Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 23 - 29 December 2021 Issue 1903

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 34 - 37 Issue No. 1903

23 - 29 Dec 2021

Voucher success BENIDORM residents began downloading #BenidormTeDa Mas (Benidorm Gives You More) shopping vouchers on December 15.

More than 40,000 of the vouchers were downloaded under 24 hours, Benidorm Town Hall, with 52,000 Face‐ book interactions and 4,700 on Instagram. All those who were registered on the municipal Padron by December 1 and will be 18 on December 31 are eligi‐ ble to download up to five of the €10 discount vouchers.

These are obtainable by reg‐ istering on the www.bono benidormtedamas.es website and then clicking on Area de Consumidores to download the vouchers which are valid until December 31. The vouchers can also be downloaded via the BuyBono app available from Play Store and Apple Store once applicants have registered.

Call the town hall on 966 815 443 or email benidormteda mas@benidorm.org for more information or queries.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

ELVES RUN RIOT Photo credit: Cristina, Lancashire Bruja Bar

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ELF INVASION: Sixty elves, a Grinch and an Easter Egg raised funds for charity.

FREE • GRATIS

Planning for next summer JAVEA Town Hall is already making plans for regulating sum‐ mer parking in seafront areas.

“This will improve safety, services and sustainable tourism on Javea’s beaches and coves,” Beaches councillor Antonio Miragall told the town hall’s Tourism committee.

New by‐laws would make it easier to decongest summer traffic at beaches like Granadella or Portixol, Miragall pointed out. They will also simplify Blue Zone parking during the sum‐ mer months on the Pic Tort, Barraca and Truita roads, the councillor added.

In compensation, the town hall will provide public transport to the coves, with a shuttle service from the Arenal beach as well as the tourist train to the Granadella beach, although this will no longer be free, Miragall revealed.

Other measures include limiting access to some coves where parking is impractical and liable to obstruct emergency vehicles.

Javea Town Hall has asked permission from the Guardia Civ‐ il to install deterrents to prevent vehicles from parking along the kerb on the CV‐742 leading to Portixol.

Miragall also mentioned introducing controls at the small Granadella wharf which was frequently crammed with kayaks last summer, although any steps taken would be coordinated with the active tourism firms that hire them out, he said.

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23 - 29 December 2021

from Front page »

€1,066.72 for Raquel Paya school THIS year’s Elf Run in Javea raised €1,066.72 for chari‐ ty. Christina and Stephen from the Lancashire Bruja Bar in Javea organised the annual event where, as the name suggests, elves played a significant part in the proceedings.

“As we’ve had the bar for two years, this was our first time organising the Elf Run and taking on the roles of Mr and Mrs Claus,” she explained.

The Run involves dress‐ ing up as elves and on De‐ cember 11 they descend‐ ed on British bars to take part in quiz rounds, letter‐ hunting, and carol‐singing.

There was also a great deal of bucket‐shaking for the vital task of raising money for charity.

“All the monies raised are going to the Raquel Paya special needs school in Denia,” Cristina said.

“It was a fantastic day and I must say we all did a fab job, seeing so many happy faces and raising such a wonderful amount for the school,” she added.

“With a total of 60 elves, a Grinch and an Easter Egg, Mr and Mrs Claus are very proud of you all!” Christina declared.

Elfin‐Hell ‐ otherwise known as Ria and Marie ‐ were the Bucket Collec‐ tion winners while the King Elves were Quiz champions, she said.

“And a big shout‐out to Digby’s, Richmond, Kings and Canela as well as the owners of Geographic Bar for letting us have a pit‐ stop at the beach before our all‐important songs around the Christmas tree,” Christina said.

“Thank you again to all who participated and do‐ nated on the day.”

AFTER another challenging year that brought hope followed by more uncertainty, we are reminded of the things that mat‐ ter. Here at Euro Weekly News, we never ceased to be amazed by those who put others first in times of adversity.

Covering the news round the clock, we see closer than most the hardships endured

from

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At a time when the luxury of nor‐ mality still eludes us, let’s not forget those less fortu‐ nate than ourselves and those who make it their mission to make the world a better place. And let’s remember to cherish those closest to us, even if dis‐ tance often keeps us apart.

From everyone at Euro Weekly News, we would like to wish each one of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Euro Weekly News! by people close to home and further afield. But we are al‐ ways uplifted by what people can achieve when they come together and focus on doing the right thing. The stories of

kindness to others and the huge amounts of money raised by people in the com‐ munities we serve, always leaves us with a positive out‐ look on the world.

In the holiday mood HEALTH provider Ribera has provided 35 tons of basic prod‐ ucts for food banks and chari‐ table organisations this Christ‐ mas. Ribera, which provides outsourced medical attention for Health districts in five re‐ gions, acquired this with the al‐ location which before the Covid pandemic would nor‐ mally have been used for Christmas events. Taking part in the 11th edition of Give and Gain, Charity Action Week and Corporate Volunteers ‐ an ini‐

tiative from the Foretica associ‐ ation ‐ Ribera organised its first corporate volunteer group in hospitals, health centres, labo‐ ratories, technological sections and offices. Members of the Ribera group volunteered at the Red Cross (Denia), Con‐ cientate (Elche), Caritas (Mur‐ cia), the Casa de la Caridad (Va‐ lencia City), the Astor association (Torrejon, Madrid) and the Vigo Food Bank (Pon‐ tevedra) amongst others.

Ribera also encouraged em‐

Photo credit: Ribera Salud

RIBERA VOLUNTEERS: Ensuring that everyone can celebrate Christmas.

ployees at its health centres and hospitals to collaborate with Christmas decorations, helping to make departments and wards less intimidating. As well as the traditional Christ‐

mas trees in all its hospitals, which patients generally help to dress, more of its installa‐ tions have been decorated for the holiday season, Ribera said.

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NIBS EXTRA Cat carers TWENTY‐TWO Villajoyosa residents recently received cards that identified them as registered carers for the town’s feral colonies, to‐ gether with high‐viz waist‐ coats to wear when tending to the cats and feeding them. The town hall’s Ani‐ mal Welfare department al‐ so announced that 160 stray cats have been ster‐ ilised this year.

Terrace tax BENITACHELL councillors voted to suspend the mu‐ nicipal tax that local bars and restaurants usually pay the town hall for occupying public property and rights of way in 2022. This will be the third year that the mu‐ nicipality foregoes this tax to alleviate the effects of the Covid pandemic.

Budget lag BENIDORM Town Hall has yet to present its 2022 Bud‐ get, making it one of Ali‐ cante Province’s tardiest.

Next year’s income will be 5 per cent lower than 2021, owing to the elimination of capital gains tax and re‐ duced income from terrace dues and other rebates on local taxes.

Sundowner SAN VICENTE Town Hall op‐ posed recent proposals to build a solar energy plant in the El Sabinar zone covering a 278‐square metre area.

The project would infringe established guidelines for installing solar plants on most of the land included in the plans, the town hall’s Environment department maintained.

Fiesta off ALTEA’S Fiestas department announced that it is sus‐ pending the traditional Nochevieja events welcom‐ ing in the New Year in Altea and Altea la Vieja owing to the increase in Covid cases.

It was imperative to be re‐ sponsible and prevent the spread of the virus, ex‐ plained Fiestas councillor Marta Lloret.

23 - 29 December 2021

What a slippery present!

THERE are some very cosy toes at the Preventorio Infantil children’s home in Real de Gandia (Valencia) thanks to Iris Vaughan.

Iris, who is 93 and lives in Oliva, has few options on how to pass her days, her daughter Angela Town told the Euro Weekly News recently.

“Knitting and listening to audiobooks are her two main pastimes since losing most of her sight to macular degenera‐ tion,” Angela explained.

Encouraged by her daughter, who leads the local U3A Knitting group, and af‐ ter receiving a wonderful donation of wool from one of the members, Iris set about knitting slippers for the children’s home, Preventorio Infantil de Nuestra Señora del Amparo.

“When she reached 24 pairs, Iris

Photo credit: Angela Town

KNITTING MARATHON: Iris Vaughan made 50 pairs of slippers for children in care. thought that would be enough but had a shock when she discovered there are usually about 50 children using the home,” Angela said.

Undeterred, Iris picked up the pins again and carried on until reaching the suggested 50. All the pairs are different, in sizes ranging from very small to teenage years, and some are adorned with pom‐poms.

Iris did need to ask her daughter to help sew them together to make sure the stripes in the patterns matched, Angela said, but this was her only contribution.

After she contacted the home, a repre‐ sentative from the Preventorio said that the children would be overjoyed with the slippers and Angela has now delivered the slippers to the Gandia home.

Iris did not accompany her owing to the Covid situation but, as she said after‐ wards, knowing that slippers were need‐ ed and appreciated made it all worth‐ while.

Corazon Expres deadline

ALFAZ Town Hall has extended its Corazon Expres campaign un‐ til December 28. This is the second year that the municipality has taken part in the project which ensures that every child in Alfaz and the surrounding area will have a present this Christmas.

The Altea‐based charity, which links resources and needs, connecting charitable associations and organisations with families in a difficult situation, has installed Solidarity Christ‐ mas trees in town halls, public buildings and businesses in sev‐

eral Marina Baja municipalities. The trees are decorated with cards that give the name and age of a child, and participants need only buy a suitable present and then leave it under the same Solidarity tree.

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

L’Ampolla camouflage removed WORK has finally begun on the retaining wall at the L’Ampolla beach in Moraira.

The wall was badly damaged during severe storms last year, but work was delayed after the

company contracted to carry out the work in‐ creased the original ten‐ der.

The town hall preferred to call a halt, but as the summer season ap‐ proached, camouflaged

the wall with a tarpaulin printed with a drystone design.

The tarpaulin was the best way of ensuring that the image of one of Moraira’s principal beach‐ es was affected as little as

Making the money go round CALPE saved €996,108 on 115 municipal contracts throughout 2021.

The town hall’s Employment Plan per‐ sonnel have found that almost €1 mil‐ lion has been saved as a result of differ‐ ences in amounts set aside in the municipal Budget and expenditure on contracts eventually awarded.

Fifty‐four contracts for services in‐ volved savings of €181,231 and a further 36 for supplies saved €86,846 while 11 building contracts meant the town hall finally spent €475,444 less than it had al‐

lowed for. Ten mixed contracts brought savings of €41,585 and four more con‐ tracts for the hire of sunbeds, beach um‐ brellas and floating beach games were €210,000 below budget.

“None of this has made any difference to the contracts’ requirements,” empha‐ sised Calpe’s Contracts and Finance councillor Fernando Ortiz.

“Making the most of our resources benefits the municipality and Calpe resi‐ dents and allows us to carry out other projects,” he pointed out.

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possible during the high season, Teulada‐Moraira mayor Raul Llobell ex‐ plained at the time.

The town hall has now allocated €130,229 for the repairs, which will take two months to com‐ plete.

He was glad to have found a solution at last to such an important issue on the town hall’s politi‐ cal agenda, Llobell de‐ clared.

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Aid for Campello families

THE El Campello Chris‐ tian Community Vida y Familia provides food for the 100 members of 30 local families.

They began helping them at the start of the Covid pandemic and con‐ tinue to do so, Caroline Naylor, the Community’s secretary, told the Euro Weekly News.

They have been able to do so with help from the Alicante City Food Bank, their own efforts and money and food from generous donors, she said.

“The Bruised but not Broken charity shop in Campello’s Calle San Bar‐ tolome has also been collecting to supplement our Christmas gifts to these families,” Caroline explained.

They have now re‐ ceived the donations from Bruised but not Broken which were handed over on Decem‐ ber 14 to Diego Romay, son‐in‐law to the Com‐ munity’s pastor Juan Zuñiga, and Egoitz Barba Ruiz, a student at the Bethany House school for missionaries and pas‐ tors.

For more information about El Campello Chris‐ tian Community Vida y Familia or to donate, email campellocc@ gmail.com or visit the www.elcampellochris tiancommunity.org website and their Campello Christian Com‐ munity Facebook page.

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TEN-YEAR wait for car park. The La Ordana underground car park in San Juan town was built 10 years ago but has never been used. San Juan’s mayor Santiago Roman explained that opening the car park with its capacity for 280 vehicles was a priority. Once it had been auctioned off, the town hall intended to eliminate any obstacles that could prevent it from opening in early 2022, Roman said. Building began in 2007 and the €3.7 million project financed by the owners of the site and the car park’s future con‐ cessionary should have been completed within 14 months. In‐ stead work was halted in 2009 when the construction company suspended payments owing to the economic crisis.

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Raducanu wins SPOTY EMMA RADUCANU’S sen‐ sational win at the US Open catapulted her to fame and also landed her the 2021 BBC sports personality of the year award ahead of many strong candidates.

The highly publicised straight sets win in New York, made her one of the most marketable names in the sport. It came after she fought back following her withdrawal with Wimble‐ don due to illness.

Radacanu (19) was un‐ able to attend the BBC cere‐ mony after a positive Covid‐ 19 test and instead received a replica of the trophy in Abu Dhabi where she is in self‐isolation. Olympic diver Tom Daley came second, with swimming star Adam Peaty in third.

Emma receiving her award.

Clearly overjoyed she said it was “such an honour just to be among these nomi‐ nees.

“Thanks to all the fans and voters, this year has been insane,” she added.

“The energy this year play‐ ing at Wimbledon in front of my home crowd was something I’ve never felt before.”

The young star entered the US Open as a qualifier and became Britain’s first female Grand Slam winner since 1977.

THE Lions club Alfaz del Pi in collabo‐ ration with the Elian’s school of La Nucia, again took part in the peace poster contest, organised by Lions International. The first prize winner for the local selections was a girl who made a very nice poster and is also among the finalists at the na‐ tional level.

Peace poster Locally, the Lions gave a nice prize to the first, second and third prize winners. The drawings are now on display in the centro juvenil in La Nu‐ cia, and will soon be auctioned. The proceeds of this auction will be do‐ nated to the food bank Van La Nu‐

Chicas Amigas celebrate Christmas THE Chicas Amigas group held their Christmas gathering at the Olive Tree restaurant in Moraira, all efficiently producing their Covid passports for inspection on the way in, together with a present for the Secret Santa table. After a super traditional turkey meal enjoyed by all, Santa’s Elves scurried round delivering beautifully wrapped presents to tables as numbers were called. Thank you very much to Lynn and the staff of the Olive Tree, who made the event so enjoyable.

NEWS

cia. View the drawings via the Lions club website: www.lionsclubal fazdelpi.

You can also still admire the draw‐ ings from last year, and if you want to bid on the unsold drawings, you can do this too. Be generous with your donations, the people of the food bank will be grateful to you.

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UNLUCKY winning ticket. Two men who bought a winning lottery ticket with a stolen card were jailed after being found guilty of fraud. The men had stolen card details and used these to draw money and buy groceries along with some scratch cards at a Londis store in Clapham Common back in 2019.

One of those cards revealed a prize of £4 million. Suspi‐ cions were raised when they went to collect, but said they did not have a bank account, although the purchase of the winning scratch card had been made by debit card.

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Secret Santa couple New vaccine approved

A COUPLE left $10,000 to pay off the instal‐ ment plans of hundreds of families before Christmas at a Kmart in Melbourne, Australia.

One recipient commented: “That selfless act has done more for my family than I can even begin to explain.”

The secret Santa couple only had one re‐ quest. The money had to go towards paying off pre‐ordered Christmas gifts and toys, which were on instalment plans.

A Kmart spokesperson commented: “I think the intent behind the donation was al‐ leviating some of the financial pressures for families.

“We really have a lot of people coming in

O N December 20, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted a European licence to the Ameri‐ can vaccine Novavax. This is the fifth Covid‐19 vaccine available on the European market.

Its full regimen consists of two injections, three weeks apart. It

Xmas gifts and toys were paid for. and supporting our Kmart wishing tree ap‐ peal that do it in smaller amounts, but every year they support those in need.”

Javea RBL update

THE Javea branch of the Royal British Legion had a stall at a Javea Christmas Fair on Satur‐ day, December 11 and the weather was out‐ standing. They ran a ‘Meet the Legion’ event and raised €239.

The Branch held its last meeting of the year on December 14 and the 4 Amigos handed over a massive €3,050 to the Poppy Appeal from their sponsored cycle ride and quiz night. It was a huge undertaking for them to complete the 1,850km cycle ride from Denia to the Cenotaph by Remem‐ brance Sunday but, injuries aside, they smashed their fundraising target.

On December 16, branch members en‐ joyed a Christmas lunch at La Cocina, Javea.

The food was fabulous, and the staff looked after everyone very well. Pam and her elves did a wonderful job of organising the lunch and raffle. The local ‘Lite Bites’ lunch group donated the €150 proceeds from their November lunch to the British Legion Poppy Appeal. So, a big thank you to Lite Bites.

To end the year, the final figure for this year’s Poppy Appeal was announced with

the Javea Branch achieving a massive €10,183.74. They would like to thank every business and organisation who had a Poppy Collection box and to everyone who donat‐ ed cash, raffle prizes or their time to make this year’s Poppy Appeal such a success.

Every single cent donated in Spain re‐ mains in Spain to help the British Legion sup‐ port our serving and retired UK Armed Forces and their families in our community.

They have some great social and fundrais‐ ing events planned for 2022. If you would like to join the Legion to meet new friends, get involved in social events or volunteer in the community, please contact the secre‐ tary, Louise Hunt, at Javea.secretary@ RBL.community.

Alternatively, go to the Facebook page: Royal British Legion ‐ Javea Branch or visit the website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/ branches/javea.

You don’t have to have served to become a member. Branch meetings take place at Paris 24, Javea on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

can be stored, handled, and dis‐ tributed, at refrigerator tempera‐ tures between 1.7 and 7.8 Celsius.

This vaccine is based on a sta‐ bilised form of protein S from the virus, for which recombinant pro‐ tein nanoparticles have been used.

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No confinement

ON December 18, Presi‐ dent Pedro Sanchez ruled out the implementation of confinements or se‐ vere restrictions due to the rise of Covid‐19 infec‐ tions. Instead, the gov‐ ernment expressed its commitment to vaccina‐ tion and the use of masks to combat the latest wave.

According to govern‐ ment sources, there is no imminent forecast to an‐ nounce confinements or any other restrictive mea‐

Restrictions ruled out.

sures. Carolina Darias, the Minister of Health, stated that there had been “a turning point” in the in‐ crease in infections al‐ though it remained “slow and sustained.” Its impact on the healthcare system,

given the escalation of cases in recent days, was also pointed out.

Ms Darias highlighted the importance of the im‐ minent gathering of the Conference of Presidents.

Regarding the lack of a global response that had been demanded by some communities, Darias reit‐ erated her commitment to co‐governance. She pointed out that up until now, they have managed to bend all the curves, thanks to acting “jointly.”

No mulled wine for offenders

MULLED wine and brandy are off the cards for alcohol‐tagged offenders along with oth‐ er Christmas tipples. Nearly 800 people have been tagged with alcohol monitoring tags this Christmas. The new technology is being used by the probation service to stop alco‐ hol‐fuelled crime. Nearly 40 per cent of all vi‐ olent crime in the UK involves alcohol con‐ sumption. This includes domestic abuse which is known to increase dramatically over the festive period. Crime, Policing and

Probation Minister Kit Malthouse com‐ mented: “Alcohol‐fuelled violence ruins too many lives and families and creates may‐ hem in our town centres. It is a sad reality that over Christmas we see a worrying spike in domestic abuse and crimes fuelled by drink. Sobriety tags have already brought enormous benefit helping offenders change their ways and the Probation Service to clamp down on this behaviour and protect victims from further violence.”

NEWS

Executions return to Japan ON December 21, Japan carried out executions for the first time in two years when three death row inmates were executed.

A justice ministry official com‐ mented: “Three death row in‐ mates were executed today.”

The men had all been convicted of atrocious crimes. One had killed seven family members and neigh‐ bours in a terrifying knife and ham‐ mer attack in 2004. The other two had carried out a double murder in 2003.

Japan last carried out executions in 2019 when three executions were performed. In 2018, a stag‐ gering 15 executions were carried out. This included 13 members of a sect involved in a Tokyo gas attack.

The Deputy Secretary‐General of the Government Seiji Kihara commented: “Whether or not to retain the death penalty is a crucial issue that concerns the founda‐ tions of Japan’s criminal justice sys‐ tem.”

Despite criticism from human rights organisations, backing for capital punishment is strong in the country.

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Barbarians Rugby win 2 out of 3 A BUSY schedule for the Barbarians on Saturday December 18 and Sunday December 19 saw them win two out of the three games the club played.

First up was the Under 16s away to Tatami in Valencia. Losing three players the night before to illness was a bitter blow to the ever‐improving team and although they battled bravely, finally went down to a strong Tatami team who, with more players, pulled away from the Ba Bas in the final 20 minutes.

A truly gutsy performance against a bigger Tatami team can only help their development at this level, with all the players putting in spirited performances.

Next up was the Under 14s at home to La Vila on Sunday morning in Denia.

The team continue to show promise and are starting to develop into a fine young team and can take heart from a superb performance against La Vila, the area’s biggest profile club, running out clear winners 46‐3 at the final whistle.

The under 14s played La Vila.

The last match of the weekend was the seniors away to Orihuela, south of Alicante. On a lovely sunny morning, the seniors, missing nine first team players through injury and unavailabili‐ ty, won a tough game 36‐3, a result that shows the great spirit and depth within the senior’s camp at the mo‐ ment. With three players who have not played the club this season, and two in‐ jured players coming off the bench, they put in a great shift to secure a much‐deserved victory which puts the

Barbarians top of the league going into 2022.

If you are interested in playing rugby on the Marina Alta, the Barbarians Rug‐

by Club based in Denia, run S14 and S16 academy teams and a senior team which plays in the local Valencia league.

For more information call Mac on 609 646 349 or Santi on 676 612 357.

From the Barbarians Rugby Club, may we also take this opportunity to wish everyone a merry Xmas and a happy and prosperous year in 2022 .

French ski season scuppered AS the French resort of Chamonix sees some of its best snow in years, some restaurants are releasing staff as business drops due to the ban on UK tourists.

The French ski season was looking forward to a huge Christmas after restrictions stopped the snow party last year, but now cancella‐ tion after cancellation is coming instead.

Flights and ferries had been fully booked in the run‐up to December, but

The slopes are quiet.

after the final day rush through the Eurostar and the port of Dover before the ban came into force, re‐

ports are coming in of 10 cars to a ship instead. It fol‐ lows the warning of a land‐ slide of new Omicron cases and that all non‐essential travel from the UK was to be banned.

The quietness of the pistes and the start of the French ski season is draw‐ ing comparisons with last year and people fear a new full lockdown is looming as France struggles to catch up with its booster pro‐ gramme and tests.

‘We Serve’ ON December 14, the Lions club of Alfaz del Pi donated €500 for the purchase of food for the food bank of Alfaz del Pi. Even during the holidays they are always ready to help these people, to give them a merry Christmas and New Year for the time being. ‘We Serve’ is their motto after all. If you also want to be part of this international organisation and contribute to the needy community, please contact the Lions club quickly at 655 918 986 or take a look at their website: www.lionsclub alfazdelpi.es.

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23 - 29 December 2021

NEWS

BA cancels many flights BRITISH AIRWAYS can‐ celled multiple flights over the weekend of De‐ cember 18 and 19. The shortage of baggage han‐ dlers also led to chaos with Brits being asked to leave their bags behind at the airport.

The airline said that they would be couriered on later, but many passen‐ gers were not happy.

Passengers complaining.

British Airways’ cus‐ tomers took to social me‐

dia to complain about the lack of luggage. One per‐ son commented: “@British_Airways entire BA636 flight to #Athens departed from London without any luggage load‐ ed. And no alert to pas‐ sengers.”

Earlier this month British Airways grounded more than 2,000 flights until March 2022. A

spokesperson for the air‐ line explained that it was not due to worries over the new Omicron variant or Coronavirus travel re‐ strictions being put in place.

The airline commented: “Like other airlines, due to the continuing Coron‐ avirus pandemic we are operating a reduced and dynamic schedule.”

Life-extending pill Space age research A FOUNTAIN-OF-YOUTH pill could be on the horizon af‐ ter scientists dramatically extended the life of mice by in‐ jecting elderly rodents with a grape seed extract.

The extract extended their remaining time by 60 per cent and boosted overall lifespan by 9 per cent ‐ this is equivalent to over a decade of human life.

Dr Yu Sun, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai said: “The plant chemical has high potential as a clinical intervention to delay, alleviate, or prevent illness‐ es.” The flavonoid known as PCC1 gets rid of ‘zombie’ or ‘senescent’ cells that have stopped dividing. As we age, they naturally build‐up and release chemicals that result in inflammation.

RESEARCH into ageing is set to blast into space as scientists aim to solve the puzzle of why muscles get weaker with age. The UK Space Agency is funding the research by scientists at the University of Liver‐ pool. Astronauts in space get weaker due to the lack of gravity.

When they return to earth their muscles recover though. Experts are set to study how muscle tissue responds to zero gravity in the hopes that this will give insights into how we age and how to prevent it. Sci‐ ence Minister George Freeman said: “As we get older, our bones and muscles get weaker, but scientists don’t fully understand how this happens. “The research of our scientist astronauts like Tim Peake on muscle loss in the microgravity of space is helping identify potential cures for musculoskeletal disease, which causes agony to millions and costs the NHS billions” he added. “By harnessing the unique environment of the International Space Station our pioneer‐ ing scientists could help us all live healthier, stronger lives.”

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NEWS

Booster analysis research RESEARCHERS in the UK have completed prelimi‐ nary analysis on the likely impact that a Covid boost‐ er shot will have on the new variant and say it could provide around 85

per cent protection against severe Omicron symptoms.

This level of protection is lower than the vaccines given against earlier strains but should still be enough to keep many people out of hospital.

Experts are still trying to ascertain how Omicron will play out, and whether the relatively mild symp‐ toms seen so far are in‐ dicative for all cases. The modelling completed by the team at Imperial Col‐ lege London is based on

Booster is advised. the limited information sci‐ entists currently have on Omicron. This means there is a high level of uncertain‐

ty until more real‐world in‐ formation is gathered.

The vaccines currently available help to teach the body how to fight Covid, but as the new variant has heavily mutated from the original, the doses avail‐ able are not a perfect match and so are less effec‐ tive.

To get around this, peo‐ ple are being advised to get their booster to build high‐ er antibody levels as this should create less severe Omicron symptoms.

Tennis star retracts claim

PENG SHUAI, the Chinese tennis star at the centre of a worldwide scandal has re‐ tracted the sexual assault claim that started off the en‐ tire saga. But the Women’s Tennis Association still be‐ lieves she is not acting under her own steam.

“I wanted to make this very clear: I have never claimed, or wrote about any‐ one having sexually assault‐ ed me,” Peng said. “With re‐ gards to Weibo, it’s about my personal privacy. There’s been a lot of misunderstand‐ ing. There [should be] no dis‐ torted interpretation.”

This new statement appar‐ ently contradicts the note that appeared on the social media site Weibo on Novem‐

ber 2. The note stated that the former vice‐premier of China, Zhang Gaoli, had co‐ erced Peng into sex after a visit to his house. The essay was taken down less than half an hour after it was pub‐ lished, and Peng disappeared from public view for two

weeks, which led to a global press storm. The new inter‐ view came as fresh footage of Peng emerged online on December 19. But with the WTA still having “a hard time believing” Peng Shuai is act‐ ing of her own volition; the issue is far from resolved.

and finally...

MOURNING PERIOD. North Korea banned its citizens from laughing, shopping, and drinking from December 17 onwards as part of an 11‐day mourning period on the 10th anniversary of the passing of former leader, Kim Jong‐il. Kim Jong‐il ruled the republic of North Ko‐ rea from 1994 to his death in 2011 and died due to a heart attack at the age of 69 on December 17. He was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong‐un.

NEWS

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23 - 29 December 2021

Russian demands

RUSSIA has put forward a list of security guarantees that it wants the West to agree to in order to lower the tensions across Eu‐ rope and defuse the crisis over the Ukraini‐ an border. Many of the Russian demands on the list have already been ruled out and se‐ curity experts across the world have deemed the requests unacceptable.

The eight‐point draft treaty was released

by Russia’s foreign ministry after months of escalation and as more troops gathered with‐ in striking distance of Ukraine’s border.

Moscow has said if its interests are ignored, then it would lead to a “military response” similar to the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.

One of the Russian demands wants a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to

Troops gathered at the Ukraine border.

Nato’s eastern flank. Russia has also demand‐ ed that Nato rule out further expansion, in‐ cluding the accession of Ukraine into the al‐ liance. Nato head, Jens Stoltenberg, has already ruled out any agreements denying Ukraine the right to enter the military al‐ liance.

Cotswolds mammoths IN an exceptional discovery, five Ice‐age mammoths have been discovered perfectly pre‐ served in the Cotswolds, Eng‐ land. The remains were discov‐ ered near Swindon and the find will be explored by Sir David Attenborough as part of a new documentary.

Viewers will be able to see

Attenborough and the Mam‐ moth Graveyard on December 30, on BBC1. Sir David will be joined by Professor Ben Gar‐ rod and DigVentures archaeol‐ ogists. The documentary will feature the excavation of the Ice‐age mammoths.

Garrod commented on the incredible find. He said: “This is

one of the most important dis‐ coveries in British palaeontolo‐ gy.

“Where these mammoths lie in the ground is exactly where they died a quarter of a million years ago ‐ next to in‐ credible things like stone tools and the snails they trampled underfoot.”

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NEWS

Omicron sleep symptom AS the Omicron variant takes hold and becomes the dominant strain across multiple countries, re‐ search is allowing scien‐ tists and doctors to pin‐ point new differences

between this version of the virus and the older ones. Surprisingly, the main Omicron symptom that sets it apart from the others occurs while you sleep.

Germany bans Brits GERMANY has banned Brit tourists and classed the UK as a ‘Covid area of concern’ as the number of Omi‐ cron cases rises dramatically.

The world is battling the Omicron variant and Ger‐ many is the latest country to decide to ban travel to and from the UK under certain conditions. According to the German government, the new measures were brought in to try and slow the advance of the Omicron variant.

The new measures came into place from midnight on Sunday, December 19. Only German nationals and residents will be allowed to travel freely into Germany from the UK, unless they are transiting through the country. Anyone who does want to travel to Germany from the UK will need to have a negative PCR test and spend 14 days in quarantine.

Germany also considers South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zim‐ babwe to be high risk countries for the Omicron vari‐ ant.

In South Africa, where Omicron was first se‐ quenced, doctors have dis‐ covered that patients with the new strain have been suffering from serious night sweats, says Dr Amir Khan, speaking on UK TV. He also explained how patients are experiencing body aches and pains, fever, fatigue, and a dry cough.

Dr Khan said: “The symp‐

toms that are coming out of South Africa by the doc‐ tors that are looking after patients with Omicron show these five new symp‐ toms. “A scratchy throat, mild muscle aches, ex‐ treme tiredness, a dry cough and night sweats.

That kind of drenching night sweats where you might have to get up and change your clothes.

Mask-less teacher suspended A MALAGA teacher who refuses to wear a mask while teach‐ ing his classes has been suspended from his duties for six months. A disciplinary file has been opened against his name so he will not be able to practise teaching elsewhere for the stated time. The Ministry of Education has confirmed the sus‐ pension.

The teacher joins two others from Granada who have also been suspended from their roles. The suspensions may de‐ velop further under the new protocols that have been made by the Education, Health and Families department, and the teachers involved have been replaced by others for the dura‐ tion. The suspensions also come with a suspension of salary.

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FEATURE

Occupation of a property. What to do if the neighbour occupies our land or property. Injunction to regain possession. Legal advice.

IN today’s article we are go‐ ing to talk about what to do in the event of the occupa‐ tion of a property that we are using. For example, if we have problems with the neighbour, because he has occupied, and included in his fence, part of our land.

The procedure to regain or retain possession In the Spanish civil proce‐ dure law (LEC), this special procedure is regulated in its article 250.1.4º.

It is a summary procedure, that is, supposedly faster and focused only on recovering or retaining possession. We can‐ not deal with other matters, even if they are related to the occupation.

It is not even the right pro‐ cess to discuss who has a bet‐ ter right to use the property, or who is the actual owner.

Only to discuss about posses‐ sion.

And it will be processed as

a verbal trial, which is faster than ordinary trials.

Legal basis for the claim In this type of procedure, only the protection of posses‐ sion is discussed. That is to say, that the person who had been possessing and enjoying the property or thing, has been disturbed or deprived of the possession, or use of the thing, etc.

Therefore, it must be proven that he / she was oc‐ cupying or using the thing.

No, it will be discussed if we have a better or worse right than someone else to use the thing or property, or if we have its possession or not.

The legal basis is article 441 of the Spanish civil code, which states that no one can be violently stripped of a thing that he had been pos‐ sessing. That is to say, no one can by force (even if he has a better right or if is the owner)

take a thing from who has it.

Term to claim for the pos‐ session or occupation of a property This type of legal proce‐ dure must be presented be‐ fore the period of one year, since the events have oc‐ curred. This is what article 439 of the LEC says.

Examples of disturbances of possession protected by this procedure The best known example is perhaps the occupation of a home or property by so‐ called ‘squatters.’ Although in reality this would be dealt with by the procedure con‐ tained in article 250.1.4º ‐ second paragraph.

But also, it is common and can be protected by this pro‐ cedure, the occupation of a property by a neighbour. For example, let’s imagine that the neighbour moves the fence that separates the properties. And he incorpo‐

rates to his property, part of our plot, fencing it and includ‐ ing it in his side. And it is a plot that we have been en‐ joying and using ourselves (even if it is not ours). This seizure or removal of the use of land by force can be pro‐ tected by this type of proce‐ dure. Although we are not the owners; as long as we were the ones who used it and had the possession.

Conclusion If you have problems with your neighbour. If you have suffered the occupation of a property or plot by your neighbour, or similar. If someone is harming the use or possession over a thing or property. And if you need ex‐ pert legal advice, contact us.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys information relating to legal matters.

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

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NEWS

IL Divo star dies

CARLOS MARIN, the Spanish voice from international singing sensations, Il Divo, passed away on Sunday, De‐ cember 19, aged just 53.

He had been rushed to Manchester Royal Hospital on December 7, where he was admitted to the ICU, and re‐ portedly placed in an induced coma. His tragic passing was confirmed on Twitter by his saddened bandmates. “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our

Marin from Il Divo, RIP.

friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away,” they posted, accompanied by a photo of the singer.

They continued, “He will be missed by his friends, family, and fans. There wiIl never be another voice or spirit like Car‐ los.”

Il Divo was formed in De‐ cember 2003, by music mogul, Simon Cowell. They enjoyed worldwide fame, sell‐ ing over 30 million copies of their operatic pop albums.

Netherlands lockdown

THE Netherlands entered a Christmas lock‐ down on Sunday December 19, to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Non‐essential shops, bars, restaurants, and other public places were ordered to close.

On Monday, December 20, schools also closed, and the lockdown will remain in place until at least January 14, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced.

He said it was “unavoidable because of the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant that is bearing down on us.”

Elsewhere, ministers in Austria, Cyprus and France have also toughened restrictions on travel and Paris has cancelled its New Year’s Eve fireworks. Denmark has closed its the‐ atres, concert halls, amusement parks and museums for Christmas and regional health ministers in Germany have urged the national government to tighten rules on people arriv‐ ing from the UK. The UK is currently experiencing its highest Covid numbers and there have been talks of lockdowns.

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NEWS

Brit found dead

A BRITISH expat, who has not been named, has been found dead after going miss‐ ing on December 6. The man had lived on a boat that had been anchored on a river be‐ tween Portugal and Spain.

He was last seen in the mu‐ nicipality of Alcoutim near the Guerreiros do Rio area.

The man’s body was dis‐

covered close to the area from where he disappeared.

According to reports, the Maritime police were alerted to a body being discovered by locals in Portugal. It is thought that the body be‐ longed to a 63‐year‐old British man.

When the search opera‐ tion was launched by Por‐

tuguese and Spanish police, the authorities thought it was possible that the man could have fallen from his boat. The boat belonging to the man had been seen with no one aboard and was said to be adrift.

A post‐mortem will be car‐ ried out. It is not thought the death was suspicious.

Lord Frost resigns

IN a sensational turn of events on De‐ cember 18, Lord Frost ‐ who negotiated Britain’s departure from the EU ‐ re‐ signed from his position in the cabinet.

Lord Frost is believed to have handed in his resignation a week earlier, but the prime minister allegedly tried to per‐ suade him to stay until January. His deci‐ sion to quit is thought to have been the result of a growing disillusionment with the Conservative Party’s direction.

The introduction of Boris Johnson’s ‘Plan B’ Covid measures were cited as be‐ ing the last straw in prompting the Brexit

Minister to resign. Discontent had also been growing over the staggering cost of ‘net zero’ environmental policies, and over tax rises in Britain.

Earlier this week Mr Johnson had faced the largest revolt among Tory MPs since he took control of No10 Downing Street when almost 100 MPs voted against the government’s ‘Plan B’ measures.

This was followed by the loss of the North Shropshire by‐election, by a 23,000 majority. These events have led to rumblings of a possible leadership challenge

FEATURE

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23 - 29 December 2021

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Resolve to review your financial planning for 2022 The New Year is a time when most of us take stock of our situation and set goals to improve our health, happiness, lifestyle and wealth. This January, make it one of your resolutions to check your financial planning is on track to meet your needs and protect your long-term financial security.

Why regular reviews are important Regular reviews help keep your financial affairs compliant and up-to-date. Tax rules or financial regulations often change, which may affect the tax efficiency of existing arrangements. There may be new opportunities you could find beneficial. And with Brexit still relatively new, it is important to keep ahead of any further developments that may affect you.

Consider also if any changes in your personal and family circumstances mean you should adjust your arrangements.

For a truly effective review, and to ensure it is suitable for

In today’s world of ‘automatic exchange of information’, it’s more important than ever to get it right. Cross-border tax planning is complex; take specialist advice to achieve peace of mind and secure tax savings.

By James Johnson, Associate Partner, Blevins Franks

your life in Spain, consider how your tax planning, investments, pensions and estate planning work together.

Tax planning Make sure you know where you are resident for tax purposes, especially if you are new to Spain or spend time in both countries. You can then structure your wealth in the most suitable way to minimise taxation, while still meeting your obligations.

Savings and investments If you do not already have a financial plan in place for Spain, take a fresh look at your savings and investments. Are they better suited to a UK resident? Do they meet your risk/reward appetite? Are you taking advantage of tax-efficient opportunities in Spain?

Successful investing is about having a strategy specifically based around your personal circumstances, time horizon, needs, aims and risk tolerance.

Ensure you have adequate diversification to avoid over-exposure to any given country, asset type, sector or company.

Explore investment structures that allow multi-currency flexibility to help minimise exchange rate risk.

Pensions

Pensions are usually key to financial security through retirement, so deciding what to do with yours could be one of the most important financial decisions you make.

Take the time to explore all the options, weighing the pros and cons and considering the tax implications and potential benefits in Spain.

Take regulated advice to protect your retirement benefits from pension scams and do what is right for your circumstances and aims.

Estate planning It is vital to review your estate planning when living in Spain. Both succession law and tax work very differently to the UK. For example, Spain’s ‘forced heirship’ rules could automatically pass a significant proportion of your worldwide estate to your direct family, whatever your intentions. You can specify in your will for the EU regulation ‘Brussels IV’ to apply relevant British law to your estate, but understand your options

and any tax implications.

Your estate plan should be set up to achieve your wishes in the most tax-efficient way possible.

If you remain UK domiciled – as many expatriates do – you continue to be liable for UK inheritance tax, so plan to reduce this liability for your heirs.

To bring all these complex elements together and ensure you haven’t missed out on any opportunities, take expert, crossborder advice. Spending time on a financial health-check can secure peace of mind that you and your family are in the best position to enjoy a prosperous 2022 and beyond.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; individuals should seek personalised advice.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevins franks.com.

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NEWS

Lib Dems shock win

F U R T H E R pressure has been piled on Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the Lib Dems pulled off a shock win in North Shropshire, traditionally a Conservative safe seat.

The by‐election on De‐ cember 16, triggered by the resignation of Owen Paterson, saw candidate Helen Morgan win by a 5,925 votes with Labour coming a distant third.

The Lib Dems polled nearly 50 per cent more votes than the Conserva‐ tives in an election that was always going to be a test of Conservative poli‐ cy and their handling of crises, including the res‐ ignation of Paterson over the lobbying scan‐ dal.

Speaking after the win, Morgan who is the Lib Dems’ 13th MP after a poor showing at the last election, said “the voters of North Shropshire had spoken loudly and clear‐ ly, the party is over.”

Helen Morgan won seat.

Directly referring to Johnson she said “Your government, run on lies and bluster, will be held accountable. It will be scrutinised; it will be challenged, and it can and will be defeated.”

NHS dilemma

THE leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, has challenged Nicola Sturgeon over the impact of Covid on cancer care within the NHS, asking her to commit that cancer services will be protected in any redeployment of care sparked by coronavirus.

He has insisted that the NHS should not be made to choose between cancer and Covid.

Sarwar says this means that screening pro‐ grammes must not be paused again in the same way they were at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Also, cancer operations should not be cancelled because of Covid pressures either.

The Scottish party leader tweeted: “Since the start of the pandemic, almost 30,000 of our fellow Scots have died from cancer.

“Every one of these deaths ‐ just like Covid ‐ is a tragedy.

“There must be no pause to screening pro‐ grammes, no cancelled cancer operations, and a genuine acceleration so we can catch up on cas‐ es.”

NEWS

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23 - 29 December 2021

DiCaprio saves drowning dogs

H O L LY W O O D actor Leonardo DiCaprio jumped into a frozen lake to save his beloved huskies while filming his latest movie, Don’t Look Up, set to be released on Netflix on December 24.

The 47‐year‐old star re‐ called in an interview with Entertainment Weekly how he desperately jumped into the lake: “Yeah, and then I went in,” he said. “(Living in California) I didn't under‐ stand what you do at a frozen lake.”

Co‐star Jennifer Lawrence said: “One of the dogs fell in and he jumped into the frozen lake to save the dog and as soon as he pushed the one dog out, the other one jumped in.

“The other one started licking the one that was drowning and then we all were in the frozen lake to‐ gether,” said Leo. Jennifer then said, jok‐ ingly: “He immediately got naked in the car.”

A frosty dip for Leonardo.

DiCaprio has three dogs; the two huskies are called Jack and Jill and are littermates. He and his girlfriend, Camila Mor‐ rone, began fostering the pups during the pandem‐ ic.

Alec Baldwin warrant

THE investigation into the death of Halyna Hutchins, who died on the set of the movie Rust, has taken a new turn with a search war‐ rant issued for Alec Bald‐ win’s phone. The warrant has been issued by a Sante Fe court in New Mexico, where the film was being shot.

Of interest on the phone are messages that are be‐ lieved to have been ex‐ changed between Baldwin and an unnamed person,

which could shed more light on the events of that fatal day.

Baldwin who was filming on set was given a gun that was apparently ‘safe’ how‐ ever he pointed it at the Di‐ rector of Filmography, and it went off killing her and in‐ juring the Director of the western Joel Souza.

With a search warrant is‐ sued for the actor’s phone, the story is not yet finished and it would seem there are more revelations to come.

STATS

4.3

Sound travels 4.3 times faster through water than in air.

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A load of baubles NANA BAUBLES: Recognised by the Guinness World Records.

New Welsh Covid restrictions

PEOPLE in Wales are being ‘strongly advised’ to limit so‐ cialising in the run up to Christmas as the new Omicron variant takes hold.

New Covid restrictions are coming into force on Monday December 27 to try and head off another peak of infection.

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford set out the new two‐phase plan as the country responds to a double‐head‐ ed Delta and Omicron spike. Omicron is expected to be the dominant form of the virus in the UK by the end of the month.

From December 27, nightclubs in Wales will have to close and there will be new restrictions put in place.

These will include a two‐metre social distancing rule for businesses and maximum capacities in indoor places.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Delta will continue to be the main cause of coronavirus infections in Wales up to Christmas. But we are seeing cases of Omicron increas‐ ing rapidly every day in Wales ‐ and across the UK.”

SYLVIA POPE, a grand‐ mother from Swansea has broken a festive world record for the largest collec‐ tion of Christmas baubles.

Known as Nana Baubles, Sylvia is the proud owner of 1,760 festive ornaments, a total recognised by the Guinness World Records.

Ms Pope, who turns 79 on Boxing Day, hopes to pass the 2,000 mark this Christmas with her collec‐ tion coming from all over the world. Whenever she travels, she buys baubles, with items coming from as far away as New York.

Ms Pope starts putting them up in September long before any of us even begin to think about Christmas and decorating our homes.

She remembers where most of the baubles come from and has her favourites.

Amongst her favourites are a lobster, a hamburger, Dis‐ ney characters and of course Big Ben. But her number one is a Royal Doul‐ ton Royal Jubilee celebra‐ tion edition, representing her ‘love’ of Queen Eliza‐ beth, who she thinks is ‘wonderful.’

NEWS

BBC cuts content

IT has been revealed that the BBC cut content in 2021, with an increase in repeat programming of 22 per cent.

The under‐fire national broadcaster had been in‐ structed by the government to reduce its budget follow‐ ing the reintroduction of li‐ cence fees for the elderly.

The respected broadcast‐ er has in the past produced many original programmes but often at great cost, with seemingly unlimited bud‐ gets at times. The growing cost of running the BBC had drawn the ire of the Conser‐ vative government.

To meet the demand for reduced overheads a new strategy was introduced lim‐ iting the creation of original content and increasing the incidence of repeat pro‐ gramming. The BBC had said this strategy would account for more than 40 per cent of the savings it needed to make, whilst scheduling changes would account for 11 per cent. In addition, the

NATIONAL BROADCASTER: Had to reduce its budget.

organisation said that it would look to increase its revenue from sales.

According to the National Audit Office (NAO), in‐

creased repeats has resulted in the organisation saving over £1 billion so far this year, exceeding its projected savings of £800,000.

and finally...

MUSIC icon Bruce Springsteen has sold his entire music catalogue to Sony for around $500 million, a record amount for the musical work of an artist, fol‐ lowing in the footsteps of Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

The sale covers all the classic compositions of the New Jersey rocker’s records such as Born to Run, Born in the USA and The River.

According to analysts, this money would be the largest transaction ever made for the musical work of an artist.

NEWS

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23 - 29 December 2021

German police raids

POLICE have conducted raids in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony after Premier Michael Kretschmer received death threats for backing Coronavirus measures. The officers searched several properties in the state capital Dresden and nearby Heidenau, after Covid extremists were discovered to be organising violent at‐ tacks.

The far‐right activists are suspected of plot‐ ting violence with crossbows and other weapons. This occurred after Mr Kretschmer

rescinded his statement from last year warn‐ ing people of Covid “hysteria” and has now gone on to back strict Coronavirus measures.

The state of Saxony has the lowest vaccina‐ tion take‐up of all of Germany. The police in the state released information about the raids and security forces, including the special Soko Rex anti‐extremist unit which raided several locations following a German TV documen‐ tary drawing attention to the death threats last week.

JFK documents declassified THE United States Govern‐ ment has lifted the veil of the official secrets act from 1,491 documents related to the death of former presi‐ dent John F Kennedy in Dal‐ las, Texas in 1963. There are still documents hidden un‐ der the act by the govern‐ ment which means there are still some secrets to be re‐ leased.

Legislation said that reports of the killing should have been made public within 25 years, which would have been 2017. There is a clause, however, that there can be

postponement for security concerns.

Donald Trump ordered the disclosure of 2,800 docu‐ ments while he was in office but decided to keep hun‐ dreds of others secret. In to‐ tal, the National Archives have released more than 90 per cent of the documents on JFK’s assassination.

Kennedy’s death has in‐

trigued people since it hap‐ pened, and still has amateur sleuths from around the world scratching their heads.

The Warren Commission, the official report into the shooting, said that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, but many historians and scholars continue to raise doubts about this version of events.

STATS

1

Your mouth produces 1 litre of saliva a day.

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Tesla taxi crash Model 3 cars suspended.

A TAXI firm in Paris has suspended the use of Tesla Model 3 cars in its fleet following a crash involving one of the vehicles. An investigation has been launched by French police after the Tesla reportedly collided with a cyclist, three

Apple home-worker bonus THE technology giant Apple has suspended the re‐ turn of all its workers to its offices indefinitely. In ad‐ dition, it will give all of its employees $1,000 each (around €884 at current exchange rates) so that they can equip their home offices and continue working from home.

Tim Cook, the CEO of the company, announced this plan by email to his employees on December 15. The decision was made due to concern about the in‐ crease in Covid‐19 cases, and the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant.

A return to offices was planned for February 22, 2022, but the company has now left the return to of‐ fice date open. Other large companies, such as Google, Uber, and Amazon, have also delayed their return to the offices for the same reason and many have offered similar packages to support home working.

pedestrians and a van.

The company, G7, which has 37 of the Tesla vehicles under its name, has said it will halt usage until the investigation is complete. The French Transport Minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, said on December 15 there was no suggestion that a technical problem was to blame for the incident.

Yann Ricordel, the deputy chief executive at G7, said the driver was off duty when the accident happened and was taking his family to a restaurant.

According to the driver, he tried to brake but the car accelerated instead. It was unclear if the car was in autopilot mode during the Tesla taxi crash.

Heathrow charges to rise PASSENGERS at Heathrow may have to pay increased charges of more than 50 per cent from January 1.

This comes after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ap‐ proved price rises to “reflect the uncertainty of the re‐ covery of passenger volumes from the pandemic as Heathrow has made a loss of £3.4 billion since the start of the pandemic.”

Although the charges are paid by the airlines, they are usually covered in passengers’ airfares.

A spokesperson for Heathrow has said the cap range of £32 to £43 has left them “extremely disappointed.”

They also said it “relies on rushed analysis and will un‐ dermine passenger experience.”

The cap will increase or decrease depending on pas‐ senger numbers and commercial revenue.

NEWS

Piers Morgan revelation PIERS MORGAN believes he caught Covid‐19 at the Euro 2020 final in July and has revealed he is still bat‐ tling long Covid months lat‐ er.

The 56‐year‐old former Good Morning Britain host said he is thankful that he was double jabbed when he was infected. He comment‐ ed on the effects of long Covid during a Twitter ex‐ change with Sky News Tech‐ nology Correspondent Row‐ land Manthorpe who revealed he had “a nasty case of long Covid. Eight months and counting.”

Morgan replied: “DM me, I had the same for five

months, but new meds seem to be cracking it.”

Piers previously told fans about his symptoms: “Aside from ongoing tedious fa‐ tigue and inability to taste wine, all the coughing’s caused a ‘posterior vitreous detachment’ in my left eye.”

Shortly after catching the virus, he wrote in his col‐ umn: “Been a week now and although the fever’s long gone, the fatigue keeps overwhelming me like a so‐ porific tidal wave.

“I haven’t even read a newspaper since developing symptoms, which for a news junkie like me is unprece‐ dented.”

and finally...

NASA has made history as the Parker spacecraft offi‐ cially ‘touched’ the sun. On December 14, NASA con‐ firmed that Parker had made its way through the sun’s corona. The historic event happened in April but it has taken months for the data to return from the spacecraft due to the distance. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after astrophysicist Eugene Parker.

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NEWS

No to gender ITV changes neutral passports G E N D E R neutral passports have been rejected in the UK despite a campaign from Christie Elan‐Cane, who is non‐gendered.

Following the verdict for ‘X’ gender markers in British passports, Christie Elan‐Cane said: “Justice was not served.”

Elan‐Cane’s landmark battle, which argues that it is discriminatory to force non‐binary and non‐gen‐ dered citizens to falsely declare themselves to be male or female for the purposes of a travel docu‐ ment, became the first‐ever trans civil rights case to be heard by the UK’s highest court.

Lord Read announced that the Supreme Court agreed with the government’s decision that making ‘X’ gender markers available on passports would have “adverse implications for the security aspects for the use of passports” and “result in substantial administrative costs.”

THE Spanish government has announced ITV changes for 2022, bringing the roadworthy test in line with new technologies that are incorpo‐ rated in many modern vehicles.

In addition to the Technical Inspection Card and the vehicle’s licence, you will have to show the identity document of the owner and pro‐ vide proof of insurance. The minimum insur‐ ance requirement will be damage to third par‐ ties.

Many of today’s vehicles are fitted with sen‐ sors and cameras along the body of the vehicle and in the windshield. Current ITV tests do not check that these are operational. The changes will require these to be working and properly calibrated, something that will now be checked as part of the inspection. Drivers of the vehicle being tested will need to provide the ITV with the necessary access and documentation for them to carry out the inspection.

A European directive (2014/45) which obliges member states to test noise levels from 2023, will be included in the inspection. The test is ex‐ pected to focus on those who have modified their vehicle and on motorcycles.

Pension rise in 2022 AS stated in the new pen‐ sion law being processed by Parliament, pensions in Spain will rise by 2.5 per cent next year, which is the infla‐ tion rate registered between December 2020 and Novem‐ ber of this year.

Spain has returned to the formula of linking incomes and prices, a modus operandi that was applied in the 1990s and replaced by the Revalua‐ tion Index in the 2013 re‐ form.

In previous years, the inter‐

annual inflation registered in November served to adjust the rise applied in January so that pensioners did not lose purchasing power. These are once again the reference.

With the 2.5 per cent in‐ crease, the average retire‐ ment pension (€1,195) will increase by about €30 per month (€420 per year) and the ‘pay’ that the retiree will receive in a single payment at the beginning of the year to compensate for the devia‐ tion in prices will be €268.

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First female police chief

Sewell hails from Queens.

M AY O R - E L E C T Eric Adams has named the first female New York police chief in the NYPD’s history on De‐ cember 15. Keechant Sewell, 49, has worked for the Nassau Police Department in Long Is‐

land for 23 years and be‐ came the chief of detec‐ tives there in September 2020. Mr Adams had promised during his campaign run to name a female commissioner and has now come good on his pledge.

Ms Sewell hails from the New York borough of Queens and is a former hostage negotiator, as well as having time served in the Nassau County narcotics and major case units on her CV. She said she was “mindful of the historic nature of this announce‐ ment” and hopes to im‐ prove relations between the police and New York City’s residents.

Ms Sewell will be only the third black commis‐ sioner to take charge of the NYPD, as well as be‐ coming the first female New York police chief.

The NYPD employs near‐ ly 35,000 police officers, of whom approximately 18 per cent are women.

NEWS

Correos recruitment drive CORREOS, the Spanish postal service has announced they are starting their biggest recruitment drive in decades, in which 5,377 jobs with indefinite contracts will be available. The roles will be across many different opera‐ tions within the company, including distribution, classification and cus‐ tomer service.

The company will make the rele‐ vant information and agenda known to the public in the first half of 2022 so that people know how and where to apply. The tests will then take place next November. A statement

released by the business said the hir‐ ing process will be developed shortly, guaranteeing the principles of merit, ability and equal treatment of wom‐ en and men.

There is another current hiring pro‐ cess happening within Correos for which more than 60,200 people have been registered. These are for tempo‐ rary seasonal positions in their opera‐ tions throughout Spain which begin from February 1.

Further information on the job roles and how to apply will be posted on www.correos.com.

UK schools prepare to close SOME schools are al‐ ready preparing to hand out laptops in preparation for possi‐ ble closures in January.

The number of Omi‐ cron cases in the UK is growing rapidly and schools are preparing for online learning again. According to re‐ cent data from the government, more

than 200,000 pupils were off school in the last couple of weeks due to the virus.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has already admitted that there are “no guarantees” that schools will be able to remain open in January if cases of the Omicron variant con‐ tinue to rise.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has encour‐ aged people to ensure their children are jabbed as soon as pos‐ sible. He commented: “We know how crucial it is to keep children in schools so let’s all make sure our children and young people are vaccinated before they go back next term.”

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

Forqué suicide confirmed

POPULAR actress Verónica Forqué died at her home in the Chamartín district of Madrid, aged 66. A post‐mortem was carried out and it was con‐ firmed on December 16 that she committed suicide.

The actress had performed in films such as Kika and Sé infiel and she also appeared in Spain’s sixth season of Celebrity Masterchef.

No traces of any toxic sub‐ stances or pills were discovered in her body. The cause of death has been confirmed as me‐ chanical asphyxia by hanging.

The actress’s body showed no signs of violence. Verónica was discovered by her maid after she had taken longer than usual in the shower. The maid en‐ tered the bathroom and discov‐ ered Verónica was uncon‐ scious. The emergency services were called immediately.

Antonio Banderas took to Twitter to pay tribute to Veróni‐ ca. He commented: “Goodbye to Verónica Forqué. I worked

with her years ago and my memory is that of a sweet, spiri‐ tual woman and a good com‐ panion. RIP.”

Much loved actress.

Officer pleads guilty FORMER police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. On Wednesday, December 15, Chauvin pled guilty to federal charges against him saying that he violated Floyd’s civil rights.

Floyd was suffocated in an attack that lasted for over nine minutes. By pleading guilty Chauvin will avoid facing a feder‐ al trial early next year.

According to WCCO‐TV, Chauvin had planned to plead not guilty to the federal charges. The judge though warned him that he could spend the rest of his life in prison if he pleaded not guilty.

Chauvin appeared at the Saint Paul city courthouse to make his plea in front of federal judge Paul Magnuson.

Chauvin was asked if he understood his plea and he replied: “Yes, your honour.”

For his own safety, the former cop has been in solitary confinement since last April. He is being held at Minnesota’s maximum security state prison.

Chauvin drove his knee into Floyd’s neck causing him to suffocate. He also did not provide medical care.

EWN 29

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

NEWS

Suitcase scam

THE Spanish Internet Securi‐ ty Office (OSI) has warned people about a new type of fraud growing in popularity, known as the retained suit‐ case scam, or suitcase fraud.

In this scam, the cybercrimi‐ nals pose as a family mem‐

ber or friend of the target and make contact through social media sites such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter and Facebook.

According to the OSI, the fraudsters pretend to be someone known to the vic‐

Norway fines Grindr IN what is the highest fine ever imposed by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, dating app Grindr has been charged with sending sensitive personal data of users to hundreds of potential advertising partners without con‐ sent. They have also been handed a fine of $7.16 million.

The Authority said that Grindr had breached the EU’s da‐ ta protection regulations, which are also enforced in Nor‐ way although the country is not a member of the bloc. The original complaint was filed in 2020 by Norway’s Consumer Council who said that the company shared details includ‐ ing GPS location, IP addresses, ages, and gender details of users.

According to the Authority “users were forced to accept the privacy policy in its entirety to use the app” and were not asked specifically if they wanted to allow their data to be shared with third parties.

STATS

6

The average bed contains over 6 billion dust mites.

Suitcases used in fraud.

tim who is supposedly abroad. They then tell the target that they are on the way to Spain and either that their suitcases are being held at the airport, or that they have missed their flight, but the suitcases are on board.

The criminals then ask the victim to transfer money to a specified account provided, and mark the amount ‘cus‐ toms costs’. This amount will then supposedly release the suitcases so they can be re‐ united with the owner.

As people can make fake profiles easily on social me‐ dia, this is where the scam is really taking off. The cyber‐ criminals skim information from people’s profiles to make the request seem more believable.

Once the target believes the scam message, they are usually asked for between €500 and €1,500.

32 EWN

23 - 29 December 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Spies arrested

Mink fiasco

DANISH authorities have arrested four current and former employees of the country’s intelligence service for alleged spying following a lengthy investigation.

Names have been withheld and the country for which they were supposedly spying for has also been kept secret.

A YEAR after the Danish Government decided to cull around 15 million minks due to unsupported fears that they might transmit a mutated form of Covid-19 to humans, the matter is still being reviewed and the prime minister quizzed by a parliamentary committee over the culling.

THE NETHERLANDS Farmers’ protest

Sensitive documents

A CONVOY of some 200 tractors travelled to Schiphol airport to hand over a contract to purchase and decommission the airport to reduce nitrogen pollution as a protest against government plans to buy out agricultural landowners as part of a package of measures to fight nitrogen use.

INDICATING a change of tactics, a hacking ransomware group LockBit placed details of 39,000 files online which included sensitive documents for Dutch police, emergency services and security after the technology company Abiom refused to pay a ransom to keep the files secret.

BELGIUM Keeping abreast

Rainbow zebra

THE Wheel of Care, which provides health care in the home, wants mothers to be able to breastfeed in more hospitality outlets in Brussels and is producing an online map and asking pubs and restaurants to display a sticker to confirm breastfeeding mums are welcome.

FLEMISH Highways and Traffic Agency (AWV) has announced that it is happy to paint and maintain one rainbow zebra crossing in each of the 300 Flemish municipalities if requested to do so. Rainbow pedestrian crossings have already appeared in some municipalities as part of pride celebrations.

GERMANY Danger UXB

New weapon

WHEN a 250 kilo US made bomb dropped on Berlin during the Second World War was unearthed by workers extending the Jewish Hospital in Iranische Strasse, authorities knew that they would face a significant challenge to evacuate around 15,000 residents so it could be defused.

OFFICERS were out in force to police a demonstration against Covid restrictions in Hamburg armed with the latest weapon of crowd control, a 1.5-metre long red and white stick used to ensure that protestors observe proper social distancing whilst complaining about the rules!

FRANCE Referendum result

Greek deal

THE Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted in a third and final referendum on independence with 96.49 voting against, but as the independence parties boycotted the referendum, saying the pandemic prevented a fair ballot there was a small turnout of just 43.9 per cent.

AFTER losing out to the USA in the supply of submarines to Australia, the French Government has announced that despite the USA offering to supply four frigates to the Greek Navy it was too late as a deal had been signed with the French.

NORWAY Oil wealth

Peace prize

IN order to help every home in Norway during the winter months when daylight can last for just five hours in some parts of the country, the Norwegian Government will be using funds from its oil income to give automatic discounts on electricity costs.

THIS year’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo was heavily curtailed due to rising rates of Covid-19 with a planned double event to honour the 2020 and 2021 winners. In the background former winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested in Myanmar.

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND

Odd betting

On track

RESEARCH by the Finnish national gaming agency Veikkaus has confirmed that online betting habits have seen a major change as horse racing, especially trotting has overtaken football and ice hockey in popularity because whilst trotting in Finland was banned due to the pandemic, it carried on in Sweden.

AFTER having been suspended for around 18 months, the first train from St Petersburg in Russia left for Helsinki on Sunday December 12, with the few passengers on board serenaded by a Russian railway brass band. There will now be two services each day.

IRELAND Special gift

United Island

THE Irish Government is considering a proposal to give every household in the Republic €100 in the New Year by reducing their first 2022 electricity bill, as there have been 35 price rises in energy bills during 2021 according to a report from the Central Statistics Office.

A NEW study carried out by Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft online, which canvassed 3,301 adults from Northern Ireland suggests that 46 per cent of voters would vote for Irish unity tomorrow and even more think that it will happen at some time in the future.

ITALY Surprise nativity

Bah humbug

SWEDISH climate activist Greta Thunberg has been included in a large nativity scene in Naples and named person of the year. She is shown alongside the baby Jesus and Three Wise Men wearing her trademark yellow raincoat holding her ‘Skolstrejk for klimatet’ (School strike for climate) placard.

A BISHOP in Sicily has been condemned by parents after he told his church congregation which included a number of small children that there was no such person as Father Christmas and that gifts were given by parents before criticising Coca Cola for promoting him.

PORTUGAL Bike lane

Driving licences

AS more major cities introduce expanded bike lanes in order to try to reduce pollution, it appears likely that the Lisbon City Council plans to remove the Almirante Reis bike lane and a petition with more than 2,600 signatures has been sent to the Council to keep it open.

RECOGNISING that electric batteries can add significantly to the weight of vehicles, the Portuguese Government is introducing a new law allowing category B licence holders to drive vehicles weighing up to 4,250 kilos (up from 3,500 kilos) provided that they use alternative fuels.

RUSSIA Not happening

Taxi driver

A PROPOSAL raised in the UN Security Council which wanted to recognise a link between climate change and global security as part of conflict prevention strategy was vetoed by Russia as well as India with both arguing that the link was not tenable.

A NEWLY filmed interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former member of the KGB security service, sees him saying that he deeply regretted the fall of the USSR and following this he had to become a taxi driver in order to ‘make ends meet.’

SWEDEN Two arrested

Royal cop

FOLLOWING a major collision between a British and a Danish cargo vessel, one sailor is still missing. Swedish authorities have revealed that two people have been arrested on potential charges of causing the death of another person, gross negligence in maritime traffic and ‘drunkenness’.

PRINCE Daniel of Sweden, husband of Crown Princess Victoria, is well-known as an advocate of the Swedish police and his latest show of support saw him accompany a police patrol in Skarholmen, a suburb of Stockholm which has been in the news due to serious gang crime.

23 - 29 December 2021

EWN 33

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Trade deal THE British Government has entered into a new free trade deal with Australia which it claims will be worth an additional £10.4 billion and is the first to be reached which doesn’t reflect pre‐Brexit arrangements. Farmers however worry about the potential for cheap Australian imports.

Home working THE Spanish Government has introduced a new law which will allow civil servants in areas of low population to voluntarily work from home for 90 per cent of each month as it believes those areas with low populations do not need regular face to face consultations with staff.

Xmas hackers SAINSBURY’S staff were worried after a US cloud payroll service Kronos was the subject of a cyber attack and according to a BBC report, an estimated weeks’ worth of information on 150,000 staff disappeared. The supermarket has confirmed that they will be paid by Christmas.

Reduced forecasts MUCH as expected, the Bank of Spain has reduced its GDP forecasts for both 2021, dropping 1.9 per cent and 2022 moving from 5.9 per cent to 5.4 per cent and now doesn’t expect the economy to return to pre‐pandemic levels until 2023.

Blue Banana ONLINE ethical clothing company Blue Banana was started by two Spanish friends who said they know little about fashion and use the slogan ‘We make noise not clothes.’ Despite their lack of expertise, they took the next step and opened shops in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, promoting their brand logo a large X. In 2021, they said their product would become the first Spanish carbon‐ negative fashion brand by collaborating on environmental projects endorsed by the United Nations and are now purchasing their stock from manufacturers in Spain, Portugal and Asia.

34

www.euroweeklynews.com • 23 - 29 December 2021

STAT OF WEEK

price paid by US venture capital group Carlyle €1.9 billion isto the take over Spanish company Grupo Altadia.

Iberia Airlines pull out of deal IAG, parent company of Iberia Air‐ lines has confirmed via the Spanish CNMV (National Securities Market Commission) that it is suspending talks with Globalia over the purchase of Air Europa, although it hopes to renegotiate some form of deal dur‐ ing 2022.

This decision to enter into an agreement to purchase was an‐ nounced in November 2019 and modified in January 2021 and IAG has made a second payment of €35 million (in addition to the agreed €40 million) as a sign of commitment and to eliminate any pending claims.

In the event that a sale does take place, then the entire €75 million will be offset against the final purchase price.

IAG explained in a press release via Iberia that the decision was made due to the problems caused by the pandemic and the ongoing fragility of the tourist market to and from Spain, as well as the current state of the Spanish economy.

As it is a key operation for the country and very important for both companies, Iberia has committed to exploring different alternatives for shareholder structures to try to

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Can they stop noise?

Can you tell me what the law is regarding noise from neighbours working (hammering) at cer‐ tain times of the day or can they do it at any time? I live in Mijas Costa.

J G (Costa del Sol) Standardly DAVID SEARL the general rule all over Spain is YOU AND THE LAW that noisy work IN SPAIN cannot start before 8am and must end before 10pm. The rules for each indi‐ vidual municipality are set by the town hall. You can find these rules by going to the Mijas website and searching for Ordenanza Municipal Reguladora de la Emision y Re‐ cepcion de Ruidos y Vibraciones. This should tell you what times noise is allowed and what intensity is permitted.

The rules in Marbella, for example, state that noise lev‐ els as heard inside your building with the windows closed must not exceed 30 decibels during the day. However, be‐ fore you start measuring decibels, you should speak with the people doing the hammering. You may find them willing to help. Perhaps they can muffle the sound in some way. If you live in a community and they are ham‐ mering directly on your wall, you can ask your president to speak to them. Finally you can go to court. There are various laws to prohibit noise.

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

THE Spanish fashion chain Inditex re‐ vealed huge profits for 2021 as rev‐ enue amounted to €19.33 billion in the first nine months of its fiscal year.

Net profit over that same period came in at €2.5 billion, compared with €671 million in 2020 which is a massive increase of 273 per cent, al‐ though it recognises that 2020 was exceptionally low due to internation‐ al lockdowns.

come to some form of agreement to obtain the operation of Air Europa.

A new letter of intent has been signed by both parties to evaluate al‐ ternatives and other structures that may be interesting for both compa‐ nies, offering similar benefits for their shareholders, customers and employees, before the end of Jan‐ uary 2022.

In parallel, Iberia intends to work with the government of Spain to continue improving the country’s connectivity and to strengthen the Madrid hub to make it competitive with other European airports.

Which funeral plan from Golden Leaves?

FUNERAL experts Golden Leaves of‐ fer pre‐paid fu‐ neral plans for expats in Spain, to prevent your loved ones hav‐ ing to organise a Which is the right plan for you? funeral in a differ‐ ent country and another language.

Providing several different types of plans, Golden Leaves will be able to find you the right pre‐paid plan for you, helping you to organise the service you want.

Golden Leaves also guarantees 100 per cent of the costs of the arrangements specified in your Funeral Plan.

There are no hidden extras or administration charges for your family to deal with when the time comes.

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Contact Golden Leaves today to find the right funeral plan for you.

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

Inditex reveals huge profits As the recovery continues, the 2021 profits compare favourably to 2019 when in the same period, the company made €2.73 billion.

Inditex’s Executive Chairman, Pablo Isla, said: “These results are very satisfactory and demonstrate once again the solidity of our busi‐

ness model, the quality and commit‐ ment of our teams, and the potential being realised by our strategy of fully integrating stores and online.”

It should be noted that when it was announced that Isla was due to step down in April 2022 to be re‐ placed by Marta Ortega, the 37‐year‐

LEGO futures FORGET gold and wine, in‐ vest in LEGO says a Russian University research paper.

Members of the faculty of the Moscow Higher School of Economics (HSE) have published a paper in the Research in Interna‐ tional Business and Fi‐ nance journal which makes this astonishing claim.

The authors of the paper looked at the prices of 2,322 unopened LEGO sets from 1987‐2015 and came to the conclusion that after two or three years, their value on the secondary market grew annually by an average of 11 per cent outperforming many tradi‐ tional investment options.

Growth for a number of Star Wars related models was significantly higher than the average.

Gin wars SANTA may not be amused by the fact that Marks and Spencer are about to launch a law suit against Al‐ di over what it claims is a copy of its light up musical snow globe gin liqueur that contains edible gold flakes marketed for Christmas.

The Aldi version is con‐ siderably cheaper and M&S want all stock destroyed as well as seeking damages for potential lost sales.

This is not the first time that it has taken action against Aldi, the last being over their Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake, which Marks and Spencer claimed was identical to their Colin the Caterpillar. old daughter of founder Amancio Or‐ tega, shares immediately dropped in value and they fell again despite the announcement of the enormous profits.

The new president’s challenge will be to manage the fall in profit mar‐ gins caused by ever increasing manu‐ facturing and transport costs and the growth in Spain of Chinese competi‐ tor Shein.

36 EWN

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23 - 29 December 2021

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

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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20

COMPANY PRICE(P) 3I Group 1.400,50 Abrdn 231,30 Admiral Group 3.083,0 Anglo American 2.882,0 Antofagasta 1.319,00 Ashtead Group 5.896,0 Associated British Foods 1.900,0 AstraZeneca 8.471,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 715,80 Avast 614,60 Aveva 3.226,0 Aviva 398,10 B&M European Value Retail 608,80 BAE Systems 525,60 Bank VTB DRC 1,224 Barclays 179,00 Barratt Developments 704,40 Berkeley 4.646,0 BHP Group 2.152,50 BP 326,00 British American Tobacco 2.758,5 British Land Company 512,00 BT Group 164,05 Bunzl 2.860,0 Burberry Group 1.739,0 Carnival 1.209,2 Centrica 66,26 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.438,0 Compass 1.506,00 CRH 3.723,0 Croda Intl 9.992,0 DCC 5.958,0 Diageo 3.954,0 DS Smith 378,60 EasyJet 498,70 Experian 3.476,0 Ferguson 12.725,0 Flutter Entertainment 10.863,3 Fresnillo 894,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.591,40 Glencore 359,25 Halma 3.061,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.357,00 Hikma Pharma 2.221,00 HSBC 441,40 IAG 128,26 Imperial Brands 1.564,50 Informa 479,60 InterContinental 4.370,0 Intermediate Capital 2.107,00

CHANGE(P) 1.407,00 233,70 3.094,0 2.883,0 1.331,00 5.904,0 1.911,0 8.474,0 718,40 615,20 3.229,0 398,10 610,00 526,40 1,226 179,30 712,60 4.679,0 2.155,50 326,20 2.767,0 512,40 165,80 2.863,0 1.739,5 1.232,8 66,30 2.461,0 1.514,50 3.729,0 10.005,0 6.016,0 3.956,0 381,50 499,80 3.479,0 12.735,0 10.951,3 915,00 1.596,00 359,95 3.067,0 1.358,00 2.221,00 443,00 128,68 1.571,00 480,90 4.392,0 2.108,00

% CHG. 1.383,00 228,70 3.058,0 2.826,5 1.286,50 5.778,0 1.861,0 8.349,0 706,20 606,60 3.177,0 393,20 598,20 517,40 1,206 176,88 698,00 4.611,0 2.125,00 320,60 2.719,0 504,40 162,70 2.806,0 1.689,5 1.177,0 65,02 2.408,0 1.479,50 3.660,0 9.740,0 5.910,0 3.893,5 374,90 483,60 3.431,0 12.475,0 10.739,1 888,00 1.574,80 354,10 2.997,0 1.319,50 2.183,00 434,00 124,40 1.547,00 467,50 4.314,0 2.071,00

NET VOL 82,83K 684,79K 33,54K 776,37K 324,74K 239,77K 422,09K 279,50K 160,31K 307,41K 37,65K 2,49M 408,55K 745,06K 610,34K 4,44M 241,68K 29,61K 1,30M 9,16M 706,58K 342,03K 4,16M 110,82K 220,30K 236,05K 2,18M 101,61K 390,75K 240,35K 34,69K 119,86K 400,35K 354,69K 1,73M 125,19K 70,64K 2,96K 270,77K 1,17M 8,21M 76,53K 85,84K 59,17K 4,01M 11,83M 223,04K 1,14M 93,31K 57,16K

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

5.506,0 106,35 274,10 1.934,5 740,40 283,10 45,42 6.716,0 733,60 145,25 1.784,50 1.057,60 216,50 7.708,0 29,10 1.708,50 2.692,0 630,60 1.236,50 6.219,0 2.333,00 548,40 765,20 4.797,5 110,00 7,51 1.566,40 1.566,4 1.567,2 816,00 1.602,00 15,44 3.404,0 1.347,00 1.384,00 2.922,0 1.215,00 1.526,00 15.345,0 1.603,50 1.595,00 427,90 163,90 285,20 208,10 3.978,0 1.094,50 112,00 2.742,0 1.080,50

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

5.524,0 106,50 274,10 1.935,5 741,00 283,50 45,55 6.780,0 734,80 145,45 1.797,50 1.061,20 217,00 7.722,0 29,11 1.736,00 2.719,0 634,40 1.239,00 6.232,0 2.337,00 548,40 770,00 4.801,0 112,60 7,53 1.567,51 1.567,4 1.567,6 817,80 1.609,50 15,59 3.406,0 1.351,00 1.386,00 2.931,0 1.227,00 1.526,50 15.355,0 1.606,00 1.598,50 428,40 166,10 285,30 210,00 3.986,0 1.097,50 113,00 2.746,0 1.080,50

5.426,0 104,30 269,10 1.880,5 731,20 279,90 44,83 6.648,0 731,00 142,05 1.761,00 1.051,00 213,70 7.564,0 28,80 1.705,50 2.672,0 626,00 1.218,00 6.160,0 2.298,00 528,60 753,20 4.719,0 107,12 7,47 1.543,70 1.542,0 1.541,6 800,00 1.601,00 15,33 3.357,0 1.331,00 1.360,00 2.892,0 1.204,00 1.506,50 15.045,0 1.586,00 1.572,00 421,20 162,10 281,30 204,30 3.932,5 1.082,00 111,36 2.676,0 1.062,50

30,94K 1,56M 529,91K 112,34K 146,55K 2,61M 38,58M 88,63K 623,66K 948,33K 124,40K 1,08M 4,46M 27,81K 179,57K 158,02K 79,59K 606,48K 823,44K 141,35K 461,78K 2,43M 226,53K 453,27K 12,70M 237,96K 742,85K 749,62K 1,66M 294,76K 7,96K 2,41M 16,51K 957,65K 281,19K 42,59K 262,69K 134,93K 10,38K 305,87K 269,55K 1,04M 1,70M 253,14K 1,19M 699,63K 188,36K 8,77M 97,77K 310,61K

1.17128

0.85365

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.12655 Japan yen (JPY)......................................127.919 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0407 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.215

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20

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 174,75 2.856,06 3.400,35 222,50 171,14 192,63 201,37 113,60 60,46 57,73 381,80 387,98 205,17 127,40 50,62 168,23 156,76 261,70 75,69 333,79 323,80 161,36 157,46 252,93 932,57 487,12 53,17 211,88 138,75 148,76

CHANGE 178,32 2.889,20 3.417,97 224,16 173,47 194,77 205,25 116,46 60,79 58,92 393,67 397,98 210,11 128,64 51,02 170,78 159,38 264,85 77,74 337,11 324,92 162,86 161,72 253,90 960,66 493,13 53,22 213,21 143,95 149,84

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 174,34 3,92M 2.835,76 2,05M 3.312,27 4,25M 219,32 6,32M 169,69 193,76M 187,88 12,48M 201,23 5,88M 113,53 22,17M 59,78 60,54M 57,70 51,15M 380,63 6,97M 387,42 11,02M 204,71 5,49M 125,21 10,20M 50,01 48,56M 167,66 16,01M 155,18 27,77M 260,88 5,56M 75,50 27,82M 330,75 39,49M 317,25 47,36M 160,55 7,63M 157,31 23,55M 246,79 11,89M 909,04 30,55M 486,38 5,52M 52,36 53,74M 207,79 11,36M 138,39 25,66M 146,57 13,45M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 20

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Cable One Inc. Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A Boston Beer Co. Cl A Carvana Co. Cl A HubSpot Inc. Ubiquiti Inc. Bank of America Corp. 7.25% Non-Cum. Perp.

Chemed Corp.

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Twilio Inc. Cl A Wayfair Inc. Cl A

3.14% 3.42% 4.11% 9.54% 2.74% 5.60% 1.04% 2.81% 0.86% 4.88% 6.47%

88.23K 364 404.39K 6.78M 1.09M 287.08K 5.6K 295.89K 250.19K 3.49M 2.09M

-2.47% -2.15% -2.25% -1.17% -6.11% -4.61% -3.92% -3.04% -3.46% -0.74% -4.69%

2.33K 43.86K 94.85K 11.45K 625.31K 2.56M 7.07M 588.5K 567.31K 342.17K 2.29M

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

Danaher Corp. 5% Mand. Pfd. Series B TopBuild Corp.

Estee Lauder Cos. Cl A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. W.W. Grainger Inc. Teledyne Technologies Inc. AutoZone Inc. Equifax Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Liz Truss Twitter

Liz Truss targets cooperation with Spain

WORKING TOGETHER: Liz Truss met José Manuel Albares in Madrid.

BRITISH Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has made Spain her latest target as she trav‐ elled to Madrid on Wednes‐ day December 15 to meet her Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.

The foreign ministers dis‐ cussed how the UK and Spain can work together more closely on many dif‐ ferent matters including business relationships and NATO. This meeting comes just two weeks after their meeting in Riga, during the NATO Foreign Ministers Summit, at which both Ministers underlined their commitment to a Political Framework for a UK‐EU Gibraltar Treaty.

It has now been con‐ firmed that following a fourth meeting in London, the parties (Spain repre‐ senting the EU, UK and Gibraltar) the matter will continue to be negotiated during 2022 with the hope

that a final agreement is reached by Easter.

During the visit, which comes within her first 100 days in office, Foreign Sec‐ retary Liz Truss will also seek to boost the UK’s eco‐ nomic ties with Spain and hosted an event with lead‐ ing Spanish investors and British businesses in Spain.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “I want to work with allies like Spain to cre‐ ate a network of liberty based around closer eco‐ nomic, tech and security ties.

“We’re significant trading partners, with the UK as Spain’s biggest European in‐ vestor, and the UK as the top destination for Spanish investment. By boosting our trading ties even fur‐ ther, both Spain and every region and nation of the UK will benefit.”

As part of her two‐day visit, the Foreign Secretary also launched a new report

Rising inflation FOR the second month running, Spain’s rate of infla‐ tion in November climbed to its highest for 29 years at 5.5 per cent according to the National Statistics In‐ stitute (INE).

This was 0.1 per cent up on the record October fig‐ ure and is blamed on significant rises in the price of food and fuel prices.

If one removes the food and energy rises, then in‐ flation settles at a more acceptable 1.7 per cent for November, although even that is an increase over October figures.

The European Central Bank and Bank of Spain however believe that these monthly price rises will be short lived.

on scientific collaboration between the UK and Spain.

BUSINESS EXTRA Boohoo sad ONLINE UK fashion brand Boohoo believes that many people who had purchased designer dress‐ es to wear at Christmas and New Year events dur‐ ing November are getting ‘cold feet’ and returning them for credit which could knock up to 3 per cent from forecast profits.

Qatar news SPANISH ambassador to Qatar, Belen Alfaro has said that the past year has been really turbulent and challenging at the global level in terms of health and economy, but the bilateral relations be‐ tween Qatar and Spain remain excellent, inspired by the strong affection between both royal fami‐ lies.

Major blow THE outbreak of the Omi‐ cron virus in the UK seems likely to have dis‐ astrous effects on the hospitality industry in the run up to Christmas and according to the BBC, the Bar 44 chain, which has four outlets, has reported that 3,200 people have cancelled December bookings.

23 - 29 December 2021

EWN 37

38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT THEY are still arriving ya know.

Just because the biased British media has decided to stop reporting it, hundreds of migrants are still traversing the channel to the UK’s ‘promised land’.

Most have been in France for months and in a few cases years.

With the majority still appearing to be young fit men, does it not strike anyone as suspicious how they manage to survive with no visible means of support?

Many are wearing designer gear and trainers, and just about all seem to carry expensive phones. They also must find the equivalent of three to five thousand pounds to pay the smugglers.

Most, if not all, have travelled through several countries in their quest to reach soft‐touch Britain. How did they manage to eat over the many months these treks lasted?

They are supposed to have come from war‐torn

Ulterior motive impoverished countries ‐ so where does all their money come from? Someone somewhere is bankrolling them. This raises the question as to why? Whatever the reasons, you can bet your lives it’s not from the kindness of somebody’s heart. There must be an ulterior motive.

Well, I personally think someone is generating a sleeping army. There are now thousands of these young Middle Eastern men entrenched all over the UK. If a non‐friendly nation is paying the bills, you can rest assured, they will also have underground contacts creating arms caches and bomb factories everywhere.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Russia didn’t have a financial source in there somewhere; wouldn’t Putin love to have a clandestine army sleeping in the UK! Whatever the reasons, I think the ever‐growing presence of

these young men is being taken far too lightly. Putting them up in hotels and lavishing them with benefits is verging on lunacy.

They should all be put into camps and interrogated as to their origins, and where their finances are coming from.

You can rest assured that if it ever does become necessary for them to pay their piper, the UK could finish up like Beirut.

The irony of that scenario is they will then have managed to turn the UK into something resembling the places they’re all supposedly trying to run away from!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon and Wed 1pm till 4 To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com

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

FEATURE

TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp

Streaming now: The Unforgivable

DESPITE mixed reviews, Sandra Bullock shines in this new Netflix movie based on the 2009 mini‐se‐ ries Unforgiven.

Ruth Slater, played by Bullock is released from prison after a 20‐year sen‐ tence for murdering a po‐ lice officer.

The Unforgivable follows Ruth as she attempts to re‐ integrate into society in Seattle and reconnect with her sister Katie, played by Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones).

Ruth finds that she will always be seen as a cop killer as she is judged by ev‐ eryone where she once lived. Her only hope for re‐ demption lies with her es‐ tranged younger sister who now lives with her adoptive mother (played by the amazing Viola Davis) and father.

The sons of the officer that Ruth killed 20 years

previously are out for re‐ venge. The plot that has some unexpected twists and turns and although her crime is ‘unforgivable,’ Bul‐ lock is successful in making the audience feel empathy and pity towards Ruth, as we see her isolated and alone in dreary Seattle.

The present day is meshed with flashbacks from Ruth’s and Katie’s past in the country house they were forced to leave behind.

Some of them are dreamy summer memories of Katie growing up, while others reveal why Ruth ends up in prison.

This movie portrays the idea that not everything and everyone is as they seem and although there are some plot holes and parts of the narrative are quite implausible, the end‐ ing will leave many welling up.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Advertising Feature

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23 - 29 December 2021

EWN 39

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Superman & Lois BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The Weakest Link Christmas Special The Wall v Celebrities: EastEnders Christmas Special EastEnders Ghosts

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Dolittle Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Weather The Repair Shop at Christmas EastEnders

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Mary Poppins Returns Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special Michael McIntyre's Christmas Wheel Blankety Blank Christmas Special 2021 Call the Midwife EastEnders Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas Special

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Beauty and the Beast Paddington Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in 80 Days Death in Paradise Christmas Special A Very British Scandal EastEnders BBC News Weather

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Countryfile BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Paddington 2 EastEnders MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch 2021 A Very British Scandal BBC News

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The BFG Pointless Celebrities BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link Worzel Gummidge: Twitchers EastEnders A Very British Scandal BBC News

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A Dog's Journey Pointless Celebrities BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Weakest Link Worzel Gummidge: Calliope Jane The Repair Shop A Star Is Born BBC News

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Upstart Crow Blackadder's Christmas Carol University Challenge Blackburn Sings Christmas with Gareth Malone Last Christmas Top of the Pops 1984: Big Hits Elton John's Christmas Concert: Old Grey Whistle Test

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To Catch a Thief North by Northwest Dad's Army Carols from King's University Challenge Gardeners' World Winter Specials Vienna Blood A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint Amazing Grace

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The Two Ronnies: The Studio Recordings Quentin Blake: The Drawing of My Life The Queen's Christmas Broadcast The Adventures of Robin Hood The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 1971 The Morecambe & Wise Show 1970 - The Lost Tape

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Some Like it Hot Final Score The Two Ronnies at Christmas The Perfect Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special Anything Goes: The Musical Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing Adele: The BBC Sessions Tina Live!

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Calamity Jane West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic West Side Story The Hairy Bikers Go North for Christmas Only Connect: Christmas Special University Challenge Blade Runner 2049 Highlander

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Evil Under the Sun Death on the Nile Inside the Factory Only Connect: The Birds and the Bees Special University Challenge Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Mock the Week End of Year Special Joanna & Jennifer: Absolutely Champers

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Sean Connery: Talking Pictures The Great Train Robbery Murder on the Orient Express Wild Tales From the Village Only Connect: Cold Special University Challenge Inside the Factory XL: Diggers Frankie Boyle's 2021 New World Order

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Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights Winterwatch 1963 - The Big Freeze The Last Igloo Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey 60 Years of Carols From King's Winterwatch 1963 - The Big Freeze

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Top of the Pops: Christmas 2002 Top of the Pops: Christmas Hits Tom Jones & Beverley Knight's Gospel Christmas Country Christmas 2021 Country at the BBC The Turn of the Screw Whistle and I'll Come to You

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Penguin Post Office: Natural World Winter Journey: Schubert's Winterreise Eric and Ernie - Behind the Scenes Their Finest Mrs Dickens' Family Christmas What We Were Watching: Christmas 1991

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The Chronicles of Erne Dancing the Nutcracker Inside the Royal Ballet La Boheme from the Royal Opera House Moonstruck Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets The Chronicles of Erne The Turn of the Screw

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BBC Proms Sondheim at the BBC Sunday in the Park with Stephen: Omnibus Face to Face with Stephen Sondheim Life of a Mountain: A Year on Scafell Pike The Great Mountain Sheep Gather Sunday in the Park with Stephen: Omnibus

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Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures West Side Story Into the Woods: Stage to Screen Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

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Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime Williams: Formula One in the Blood Handmade in the Pacific: Pou

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Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale A Merrier Christmas?

Tonight Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow Christmas Special

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Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special ITV Evening News ITV News London The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special Gino's Italian Family Adventure: A Festive Feast Emmerdale Royal Carols: Together at Christmas

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Santa Claus ITV News and Weather Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs at Christmas The Masked Singalong Emmerdale Coronation Street The Larkins at Christmas ITV News and Weather Love Actually

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Saturday Night Takeaway Presents: Double Trouble The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special Emmerdale Coronation Street All Star Musicals at Christmas Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure

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In for a Christmas Penny Family Fortunes Christmas Special Emmerdale The Voice Kids Coronation Street ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather Bradley & Barney: Breaking Dad at Christmas

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The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale The Voice Kids Coronation Street ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather All Star Musicals at Christmas

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Tipping Point The Chase Lingo ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs The Voice Kids ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV London Weather

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Chateau DIY at Christmas Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Christmas at Holkham Hall One Night in the Natural History Museum

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It's a Wonderful Life Channel 4 News The Snowman The Snowman and the Snowdog Home Alone The Greatest Snowman 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special The Last Leg Christmas Eve Special

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The Snowman The Snowman and the Snowdog The Alternative Christmas Message Channel 4 News Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Terry Pratchett's the Abominable Snowbaby The Great Christmas Bake Off 2021

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The Simpsons Home Alone 3 Crocodile Dundee Channel 4 News Britain's Scenic Railways at Christmas Escape to the Chateau at Christmas All I Want(ed) for Christmas The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2021

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The Great Christmas Bake Off 2021 Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Crocodile Dundee II Travel Man: 96 Hours in Iceland Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Christmas Special

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Christmas at Castle Howard Location, Location, Location The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country Extraordinary Escapes at Christmas with Sandi Toksvig

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Playing With Fire Christmas at the Plaza Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Billionaire Blooms Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Britain's Most Expensive Houses

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Finding Santa 12 Pups of Christmas Entertainment News on 5 12 Pups of Christmas Matilda 5 News Update World's Strongest Man 2021 Police Interceptors Christmas on Cannon Hall Farm

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Christmas with the Kranks Deck the Halls 5 News Update Deck the Halls Ball & Boe: Back Together World's Luxury Cruise Ships at Christmas All Creatures Great and Small Christmas Special

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Sky Sports News Live: Good Morning Football NFL Bitesize Highlights Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

Britain's Favourite Christmas Songs All-Time Favourite ABBA Songs Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Entertainment News on 5 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Britain's Greatest 80s Songs Britain's Favourite Party Songs

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Soccer A.M. The Transfer Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Transfer Show Live NBA Live NBA Live NFL

Calendar Girls The Proposal Entertainment News on 5 The Proposal Sister Act Entertainment News on 5 Sister Act World's Strongest Man 2021 Dirty Dancing

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Live Big Bash League Scottish Premiership Live Live EFL Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live NFL Live NBC's FNIA Live NFL

My Fair Lady Entertainment News on 5 My Fair Lady Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit 5 News Update Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit 5 News Update World's Strongest Man 2021

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Live Big Bash League Live EFL Live EFL Live EFL Live MNF Live: NFL Fantasy Live: Total Access Live NFL Sky Sports News

The Man in the Iron Mask Planes, Trains and Automobiles Entertainment News on 5 Planes, Trains and Automobiles 5 News Update World's Strongest Man 2021 Traffic Cops

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A Bridge Too Far Entertainment News on 5 A Bridge Too Far The Glenn Miller Story 5 News Update The Glenn Miller Story World's Strongest Man 2021 Pauline Collins: Britain's Sweetheart Shirley Valentine

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My Icon: Ebony Rainford-Brent Live World Darts Championship Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live World Darts Championship Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

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The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD AS a fresh wave of infection sweeps across the globe, a horrible sense of déjà vu is creeping in. Case numbers are rising and whole countries are shutting down just in time to separate people from their family and friends during the festive season. While the need for measures to curb the spread of Covid is necessary, I can’t help but feel that various governments have tunnel vision when it comes to what to do.

My main gripe since the pandemic began has been the shortsightedness of the response. Espe-

23 - 29 December 2021

Duty of care cially in countries that can choose what path to take, instead of having to scramble to save themselves by any means necessary. In March 2020, England was asked to stay inside for two weeks while the government organised itself into an all-singing, all-dancing testing machine. Or so they said.

Putting aside the fact that Boris Johnson’s sheer arrogance had delayed any kind of response at all until after Coronavirus was well and truly spreading through the community, they then managed to ignore the efficacy of one of the greatest things that the UK still has going for it (just).

The NHS has been the jewel in the crown of the UK for years and had all the provisions already in place to test, trace and track most of the country. Instead, the Tories saw fit to bundle cash to a private company who then failed to deliver what was promised.

And this was just the beginning of similar issues there, and across the world, as governments asked for sacrifice from their population without looking at the bigger picture.

As peaks and troughs of the infection rate came and went, people and small businesses were battered by the waves.

Immunocompromised people were asked to shield indefinitely and forgot about when things started to open again. Businesses with no outdoor space were given no assistance when restrictions meant no one was allowed to sit inside. If you were not in the direct line of sight of ministers (ie, rich enough to hold sway), any help was lost, and people went under the radar and then under the water.

With this strain, the panic is worse, even if the symptoms are not. As I see the mental health of people deteriorate at the thought of another Christmas alone, and the cancellations list grows for friends with small businesses suffering under unclear

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

EWN 41

guidance, I despair.

In Andalucia, we waited for a BOJA to clarify new restrictions right up until the moment it was due to be enforced! People’s health and livelihoods hang on words the government can’t even prepare ahead of time.

While I understand the situation is ever-changing, if thoughts do not turn to the long-term plan of how to escape this merry-go-round with people and businesses intact, there are going to be many more casualties than just those who catch the virus.

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

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.

RESCUED CATS Two four-month-old kittens were left at the bins in a box with a scrappy note saying ‘Sorry can’t take to UK’. They were so very lucky to have been found by a caring lady who decided to take them to Maz’s Canine Rescue shop (Almeria) which isn’t geared up for receiving poorly animals. However they were taken to Maz’s home and she took them in, even though the house is bursting at the seams.

Named Dasher and Dancer as it’s Christmas they were taken to the vet as they were quite poorly. Their eyes were closed with weepy eye syndrome, a dreadful case of worms, mites etc… thankfully have been given treatment and are improving.

The point is how sad is it that people can do this… it is left to the generosity of good-hearted people to stump up for the costs incurred… there is literally no room at the inn… as it’s the festive season… are there any of your readers that could possibly help out the Reindeer Kittens… I was really hoping that this might be newsworthy and that you could make a feature out of this very sad story … yours sincerely…

Pam

Anyone else?

Please can you highlight the lack of urgency in administering booster vaccinations at OCMC, residents are having to queue for up to two hours to book an appointment for a booster and are currently being given dates for April 2022. This means some re-

WOMEN’S SPORTS: Have they been left out in the cold?

Lucy Francesca REINDEER KITTENS: Dasher and Dancer are looking for a new home.

sidents will have waited 12 months between their second vaccination and their booster.

We in Orihuela Costa feel like we are being forgotten about and being pushed to the back of a very long queue for services.

The health service has deteriorated so much over the years which is mostly due to the constant building of new properties along the coast without the infrastructure in place to co-

THANK YOU TO ALL THIS is the last edition of Euro Weekly News before Christmas and we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our wonderful readers and advertisers for their support during the pandemic.

We know how hard it has been for everyone, especially as whenever we appear to be climbing out of the problem, something new appears and Omicron is the latest problem to be tackled.

Despite the fact that so many advertisers had to temporarily withdraw their adverts at the height of

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

pe.

Slowly but surely Orihuela Costa is being starved of money and services.

Yours hopefully Jane

Peter John Colin Why - don’t even get enough spectators at the moment, when it becomes more popular then yes ok.

Sheree Ruiz

Beware!

A warning to anyone buying and eating Turron this Christmas. Anyone know a good dentist?

Freddie

OUR VIEW

the pandemic and the lockdown, we have continued to issue Euro Weekly News every week without fail, albeit with a reduced number of pages.

In addition, we have continued to populate our website with local and international stories and kept readers alert to both major breaking news and a number of heartwarming stories closer to home and have never asked a single reader to contribute to keep us going.

Readers will have noticed that

Yes of course they should! The women’s teams do so much better than the men’s and the women are hard as nails when it comes down to sports. We go hard or go home and we take injuries and tackles! We don’t just fall on the floor and fake it.

the size of the papers has been growing on a regular basis and that is thanks to the fact that so many advertisers have either returned or started advertising for the first time and we wish them every success with their diverse businesses despite the constant problems.

It remains only to wish everyone who reads EWN either in paper form or online (as we have so many overseas readers) all the very best to you and your loved ones in 2022 and to hope that it will be a better year for us all.

To command a prime time slot it has to draw the sponsors’ money, and get the viewing numbers/ratings, so advertisers will buy advertising slots. There are many sports, both men’s and women’s that for purely commercial reasons never make it to prime time viewing or make it into the exclusive sports channels.

Dawn Giddings They simply won’t get the viewing figures!

James Golt Only if they take their tops off when they score.

Joe Pritchard Nah, and while we’re on about it, hoy them off commentating as well.

Janet Murray Yes, it’s time you show women’s footie on prime TV, we have been left out in the cold long enough.

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 December 2021

Advertising Feature IF you have been looking for a health insurance poli‐ cy in Spain, whether it is for your residencia application or to protect your health while living abroad, you may have felt over‐ whelmed by the red tape involved in getting an in‐ surance policy.

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23 - 29 December 2021

By Clinica Britannia

Food and exercise plan

A NUTRITIONIST is an expert in the relationship between food and health, and the effects that it has on our body.

They can advise on how to lose or gain weight in a healthy and structured way. With there being so many diets available, it can be‐ come confusing on what plan is best suited to your individual needs. Having an expert help you through the process is important, as they can offer support, keeping you focused with your food and ex‐ ercise plan.

Food allergies and intolerances can cause many symptoms, such as sickness, bloating, diarrhoea, tiredness, skin rashes and a general feeling of unwellness. With the Get your healthy living back on track. help of a simple blood or stool test, these problems can be diagnosed, and a sure, ulcerative colitis, or gout there are balanced nutrition plan to avoid these certain foods that when ingested have a foods can be put into place by your nutri‐ direct negative impact on your health, so tionist. a nutritionist can really help you under‐ When suffering with chronic illnesses stand what you should eat or stay away such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pres‐ from specific to your condition.

Contact your Health provider who can organise for an appointment with a Nutritionist to help you get your healthy living back on track.

www.euroweeklynews.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

By Clinica Britannia

What causes gallstones?

RECENTLY my sister has been com‐ plaining of severe abdominal pain and cramps, especially at night time after eating dinner, can you give me some advice on what could be the cause of this?

When you have abdominal pain reg‐ ularly after eating a large meal this could be a first warning sign of gall‐ stones so it is important to seek medi‐ cal attention to rule this out.

The gall bladder is a small organ sit‐ uated below the liver. Its main func‐ tion is to store bile produced by the liver to digest fat, and aid with the ab‐ sorption of nutrients in the body.

When it malfunctions, this causes an imbalance in the chemical make‐up of the bile creating gallstones.

Mild discomfort to severe cramping in the upper right side of the ab‐ domen is caused often with added symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

Females over 40, diabetics, obese people and those that eat a diet high in fat or women who take oestrogen

Gallstones can be easily detected.

due to hormonal replacement thera‐ py, birth control or are pregnant are more prone to produce gallstones.

A simple blood test can show signs of jaundice and inflammation caused by gallstones, but it is essential to per‐ form an abdominal ultrasound, which can easily detect gallstones in an in‐ stant.

However, if the stones are deep within the abdomen, a CT or MRI scan will be necessary to confirm a positive diagnosis.

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50 EWN

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23 - 29 December 2021

TONI C. EASTWOOD OBE, MBA

#TheWomanBeyond IN his brilliant book Spartan Up! Joe De Sena (founder of Spartan Race) ‐ in which by the way the first chapter is ti‐ tled From Here to Insanity ‐ this gives you a clue.

Joe tells us the ridiculous story of Göran Kropp.

Imagine your friend inviting you on an adventure.

They tell you, “Hey! I have this idea.

Let’s jump on our bikes and from our homes in Sweden, ride to the base of Mount Everest, then hop off, ascend to the summit without oxygen or a sherpa and then come back down and ride back home!!! Are you in?!”

If you’re like me, you’d probably say, “Dude. Are you crazy!!”

You might even be tempted to say that’s impossible.

But it’s not impossible.

It’s just REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard.

And there is a huge difference be‐ tween the two.

FEATURE

REALLY HARD VS IMPOSSIBLE Really Hard vs Impossible.

Do you have any ‘impossible’ dreams that need to be redefined as simply re‐ ally (really!) hard?

Yes? Which one?

This is the season for sharing our hopes and dreams and for setting our intentions for the year ahead. What one big thing would you dare to dream (and do) if you knew you couldn’t fail?

I’ve been thinking about mine recent‐ ly, with a brilliant team away day last week, before we went off for the holi‐ days.

Come on what’s your Biggest Most Audacious Goal? Think about it. Dream about it. Get fired up about it. Then go WOOP it (you remember WOOP from a few weeks ago? Wish, Outcome, Ob‐ stacles and Plan) Then get to it!

I’m reminded of some great wisdom, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” ‐

Thomas Edison I also love to remember Seneca’s wis‐ dom: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”

It may be difficult or really, really hard, but nothing is impossible if you really want it.

And in case you were wondering ‐ Göran Kropp, did achieve the impossi‐ ble and he tells his own story in his book, Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey.

Stay Focused, Keep Positive and Choose to +1 in Every Moment.

Ignite Your Passion, Fulfil Your Dreams and Awaken Your Greatness!

Love, Hugs, High Fives and Fist Bumps

WomanBeyond PS. Want to ignite your passion and purpose? To get laser focused on your Biggest Most Audacious Goals? Grab one of the last few places on my Vi‐ sionary Women Programme for Jan‐ uary 2022. In just four, three‐hour on‐ line sessions you could make 2022 Your Best Year Yet. Twenty five per cent off for Euro Weekly News readers ‐ Just Quote Offer Code EWN25 ‐ for more info and to book, head on over to https://quantumvantage.co.uk/vi sionarywomenprogramme 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

Toni x Toni Eastwood OBE, MBA #The‐

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

@tonieastwood

@SixSecretsToSuccess @VisionaryWomen

tonieastwoodobe

sixsecretstosuccess

SOCIAL SCENE

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5 make Michelin Guide DENIA once again has a lot to celebrate with five restaurants making the 2022 Michelin Guide. The town, which is renowned for its gastronomy, has a long history of recogni‐ tion not only from the Miche‐ lin Guide, but also other similar organisations and these awards will no doubt bring many more diners to the area.

Michelin Starred Restau‐ rants QuiQue Dacosta once again led the charge retaining his three stars, the highest avail‐ able distinction, for his self‐enti‐ tled restaurant on Las Marinas road just north of Denia town centre. Not to be outdone, José Manuel López of Peix i Brases achieved one more star.

Michelin Recommended Restaurants As before, the guide also published its list of restaurants that did not achieve a star rat‐ ing, but which were deserving of a mention according to the critics involved in the adjudica‐ tion. This year three restaurants made the grade.

El Baret de Miquel. Miquel

DENIA RESTAURANTS: At the award presentation.

Ruiz’s establishment was given Bib Gourmand recognition, which is awarded to those restaurants with the best value for money in their offerings.

The inspector who rated the restaurant said, “Small, humble and unique in every way, as it reflects the most particular pro‐ ject of chef Miquel Ruiz, a man who seeks happiness from hon‐ esty and struggles to popularise haute cuisine. It surprises with a tremendously carefree decora‐ tion (sets of crazy tables and chairs, old stoneware floors, a curious collection of siphons ...) and a very personal culinary proposal, with great skill in the executions, based on Mediter‐ ranean flavours and from the market, always creating the dishes based on the ingredients that you find when you do your

daily shopping.”

Bruno Ruiz’s restaurant Atic‐ cook is mentioned in the guide for the third year running. An award‐winner since starting his career, Ruiz is well known local‐ ly for winning La Gamba Roja de Dénia. The inspector who visited the restaurant “It is in an attic and ... it surprises by its in‐ terior design! Creative, personal cuisine with well‐defined flavours, which is released through a single seasonal menu.”

Finally, El Raset which is also based in the port of Denia, was mentioned for there “you will find a terrace and two rooms, both with a classic‐elegant dec‐ oration marked by white tones.

Updated traditional cuisine, var‐ ious rice dishes and a complete menu.”

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Ruta de Tapa prize winners ON Friday December 17, the prize winners were announced for the 18th edition of the GuiaME Denia Tapas Route. The awards evening for this popular culinary event, which attracts visitors from all over the Marina Alta area, was attended by several personalities and officials from the town. All winners receive a commemorative plaque to display outside their establishment plus a se‐ lection of prizes.

First prize El Cantó, the Mediter‐ ranean restaurant situat‐ ed on the outskirts of the town centre scooped first prize with their tapa ‘Bull’s tail nest with mashed potatoes and mushrooms’. As winners, the restaurant owners are treated to a tasting lunch or dinner at the Mena restaurant and a decorative terrace stove from the company Fuego Difusión.

Second Prize Taking second prize was the Tempura Bar & Grill, a gastro bar situated in the old town. Their salad with wakame seaweed, sesame, shrimp, puff bread and seaweed may‐ onnaise called La Marine‐ ta Cassiana appealing to diners. For their efforts the owners receive a din‐

AWARDS EVENING: All winners received a plaque to display.

ner with one night’s stay at the La Font d’Alcalà ho‐ tel, in Alcalà de la Jovada, with breakfast included.

Special Award An additional award was made to Entrearomas for its dedication, involve‐ ment and commitment to the competition, having been involved with the competition since its in‐ ception and for having won the most awards in the past. The restaurant received €300 in recogni‐ tion.

AEHTMA Award The association award, which was chosen by a team of specialists, went to Cata’s Bar for its ‘Agropop’ tapa. Rather special, the meal consist‐ ed of a coddled free range egg (cooked at low temperature), Iberian crumbs, braised cauliflower puree, pomegranate molasses, persimmon chips and au‐

tumn truffle. For their ef‐ forts the port side restau‐ rant was awarded a gas‐ tronomic experience of haute cuisine in Denia for two people.

Tourism Denia Award This award goes each year to the best cover made with indigenous products. This year that honour went to seafood restaurant El Baret de Robert for their ‘Cultivo de mar’. This has been a tribute to the tomato grown by local producers, with tuna and seasoned with the house picaeta.

Sweepstake winners Finally six prizes of a dinner for two and a main prize of €500 were given to those diners who visit‐ ed and rated the most restaurants.

Finally preparation for the next route is already underway with the event taking place from Febru‐ ary 18 to March 13, 2022.

SOCIAL SCENE

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Return of La Nit de la Llum ONE of the most innova‐ tive and original events takes place in Denia just before Christmas each year. Postponed last year because of the pandemic, vistors, residents and busi‐ nesses in the city were hap‐ py to see the return of La Nit de la Llum.

Originally viewed as an event not unlike Black Fri‐ day, the original intention was to bring shoppers into the city to take advantage of specials being offered by local retailers who would al‐ so stay open later than usu‐ al.

To make shopping more of an experience the town decided to create a ‘night of light’, by placing thousands

SHOPPING EVENT: Has turned into a family night out.

of candles throughout the main shopping area and in the old town.

The core remains, but the event has turned into more of a family night out.

The name La Nit de la Llum, means a night of light.

To make the night even more enjoyable entertain‐ ment is provided in the

form of juggling shows, dancers, musicians and even nativity scenes.

This year’s event was well attended despite the less than favourable weather and the heightened restric‐ tions due to Covid‐19. Cer‐ tainly one to put in your di‐ ary if you didn’t attend this year.

Want to join the theatre?

THE Javea Players have once again made a call for people to get involved in the success‐ ful theatrical group. The group, which is run from the studio theatre, is not only looking for actors and actress‐ es, it is also offering those who join acting classes.

Help is also needed with producing and running the shows, so if you have experi‐ ence in stage management, lighting, sound, costume or publicity then get yourself along to the theatre on Sun‐ day, January 30. If you don’t

have experience but are will‐ ing to learn and have the time, then the group will al‐ ways be willing to help you develop the skills you need.

If you want more informa‐ tion you can contact the Javea Players via email at javeaplayerspressofficer@g mail.com

23 - 29 December 2021

15th Children’s Laughter Festival THE Casa de Cultura in L’Al‐ fas del Pi will host the Chil‐ dren’s Laughter Festival from December 27 to Jan‐ uary 15, an event organ‐ ised by the Department of Culture that aims to pro‐ vide youngsters with quali‐ ty leisure during their school holidays.

Councillor for Culture, Manuel Casado said “This is a festival that we organ‐ ise with great affection and which has become a tradi‐ tional Christmas event for the youngest members of the family.

“All the events have been organised taking into account the safety proto‐ cols established by Public Health, as of today with the use of masks and hy‐ droalcoholic gels and ca‐ pacity control.”

The event, which kicks off with a comedic play which does away with stereotypes, consists of

A traditional Xmas event.

four theatrical events, mu‐ sic and magical shows.

As well as the live shows, three films are being shown in collaboration with the Alfas del Pi Film Festival.

All the shows will be at 5.30pm in the auditorium of the Casa de Cultura, with the exception of the musical on January 5, which will start at 5pm, as the Three Kings Parade will begin at the end of the show.

Tickets cost €2 and can be purchased one hour be‐ fore each performance at the Casa de Cultura box of‐ fice.

EWN 53

The Burreta stars again THE traditional Christmas market and concert of El Poble Nou de Benitachell, was once again a great suc‐ cess with a very good turnout.

On Sunday, December 19 the spirit of Christmas was definitely present with hun‐ dreds of people enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. On of‐ fer were numerous gastro‐ nomic, commercial and recre‐ ational deals and of course the Christmas buretta.

The ‘Burreta de Nadal’ once again enchanted the whole town, especially the lit‐ tle ones, when it arrived ac‐ companied by the Colla La Llebetjà. This animal is already a symbol of the magic of Christmas in the town. There was also face painting and children’s entertainment, the children’s concert of the Mu‐ sic School and a concert by the group Gospel it.

All in all it was a great suc‐ cess with everyone behaving responsibly and adhering to the strict Covid‐19 measures.

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SOCIAL SCENE

The Christmas spirit fills La Villajoyosa Old Town HELD from December 17 to the 23rd, visitors to the Christmas market got to enjoy nativity scenes, traditional figures, Easter

plants, gift items, handi‐ crafts and plenty of food.

Those that did attend were able to pick up those last minute gifts

whilst enjoying the music and the children’s enter‐ tainment.

A joint initiative of the Department of Com‐ merce and Festivities of the town council of La Villajoyosa, the As‐ sociation of the Old Town of La Vila, and lo‐ cal traders and en‐ trepreneurs, the mar‐ ket provides local traders a good oppor‐ tunity to offer quality local produce and to show visitors the full range of what they have to offer.

The highlight of the market took place on Saturday, December 18 in the Plaza de la Igle‐ sia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, where a series of concerts by local groups ‘Gran Ba‐ bilon’, ‘Cultivepa’ and ‘Planta Baixa’ enter‐ tained the crowds.

DRIVE-IN: You get to see two movies for the price of one.

Enjoy the movies?

FA N C Y a little some‐ thing different, why not head out to the cin‐ ema or better still the drive‐in. Thursdays is English movie night with both the Autocine in El Vergel and the Teatre Olímpia in Oliva offering the latest movies.

The drive‐in is not something that every‐ one will have experi‐

enced, not unless you have lived or spent time in the USA, South Africa or other such countries.

Unlike normal cinema it is exactly what it says, you drive‐in and watch the movie from the comfort of your car on the big screen.

Sound quality is great as you just have to tune your car radio into the

facilities radio channel.

Of course you can take your own food and drinks, however the Au‐ tocine restaurant is top class offering a wide range of food and drink.

You also get to see two movies for the price of one, this week they are showing the latest Spi‐ derman and Matrix movies.

Entrance is €5 each.

23 - 29 December 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

Advertising Feature

Brain research MRI: Will evaluate the dog’s brain.

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

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

Perhaps you are already mak‐ ing plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can fol‐ low their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

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

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56 EWN

23 - 29 December 2021

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FEATURE

CHRISTMAS FALLING VICTIM TO POLITICALLY CORRECT OBSESSION eryone has to have an A‐list role. I mere‐ ly appeared as slave to one of the Three Kings!

Another year comes to a close ‐ TWELVE years of this column every single week and well over 600 articles later!

Many thanks to all readers for all the great comments to my website about both my column and novels. Pleased the jokes cheer you up in these challenging times and always nice to be appreciated (and praised!) by you. After all, you’re the ones who count ‐ enjoying ‘Breaking Views’ and purchasing my novels (all profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity as you know).

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

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

PARENTS have repeatedly been told by ‘academics’ to stop pretending Father Christmas is real in case the ‘lie’ dam‐ ages relations with their kids who might then question what else Mum and Dad are lying about.

What! No Father Christmas? Next they’ll be telling us politicians tell the truth and do their ‘underpaid’ job for the love of serving their country!

Why do these academics want to sweep away the myths and legends un‐ derpinning our cultural heritage, child‐ hood and growing up? What would kids do without them? Obsess about video games, sexting, selfies?

There are far more obvious ways to get children adjusted to the harsh reali‐ ties of life than to take away their bit of Christmas ‘magic’. Why not start reintro‐ ducing a sense of competition in schools, competition they’ll face soon enough in business and job applications?

Nora Johnson’s opinions

FATHER CHRISTMAS: Parents have been told to stop pretending he is real.

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

I’m reminded here of recent reports When my friend’s daughter was at pri‐ that political correctness is crippling mary school, she never painted a fire‐ British culture with Christmas itself at works picture in November, made Hal‐ risk. Christmas trees have already been loween lanterns or took in contributions renamed ‘festive trees’, Christmas ‘the for Harvest Festival. All things I did at winter holidays’ and a Bournemouth school. Oh, but she did act in a nativity To read more articles from our columnists church called St Michael’s now calls itself play. However, gone are the days of get‐ and to have your say in the comments go St Mike’s to attract younger generations ting the part of third camel, apprentice to www.euroweeklynews.com to festive services. angel or inn keeper’s dog. Nowadays ev‐ are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

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

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www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396. We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members.

We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n.

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CHURCHES English church in Benidorm – check out our website http://www.eng lishchurchbenidorm.co m

CLUBS / SOCIETIES SPIRITUAL FRIENDS Costa Blanca is a non-religious group of spiritually minded people who meet on Wednesday afternoons.

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

INSURANCE

COMPUTERS

GOLD WANTED

COMPUTER REPAIRS – Laptops/PCs Qualified Technician –648 065 224 No Call Out Charge No Fix No Fee andy@wizard-com puters.biz (290467)

DECORATING

HEALTH & BEAUTY CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST, Philip Mann, clinics in Benissa, Moraira, Javea, Calpe and Albir. 686 912 307 (285241)

DECORATORS MDJ DECORATORS, 27 years’ experience in all aspects of decorating, interior, exterior. Wallpapering specialists. ECO friendly products. For your free expert advice call 711 092 125 (Areas Benissa, Calpe, Moraira, Jalon surrounding) (293197)

ELECTRICIAN MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www.mb electrics.es (291516)

FOR SALE WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

WIGS WWW.WIGS-R-US.ES Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. MondaySaturday 10-3. We also have Scrunchies, Extensions, Ponytails. Catalogue orders. Private appointments after 3pm. 681 049 502 (294518)

INSURANCE FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UPTO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHATSAPP TOO) OR VISIT www.sosinsuran ceinspain.com or email tracey@sosinsurancein spain.com (294212) BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English.

BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@beneficialinsurancein spain.com or visit www.beneficialinsurancein spain.com for online quote.

(294254)

If you can read it, so can your clients.

Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161

CLASSIFIEDS MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 309, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 309 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now!

(200726) STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygateinsure.com

JOB OPPORTUNITIES WANTED. Experienced Kitchen installers / Carpenters. All areas Costa Blanca North.

WhatsApp your details to 683 31 77 65 or use the link at www.stone housekitchenco.com (292718)

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MOTORING

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

MOTORS FOR SALE RETURNING to UK? Need a van? Peugeot Boxer Dec 2016 335 L3H2 Blue hdi, RHD, 83,000 miles. Excellent condition.

Rhino roof rack. €15,000 (or equivalent GBP) PX Spanish considered. Tel 697 624 618 victoriabrandi@ya hoo.co.uk (294578)

AUTO BASTIAN mobile mechanic. Tel 608 860 725.

(293070) If you can read it, so can your clients.

Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161

23 - 29 December 2021

CARS WANTED Quality LHD & RHD Vehicles bought & sold. All paperwork undertaken quickly & professionally. Immediate payment for all purchases.

Mobile / Whatsapp +34600 726 221 Office +34965 687 946 www.fwreurocars.com info@fwreurocars.com (294576) WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

NAUTICAL INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE: Courses held in English and starts soon. RYA VHF and Radar Courses. 626 245 098 (294236)

PAINTERS/DECORATORS DECORATORS W.D. GILMOUR. Painter & Decorator. Established 35 years in Moraira. ESTIMATES FREE. Call William on 609 691 776 or 966 490 602 (293381)

PROPERTY TO LET WINTER rental Javea.

Cosy villa. 3 bedrooms.

Underground floor heating. 700m from Arenal.

1,350€ / month. patri ciabuigues@gmail.com (292847)

REMOVALS/STORAGE

PET / HOUSE sitting, your house or mine. Benidorm area. 637 160 545 (294755)

PROPERTY

PROPERTY WANTED

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

TRANSLATIONS

BENIDORM and surrounding areas. Two-man removal. 678 067 163 (292512)

SPANISH INTERPRETER for all your appointment needs, has car. Effective, Friendly & Affordable service. Call 609 679 808 (290313)

WANTED

ROLLER SHUTTERS ROLLER SHUTTER REPAIRS, awnings, motors, mosquito blinds. Calpe + 50 kms. 659 464 992 www.toldosalchemy.com (290412)

SITUATIONS VACANT

PETS NEED YOUR PETS TAKEN CARE OF? Not kennels, just a friendly home. Large fenced area. 699 790 080 Altea (291399)

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STRUCTURAL SURVEYS MARK PADDON BSc Hons. MCIOB, CAAT LOCKDOWN REMOTE WHATSAPP VIDEO ADVICE available for reduced fee Tel: 653 733 066 / 962 807 247 www.costablancasur veyors.com (289671)

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

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

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MALE/FEMALE viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs available, all areas mail order.

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62 EWN

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23 - 29 December 2021

MOTORING

Ford S-Max Hybrid - spac ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack WHEN Renault first launched the Espace they created a whole new seg‐

ment within the automo‐ tive sector. You may think that the MPV has had its day thanks to the ubiqui‐ tous SUV and in large part you’d be correct, but there is still an MPV presence out there and one of the

finest is Ford’s S‐Max. A week behind the wheel makes you realise that MPVs are immensely practical machines, and in the case of the S‐Max don’t have to drive like a minibus. As with all Fords the S‐Max is re‐ markably nimble, espe‐ cially given its consider‐ able proportions. It’s a relaxed cruiser and remarkably economical, with 50 mpg very achievable on a run.

Although some newer entrants to the sector, from the likes of Citroen, arguably have a more cutting‐edge design, don’t be fooled into thinking the S‐Max is a relic from another automotive age. Despite being launched in 2006 it has evolved well over the years and now includes a very ef‐ fective self‐charging hybrid op‐ tion, all‐wheel‐drive can also be specified. In the UK there are three trim levels ‐ Titanium, ST‐ Line and Vignale ‐ and the equip‐ ment levels are very good.

Power comes from either a 2.0‐ litre diesel, in two power outputs,

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23 - 29 December 2021

ious and remarkably competitive

FORD S-MAX: A must on anyone’s MPV shopping list.

with either manual or auto‐ matic gears, or a 2.5‐litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor to provide hy‐ brid driving. Paired with a CVT gearbox it is this version that is the focus (excuse the Ford related pun) of our at‐ tention. This is not a plug‐in hybrid, think more like Toy‐ ota’s system where the en‐ gine is assisted by the elec‐ tric motor.

When you are at low speed the system puts you into electric mode and at other times as and when re‐

quired, such as boosting the power. It gels together well and produces a very refined people mover.

While it’s no Fiesta ST in the handling stakes it’s sur‐ prising just how far it can be pushed. There’s little notice‐

able body roll and it retains a confident feel and good lev‐ els of grip even in two‐ wheel‐drive. It soaks up rough roads better than some of the new‐ er entrants and has masses of interior space. Even the rear‐ most seating ‐ the S‐ Max has seven seats ‐ is accessible, albeit for shorter journeys in the case of adults.

Overall it may not have the interior glitz of newer mod‐ els but remains remarkably competitive, drives superbly and is a must on anyone’s MPV shopping list.

Facts at a Glance Model: Ford S-Max ST-Line Hybrid Engine: 2.5-litre petrol electric hybrid developing 190PS Gears: 8-speed CVT automatic Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 9.9 seconds/Maximum Speed 185 kph (115 mph) Economy: 6.4l/100km (43.5 mpg) WLTP Combined Emissions: 147 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets

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