agreement.

The law establishes criteria on which the courts must make the decision of whom to deliver the animal’s care to, prioritising its welfare.

STATS

1908

The tea bag was invented in 1908.

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Sky-high World Cup Johnson branded clown ONE of the private VIP suites for the Qatar World Cup has gone up for sale at £1,800,000 as wealthy spec‐ tators start to book their seats for the competition in 2022. Some hospitality packages have already sold out as huge firms, million‐ aires and executives make sure they have the best views for the games next year.

The box being offered is themed with gold and has

44 seats available inside ac‐ cording to MATCH Hospitali‐ ty, FIFA’s sales agent for the cup. Suite number 3079 is available at the Lusail Stadi‐ um for a ‘venue series’, which includes six group games, the round of 16, quarter final and final. At‐ tendees can look forward to a ‘curated five‐course sam‐ pling menu’ and HD TVs in‐ side the suite, and direct ac‐ cess to seats outside in the stadium proper.

The 80,000‐capacity stadi‐ um, the biggest in Qatar, is due to host the final, sched‐ uled for December 18, 2022.

The VIP suites for the Qatar World Cup have been gen‐ erating lots of interest de‐ spite the concerns about hu‐ man rights in the country, including treatment of the workers that built the stadi‐ ums themselves. More than 6,500 are said to have died since the World Cup was awarded a decade ago.

Home Alone AirBnB THE huge original Home Alone house from the 1990 film is to be made available to rent on AirBnB during the festive season.

The rental platform has announced peo‐ ple can book the McCallister’s home for one night only on December 12. Up to four peo‐ ple will be able to stay overnight in the im‐ posing house for $25 (£19) each, with the address in the Chicago area being handed over once the booking is completed. The AirBnB listing on the website shows the stay as hosted by Buzz McCallister, with the de‐ scription reading: ‘You may not remember

me as particularly accommodating but I’ve grown up, and I’d be happy to share my family home ‐ my pizza, even ‐ with you this holiday season. Just try not to let my taran‐ tula, Axl, loose this time.’

During the stay, there will be activities that capture the spirit of the Home Alone house, like a chance to set booby traps and have a candlelit dinner of microwave maca‐ roni and cheese. There will also be a real‐life tarantula and a screening of the film fran‐ chise’s latest release Home Sweet Home Alone.

ACCORDING to the reports in France, President Macron called Boris Johnson a ‘clown’ in a private conversation while on a recent trip to Croatia.

The comment followed a phone conversation between the two political leaders in which they discussed the current migrant crisis.

As they were speaking, Johnson posted a letter to Macron on Twitter in which he made requests regarding France’s handling of the migrant situation.

Macron was quoted as saying: “BoJo talks to me at full speed, everything is going well, we have adult discussions, and then suddenly, he attacks us in an inelegant way.” He went on to say, “it’s always the same circus. It’s very sad to see that a great

Johnson criticised.

country that we could do so many things with is run by a clown.”

Just hours after saying those words, Macron made a public statement

of a similar nature in Rome.

He criticised Johnson’s choice of methods for communicating with neighbouring governments, such as Twitter and public comments, calling them “not serious.” He stated that France would be willing to negotiate “when the English government behaves more seriously.”

and finally...

T H E Scottish Government has extended its su‐ perfast broadband voucher scheme until the end of March 2022.

Homes and businesses will be able to apply for funding to the tune of £400. The funding comes as part of the Reaching 100% (R100) programme.

People in hard‐to‐reach areas could also gain an extra £250 in funding.

A reliable broadband connection is a neces‐ sity for many people, especially amid the on‐ going Coronavirus pandemic.

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Reindeer welfare concerns

UK TOURISTS: Now need to get their passports stamped on entering Spain.

Airport queues ‘new normal’ BRITISH tourists heading out to catch some winter sun, have been told to expect long Spanish airport queues. Many pas‐ sengers have waited upwards of 45 min‐ utes to get through controls at popular holiday destinations. Travel agency associ‐ ations have said the long queues are now ‘normal’ when landing in the country.

The associations have made multiple complaints to the Spanish Government but claim that their concerns have fallen on deaf ears. Airports popular with Brits are feeling the brunt with UK passengers moving to the non‐EU passport control queues, which were already loaded with non‐Schengen tourists looking for some

winter warmth.

Alicante‐Elche, Malaga, the Canary Is‐ lands, and the Balearics are said to be some of the worst‐hit by the move. Twitter user, Sudifoodie, tweeted “So thrilled to be back in Andalucia though it has been quite a jour‐ ney with epic passport queues at Malaga Airport.”

Tourist associations are begging for more staff and police officers to help things run smoother for their customers at border control. This comes after Spain placed a ban on all unvaccinated visitors from the UK. As the UK is no longer in the Schengen Zone, tourists need to get their passports stamped, leading to long airport queues.

TMAS SH S I R H C E OP H T

AS the countdown to Christ‐ mas begins, the RSPCA has voiced concerns over the wel‐ fare of reindeer used in festive events. The thought of meet‐ ing a real‐life reindeer at a Christmas event is exciting for people of all ages, but the RSP‐ CA is concerned that these complex creatures could be suffering.

Specialist deer vets report a range of problems in reindeer kept in the UK, including a lack of weight gain, weight loss, di‐ arrhoea, poor muscle develop‐

ment, poor antler growth, mal‐ formed antlers, low fertility and high calf mortality.

RSPCA Senior Scientific Manager in wildlife Dr Ros Clubb said: “As Christmas ap‐ proaches, we and other animal welfare charities are really con‐ cerned that reindeer used in festive events across the coun‐ try could be suffering in silence.

“Reindeer are kept here in the UK year‐round, but we al‐ ways see more calls about them in the build up to Christ‐ mas, which is when they’re

IN what appears to be a looming power struggle be‐ tween Angela Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer, a senior aide has been suspended. The aide, Rayner’s head of communica‐ tions Jack McKenna, is being investigated for a personal da‐ ta breach relating to another staff member.

McKenna, who denies the breach, is consulting his legal advisers following the revela‐ tions. The revelation itself does suggest problems with the party’s management of data. McKenna has recently

Labour rift been forced to deny rumours that he had been briefing the press on differences between the two politicians.

The rumours began circu‐ lating following Rayner’s at‐ tack on Tory politicians who she described as “scum.”

Starmer has repeatedly de‐ nied rumours of a rift be‐ tween himself and his deputy, who cannot be sacked as she was directly elected by party

taken out to be on display at festive events.”

Reindeer at Christmas events may be transported long distances and spend time in small pens where they have nowhere to retreat to and hide if they feel stressed. They’re of‐ ten petted and fed by mem‐ bers of the public or may take part in busy parades. They’re exposed to busy environ‐ ments, surrounded by crowds, noise and lights, which can cause the semi‐wild animals a great deal of stress.

members. The rumours were resurrected after Starmer shuffled his cabinet recently without involving Rayner in the decision and the appoint‐ ments. He has also resisted at‐ tempts to weaken her posi‐ tion in the party by stripping her of some of her responsi‐ bilities. Labour have not com‐ mented on the report, saying that “we never discuss staffing matters.”

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24-hour helplines School bullies face jail SPAIN has tabled a draft law to force banks and utility companies to offer a free 24‐hour customer helpline open 365 days of the year.

The service phone lines will be staffed with trained workers able to assist the elderly and disabled, rather than the automated mes‐ sages that are common currently.

The new proposal looks to ban banks and utility companies from charging their customers to get in touch with them via phone, as well as forcing the use of staff in‐ stead of answering machines.

The idea is being pushed forward

by Spain’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calvino, and the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Al‐ berto Garzon.

The two ministers have started to work together to put customer service at the forefront of any fu‐ ture improvements to essential services in Spain.

Bank branches have been closing in the hundreds across Spain in the last few years and these clo‐ sures have highlighted the need for more personal and flexible ser‐ vice in the sector.

Body on conveyor belt O F F I C E R S from the Guardia Civil are inves‐ tigating after a body was discovered at a waste plant in Grana‐ da’s Alhendín on Wednesday December 1. Initial inspection of the body showed no signs of a violent death.

The lifeless body was found with no documen‐ tation. The deceased man is thought to be about 40 years old.

Workers at the waste plant made the shocking discovery at around 5pm.

The body was found on a conveyor belt that

is used to filter plastic containers. Workers raised the alarm.

Investigators do not believe that the man died a violent death.

However, a post‐ mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.

A N E W law voted in by French parliament will see school bullies face jail time of up to three years as their MPs said society needs “a wake‐up call” to the seriousness of child‐ on‐child harassment. The proposed law was sup‐ ported by Emmanuel Macron’s education minis‐ ter Jean‐Michel Blanquer.

Blanquer said that the support for the law sent a message to the country that “we will never accept the lives of our children be‐ ing shattered,” and added that the law was “a way of enforcing the values of the republic.”

One in 10 French chil‐ dren have reportedly been the victim of bullying and the education minister fears that social media is increasing the potential for public taunting and humiliation.

The draft measure was approved in the Lower House on Wednesday, De‐ cember 1 and if it passes

through the Senate will give France some of the

harshest penalties for bul‐ lying in the world.

A break for Santana IN a video posted by Carlos Santana on December 2 on his Facebook page, the guitar maestro said he will be taking a break from music, recording and touring.

Santana, who is still regarded as one of the best musicians in the world today, said that “he recently had to make a little visit to the hospital after experiencing some discomfort in his chest.” The musician did not elaborate further other than to say that on the advice of the doctors he would be taking a break from music, to get his health back. Apologising to fans, Santana explained that no one would want to see him play when he is not at his best, so it seemed right that he should take a break and return when he is back to full health.

CARLOS SANTANA: Will return when back to full health.

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Fake arm vaccine attempt Alec Baldwin’s bombshell

A 50-YEAR-OLD Italian man faces criminal charges after trying to get vaccinated with a fake arm to obtain the Covid passport.

A 50‐year‐old man from Biella, a city of 44,000 inhabitants in the region of Piedmont, in the north of Italy, came up with a unique strat‐ egy for obtaining the Covid passport. He made a fake arm out of silicone. When he arrived at the clinic in Biella, he thought he could success‐ fully deceive the medical staff.

However, his bizarre plan failed. The man waited for his turn in the queue, and when it

arrived, he signed the consent form for the vac‐ cine, sat down and rolled up his sleeve to ex‐ pose his upper arm and shoulder. Although sili‐ cone can look very similar to real skin, the colour and texture of the arm made the nurse suspect that something was wrong. She asked him to remove his shirt so that she could see his entire arm. Once the nurse had discovered the truth, the man did not give up. He tried to convince her to turn a blind eye, but she re‐ fused and alerted her colleagues. The clinic re‐ ported the man to the authorities for fraud.

Cabinet office fined THE Cabinet Office has been fined half a million pounds af‐ ter mistakenly publishing the names and full postal address‐ es of New Year Honours recipi‐ ents, including Sir Elton John and senior members of the po‐ lice force.

The incident happened at the end of 2019 when a file containing information relating to over 1,000 people due to re‐ ceive an award was uploaded to an official website.

They included the addresses of Sir Elton John, cricketer Ben

Stokes, senior Tory Iain Dun‐ can Smith, TV chefs Nadiya Hussain and Ainsley Harriot, broadcaster Gabby Logan, Grease actress Olivia Newton‐ John and former director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders.

The file was downloadable and appeared on the govern‐ ment’s website at 10.30pm on Friday December 27. It took two hours and 21 minutes for it to be removed. The report into the incident that saw the Cabinet Office fined showed

that the file was accessed 3,872 times from 2,798 unique IP addresses, mostly within the first half an hour from when it was published.

The Information Commis‐ sioner’s Office (ICO) was then told of the leak while the gov‐ ernment contacted and apolo‐ gised to all those affected. The staff of the Cabinet Office then had to work 12‐hour days for a fortnight just to answer the questions they received from the people who had their in‐ formation compromised.

IN an emotional inter‐ view aired on US TV on Thursday December 2, Alec Baldwin said that he was not aware that he had shot the director of photogra‐ phy Halyna Hutchins until several minutes after the accident.

“I thought to myself, ‘Did she pass out?’ The notion that there was a real bullet in that pis‐ tol did not occur to me until probably 45 min‐ utes or an hour passed,” the actor ex‐ plained during an in‐ terview with George Stephanopoulos.

According to Bald‐ win, the confusion on set was evident since no one could under‐ stand what happened in the seconds immedi‐ ately after the shot, to the point that he came to think that his part‐ ner had suffered a

ALEC BALDWIN: Was visibly upset on US TV.

heart attack.

“The mere idea that someone had put a re‐ al bullet in was not even possible,” he said, visibly moved.

Baldwin insisted that he “never pulled the trigger” but that, fol‐ lowing the directions of the cinematogra‐ pher herself, he cocked the gun into firing po‐ sition during a re‐ hearsal of camera posi‐ tions for the film. “I let

go of the hammer on the pistol and the pis‐ tol went off,” he con‐ t i n u e d . “ Ev e r y b o d y was horrified,” he said.

Ev e n w h e n m o r e than a month has passed since the event, Baldwin still does not know the origin of that bullet. “Someone put live ammunition in that gun, a bullet that was‐ n’t even supposed to be in the building,” he said.

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Gigi Hadid in Age waiver suggested for older drivers Palma after split ACCORDING to UK experts funded by the Department for Transport, drivers who are aged 70 and over should be al‐ lowed to avoid prosecution or fines for running red lights or driving unnecessari‐ ly slowly and should instead have their skills assessed.

The Older Drivers Task Force has rec‐ ommended various ‘lifesaving’ ideas to the government to keep elderly people

Gigi has kept a low profile.

SUPERMODEL Gigi Hadid has been in Mallorca for a get‐ away after allegedly splitting with Zayn Malik over claims he assaulted her mother in a heated argument. She opted for a casual look as she left Pal‐ ma airport on December 1 af‐ ter disembarking from a pri‐ vate jet with her entourage and hopping into a waiting car.

Gigi has been steering clear of the public eye after reports came to light that Zayn had hit her mother, Yolanda, during a fight in their luxury Pennsylva‐ nia home earlier this year. She looked in good spirits as she was driven away from the air‐ port wearing a face covering

and shades.

Earlier this month, it was re‐ ported Gigi was ‘meeting with lawyers to discuss custody is‐ sues’ of their one‐year‐old daughter Khai. The same source added that Gigi feels Za‐ yn ‘will always be part of her life’ but she is ‘distressed’ by the issues and fighting be‐ tween him and her mother.

Zayn had pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment after allegedly pushing Yolanda into a dresser and swearing re‐ peatedly at her at the home he shared with Gigi. Court docu‐ ments showed that he must complete 360 days probation in addition to completing an anger management class.

on the roads for longer. One of the rec‐ ommendations is a mandatory sight test for people who are over 70 and applying to renew their licence. Another recom‐ mendation is fitness‐to‐drive checks in England. These are currently only avail‐ able in a few police forces, such as Hamp‐ shire Constabulary.

When a person is believed to be an un‐ safe driver, a report is sent to the Driver

and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which de‐ cides on the action. In some cases, the driver is referred for lessons and offered a reassessment within three months.

Drivers who are sent for an assess‐ ment will avoid the usual £100 fine and penalty points for careless driving.

Chairman of the Older Drivers Task Force John Plowman has insisted that drivers that are older are not a major risk.

Families in the UK are worse off FAMILIES across the UK are being hit by rising prices due to several factors including the lack of lorry drivers, the coronavirus pandemic, ship‐ ping delays and Brexit. Infla‐ tion is currently over 4 per cent and in the next few months, it is predicted to reach a staggering 5 per cent.

Many households are al‐ ready being hit hard by the increasing costs and Christ‐ mas is set to make this worse. Average Christmas costs are expected to rise by more than £100 this year.

Families with two adults

and two children are said to be spending more than £30 a week extra just to cover the cost of essentials in Decem‐ ber, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR).

Costs are increasing.

Now, other cost increases are still being taken on board by companies. It is expected

that these costs could also be passed onto customers soon.

and finally...

AIRLINE helps out: easyJet holidays are helping families caught out by the new coronavirus rules put in place by Spain since December 1. The company is allowing free cancellations to Spanish destinations up until the end of December for fam‐ ilies who cannot meet the new rules. Spain now requires any‐ one entering Spain from the UK to prove that they are fully vaccinated. A vaccine certificate is needed and both doses must have been given a minimum of 14 days before depar‐ ture.

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Sun Lawyers’ new office in Pilar de la Horadada FRIDAY November 26 saw the launch event for the newest office for Costa Blanca law firm, Sun Lawyers. Open‐ ing on the very southern end of the Costa Blanca, in Pilar de la Horadada, this is the firm’s seventh office. Their presence now stretches from Valencia to Murcia.

Sun Lawyers is seeing strong interest in property purchases from buyers in the Nordic and low countries in particular.

Plus, with the UK opening up and people becoming aware of the new visa requirements for long‐term stays in Spain, there has been a sustained in‐ crease in enquiries since the end of the summer. The pent‐ up demand caused by lock‐ downs is starting to release in‐ to the market.

Sun Lawyers CEO, Jose Maria Lomax said about the new office opening in Pilar: “This latest and largest office is evidence of the strength of our

NEW OFFICE: Sun Lawyers are seeing a growth in business.

business. Despite the last 18 months we are still growing. In choosing to be in Pilar de la Horadada, we believe there is lots of unfulfilled potential here, and people are seeing Pi‐ lar as an up and coming area

on the southern Costa Blanca.

“For anyone thinking about buying here, we would en‐ courage them to make an ap‐ pointment and enjoy their free first consultation in our new, centrally located office.”

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THE Community of Madrid is planning for Christmas and has announced its Covid 19 prevention strategy. The strategy focuses on vaccination, early detection and raising awareness of the virus along with ensuring sufficient health personnel are available.

From December 3 people in the 60 ‐ 69 age group are able to have their booster jabs. Vac‐ cinations will also be rolled out to children aged between five and 11 years old from De‐ cember 15. It is expected up to 400,000 chil‐

Covid strategy dren could be immunised in the community.

Health professionals will see their contracts extended so they can continue fighting the pandemic. President Isabel Díaz Ayuso an‐ nounced on December 1, that a free antigen test will be available for all Madrid residents.

Residents will be able to get their hands on the tests easily as they will just need to head to a pharmacy and show their health card.

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Cancer cases missed URGENT referrals for sus‐ pected cancer have been ‘missed’ by GPs in Eng‐ land during the pandemic according to new analysis published this week. The number of potential can‐ cer cases missed is up to 740,000 and counting, say the National Audit Office (NAO).

The report has also warned that the NHS backlog could swell to 12 million, or one in five people in the UK, by March 2025. It is current‐ ly at a record‐breaking

There is an NHS backlog.

5.83 million, up from 4.43 million in February 2020.

Medics have said that the findings of the report show that the UK is amid the “biggest cancer catas‐ trophe ever to hit the NHS.” The impact on patients has been “devastating”

say charities, amid state‐ ments from MPs that claim, “things will get worse before they get better.” Millions of pa‐ tients who had avoided seeing or were unable to see their GP during the pandemic are now ‘miss‐ ing’ from waiting lists.

Estimates by the NAO say that in England there were between 240,000 and 740,000 potential cancer cases missed dur‐ ing the period of the pan‐ demic up to September 2021.

All fans welcome NASSAR AL-KHATER, president of the or‐ ganising committee for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has confirmed that “homo‐ sexuality is not allowed” in the emirate, but promises that LGBTQ+ football fans will have the right to travel to the country and attend the games. He added that “public displays of affection are frowned upon and this applies to everyone.”

The Qatari leader explained: “Qatar and neighbouring countries are much more conservative and we ask the fans to re‐ spect it. We are sure that they will, just as we respect different cultures, we hope that ours is [respected] too.”

Al‐Khater assured all LGBTQ+ football fans attending the World Cup would be safe. “They will come to Qatar as fans and attendees of a football tournament and they will be able to do what any other hu‐ man being would do,” he stated.

Qatar hopes its culture is respected.

Josh Cavallo, the Australian who is cur‐ rently the only out and active male pro footballer, has recently acknowledged his fear about going to Qatar and was the per‐ son to ask the question of Al‐Khater. The president of the committee insisted he would be welcome if he went.

“On the contrary, we welcome you and invite you to come to see the country be‐ fore the World Cup.”

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Sexual harassment A STUDY has revealed one in three workers at the Aus‐ tralian Parliament has experi‐ enced sexual harassment at work. According to the report presented last week at the Australian Parliament, female workers experience sexual ha‐ rassment such as inappropri‐ ate staring, unwanted touch‐ ing, or comments about their physical appearance daily.

The study was commis‐ sioned by the Executive Coun‐ cil in March, not long after the

Higgins alleged rape.

former political advisor Brit‐ tany Higgins alleged that she had been raped in a govern‐ ment office in 2019 by a fellow Liberal Party advisor. Her case

shook the country and sparked a wave of protests.

Seven months later, the da‐ ta gathered from more than 1,700 workers in an investiga‐ tion initiated by the Sex Dis‐ crimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, has revealed something alarming: almost 40 per cent have experienced bullying at work, one in three have suffered some form of sexual harassment, and 1 per cent have been victims of sex‐ ual assault.

Prevention breakthrough THE first drug authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for preventing Covid‐ 19 infection is to become available in Spain in the next few months.

Although vaccination against Covid infection has been proven to be highly effective, newly developed drugs could also be useful for stop‐ ping the spread of the virus. In mid‐November, the EMA authorised the first two drugs with monoclonal antibodies: Ronapreve, devel‐ oped by the companies Regeneron and Roche, and Regkirona, from the South Korean phar‐ maceutical company Celltrion.

Clinical trials of both drugs have shown that they are effective at reducing the serious ef‐ fects of Covid and can therefore greatly reduce hospitalisations and deaths. However, Ron‐ apreve can also be used to prevent infection, and could be used in immunosuppressed pa‐ tients who require extra protection or who do not respond well to vaccination, such as cancer patients or those who have had transplants.

It could also be used to protect family mem‐ bers of Covid patients, those who live in places where vaccination is less readily available, or even people who refuse to get the vaccine.

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Brexit shipping impact EXPORTERS are moving away from tradi‐ tional Dublin to Britain transport routes to avoid the mountains of new red tape that has come into effect since Brexit. The vol‐ ume of goods going through Ireland to EU shipping ferry routes has soared by 50 per cent in the last six months according to offi‐ cial data.

The Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) has published figures that show a significant move away from the routes that service Dublin to Britain, and an increase in traffic to some of the 32 new ferry services that travel directly to places such as Le Havre, Cherbourg and Dunkirk in France, and Zee‐ brugge in Belgium.

The report shows freight volumes from Dublin port to Liverpool and Holyhead in An‐ glesey down 19 per cent in the first three‐ quarters of 2021 compared with 2020, and down by 30 per cent on the two routes from Rosslare in south‐east Ireland to the Welsh ports of Pembroke and Fishguard.

“It is clear the new trading arrangements between Ireland and the UK have had a sig‐ nificant and negative effect upon ro‐ro [roll‐ on roll‐off lorry haulage] freight traffic be‐ tween the two countries,” the IMDO report said. “Underpinning all of these trends are the new customs and trading arrangements between Ireland and the UK that came into force on 1 January 2021,” it added.

New dinosaur species A NEW dinosaur species characterised by its strange weapon‐like tail has been discovered in Chile.

With a size of approxi‐ mately two metres in length, the small, armoured dinosaur of the Anky‐ losaurus genus dates from the late Cretaceous Period,

from between 71.7 and 74.9 million years ago. Its fossilised skeleton, practical‐ ly complete, was found in the province of Magallanes, in the southernmost region of Chile, Patagonia.

The dinosaur, named Ste‐ gourus elengassen, had de‐ veloped a large weapon‐like

tail unlike anything previ‐ ously seen on other types of armoured dinosaurs, such as the pairs of spikes on the Stegosaurus.

The strange tail had seven pairs of flattened bone de‐ posits at the end of the tail in a fern‐like structure, forming a singular weapon.

NEWS

Immigration boost AMONGST some recent negativity, not many people realise just how much immi‐ gration is helping Spain’s population to recover. Im‐ migration has been part and parcel of Spain’s history for years. However, between 2010‐2014, there was a mass exodus of the popula‐ tion which hurt the growth and development of the country.

But data shows immigra‐ tion is helping Spain’s popu‐ lation to increase again after several years of negative or stagnant growth. Results re‐ leased by the National Statistics Institute shows that Spain’s population had reached 47.1 million inhabi‐ tants on July 1, 2019, of which 10.7 per cent were foreign nationals.

The country experienced an influx of 330,000 people in 2018. In 2019, it is believed that those figures reached half a million immigrants.

The statistics show that in 2017, only 1 per cent of the

POPULATION: Immigration is helping Spain’s to grow.

immigrants that arrived in Spain were for humanitarian reasons and 4,400 of those recorded were Spaniards re‐ turning to Spain from work‐ ing overseas.

The figures show that im‐ migration is helping Spain’s population to grow and sug‐ gests that it will continue to be needed as it provides bal‐ ance to the ageing popula‐ tion.

Young migrants are not only repopulating the coun‐

try, but they are also con‐ tributing to the economy, health care system and pen‐ sions. Many are highly quali‐ fied professionals who cre‐ ate business opportunities offering employment. They are also the hard‐working backbone of the country.

The workers that we don’t see. The ones that get up at 4am to work in the fields and factories to ensure we have a smooth production of produce.

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Transparent masks TRANSPARENT face masks have been intro‐ duced to NHS Scotland. The transparent masks will help people communicate and lip read.

The masks, also made in Scotland, have been approved to use in health and social care set‐ tings. The masks feature a transparent panel to help people communicate. Health boards start‐ ed receiving the masks in November and they will come in to use from early December.

According to the government: “The product has been designed and made by Scottish PPE supplier, Alpha Solway, based in Dumfries and Galloway, and is the result of close collaboration with NHS National Services Scotland.”

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Humza Yousaf commented on the innovative transparent masks. He said: “Although face masks are essen‐ tial to reduce the spread of coronavirus, it can

NEW MASKS: Will help people to lip read.

cause difficulties for people who rely on lip read‐ ing or have other communication needs.”

“Patients and staff have rightly been calling for an alternative to the usual surgical face masks in clinical settings, so I am pleased NHS Scotland is rolling out these new, innovative transparent masks. These masks mean staff and patients can communicate clearly while staying safe.”

Vaccine vandal sentenced A GREAT YARMOUTH man has pleaded guilty after his actions prevented 504 vulnerable peo‐ ple from receiving their Covid‐19 booster shots.

Hayden Brown superglued the lock of a vacci‐ nation centre to stop vaccines from being ad‐ ministered in his Norfolk town.

The 53‐year‐old has been handed a three‐ month prison sentence after admitting the damage to the pharmacy door on Lowestoft Road in Gorleston. Brown admitted to criminal

damage and causing a public nuisance at Nor‐ wich Magistrate’s court and was subsequently sentenced to his prison stint on December 1.

Brown was arrested after being identified by covert cameras that had been put in place fol‐ lowing two previous incidents on November 12 and November 20. A total of 504 vulnerable people who had been called up to receive their Covid‐19 booster jabs at the pharmacy were prevented from doing so by the damage.

EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Bumper bonus

Clock silenced

THE world’s largest toymaker, Lego, is rewarding all 20,000 employees with a special bonus and an extra three days holiday after a bumper 2022. Growing demand in China and the pandemic are given as reasons for the high six month sales revenues of €847 million.

DENMARK’S talking clock ‘Frøken Klokken’ (Miss Clock) was switched off at the end of November by communication company TDC after 82 years. The company said the number of callers had fallen dramatically since the 11.6 million calls registered in the first year back in 1939.

THE NETHERLANDS Pig whisperer

Donate a tree

FORMER vet Kees Scheepens, the 19th generation in a long line of farmers, is changing the shape of pig farming. Scheepens is putting the animals’ welfare and their sustainability first by changing how they are raised and fed, resulting in ‘happier meat’, less barn smell and emissions.

THE charity Senay Boztas, is asking for donations of ready to plant saplings. These can be dropped off at 200 locations around the country and will be replanted on farms, in cities and on private land. The plan is for their 3,000 volunteers to plant one million trees.

BELGIUM Famous fries

Cafe reopens

A STATUE, De Frieteters (The Fry Eater), has been unveiled in Bruges market square as part of the week long celebrations of the country’s famous fries. The statue, unveiled by Flemish Minister of Agriculture and Food pays homage to the golden fry.

ONE of the oldest in the world and the oldest in Bruges, Café Vlissinghe has reopened following its closure due to the pandemic. The cafe, which originally opened in 1515, has hardly changed in its 500 years, having survived world wars, revolutions and hordes of tourists.

GERMANY Surprising choice

Test cancelled

THE outgoing chancellor surprised everyone with her choice of music for the elaborate military ceremony. Leaving the post after 16 years, Angela Merkel chose just one song (the norm is three) for the military marching band to play, a song by punk legend Nina Hagen.

A DRIVING test examiner got a surprise when the person he was due to test arrived behind the wheel. The examiner, who cancelled the test, called the police and now the driver faces an investigation for driving without a licence. He told police he didn’t want to be late.

FRANCE Flying taxis?

Paris second

PARIS is testing large scale drones that they intend using during the 2024 summer Olympics. With around six million people expected to attend the games, the hope is that by establishing two ‘flying taxi’ routes that travel times will be shortened and congestion relieved.

TEL AVIV has overtaken Paris as the most expensive city in the world, after jumping five places in the ranking in the annual survey by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Paris now occupies joint second spot with Singapore followed by Zurich and Hong Kong.

NORWAY Doctors rule

Electric ship

THE year 2021 is expected to be another record one for the number of doctorates issued by Norwegian universities, and the fourth in a row. Foreign nationals accounted for 43 per cent of those issued in the first half of the year specifically in mathematics, science and technology.

FERTILISER producer Yara has acquired the world’s first fully electric, self-steering container ship, the Yara Birkeland. The 80metre-long feeder will replace road haulage between Yara’s Porsgrunn plant in southern Norway and its export port Brevik, about 14 kilometres away from next year.

9 - 15 December 2021

EWN 29

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

9 - 15 December 2021

NEWS

ETA announcement Part-time Tiger T H E Basque separatist group ETA (Euskadi Ta A s k a t a s u n a ) h a v e a n‐ nounced their prisoners’ collective (EPPK) intends to end public receptions for released ETA prison‐ ers and is committed to holding ‘discreet’ recep‐ tions in a ‘private sphere.’

In a communication, the organisation stated that they ‘understand’ that the victims of ETA may feel ‘hurt’ by the public receptions which is why ETA have decided to end them. From now on, they will only take place behind closed doors.

The EPPK affirms that the prisoners have the right to ‘receive the em‐ brace of their loved ones’ after ‘long years and harsh prison condi‐ tions’ but accepts that these public acts of re‐ ception cause pain to victims.

“We say clearly that

our desire is to alleviate all suffering and open up new options, to heal wounds and strengthen

coexistence among Basque citizens,” argues the group of ETA prison‐ ers.

Wonder-drug approved THE UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regula‐ tory Agency (MHRA) have approved a new wonder‐ drug for people at high risk of developing severe Covid. The drug is made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and is known as Xevudy.

The drug stops the coronavirus from replicating in the body. The MHRA has approved it for use for peo‐ ple with risk factors such as age, heart disease, dia‐ betes, and obesity.

GlaxoSmithKline explained: “In a clinical trial, a single dose of the monoclonal antibody was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79 per cent in high‐risk adults with symptomatic Covid‐ 19 infection.

“Based on the clinical trial data, sotrovimab is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection and so the MHRA recommends its use as soon as possible and within five days of symptom onset.”

MHRA Chief Executive Dr June Raine commented on the new treatment option: “I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective Covid‐ 19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness.”

T I G E R W O O D S has an‐ nounced the end of his full‐time golf career. The star claims the car crash that almost cost him his leg has forced him into

semi‐retirement.

The golfing great said he accepts his time competing among golf’s elite is proba‐ bly a thing of the past: “I can still participate in the

Solar eclipse ON December 4 the only total solar eclipse of 2021 took place. It was not visible from Spain or Europe but attracted the interest of astronomers worldwide.

A solar eclipse happens when the light of the sun is totally or partially hidden by an object coming between the sun and the observer. They are classified into three types: total, annular, and partial.

A total eclipse is when the moon completely covers the disk of the sun. A partial eclipse is when the Moon covers only a part of the sun. Finally, the annular eclipse occurs when the disk of the Moon does not cov‐ er the full disk of the Sun, even if their centres are well aligned.

The latest eclipse began at 7am UT (Universal Time), at a point in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the Falk‐ lands Islands and ended in the Antarctic Ocean.

STATS

32

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

His career now looks bleak.

game of golf. I can still, if my leg gets OK, I can still click off a tournament here or there,” he said. But the future of Tiger Woods’ ca‐ reer in golf looks bleak.

The American has had a tumultuous few years hav‐ ing been in trouble with the police a couple of times over traffic incidents. Four years prior to the accident in February, Woods was found asleep at the wheel of his Merc with the engine running. He failed a drunk driving test and pleaded guilty to the charges.

The damage to his leg and the after‐effect of five back surgeries has had a major impact on his elite golf career. “I think some‐ thing that is realistic is play‐ ing the one‐day tour events, never full‐time, ev‐ er again ‐ but pick and choose, just like Ben Hogan did,” he explained.

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND

Early shopping

Improved behaviour

IF the number of parcels delivered by post is anything to go by, then Christmas shopping has started early. During the Thursday and Friday of Black Friday Week, Posti delivered more than 1.5 million parcels - that’s 100,000 more than the same period last year.

RESTAURATEURS and club owners report that since the introduction of the Covid pass, there has been a noticeable reduction in disruptive behaviour. Although no direct link can be drawn until research has been done, establishment owners report fewer incidences of crime and bad behaviour.

IRELAND ‘Open City’

Food market

DUBLIN Gardaí have commenced Operation 'Open City', which will run until Christmas Eve. The plan to improve the movement of public transport and to minimise traffic disruption was developed in consultation between An Garda Síochána and external stakeholders including local authorities.

THE Harley StrEAT Food Market, located next to the Metropole in Cork city, is open from 12pm to 8pm throughout December. The market consisting of food trucks is offering all the usual Christmas fare and a full range of traditional hot drinks.

ITALY Restoration complete

Designer decorated

THREE years after work began, the restoration of the Aquilonare Sacristy of the Milan Cathedral is complete despite restrictions and the economic impact of the pandemic. The 14th century sacristy is of special importance and was built on the site of the Baptistery of Santo Stefano alle Fonti.

THE world-renowned fashion designer, Giorgio Armani, was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on Friday November 26. Armani received the title of ‘Cavaliere’, the highest rank in the country for his contribution to the nation in arts and business.

PORTUGAL Foreign students

Property prices

INFORMATION released by the Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation, shows that the number of foreign students in Portuguese higher education has more than doubled during the past decade. In 2020 there were nearly 50,000 foreign students of which roughly three quarters came from Portuguese language countries.

BANK valuations increased by 13.7 per cent and the average valuation rose by 10.7 per cent yearon-year in October to €1,251 per square metre.

That’s an increase of 1.2 per cent over September according to the Institute of National Statistics.

The autonomous region of Madeira experienced similar growth whilst values in the Azores fell.

RUSSIA Rock robot

Kittens welcomed

RUSSIAN cadets have developed a spy robot disguised as a rock. Operating by motionsensor, the robot has a 24-hour passive battery life with the ability to collect, process and transmit information for 15 hours. The robot will be used in trench warfare and where snipers are operating.

TWO eastern Siberian Manul kittens, weighing just under 200 grams each, have found a new home at the Moscow Zoo. The kittens of the endangered species, which has been the zoo's symbol and mascot for over 30 years, were found and cared for by local villagers.

SWEDEN Smallest increase

Hoarding masks

LAST year saw the smallest increase in Sweden’s population since 2005 and now stands at 10.3 million. According to Statistics Sweden, people are now moving from Stockholm and Gothenburg rather than to these centres. The six-month increase of 28,000 was roughly half of the previous year’s 50,000.

A SURVEY conducted by Swedish TV seems to suggest that people are hoarding masks with sales having increased sharply at the end of summer. It is thought the reasons for this are the change in Swedish Public Health Agency's recommendations and the return to schools and businesses.

9 - 15 December 2021

EWN 31

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Salary rises FOR the first time in history, the average monthly salary in Spain exceeded €2,000 in 2020 according to the the National Institute of Statistics. The average of €2,038 is a rise of 2.8 per cent over 2019 and is the fourth consecutive year in which salaries have risen.

TSB closures THE high street bank has announced further closures to its network in 2022. The closures will leave the bank’s network around a third of the size of when the brand returned to the high street eight years ago. The cut is on top of their 164 closures in 2020.

Oil down OPEC and its allies announced on Thursday December 2, they will increase production from January alleviating the shortage that is pushing prices up. The organisation said it may revisit this decision once the impact of the latest outbreak is known. The price per barrel fell on news of the announcement.

Unemployment drops SPAIN recorded a 74,381 drop in unemployment to record the lowest unemployment levels for November since 2008. During the month, 282,981 people were recruited pushing overall employment as at the end of November to 19,752,358.

Bitcoin City EL SALVADOR plans to build the world’s first Bitcoin City and have it powered by ‐ a volcano. El Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele plans to make the city fully ecological and have its residents pay no tax (except for VAT). His long‐ term goal is to attract investment to this new financial system and use Bitcoin to make ‘El Salvador the financial centre of the world.’

32

www.euroweeklynews.com • 9 - 15 December 2021

STAT OF WEEK

€1,336

In 2020, four out of 10 woman earned less than €1,336 compared to one in five men and six out of 10 young people.

Daughter takes the Zara chair INDITEX, the Spanish high street fashion giant, has appointed Marta Ortega as chair replacing her father and founder Pablo Is‐ la. Otega has worked for the group for 15 years, having joined high street brand Bershka, as a shop floor assistant in London.

Pablo Isla, chairman of Inditex since 2011, has overseen the company’s growth to where it is now one of the world’s largest fashion retailers with more than 6,600 stores globally. Isla, who is well‐known in Spain for his altru‐ ism, is one of the world’s richest

men with an estimated net worth of €68 billion.

Initial reaction to Ortega’s ap‐ pointment is mixed, however the 37‐year‐old has been instrumen‐ tal in the growth of Zara having been credited with strengthening the brand and leading several major campaigns.

Accepting the appointment she said “I have always said I would dedicate my life to build‐ ing upon my parents’ legacy. I have lived and breathed this company since my childhood, and I have learned from all the

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Will land law change?

great professionals I have worked with over the last 15 years.”

Inditex was founded by Aman‐ cio Ortega with his ex‐wife Ros‐ alia in 1975 in Galicia. Today the company owns many well‐ known high street brands includ‐ ing Zara, Pull and Bear, and Stradivarius.

Most of its clothing is made in Spain and nearby countries in‐ cluding Portugal, Morocco and Turkey, helping the firm to achieve its famously fast reaction times to new fashion trends.

Creating your Will with Golden Leaves

I have seen reports that Andalucia has a new land law that offers a possibility to legalise all those houses built on land classified as non‐building land.

Has the new law actually been approved? What are the terms?

DAVID SEARL Yes, the new land law has YOU AND THE LAW been voted by the IN SPAIN Andalucian Parlia‐ ment. However it faces a number of steps before it goes into full effect. Let’s take it by parts. The law is named LISTA, Ley de Impulso y Sostenibilad del Territorio de An‐ dalucía. But the law itself requires the further enactment of a Reglamento, a set of regulations that specify in detail just how the terms of the law are to be carried out.

This can take months. The new law will speed up town planning requirements, change land classification and even allow for the building of new properties in formerly prohibited areas. It will not, however, allow full legalisa‐ tion of those properties which now hold the strange clas‐ sification of AFO, Asimilada Fuera de Ordenaciòn, which prevents them from being demolished and will allow new works to be carried out on them.

The law is a step forward but it remains a long way from full legalisation of these properties.

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

THE OUIGO company, started just six months ago by French train op‐ erator SNCF, has managed to achieve an occupancy rate of 97 per cent on its service between Madrid and Barcelona. During the same period the company has car‐ ried more than one million passen‐ gers, a little more than its main competitor Renfe owned Avlo.

Ouigo said that it has achieved

Telefonica dividends TUESDAY November 30 was the last day investors could buy shares in Telefonica that would qualify for a 2020 year end dividend. The first pay‐ ment amounts to €0.15 per share and is paid this month while the second payment, also for €0.15 will be paid in June 2022.

The shareholder remuner‐ ation policy for 2021 was ap‐ proved at the Telefónica Gen‐ eral Shareholders’ Meeting held on April 23, 2021 and contemplates a remunera‐ tion of €0.30 through a flexi‐ ble dividend.

Each shareholder has three options, the first to receive the cash, receiving new shares is the second option and the last option is to sell the rights on the market.

Home rental prices jump A Will is essential.

MANY expats who have moved to Spain from the UK will have a British Will, but having a Will in Spain is also essential to ensure that your valuables go where you want them to.

At Golden Leaves their expert partners can help you cre‐ ate your Will, to make sure that your valuables go where you want them to. To begin creating your Will, Golden Leaves suggests considering a number of important planning issues, including long‐term care fees and managing your care options. They also say that you should consider what will happen to your assets if your partner remarries after your death and making sure that your children still receive what you intended.

Finally, a Will should also set out if you were unable to manage your financial affairs or personal welfare due to some form of incapacity, who you would like to act on your behalf. To begin creating your Will to ensure your assets go where you want them to, contact Golden Leaves who will put you in touch with their expert partners.

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

Ouigo running high the excellent numbers by changing the profile of the train traveller.

The service is based on providing a fast but inexpensive service with children between the ages of four and 13 paying a flat fee of €5, and those under four travelling for free.

As a result Ouigo has served over 160,000 families travelling with 70,000 children and babies.

The general director of Ouigo in Spain, Helene Valenzuela, high‐ lighted the milestone that “an un‐ known company in Spain a year

INFLATION rates not seen since 1992 are pushing housing rental prices higher, with the 5.6 per cent year‐ on‐year percentage apply‐ ing to many rental con‐ tracts. Idealist the online property portal said that prices have risen to €892 in Madrid and €886 in Barcelona for a 55 square metre apartment. Increases are less in the less expen‐ sive cities with only Zamora experiencing a reduction.

Landlords do have the right to increase rentals in accordance with inflation (CPI), however contracts signed prior to March 31, 2015 can only increase if specifically built into the contract.

In all cases landlords have to give adequate notice of any rise to tenants. ago reached one million travellers in a matter of months.” From this point of view, it is clear that “we have brought that sustainable and digital mobility that the country longed for.”

Achieving the numbers and the reduction in prices is partly down to their trains, double deckers which are unique to Spain, but which can carry up to 509 people.

34 EWN

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9 - 15 December 2021

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 7

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.444,00 Abrdn 241,65 Admiral Group 3.030,0 Anglo American 2.959,5 Antofagasta 1.408,50 Ashtead Group 6.432,0 Associated British Foods 1.966,5 AstraZeneca 8.256,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 740,20 Avast 607,00 Aveva 3.325,0 Aviva 398,47 B&M European Value Retail 629,80 BAE Systems 559,60 Bank VTB DRC 1,236 Barclays 186,04 Barratt Developments 725,40 Berkeley 4.565,0 BHP Group 2.129,00 BP 349,05 British American Tobacco 2.678,0 British Land Company 531,90 BT Group 174,00 Bunzl 2.934,0 Burberry Group 1.871,5 Carnival 1.310,2 Centrica 67,65 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.468,0 Compass 1.563,50 CRH 3.844,0 Croda Intl 9.976,0 DCC 5.854,0 Diageo 3.995,1 DS Smith 380,07 EasyJet 560,80 Experian 3.578,3 Ferguson 12.115,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.935,0 Fresnillo 893,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.561,80 Glencore 367,80 Halma 3.092,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.306,50 Hikma Pharma 2.262,00 HSBC 442,20 IAG 143,34 Imperial Brands 1.585,47 Informa 509,40 InterContinental 4.717,0 Intermediate Capital 2.228,00

CHANGE(P) 1.447,00 242,40 3.040,0 2.971,0 1.411,50 6.498,0 1.983,0 8.320,0 741,20 610,00 3.329,0 404,00 644,80 561,40 1,252 187,64 732,80 4.600,0 2.131,50 351,70 2.694,0 533,80 175,00 2.935,0 1.877,5 1.324,4 67,90 2.475,0 1.582,50 3.860,0 10.005,0 5.878,0 3.999,5 382,20 571,00 3.587,0 12.155,0 11.060,0 898,40 1.595,00 369,25 3.094,0 1.310,00 2.294,00 445,80 145,78 1.590,00 513,00 4.782,0 2.236,00

% CHG. 1.402,50 238,10 2.997,0 2.859,0 1.372,00 6.200,0 1.952,0 8.188,0 731,20 604,20 3.250,0 398,10 627,60 556,60 1,234 185,46 720,60 4.547,0 2.094,00 347,75 2.640,5 528,62 172,30 2.903,0 1.820,0 1.304,0 67,14 2.451,0 1.555,00 3.788,0 9.838,0 5.792,0 3.960,0 379,00 550,00 3.535,0 11.880,0 10.590,0 889,60 1.552,40 362,50 3.027,0 1.291,50 2.260,00 440,65 141,10 1.569,00 480,80 4.699,0 2.187,00

NET VOL 1,51M 986,84K 71,42K 1,49M 240,04K 279,16K 139,89K 632,19K 3,70M 258,72K 103,67K 813,35K 1,87M 622,42K 424,39K 12,33M 1,98M 36,15K 2,19M 1,56M 2,47M 66,46K 6,26M 233,85K 283,14K 407,73K 2,91M 146,98K 565,04K 151,62K 201,85K 61,97K 1,82M 969,84K 1,68M 155,73K 128,86K 223,56K 70,04K 1,79M 11,24M 98,83K 308,49K 115,12K 5,27M 16,92M 347,17K 4,32M 158,86K 778,18K

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

5.732,0 114,55 281,79 2.078,0 755,00 292,00 47,33 6.658,0 740,80 152,10 1.858,00 1.026,40 219,40 8.396,0 29,43 1.617,50 2.797,0 654,10 1.318,00 6.116,0 2.411,41 625,00 771,02 4.758,0 130,91 7,79 1.686,2 1.686,61 1.684,0 797,00 1.662,50 16,35 3.502,0 1.424,75 1.411,50 2.877,0 1.275,00 1.536,11 16.065,0 1.634,00 1.576,00 438,95 165,75 282,82 216,30 3.943,0 1.102,50 112,58 2.986,0 1.102,50

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.758,0 115,35 283,70 2.094,0 761,40 294,00 47,38 6.726,0 742,00 153,50 1.859,00 1.027,20 221,30 8.398,0 29,63 1.630,50 2.817,0 656,60 1.330,00 6.237,0 2.411,00 628,00 771,60 4.797,5 132,96 7,82 1.707,2 1.707,11 1.703,6 798,40 1.665,00 16,56 3.517,0 1.439,00 1.415,00 2.888,0 1.279,50 1.539,00 16.065,0 1.639,00 1.591,50 442,80 168,20 283,90 217,10 3.968,5 1.104,00 113,78 3.035,0 1.104,00

5.682,0 113,35 280,70 2.058,0 749,80 291,00 46,59 6.636,0 737,80 150,90 1.829,50 1.016,20 218,60 8.254,0 29,35 1.570,50 2.763,0 653,00 1.317,50 6.109,0 2.374,00 623,80 761,80 4.690,0 129,48 7,65 1.684,6 1.684,25 1.682,0 783,80 1.645,00 16,22 3.494,0 1.399,50 1.380,50 2.847,0 1.257,00 1.515,50 15.750,0 1.616,50 1.568,00 435,90 165,00 280,86 212,40 3.926,0 1.092,50 112,36 2.968,0 1.079,50

105,85K 2,49M 559,06K 117,52K 480,39K 1,66M 50,56M 133,73K 1,49M 1,91M 150,79K 1,14M 5,13M 29,55K 19,60K 333,95K 183,22K 154,27K 4,08M 249,50K 1,28M 1,54M 475,46K 1,11M 10,46M 554,38K 1,31M 1,31M 2,62M 830,10K 8,82K 2,42M 174,10K 1,40M 535,90K 52,84K 676,98K 164,68K 15,90K 3,42M 419,60K 1,27M 4,46M 774,80K 1,62M 828,28K 200,88K 20,74M 98,97K 909,58K

1.17683

0.84958

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.1254 Japan yen (JPY)........................................127.71 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0411 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.181

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 7

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 177,22 2.875,9 3.427,37 208,79 165,32 205,88 201,32 116,23 56,96 54,90 389,47 415,98 206,25 119,89 50,99 162,92 160,24 255,88 73,43 317,87 326,19 168,94 152,17 258,95 1.009,01 459,96 51,06 202,74 138,99 150,40

CHANGE 178,28 2.887,0 3.473,91 211,79 167,88 206,42 203,25 117,45 57,17 55,25 393,60 420,54 208,09 121,15 51,21 163,52 162,60 256,93 73,85 320,10 327,42 171,21 152,38 259,21 1.021,64 461,70 51,93 204,22 139,35 150,74

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 174,00 2,24M 2.812,9 1,09M 3.338,69 3,35M 205,97 3,90M 164,28 102,59M 199,20 11,52M 198,34 2,72M 115,09 8,72M 56,47 22,52M 54,14 24,26M 383,49 1,77M 411,22 4,53M 204,88 4,30M 119,40 4,69M 49,18 38,28M 159,90 8,41M 159,52 10,69M 252,37 3,39M 72,80 12,00M 306,35 21,24M 319,23 28,69M 168,08 5,41M 150,27 8,20M 250,77 7,03M 950,51 26,91M 452,15 4,60M 50,96 21,91M 197,78 10,47M 137,10 9,13M 146,67 12,65M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 7

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A NVR Inc. Texas Pacific Land Corp.

Markel Corp.

Boston Beer Co. Cl A Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. RH Graham Holdings Co. White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. Shopify Inc. Cl A Fair Isaac Corp.

1.80% 2.65% 4.82% 2.82% 6.92% 1.97% 4.73% 4.13% 2.10% 1.29% 4.66%

1.66K 16.04K 37.91K 48.08K 419.86K 243.48K 588.9K 20.67K 19.07K 1.21M 575.73K

HubSpot Inc. -4.38% Ubiquiti Inc. -10.40% Danaher Corp. 5% Mand. Pfd. Series B -1.60% EPAM Systems Inc. -4.00% Generac Holdings Inc. -4.90% Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. -2.18% Wayfair Inc. Cl A -5.59% Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A -1.78% Cloudflare Inc. Cl A -7.51% West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. -2.43% Bank of America Corp. 7.25% Non-Cum. Perp -0.72%

1.18M 272.75K 1.91K 532.02K 1.5M 2.32M 2.28M 170 7.48M 516.68K 13.86K

Most Declined

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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‘Account Blocked’

BANK ACCOUNTS: Ensure the information held by your bank is up-to-date at all times.

MANY of you may have experienced the ‘account blocked’ or ‘will be blocked’ message when trying to draw money at the cash machine or when accessing your account on‐ line. So when has this hap‐ pened and how do you un‐ block it?

There are many reasons why your account might be blocked, usually it’s the need to comply with Pre‐ vention of Money Launder‐ ing and Terrorist Financing laws. These require the banks to maintain up‐to‐ date information on their clients. Normally all it takes is for you to keep these up‐ to‐date.

Solution ‐ ensure that the information held by your bank is up‐to‐date at all times.

Another possible reason are the anti‐fraud measures in the act that require banks to ‘know their cus‐ tomer’. The law is not unique to Spain and is de‐

signed to stop the financing of terrorism and the laun‐ dering of money. Banks will usually react if the move‐ ment seems unusual or has come from an unknown source.

Solution ‐ keep your bank informed if you are receiv‐ ing funds that are not with‐ in the normal operation of your bank account.

Accounts will also be blocked where the bank has reasonable reason to believe that the account should be blocked, reasons like the death of the ac‐ count holder, disputes be‐ tween joint account holders and post holders in the case of owner associations.

Solution ‐ make sure sup‐ porting documentation is up‐to‐date and the bank is well aware of any changes.

In the case of credit, the bank is required to allow sufficient time to meet the outstanding debt before it can block the account.

Importantly, Banco de Es‐

Novo Banco sells to Abanca PORTUGUESE bank, Novo Banco, has agreed to sell its Spanish subsidiary to A Coruña based Abanca. The deal sees the end of Novo Banco’s retail, private banking and small business opera‐ tions in Spain.

The deal, which is subject to the usual regulato‐ ry approval, is unlikely to have any major impact on Novo Banco’s results. It is expected to strengthen the bank’s capital position and to have a positive impact on its liquidity, part of its strategy to focus on core assets.

All the bank’s operations in Spain including its private banking, small business operations and its 10 retail branches and staff are being trans‐ ferred to Abanca.

paña requires proportional‐ ity to be applied in all cases and at all times.

BUSINESS EXTRA Giphy to be sold THE UK Competition and Markets Authority, has fol‐ lowing an investigation, told Facebook’s owner Meta, that they must sell the GIF library Giphy. Fol‐ lowing concerns about the deal in April, investigators found the takeover ‘could harm social media users and advertisers’.

Fuel profits unreasonable THE RAC has said that fuel retailers are overcharging by as much as 12p per litre for petrol and 10p for diesel with the reduction in wholesale prices not being passed on. The organisa‐ tion has called on the gov‐ ernment to investigate, oil prices having fallen around $10 a barrel at the end of November.

ASDA charters ship BRITAIN’S third largest su‐ permarket ASDA, has char‐ tered a ship in an effort to overcome the logistics issues being experienced across the UK. The ship it is be‐ lieved is being used to bring in stocks required for Christ‐ mas including clothes, toys and festive decorations.

9 - 15 December 2021

EWN 35

36 EWN

9 - 15 December 2021

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT ONE of the lessons I have learned in life is that it is generally more advantageous to prepare for the worst. With this somewhat pessimistic agenda, all the good occurrences then become a bonus and you are also (hopefully) fully prepared as possible for events that don’t quite pan out as you envisaged.

Blindly trusting everything will be coming up roses, is a sure recipe for head in the sand disaster. In my younger days, I was an avid flower child. I truly believed that love and peace was the answer to all our human shortcomings (and still do).

Unfortunately, I was rudely awakened by the fact that not everyone followed the same ideals. As reality slowly set in and my rose‐coloured glasses subsequently misted up, I began to realise that metaphorically, if I attempted to offer a bunch of flowers to an adversary bearing a Kalashnikov rifle the one who walked away from the encounter would not be me!

Survival in the real world meant reluctantly discarding the floral specs and facing up to a future full of uncertainties.

Failing to recognise, or endeavour to change any calamitous events our future

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The worst may hold is almost criminal naivety. If the German public had only envisioned the ambitions of Hitler, they may just have averted the Second World War! Twenty years ago, I wrote that if the West didn’t curb the unchecked immigration from the Middle East, a few years hence it would be too late because the terrorists would be entrenched everywhere. Since then, radical Islamists have murdered hundreds of innocent UK citizens. You should have heard the ridicule I received for that prediction!

If you want to see what the BLM organisation is truly about just cast an eye over their current website. Diversity it most emphatically ain’t! Emblazoned over their ‘flag,’ big bold letters blatantly announce BLACK XMAS. Parts of the diatribe that follows proclaim, and I quote.

“Black Lives Matter has been encouraging people to ‘dream of a black Xmas’ and intentionally use our economic sources to disrupt white supremacist capitalism.

“Black Friday sales were rolled out weeks in advance and at every turn white supremacist capitalism is telling us to spend our money on things that we don’t

need to reap profits for their organisations.”

The piece then goes on to encourage people to ‘Build Black, Buy Black and Bank Black.’ Their website also has the audacity to condemn the Rittenhouse trial verdict, (where no black people were involved at all!) describing it as “wholly expected, when white supremacy lives and breathes within our institutions and is a reminder of how legal systems are deeply rooted in white supremacy.” There is naturally no mention of the trial taking place simultaneously in another courtroom, where three white men received life sentences for shooting a black man they suspected of stealing. Ironically a reader’s letter published last week accused me of trying to introduce racism into the Rittenhouse’s trial ‐ purely because I stated there were no riots after the verdict. Ha! Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

FEATURE

Film Review by Laura Kemp

Streaming now: King Richard WILL SMITH turns from The Prince of Bel‐Air into the King of Tennis in this story of how the Williams’ sisters came to dominate the sport, streaming on HBO Max now.

Legendary actor, film pro‐ ducer and rapper Will Smith (Men in Black) plays Richard Williams in this biographical drama about how Venus and Serena Williams became two of the most well‐known tennis players in the world.

A story of true grit and de‐ termination, when it seems like all the odds are against this family from Compton, USA, King Richard gives viewers a look into how the father of Venus, played by Saniyya Sid‐ ney (Hidden Figures), and Sere‐ na, played by Demi Singleton (Goldie), coached them to the top of the tennis world.

The story intertwines race, family, and poverty issues as the Williams family band to‐ gether to help the sisters live

A story of true grit.

out their sporting dreams.

Richard will tell anyone who will listen, and even those who don’t want to listen, that his daughters are born to be stars and that he has an 84‐page plan to achieve it.

This is a feel‐good film with great acting (it’s Will Smith ‐ need I say more?). However, its authenticity is questionable.

Richard’s estranged family have since hit back at the film, claiming it is not a real portray‐ al of their father and only tells half of the story. Despite this, King Richard is an entertaining, motivational, and humorous movie about never giving up.

It’s also worth watching the end credits for a nice surprise.

THURSDAY 09/12

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WEDNESDAY 15/12

11:00pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

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

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BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders Gavin & Stacey Have I Got News for You BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather

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Final Score BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Superman & Lois The Hit List Strictly Come Dancing Michael McIntyre's The Wheel Casualty BBC News

2:45pm 4:35pm

BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Countryfile Strictly Come Dancing: The Results Top Gear You Don't Know Me BBC News BBC London News; Weather

6:00pm

BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Buy Now, Pay Later: The New Debt Crisis?

- Panorama EastEnders Ghosts You Don't Know Me BBC News at Ten

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show Holby City EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals BBC News at Ten

6:15pm 7:00pm

Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show My Family The Repair Shop at Christmas MasterChef: The Professionals BBC News at Ten

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The Real Marigold Hotel Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Mary Berry - Love to Cook Nadiya's Fast Flavours Surgeons: At the Edge of Life Mock the Week

8:30pm 9:00pm

The Real Marigold Hotel Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Gardeners' World Winter Specials Vienna Blood Newsnight Weather

8:00pm 8:30pm

Scrooge Christmas Classics: Talking Pictures Flog It! Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!

Far From the Madding Crowd TOTP2 Police Special!

Reel Stories: Sting Sting: When the Last Ship Sails

8:00pm

World's Busiest Cities: Moscow Turkey with Simon Reeve Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Antiques Roadshow The Christmas Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan The Office The Office Run

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Great British Menu Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Villages by the Sea Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us Two Doors Down

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Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Impeachment: American Crime Story What We Do in the Shadows

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Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Between the Covers Match of the Day Live: The FA Cup Live at the Apollo Newsnight Weather David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us

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University Challenge Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand The Manchurian Candidate Seth MacFarlane Sings Sinatra at the Proms Secrets of Bones Secrets of Bones Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand Britain's Lost Masterpieces

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

University Challenge Sounds of the 70s - New Wave Top of the Pops: Christmas 1988 Nick Cave: Idiot Prayer BBC Four Sessions The Old Grey Whistle Test Southern Rock at the BBC Top of the Pops: Christmas 1988

5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age Wartime Farm Christmas The Modern Age of the Coach Stieg Larsson's Millennium Stieg Larsson's Millennium Crime & Punishment The Story of Capital Punishment

6:10pm

The Chronicles of Erne Tracey Emin: This Cultural Life Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream Evita: The Making of a Superstar The Sky at Night Animated Shorts: BBC Introducing Arts A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman

2:50pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm 8:00pm

University Challenge The Joy of Painting: Winter Specials Britain's Lost Masterpieces Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey Stigma What We Were Watching Timeshift: Hotel Deluxe Britain's Lost Masterpieces

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Keeping Up Appearances One Foot in the Grave Dinnerladies Comedy Playhouse: Where It All Began Comedy Playhouse: Impasse Comedy Playhouse: No Strings Gagging for It - TV's Hunger for Radio Comedy

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The Joy of Painting: Winter Specials University Challenge Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise Write Around the World with Richard E Grant Write Around the World with Richard E Grant Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets

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ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Saving Money at Christmas: The Big Squeeze? Tonight Emmerdale The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News

1:30pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Griff's Great New Zealand Adventure Coronation Street I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

ITV News

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals ITV News and Weather ITV News London Moneyball Celebrity Catchphrase The Chase Celebrity Special I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

The Jonathan Ross Show ITV News and Weather

4:15pm

The Living Daylights The Pet Show ITV News and Weather ITV News London Sitting on a Fortune The Chase Celebrity Special Walk the Line I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Final ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather

4:10pm

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Walk the Line Strictly the Real Full Monty ITV News ITV News London The Pembrokeshire Murders

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ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Walk the Line Strictly the Real Full Monty ITV News ITV News London

5:00pm 6:00pm

ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Walk the Line I'm a Celebrity Legends of the Castle ITV News at Ten and Weather

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Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown Moneybags A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Luxury Christmas for Less 24 Hours in A&E

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Bidding Wars The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Vaccine Wars - The Truth About Pfizer: Dispatches Grayson's Art Club: An Exhibition for Britain Gogglebox The Last Leg The Big Narstie Show

4:15pm

The Great Christmas Bake Off 2020 Channel 4 News A Very Royal Christmas: Secrets from Sandringham Christmas at Chatsworth House Formula 1: Abu Dhabi Qualifying Highlights 48 Hours to Final Victory The Equalizer

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The Man Who Invented Christmas Channel 4 News Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Highlights Escape to the Chateau Close to Me Gogglebox The Shape of Water Heineken Champions Cup Rugby: The Big Tackle

6:00pm

Chateau DIY Countdown Moneybags A Place in the Sun Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Jamie: Together at Christmas Guy's Garage

4:15pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

A Place in the Sun Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country 24 Hours in A&E Hot Christmas Have We Got Nudes for You

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

Countdown Moneybags A Place in the Sun Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Christmas at Castle Howard

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The Christmas Swap 5 News at 5 Neighbours Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty Parking Fines: Are They A Con? Live: Winter on the Farm The New Stonehenge with Rob Bell Unforgiven

12:30pm

On the 12th Date of Christmas 5 News at 5 Neighbours Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty Secrets of the Imperial War Museum The Thames at Night with Tony Robinson 1977: Britain's Biggest 70s Hits

11:45am

5 News Update Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen 5 News Weekend The Wonderful World of Gold Gregg Wallace's Grand Christmas Adventure Louis and Edwina: An Unconventional Marriage

8:30am 11:30am 1:00pm 3:40pm

Surviving Christmas with the Relatives 5 News Update Surviving Christmas with the Relatives Christmas with the Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun Britain's Favourite 80s Toys Cliff Richard's Christmas Story

11:00am

A Nostalgic Christmas 5 News at 5 Top Jobs for Dogs Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty World's Strongest Man 2021 Traffic Cops Casualty 24/7 Ambulance: Code Red Car Pound Cops: Give Me My Car Back!

8:30am 9:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm

5 News at 5 Top Jobs for Dogs Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty Help My Pet Hates Me The Yorkshire Vet at Christmas: It's a Wonderful Life Christmas Magic at Kew Gardens Casualty 24/7 At Christmas

8:30am 9:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm

A Chestnut Family Christmas 5 News at 5 Top Jobs for Dogs Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty The Gadget Show Our Yorkshire Farm Murder in Suburbia Christmas with the Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun

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Live: The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The F1 Show Sky Sports News The F1 Show Live Mosconi Cup Pool Lomachenko: Relentless Sky Sports News On the Inside: McLaren The Football Show Sky Sports News Live Formula 1 Data in F1 Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live PGA Tour Golf Live FNF Sky Sports News Live: NFL Fantasy Live Big Bash League Live Big Bash League Live Formula 1 Live Formula 2 Championship Gillette Soccer Saturday Live: SNF MLS Live Sky Sports News Lomachenko: Relentless Super Sunday Matchday Live Grand Prix Sunday Live Formula 1 Live Chequered Flag Live Renault Super Sunday Live WSL Live NFL Live NBC's FNIA Live NFL Early Kick-Off Live Big Bash League The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live International T20 Cricket Live EFL Formula 1 Live: NFL Fantasy Live: Total Access Early Kick-Off Live Big Bash League The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live International T20 Cricket Live Bundesliga Live Bundesliga Dettori Live: Total Access Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Good Morning Sports Fans Early Kick-Off Live Big Bash League The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live World Darts Championship Live: NFL Fantasy

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9 - 15 December 2021

EWN 39

40 EWN

9 - 15 December 2021

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FEATURE

Did you survive Covid but now suffer from HOGO? NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

AMID reports in the UK that people aren’t turning up to restaurants or even events for which they’ve al‐ ready bought tickets, are you affect‐ ed by HOGO (hassle of going out) too?

After spending lockdown at home and used to ditching plans and skip‐ ping social events, some are bound to be feeling a bit weary ‐ and wary.

Whilst there’s no excuse for no‐shows in the era of mobile communications, I suspect people book venues to lift their mood currently and then feel that they just can’t face it as the hour draws near.

For some, going out has certainly become less fun. Everything has to be pre‐planned. You can’t get a table at a restaurant, and when you do it’s full of excuses why the service is lacking, Nora Johnson’s opinions

SOCIALISING: However, attitudes have definitely changed, especially in the winter.

dees can make the experiences work.

No matter how fantastic the food, ex‐ citing the film or entertaining the play, these events need to be experienced as a collective event to get the right energy levels and succeed.

Small businesses need our help more than ever this Christmas!

There’s absolutely no excuse for no‐ shows at restaurants etc. in the UK or anywhere else. It’s just selfish be‐ haviour. But seemingly part of a gen‐ eral, ‘It’s all about me’ attitude that unfortunately seems prevalent these days...

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

the menus are ‘reduced’ for lack of Attitudes have definitely changed ‐ staff or ingredients, and ‘can we have and why not? People, especially in the your table back at 8:30, please?’ ‘And winter, can stay home and watch please be considerate to our staff as movies in HD, get food and drink deliv‐ we have zero tolerance for abusive be‐ ered at reasonable cost in total safety. haviour.’ For these customers, it feels But the retail and hospitality sectors like prices have been hiked to pay for are at risk of dying a slow death be‐ To read more articles from our columnists the extra checks and regulations that cause that’s where we meet other and to have your say in the comments go make going out more of a hassle than people and mingle. That all takes ef‐ to www.euroweeklynews.com it’s worth. fort and only a critical mass of atten‐ are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

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

THANKING YOU

From our Facebook

THANK YOU: From the Lux Mundi Centres on the Costa del Sol.

Dear Sir or Madam, Both Lux Mundi, Torre del Mar and Fuengirola would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to you and all your staff for the excellent coverage you have been kind enough to give both centres throughout the year in your weekly publication.

Kind regards, Patricia Rothwell, Press Officer

he wrote out a chit to collect at the post office if he changed his mind.

I went to the post office and asked why two pieces of cardboard and envelopes warranted €5 each, she duly shrugged her shoulders, so I refused.

A week ago my daughter phoned and told me one of the cards had been returned to her, how ridiculous, they just want money, that’s all.

Maureen Hayes

Import duty

To EWN!

At the beginning of October my daughter sent two birthday cards to my husband, they had the correct postage, £1.70 each.

The postman came and rang the bell and wanted €5 each card duty, my husband refused and

Thank you so much ... very happy to see more supplies of Euro Weekly News in Torre del Mar. Happy Christmas.

Tricia

A LITTLE THOUGHT IN our social media debate last week, we asked if people should still be having Christmas parties in the wake of the new Covid variant. It is a topic that divides opinion with many understandably keen to get back to normality, while others still prefer to remain on the side of caution.

A survey released on December 8 by consumer experts Mintel found that more than

CORRECTIONS

XMAS PARTIES: Most people think that life should just go on.

Stephen Chatt Milne Life must must go on in some form, we just have to take good precautions... without forms of release and traditions being carried on etc etc... then there would be no point to a life... this situation is going to be with us for years to come, so we must get out and have some fun... cheers and Ho Ho Ho x

Deborah Johnson Yes enough is enough.

Kenneth Faktor Carslund Best way to keep Christmas alive is to stop interaction with many different people. Stop going to pubs if you will spend Christmas with anyone who is vulnerable.

Helen Blair Moffat Mason

OUR VIEW

four in 10 British workers say the Covid risk makes them feel uncomfortable about work Christmas parties. Other key stats showed 58 per cent of Brits feel it is important that people wear masks in bars and restaurants, while 61 per cent plan to limit their time in crowded areas before seeing family for Christmas. And 24 per cent of consumers are uncomfortable or extremely un-

comfortable about going to a bar/restaurant indoors.

While we all would love to get back to normal, it is clear there are those who don’t feel ready to throw caution to the wind just yet. For that reason, in this season of goodwill to all, we should all take time to remember that not everyone feels safe and that a little consideration for others can go a very long way.

We need to be careful but get on with living. we need to see family and friends not just at Christmas but all year round, it’s all part of life.

Mark Borrow YES we should party hard, life is too short anyway!

Paul Kelly It’s only Christmas, most don’t celebrate the religious side of it anyway. So really all that is being asked, is slow down on stupid parties.

Sue Quye Wear masks, use gel and don’t hug and kiss, just elbow bump.

Life has to get back to some normality for people’s mental health.

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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FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

9 - 15 December 2021

GO LOCAL

THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support lo‐ cal businesses in the commu‐ nity by shopping locally in re‐ cent times. Now things are heading back to normal, we challenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky indepen‐ dent businesses in your area.

Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities what they are. They add unique character. They are conve‐

nient. And they offer excellent produce from known suppliers.

The joy of shopping locally means that independent busi‐ nesses can support the local community. You may find something a euro or two cheaper online but have you considered where your money is actually going?

By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local family’s table and there is nothing bet‐ ter than giving back to the communities that have given us so much. Local stores sup‐

port charities and they sponsor local sports teams. In many cas‐ es, they are much more than

just a business, they’re a legacy.

They may have supported gen‐ erations of the same family.

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9 - 15 December 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com NO longer just good for our bodies, vita‐ min C is now one of the hottest prod‐ ucts offering to give us glowing, firm skin.

While we all know vitamin C is good for us on the inside by improv‐ ing our immune systems, a new host of vitamin C‐enriched skin care prod‐ ucts promise an array of benefits, helping us to look healthy on the outside too.

This natural ingredient contains a chemical, L‐Ascorbic Acid (LAA), thought to contain high levels of an‐ tioxidants which can protect us from free‐radical damage, including UV rays, smoke, and pollution.

This in turn may help to slow down some of the ageing we experi‐ ence caused by environmental fac‐ tors, and could be particularly bene‐ ficial for those living in sunnier countries, including Spain.

The benefits don’t stop there, however, as there is some evidence to suggest prod‐ ucts using vitamin C can actually reverse some signs of ageing.

Experts claim the chemical can help lighten dark spots, such as those left over after sun damage, as well as inhibiting melanin production ‐ the chemical re‐ sponsible for hyperpigmentation ‐ pre‐ venting further dark spots from forming.

Scientists also believe vitamin C may help to boost collagen levels in the skin, creating a plumper, firmer effect, and

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Get the glow when ex‐ posed to sunlight, meaning your product may cease to be effec‐ tive after several weeks if not stored properly.

This means choosing VITAMIN C: Products may help to reverse some a product ideally pack‐ ageing. aged in brown or blue glass, which helps to helping to reverse the look of fine lines keep out UV rays and protect your prod‐ and wrinkles. It is thought vitamin C uct. Next, it is important to think about achieves this by increasing cell turnover what concentration of LAA you would like ensuring newer cells are always at the sur‐ to use. Higher concentrations of around face of the skin and sloughing away old 15 to 20 per cent are most effective but ones, which may even help to fade scars. can cause sensitivity in some people, so it There is a large variety of vitamin C skin may be best to start off with a lower con‐ care products available, and before choos‐ centration, around 10 per cent. ing one, it is important to take some fac‐ Finally, as ever, don’t forget to protect tors into consideration. your skin by using a daily SPF of at least The active chemical in most of these factor 30 to protect your skin from further formulas, L‐Ascorbic Acid, is unstable damage.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

Sensitive skin WHILE many of us may nor‐ mally have oily, normal, or dry skin, even the least skin‐sensi‐ tive can suffer from red, easily‐ irritated skin during winter.

Cold weather and central heating force can simultane‐ ously over‐stimulate and dry out our skin, which in turn can act up. While it may not be necessary to buy a whole range of specialist products to deal with your newly‐sensitive face and body, there are some sim‐ ple substitutes you can make to help deal with the problem.

First, it’s important to diag‐ nose that sensitive skin is in fact what you are dealing with. This can present itself in the form of redness ‐ or even rosacea ‐ flak‐ ing, irritation, or bumps under the skin. Skin types which feel a burning or tingling sensation when using gentle products may also suffer from sensitivity.

Next, you need to discount whether your sensitivity is caused by an allergic reaction.

This could be the case if your skin changed suddenly, and

WINTER SKIN: Colder weather can leave skin sensitive. could be caused by eczema, psoriasis, or another allergy, and you should speak to a pharmacist or doctor who should be able to help.

If your redness and irritation is something you normally deal with however, or suffer from every winter, you can lessen the symptoms and calm red‐ ness by taking extra care with your skin this season.

Firstly, cut out any products which contain harsh chemicals.

While your skin may be able to handle them at other points in the year, it will respond better to simpler, gentler formulas

now. This includes your cleanser and toner, which should not contain alcohol or any foaming agents which will strip your skin’s natural protec‐ tive layer. Instead, stick to a cold cream or balm formula which will soothe and protect your face, while also removing dirt and oil. Depending on the severity of your sensitivity you may also choose to cut out your normal exfoliator com‐ pletely. Certainly it is wise to stick to a gentler chemical ex‐ folitant containing fruit acids, rather than using a harsher physical scrub. Alternatively, simply using a clean, damp towel to remove your cleanser which will gently slough off dead cells. Next, hydrate, hy‐ drate, hydrate. Try to stick to a natural or gentle formula, and temporarily steer clear of any harsher retinols, peels, or ce‐ ramides you may be using.

Finally, if you do introduce new products, take care of your skin by using them slowly or first carrying out a patch test.

9 - 15 December 2021

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FEATURE

Travel

CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD THIS week the Stonewall LGBTQ+ charity started their annual Rainbow Laces campaign, partnering with various sports across the UK to draw visibility to the inequalities that remain within active spaces. As soon as any kind of directive is made that brings the existence of LGBTQ+ people to the forefront, there is an immediate backlash from certain members of society and much clutching of pearls ensues. “I don’t mind them, but do they have to push it in our faces? Can’t they keep it to themselves? Why do they need campaigns to talk about these things, just get on with it if you must!”

The irony of people making these sorts of ignorant statements at a campaign aimed at making spaces more welcoming for people is completely lost of course. To many, the fact they don’'t actively seek out LGBTQ+ people to physically harm seems to be the pinnacle of tolerance and acceptance, when this sort of separatism and lack of actu-

Visibility and caution al positive action directly feeds a system that leads to people doing just that.

T he reporting of hate crimes against LG BT Q + people rose sharply at the end of the pandemic.

As restrictions were loosened, it seems that whatever had been holding some people back from attacking members of the community had come loose too. M any may think that has nothing to do with them as they tolerate the existence of people who aren’t like them, but a lot of this violence happens because of a society that allows the ‘othering’ of any characteristic that deviates from the norm. This absolutely begins with the language, jokes and ‘banter’ that too many people participate in.

T he S tonewall campaign this year has a slogan of ‘lace up and speak up’, asking everyone to engage in honest conversation with the people around them about LG BT Q + issues. I am relatively lucky in the sense that for my close circle of friends and family, I am mostly able to do that. While out

and about, however, I am still incredibly cautious. Whether in my small town in Spain (which is better) or back in mainstream spaces in a big city in the UK, my partner and I don’t tend to hold hands. We must be careful about what we say to whom when meeting new people. We have moments when our stomachs drop during conversations when homophobic jokes are made, and we know we cannot feel safe around those people any longer if we did in the first place.

When I bring these things up to people, there tends to be disbelief that this is how people are made to feel in a world where it seems that so much ‘progress’ is being made. I must remind them that if there must be campaigns to generate even the mere conversation around an LGBTQ+ person being allowed into a space, we are very far off feeling safe and welcome.

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.

TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA

#TheWomanBeyond I DO like a great sporting analogy to give us insight and tips for life’s trials and tribulations. So here’s one that I really love. Are you sitting comfort‐ ably? (Sorry I just couldn’t help myself ) Once upon a time (1938 to be pre‐ cise) there was a pistol shooter. He was incredibly good, in fact, he hoped to be the very best.

However he met with a terrible acci‐ dent during combat training and unfor‐ tunately, our Hero has his right hand blown off by a faulty grenade. (OMG ) His right hand was his shooting hand.

(Jeeeze!!!.) All his hopes are lost.

Or are they?

After a depressing month in the hos‐ pital, our Hero decides that he will sim‐ ply learn how to shoot just as well with his left hand. So he started his training, secretly, he didn’t tell a soul.

He trains and trains and trains. And guess what he becomes very good. So

Toledo: A trip through time T O L E D O is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. It impresses from every angle with its dra‐ matic raised presence on the banks of the Riv‐ er Tagus. Strolling around its streets, you’ll soon discover why it’s called the ‘Im‐ perial City.’ Every twist and turn is like a jour‐ ney through time.

The city satisfies broad tastes from art and architecture to mu‐ sic and gastronomy. It is also known for its warm hospitality, living up to its centuries old reputa‐ tion as a favourite stop off for traders and trav‐ ellers. It’s easy to forget you are just 30 minutes from Madrid in this city that also feels like a fortress. It once marked a strategic defensive site; and that fact just adds to the history.

Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by U N ES C O t h a n k s t o i t s

An impressive city.

blend of different cul‐ tures and religions. The styles change from one street to the next with each building telling a different chapter in the city’s rich history. The era of harmony can be observed in the church‐ es, synagogues, and mosques that decorate the streets.

The historic centre is a walled enclosure and there you’ll see shops full of fabulous swords.

Toledo steel is famous the world over and weapons have been fashioned there for over 2,500 years. It is no surprise tourists come from all over the world.

KEEP SHOOTING he shows up at the 1939 World Champi‐ onships. Everyone’s shocked to see him there. And they’re even more shocked when he wins.

His Olympic dreams are back on track.

Then enter: The Second World War, and to his dismay the 1940 and 1944 Olympics are cancelled.

So he waits, and continues to train and put the work in.

And finally, he shows up at the next Olympics. He’s now 38.

The world champion asks him what he’s doing there. Our Hero tells him “I’m here to learn.”

He wins.

What’s his name? Well it’s Takács Károly.

Takács was the first shooter to win two Olympic gold medals in the 25‐me‐ tre rapid fire pistol event, and both with his left hand. He was the third known physically disabled athlete to have com‐

peted in the main stream Olympic Games after George Eyser in 1904 and Olivér Halassy in 1928, followed by Liz Hartel in 1952, Neroli Fairhall in 1984 and Oscar Pistorius (shame that’s not what he’ll be remembered for!!) in 2012.

The moral of the story? It’s simple…

Keep shooting… Keep trying…Grab your goals by the horn and keep after them.

Are you stuck trying to achieve a tar‐ get, a Big Audacious Goal? This is a time of year when we typically start to think about what could be, that perhaps WE WANT MORE OUT OF LIFE!!!

What targets are you aiming for? Do you need to re‐aim and get into train‐ ing?

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

Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps

Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #TheWomanBeyond PS. If you want more out of life. Sign up for our January Visionary Women Programme and in just four, three‐ hour online sessions you could Reach Beyond Your Limits, Soar Beyond Your Barriers and Live Beyond Your Dreams and make 2022 your Best Year Yet. 25 per cent off for Euro Weekly News Readers ‐ Just Quote Offer Code EWN25 ‐ for more info and to book head on over to https://quantumvan tage.co.uk/visionarywomenpro gramme Don’t hold back another moment.

You could be just one step away…

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

Shopping vouchers ELCHE Council has an‐ nounced plans to intro‐ duce a shopping cam‐ paign in January.

The scheme will see lo‐ cal businesses and restaurants get involved to sell vouchers which customers will use be‐ tween January 7 and 31, giving them 50 per cent off products.

The council said it will spend €120,000 on the scheme which will see them subsidise local shops.

Shops and restaurants can join this initiative through a website, man‐ aged by the Alicantina, which will be available from December 20 to January 20 Councillor, Felip Sanchez, said that cus‐ tomers will have to make use of these vouchers from January 7 to 31, co‐ inciding with the end of Christmas and the start of the sales period. They may purchase these dis‐

LOCAL BUSINESSES: Will sell vouchers.

counts in vouchers of €20, €50, €100 or €200.

Sanchez said that the consumer will pay 50 per cent of the value of the voucher and the council will subsidise the rest, which will see customers pay just €100 for a €200 voucher.

He added that this ini‐ tiative is intended to pro‐ mote local commerce and hospitality compared to online shopping and large stores.

Participation in this

campaign will be free for hotel and commercial es‐ tablishments, which as a requirement must have a maximum of 10 workers.

9 - 15 December 2021

EWN 51

PETS

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www.euroweeklynews.com • 9 - 15 December 2021

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Need a dog sitter?

I F 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 plan‐ ning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets.

Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

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

Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philos‐ ophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take:

1. Register as a homeown‐ er on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐ count (£89 per year) to en‐ sure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for your next holiday, Covid permit‐ ting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters.

Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holi‐ day. House‐sitters see your

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Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50% discount using coupon code SUPER50 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.Housesitmatch.com.

Advertising Feature

Cats are just as smart Xilitol poisoning

A NEW study at a Japanese university is once again backing up the age‐old cat lovers’ theory that felines are just as clever as dogs.

Forty‐nine domestic

cats were used for the study at Kyoto Universi‐ ty, which tested their ability to remember which food bowl they had eaten out of after 15‐minute intervals.

The cats, reported psychologist Saho Taka‐ gi, appeared to remem‐ ber exactly which bowls should still contain food, suggesting they had what is referred to as episodic memory.

“Cats may be as intel‐ ligent as dogs, as op‐ posed to the common view of people that dogs are much smarter.

Also, an interesting speculation is that they may enjoy actively re‐ calling memories of their experiences just like humans,” the scien‐ tist said.

SMART CATS: May be just as clever as dogs.

in dogs IT’S regularly found in sugar‐free chewing gum, toothpaste, mouthwash, vitamin supplements and other sugar‐free products.

Xylitol can cause in dogs hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) because the dog’s pancreas will confuse it with real sugar and makes it release more insulin. The insulin then removes the real sug‐ ar in the body, leading to plummeting blood sugar levels.

The clinical signs that may appear are: vomiting, disorientation, lethargy, collapse, seizures and tremors and coma.

• The signs of poisoning can appear rapidly or be delayed, but you should never wait before seeking veterinary help; this can put your dog’s life at risk.

• If you suspect that your dog has eaten some‐ thing containing xylitol, you need to get them to the vets straight away because it can be absorbed into the blood stream rapidly.

If the decrease in blood sugar levels is prevented or brought under control quickly, the prognosis is good, but delays in veterinary intervention can cause further complications, irreversible damage and increase the likelihood of xylitol poisoning be‐ coming fatal.

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

54 EWN

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Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(10006) FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca?

There are various Lodges meetings up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477) HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456)

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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11:00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorrevieja.org (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangeli calchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk. Tel: 0044 800 018 2361. (238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If

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you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be.

If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branch es.britishlegion.org.uk/branch es/orihuela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.ori huelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch.

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CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. Englishspeaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia.

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

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MOTORING

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9 - 15 December 2021

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REMOVALS

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Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708) SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting re-homing.

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62 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

9 - 15 December 2021

Charging points near THE government of Spain continues to move forward with its strategy for the growth of the electric car. A proposal has reportedly just been

released for public in‐ formation by the Ministry for the Envi‐ ronment (Miteco).

More than 1,000 petrol stations across Spain with sales of more than five mil‐ lion litres per year must install at least one charging point for electric vehicles.

This proposed or‐ der complies with the mandate of Law 7/2021 on climate change and energy transition, which calls on the central government and the autonomous commu‐ nities to draw up said list.

The list will in‐ clude the most rele‐ vant petrol stations in each territory, as well as those opened in 2021, and any that have made modifications to their qualifying title

this year.

Within a period of 21 months from the entry into force of the Law (February 2023) service stations with sales of more than 10 million litres of petrol and diesel in 2019 must install at least one 150 kW recharging point.

The owner of the service station must comply with the obligation whether he is the owner of the recharging point or not, provided that the point is lo‐ cated within the fuel and fuel supply fa‐ cilities.

The control of the fulfilment of this obligation will fall on the competent bodies in the matter of petrol station reg‐ istries of the au‐ tonomous communi‐ ties.

MOTORING

‘Shocking’ profit at pump

FUEL PRICES: Remain at a record high.

THE RAC has noticed that consumers are yet to see the price drop at the pumps af‐ ter they pointed out that oil prices fell by around US$10 US a barrel on November 26. The prices dropped in response to con‐ cerns about the Omicron coronavirus vari‐ ant.

Its fuel spokesman from the RAC Simon Williams estimated “that fuel retailers make a ‘shocking’ 19p profit on every litre of fuel they sell, more than treble the pre‐ pandemic figure of 6p.” He went on to say that “fuel companies might ‘resent’ being told that their fuel is overpriced, but that doesn’t change the fact that they should cut prices.”

Mr Williams added: “If they don’t, we feel they will lose credibility with drivers, although it’s very difficult for motorists to vote with their feet because they have

nowhere else to go. If a substantial cut doesn’t materialise, we feel this is worthy of government scrutiny as there’s no public body monitoring fuel prices to see if they’re fair.

“With fuel prices at record highs, drivers are in dire need of some respite at the pumps and now it’s impossible to blame the prices on rising oil costs.

“It seems as though retailers think they can get away with charging more for fuel because of the public’s general acceptance of rising energy prices.”

Retailers argue that prices are not just re‐ flecting volatile oil prices, but also increas‐ es in their own costs through things like wages and electricity, but is it fair that these fuel retailers are allowed to make such a profit, especially as the price of oil has dropped so dramatically?

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

9 - 15 December 2021

EWN 63

Toyota Yaris Cross - sharp, modern and distinctive ROAD TEST

The perfect choice.

by Mark Slack FOR those who re‐ member Toyota’s Yaris as a small eco‐ nomical hatchback, it may come as some‐ what of a shock at the number of variants now bearing the Yaris name.

However, it certainly hasn’t lost its appeal as an eco‐ nomical hatchback of choice. It has just got signifi‐ cantly trendier, and in the case of Yaris GR consider‐ ably more sporting.

In addition to the stan‐ dard, lead‐in Yaris model with five doors, 1.5‐litre petrol engine and prices starting from €23,800/ £20,210, there’s the Yaris Cross which offers a crossover style from €26,513/£22,515 and then the barnstorming 257bhp Yaris GR from €35,351/ £30,020. However, it’s the Yaris Cross that’s the focus of our attention in this review.

One friend described the

Facts at a Glance Model: Toyota Yaris Cross Design Engine: Petrol electric hybrid – 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol & 59hp electric motor Gears: Automatic Price: €28,428/£24,140 Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 11.2 seconds/Maximum Speed 169 kph (105 mph) Economy: 4.4l /100km (64.1 mpg) WLTP Emissions: 102 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets

Yaris Cross as looking like a friendly chipmunk from the front! Whatever your partic‐ ular view, styling is very sub‐ jective, the Yaris Cross looks sharp and modern and more

distinctive than many of its competitors. Power in all models is via a 1.5‐litre, three‐cylinder petrol engine mated to an automatic trans‐ mission. It also benefits from

a 59kwh electric motor to boost power and reduce emissions. You have an all‐ wheel‐drive option on one trim level and although not for true mud‐plugging snowy roads and the local village fete, it should prove no prob‐ lem thanks to higher ground clearance and that all‐wheel‐ drive.

Standard fare across the line‐up includes keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera, automatic air conditioning and a multi‐media system with Apple Car Play and An‐ droid Auto with Bluetooth.

There’s a good range of paint choices available as op‐ tions, various optional packs as well as individual items like a rather splendid panoramic roof at a not un‐ reasonable €388/£330.

Inside, the Yaris Cross has a smart and functional look with what seems to be a very good build quality through‐ out. There are also still physi‐ cal knobs for the climate con‐ trol and buttons for major controls. Hurrah! A decent

on road ride allows for pretty good handling and while the CVT gearbox does occasion‐ ally get gruff, it’s a lot better than many I have tried and is for the most part quite re‐ fined. The performance isn’t anything like hot hatch terri‐ tory, but the Yaris manages

to be fun, and you’ll have no problem keeping up on the motorway and nipping past slower traffic on A‐roads.

If you’re looking for some‐ thing a little funky, but with mainstream reliability and practicality, then the Yaris Cross is a perfect choice!

64

SPORT Johanna Konta retires

9 - 15 December 2021

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TENNIS legend and former British No 1 Johanna Konta has retired from the sport.

Konta, 30, has struggled with a knee problem over the past couple of years, causing her to drop down to 113 in the rankings.

She made an announcement on Twitter saying that she is “Grateful”.

The post read: “This is the word that I’ve probably been used to the most during my career, and is the word that I feel explains it best at the end.”

Konta, born in Australia, moved to Europe to pursue a career in tennis as MICHAEL CARRICK guided Manchester United to an important 3‐2 win over Ar‐ senal on Thursday, Decem‐ ber 2, to keep them among the top teams in the table.

The sensational news though is that only minutes after the final whistle blew, 40‐year‐old Carrick an‐ nounced that he is quitting Old Trafford after 15 years at the club.

KONTA: A hugely impressive career.

a teen, becoming a British citizen in 2012.

She took the British No 1 spot and stayed there for nearly six years.

Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, said: “On behalf of the LTA and everyone in‐ volved in British Tennis, I want to ex‐ press my appreciation to Johanna for her hugely impressive career.

“To reach the semi‐finals of three slams and spend more time as British number one than any other woman since the WTA rankings began shows the level of her achievements. We wish her well in the future, and hope that she will continue to play a role in British tennis in the years to come.”

Carrick quits The former United and England midfielder has been running things temporarily since the sacking of Ole Gun‐ nar Solskjaer. Carrick had been assistant to the Nor‐ wegian, but it would seem he preferred to now exit the club than to continue in a

lesser role under incoming interim manager Ralf Rang‐ nick.

Joining United in 2006, in his 12 seasons Carrick won five Premier League titles, plus he was a Champions League winner. In 2018, he took on a coaching position

at the Theatre of Dreams.

Carrick said: “My time at this great club will always rank as the best years of my career. When I first signed over 15 years ago, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined winning so many trophies, and I will certainly never forget the fantastic memories both as a player and as a member of the coaching team.”

RESTRICTIONS TAKING TOLL THE Costa Blanca Walking Football League is suffer‐ ing from the latest travel restrictions in the UK with Pinoso particularly affected with several key players unable to return to Spain. This led to them being un‐ able to field a team for their recent match against Portobello, conceding the match which gave the yel‐ lows their first points of the season and leaves Pinoso firmly stuck at the bottom of the league.

Moraira’s recent 2‐0 win over Pinoso keeps them in second place, while Formentera are mid table after their 2‐2 draw with league leaders Hondon.

LEAGUE TABLE HONDON PL 3 PTS 7 MORAIRA PL 2 PTS 3 PORTOBELLO PL 1 PTS 3* FORMENTERA PL 1 PTS PINOSO PL 3 PTS 0 *Points awarded for PINOSO conceding the match.

All clubs are looking to recruit new players. If you’re over 50 and still think you’ve got what it takes and would like a bit of light exercise with a re‐ freshment afterwards go to www.wfai.info, WFAI Facebook Page or contact apalmar2011@ hotmail.com Make sure you get your copy of next week’s Euro Weekly News for news and next fixtures.