Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 31 March - 6 April 2022 Issue 1917

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 28 - 31 Issue No. 1917 31 March - 6 April 2022

THE Elche craftspeople who make the elaborate Easter palms for which the city is fa‐ mous, are working flat out for brotherhoods, cathedrals and churches all over Spain after two years without proces‐ sions. Despite relief at return‐ ing to work, they expressed concerns about higher fuel and electricity, but said they would not be increasing their prices.

THE VEGA BAJA JEWEL

Photo credit: Almoradi town hall

Easter palms

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Turn to page 2 » ARTICHOKE CONGRESS: Mayor Maria Gomez with prizewinners and participants in this year’s event.

FREE • GRATIS

2 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

NEWS

Expert Vega Baja heroes advice from Front page »

ALMORADI hosted the seventh edition of the National Artichoke Congress on March 26 and 27.

Rain did not deter the crowds who flocked to the 10,000‐square metre site and the stands set up in Plaza de la Constitucion on the first day of the event.

The bad weather held off the following day, allowing the public to enjoy a programme of activities that includ‐ ed workshops, sports events, competitions, an endless supply of tapas and cookery demonstrations by Michelin‐ starred chefs who prepared food where Vega Baja arti‐ chokes were the hero of the dish.

Mayor Maria Gomez, also a member of the Diputacion provincial council, was present each day, accompanied by Ana Serna, the Diputacion’s Vice‐President and Sebastian Canadas, the province’s Councillor for Economic Develop‐ ment.

All were there to demonstrate the Diputacion’s support for the artichokes that are inseparable from the Vega Ba‐ ja.

“These give prominence and support to agriculture and tourism, Alicante Province’s two essential sectors,” Serna said, emphasising the importance of events like the Con‐ greso Nacional de la Alcachofa.

“The Vega Baja is the green heart of our province be‐ cause it is here that the best vegetables are grown. The artichokes from Almoradi and the other municipalities in the area are unique, and they set a national and interna‐ tional example. The economy and prosperity of the entire province also depend on the water,” she added in an oblique reference to the central government’s decision to cut back on the Vega Baja’s water transfers via the Tajo‐ Segura pipeline.

MAYOR’S MEETING: Los Balcones learn what to do when faced with squatters

THE Mayor Torrevieja, Eduar‐ do Dolon, recently met resi‐ dents of the Los Balccones ur‐ banisations to discuss their concerns.

As one of the topics centred on public safety, Dolon was accompanied not only by In‐ ternational Residents’ Coun‐ cillor, Gitte Lund Thomsen, but also a Local Police inspec‐ tor and a Guardia Civil lieu‐ tenant.

Both officers were able to answer the residents’ queries, explaining to them the steps to follow if ever they are faced with a situation involving squatters, Dolon said.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

NIBS EXTRA Day out PILAR DE LA HORADADA’S Amas de Casa local women’s association has resumed their usual programme of outings, with Altea as their first destination. Accompa‐ nied by Pilar’s mayor Jose Maria Perez and several councillors, members ex‐ plored the Old Quarter, the port and beaches before lunching at a local hotel.

Rain gain ALICANTE Province’s recent rainfall is the equivalent of 150 cubic hectometres of irri‐ gation water costing 40 cents a cubic metre. Alicante Uni‐ versity’s Geography depart‐ ment said this works out at savings of €400,000 for every cubic hectometre of water that agricultural growers have to buy to irrigate their crops.

Sail away ITALIAN shipping line MSC Cruises will use Alicante port as the starting point for its Mediterranean offers next winter. According to reports in the Spanish media, MSC is programming 10 cruises that will depart from Quay 14 from January 2023 onwards in addition to 12 during the summer.

IT advantage RESEARCH carried out by Elche’s Miguel Hernandez University (UMH) found that hospitality sector busi‐ nesses which embraced digitisation and online ser‐ vices were better able to ride out the pandemic. Sales increased by an average 10 per cent and profits grew by 5 per cent, UMH investiga‐ tors found.

Pirate taxis ALICANTE Airport taxi drivers called for more police inspec‐ tions to halt unfair competi‐ tion from ‘pirates’ as well as the cabbies who are not reg‐ istered with the Ministry of Public Works to pick up and leave passengers. Those who are detected face €1,000 fines and having their vehi‐ cles impounded.

31 March - 6 April 2022

Spangles in the community SPANGLES Ladies Harmony Chorus has become a large part of the local community, spreading their love of a cappella singing.

This was evident when some of the Spangles team recently visited King’s College in Roldan, Murcia, running a workshop for music students.

Later the entire Spangles chorus took part in an open day at San Javier’s Ruiz de Alda high school.

“We have always encouraged young people to take an interest in a cappella singing,” said musical director, Valerie Lynch.

“Children are our future and it’s important to pass on

Photo credit: Gary Beaudin

SPANGLES WORKSHOP: A capella coaching for King’s College students in Roldan.

our knowledge and love of singing to them.”

On March 27, Spangles took part in a charity concert

How to assist Ukrainian refugees NORAH BOND from Orihuela Costa recently contacted the Euro Weekly News detailing how to provide support for Ukranian refugees.

“I received a call from the president of the Ukrainian As‐ sociation for advice on sup‐ porting their community,” Norah said. “She was desper‐ ate to help the families who are arriving from their war‐ torn country.”

Norah immediately con‐ tacted Sonia Huertas, an ad‐ viser at Orihuela City Hall, who explained that all Ukrani‐ an refugees need first to regis‐ ter with the Servicios Sociales department. They should ap‐ ply beforehand for an ap‐ pointment on 965 306 645.

Refugees requiring accom‐ modation help need to apply to the Centro de Atencion Temprana de Alicante.

Those with families in Ori‐ huela Costa will receive help with political asylum status, registering on the padron, schooling and obtaining a SIP healthcare card.

Five families have already arrived, including young chil‐ dren and a disabled young woman. Three of the families

have been offered accommo‐ dation, but two more homes are needed urgently.

“Should anyone want to of‐ fer a home, part of a house or a room they should be aware that the legal minimum stay for Ukrainian refugees is one year,” Norah said. Orihuela City Hall has also published these procedures in detail on the www.orihuela.es website.

for the Ukrainian people in the Plaza de Espana, San Javier, singing ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ with other choirs.

“It was very moving for everyone,” said Lyn Baines, Chorus manager. “Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people at this awful time, and we want to do what we can to help them.” Spangles join Rondalla Son del Mar Menor and the Agrupacion Coral from Los Alcazares for a fundraising concert for Ukraine at 7pm on April 30 in the Salon de Plenos chamber at Los Alcázares Town Hall.

Those wishing to attend should apply at the town hall for their invitation and ticket.

To learn more about Spangles, visit www.spanglescho rus.com or email info@span gleschorus.com.

Political divide ONLY 11 of the Vega Baja’s 27 municipalities have signed up to the Valencian Territori‐ al Protection Agency (AVPT).

A total of 217 Valencian Community town and city halls have now delegated in‐ specting, processing, fining and resolving cases of unau‐ thorised constructions on non‐building land to the AVPT. Apart from Albatera, whose local government is

Tourism and fishing A TOTAL of 154 people attended Torrevieja’s first Pescaturismo excursion of the year on March 27.

The event, which combined fishing and tourism, was organised by Ociomar and Torrevieja Town Hall and started at 10am on the port’s principal fishing quay.

As the party included 24 children, the very youngest took part in a handicrafts workshop, while the remainder walked along the quay where they heard about Torrevieja’s seafaring origins, fishing techniques and the boats that bring in fresh fish each day.

They then went on to visit the harbourside fish market, where guides Adrian, Kate and Brad ex‐ plained how the auction is carried out, followed by a cookery demonstration showing how to marinate an‐ chovies in vinegar and preserve them in salt.

The morning finished with a visit to a restaurant in the port where participants ate freshly fried an‐ chovies and later paella.

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR US?

Email: newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com or call 951 38 61 61 and ask for the EWN news team.

controlled by the Partido Popular, the remaining 10 Vega Baja towns using the Agency have PSOE socialist town halls.

An official body, the Elche‐ based AVPT was created in 2019 to take on the large vol‐ ume of work involved, for which smaller municipalities usually lack sufficient re‐ sources.

In Orihuela, Urban Devel‐ opment Councillor Joe Aix, said that his department was currently studying whether to enter the scheme.

“Not so much from the sanctioning point of view,” Aix said, “but to minimise the impact of legalising proper‐ ties.”

Rojales is also considering handing over this type of pa‐ perwork and inspection to the AVPT “although we have no homes or industries that need legalising.”

EWN

3

Aid for Ukraine ORIHUELA sent a trailer loaded with 14 tons of food, clothes and medicines for Ukraine.

Social Welfare and Emergencies councillors, Almudena Baldo and Vic‐ tor Valverde, explained that the lorry, which left on March 25, went first to the official Ciudad del la Luz coordination centre before leaving for Poland.

Mayor Emilio Bascu‐ nana thanked the local population for their pub‐ lic‐spirited reaction to the Ukraine invasion.

“We always do what‐ ever we can to help those in difficult circumstances,” Bascunana said, also ex‐ pressing gratitude to Ori‐ huela’s non‐government organisations, “who are always ready help.”

The donations from in‐ dividuals and firms were left at the Lonja in the city centre and Orihuela Cos‐ ta’s Ecumenical centre be‐ fore being despatched by the Civil Protection and Emergencies department.

“I’d like to congratulate all the personnel involved, as they had to make fre‐ quent journeys from the reception centres to the Emergencies depot where Civil Protection vol‐ unteers loaded the lorry,” Baldo said.

The council chartered the trailer from a local firm, Victor Valverde re‐ vealed. “From the outset they have helped with ev‐ erything that was need‐ ed,” he said.

“This same company, many of whose drivers are Ukrainian, also sent two lorryloads of aid on their own initiative.”

and finally...

NETWORKS THEATRE brings to life Frances Hogson Bur‐ nett’s classic, The Secret Garden, in Orihuela next month. There will be one performance of the play at their Calle San Agustin, 25, theatre on Thursday April 7 at 7.30pm. Friday April 8 sees two performances at 7pm and 9pm and there will be one performance at 8pm on Saturday April 9.

Call or send a WhatsApp to 683 373 413 for tickets or book on the www.networkstheatre.com website. Adults €5 and students €4.

4 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Action plan SPAIN has approved a War Response Action Plan, through which €16 billion will be mobilised to ‘fairly dis‐ tribute the effects of the war and to preserve the path of growth and job creation as much as possible’.

Speaking on Monday March 28, President Pedro Sanchez said the plan will protect families, workers and displaced persons; it will include measures to support the economic and business fabric and will be aimed at areas such as transport, cy‐ bersecurity and energy. The package of measures will cost around €6 billion, in ad‐ dition to €10 billion in loans.

“No one is protected from

Plan to protect families.

this war. We cannot promise that the effects of the war on our economy and therefore on our lives will not be felt.

But what we can promise is that the government of Spain will do its utmost to mitigate its effects as much as possible.

“And we can also promise that we will distribute the sac‐ rifices in a balanced manner, so that no sector, and even less so the most vulnerable groups, feel neglected or abandoned to their fate,” he said.

Deal brokered FOLLOWING an agreement with the representatives of the Freight and Passenger Departments of the National Road Trans‐ port Committee, the Minister for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sanchez, has announced that the government will give a subsidy to hauliers of €20 per litre or kilo of fuel, of which 15 cents will come from the public budget and 15 cents will be borne by the oil product operators, and will be applied to diesel, petrol, gas and adblue. This benefit will mean more than €600 million for the transport sector.

Savings of around €700 per lorry per month are estimated and which will be in force from April 1 to June 30, extendable depend‐ ing on the evolution of the markets.

The measure, together with direct aid to the sector of €450 mil‐ lion, will inject more than €1 billion into the sector, the govern‐ ment said on Friday March 25 as part of an immediate aid plan to alleviate the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine.

and finally...

POLICE in Dorset were hunting a man who escaped from cus‐ tody on Saturday March 26, wearing only his socks, his under‐ wear and sporting a beard. Following extensive enquiries, Kyle Eglington was located by officers from Dorset Police’s Tactical Firearms Team during the evening of Monday March 28. The state of his dress was not noted in the report.

NEWS

Working women WOMEN over‐ whelmingly attribut‐ ed their lack of workplace confi‐ dence to experi‐ ences with man‐ agers, leaders, and colleagues, accord‐ ing to a new Wom‐ en’s Workplace Con‐ fidence study that analysed responses of hundreds of di‐ verse professional women across indus‐ tries, function, se‐ niority, and age.

The 2022 report explores intrinsic and organisational influencers of wom‐ en’s workplace con‐ fidence, behaviours resulting from di‐ minished confi‐ dence, why women leave companies, and what they are missing ‐ and need most ‐ from organi‐ sations to increase confidence, make valuable contribu‐ tions, and thrive.

“The report high‐ lights the reality that confidence isn’t a buzzword for wom‐ en, it directly influ‐ ences their engage‐ ment, productivity, and retention in or‐ ganisations,” said Velera Wilson, founder of Positive Identity, the organi‐ sation leading the study.

“Particularly now during the Great Resignation and Reshuffle era, wom‐ en are choosing or‐ ganisations that will help them grow, the study provides in‐ sight into what or‐ ganisations can do to support and retain female talent,” she added on March 29.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Living in Spain made easier!

A WEEK‐LONG campaign aimed at English speakers who live in Spain, own a second home in Spain, or are thinking of moving here either to work or retire, has been launched by Age in Spain.

The ‘Living in Spain’ cam‐ paign makes available free of charge a major resource of more than 40 guides pro‐ duced by Age in Spain and covering all aspects of life in Spain from how to get mar‐ ried, learn Spanish, and reg‐ ister your car, to getting health care, accessing em‐ ployment and benefits, and applying to live permanently in Spain. The organisation’s website will be updated each day with new features.

Age in Spain has been ad‐ vising and guiding English‐ speaking residents and new‐ comers for 30 years. With a volunteer management

Chief Executive, Helen Weir.

board and a small core staff, it has a country‐wide net‐ work of volunteers who de‐ liver information and addi‐ tional support via its infoline, while a befriending service puts socially isolated and vulnerable people in touch with others for sup‐ port.

Age in Spain’s chief execu‐ tive, Helen Weir, said the campaign will make people more aware of what’s on of‐ fer and attract new users to their website.

“Apart from the huge bank of information people can access on our website, the campaign will feature stories from people who have made the move suc‐ cessfully and have fitted comfortably into the Span‐ ish way of life. People can hear how they dealt with the challenges they encoun‐ tered as well as the pitfalls they might have avoided,” she said.

“We are also launching a survey so we can learn more about the issues people face when they decide to make the move. In this way we will continue to improve our service.

“We’re inviting people to visit our website this week, www.ageinspain.org/living inspain, go to our Facebook page, or call our infoline on +34 932 209 741,” she added.

EWN

5

6 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

NEWS

Israel-Arab meeting Carbon-free future

THE US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has been lauded for bringing together Israel and four Arab states, in what was an unprece‐ dented meeting to bring countries in the Mid‐ dle East closer together.

The significance of the meeting held on Monday March 28 is hugely important for re‐ lations and the future of peace in the Middle East, particularly in light of the current geopo‐ litical climate.

The four countries, the United Arab Emi‐ rates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt, all have a common interest in that they wish to see the Palestinian situation resolved as they do Iran as the enemy. All the countries are threat‐ ened either directly or indirectly by Iran’s sup‐ port of terrorist organisations that seek to THE Minister for the Presi‐ dency, Parliamentary Rela‐ tions and Democratic Memo‐ ry, Felix Bolanos, chaired the seventh meeting of the Na‐ tional Security Situation Committee, which is analysing the situation be‐ tween Russia and Ukraine on Thursday March 24.

The Situation Committee discussed the work of the var‐ ious groups set up to deal with cyber‐security, the im‐ plementation of sanctions

Bringing countries closer together.

overthrow moderate governments in the area.

At the end of the meeting the six ministers hailed it as a breakthrough, saying they were determined to repeat the meeting in the Is‐ raeli desert every year. They did however mention one caveat, and that is the need for progress in the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Situation Committee against Russia and the recep‐ tion of refugees. Regarding the latter, it was reported that more than 24,000 people have been assisted by the re‐ ception system and 15,706 applications for temporary protection have been for‐ malised, of which 1,969 were processed by March 23 alone.

An estimated 3,605 dis‐ placed Ukrainian students are

estimated to be enrolled in school in Spain.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the min‐ istries of Foreign Affairs, De‐ fence, Interior, Transport, Labour, Economic Affairs, Eco‐ logical Transition, Industry, Fi‐ nance, Agriculture, Territorial Policy and Inclusion, as well as representatives of the Nation‐ al Intelligence Centre.

SPAIN supports the new di‐ rection taken by the Inter‐ national Energy Agency (IEA) which aims to decar‐ bonise the global energy system.

“It is time to speed up the transformation of the ener‐ gy model and take advan‐ tage of its great economic opportunities and environ‐ mental benefits, while at the same time solving our energy security problems,” said Teresa Ribera, Vice‐ President of the Govern‐ ment of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Chal‐ lenge, during the IEA Minis‐ terial Meeting held in Paris on Thursday March 24 to approve the organisation’s new strategic orientation.

“We need to lift the barri‐ ers that prevent the deploy‐ ment of affordable, safe and sustainable technolo‐ gies to achieve the climate goals set by the Paris Treaty,” she added during her speech at the Plenary

Session of the Ministerial Meeting.

Ribera also outlined her current priorities, starting with “tackling the ‘conta‐ gion effect’ from gas prices to electricity prices” and re‐

ducing European demand for Russian supplies, with a particular impact on inter‐ national trade in liquefied natural gas and the optimi‐ sation of storage infrastruc‐ tures in the EU.

Suspected poisoning RUSSIAN billionaire Roman Abramovich showed symptoms of suspected poisoning following his involvement in peace talks but has since recovered, a source close to him said on March 28.

Abramovich, along with two Ukrainian peace negotiators, were allegedly ill earlier in March following a round of negotiations with their Russian counterparts in Kyiv.

Symptoms included peeling skin on their hands and faces, constant running tears, and red eyes.

Abramovich has longstanding ties with President Vladimir Putin and had apparently offered to act as a mediator to broker peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

With an estimated fortune worth around £10 billion, the Chelsea owner has been hit by sanctions from the UK Govern‐ ment. He is also banned from entering Britain, where he owns homes, as well as the London football club, which is now up for sale.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

RECORD sums of money are being withdrawn from banks in Russia amid soar‐ ing inflation and shortages of products from medicines to food.

According to the Central Bank, the personal savings of Russians plunged 3.5 per cent (£8.7 billion) last month, in what is believed to be the largest withdraw‐ al in a month since the So‐ viet Union collapsed.

Western sanctions have stopped the central bank from being able to access around half of its $640 bil‐ lion in gold and foreign cur‐ rency reserves.

The rouble has fallen to a record low and weekly in‐ flation has hit 2.2 per cent, with analysts at Goldman Sachs saying the economy in Russia is set to shrink by a huge 10 per cent and with announcements that the cost of living in Russia has increased by 14 per cent.

Shelves in shops are be‐ ing emptied of personal hygiene products amid panic buying, bringing back memories of the late Sovi‐ et era when shortages

31 March - 6 April 2022

Russia hit hard were rife. Supermarkets are rationing sales of sta‐ ple foods such as flour and sugar and videos are circu‐ lating on social media of shoppers scrapping over items.

Medicine shortages in chemists is increasing, with doctors reporting short‐

ages of 80 medicines in‐ cluding essential insulin and pain killers, while sales of anti‐depressants have multiplied by four.

Around 400 companies, including McDonald’s and Coca‐Cola have stopped or suspended sales in Russia in protest of the invasion

of Ukraine. This is expected to leave around 200,000 people without a job. Ap‐ ple suspended the sale of its products in Russia last month, with Ukraine urg‐ ing it to block Russian users from access to its app.

Pro‐Kremlin figures have

SUPERMARKETS: Shelves are being emptied as people panic buy.

started posting lists of so‐ called enemies on social media while Putin, 69, has called critics of the inva‐

EWN

7

sion he is leading “traitors and scum.”

Even with this economic strain, Russian polls show that 70 per cent of people say they support what has been called a “special op‐ eration” to “denazify and demilitarise” Ukraine.

Some of those who were around during the Soviet Union still support Putin.

8 EWN

31 March - 6 April 2022

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Ukrainian volunteers make urgent plea

WAR ZONE: Volunteers are persistent in their efforts to protect the animals under their care.

DESPITE serious risks to their lives, Ukrainian vol‐ unteers relentlessly per‐ sist in their efforts to pro‐ tect the animals under their care. However, wider awareness in the global community is es‐ sential if a real difference is to be made.

Since the war erupted on February 24, thou‐ sands of volunteer‐led an‐ imal shelters located in the middle of war zones have been fully cut off from supplies. Russian forces are refusing to es‐ tablish humanitarian cor‐ ridors to give volunteers safe access making it im‐ possible to deliver food and supplies. Two volun‐ teers were shot dead by Russian snipers near Kharkiv when attempting to feed animals at a zoo, and animal shelters across the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions have been under attack.

Over 3,000 animals and volunteers are trapped in the country’s largest shel‐ ter, Sirius, located in Dymer, 60km north of

Kyiv. Iryna Lozova, the Sir‐ ius coordinator, said: “For 26 days we have not been able to bring food and medicine to the people and animals. 3,165 dogs and 218 cats have be‐ come hostages. There will only be enough food for the animals for a few more days and there has been no fuel for the gen‐ erator for two days. We are currently looking for organisations to help evacuate the animals abroad after the green corridor is created. They need to find a safe home.”

At the Hostomel shel‐ ter, one of the oldest shelters in the country, more than 700 animals and four people have been stranded since the start of the war. The shel‐ ter has been hit by shells three times and attacked by a tank. The Hostomel shelter team recently said: “We need at least one green corridor to bring food, medicine, fuel and water. From the first day of the war, all the

employees of the Hos‐ tomel animal shelter have remained at their work‐ place. We are feeding not only the animals in the shelter but also those that have been abandoned by people.”

The Feldman‐Eco‐park in Dergachiv, Kharkiv, has also suffered devastating consequences. The zoo at the eco‐park had about 2,000 animals, and they managed to evacuate four orangutans, nine chim‐ panzees and 22 alpacas.

The press secretary of the park said: “Unfortunately, in extreme conditions, an‐ imals die not only from in‐ juries but also from the heart rupturing. Animals who are constantly in the line of fire experience constant stress, which has a great negative impact on their mental state and behaviour.”

The volunteers are urg‐ ing local and international animal rights organisa‐ tions to intervene and fa‐ cilitate the establishment of safe passage to save the animals’ lives.

10 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

NEWS

Pilot charged Dick is done

BRITISH Home Secretary Priti Patel has con‐ firmed in a written statement to the House of Commons that an April exit had been agreed for Met Police Chief Dame Cressida Dick.

The statement, on Monday March 28, also confirmed that Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House will temporarily stand in as head of the force until the next commission‐ er is appointed, although no details were giv‐ en as to how long that process will take.

Patel also indicated that the outgoing Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Tom Winsor, will investigate the circumstances surround‐ ing the February resignation of the Met Po‐ lice chief.

Dame Cressida quit unexpectedly in Febru‐ ary after being ‘put on notice’ by London Mayor Sadiq Khan over her handling of a number of cases. She was criticised by Khan for failing to tackle allegations of misogyny, racism and bullying within the Met. In February the Independent Office for Po‐ lice Conduct handed her 15 recommenda‐ tions following a report into ‘disgraceful’ misconduct by officers at Charing Cross Po‐ lice Station. The report uncovered disturbing WhatsApp messages between officers that included racist, homophobic and misogynis‐ tic language as well as ‘jokes’ about rape and sexual violence.

A 52-YEAR-OLD pilot has been charged with at‐ tempting to fly illegal immigrants into the UK in his aircraft.

Richard Styles, of no fixed abode, was de‐ tained during an opera‐ tion led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on March 24 at Deenethor‐ pe Airfield near Corby, in Northamptonshire.

He had just flown his twin‐engine plane to the airfield from Belgium.

Northants Police offi‐ cers, who were working with the NCA, stopped a taxi which had left the airfield on the Phoenix Parkway in Corby, arrest‐ ing the driver and four Albanian nationals.

The operation was also supported by Border Force and Immigration Enforcement.

Both Styles and the taxi driver, a 42‐year‐old man from Tooting in South London, were questioned by NCA in‐

vestigators.

Styles has now been charged with facilitating a breach of immigration law. The taxi driver has been bailed pending fur‐ ther enquiries.

The Albanian nationals, three men and a woman all aged between 21 and 64, remain detained un‐ der immigration powers.

NCA Regional Head of Investigations Jacque

TWIN-ENGINE: The pilot flew from an airfield in Belgium.

Beer said: “We know people smugglers use a range of methods to try

MORE than 1,000 parents in Scotland were asked their views on whether children should be weighed in school as part of its fight on the growing prob‐ lem of obesity. Just over half the par‐ ents expressed support for the idea, while a third expressed opposition cit‐ ing mental health and well‐being con‐ cerns.

The government in Scotland has said it wants to halve the level of childhood obesity by 2030, and although height and weight measurements are taken in the first year of school no further mea‐ surements are taken throughout the child’s school years.

Parents of younger children were ac‐

and breach UK border controls and we remain alive to the threats.”

Weigh in cording to the study more likely to support weight measurement in schools, with two thirds of the parents of five to eight‐year‐olds supporting the idea. By comparison only half of the parents of 15 to 17‐year‐olds thought it would be acceptable.

Those that expressed opposition to the idea, 23 per cent, also felt that it was not the government’s place to weigh children, while a further 10 per cent felt that it would lead to unsocia‐ ble behaviours like bullying.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Name and shame THE British government will ‘name and shame’ failing social housing landlords as part of ma‐ jor reforms to give residents a stronger voice and drive‐up standards, it claimed on Tuesday March 29. The move means social landlords providing sub‐standard housing and services would be publicly called out on the govern‐ ment’s website and across social media chan‐ nels. Minister for Social Housing Eddie Hughes MP said: “Everyone in this country deserves to live in a safe and decent home. It is unaccept‐ able that anyone should have mould covering their walls, risk slipping on a wet floor or have water dripping from the ceiling.

“We have published draft legislation today to toughen up regulation of social housing landlords. This includes naming and shaming those landlords who fail to meet acceptable living standards and giving tenants a direct channel to raise their concerns with govern‐ ment.

“This package will help to deliver on our commitment in the Levelling Up White Paper to halve the number of non‐decent rented homes by 2030,” he added.

31 March - 6 April 2022

Stepdaughter sanctioned THE London‐based step‐ daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is up in arms after being sanctioned by the UK government. Polina Kovaleva, 26, lives in a multi‐ million pound home after gaining degrees from two British universities.

The measures come in the latest round of economic sanc‐ tions against those people with close ties to the Kremlin, Koval‐ eva being one of 65 individuals and companies who were added to the list on March 24.

Supporters of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who has just been sentenced to a further nine years in prison, named Kovaleva’s mother as the long‐time lover of the for‐ eign secretary.

They also raised questions as

Security threat list THE US has added a number of high‐profile companies to its national security threat list including a popular anti‐virus software com‐ pany.

Kaspersky and China Telecom are now communications equipment and service providers deemed to be threats to the coun‐ try’s national security, the Federal Commu‐ nications Commission (FCC) announced on Friday March 25.

Both companies join Huawei Technolo‐ gies Co, ZTE Corp and others on the list, which was mandated under a 2019 law.

Kaspersky is the first Russian company to be listed. Announcing the additions to the list FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the

EWN 11

new designations “will help secure our net‐ works from threats posed by Chinese and Russian state‐backed entities seeking to en‐ gage in espionage and otherwise harm America’s interests.”

The addition of Kaspersky to the list is no surprise with the US having previously warned that running the company’s soft‐ ware could result in maligned activity. Al‐ though Kaspersky has denied being a pup‐ pet of the Russian government, the war in Ukraine has added fuel to the rumours and assertions.

Responding to the FCC decision, Kasper‐ sky said it was disappointed that a decision was “made on political grounds.”

to how she could fund her lav‐ ish lifestyle in London. Others added to the list include billion‐ aire oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler, drone manufacturer Kronsh‐ tadt, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner and Alrosa, the world’s biggest diamond man‐

Polina Kovaleva.

ufacturer. Referring to the sanctions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We’ve got to step up, we’ve got to increase our support, and we’ve got to tighten the economic vice around Putin, sanctioning more people today.”

12 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

WRECKAGE uncovered by Storm Eu‐ nice on the beach at Camperduin, near Alkmaar in the Netherlands, has been identified as a Second World War bomber.

The plane, a British Short Stirling MK1, was shot down by the Ger‐ mans in 1942 with a large piece of the fuselage found during the clean‐ up that followed Storm Eunice. The piece of wreckage was found in February but was only identified on Sunday March 27.

Martijn Visser, of the association Egmond ’40‐’45, said his “mouth fell open” when he saw the wreckage.

“Small bits will often be washed up on the beach but never a big piece like this. Holding it in your hands af‐ ter it’s been on the bottom of the sea for 80 years is astounding.”

Visser was able to identify the plane by comparing it to the fuselage

British bomber

BOMBER PLANE: Was shot down by the Germans in 1942.

of another Short Sterling at the air‐ craft museum at Deelen.

The plane was believed to be on its way home from a bombing mis‐

sion on December 17, 1945, when it was shot down by a German night fighter. All eight crew members were lost.

NEWS

New Covid rules NEW EU‐wide rules exempt minors from the acceptance peri‐ od of 270 days for Covid‐19 vaccination certificates following the primary vaccination series.

The standard acceptance period will be limited to persons aged 18 and above. While a booster from 12 years of age has been authorised following a recommendation from the Euro‐ pean Medicines Agency, not all member states are currently recommending to administer boosters to minors.

Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said: “One of the biggest benefits of the EU Digital Covid Certificate is its flexibili‐ ty to adapt to new circumstances. Following discussions with Member States’ public health experts, we have decided that the vaccination certificates of minors should not expire. When travelling, they will be able to continue using the certificate re‐ ceived after the primary series of vaccination.”

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, added on Tues‐ day March 29: “The pandemic is still with us, and vaccination remains crucial. Our message has not changed: get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible. Vaccination saves lives and is key for all of us.”

Golden passports THE EU is urging member states to immediately repeal any existing investor citizen‐ ship schemes and to ensure strong checks are in place to address the risks posed by investor residence schemes.

Some Russian or Belaru‐ sian nationals who are sub‐ ject to sanctions or are signif‐ icantly supporting the war in Ukraine might have acquired EU citizenship or privileged access to the EU, including to travel freely in the Schengen area, under these schemes.

Commissioner for Justice and Consumers, Didier Reynders, said: “European values are not for sale. We

consider that the sale of citi‐ zenship through ‘golden passports’ is illegal under EU law and poses serious risks to our security. It opens the door to corruption, money laundering and tax avoid‐ ance.

“All Member States con‐ cerned should end their in‐ vestor citizenship schemes immediately. In addition, they should assess whether they should revoke any ‘golden passports’ already granted to sanctioned indi‐ viduals and others signifi‐ cantly supporting Putin’s war,” he added on Monday March 28.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Dancing on Ice PROFESSIONAL dancer Re‐ gan Gascoine has won Danc‐ ing on Ice 2022 after a three‐ way skate‐off involving Gascoine, former Strictly star Brendan Cole and Pussycat Dolls singer Kim‐ berly Wyatt.

Gascoine and partner Ka‐ rina Manta took the title af‐ ter the public vote, with many taking to social media to express their joy with their winning performance on Sunday March 28. Clearly happy with the perfor‐ mance and the win, Gas‐ coine broke down in tears before hugging his partner tightly.

It was an emotional night for Gascoine whose father was not there to see his son’s proud performance.

The final had to be post‐ poned this year after an ITV schedule rejig and the sub‐ sequent clash of events, af‐ ter it was originally sched‐ uled for the same time as the FA Cup quarter‐final

match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

In the show’s semi‐final earlier this month, Olympic athlete Kye Whyte and Vamps singer Connor Ball

were both sent home in a dramatic double elimination after giving it their all in the skate‐off, where Kimberly emerged victorious, taking her place in the final.

Google meet PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez has met with the CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sun‐ dar Pichai, at the Moncloa Palace, Madrid.

Sanchez stressed at the meeting on Mon‐ day March 28 that the digital transfor‐ mation of the econo‐ my is a priority for the government and Spain will allocate al‐ most €20 billion in the coming years to accelerate the digi‐ talisation process.

Sanchez also

thanked Pichai for Google’s “great com‐ mitment to Spain.”

The technology com‐ pany has plans to in‐ vestment in the Cy‐ bersecurity Centre of Excellence in Malaga, the Grace Hopper submarine cable, which will connect Bilbao to New York, and the creation of a cloud region in Madrid.

In addition, Google is collaborating with Spain in promoting digital skills among citizens.

EWN 13

14 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Neighbours no more THE longest‐running drama series on Aus‐ tralian television, Neighbours, is to end in June.

Neighbours initially launched on the coun‐ try’s Seven network in 1985, but the channel axed it before Ten picked it up the following year and it became an international hit.

“We are so sorry to say that after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes broadcast we have to confirm that Neighbours will cease production in June,” the show’s official Twitter account posted on March 24.

“Following the loss of our key broadcast partner in the UK and despite an extensive search for alternative funding, we simply have no option but to rest the show.

“To our amazing, loyal fans, we know this is a huge disappointment, as it is to all of us on the team. We thank you for all your mes‐ sages and support and promise to end the show on an incredible high. From here on, we are celebrating Neighbours,” it added.

Kylie Minogue, who joined in 1986 to play the role of Charlene Robinson, tweeted: “I’ll be forever grateful for the experience and the friends I made on @neighbours. We had no idea how big the show would become and how passionately viewers would take it to heart.”

Oil prices fall

IN LOCKDOWN: The city of Shanghai is a major user of oil.

AFTER months of rising oil prices, the cost of the com‐ modity has finally started to fall after the Chinese city of Shanghai went into an‐ other full Covid‐19 lock down.

The city, an important fi‐ nancial and industrial hub, is a major user of oil with its population of more than 25 million people and large number of manufacturing businesses.

Brent crude, the whole‐ sale price for oil, lost more

than $4 (€3.65) a barrel on March 28 on concerns that the move would mean that demand for oil will drop.

Despite the fall in the price of Brent crude it is not expected to provide much relief with the price still 80 per cent up on 2021, with the war in Ukraine still hanging heavily over world supply.

Similar falls were experi‐ enced on the Shanghai stock exchange where the composite stock index fell in

early trade. Stocks have since regained most of the losses.

The lockdown, which be‐ gan on March 28, is China’s largest since the coron‐ avirus outbreak began more than two years ago and is in line with the coun‐ try’s zero policy. China has, unlike most other countries, worked to eradicate the virus by locking whole cities and areas down as soon as there is any indication that the virus has taken hold.

NEWS

Joint aid THE UK and Australia have announced joint plans to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Ukraine.

Under the UK‐Australia humanitarian part‐ nership, the first of two chartered flights car‐ rying hygiene kits, solar lights, kitchen sets and blankets along with other basic necessi‐ ties left on Tuesday March 29 to help the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) meet the immediate needs of people dis‐ placed by the conflict.

The humanitarian relief involves the UK providing and organising delivery of the sup‐ plies, with Australia contributing to the fund‐ ing, and is part of both countries’ broader hu‐ manitarian support to Ukraine.

The items will arrive by plane to Poland and UNHCR will distribute in Ukraine and Moldova to support the growing number of refugees. Diesel powered heaters, heavy du‐ ty groundsheets, generators and shelters are some of the other items being delivered and distributed.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “The UK is working with our great friends Australia to support the people of Ukraine who have had their lives destroyed by Russia’s brutal, un‐ provoked invasion.

“We call on Russia to enable safe humani‐ tarian access and safe passage for people to flee the violence,” she added on March 28.

16 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

THE Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has confirmed that Brexit has hit overseas trade.

“We are still trying to work through what all the impacts are. It was always inevitable that there would be a change in our trade intensity with Europe as a result of the change in the trade relationship,” he said on Monday March 28.

“Without doubt we are changing our

Brexit hit trading relationship with the EU and that means a different set of controls and things people will have to do and that will obvi‐ ously have an impact.

That is, I am sure, a big part of the reason why this is happen‐ ing.”

“I think it is maybe

a bit early to be definitive about which bits are doing what.

The benefit of new trading relationships takes time. They don’t happen overnight. Of course, that will happen over a period of time,” he added.

Email scam A NEW email scam is doing the rounds, this time purporting to be sent from the Ministry of Health, Spain’s Internet Security Office (OSI) warned on Monday March 28.

The scam emails try to deceive in‐ ternet users by pretending to be sent from the Ministry of Health, offering an ‘extra dose of the Covid‐19 vac‐ cine’ as a way of trapping them.

The email urges the recipient to download a file with details of how

to receive a new dose of the vaccine as soon as possible. But doing so in‐ stalls malware on the recipient’s de‐ vice.

The OSI cautioned: “If you receive this email, try not to open it, instead, delete it and do not download the files that it suggests. In case you did somehow open it then you will need to check your system for the virus and try to eliminate it with an an‐ tivirus program.”

DURING a tour of the Caribbean, Prince William suggested the royal family would support the Ba‐ hamas’ decision to cut ties with the monarchy.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas, the Duke of Cambridge said on Friday March 25: “Next year, I know you are all looking forward to celebrat‐ ing 50 years of indepen‐ dence, your golden anniver‐ sary. And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of in‐ dependence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this, we sup‐ port with pride and respect your decisions about your future.

Relationships evolve. Friendship en‐ dures.”

Prince William, the sec‐ ond in line to the throne, was on a week‐long tour of Caribbean Commonwealth countries with the Duchess of Cambridge in honour of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Ju‐ bilee.

“It is touching to see your

NEWS

Cutting ties Toured the Caribbean.

deep admiration for the Queen and her 70 years of dedicated service to the

Commonwealth. I know as well that my grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, had a soft spot for the Ba‐ hamas. Catherine and I were thinking about him to‐ day as we celebrated the return of sloop sailing here by racing off Montagu Beach. He would have been in his element,” he added.

and finally...

EXPERTS said the Cumbre Vieja volcano will not erupt again after 60 seismic events were registered on Thursday March 24.

The seismic network, managed by Involcan, the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands, detect‐ ed a ‘seismic swarm’ in the area of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma.

More than 60 events located at depths of between 10km and 13km were registered. However, Involcan said that these movements are called ‘long periods’ when gases and fluids inside the volcano move about but do not reach the surface.

According to a spokesman for Involcan, the move‐ ments are “normal” at the end of an eruptive pro‐ cess.

18 EWN

31 March - 6 April 2022

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Spanish film wins SPANISH production, The Windsheild Wiper, has won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the awards cere‐ mony held on March 27.

Director Alberto Miel‐ go, and producer Leo Sanchez, took to the stage of the Dolby The‐ atre in Los Angeles to collect the first Oscar ever awarded for a Spanish short film.

Mielgo’s Oscar will join the long list of awards received by the director and screenwrit‐ er for works such as Dis‐ ney’s 2103 film, Tron’s Uprising.

He made his debut work as a director with the animated short film The Witness in 2019, and the Netflix antholo‐ gy Love, Death & Robots.

The Windshield Wiper is set inside a cafe. After lunch, while smoking an entire pack of cigarettes,

a middle‐aged man asks himself and the audi‐ ence an ambitious ques‐ tion: what is love? A col‐

lection of vignettes and situations lead the man to the desired conclu‐ sion.

Queen Vic BOOKMAKERS William Hill have claimed that Adam Woodyatt’s character, Ian Beale, will make a return to EastEnders as the landlord of the Queen Vic. Albert Square favourite Danny Dyer, who plays current land‐ lord Mick Carter, is leaving the BBC soap later this year.

According to the bookmaker, 53‐year‐old Adam Woodyatt’s odds have been slashed to 6‐1 to become the next Queen Vic landlord. The actor appeared in the very first episode of the iconic soap and stayed on the show for an incredible 36 years before leaving in January 2021.

While taking part in ITV’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’ last year, Adam dropped several hints about his desire to return to Walford. He has since been touring with stage play, Looking Good Dead, which comes to an end this April.

This may leave him available for an EastEnders come‐ back.

STATS

11%

The left-handed comprise 11% of the world’s population.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 19

Farewell Phil Covid decline

ROCK star Phil Collins sparked health fears as he bade fans farewell at his final Genesis concert on March 26 at the O2 Arena in London.

“It’s the last stop of our tour, and it’s the last show for Genesis. After tonight we all have to get real jobs,” Collins joked with the audience.

The Last Domino? Tour featured what is probably the band’s most iconic line up with guitarist‐bassist Mike Rutherford, and keyboard ge‐ nius Tony Banks joining Phil Collins on stage each night, along with Phil’s son Nic on drums.

Collins was not able to per‐ form on the drums due to nerve damage in his back, in‐ stead, he took to a chair, belt‐ ing out the classic hits from the band’s huge repertoire.

The legendary musician has been struggling with his health for about 15 years and uses a walking stick.

“Somehow, during the last Genesis tour, I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper

COLLINS: Belted out all the band’s classic hits.

neck, and that affected my hands. After a successful op‐ eration on my neck, my hands still can’t function nor‐

mally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano,” he said.

HALF of all US states saw their population de‐ cline between June 2020 to June 2021, accord‐ ing to the US Census Bureau.

More than 73 per cent of US counties saw more deaths than births, up from the previous year’s 55 per cent. The only two states to buck the trend were Hawaii and West Virginia who both had more counties reporting a natural in‐ crease in population than a decrease.

“Fewer births, an ageing population and in‐ creased mortality, intensified by the Covid‐19 pandemic, contributed to a rise in natural de‐ crease,” the Census Bureau said in a statement on Thursday March 24.

“The 2020‐2021 period was unique because it was the first time the Covid‐19 pandemic af‐ fected both births and deaths,” it added.

Of those states that did report a natural in‐ crease in population, the percentage was very small with single counties accounting for the change.

In addition to the natural decrease in popula‐ tion, some states experienced a decline due to migration, or people moving out of the county to another place within the US. The states most affected by this trend were Alaska, Louisiana and Illinois.

Mercadona denies MERCADONA has denied accusations circulating on social networks claiming the supermarket chain is inflating prices as “completely false.”

A social media post, allegedly from a company worker, claimed Mercadona was hiking up prices us‐ ing the transport strike as an excuse to create a false sense of shortages on its shelves.

Posted on March 22, the tweet said: “We have ev‐ erything, but those at the top tell us to take the product out of the warehouse little by little and con‐ tinue to give an image of scarcity, to gradually raise

prices every day and get more. This is for oil, milk, etc.”

Mercadona quickly responded with a Facebook post: “The information that we are regulating the sale of products, and that we do it to raise prices, is completely false. We have taken action against these sources. Every day, we open our stores giving the best service, and for this reason we recommend our clients not hoard unnecessary products. We ap‐ preciate the collaboration of our clients. Share this information among your contacts.”

US STATES: Covid contributed to decrease.

20 EWN

31 March - 6 April 2022

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Electricity help PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez took part in the ordinary Eu‐ ropean Council in Brussels on March 24 and 25, where escalating energy prices were discussed as a priority issue. EU member states agreed that Spain and Portu‐ gal will be able to imple‐ ment temporary and excep‐ tional measures to reduce electricity prices for con‐ sumers and businesses. The measures, which will be sub‐ mitted to the European Commission, will be con‐ firmed “as a matter of ur‐ gency.”

Sanchez said that the mea‐ sure that is “exceptional and temporary, does not involve gas subsidies, nor does it dis‐ tort incentives for clean ener‐ gy or electricity flows be‐ tween countries.” As a result, it does not distort the Euro‐ pean electricity market.

Currently the daily whole‐ sale electricity market price is set by gas‐fired power plants.

For these reasons, Spain will temporarily establish a

benchmark price for gas used to produce electricity that will be substantially lower than the current one.

As gas sets the daily price of electricity, this measure will lower the price of elec‐ tricity bills for consumers.

Model monarch THE Queen is the star of British Vogue’s April edition.

The iconic magazine released two twin covers to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, one cover features a picture of the monarch taken in 1957, the other cov‐ er features actress Anya Taylor‐Joy. It is the first time the Queen has appeared on the cover of Vogue. The cover shows a youthful Queen wearing the Diamond Diadem crown, originally made for King George IV in 1820.

Editor Edward Enninful wrote in the fashion mag’s editorial on Wednesday March 23: “People are forever asking me what the colour of the season is. Most of the time, they seem so disappointed when I explain that the answer is almost never definitive. But for the coming months, I am calling it: the colour of spring/ summer 2022 is platinum.”

STATS

9

A cockroach can survive up to 9 days without its head.

22 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

MOTORISTS in Britain are breaking the law if they use a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel for any use, in‐ cluding to take photos or videos, scroll through playlists or play games ‐ as the government closes a loophole previ‐ ously exploited by dangerous drivers to escape conviction.

Anyone caught using their handheld

Mobile ban device while driving could face a fine of up to £1,000 as well as six points on their licence or a full driving ban.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I will do everything in my power to keep road‐users safe, which is why I

am taking a zero‐tolerance approach to those who decide to risk lives by using their phone behind the wheel.

“I’m ensuring anyone who chooses to break this vital law can face punish‐ ment for doing so and we’ll continue our efforts to ensure our roads remain among the safest in the world,” he added on Friday March 25.

NEWS

Manchester Airport queues

Standards slump OFFICIAL forecasts pre‐ dict that Britons will face the sharpest drop in living standards this year since 1956.

According to the Of‐ fice for Budget Respon‐ sibility (OBR), rising prices and increased taxes mean living stan‐ dards will not recover to their pre‐pandemic level for at least two years.

The OBR said: “Rus‐ sia’s invasion of Ukraine will push infla‐ tion to a 40‐year high of almost 9 per cent, and living standards are set for a historic fall over

the next 12 months.

Higher inflation will erode real incomes and consumption, cutting GDP growth this year from 6 per cent in our October forecast to 3.8 per cent.

“With inflation out‐ pacing growth in nomi‐ nal earnings and net taxes due to rise in April, real livings stan‐ dards are set to fall by 2.2 per cent in 2022‐23, their largest financial year fall on record, and not recover their pre‐ pandemic level until 2024‐25,” the OBR added on March 23.

LACK OF STAFF: Disruption at the airport.

QUEUES at Manchester Air‐ port could go on for weeks, the managing director of the airport has warned.

TUI and easyJet have also issued advice to travellers us‐ ing the airport. The airport is desperately trying to recruit new staff as international travel surges again.

The managing director of Manchester Airport, Karen Smart, said: “We want to apologise to all our customers who have experienced dis‐ ruption over the last couple of weeks. “We want to be clear with our customers that get‐ ting back to full strength is go‐

ing to take time and there will unfortunately be periods over the next few weeks when it will take longer to get through the airport than it should,” she added on Thursday March 24.

A disgruntled worker ex‐ plained that chronic staff shortages are behind the queues which have seen some travellers even miss their flights: “All the compa‐ nies in the airport just got rid of far too many staff, every‐ one panicked during the pan‐ demic. Now everything is picking up again, we can’t just get the staff back.”

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Breeding earlier AROUND the world, breeding patterns of birds are changing as the seasons shift. Scientists say that global warming is to blame.

According to a paper published in the Journal of Animal Ecology on Fri‐ day March 25, in North America spring has come earlier resulting in many species laying their eggs up to 25 days earlier than usual. Of the 72 species examined in the vicinity of Chicago a third of the birds had laid eggs nearly a month earlier than a century ago.

Evidence from else‐ where suggests that birds in the northern hemi‐ sphere are laying their eggs earlier whereas in parts of the southern hemisphere the opposite is being found. Changing weather patterns, unusu‐ al rain patterns and warmer temperatures all play havoc with bird

Spring has come earlier.

breeding cycles.

John Bates, the curator of the bird division at the Field Museum in Chicago, said: “How animal and plant life cycles are affect‐ ed by climate change and seasonal disruptions is a question that’s becoming more front and centre in people’s minds.”

Juan Carlos denied SPAIN’S former king Juan Carlos’ request for immunity has been rejected by a British court. He may now face an embarrassing trial over allegations he harassed his for‐ mer mistress.

Lawyers for the disgraced monarch had claimed he en‐ joyed sovereign immunity.

On Thursday March 24, the High Court in London ruled he does not have immunity in the UK after his abdication in 2014 and the harassment case filed against him by Corinna zu Sayn‐Wittgenstein may proceed.

She claims that following the end of their five‐year re‐ lationship in 2009, Juan Carlos had her followed and threatened by state agents.

High Court Justice Matthew Nicklin said: “Whatever status the defendant has under Spanish law and the con‐ stitution, he is no longer a ‘sovereign’ or ‘head of state’ conferring personal immunity.”

EWN 23

24 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

NEWS

Retail sales dip CONSUMER confidence in the UK has fallen with high energy and petrol prices taking their toll, along with the war in Ukraine, result‐ ing in an unexpected drop in retail sales in February.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), online shopping lev‐ els sank and high street sales also fell during the month with the bad weath‐ er to blame as the UK was battered by storm after storm.

Actual sales volumes were down by 0.3 per cent from January. Earlier, economists polled by Reuters had predicted a 0.6 per cent monthly rise in re‐ tail sales.

Sales volumes were 3.7 per cent above their pre‐ coronavirus levels of February 2020, but the share of online sales in val‐ ue terms was its lowest since March 2020 at 27.8 per cent, the ONS revealed

February saw a drop.

on Friday March 25.

Although UK consumer confidence is not expected to rise in the short term with the war in Ukraine playing heavily on Euro‐ pean economies, retail sales fall are expected to be up in March due in part to the warmer weather.

Boozy buys A NEW poll of 2,000 British adults has revealed that over half, 54 per cent, of late‐night online shoppers said they had done so while drinking alcohol and more than eight in 10 shopped while distracted watching TV, leaving them vulnerable to misleading sales tactics.

As the cost of living continues to increase, and with al‐ most one‐third of all retail purchases now taking place online, the Competition and Markets Authority has be‐ come increasingly concerned about the impact of ‘sneaky’ sales practices on consumers.

George Lusty, Senior Director for Consumer Protec‐ tion, said: “Every penny we spend must count.

“We’re increasingly concerned about online business‐ es using sales tactics to push people into parting with their cash. And the time of day or mindset you’re in when shopping can make you more vulnerable to being unwittingly misled,” he added on Friday March 25.

Seasonal base Base opened March 27.

EASYJET has reopened its seasonal base at the Malaga‐Costa del Sol airport.

Javier Gandara, easy‐ Jet’s General Manager for Southern Europe, said the seasonal base

has “a key role in the airline’s global strategy, which expects to be at levels close to those of 2019 for the summer.

“As we continue to put the impact of Covid‐ 19 behind us and cus‐ tomer confidence be‐ gins to grow again, we are preparing for what we believe will be a very strong summer,” he said.

“When we opened the base in Malaga in June 2021, we did so know‐ ing that it was the most popular destination in our network that did not yet have a base.

One year later, the more than 500,000 pas‐ sengers transported during the summer months in which it was operational reconfirms the potential of this re‐ gion, which in 2022 pre‐ sents very good prospects,” he added.

The seasonal base re‐ opened on March 27.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Falklands War revisited A NEW BBC podcast looks back at the Falklands War on the 40th anniversary of the conflict. The five‐ part series, My Moment In History: The Falklands War, features personal

stories of those involved in the 74‐day conflict that began on April 2, 1982.

The podcasts are front‐ ed by former Royal Ma‐ rine and broadcaster JJ

Banned for life A DISORDERLY woman who attempted to open a Jet2 aircraft door whilst in mid‐ flight, has been banned from the airline for life.

Named as Catherine Bush from Bradford, West Yorkshire, she was also fined £5,000.

She was filmed by other passengers shouting in the faces of Jet2 staff as they tried to calm her down. She also allegedly slapped some of her fellow pas‐ sengers on March 21, on board flight LS895 from Manchester to Antalya in Turkey. The

flight diverted to Vien‐ na airport, where the police were waiting to escort her from the plane.

A spokesperson for Austrian police said on Thursday March 24: “We can confirm that a passenger had been stopped and controlled by the police after the emergency landing at Vienna International Airport. The British citi‐ zen was subsequently presented to a psychi‐ atric hospital. Surveys on possible criminal of‐ fences are still ongo‐ ing.”

Chalmers and historian Professor Helen Parr from Keele University, who has a family connec‐ tion to the conflict.

Each episode features interviews with people who tell their personal story, bringing the series to life, including a para‐ trooper who fought in one of the bloodiest en‐ counters of the war. The series also hears from the next generation of young Falkland islanders, on why the conflict should never be forgotten.

JJ Chalmers, who was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, was injured in Afghanistan while serv‐ ing with the Royal Marines, said: “These days it feels more impor‐ tant than ever to under‐ stand the sacrifices in‐ volved and that the impact of war is felt throughout families and runs through the genera‐ tions.”

EWN 25

26 EWN

31 March - 6 April 2022

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK

Interpreters needed

Wooden office

WHILST Denmark is happy to receive Ukrainian refugees, it is facing a crisis concerning lack of interpreters and after calling for volunteers who speak Ukrainian on social media it is also asking for help from English speakers as many Ukrainians may be proficient in that language.

ON March 21, Copenhagen saw the start of work on its largest building constructed from wood. The eight storey Marmormolen covers 28,000 sqm and although initially thought to be a potential fire hazard, is actually environmentally friendly as timber stores carbon as opposed to emitting CO2.

THE NETHERLANDS Book withdrawn

Amsterdam expands

A CONTROVERSIAL book accusing Jewish notary Arnold van den Bergh of betraying Anne Frank and other Jewish people in hiding has been withdrawn from sale by the publishers in Holland after a group of experts said that there was no evidence to support the claims.

HAVING been granted city rights in 1355, in a 2018 referendum the majority of the 20,000 residents of Weesp voted to become assimilated into Amsterdam and this finally occurred officially on Thursday March 24 making it the eighth borough of Amsterdam.

BELGIUM Acrobatic protest

New coin

THERE was excitement in Brussels square, the Flageyplein on March 21 when a man scaled a 15-metre-high art installation as a peace protest, performing acrobatics and playing a trumpet to the crowd below before agreeing to be brought down by the local fire brigade.

THE Belgian Government is to issue a €2 circulating coin to thank the healthcare sector for its actions during the pandemic. The design will feature a cross, stethoscope, heart, syringe, wheelchair and a chemical symbol with the words thank you in three languages.

GERMANY Green Health

Fashion support

TESLA founder Elon Musk travelled to Germany to hand over the first electric vehicles produced at the company’s new factory just outside of Berlin in Grünheide (Green Health in English) as part of the opening ceremony attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday March 22.

DUE to the Russian invasion, Ukrainian fashion designer Jean Gritsfeld, who was due to take part in Berlin Fashion Week was unable to attend or send samples, but in order to bring the collection to the catwalk, volunteers in Berlin retailored it and the show went ahead.

FRANCE Michelin Guide

Festival partner

FOR the first time in its 122 years, on Tuesday March 22, the Michelin Guide for France was unveiled in Cognac rather than Paris and this time there are 627 starred restaurants with two new three star establishments, six two star restaurants and 41 single star newcomers.

AIMING at a younger audience, the Cannes Film Festival due to start on May 17, has teamed up with Chinese owned global App TikTok as one of its partners, so expect to see live back stage action and competitions with winners attending the festival.

NORWAY Royal Covid

Refugee flights

KING HARALD, Norway’s 85-year-old monarch tested positive for corona virus on Tuesday March 22 and although the symptoms were said to be mild, the king has not enjoyed good health recently and was therefore in isolation whilst Crown Prince Haakon, stepped in as regent.

NOT every country that is accepting Ukrainian refugees can afford to support them for long and one of the poorer former USSR states Moldova has reached agreement with Norway for more than 5,000 refugees to be picked up and flown to Norway for resettlement.

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

EUROPEAN PRESS FINLAND

Yachts seized

Newsprint shortage

ALTHOUGH the number may appear surprising, Finland hosts the winter berths of a number of superyachts and Finnish Customs have announced that some 21 vessels may not be moved from their berths due to suspicion that they are owned by Russian entities now under EU sanctions.

PRIOR to the invasion of Ukraine, around 20 per cent of Finland’s newspapers were printed using Russian paper, but this has now stopped and because there has been a long running strike which includes Finnish pulp makers, the cost of newsprint has almost doubled.

IRELAND Royal Visit

Safe haven

THE Prince of Wales and Camilla received a warm welcome in Cookstown in Northern Ireland before travelling to the Republic with very tight security and visiting Waterford and Tipperary as part of the celebrations surrounding the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year and to repair Brexit fallout.

AN Irish business man who currently lives in Madrid was so moved by the plight of Ukrainian refugees that he has opened up 15th century Ballindooley Castle near Galway (which he purchased in 2016 to rent on Airbnb) as a safe haven for a number of women and children.

ITALY The Birds

Easing restrictions

BEGGING pigeons in Venice have been replaced by much more vicious seagulls with an eye for the main chance and because so many have been attacking tourists eating in the open air, some hotels are issuing water pistols to allow them to fight back.

WITH effect from April 1 those consuming food or drinks in outdoor areas of bars and restaurants will no longer need to present a green pass, but the public will still need to wear masks in enclosed public spaces, including schools and public transport, until April 30.

PORTUGAL Charging points

Foreign residents

THE Portuguese Government has allocated €10 million to support the purchase and installation of chargers for electric cars in communal garages in blocks of flats. Those applying for this support can expect to receive €1,800 towards costs and electricity charges will be identified by space.

FIGURES released by Portugal’s Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) confirm that the number of foreigners living in Portugal has increased for the sixth year in a row with Britons making up the second largest group of foreign residents (after Brazilians), with 42,071 Britons now living there.

UKRAINE Super hero

Dragon’s home

NEAR to a hospital in the American city of Fresno is a mural depicting superheroes such as Spider-Man and Batman, but right in the centre is an image of a Ukrainian nurse whose elderly mother is trapped in the Ukrainian city of Kherson.

NEWEST Dragon on TV’s Dragons’ Den 29year-old Steven Bartlett has announced that he will sign up to the UK Government’s sponsorship scheme to house Ukrainian refugees. In addition, his £350 per month being paid to hosts will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

SWEDEN ABBA award

ID checks

IN recognition of their services to the Swedish music industry and promotion of the country worldwide, legendary group ABBA were awarded a music export prize on Wednesday March 23 to mark the success of their latest album Voyage which topped the charts in 18 countries.

DUE to the large number of refugees now travelling, the Swedish Government has decided to ensure that identity checks are carried out on all passengers arriving by sea, so that the information registered in the passenger lists must be preceded by valid identity checks.

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 27

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Cheaper fuel COMMERCIAL interests have led to Spain’s two largest distributors of diesel and petrol Cepsa and Repsol to drop their prices by 10c a litre in order to try to compete with no‐ nonsense, low‐cost fuel suppliers who by reducing margins are at‐ tracting price conscious drivers.

World champions MOVE over Real Madrid, Manch‐ ester United and Barcelona as for the first time, Manchester City has been declared the football club with the highest turnover in the world in the annual Deloittes Foot‐ ball Money report with an esti‐ mated revenue of €645 million.

TransPerfect MULTINATIONAL language services company TransPerfect has its eyes set firmly on the Spanish market and after purchasing the dubbing studios of the Catalan company Polford (which supplies voiceovers for such stars as Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks) in 2021, is now looking to increase its 350 staff.

Fill your Boots ANOTHER British heritage group, Boots the Chemist looks set to be taken over by an American based investment company, Apollo. Al‐ though rumoured for some time, Sky News said that funding for a £6 billion pound buyout is now being sought from major banks.

Santander Green IN keeping with the Spanish Gov‐ ernment’s campaign to increase ‘green’ projects, Banco Santander announced on March 24 that it has created Santander Green Invest‐ ment, a platform to invest in renew‐ able energy projects that are under development or construction. It confirmed it has made its first in‐ vestment by acquiring stakes in nine solar and wind projects in Spain with a combined capacity of around 500 MW. Under its self‐gov‐ ernance model, a special commit‐ tee approves investments, giving the platform the flexibility it needs to make decisions and can grant green projects the bank guarantees they require and partner with de‐ velopers with proven experience in renewable energy ventures.

www.euroweeklynews.com • 31 March - 6 April 2022

28

STAT OF WEEK

€600 million

is the amount that El Corte Inglés has managed to reduce its indebtedness, by early settlement of a bond due to mature in 2024.

Chancellor’s Spring Statement SINCE 2017 the UK budget has been announced to Parliament in October to allow for tax amendments to be implement‐ ed in time for the new tax year.

This is the responsibility of the Chancellor of the Exche‐ quer and many will remember the old days of Ken Clarke sup‐ ping a glass of whisky during his budget deliveries, as this is the only time that alcohol may be consumed in the House of Commons.

Nowadays, there is also a Spring Statement (a bit like the January transfer window in football) where the Chancellor will review the economy and introduce any new legislation

that may be pertinent at the time.

This is what happened on Wednesday March 23 when Rishi Sunak in fairly sombre terms set out new measures for fighting the constant rise of energy, food and fuel prices.

Importantly he reduced fuel duty by 5p per litre and raised the threshold at which workers start paying National Insurance from £9,600 to £12,570, but would not be moved on his plan to introduce a rise of 1.25p in the pound from April for those workers paying into the fund.

Explaining that the economy is still fragile and has been hit by the war in Ukraine he made

it clear the funding has to be found for the NHS, but con‐ firmed his belief that it could be possible to reduce income tax by 2024 when the economy should be stronger.

VAT and business rates were reduced on some green tech‐ nology and an extra £500 mil‐ lion was made available to councils for the Household Support Fund to assist vulnera‐ ble families suffering from in‐ creased prices.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said he was mistaken with his decision to increase National Insurance and didn’t appreciate how badly off low paid workers and pensioners are at the moment.

Why choose a pre-paid funeral plan?

WHILE planning a funeral can be a difficult task, from choosing the type of service you would like to the music, a funeral plan with Golden Leaves will make sure your funeral is organised the way you would like.

Not only does this save your loved ones from the difficult task of planning your service, but a pre‐paid funeral plan will also help with the red tape, strict regulations and language barrier involved in organis‐ ing a funeral in Spain.

Having a pre‐paid plan will also ensure that your service is paid for, sparing your loved ones from pay‐ ing for your funeral.

The experts at Golden Leaves will ensure that your preferences are followed and respected ‐ without in‐ curring additional charges.

Not only this, you can also take comfort in the knowledge that your family and loved ones are

FOLLOWING an investigation in‐ to the proposed takeover of Morrisons, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said that that it could see fuel prices at the pump rise as a re‐ sult.

Private equity firm Clayton Du‐ bilier & Rice (CD&R) wants to ac‐ quire the supermarket chain, with its 339 petrol forecourts.

Should the deal go through, prices could rise in line with some 900 petrol stations already owned by CD&R through their subsidiary petrol station giant Motor Fuel Group.

The two sides were given five days on Wednesday March 23 to offer proposals to ease the con‐ cerns, after which the CMA has five days to decide whether to accept them or pursue a deeper probe if these concerns are not addressed.

Colin Raftery at the CMA said: “Prices for petrol and diesel have recently hit record highs, which makes it even more important that we don’t allow a lack of competition at the pump to make the situation worse.”

Morrisons had said it would lower prices by 5p per litre on Wednesday March 23 in line with the reduction in fuel duty announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

FUNERAL PLAN: Spare your loved ones a stressful task.

spared the emotional and financial burden of plan‐ ning and arranging your funeral at such a tumultuous time.

Contact Golden Leaves at info@goldenleavesinternational.com, 966 49 30 82, www.goldenleavesinternational.com

P&O admits sacking illegal MPs were stunned as P&O Ferries ad‐ mitted that the company had broken the law when its CEO appeared before the Transport Committee on Thursday March 24 to explain the sacking of 800 seamen.

When questioned, Peter Hebbleth‐ waite said there was “absolutely no doubt” that under UK employment law the firm was required to consult unions before making the mass cuts.

The justification was that as it con‐

Morrisons petrol costs

sidered it highly unlikely that unions would agree to the plan, it was easier to just go ahead, get rid of them and offer full compensation.

The following day, Transport Secre‐ tary Grant Shapps told Sky News: “I thought what the boss of P&O said yesterday about knowingly breaking the law was brazen and breathtaking, and showed incredible arrogance.”

He then went on to agree that he believed that having broken the law

and used a ‘loophole’ to get round it meant that he should resign immedi‐ ately, joining similar calls from MPs, unions and sacked staff.

The whole matter boils down to money as UK workers were entitled to receive the minimum wage for those 23 or over of £9.50 per hour whilst Heb‐ blethwaite told the committee that for‐ eign agency workers would be paid £5.50 per hour, which is in line with in‐ ternational maritime standards.

GDP reviewed SLIGHTLY better news for the Spanish economy as the National Statistics Office (INE) has in‐ creased its GDP review of the 2021 fourth quarter by 0.2 per cent it announced on March 25.

The initial forecast was 2 per cent but the final result is 2.2 per cent over the previous quarter and suggests that the eurozone’s fourth largest economy still man‐ aged to grow despite the set back due to the increase in the spread of coronavirus in the latter part of the year.

Overall, during 2021, the econ‐ omy bounced back with a 5.1 per cent growth, although in 2020 it fell by 10.8 per cent so there is a long way to go.

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

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

LONDON - FTSE 100

See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 28

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.348,00 1.365,50 Abrdn 205,20 205,90 Admiral Group 2.548,0 2.560,0 Anglo American 3.980,5 4.023,5 Antofagasta 1.740,00 1.750,00 Ashtead Group 5.106,0 5.148,0 Associated British Foods 1.716,0 1.731,0 AstraZeneca 9.884,3 9.925,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 635,80 647,00 Avast 572,00 574,80 Aveva 2.399,0 2.447,0 Aviva 445,30 446,30 B&M European Value Retail SA558,80 565,20 BAE Systems 744,40 760,60 Bank VTB DRC 0,010 0,010 Barclays 162,67 166,18 Barratt Developments 520,80 522,40 Berkeley 3.858,0 3.884,0 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.899,50 2.920,00 BP 388,95 390,90 British American Tobacco 3.320,0 3.324,0 British Land Company 530,20 533,60 BT Group 187,35 187,50 Bunzl 2.893,0 2.914,0 Burberry Group 1.685,5 1.695,5 Carnival 1.266,2 1.283,8 Centrica 84,09 84,36 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.594,0 1.625,5 Compass 1.652,00 1.662,00 CRH 3.166,0 3.214,0 Croda Intl 7.452,0 7.510,0 DCC 5.872,0 5.874,0 Diageo 3.827,5 3.844,0 DS Smith 324,20 325,00 EasyJet 535,20 538,60 Experian 2.964,0 3.002,0 Ferguson 10.405,0 10.600,0 Flutter Entertainment 8.754,0 8.858,0 Fresnillo 743,00 751,40 GlaxoSmithKline 1.634,80 1.638,00 Glencore 508,80 512,40 Halma 2.450,0 2.492,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.029,50 1.046,50 Hikma Pharma 2.071,00 2.111,00 HSBC 523,30 523,90 IAG 140,62 141,82 Imperial Brands 1.667,71 1.675,50 Informa 590,40 597,20 InterContinental 5.229,2 5.280,0

% CHG. 1.345,00 204,20 2.528,0 3.976,5 1.738,50 5.068,0 1.708,0 9.844,1 634,00 571,20 2.398,0 440,20 553,00 744,20 0,010 161,96 510,40 3.832,0 2.897,00 383,40 3.269,0 526,80 185,80 2.893,0 1.671,5 1.252,4 83,76 1.584,0 1.649,00 3.142,0 7.442,9 5.844,0 3.813,0 320,00 520,60 2.962,0 10.405,0 8.706,0 736,80 1.622,40 505,70 2.450,0 1.027,50 2.068,00 520,30 137,16 1.654,00 590,40 5.184,0

NET VOL 71,02K 228,25K 33,56K 243,37K 60,83K 64,76K 148,26K 10,60K 184,93K 26,74K 32,49K 1,33M 291,20K 885,26K 0 4,05M 612,47K 8,26K 1,10M 4,09M 277,45K 208,24K 851,27K 28,46K 58,83K 66,91K 2,07M 71,89K 1,21M 174,44K 3,64K 4,07K 394,84K 221,69K 1,06M 33,22K 41,75K 23,42K 88,06K 622,63K 2,75M 22,16K 40,97K 80,12K 2,14M 6,92M 128,07K 190,44K 4,02K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Intermediate Capital 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 Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Shell 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

1.689,00 5.102,0 81,80 262,10 1.829,5 789,60 271,50 48,96 7.910,0 761,60 125,10 1.518,50 1.117,60 223,90 6.349,6 1,89 1.073,20 2.116,0 634,80 1.078,00 5.560,5 2.321,00 525,20 645,40 5.946,0 98,39 0,60 685,60 1.419,00 0,5000 3.141,0 1.003,00 1.329,00 2.954,0 2.103,0 1.229,53 1.475,00 12.120,0 1.676,47 1.452,00 515,00 134,38 278,60 229,90 3.410,0 1.074,00 126,31 2.809,0 1.046,50

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

1.702,74 5.152,0 82,70 262,90 1.843,0 792,60 272,20 49,33 7.940,0 763,20 126,35 1.520,55 1.135,40 224,90 6.370,0 1,89 1.089,00 2.135,0 636,40 1.081,63 5.561,0 2.330,00 528,80 661,80 5.991,0 103,54 0,60 694,40 1.419,50 0,5000 3.154,0 1.010,00 1.329,00 2.958,0 2.107,0 1.235,50 1.502,50 12.355,0 1.698,00 1.460,00 515,40 135,30 278,60 231,70 3.427,0 1.082,00 126,58 2.830,0 1.047,00

1.685,50 5.088,0 81,68 260,10 1.826,0 785,80 269,30 48,70 7.834,0 760,40 124,75 1.510,47 1.116,20 222,30 6.296,0 1,89 1.065,11 2.106,0 631,60 1.070,50 5.473,0 2.308,00 524,40 644,20 5.927,0 98,12 0,60 684,60 1.412,50 0,5000 3.117,0 995,80 1.315,00 2.939,0 2.066,5 1.226,00 1.473,50 12.120,0 1.673,00 1.447,00 508,80 132,40 276,45 225,60 3.400,0 1.072,47 125,30 2.789,0 1.036,00

2,27K 7,84K 858,31K 157,81K 68,03K 103,32K 1,57M 28,43M 29,34K 49,72K 367,86K 1,28K 623,08K 1,24M 28,66K 0 11,53K 93,72K 248,50K 25,36K 98,75K 254,09K 264,46K 65,91K 241,85K 32,84M 0 86,38K 0,94K 0 5,88K 387,26K 146,98K 17,29K 1,59M 99,53K 58,19K 3,87K 186,96K 40,14K 806,84K 2,94M 431,34K 490,66K 443,79K 18,68K 5,58M 27,33K 282,14K

1.20027

0.83306

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0954 Japan yen (JPY)........................................135.75 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0247 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4406 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................9.4824

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

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 28

COMPANY 3M American Express Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Dow Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com The Travelers UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walgreens Boots Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 150,46 190,28 238,79 174,72 188,95 223,36 169,31 54,97 61,53 64,70 337,49 310,68 197,79 131,35 51,83 176,92 141,92 241,58 81,34 303,68 133,70 152,83 211,03 187,75 513,03 51,28 218,43 47,12 143,45 139,14

CHANGE 151,18 191,26 239,49 175,28 191,70 223,80 169,69 55,18 61,61 64,73 341,83 318,80 198,36 131,40 51,98 177,70 143,18 241,85 81,38 305,50 133,87 153,92 215,86 187,78 516,53 51,46 218,93 47,78 143,93 140,38

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 148,91 2,24M 189,00 1,85M 236,21 1,42M 172,75 80,18M 186,93 6,23M 221,14 1,57M 165,16 10,15M 54,40 17,92M 61,05 12,06M 63,84 3,94M 335,48 1,57M 308,30 5,12M 195,32 2,53M 129,31 3,52M 50,45 33,13M 175,22 4,72M 140,80 8,19M 239,43 2,13M 80,45 6,71M 299,29 22,10M 131,71 6,24M 151,51 5,02M 208,48 3,39M 184,04 851,94K 509,24 2,49M 50,97 18,73M 215,69 4,99M 46,91 4,67M 142,26 4,59M 138,12 5,86M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 28

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+143.04% +89.73% +54.00% +50.20% +33.65% +32.22% +25.95% +25.54% +23.12% +22.81% +22.54%

130.88M 2.18M 1.39M 9.59M 321.31K 17.25M 17.69M 3.82M 1.42M 302.81M 39.41M

-65.15% -64.55% -22.52% -21.67% -20.83% -19.81% -19.13% -18.95% -17.93% -17.78% -17.77%

46.24M 3.62M 22.62M 180.46M 4.02M 3.11M 2.69M 14.01M 482.96K 400.39K 6.83K

Most Advanced Clever Leaves Holdings Clever Leaves Holdings AN2 Therapeutics Forge Global Holdings Fresh Grapes LLC Nextdecade Clarus Therapeutics Holdings Aileron Therapeutics Neximmune Tilray Kidpik

Most Declined MEI Pharma Icosavax Honest Company Mullen Automotive iClick Interactive Asia Oneconnect Fin Curiositystream TMC the metals company Cerberus Cyber Sentinel Arts-Way Regional Health Pref A

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: The Presidential Press and Information Office

Introducing the gasrouble

NEW PAYMENT: Vladimir Putin recent made the announcement.

MANY have heard of the petrodollar but Russia is in‐ troducing the gasrouble af‐ ter Vladimir Putin an‐ nounced on March 23 that some countries would have to pay for gas in roubles.

A number of countries who oppose the Russian in‐ vasion of Ukraine have been declared unfriendly to Moscow and as they have frozen Russian overseas as‐ sets, it no longer makes sense to accept payment in dollars or euros.

Each of the 27 European Union States alongside the USA, Australia, Canada, Sin‐ gapore and the United Kingdom (including Gibral‐ tar) are included in the list of more than 45 countries who will be required to pay in roubles if they import Russian gas.

Putin said “Russia will continue, of course, to sup‐ ply natural gas in accor‐ dance with volumes and prices ... fixed in previously

concluded contracts.

“The changes will only af‐ fect the currency of pay‐ ment, which will be changed to Russian rou‐ bles.”

State‐controlled energy giant Gazprom which has in the past accepted a huge proportion of payments in euros and dollars was given just one week to amend ex‐ isting contracts.

This decision has helped strengthen the value of the rouble against the euro and dollar particularly and is thought to have caught ma‐ jor importers of Russian gas by surprise.

According to one Russian newspaper, experts inter‐ viewed by the paper are confident that it is in fact the only way to overcome the dominant role of the dollar.

Countries like Germany who depend on large vol‐ umes of Russian gas will now find themselves in a

Libyan cooperation ON Thursday March 24, the Spanish Ambassador to Libya, Javier Larachi met with members of the Libyan Inion of Chambers of Commerce and Government Ministers to discuss ways of upgrading economic co‐ operation between the two countries.

The meeting focused on investment, especially in the field of solar energy, in addition to opening chan‐ nels of communication between economic dealers in both countries.

They also addressed the memorandum of under‐ standing between the Union and the Spanish Cham‐ ber of Commerce, and the importance of activating it, because of its role in promoting cooperation and overcoming economic difficulties.

With an election due in June 2022 and the hope that oil production will increase, the country could be an attractive partner for the Spanish Government.

dilemma as the imposed sanctions appear to have backfired on them.

BUSINESS EXTRA Jade Tower CORDIA INTERNATIONAL, Hungary’s leading residen‐ tial property developer is promoting the sale of a new luxury apartment de‐ velopment Jade Tower, (its first in Spain), close to the beach in Fuengirola to po‐ tential clients in Romania who are looking to invest in second homes or simply move to Spain.

Whites go black TO celebrate the 120th an‐ niversary of Real Madrid and the 20th anniversary of collaboration between the Japanese fashion de‐ signer Yohji Yamamoto and the German sports gi‐ ant Adidas, there is a new all black strip being pro‐ duced which will be more of a fashion statement than just kit.

VW investment EUROPE’S largest vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen which owns the Seat brand announced on Wednesday March 23 that it plans to create its first battery manufacturing fac‐ tory outside of Germany in Valencia, which will em‐ ploy around 3,000 workers and will also start making electric vehicles in its Span‐ ish plants.

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 31

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT SO now they want to drop Shakespeare from the curriculum of British schools?

Yet another assault on British heritage and culture, which is slowly but surely being eroded by an ill‐intentioned bunch who, assisted by the PC and snowflake brigade, are hell bent on destroying the very fabric of everything our ancestors fought and died for. “It’s too difficult for our students,” they bleat. Aw, well it would be, wouldn’t it? Particularly to youngsters who are too lazy to put their tongues between their teeth, and subsequently pronounce, think as fink, Nothing as nuffink and something as summink.

“We should make it easier and more up to date,” they wail. Oh yes that’s a good idea ‐ let’s see. How shall we rephrase this beautiful quote from Romeo and Juliet?

“When he shall die. Take him and cut him out in little stars. And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with the night and pay no worship to the garish sun.” What about “When he kicks off, blade him up a bit; and when it gets dark the dude will be lookin’ so good you won’t wanna see the sun come up.”

Mmm, doesn’t somehow have the same

Lingo ring, does it? Give us a break.

These so‐called teachers are not interested in British culture. They want to destroy the monarchy, introduce their left‐ wing ideals and drag the whole country down to their level. As far as curriculums are concerned, rather than attacking British heritage, perhaps it would be more constructive to make sure some truthful and unbiased British history is taught to their vulnerable and propaganda‐exposed students.

Does President Biden truly inspire confidence as a strong and reliable ally in these dangerous times? Not to me he doesn’t. From his carefully contrived efforts to look buoyant and frisky as he descends the steps of Air Force One, to his heavily scripted speeches, which he peers at through Mr Magoo contact lenses, and reads with all the acumen of an eight‐year‐ old asked to read aloud in the class, I would be hesitant to take his advice on how I should cross the road. His appearance at a press conference in Brussels last week was truly quite laughable.

At the end of his speech, he managed to drop all his paraphernalia on the floor and disappear altogether. We were subsequently treated to an empty podium accompanied by banging and shuffling, as he groped out of sight to retrieve the offending items. There was then a moment of true hiatus as, with bated breath, we waited to see if he would actually appear again. You could almost hear the sighs of relief when he finally popped back up and we then watched as he bemusedly followed the direction of the EU president to where he should now stand. And this bumbler, with an administration stuffed full of wokes, is the saviour of the Western world? Heaven help us all.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com.

Expatradioscotland.com Mon. Fri. 1pm till 4.

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

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

FEATURE

TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp

Emotions run high in Mass MASS, released late last year and now available on Hulu, is a sensitive and emotional look at the aftermath of a mass shooting at a school in America. With an impres‐ sive 95 per cent critic rat‐ ing and a 91 per cent au‐ dience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this film comes highly recom‐ mended.

Mass requires a lot from its audience. The movie is mostly shot in one room and with four actors. This intimate and simple location lets the di‐ alogue and acting shine, emotions run high and it is easy for the audience to forget they are watching a fictional film.

Two couples meet at an Episcopalian church, where the thoughtful script unfolds. We learn that one of the couples are the parents of a school shooter and the other couple are the par‐ ents of one of the victims.

The four‐character piece

includes a powerhouse of actors such as Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ja‐ son Isaacs (Harry Potter), Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife), and Reed Bir‐ ney (House of Cards).

The script forces the au‐ dience to consider the parents left behind after such tragedies ‐ particu‐ larly the parents of the perpetrator ‐ who, in this case, was a depressed and lonely young man. The unspeakable is confronted in these four walls, which gives the feeling of a stage play or live TV dra‐ ma. Something that struck me was the question of whether people are born bad or whether it is some‐ thing that is learnt.

There is no political dis‐ cussion here, something that is essential to ad‐ dress when looking at the issue of American gun laws and the huge amounts of school shoot‐ ings in the country.

Mass is now available to stream on Hulu.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 35

How do you solve a problem like Putin?

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

WHEN Ukrainian families are being shelled as they flee for safety and Europe teeters on the edge of the end of everything, who wants to read more about it? If you don’t, turn the page, otherwise read on!

We read of peace talks but if these even‐ tually succeed, what’s the likely outcome?

The deal will probably be an assurance of Ukrainian neutrality and ‘self‐determination’ for Crimea and Donbas, and Putin boasting he ‘got what he wanted’. But actually, he’ll have lost. Badly.

The cost of a ruined economy and being an international outcast for the foreseeable future. A West more united than since the Cold War. Neighbouring states despising Russia. Europe, and especially Germany, ending their devastating dependence on Russian energy. The world ending its devas‐ tating dependence on Russian mineral

PUTIN: Nothing more than a playground bully who understands one language, force.

wealth and, most significantly, finally seeing Putin for the loathsome dictator he is.

This, though, won’t help the brave Ukrainians much in the short term, but hopefully later on. But Putin, and the world, will have seen how inferior the overhyped Russian armed forces have turned out to be

versus a smaller but professional, dedicated and determined foe. Having committed a large part of his ground armed forces to this campaign, Putin should be in no doubt what would happen if he came into conflict with the far more competent NATO. But all this fails to answer the crucial ques‐

tion, can Putin be trusted? He failed to hon‐ our the 2012 deal to end civil war in Syria.

Days before this invasion he said he’d never invade Ukraine.

Sooner or later, we need to confront him.

Not now, and not in a manner that would end up in nuclear warfare. However, he is a playground bully who understands only one language, force. If Ukraine ceded Crimea and Donbas and agreed to ‘demilitarise’ Ukraine now, he’d agree to that provisional‐ ly, but then his brutal war machine would soon afterwards reinvade a weaker Ukraine.

He needs to be stopped. Like the Nazis in the 1930s, some regimes cannot be trusted with keeping their word.

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Be‐ trayal’, ‘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) are available online as eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audio‐ books. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

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

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

THURSDAY 31/03 FRIDAY 01/04 SATURDAY 02/04

4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 5:00pm 5:45pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 5:00pm 6:30pm 7:15pm 7:20pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:45pm 9:35pm 10:15pm

WEDNESDAY 06/04

TUESDAY 05/04

MONDAY 04/04

SUNDAY 03/04

10:00am 10:30am 10:40am 12:45pm 1:00pm 4:00pm 6:00pm 9:00pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

9:30pm 10:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Escape to the Country The Repair Shop Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den The Apprentice

4:30pm 5:15pm

The Repair Shop FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show A Question of Sport Would I Lie to You? MasterChef Have I Got News for You

5:45pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

Final Score Superman & Lois BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Celebrity Mastermind The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty Killing Eve

1:00pm

Good Morning Sports Fans My Icon: Kadeen Corbin Live Super Rugby My Icon: Maggie Alphonsi Live EFL Gillette Soccer Saturday Live: SNF Live Fight Night

1:15pm

Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Obesity: Who Cares If I'm Bigger? Panorama We Are England The Split

4:30pm

The Repair Shop Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Party Election Broadcast The One Show EastEnders MasterChef

4:00pm 4:30pm

Bridge of Lies Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather Party Election Broadcast EastEnders MasterChef Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr

5:15pm

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

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 10:30pm

2:00pm 2:50pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 8:05pm 8:35pm 9:35pm 10:35pm

3:40pm 5:20pm 6:20pm 7:20pm 8:20pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

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

The Customer is Always Right The Monkey Eating Eagle of the Orinoco Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Great British Menu How to Sleep Well with Michael Mosley

8:30pm 9:00pm

Flog It! Pointless Celebrities FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Great British Menu: Banquet Special Gardeners' World Earth's Great Rivers II

8:00pm 8:30pm 8:50pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:30am

Great British Menu: Banquet Special The Best Dishes Ever Calamity Jane Florida: America's Animal Paradise Live Women's Six Nations Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs TOTP: The Story of 1993 TOTP: Big Hits 1993 Take That at the BBC

8:00pm 9:00pm

MOTD Live: Women's Super League Move Over, Darling Perfect Partners: Talking Pictures Inside the Factory Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy The Speedshop Thatcher & Reagan

8:00pm 9:00pm

The Customer is Always Right Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Mastermind University Challenge

8:00pm

The Heights The Customer is Always Right Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Saving Lives at Sea

8:00pm

Golf: The Masters 2021 Review Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Doctors Rick Stein's Cornwall Your Body Uncovered with Kate Garraway Stan & Ollie

8:00pm

10:00pm 12:00am 1:55am 2:10am 2:25am 2:40am 3:10am

1:30am 2:00am

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:45am 1:15am 1:45am

11:45pm

12:45am 2:15am 2:45am 3:15am

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am

8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am 1:30am

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:15am

Villages by the Sea Michael Wood's Story of England La La Land Pride and Prejudice Skint: Heart of Glass Skint: The Taking of Balgrayhill Street Skint: Unicorn Villages by the Sea Michael Wood's Story of England

3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:30pm

Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Cost of Living: What You Need to Know - Tonight Joanna Lumley's Great Cities of the World

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

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

10:00pm

Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed Fame in the Family The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Perfect House, Secret Location Extraordinary Escapes

Dusty Dusty Sounds of the Sixties TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992 Neil Diamond at the BBC Neil Diamond Sings Neil Diamond How Do Pop Songs Work?

TOTP: 1992 TOTP: 1992

2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Grantchester

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

Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed Fame in the Family The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Unreported World Grayson's Art Club Gogglebox

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

The Normans Rick Stein's Long Weekends Hidden Hidden Wales with Will Millard Wogan: The Best Of Yes, Prime Minister Keeping Up Appearances A Slow Odyssey: A Turtle's Journey

2:00pm

2:25pm 4:35pm 5:20pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

The Next Karate Kid A Place in the Sun Grease Channel 4 News Matt Baker: Our Farm in the Dales Chernobyl: The New Evidence The Hitman's Bodyguard Assassin's Creed

9:30pm 10:40pm

ITV Racing: Live from Doncaster Tipping Point The Chase: Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather ITV News London Celebrity Catchphrase Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away Starstruck ITV News and Weather

The Piano: A Love Affair Much Ado About Nothing Arena: All the World's a Screen - Shakespeare on Film Imagine - Becoming Cary Grant The Beauty of Maps The Beauty of Maps The Piano: A Love Affair

2:00pm 2:09pm 2:10pm 3:05pm 5:05pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:19pm

ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather The Masked Singer US Midsomer Murders Evan Almighty ITV News and Weather ITV News London Tipping Point: Lucky Stars All Star Musicals The Ipcress File ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather

3:40pm

Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village The Story of Slate: Inside Museums Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True Story The Challenger Tomorrow's Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction

2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Holding

12:35pm 1:30pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm

Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village Manchester's Whitworth: Inside Museums Keeping Up Appearances Yes, Prime Minister Gods of Snooker Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story Meet the Romans with Mary Beard Pubs, Ponds and Power

2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Love Your Garden

1:30pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm

Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village Glasgow's Treasure Palace: Inside Museums Lucy Worsley's Royal Photo Album Putin, Russia and the West The Truffle Hunters: Storyville Woof! A Horizon Guide to Dogs

4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm

Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Kate & Koji Bradley Walsh and Son: Breaking Dad

1:30pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm

10:00pm

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

9:00pm 10:00pm 12:25am

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

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

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads A Country Life for Half the Price 5 News Update Cornwall: A Year by the Sea 5 News Update National Treasure, National Disgrace: Savile, Harris & Hall

2:30am

Filthy House SOS 5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads World's Most Scenic River Journeys 5 News Update Coastal Britain With Kate Humble 5 News Update Cruising with Susan Calman

8:00am

4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 8:58pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

Filthy House SOS 5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads The Gadget Show 5 News Update Police Interceptors 5 News Update Council House Swap Killer at the Crime Scene Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Entertainment News on 5

10:00am

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer Grand Designs Channel 4 News Ukraine: On the Front Line with Johnny Mercer One and Six Zeros Britain's Most Expensive Houses Inside the Superbrands The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 2022

4:45pm 4:50pm 7:25pm 7:30pm

5 News Update Wyatt Earp 5 News Weekend When Posh Holidays Go Horribly Wrong Happy Campers: Brits on Holiday Jane McDonald's Caribbean Monaco: Lives of the Super Rich Right Royal Laughs

2:30am

Undercover Boss USA Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Sun, Sea and Selling Houses The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Cadbury Exposed Travel Man

2:45pm 3:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:55pm 9:00pm 9:58pm 10:00pm

Neighbours A Criminal Affair Filthy House SOS 5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads Police Interceptors 5 News Update Traffic Cops 5 News Update Inside the Force: 24/7

6:00am 7:00am 8:00am

Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Sun, Sea and Selling Houses The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer The Simpler Life

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

9:00am

9:58pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads Dream Kitchens and Bathrooms with Mark Millar 5 News Update Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly 5 News Update Deadline True Lies

Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Sun, Sea and Selling Houses The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great Home Transformation The Simpler Life

2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:55pm 9:00pm 9:58pm 10:00pm

Home and Away Neighbours A Killer in My Home Filthy House SOS 5 News at 5 Neighbours Eggheads The Gadget Show 5 News Update Police Interceptors 5 News Update Deadline

8:00am

8:55pm 9:00pm 9:58pm 10:00pm

8:55pm 9:00pm 9:58pm 10:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:55pm

8:55pm 9:00pm

7:00am 10:30am 4:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:15pm 1:00am

8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 12:00pm 4:00pm 8:00pm 11:30pm

10:30am 10:40am 12:45pm 1:00pm 4:00pm 6:00pm 9:00pm

11:00am 12:00pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 8:30pm 10:30pm

8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 3:50pm 8:00pm 12:00am

10:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 5:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:15pm

8:30am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 3:00pm 8:00pm 11:30pm

Live ICC Women's World Cup Live ICC Women's World Cup Live Test Cricket Live Indian Premier League Sky Sports News Live Betfred Super League Live PGA Tour Golf Live LPGA Tour Golf Good Morning Sports Fans Early Kick-Off Good Morning Sports Fans Live Test Cricket Live Ladies European Tour Golf Live Indian Premier League Live EFL Live PGA Tour Golf Good Morning Sports Fans My Icon: Kadeen Corbin Live Super Rugby My Icon: Maggie Alphonsi Live EFL Gillette Soccer Saturday Live: SNF Live Fight Night Live ICC Women's World Cup Super Sunday Matchday Scottish Premiership Live Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live WSL Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Good Morning Sports Fans Early Kick-Off Good Morning Sports Fans Live Test Cricket Live Indian Premier League Live MNF Sky Sports News Good Morning Sports Fans Good Morning Sports Fans The Football Show Sky Sports News Live Indian Premier League Gillette Soccer Special Live EFL Soccer Special PostMatch Good Morning Sports Fans Early Kick-Off Good Morning Sports Fans Good Morning Sports Fans Live World Pool Championship The Masters - Live Live Premier League Soccer Special Post-Match

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 prices for essentials rise against a backdrop of war, Covid‐19 and the climate crisis, once again the right‐winger on the street has to weigh in with their opin‐ ion on how people less fortunate than them‐ selves should be living.

It used to be about how unemployed peo‐ ple and the working poor had smartphones and flatscreen TVs, egged on by disgusting programmes such as Benefits Street, as if in 2010 these items were space‐age technology and not the everyday items they already were at that time.

Then it moved on to people posting recipes for bland meals with very little nutritional value that could appar‐ ently be made for pen‐ nies, as some sort of gotcha moment against poor people, not ac‐ counting for the cost of getting to the supermar‐ ket and the energy used

31 March - 6 April 2022

Unwanted advice to heat the food in the first place. Now after 12 years of Tory misrule we arrive at a time in which people are turning down root vegetables at food banks because they cannot afford to cook them, and there is s t i l l a b a n d o f u n c o m‐ passionate fools who think their views about the lives of poor people are necessary and want‐ ed.

Heating your home and eating more than plain boiled pasta has, in the outlook of some, become a luxury that some people are not worthy of. This isn’t a moral failing on the part of the people who can‐ not afford to boil pota‐ toes, but rather on the people who hold such abhorrent opinions about them.

The Conservative, cap‐ italist media machine has always done a stel‐ lar job of convincing people that they are closer to becoming a

millionaire than they are to becoming home‐ less, but we should all know by now that the very opposite is true.

While Rishi Sunak is married to a woman richer than the Queen and is believed to be the wealthiest man in the House of Commons, and that is no mean feat, he tries to come across as a man of the people and some people buy it.

A man who had to borrow a mid‐price car from a supermarket worker to pose for a photoshoot announcing a pitiful reduction in fu‐ el prices, when there are nurses and teachers who can’t afford to drive to their jobs.

A man who then tried to tap his contactless bank card under a bar‐ code points scanner, so out of touch with the day‐to‐day he is. He then heads back to par‐ liament to announce a Spring Statement that will disproportionately

To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com Claire Gordon’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

punish people on fixed incomes such as pen‐ sioners and carers, and still, there are people who think the worst cost of living crisis since

the 1950s is something that poor people should just be ‘navigating bet‐ ter’. It is baffling. Ac‐ cording to the Resolu‐ t i o n Fo u n d a t i o n , 1 . 3

EWN 37

million people will be plunged into absolute poverty under the Spring Statement.

Instead of those peo‐ ple offering up so‐called advice to those who are under attack, their ener‐ gy would be better off spent fighting back be‐ fore the next wave of cuts claims them too.

Advertising Feature

BUYING WITH A MORTGAGE? Rebecca Serwotka ‐ “We sell hous‐ Being prepared and in a position to es! It’s what we do, it’s ALL we do!” move forward is essential when look‐ Your favourite local resale property ing to buy a home. You’ll be compet‐ expert, in Ciudad Quesada. Author ing with other buyers out there, all of Moving Forward ‐ 25 Essential looking at the same properties. If Rules For Buying & Selling Real Es‐ you’re not in a position to commit to tate Without Going Crazy. Request reserve a home to buy, you’ll risk los‐ your FREE copy! Prestige Award ing out to better qualified buyers.

Winner for ‘Real Estate If you need a mortgage to be able Agency Of The Year to purchase a property, be sure to 2021/22’. speak to a bank first. Being ‘Pre‐ Believe it or not, Approved’ is a must in today’s there is a right way and busy market. Once the bank wrong way to purchas‐ gives you the green light on your ing a property when ‘Pre‐Approval,’ you can then you need a mort‐ start on your house hunting gage.

Doing journey! things in the For more information and wrong order guidance on the buying pro‐ could jeopardise cess on the Costa Blanca, your chances of download a complimentary your offer being copy of my ‘Spanish Prop‐ accepted and ul‐ erty Buying Guide For timately lose out 2022.’

Head to: Rebecca on the home of www.BuyMyHomeIn Serwotka. your dreams.

Spain.com.

See our advert in the centre pages of this newspaper! www.homes4u.es

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.

WHAT HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE?

From our Facebook

EQUALITY: However, in sport, women cannot compete ‘equally’ with males?

Sir/madam I trust Suzanne Manners... Explaining Mansplaining... feels very strongly that all those male Ukrainian soldiers and civilians currently fighting and dying should have accepted her conclusion that as they stand there, legs apart holding their weapons that they are, in her words ‘spoiled, self-obsessed little boys who should shut up and share’ ...and hand their weapons to their womenfolk and head for Poland with their children?

Why not... in her words, ‘this is why equality is so important’?

Reality is also important? For example, in sport, women cannot compete ‘equally’ with males? Or are such world class athletes as Martina Navratilova wrong? The unqualified obsession with ‘equality’ has led to the absurd acceptance of a fully intact male currently winning medals in women’s swimming

competitions in USA. Those who object are, again in Ms Manners’ words, told to ‘shut up and share’.

Whatever happened to common sense?

Yours faithfully , AR

A sad world Dear Euro Weekly, It makes me so sad to see what is happening in the world. This war, and now all the prices going up. I don’t go anywhere because of petrol, and I can now barely afford my cigarettes.

It’s nice to read the paper and see that at least there’s a sense of community here in Spain. I like reading about all the different charities and to see there’s still people who care. So thank you Euro Weekly. I can at least afford

REMEMBERING PHILIP POIGNANT images of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sitting alone at the funeral of her husband of 73 years touched hearts around the world.

Whilst his service of thanksgiving, conducted on Tuesday March 29 at Westminster Abbey, could not have been a joyous occasion, it must have given the Queen some comfort in the fact that she was able to give him a more fitting farewell.

Clearly, now aged 95 and having recently suffered from Covid-19, she is frail and little has been seen of her this year, so there were fears that she either wouldn’t be able to make it, or would need to be in a wheelchair.

In the event, the Queen travelled from Windsor with son Prince Andrew who walked her to her seat whilst the ceremony was kept to 45 minutes in length in order to make it as easy and stress free as possible.

CORRECTIONS

the free paper and a coffee.

Cheers, Nick

From 90 year-old Armed Services Veteran

FAMOUS SLAP: Did it really happen - what do you think?

Sheila Haynes

Leapy, I would like to speak to you on the telephone No --- --- ---.

Regarding freedom of speech, as per your Euro Weekly article, you are spot on. I have been shut down by Giles Brown, on RTE Radio and personally insulted because I mentioned ‘why are Brit troops in Latvia preventing immigrants from crossing, when we can’t even control our own borders’. Let’s have a chat?

John

OUR VIEW

Large crowds gathered outside of the Abbey, not just to try to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family (with the notable exception of Prince Harry) but also politicians and foreign royals, including the King and Queen of Spain and all other major European royal families.

There was a significant involvement from members of the armed forces with much of the music played during the ceremony being performed by the Band of the Royal Marines as well as a number of the charities which the Duke of Edinburgh held close to his heart over the years.

Although a public ceremony, this was without doubt a very private affair for the Queen, left with her memories of a long and eventful relationship in the same place where she was married in 1947 and we wish her well at this difficult time.

No. Remove him from our screens. That’s what he deserves.

Simon Freebrey A massive overreaction to a poorly thought out joke. I would hope both Chris and Will are reflecting a little today. Move on, it’s chip paper already.

Suzi Mann He was protecting his wife, fair play, I don’t like violence, but at the end of day he did what he thought best.

Dee Rafferty He was protecting his wife. Chris Rock had no right whatsoever to tease about something like that. I would’ve kicked him off the stage.

Gail DM I’m not a violent person at all, neither is my husband. BUT if someone had made derogatory comments about me in such a public place and upset me, I know my husband would have defended me. Family matters. Also I thought the ‘jokes’ etc were monitored! Obviously not. Always two sides to every story!

Gary McGregor Well done Will Smith. Chris Rock thinks it’s OK to slander someone in the name of comedy... Well done Will for standing up for your wife.

Gerard O’Brien Nope. A violent act displaying a violent character.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com • 31 March - 6 April 2022

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

39

TIME OUT

ia Victor

e Hayle

Q Emma

TIME OUT

40

www.euroweeklynews.com • 31 March - 6 April 2022

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

www.euroweeklynews.com • 31 March - 6 April 2022

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

41

TIME OUT

TIME OUT

42

www.euroweeklynews.com • 31 March - 6 April 2022

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Advertising Feature

English TV in Spain HERE at English TV in Spain we have been help‐ ing clients from Europe and beyond with their English television needs, on the Costa Blanca/Cali‐ da. Stuart was a Sky TV trained engineer before coming to Spain to assist with British TV. Because of his training with Sky TV you know we at English TV in Spain can source the TV you need.

We can also advise on IPTV in Spain because of the copyright owned by Sky TV. Be aware of buying these one‐off priced sys‐ tems offering Sky TV be‐ cause they will fail, and be a waste of your money.

Talk to English TV in Spain, we can point you in the right direction re IPTV.

STUART: Was a trained Sky TV engineer in the UK.

You can also receive FREE TO AIR TV from En‐ glish TV in Spain.

We have now also sourced a range of reli‐ able wireless Alarm Sys‐ tems for total home pro‐ tection and peace of mind at affordable prices with‐ out monthly charges, un‐ der the name of Safe and

Simple Alarms Villamartin.

The alarms we install are Safe and Simple, user friendly. It will send you a message instantly direct to your phone should you have a burglar in your property. We also install cameras interior or exteri‐ or, capable of recording, and two‐way audio.

Talk to us now www.englishtvinspain.com.

606 297 825 or 634 373 797

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 43

44 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Improve your posture ONE of the main causes of neck and lower back pain is poor posture. It is all‐ too‐common to spend endless hours hunched over a phone, computer or even a book, and these habits can sometimes have painful conse‐ quences in the long term.

You may need to seek help from a medical pro‐ fessional in more serious cases. In mild cases, how‐ ever, making a few simple changes will do won‐ ders when it comes to im‐ proving your posture and you will no‐ tice that your stabili‐ ty, balance and agility also improve.

Shoulders back Trying to keep your shoulders slightly back at all times will help keep your

back from curving. Sitting hunched over for hours is not only bad for your spine, but it can also affect breathing.

Strong core Strengthening your core

will help you to stand up straighter and keep your trunk stabilised at all times, whether during ex‐ ercise or as you go about your daily activities. Yoga and Pilates can be great for improving posture.

Hips aligned Bad posture is not just caused by sitting. When

we walk, we sometimes slouch with our hips pushed forward. Try to keep your head upright and your hips aligned with your shoulders.

Sleeping position If you wake up sore after a night’s rest, something is wrong. Choose a mattress and pillow that are suited to your needs and do your best to keep your spine aligned from your neck to your tailbone.

EXERCISE: Yoga and Pilates are great for posture.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

Mistakes with medication T A K I N G medication regularly is not uncommon, for all sorts of reasons, whether for keeping chronic conditions under control or for dealing with temporary conditions. Although the vast ma‐ jority believe that taking medica‐ tion is simply taking a pill at the right time, the truth is that peo‐ ple make many mistakes. Here are some of the most common.

Can tablets be taken on an empty stomach?

It completely depends. Some medicines should be taken with meals and others should be taken on an empty stomach. All this in‐ formation can be found on the prescription.

Can tablets be chewed?

Generally, no, unless they are chewable tablets. Doing so may alter the composition of the med‐ ication, which is designed to reach the stomach in one piece and be activated there via what is known as delayed‐release.

Can tablets be split?

Ideally, the dosage should not be altered. It is very difficult to split a pill into two perfectly iden‐ tical quantities. If you have diffi‐

PHARMACIST: Will be able to advise you on what’s best.

culties swallowing tablets, it is best to ask your doctor or phar‐ macist if there is a liquid form of the same active compound.

Better to set an alarm There are medicines that need to be taken within specific peri‐

ods of time, so it is best to set an alarm on your mobile phone to remind you. It is also essential to take the medication for as long as the doctor tells you to, even if you feel better before completing the whole course.

EWN 45

Make your manicure last WHETHER you prefer a French manicure, bold colours or classic red, your hands speak vol‐ umes. Here we give you five tips to help you make your manicure last longer. Take note!

Always use a base coat If you do your nails at home, always use a base coat before apply‐ ing colour. This will pro‐ tect your nails, prevent yellowing and damage and smooth the surface of your nails.

Use a good product When applying nail polish, quality matters.

Always choose quality polishes. Apply them in thin layers, without us‐ ing too much. Let the first coat dry well, then apply again.

Use a top coat This step is essential for making your mani‐ cure last longer when you do it at home.

There are gel‐effect top

coats, which not only keep your nail polish perfect for a week, but also give it the shine of a professional mani‐ cure.

Use a drying oil If you ever have to go to bed or leave the house just after doing your nails, use a drop of drying oil on each nail to speed up the drying process. However, if possible you should make sure you have plenty of time to allow all layers to dry proper‐ ly.

Go for a permanent or semi‐permanent manicure If you want to forget about manicures for a while, you can visit a specialised beauty salon for a permanent or se‐ mi‐permanent mani‐ cure, which can last sev‐ eral weeks intact ‐ the perfect solution when you have a special event or trip.

46 EWN

31 March - 6 April 2022

DAVID WORBOYS THERE is nothing as remarkable as the hu‐ man body. It is estimated that the average body contains 37 trillion cells, 60 trillion bacteria and 380 trillion viruses. It contains about 40 litres of water and both the brain and the heart are composed of about 80 per cent water. The heart beats 100,000 times each day, 36.5 million times per year.

Variations of the body are also astonish‐ ing. Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever at 2.675 metres (8’11’’), died in 1940, aged 22.

The heaviest, Jon Brower Minnoch, weighed in at 442kg (69 stone 9lb) in 1974.

He died aged 41. Both, of course, were Americans.

On the subject of large beings, the aver‐ age African elephant weighs 5,500 kg, eats over 200 kg of food and drinks up to 200 litres of water each day. At birth, it can weigh as much as Lennox Lewis in his prime. There are 450,000 elephants re‐ maining, of which 92 per cent are African, there were more than 11 million in 1930. In comparison, a blue whale, 30 metres in length, can weigh 180,000 kg, the equiva‐ lent of 33 elephants.

Destruction of our environment is also

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

Incredible statistics

These two Americans have something in common apart from their nationality. beyond belief. Some 100,000 tons of plastic is dumped into the oceans every day. Of this, 7 per cent goes into the Mediter‐ ranean which has just 1 per cent of the world’s sea water. This is apart from all the other detritus. Globally, 300 million tons of plastic is wasted annually, almost the weight of the entire human population. In the UK, 22 tons of cigarette butts are dropped every day.

We can’t leave home without knowing the following further fascinating facts.

There are one million species of fungus in the rainforests. Tahiti’s currency is the French franc. The best palindrome is ‘never odd or even’. In 2015 there were 13,338 gun‐related deaths in the USA compared with just 50 in the UK. The hottest day recorded on earth was 56.7 degrees in Death Valley, California in

1913. The coldest was ‐89.2 in Antarctica in 1983. At the Oktoberfest, seven million litres are drunk and waiters walk, or stag‐ ger, an average of 20 kilometres per day. In India they are vaccinating one million every day. At this rate, it would take 3.5 years to cover the entire population.

And so, to sport. Bayern Munich were Eu‐ ropean champions in 2020, becoming the only side to win all 11 matches in the com‐ petition. During this run they won 24 con‐ secutive matches in all competitions. No team from Yorkshire has won at Chelsea since 1999. In 2019 Rafael Nadal achieved 47 consecutive holds of service in the Aus‐ tralian Open.

Some people like to define themselves by their knowledge and hate to admit to being wrong. As some of these statistics are unashamedly purloined from Google, I have noticed discrepancies between different sources. Nevertheless, whether lies, damn lies or statistics, I find them amazing.

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

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

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 47

Advertising Feature

Neater Heater. A style to suit everybody NEATER HEATERS have been warming Spanish homes for over a decade. In that time, they have made great improvements in design, diversity and technology, while still keeping the original simplicity that has given them the edge over their rivals in both economy and ef‐ ficiency. Using the conductive effi‐ ciency of extruded aluminium, their cleverly designed elements make Neater Heaters among the most ef‐ ficient wall, or floor mounted elec‐ tric convection radiators on the market.

Recognising the varied needs of their customers, particularly when it comes to controls, Neater Heater of‐ fer a wide range of operating systems that should suit everybody from the world’s most devout technophobe to the most up to date techno‐wizz. All Neater Heaters can just be plugged in and turned on with a light indicating that they are working, and the

Find out which model is best suited to your lifestyle.

desired thermostatically controlled temper‐ ature being set manually with either press buttons or a dial. However, on many of our newer models the manual settings can be over‐ridden with either an inter‐ nal digital timer, or with Wi‐Fi connectivi‐ ty that allows you to control your heaters remotely via an App on your smart phone.

Neater Heaters are slim, discrete and silent, and some models come with a choice of colour. To find out which model would be most suitable for your lifestyle and whether there is a Neater Heater agent in your area, visit our website www.neaterheater.es. Here you will also be able to find answers to our customers’ most Frequently Asked Questions, as well as being able to purchase heaters directly through our online shop with free delivery to your home. We usually have good stocks of our most popular models, with deliveries regularly arriving from the manufacturers.

NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA SOUTH BENIJOFAR: Vincent Real Estate. Tel. 966 712 440 • BLUE LAGOON: The Electrical Shop (Euronics). Tel. 966 188 170.

SOUTH TORREVIEJA: For home inspections call Edmund. Tel. 693 594 270. Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171 (WhatsApp available)

48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

FEATURE

GO LOCAL THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has urged its readers to support local businesses in the community by shopping locally in recent times. Now things are heading back to normal, we challenge you to maintain that habit by supporting local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde‐ pendent businesses in your area.

Local businesses make our villages, towns and cities

what they are. They add unique character. They are convenient. And they offer excellent produce from known suppliers. The joy of shopping locally means that independent businesses can support the local communi‐ ty. You may find something a euro or two cheaper on‐ line but have you consid‐ ered where your money is actually going?

By shopping locally you’re putting food on a local fami‐ ly’s table and there is noth‐

ing better than giving back to the communi‐ ties that have given us so much.

Local stores support charities and they BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, sponsor lo‐ independent businesses can help support cal sports the local community. teams. In many cases, they are much your support. Spending your more than just a business, money locally will make a they’re a legacy. They may real difference to the local have supported generations economy. Local businesses of the same family. Likewise, recirculate a greater share brand new local stores and of every euro they receive at bars may help the genera‐ local level. They create local‐ tions of the future fulfil their ly owned supply chains and dreams and ambitions. they invest in their employ‐ Remember, your local ees. store is going up against multinationals and chains.

So remember.

They can’t win that battle on When you go shopping ‐ their own. So give them go local!

50 EWN

EXPAT ULTRA

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

TV

ALL THE CHANNELS YOU LOVE

EXPAT ULTRA

TV

FEATURE

It’s now official, I am old!

MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man

BIG ON QUALITY LOW ON PRICE

WELL, that’s it, it’s official, I’m old. The reason I know that is what looked like a 12year-old child in a white coat with a stethoscope round her neck told me. Of course she wasn’t 12. She was a qualified doctor, a dermatologist, and I had a few marks I wanted her to look at. Her reply to all of them, and I’m sure it was because we were talking in English, “Nothing to worry about it, just because you are old.” I mean I had a sneaky suspicion because we have mirrors in our house, but now it’s official. I’m glad I got a quickish appointment otherwise I would have been ancient.

I bought some glasses from Specsavers here and, to be honest, I wasn’t too impressed with them. So, when I received a text from them telling me I needed to make an appointment for a check-up I ignored it.

They sent me another reminder and this time I decided to reply and said, “Sorry I can’t read this message as my glasses are no good and the font is too small”. I haven’t heard any more from them. Sorted.

We have had, over the last few days, this browny-orange rain from the Sahara called ‘la calima’ and everyone got very excited and posted pictures of it all over the internet. But then the reality set in. This stuff stains and how the heck do we clean it up?

I mean I’m looking at buildings that were white and are now orange. It is going to cost absolute fortunes to get rid of. So if anyone has any ideas I would appreciate some tips.

The other thing is what it’s done to the air quality, especially if you have any chest problems. I knew those wretched masks would come in handy again one day.

Message to all restaurant owners. Lose the table next to the toilets. I, unfortunately, sat at one today and it’s terrible watching people trying the same door two or three times because someone is in there longer than they think they should be.

Then there is the line of two or three people looking very uncomfortable that you don’t want to make eye contact with and then when the door makes the loud unlocking noise and you glance up you inadvertently do make eye contact. Just get rid of that table.

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

SOCIAL SCENE

www.euroweeklynews.com

AC/DC and Scorpions tribute FA N S of heavy metal from the 80s will not want to miss this trib‐ ute concert to two of the most important heavy metal bands in the history of rock mu‐ sic. The audience will be treated to a fantas‐ tic selection of their many songs, which will surely conjure up mag‐ ical memories of days gone by. So come along, let your hair down and relive your rocking past with this great night out.

The concert will take place at 9pm on Satur‐ day, April 9, at the Los

HEAVY METAL: Go along and live your rocking past.

Cucalos restaurant in Orihuela.

The ticket price of €10 includes a drink,

THE Phoenix Solos Club, based just outside Torrevieja, is an English‐speaking club open to people of all nationalities that aims to provide a social setting for the widowed, divorced or single to network, plan activities or just have a chat. All those who are single and wish to make new friends are invited to go along and join them for a drink and a chat.

The Social Club meets on Monday morn‐ ings from 11.00am at Sacko’s Bar in El

and reservations can be made on 965 976 639 (mentioning Tor‐ revieja.com).

Phoenix Solos Club Limonar, Torrevieja. There are plenty of extra social events throughout the month and many smaller spin‐off groups that partake in ten‐pin bowling, petanque, games nights and many other activities. The yearly member‐ ship fee is €10. For more information, email Phoenixsolos@gmail.com or phone Kitty on +34 622 180 500.

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 51

Classic Car Show O N April 9, the Rotary Club of Guardamar del Segura and the Guardamar Town Hall will be are holding their 10th Classic Car Show at t h e P l a z a d e l Ay u n ‐ tamiento in Guardamar from 10am. Visitors will be invited to look over 100 classic cars and mo‐ torbikes brought by members of American Cars Levante and Perfor‐ mance VIP Murcia, and there will also be live music from the group Saint & Sinner, perfor‐ mances from Dreams Dance Academy and Chari Candela Dance School and an enormous paella to enjoy.

The event will be rais‐ ing money to buy text‐ books for IES Les Dunes high school and to help the youth of Guardamar del Segura to improve their performance at school. Local businesses including Specsavers Óp‐ ticas, Cárnicas Ríos, Re‐

xxxxxxxx

puestos Almoradí, Caja Rural, Inmobiliaria Mon‐ tealone and Farmacia El Jardín (Urb La Marina) are sponsoring the event, and proceeds from the food and drink sold on the day will go towards the cause.

Those unable to attend can still donate via bank transfer.

The funds will go to‐ wards the Book Bank, a resource that allows stu‐ dents to have free text‐ books by reusing those of students from previ‐

ous years. This lightens the economic burden on families, because text‐ books are usually quite expensive, and it sends an important message to pupils about the sustain‐ able reuse of resources and taking care of mate‐ rials.

This year’s objective for the book bank is to replace almost all the textbooks. The total cost of all the books will ex‐ ceed €10,000.

Find out more about the event and Rotary Guardamar by visiting www.rotaryguardamar. com.

PETS

52

www.euroweeklynews.com • 31 March - 6 April 2022

SPONSORED BY

Are you planning pet care? Don’t delay IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already making plans for a staycation get away.

Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can follow their routines at home. So, plan ahead.

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

Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our phi‐ losophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a home‐

owner on HouseSitMatch. com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit ad‐ vert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permitting Do you need a pet‐sitter in 2022? Then get started right now.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters.

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

GOING AWAY: Find a reliable and caring pet-sitter from a trusted source for peace of mind.

see your advert, they re‐ spond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your

pets.

Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating

(New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members

have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter…

HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐sitter while we were away in Canada and we were de‐ lighted with the care and attention that HouseSit Match took in helping us find the right person.

Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com ‐ Choose a member‐ ship plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with sup‐ port at each step) = £89 pa

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

To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com

Understanding what we say and how we say it DOGS’ brains understand not only what we say, but also how we say it and are able to distinguish the words and tones we use

when speaking to them, a new study has revealed.

Led by Attila Andics, pro‐ fessor at the University of Lorand in Budapest, the study, the results of which were published by Science magazine, played record‐ ings of their trainers using different words and tones to 13 different dogs while using magnetic resonance scanners to study how their brains reacted.

The dogs were found to use the left hemispheres of their brains, just like hu‐ mans, and to recognise each word separately re‐ gardless of tone.

“This study is the first step towards un‐ derstanding how dogs interpret human speech and can help us understand communication between the two and make it more efficient,” Andics explained.

Words are the main ele‐ ment of language and com‐

munication, while tone is another way of transmitting information.

Humans use both to un‐ derstand what they’re hear‐ ing, and the aim of the study, Andics said, was to discover whether dogs were also able to separate the two.

In effect, they were found to process vocabulary and tone separately. Therefore, the team concluded, dogs are indeed able to distin‐ guish between the words we say to them and the tone we use.

DOGS: Recognise the words we say to them.

Advertising Feature

Twitching while asleep WE have to distinguish tremors during sleep from seizures.

Involuntary movements (twitching in their sleep) only occur during dream states and usually don’t last long.

Twitching can happen anywhere in your dog’s body but commonly occurs in the legs, tail, or head and may be accom‐ panied by small vocalisations. Dogs experience the same dream stages as humans, including non‐rapid eye movement (NREM), short‐wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM). During the REM state, a dog’s eyes move around be‐ hind their closed eyelids, and the large body muscles are turned off so the dream is not physically acted out. Twitching while sleeping occurs more commonly in younger and older dogs and less often in adult dogs.

But how to distinguish between twitching and a seizure when a dog is sleeping?

During normal sleep, a dog’s body will be flexible and re‐ laxed, and they will be breathing normally, with their eyes par‐ tially or completely closed. They should awaken easily and re‐ spond to voices. To determine whether twitching during sleep is due to a seizure, these are signs of seizure: • Contractions and stiffening of the body • Laboured breathing • Eyes wide open but not reacting • Loss of consciousness with no response to your voice • Loss of control of urine and bowel movements • Salivation with foaming at the mouth If you suspect your dog has epilepsy, view guidelines: https://euroweeklynews.com/2021/03/26/some‐guide lines‐to‐epilepsy/ In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante C/Los Arcos 23 Ciudad Quesada, Rojales. Tel: 609 779 109

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 53

Advertising Feature

United Postal Group THE United Postal Group (UPG) offers worldwide shipping at a much lower cost compared to established mail order companies.

Based in Torrevieja and one of only two post offices in the area, partner and shop owner Joachim Myhr has been doing business in the area for years and built up a great reputation. Due to the many expats in Torrevieja and the surrounding areas, UPG gives more access to much-needed postal and shipping services at a considerably lower cost than bigger companies.

Open Monday to Friday from 9.30am until 5pm, the staff at UPG, located in the Centro Comercial Filton at Avenida Asuncion 5-7 in Torrevieja, will be happy to assist you in English, Spanish or Swedish. You can find out more information on their website, also offered in English, German and Spanish, or by

UPG: For all your postal and shipping services at a much lower cost.

calling them on +34 688 793 648.

With UPG, customers can send parcels weighing up to 31kg to anywhere in the world as well as the option of UPG Direct Service where customers can get their post sent to the shop. Customers can also rent mailboxes in the shop and store their parcels for a longer period of time, for example, if they are going on holiday for a while or visiting family back home.

The competent staff at UPG also prepare all the necessary documents required for customs for sending to non-EU countries, always in consultation with the customer. Since Brexit, they have seen how complex the process has become and are always happy to help.

In addition to accepting letters, parcels and registered mail, UPG also offers scanning and printing ser-

vices, computer workstations with internet access as well as packaging and cushioning materials for dispatch, making it your one-stopshop for all of your postal needs.

Boasting over 30 years working for the MD Publishing Service GMBG, a leading magazine mail-order company used by publishers all over the world, UPG has extensive and unrivalled experience of the post and parcel industry.

The result is a unique comparison portal that offers companies, logistics providers and private customers the most favourable prices in each case rounded off by unparalleled service.

UPG always has special offers for customers with a higher volume of shipments and, when it comes to questions or queries about offers and prices, the staff will be happy to advise.

Find out more on their website: https://en.unitedpostalgroup.com/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unitedpostalgroup Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitedpostalgroup/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/UPG_shipment

54 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

APPLIANCE REPAIRS

SERVICES

ALARMS

AUCTIONS

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

BLINDS

CONSTRUCTION

BALUSTRADES BLINDS

BUILDERS

BOILERS

SERVICES

www.euroweeklynews.com

CONSTRUCTION

31 March - 6 April 2022 DRAINAGE

GATES

GRILLS

POOL MAINTENANCE

HAIR AND BEAUTY

INK CARTRIDGES

LOCKSMITHS

PLUMBING

EWN 55

56 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

DRAINS

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

MOTORING

REMOVALS & STORAGE

POOLS

STORAGE

SERVICES

SERVICES

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

REMOVALS & STORAGE

INSURANCE

EWN 57

58 EWN

31 March - 6 April 2022

REMOVALS & STORAGE

TV & SATELLITE

www.euroweeklynews.com

SERVICES

WINDOW TINTING

CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS

BUILDING SERVICES J & J PAINTERS. Inside - outside - clean - fast low cost. Torrevieja Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (290728) BUILDER, ARCHITECT, NEW HOUSES, EXTENSIONS, PLANNING PERMISSIONS, 697834934 (295169)

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

CARS FOR SALE

wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aa-costablanca .org (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello @hotmail.com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com (10006) FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meetings up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477)

CARE HOME CARE home in Torrevieja,family run,reasonable rates.Carers available for your home.

697834934 (294568)

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

HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja .com and also on Facebook. You can email the

CHARITY

60

San Miguel Centre at office @helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and nonmembers on 966 723 733 (95456) INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11:00am. All nationalities welcome Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 w w w. i c a t o r r e v i e j a . o r g (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangeli calchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk. Tel:0044 800 018 2361. (238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a

31 March - 6 April 2022 • www.euroweeklynews.com SPONSORED BY

caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyh hvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be.

If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishle gion.org.uk/branches/ori huela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier.

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

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

(10004) ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455) STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group.

For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesup portgroup@hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesup port.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)

THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablanca .org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465) THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461) THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458)

ELECTRICIAN MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge.

698 320 434 (287514)

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

FUNERALS CREMATION plan. 2575 euros. One-time payment.

Full paperwork. Call 697 834 934. (295351)

GOLD WANTED

THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information. (253807) THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar will be closed for the immediate future due to Covid-19. To join the centre on ZOOM on a Tuesday evening at 7pm download the ZOOM App. To enter use ID Number 8451471869, then Password 3uf5TE. Identification Fiscal G54713789 (95454)

CLEANING SERVICES RELIABLE, experienced home and deep cleaning service including key handovers plus many other services.

Call +34 634 679 668 (292081)

INSURANCE

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

(289486)

If you can read it, so can your clients.

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

CLASSIFIEDS 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 TO) OR VISIT www.sosinsuran ceinspain.com or email tracey@sosinsurancein spain.com (294938) 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) in fo@beneficialinsurancein spain.com or visit www.ben eficialinsuranceinspain.com for online quote. (295006) STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbey gateinsure.com

LAWYER/SOLICITORS SOLICITOR. CRIMINAL LAW, drug cases, Private investigations, debt collection.

30 years’ experience. Mob 697 834 934 office 865 970 169 spancrimlaw@outlook .com (294976)

LOCKSMITHS ALARMS TORREVIEJA, Install & Repair all types of Alarms & CCTV. Call/Whatsapp 600 933 667 www.alarmas torrevieja.com (294577)

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

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

FOR SALE JAGUAR XK8 CABRIOLET 1998, 4L, RHD. Red. Cream Leather interior. Excellent condition. ITV August. €9,500. 609 931 647 (295519) 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 952 147 834. (200726)

MUSIC TUITION PIANO, Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (294805)

NAUTICAL INTERNATIONAL SKIPPER LICENCE, VHF/DSCRadio or Radar Courses held in English individual or small groups starts soon. 626 245 098 (295374)

SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area.

500 animals awaiting rehoming. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at w w w . s p a m a - s a f o r. blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

31 March - 6 April 2022

WANTED

XXX FEMALE SOPHIE naughty, slim, elegant, sexy French lady. 3 languages spoken. Visit all areas, also private apartment in Villamartin. 693 357 526 (291686)

PLUMBERS MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (287514)

POOL MAINTENANCE POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 www.pooltech spain.com (287790)

PROPERTY FOR RENT

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.

XXX RELAXATION

EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorse care.net www.easyhorse care.net or call Sue 652 021 980 (95706) GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, dewormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709) P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708)

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 C O N T R A C T .

WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

If you can read it, so can your clients.

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

XXX MALE RELAXING MASSAGE FOR MEN - Mario qualified masseur in Alicante - Special Massage for Men - 7 days 10AM to 10PM - APPOINTMENTS visit: www.masaje yrelax.es/en or WHATSAPP 649 761 607 (294722) BI ACTIVE, powerful 20 centimetres. Very productive, well endowed, party animal. Your perfect lover for men and couples 603 202 758 (295530) XXL DOMINANT MASTER for good time and horny fantasies 643 101 739 (295530)

Male/Female viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs available, all areas mail order. 604 385 476. viagra4you19@gmail.com

SITUATIONS VACANT

PET CHARITY

SPANISH lady - classic. Playa Flamenca, private house, 40 years, attractive. All erotic services, massage, sexy lingerie.

From €40. Ana 657 603 495 (294854)

ATTRACTIVE, Girlfriend, Escort, Professional Masseuse.

Tel: 693 357 526 (293267)

KAMAGRA Gold 100mg plus Kamagra Jellies. Collection or Delivery. Roy – 602 579 481 (289485) tp

REMOVALS

SPAS & JACUZZI

EXPERIENCE the best with a 1hr unique massage with Veronica. Shaving or permanent hair removal available. For appointments call 679 292 678 (294870)

TORREVIEJA CENTRE Girls big ass, tits & transvestite big cocks. Credit cards accepted.

24hr appointments 691 128 099 (293695)

XXX VARIOUS

RENT Long Term. Playa Flamenca. Ground floor with garden. 2 bedrooms. 1 bath.

Comunity pool. Parking. carobrlo@yahoo.es (294118)

PERGOLAS TAILOR-MADE in durable canvas, pergola covers cushions, sails, car port, umbrella, spa and CAR COVERS. Mazarron based, and delivery to Costa Blanca. Also online and mail ordering 667 879 399 krugercanopies@ yahoo.co.uk (291448)

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

EWN 61

62 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

ROAD TEST

by Mark Slack AS estates go VW’s Arteon Shooting Brake has a pres‐ ence, the wide frontal look, muscular rear and sleek lines makes for a stylish driveway addition. Based on the Passat, the Ar‐ teon shooting brake is aimed at being a mix of the practical with added style. It cer‐ tainly turns heads and usu‐ ally for all the right reasons.

The term shooting brake is a delightfully old fashioned one harking back to a time when cars had little space and upper class shooting parties needed transport for all their kit. This German in‐ terpretation of the shooting brake, although not without compromises, is a particular‐ ly appealing one.

Prices start at €45,670 (£38,230) and peak at €65,029 (£54,435) for the top‐line version with all‐

VW Arteon a shooting brake for a modern generation

(£8,000) worth of extra cost options.

Although the test car was not my favourite in terms of colour, dark grey with black interior, a much brighter and classier colour palette is available and makes the car look much more than its

der petrol engine passes the benchmark 100 kph in 7.8 seconds and a 233 kph max‐ imum speed while return‐ ing, during my week of mostly local driving, 8.3 litres/100 km. There’s even the option of a plug‐in hy‐ brid.

The Arteon Shooting Brake isn’t a small car, in fact it looks even larger thanks to its design, and inside it feels spacious. Standard kit is good with such fare as key‐ less entry and start and tail‐ gate, a superb panoramic sunroof and much, much more. There’s the usual VW solid, quality feel, it’s a car that combines the very best of practical SUVs and tradi‐ tional estates without their bulk and boxiness. It’s a car that’s a very class act.

Facts at a Glance

SHOOTING BRAKE: It’s a car that’s a very class act.

wheel‐drive. As with all Ger‐ man automotive machines the prices can reach even headier financial heights if you make a start on the op‐ tions list. My R‐Line with 2.0‐ litre TSI petrol power, was listed at €48,322 (£40,450) but had a whopping €9,212

isn’t the point of the Arteon.

Your walking gear, picnic paraphernalia, children’s travel accoutrements or other outdoor activity kit can easily be accommodat‐ ed.

Manufacturers have be‐ come expert at smaller ca‐ pacity, more efficient en‐ gines that still possess decent performance. My Ar‐ teon’s 2.0‐litre, four‐cylin‐

MOTORING

€48k (£40k) price tag.

If you’re looking for a ca‐ pacious load carrier then the Arteon Shooting Brake is not for you. Its striking lines means that the load practi‐ cality, while better than an equivalent saloon, is not the best, but then that really

Model: VW Arteon Shooting Brake R-Line Engine: 2.0-litre TSI 4-cylinder, turbocharged petrol Gears: 7-speed DSG Automatic Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 7.8 seconds/Maximum Speed 233 kmh (145 mph) Economy: 7.3 L/per 100 km (38.6 mpg) Emissions: 166 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

31 March - 6 April 2022

EWN 63

DGT warning on pets Fine for a dirty car THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) can issue fines for excessive dirt on a vehicle, especially if the windshields and win‐ dows are covered with mud.

If a traffic officer con‐

CARRYING ANIMALS: It is recommended pet carriers be placed on the floor in the rear.

THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), in addition to highlighting new sanctions that came into force on March 21, has reminded motorists about the impor‐ tance of carrying animals correctly in their vehicles.

Non‐compliance can re‐ sult in fines ranging from €80 to €500, because it is considered not only a dan‐ ger to the safety of the driver, but also to other

road users.

Although the DGT does not have specific regula‐ tions for the transportation of pets, Article 18.1 of the rules of the road states: “Particular care must be taken to ensure that he maintains the appropriate position, that other passen‐ gers maintain the same po‐ sition and that objects or animals carried are properly positioned, so that there is

no interference between the driver and any of them.”

Even if non‐compliance does not mean loss of points on the driver’s li‐ cence, motorists can still be fined €80 if the animal is loose on the floor of the ve‐ hicle or from €200 to €500 if it is on the driver’s seat.

The DGT recommends that pet carriers be placed on the floor in the rear.

siders that a driver is not able to see the road well because of dirt, mo‐ torists can be fined be‐ tween €80 and €200.

According to DGT reg‐ ulations: “The glass sur‐ face of the vehicle must

allow, in any case, the driver clear visibility on all the road on which it is driving.”

Licence plates must al‐ so be kept clean and leg‐ ible. If not, that could be another €200 fine.

SPORT

64

31 March - 6 April 2022

to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

WEATHER TAKES ITS TOLL... ALMOST HONDON VALLEY FLYERS lost their opportunity to close the gap on CBWFL Leaders Portobello when last week’s much‐needed rain put paid to their fixture against Moraira. The ‘Flyers’ were disappointed but with the probability of both teams soon having ‘orange’ strips thanks to the ‘Baro’ phenomenen from the Sa‐ hara which arrived into the atmosphere turning the sky orange and with the rain covering everything in an or‐ ange dust, the match was called off. A new date is be‐ ing arranged.

Formentera WF did man‐ age to play their friendly match against the ‘Red Li‐ ons’ in very poor conditions on Wednesday, March 23 and credit must go to both teams for an excellent game played in great spirit.

Esquina Park Rangers will play Over 50s and 60s friend‐ ly matches against San Ful‐ gencio tomorrow Friday April 1 as part of their prepa‐

LEAGUE TABLE: Hondon Valley Flyers lost their chance to close the gap. rations for their annual visit to the East Algarve tourna‐ ment in May. EPR have also arranged a mini tournament at Rojales on Wednesday April 6 which will feature For‐ mentera WF and two teams ‘crossing the border’ from Murcia. Camposol and a

fairly new team: Fortuna.

This should be an interest‐ ing tournament.

For reports on matches and events make sure you get your copy of the Euro Weekly News and why not have a go at walking football yourself? Over 50, bit over‐ weight? bit out of shape?

The fastest growing sport in Europe is the ideal way to get back to a healthy fitness with a slow paced, no tack‐ ling game of walking foot‐ ball.

For club contacts go to www.wfai.info or look up the club’s Facebook pages for detail of sessions.

F1 drivers feel ‘bullied’ LEWIS HAMILTON is reportedly believed to be among five F1 drivers who feel they were ‘bullied’ into agreeing to al‐ low the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix to continue. A four‐hour meeting had taken place on Friday, March 25, attended by all the drivers, team principals, and the race organisers.

During the first practice session on Friday, Houthi rebels had launched a missile attack on the Aramco petrol refinery just 15km from the Jeddah Corniche circuit. Concerns were immediately raised about the safety of all involved in Sun‐ day’s race, with the FIA being given assurances by local au‐ thorities that they were not in danger.

At least five of the drivers voiced their concerns and dis‐ approval of continuing with the race. It is believed that the five were Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, Kevin Magnussen, and Sergio Perez.

This group allegedly claimed it was ‘unsafe and irrespon‐ sible’ to let the race go ahead. They also felt that they were bullied into accepting the decision after being put under pressure by FIA bosses who pointed out the possible reper‐ cussions were they not to compete.

It has also been reported that part of the conversation in‐ cluded an unsettling discussion on how easy it would be for the teams to leave the country should they decide to aban‐ don Sunday’s race.

Saudi intelligence sources assured the assembled drivers and teams that despite more warnings from the Houthi rebels, the Corniche race circuit was under no risk of attack.