THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 Issue No. 1919
H A P P Y
14 - 20 April 2022
Civil Protection Medal of Merit
EASTER
AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
HOUSING NEEDED
Receiving the award.
THE Almuñecar Volunteer Association of Civil Pro‐ tection was presented with the Civil Protection Medal of Merit on Satur‐ day April 9 by the Junta de Andalucia for its active collaboration during the most difficult moments of the pandemic. The Almuñecar Associa‐ tion was one of the 55 groups in the province of Granada to receive the award. The ceremony took place at the Science Park in Granada and was presided over by the deputy minister of the Junta, Antonio Sanz. He expressed “the pride of the Junta de Andalucia” in the 55 groups and more than 1,000 volunteers in the province of Granada. He thanked them for ac‐ tions such as “handing out masks, accompanying dis‐ abled people to health centres, providing com‐ fort at cemeteries, help‐ ing with the disinfection of public spaces and in‐ forming people of the risks at markets and beaches. “The hearts of the Granada volunteers beat stronger than ever and there was not a single res‐ ident who could not count on you,” he added.
FREE • GRATIS
Winter swimming competition ON April 9, the municipal swimming pool of Al‐ muñecar welcomed almost 400 swimmers from all over the province of Granada for the Provincial Win‐ ter Swimming Circuit. The swimmers were not only able to enjoy the great atmosphere at the swim‐ ming pool, but also in the surrounding area, and some even spent day at the beach, according to the coordinator of the municipal swimming pool. The event, organised by the Sports Delegation of the Provincial Council with the collaboration of the Municipal Department of Sports of Almuñecar and the Granada branch of the Andalucian Swimming Federation, was the penultimate in the calendar for the 2021/22 Provincial Winter Swimming Circuit. The final event will be held on May 28 in Armilla. The swimmers took part in one of the seven age‐ based categories, and each category was sub‐divid‐ ed into males and females. The Provincial Winter Swimming Circuit was cre‐ ated eight seasons ago with the objective of moti‐ vating people to swim at the different indoor pools in the province.
UKRAINE FAMILY: Accommodation is urgently required for Oleksandr, his wife and children.
AXARQUIA CON UCRANIA is desperately looking for rent‐free or reduced‐ rent accommodation, ei‐ ther independent or with a host family, for two fami‐ lies for a minimum of three months. They are looking for locations with easy access to shops and transport. The first family of six in‐ cludes Oleksandr, a suc‐ cessful businessman who was living with his family in Kyiv. He and his wife Li‐ udmyla, who had just completed her psycholo‐ gy qualifications, fled the bombings around Kyiv with their three children and grandmother. Oleksandr was allowed to leave as he has a fami‐ ly to care for. They fled the city on foot as it was too dangerous to navi‐ gate the roads. Their cur‐
rent accommodation is only available until the end of April. Oleksandr said: “I never thought that I would have to try to start my life from scratch, but we must. I now want to rebuild a life in Spain, start a new busi‐ ness, and, when the time comes, help rebuild my own country with my family safe in Spain.” Accommodation is also needed for a family of three, Volodymyr, Svit‐ lana, and Svitlana’s 85‐ year‐old mother Galyna who before the war lived with their extended fami‐ ly near Kyiv. Galyna had heart surgery and a pace‐ maker fitted in February. At the outbreak of war the family found them‐ selves in the middle of hostilities. They moved to what was the safety of
Kyiv, but spent many tense nights in locked basements to escape the bombing. When a rocket fell in their yard they de‐ cided to leave for the Pol‐ ish border which is where they joined the bus head‐ ing for Spain. The war has meant that their family is now scattered. Their current accommo‐ dation is only available until the end of April. Those interested in helping should email help.ukraine.nerja@gmai l.com.
MUNICIPAL POOL: Almost 400 swimmers took part.
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Four-star Almuñecar hotel reopens ON Friday, April 8, the emblematic Almuñecar Playa Spa Hotel re‐ opened its doors with all its services, includ‐ ing the spa, restaurant, swimming pools, air conditioning, enter‐ tainment and ball‐ rooms, fully opera‐ tional. The news is significant for Almuñe‐ car, as the hotel, locat‐ ed by San Cristóbal beach, had been closed for two years due to the pandemic. The councillor for Tourism and Beaches, Daniel Barbero, visited the hotel for the re‐ opening and said: “This is a long‐awaited mo‐ ment. Firstly, because this reopening repre‐ s e n t s a b e f o r e a n d a f‐ ter in the recovery of tourism in our munici‐ pality, and secondly, because more than 80 employees are return‐ ing to work.” The hotel’s 227 rooms are ready to re‐ ceive Easter visitors. They have 170 rooms that have already been booked for Easter and are hoping that more will be booked over the coming week and that pre‐pandemic levels are reached little by lit‐ tle.
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Inauguration of Plaza Mirador Gaucín THE mayor of Rincon de la Victo‐ ria, Francisco Salado, inaugurat‐ ed Plaza Mirador Gaucín on Thursday April 7, in tribute to the municipality of Gaucín. He was accompanied by the mayor of Gaucín, Pedro Godino, the Rincon councillor for Internal Affairs, Josefa Carnero and the Gaucín councillor for Youth and Festivals, María José Márquez. Sal‐ ado highlighted the importance of cooperation and interaction be‐ tween the two municipalities, ‘one coastal, the other inland’. Gaucín is located in the south of the Serranía de Ronda, at the foot of the Sierra del Hacho. Salado said: “Rincon de la Vic‐ toria, which has grown exponen‐ tially as a destination, has histor‐
PLAZA MIRADOR GAUCÍN: The mayor attended the event with some of the local councillors.
ically welcomed many people from the interior, including many families from Gaucín who live in our municipality today.” The mayor of Gaucín added: “I
New Rincon tourist train ON April 8, the mayor of Rincon de la Victoria, Fran‐ cisco Salado, the general manager of City Sightsee‐ ing Spain, Isaac Flores, the councillor for Tourism, Antonio José Martín, and other town councillors in‐ augurated the new tourist train service. The eight stops on the tour are areas of local touristic interest. Passengers can travel between the church of La Cala del Moral and the Roman Villa, covering the entire coastline of Rincon de la Victoria. There are seven daily departures, from Monday to Thursday, from the Cueva del Tesoro, at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm. Tickets are priced at €6 for adults and €4 for chil‐ dren aged four to 12, although there are also com‐ bined tickets that include entrance to the Cueva del Tesoro for €10 for adults and €6 for children. The tour also has audio guides available in Spanish and English. For more information and ticket sales, call 902 101 081.
am overwhelmed by this beauti‐ ful space. I now understand why so many residents of Gaucín have come to live in Rincon de la Victoria, one of the most beauti‐
ful municipalities in the province.” The square houses a hand‐ painted ceramic mosaic that re‐ flects the beauty of Gaucín.
Nerja pupils visit town hall ON April 7, second‐year primary school pupils from Colegio Narixa were wel‐ comed to the Plenary Hall by the first deputy mayor, Francisco Arce, the council‐ lor for Education, Gema Laguna, and the councillor for Citizen Participation, Javier Rodríguez. The visit was part of the activities organised by the school to give chil‐ dren an insight into the workings of the town hall. The pupils showed the councillors the work they have been doing in the class‐ room by becoming councillors themselves and holding a plenary session. They put forward their proposals for improving the town, including renovating the playgrounds and streets, promoting recycling and increasing cultural and leisure activities for young people. The first deputy mayor and the councillors thanked the students for their pro‐ posals and explained what they do and the services provided by the town hall. They also talked about the figure of the mayor and how the members of the local government are elected.
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NIBS EXTRA The Power of Family THE popular Spanish influ‐ encer Indy visited Nerja on Sat‐ urday, April 9, to sign her latest book, The Power of Family. In‐ dy shares her family life on her YouTube channel ‘El Mundo de Indy’. She has written sever‐ al other books dealing with is‐ sues such as bullying, pollution and animal abuse.
Harry Potter anniversary THE Department of Youth of Rincon de la Victoria has or‐ ganised a programme of free activities for April 23 at the Municipal Youth Centre of Torre de Benagalbon to mark the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter. The activities include an exhibition with characters and curious items, board games and escape rooms.
Smoke-free spaces THE local branch of the Span‐ ish Association Against Can‐ cer held the conference ‘Smoke‐Free Spaces and Peo‐ ple’ on April 6 at the Museum of Nerja to provide informa‐ tion on the dangers of smok‐ ing. There will also be a course for those looking to quit, with details to follow.
Cruise visit SEVERAL groups of cruise passengers from the Spirit of Discovery, which arrived in Motril, visited Almuñecar. The guides from the Saga Cruises company told the tourists about the rich local history and the Semana San‐ ta (Holy Week) celebrations that are currently underway.
New parking area THE Nerja Town Hall has cre‐ ated a provisional new park‐ ing area with a capacity for 165 vehicles on the plot where the old fire station was located, next to the round‐ about between the old N‐340 road and Calle Filipinas, which gives access to Burri‐ ana beach.
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International Romani Day
RINCON DE LA VICTORIA joined the celebration of International Romani Day, held every year on April 8. The mayor of Rincon, Francisco Salado, the councillor for Social Welfare, Elena Aguilar, and various other councillors attended the commemorative act, as did members of the La Mirada Cultural Association and the Philadelphia Evangelical Church. Local residents were also present. Salado said: “With every day that passes, the Roma community in Rincon de la Victoria is gaining importance. As mayor, I am very grateful for everything you do, and you already know first-hand that you can count on me and this government team to continue building bridges that will allow us to join paths.”
SUPPORT: The mayor attended the commemorative event.
Aguilar added: “Today, we are defending equality and the full inclusion of the Roma community, and we are also remembering all the Romani people who were murdered by Nazism.” The Plenary Hall of the Rin-
con Town Hall hosted the reading of an institutional manifesto in which they reaffirmed their support of all the individuals and groups who work day after day to meet the needs of the Roma population.
COUNCILLOR: Unveiled the new mobile app.
New public April at Teatro del Carmen transport app
THE Department of Culture of Velez-Malaga has organised a series of different activities to be held at the Teatro del Carmen in April. On April 20, the theatre will host a benefit concert for Ukraine by the pianist María Márquez and the violinist Piotr Cegielski. On April 22 and 23, it will host the play María de mis entrañas, a show based on the figure of María Zambrano, in which different flamenco styles and palos (forms) are used to interpret different moments of her life. On April 27 and 28, students from the high school Juan de la Cierva will perform the musical Mamma Mia. Finally, on April 30, young children will be able to enjoy the musical Disnemanía y el desván mágico, a show full of humour, love and music that will transport the audience to a world of magic. Tickets are on sale at the Department of Culture, in the building of El Pósito de VelezMalaga, and the Tourist Office in Torre del Mar. For more information, call 667 389 530 or email cultu ra@velezmalaga.es.
THEATRE: Will host different events.
Male beauty pageant THE Mister RNB (Reinado Nacional de Belleza) male beauty pageant will be held in the gardens of the Cueva de Nerja on August 6. This was announced by the mayor, José Alberto Armijo, the councillor for Popular Traditions, Elena Galvez, and the manager of the Cueva de Nerja, José María Dominguez, who were accompanied by the organisers of the event, Juan Delgado and Jesús Bueno. The annual RNB pageant is the most important male beau‐ ty contest in Spain and brings together the 52 representatives of the provinces and autonomous cities from which the candi‐ dates are chosen to represent Spain in the most prestigious beauty events worldwide: Mister Supranational, Mister Inter‐ national, Mister Global and Caballero Universal. “Nerja and the Cueva de Nerja are the perfect settings for the celebration of this important male beauty event,” said the mayor. He also highlighted the national and international me‐ dia coverage and tourist promotion that the event will bring. Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy Nerja and its attractions prior to the event.
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ON April 4, the Transport Department of Velez‐ Malaga launched a new and convenient mobile application designed to provide users with useful information about the status of the city bus lines of the municipality, including the stops on each line, the waiting time until the arrival of the next bus and possible incidents or alterations that may occur. The councillor for Transport, José María Domínguez, said that the free app “is an‐ other tool that we are making available to citi‐ zens as part of our firm commitment to the digi‐ talisation of the city.” The app was jointly developed with Alsa, the company that runs the city bus service, and is called ‘Autobuses Velez‐Malaga’. It allows people to see the information in just a few seconds. There will be signs on buses and at bus stops and public buildings where users will be able to download the app using a QR code.
and finally... IN the run‐up to Easter, the municipal services from the areas of Maintenance, Beaches, Garden‐ ing and Cleaning in Almuñecar have worked tire‐ lessly to make sure everything is ready for the in‐ flux of visitors. The task was made more difficult this year by the effects of the Saharan dust and recent stormy weather. The gardening service has been removing branches from trees along the processional route and adding colour to flower boxes and round‐ abouts with flowering plants so they look their best. As for the beaches, damaged walkways have been removed and new material has been in‐ stalled to improve accessibility.
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UK flights cancelled
MORE than 100 flights were cancelled from the UK on Mon‐ day, April 11, as Brits face more travel chaos. Queues continued at airports including Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick, with flights being af‐ fected due to a shortage of staff because of Covid and slow re‐ cruitment. British Airways sus‐ pended at least 64 flights to and from Heathrow, which included UK domestic routes as well as Eu‐ ropean flights. Among the inter‐ national routes affected were services to and from Berlin, Dublin, Geneva, Paris, and Stock‐ holm. easyJet also cancelled at
least 25 flights to or from Gatwick, affecting European and national routes such as Amster‐ dam, Copenhagen, Glasgow, and Milan. easyJet said cancellations were made “in advance to give cus‐ tomers the ability to rebook on to alternative flights.” John O’Neill, North West Regional Industrial Officer for Unite has warned that Brits can expect that the current holiday disruption is likely to be repeated in the summer. The transport expert even warns that conditions will be worse then due to the high volume of passengers expected to travel.
New Covid treatment
ON Tuesday, April 12, the UK gov‐ ernment revealed that: “Thousands more vulnerable people in England are now eligible to receive the UK’s second oral antiviral treatment for Covid.” The government commented on the ground‐breaking antiviral treatment Paxlovid and explained that the drug: “has been added to the PANORAMIC national study, the UK’s fastest‐ever recruiting clinical trial of its kind, which is run by the University of Oxford in close collabo‐ ration with GP hubs. “It is already available directly through the NHS to those whose im‐ mune systems mean they are at higher risk of serious illness who test positive for the virus ‐ including those who are immunocompro‐ mised, cancer patients, or those with Down’s Syndrome.” The government added: “The
Oral antiviral treatment.
PANORAMIC study makes antivirals available to a large number of pa‐ tients, whilst collecting further data on how the antivirals work where the majority of the adult population is vaccinated. “It ensures antivirals are being used in the most effective way and is crucial in ensuring clini‐ cians have the full information to prescribe antiviral treatments to pa‐ tients in future.”
Spain’s error THE Spanish Tourist Of‐ fice has offered up an ‘apology’ for saying Spain was open to unvaccinat‐ ed Brits on Wednesday, April 6 before later re‐ versing its announce‐ ment. The mistake came down to a misinterpreta‐ tion of Spain’s official state bulletin with the government saying that British visitors would be able to head to Spain, without needing to be jabbed. The tourist Board said that travellers would only need to have a nega‐ tive pre‐departure test. Only hours later though
the tourist board said that the official state bul‐ letin had been interpret‐ ed incorrectly. This means that holidaymakers from the UK aged 12 and over still need to show that they have been fully jabbed or have a Covid recovery certificate. The Spanish tourist of‐ fice in the UK’s deputy di‐ rector Pedro Medina apologised for the mis‐ communication. He said: “We apologise unre‐ servedly for the miscom‐ munication earlier today which was due to a mis‐ understanding of the new entry requirements.”
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High demand DEMAND for British passports is at an all‐time high and the govern‐ ment has urged people “not to leave their applica‐ tion to the last minute.” On Monday, April 11, the government warned: “Since April 2021 HM Pass‐ port Office has been advising peo‐ ple to allow up to 10 weeks when ap‐ plying for their p a s s p o r t . T h i s r e‐ mains the case. “Due to Covid‐19, HM Passport Office saw a significant drop in the number of people applying for passports, with over five million people delaying their applications throughout 2020 and 2021. “But with interna‐ tional travel return‐ ing to normal, more and more people are applying for a new passport.” Commenting on the waiting time the Director Gener‐ al of HM Passport Office Abi Tierney, said: “Now that in‐ ternational travel has resumed, we know people will be looking at going away on holiday and yet many peo‐ ple are leaving ap‐ p l y i n g f o r a p a s s‐ port too late. “The summer hol‐ idays are fast ap‐ proaching so if you need a new pass‐ port, we urge you to apply now.”
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Britney pregnant Andrew ‘useful idiot’ BRITNEY SPEARS, fresh from court proceedings to free her from her con‐ servatorship, revealed on Monday, April 11 that she is once again preg‐
nant. Announcing the news on Instagram, she said she took the test after her partner, Sam As‐ ghari, accused her of be‐
Amazon deforestation
THE latest report by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) says that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest reached record levels in the first three months of 2022. The report published on Friday, April 8 said that 941.34 square kilometres of forest was cleared be‐ tween January and March, the largest amount record‐ ed since the institute began monitoring deforestation rates in 2016. The rate of deforestation is according to the re‐ searchers up 64 per cent on the same time last year with the area cleared nearly the size of Dallas, Texas. Current Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro had weak‐ ened environmental protections ever since he took of‐ fice in 2019, saying that they hinder economic develop‐ ment. The president is also on record saying that he does not believe in the warnings issued by environ‐ mentalists, that the Amazon is the lungs of the world.
ing food pregnant. She said: “So I got a pregnan‐ cy test... and uhhhhh well... I am having a ba‐ by. “Four days later I got a little more food preg‐ nant.” Spears, a mother of two, revealed during court proceedings that she was forced to take birth control depriving her from having another child, something she longed for. Spears was released from the controversial conservatorship last November, which con‐ trolled her personal and financial affairs. During proceedings the court was told how her life was controlled, even down to the choice of whether she had more children. Her decision to marry partner Asghari was also stopped by her conserva‐ tors, one of whom was her father Jamie Spears.
ROYAL biographer Tina Brown has claimed that Jeffrey Ep‐ stein considered Prince An‐ drew to be a ‘useful idiot.’ In her new book, ‘The Palace Papers,’ the royal biographer said: “International diplomacy rarely offers encounters with angels. But Prince Andrew’s ad‐ hesive contacts with reprehen‐ sible foreign riff‐raff went far beyond what was explicable, or acceptable. “He hosted lunches at Buck‐ ingham Palace for the insalubri‐ ous relatives of Middle Eastern tyrants, invited a Libyan gun smuggler to Princess Eugenie’s wedding, and Princess Beat‐ rice’s 21st birthday party, and went goose‐hunting with Kaza‐ khstan’s then‐president, Nur‐ sultan Nazarbayev. “Privately, Epstein told peo‐ ple that Andrew was an idiot, but ‐ to him ‐ a useful one. A senior royal, even if tainted, is always a potent magnet abroad. “Epstein confided to a friend that he used to fly the Duke of York to obscure foreign mar‐ kets, where governments were
obliged to receive him, and Ep‐ stein went along as HRH’s in‐ vestment adviser. With Andrew
as frontman, Epstein could ne‐ gotiate deals with these (often) shady players.”
New superband MEMBERS of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam have come together to form a new band, dropping a surprise de‐ but album on Monday, April 11. Music legends including Nir‐ vana bassist Krist Novoselic, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and Soundgarden/Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron formed the band called 3rd Secret. According to one publica‐ tion, the album is: “A self‐titled affair, the 11‐track effort sports a broad tonal palette ‐ it leans heavily on classic grunge and alt‐rock flavours, but adds diversity with hints of laidback folk and indie‐rock, swampy blues and stomping hard‐rock.” The band released the album independently and it is available to stream on multiple platforms. The 3rd Secret website revealed: “Get in on the secret! “3rd Secret by 3rd Secret “New album on your favourite streaming service!”
and finally... A GOOGLE Earth image has been responsible for the detec‐ tion of a notorious bicycle thief, located in the Oxfordshire city of Littlemore in the UK. Thanks to this satellite software, a 54‐ year‐old man is under investigation by the police, after more than 500 allegedly stolen bikes were found in his back garden.
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Arms for Ukraine Future pandemics
UKRAINE has achieved ‘the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century,’ according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. During a surprise trip to Kyiv on Saturday, April 9, Mr Johnson pledged the UK’s unwavering support to Ukraine and met with Presi‐ dent Zelenskyy to discuss the economic and military assistance that the UK can offer to Ukraine. According to the UK gov‐ ernment Mr Johnson: “reit‐ erated that the UK will do everything in its power to
Boris met Zelenskyy.
support Ukraine’s brave fight against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion and ensure its long term se‐
A COUPLE who went on a diving expedition off the coast of Malaysia were found drifting at sea on Friday, April 8 after going missing more than two days earlier. The British man and French woman were spotted by fisherman at around 1am a consider‐ able distance away from where they were last reported. The couple Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, and Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, are said to be in a stable condition according to Cyril Edward Nuing, the Mersing District Police Chief. A search is still underway for Mrs Chester’s 14‐
curity and prosperity. “The Prime Minister set out new military assistance of 120 armoured vehicles and new anti‐ship missile systems, to support Ukraine in this crucial phase while Russia’s illegal assault con‐ tinues. This is in addition to the £100 million worth of high‐grade military equip‐ ment already announced, including more Starstreak anti‐aircraft missiles, anoth‐ er 800 anti‐tank missiles, and high‐tech loitering mu‐ nitions for precision strikes.”
Lost at sea
year‐old‐son who is still missing with the search area now having been expanded to cover a much wider area. Two planes, 18 boats and about 90 individuals are involved in the search for the missing boy. The diver instructor, Kristine Grodem, 35, from Norway, was rescued on Thursday after a training dive near Tokong Sanggol, a small island off the southeastern town of Mersing.
SCOTLAND is preparing for pandemics in the future and on April 7, the government announced that Professor An‐ drew Morris had been ap‐ pointed as Chair of the Scot‐ tish Government’s Standing Committee on Pandemic Pre‐ paredness (SCoPP). The committee has been designed to ensure that “Scot‐ land can be as prepared as possible to meet future pan‐
demics.” Professor Morris commented: “I look forward to working with my fellow committee members to ad‐ dress these important issues. We will engage with clinicians and the wider scientific com‐ munity in Scotland to ensure that our work is informed by a range of expertise. “We will also look to inter‐ national experience to ensure our report reflects the global
nature of pandemics and the international learning that will help us best prepare Scotland to face the future.” Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are very pleased that Professor An‐ drew Morris has agreed to be the Chair of the SCoPP. He is adept at distilling complicated science and disparate views into clear and succinct advice to the Scottish government.”
Scotland’s forests RESEARCH released by Our World in Data shows that Scotland’s forests have recovered to levels last seen nearly 1,000 years ago, as they reach their largest size in 900 years. In just under a century forest coverage north of the border has grown from around 6 per cent to nearly 18 per cent with a shift to planting faster growing varieties in the 1980’s having proven more sustainable. Scotland has been covered by forests ever since the end of the ice age some 11,000 years ago, but deforestation had already claimed large parts by the time the Romans arrived on
THIS April you can observe what is commonly known as the ‘Pink Moon’, or in Spain, the ‘Easter Moon’ on Saturday, April 16. The full moon in April is called pink because it is in this month that the mossy phlox begins to bloom. This is a flower with pink tones that is native to North America. In Spain, the full moon in April is also known as the Easter moon, because it is the one that always coin‐ cides with the celebration of the Holy Week festivities. Other names dedicated to this full moon around the world are the ‘egg moon’, or the ‘hunter’s moon’, although this name is familiar mostly in the countries of the southern hemisphere. That is be‐ cause it is the full moon that follows after the har‐ vest moon. In New Zealand, this lu‐ nar month is called Paen‐ gawhawha, or Haratua, which indicates that the time has come to collect the harvest. This April moon, which is
the British Isles some 2,000 years ago. The first real attempts to build the country’s forests came after the First World War, when shortages of many basic commodities result‐ ed in the government planting pine trees across large swathes of countryside. Pine trees however, proved bad for Scottish biodi‐ versity prompting the shift in the 80s to faster growing species like Sitka Spruce. Whilst those species are helping the gov‐ ernment achieve its goal of 21 per cent cover‐ age by 2032, they are harming local wood‐ lands.
Pink moon FULL MOON: Also known as the Easter moon in Spain.
in the constellation of Vir‐ go, is especially bright and has more illumination, not
only on Saturday April 16, but also during the days be‐ fore and after.
and finally...
THE Runaway Bride Race in Belgium is expected to raise €15,000 for charity Stand Up to Cancer and the Breast Clinic at the Jan Yperman hospital in Ypres. The original idea for this particular raise came to cele‐ brate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the bridal shop Els‐Lucienne in 2019 which is based in Leper and around 150 runners raised €7,500 for the Think Pink charity. Els herself wanted this event to benefit the fight against cancer, because in the beginning of 2019 her mother died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 66.
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Will banned Stuffed animals found
AFTER the slapping incident involving comedian Chris Rock on stage at the recent Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 27, Will Smith has been banned from the Os‐ cars for 10 years. He will however be allowed to keep his award for Best Actor. A decision was reached by the 54‐person Board of Gov‐ ernors of the Academy on Friday, April 8. Furious de‐ bates had surrounded the event in which Smith reacted badly to a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Moments after slapping
Chris Rock, Smith’s name was read out as the recipient of the Best Actor award for his role in ‘King Richard’. The emotional actor collected his Oscar and apologised to the Academy and all those pre‐ sent for his actions earlier. Smith then posted a long apology on Instagram the fol‐ lowing day. Many had insist‐ ed that Will Smith should be stripped of his golden stat‐ uette, while others preferred to believe it was a staged in‐ cident. He eventually made the decision to resign from the Academy.
COVID has been linked to a dramatic in‐ crease in the risk of potentially fatal blood clots, according to new research pub‐ lished in the British Medical Journal. The virus has been linked to a fivefold risk increase in deep‐vein thrombosis DVT. It has also been linked to a 33‐fold risk in‐ crease for blood clots in the lungs. These risk factors are said to last for one month after having caught the virus. After this time the risk factors decrease but are still
SEPRONA officers in Valen‐ cia have uncovered the biggest‐ever collection of stuffed animals to be found in Spain. Officers of the Guardia Civ‐ il’s Nature Protection Service (Seprona), made the discov‐ ery in Betera on Wednesday, April 6. During the search of a property, they uncovered a total of 1,090 pieces of taxi‐ dermy and complete stuffed animals. These items were, in some cases, already packed and prepared for smuggling to clients. The full collection has an estimated value of €29 million and is one of the
biggest finds of its kind ever in Europe. As a result, they have placed one of the sons of the well‐known late Valencian businessman Francisco Ros Casares under investigation for a possible crime against wildlife. The accused has not been detained. According to police, of the specimens found, 405 belonged to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Some of them are even ex‐ tinct, such as the oryx dammah, or practically ex‐ tinct, such as the addax, or the Bengal tiger.
Covid linked to clots present for several months. This latest data shows again the benefits of getting vaccinated against the coron‐ avirus. Vaccinations have a risk of blood clots, but this is considerably less than hav‐ ing a clot from Covid. The University of Glasgow’s Dr Frederick Ho commented:
“The degree of complications associated with Covid‐19 is much stronger and lasts for much longer than what we might be getting after vaccination. “Even those peo‐ ple with mild symptoms who do not need to be hospitalised might have a small in‐ crease in the risk of [blood clots].”
TAXIDERMY: The full collection has an estimated value of €29 million.
and finally... IN the lead up to Earth Day on Friday April 22, Lind‐ sey Cole travelled to Denmark’s capital to share ad‐ venture stories, read her book The Mermaid and the Cow and teach youngsters science so they are able to monitor the health of their favourite local body of water. She plans to be swimming around the statue of the Little Mermaid situated on the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen at around 4pm on Sun‐ day April 17 and will then sit on the side and give a free talk to those who turn up.
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Pink Floyd’s new song
A F T E R a break of 28 years, Pink Floyd will re‐ lease a new song, in aid of Ukraine The track which came out on Friday, April 8 is ti‐ tled ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’. Two original members of the iconic band feature on the song, 76‐year‐old Dave Gilmour, and 78‐ year‐old Nick Mason. They are joined by regu‐ lar band member, Guy Pratt on bass, and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards. You have to go back to 1994’s ‘The Division Bell’ for Pink Floyd’s last origi‐ nal material release. Join‐ ing them on the record‐ ing are Andriy Khlyvnyuk, the vocalist from the Ukrainian rock band Boombox. An Instagram clip of him singing in Sofiyskaya Square in Kyiv will be used to involve him. ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’ is a translation from the last line of a patriotic protest song that Khlyvnyuk sang
on that occasion. Ac‐ claimed director Mat Whitecross was involved in the production of the
video made to promote the song. It shows Andriy singing on the screen while the band plays.
Wales independence B O R I S J O H N S O N has been accused of push‐ ing Wales closer to an independence with his policies, echoing warnings in Scotland. The recent backing down on his promise to ban all conversion therapy has prompted criticism from across the spectrum in Wales, with some call‐ ing the move un‐ democratic. Such has been the backlash that Mark Drakeford, the Welsh First Minister, said he had requested “ur‐ gent legal advice” on how Wales could pro‐ ceed with its own conversion therapy ban that protects the
entire LGBT+ commu‐ nity. Shash Appan, Media Officer with Trans Aid Cymru, said: “It is in‐ credibly frustrating to have things like healthcare devolved but the equality as‐ pects of that health‐ care dominated by Westminster. “In Wales, we voted for Labour, and we are governed by the Tories. It’s downright undemocratic for us to have the Tories make these decisions for us. They should not have the ability to dictate which human rights Welsh trans people can and can‐ not have access to.”
NEWS
Open doors
SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has opened his childhood home to allow unsigned and new artists to perform. The house, 20 Forthlin Road in Liverpool, is owned by the National Trust who have allowed the home to be used for the Forthlin Ses‐ sions, where artists selected by Sir Paul, his brother Mike and local partners will be able to work and perform. The home is where Sir Paul and John Lennon wrote hits such as I Saw Her Standing There and When I’m 64, a history that they hope will help feed the cre‐ ative juices of other artists. Mike, who witnessed the rapid success of his brother and his friends, said: “This house to me, is a house of hope. And I hope it will be for the young people that come through the doors. “I would be in the other room learning photogra‐ phy, but whilst I’m doing all
Opened childhood home.
that, I could hear guitar noises coming from this room. In there were what turned out to be two of the world’s greatest songwrit‐ ers, McCartney and
Lennon. They were re‐ hearsing from a school book on the floor, that’s why this house is so unique,” he added on Wednesday April 6.
Europe’s largest solar farm ON Wednesday, April 6, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, inaugurated the country’s new solar farm. Located in the north‐ ern town of Kozani, the
huge 204‐megawatt pho‐ tovoltaic plant became Europe’s largest such project to use bifacial panels. Built by Greece’s biggest oil refiner Hel‐
Diplomats out
THE government has expelled a group of Russian diplomats and staff of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Spain. According to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Al‐ bares, there were some 25 people who represented “a threat to the security interests of our country.” The decision is also a response to crimes that cannot go un‐ punished and must be thoroughly investigated, he said. Albares said that the images of the massacre of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha following the withdrawal of the Rus‐ sian army are “unbearable” and “outrageous,” and represent a turning point in the face of which the international community cannot remain impassive and must demand a forceful response. “Spain demands that war crimes be investigated immediately and that those responsible be punished for them,” he added on April 6. The move is part of an ongoing process in Europe that has al‐ ready been joined by Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ire‐ land, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark, and Italy, in addition to the European External Action Service headed by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Spain’s Josep Borrell.
lenic Petroleum, in the next few weeks the new plant will connect to the national power grid. Eventually, enough elec‐ tricity should be generat‐ ed to provide 75,000 households with power. As he inaugurated the park, Mr Mitsotakis said, “This project reflects our national goals for cheap and clean energy from the sun, from the wind, and from the water.” At the same time, he promised to speed up the time it takes to issue permits for renewable energy projects. Following the conflict in Ukraine, more and more countries are look‐ ing at eliminating their dependence on Russian gas. Costly imported fos‐ sil fuels, which also cre‐ ate pollution, could all be things of the past as gov‐ ernments look at new ways of providing clean‐ er, and cheaper, energy.
NEWS
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14 - 20 April 2022
Times Square explosion
TOURISTS were seen run‐ ning from Times Square on Sunday, April 10 after a manhole exploded at
around 7pm. One resident described how their “whole apart‐ ment” shook after three
J Lo engaged JENNIFER LOPEZ has confirmed she is engaged to actor Ben Affleck after fans spotted a large green diamond ring on her wedding finger. The ‘Jenny From The Block’ singer shared the news in a ‘major an‐ nouncement’ via her newsletter, On The JLo, on Friday, April 8. Fans subscribed to her newsletter, which Lopez, 52, describes as her “in‐ ner circle,” received an email containing a video of herself crying and looking down at her sparkling diamond ring. A rep for the singer and actress confirmed the happy news on Fri‐
day. The singer’s sister shared the video on Twit‐ ter, writing: ‘Major an‐ nouncement!!!!’ In the video, she gushed: “So I have a real‐ ly exciting and special story to share...” The mum of two added a diamond ring emoji to her Twitter handle as well, further teasing the engagement. She and actor, Ben, 49, famously dated nearly two decades ago and got engaged for the first time in November 2002. They split in 2004 but resparked their romance, much to the surprise of fans, in 2021.
manhole fires possibly caused the explosion. The New York Fire De‐ partment has not re‐ vealed what caused the manhole explosion fires. According to reports car‐ bon monoxide levels were elevated in the area after the blast. Taking to Twitter one lo‐ cal said: “Feeling relieved. With it being the start Holy Week, I was very scared. When I say my whole apartment shook, my goodness! Hoping to get more details on the manhole explosion. Two in two years. Wild.” An electrical company spokesperson comment‐ ed: “One manhole explod‐ ed in the Times Square area this evening due to cable failure, and a second manhole was smoking. “At this time, there have been no customer out‐ ages, and no reports of in‐ juries or property damage. Our crews remain on loca‐ tion.”
EWN
9
€10bn for Ukraine
EUROPEAN COMMISSION President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Satur‐ day April 9, that €10 billion has been pledged in support of Ukraine and its refugees from an international fundraising drive. Making the announce‐ ment in Warsaw, von der Leyen said that the event, called ‘Stand Up For Ukraine,’ had generated €9.1 billion that will go to‐ wards rebuilding the country and to helping its more than four million refugees recov‐ er. She also said that the Eu‐ ropean Bank for Reconstruc‐ tion and Development (EBRD) is adding another €1 billion bringing the total up to €10.1 billion. The event was convened jointly by von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minis‐ ter Justin Trudeau, and was put together to prompt po‐ litical leaders and global celebrities to provide fund‐ ing and other donations for
the people of Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda joined the event along with von der Leyen, while
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Justin Trudeau joined re‐ motely.
Maradona’s £4m shirt
FORMER England midfielder Steve Hodge looks set to earn more than £4 million at auction for the shirt he swapped with Diego Maradona after the famous ‘Hand Of God’ 1986 World Cup game in Mexico. Hodge, 59, has been the shirt’s ‘proud owner’ ever since. Following Maradona’s death in 2020 Hodge re‐ sisted offers to buy the shirt, but has now had a change of mind. The number 10 emblazoned Argentina strip will be sold by Sotheby’s at an online auction opening on Wednesday, April 20. It is currently on display at the auction house’s Lon‐ don offices and is expected to sell for more than £4 mil‐ lion. Hodge said: “The Hand of God shirt has deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina and the people of England and I’m certain that the new owner will have immense pride in owning the world’s most iconic football shirt.”
STATS
95%
The jellyfish is 95% water.
10 EWN
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14 - 20 April 2022
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
Generalitat aid plan good news THE regional government announced a €944 million package to counteract the energy and fuel emergency and reboot the economy. Generalitat president Ximo Puig explained on Thursday April 7 that the 45‐point Plan Reactiva has been created to provide a “forceful adminis‐ tration response” to the situation resulting from the Ukraine war while minimising its effect on the Valencian Community. More than a third of the total ‐ €342 million ‐ is to be used to introduce new measures while €602 million will accelerate investment. The Plan Reactiva cash is coming from the Generalitat itself, EU funds and the European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, Puig revealed. Allocations include €45 million for the self‐em‐ ployed who have been hit the hardest by the en‐ ergy crisis and another €50 million for compa‐ nies that depend on gas, but have not been included in central government aid. Valencia’s Finance Institute (IVF) will provide €100 million to assist companies suffering from loss of income while the Generalitat also intends to cut regional taxes by at least 10 per cent, bringing savings of €71 million to families as well as businesses. Fishing fleets will no longer need to pay for using Valencian Community ports and public transport, including the Tram, will be cheaper. “Plan Reactiva is the most important aid plan launched by the Generalitat or any other au‐ tonomous community,” Puig said. “This surpass‐ es our €500 million Plan Resistir and the €647 million Plan Resistir Plus.”
News from our editions With six editions and read by more than half a million people, EWN is Spain’s largest free local English-language newspaper COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
Ball is in the Generalitat court
COSTA DEL SOL
Air lifted by helicopter A 64-YEAR-OLD man had to be rescued after a tree trunk fell on him while he was gardening in Alozaina, a municipality in Malaga Province situated just above Coin. The man had been pruning trees on his land when a tree trunk fell on top of him, according to Emergencias 112 Andalucia, a service attached to the Regional Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administration and the Interior of the Junta de Andalucia. The emergency services received a call requesting vital assistance at 1pm on Sat‐ urday, April 9. According to the Junta de Andalucia: “The 061 Health Emergency Services were quickly mobilised by the co‐ ordination centre, which sent a helicopter to the scene.” Officers from the Guardia Civil were called in and the Mountain Rescue and In‐ tervention Team (Ereim) swung into action. When the medics reached the scene of the accident, they discovered that the man was suffering from injuries to his back and his head, so was evacuated by helicopter to the Hospital Clínico Universitario in Malaga. No further details are known about the man’s state of health at the time of writing.
MALLORCA
Digitising Catalan
COSTA DE ALMERIA
To the rescue PROVINCIAL council, the Diputacion, has made available machinery and technical assistance for municipalities recovering from the recent storms. During and immediately after the latest bout of bad weather, the Diputacion began repairing and clearing the 1,200 kilometres of roads that link the the province’s 103 villages, towns and cities. “From the moment the first storm damage was reported, we have been assisting town halls, especially those of the smallest towns,” said Eugenio Gonzalvez, who heads the provin‐ cial council’s Municipal Assistance Area. “This is in line with our commitment to at‐ tending to the needs of the town halls with fewest resources by providing a rapid response in unexpected situations.” Gonzalvez described the province’s storm damage as “substantial and of varying kinds” and explained that the Municipal Assistance Area was providing a technical report with a spe‐ cific solution for each problem. He was confident that these could be re‐ solved without delay, Gonzalvez said. “Town halls know that they can always count on the Diputacion,” he added.
NEWSDESK
PALM MARKET: Carlos Mazon discussed the viability of bringing the tram to Elche.
DIPUTACION president Carlos Mazon will commission an Alicante University study into the viability of bringing the Tram to Elche. Visiting the traditional Palm Market in Elche’s Plaça de Baix on April 9, the provin‐ cial council president said that the Diputa‐ cion wants to see a first phase linking the Avenida de la Libertad with other districts inside the city and the Business Park. This would be followed by future phases connecting the city with Torrellano and the airport in one direction and Santa Pola in the other without ruling out Alicante City itself, Mazon said. The Diputacion president revealed that the Alicante University study will be car‐ ried out as soon as possible, although he admitted that the project was not within the provincial council’s remit.
Any decision would rest with the Con‐ sell, the regional government’s equivalent to a Cabinet, Mazon added. Instead, the Generalitat had yet to carry out a feasibility report or analyse the pos‐ sibility of bringing the Tram to Elche, de‐ spite repeated requests from the business sector and the city’s groups and associa‐ tions. “We couldn’t be making it easier for the Generalitat. But they are running out of excuses for not recognising that they owe a debt to Elche,” Mazon said. “So we shall bring to the table a study enabling them to tell us if they will or won’t pay this historic debt.” Mazon went on to say it was incompre‐ hensible that Elche still did not have this service and that in the meantime, the Con‐ sell merely made “ordinary” investments.
THE governments of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands will work together in the promotion of digital technologies applied to the Catalan lan‐ guage. One of their major areas of cooperation is in the promotion of the AINA, the project based on data technologies and Artificial Intelligence to make it possible for machines to understand and speak Catalan in order to ensure its survival in the digital age. Both governments also announced on Mon‐ day April 11, their collaboration on cybersecurity and 5G research and technology projects, pro‐ moting policies and good practices. The Government of the Balearic Islands will encourage the promotion, communication and dissemination in the Islands of ‘Our language is your voice’ with the aim of collecting as many voices as possible to feed the first version of the Catalan voice corpus, essential to teach the ma‐ chines to understand and speak the language. It has also agreed to make a donation of the voice content archive of IB3 (the Public Broad‐ casting Entity of the Balearic Islands) so that these can be used for the training of the neural networks of the Artificial Intelligence system of the AINA project. These announcements coincided with a tour of northern Catalonia, the Valencian community and Mallorca to explain and promote the AINA project.
NEWS
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Nuclear attack defences MARGARITA ROBLES, Spain’s Defence Minister, an‐ nounced on Friday, April 8, that the Military Pharmacy
Centre in Madrid is working on developing defences to possible nuclear, biological or chemical attacks.
Richest woman
SINGER Rihanna has found herself on the latest Forbes list, becoming the richest woman in the music industry with a total worth of €1.56 billion. Back in 2017, the music recording superstar launched her make‐up and skincare brand, Fenty Beauty. In recent years, there have been many singers who have decided to combine their musical careers with business, creating their own businesses and firms related to cosmet‐ ics. Jennifer Lopez created JLo Beauty in 2020, Selena Gomez joined this world last year with Rare Beauty, and the last to join a similar project was Ariana Grande. The incredible entrepreneur from Barbados has out‐ done them all though, and earned herself a place on the prestigious Forbes list. A total of 2,668 people appear in this ranking, with Ri‐ hanna ranked at 1,729. Her fortune amounts to a total of €1.56 billion, almost approaching the wealth of colleagues such as Jay‐Z, and Kayne West.
After visiting the San Pedro de Colmenar Viejo Base in Madrid, which is operating as a logistics hub, the minister admitted that there is a con‐ cern, both within NATO and the European Union about the possibility of an attack from Russia. She said that due to the cruelty of the war in Ukraine, “it is a scenario that cannot be ruled out,” while asking for alarm not to be raised ahead of time. However, the minister has stressed that the Military Pharmacy Centre has “mag‐ nificent” skills as well as pro‐ fessionals who are working on defences in order to be able to respond to a nuclear, bio‐ logical or chemical attack. It offers “peace of mind,” she added, highlighting that the risk only exists because Russia has these capabilities.
STATS
1,800
At any given time, there are 1,800 thunderstorms.
EWN 11
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EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN PRESS DENMARK
Turbine trouble
Architectural Capital
THE rotor and three blades fell off a turbine that’s part of the Anholt Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Denmark on Wednesday April 6 according to Orsted, the world’s largest developer of offshore wind farms which asked authorities to stop maritime traffic near its sites.
NEXT year, the Danish capital will present its tourists and residents with a variety of events and activities focusing on architecture, after Copenhagen was chosen to be the World Capital of Architecture for 2023 by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects.
THE NETHERLANDS Ministry fined
Cheese Gromit!
AN investigation by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has found that there was insufficient internal security in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has fined it €565,000 for possible breaches of the privacy of people making visa applications going back years.
INVESTIGATORS in Holland may need to call in Wallace and Gromit to track down thieves who have been plaguing cheese manufacturers over the last few months, undertaking ‘cheese heists’ around the country with the latest seeing the theft of 1,600 kilos of cheese worth €21,000.
BELGIUM Thrifty royal
Mopeds GO
AFTER jokingly telling a customer at his thrift store in Avelgem that the quality of the goods was so good that King Filip was due in, the manager wrote to the king and invited him to the shop and at the beginning of April the king turned up.
A LARGE number of e-mopeds owned by Dutch company GO Sharing which opened in Brussels last winter have been stolen, as it appears that someone has worked out how to bypass the renting system and has been selling the secret online for €20.
GERMANY LIDL Lines
Alleged spy
SUPERMARKET Group LIDL has confirmed that it has set up Tailwind Shipping Lines and plans to purchase container ships in order to get around the supply chain delays which have been adversely affecting retailers around the world. Perhaps next step will be cruise ships.
A FORMER security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin, 57-year-old David Ballantyne Smith was extradited from Potsdam by German police on April 6 and appeared at Westminster Court accused of nine counts of collection and communication of information useful to the Russian state.
FRANCE Medical Deserts
Possible fraud
ALTHOUGH the quality of the French healthcare system is admired by many, it appears that there are severe shortages of doctors in certain parts of the country which the French now call Medical Deserts and it could take 10 years to train enough new medics.
FRANCE'S financial prosecutor revealed on April 6 that it had opened a preliminary investigation into the role of private consultancy firms such as McKinsey used by the Macron Administration and possible tax fraud, just days ahead of the first round of France's presidential election.
NORWAY Long ship
Radical reform
ALTHOUGH not due to ravish settlements on the British coast any time soon, the world’s longest reconstructed Viking ship, the 30metre-long Havhingsten (the Sea Stallion) returned to the water on April 9, having spent the winter on land for its safety.
IN an effort to save money, the Norwegian government has decided to effectively halve the number of counties in the country and to merge many existing counties into one. Whilst some councils are quite happy about this, some 13 have indicated that they will fight the decision.
FINANCE Digital investment ACCORDING to a statement made by President Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday April 5, the Spanish government plans to earmark €11 billion to develop the country’s microchip and semiconductor industry as part of his vision of transforming the country’s economy and making the nation a world digital leader.
STAT OF WEEK
€48 million
is the amount that Greenval Technologies plans to spend in constructing four reclamation plants in Spain in order to reduce mountains of worn-out tyres.
Relations between Spain and Morocco reinstated Credit: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig
BUSINESS EXTRA
www.euroweeklynews.com • 14 - 20 April 2022
14
Pay rise SAINSBURY’S has said it is raising the pay for some of its London staff following pressure from share‐ holders so that workers at outer London stores will be paid the same £11.05 hourly rate as inner London colleagues meaning they will receive the voluntary Real Living Wage.
Social Security THE Spanish government is considering having to close many Social Security offices due to shortage of staff and the prognosis is bad, as a large proportion of staff are nearing retirement age and the department has lost 20 per cent of its workforce in the last 10 years.
Speedy delivery WAITROSE has announced it is working more closely with Deliveroo in the UK and is adding more than 70 new Waitrose locations this summer so that even more of its customers can benefit from speedy home or office delivery from a range of 1,000 products.
Shell and Russia AFTER being heavily criticised for purchasing cheap oil from Russia even after the invasion of Ukraine, Shell has announced that it will dispose of its assets in that country as soon as it can. It currently has short term contracts with different organisations in Russia which it says it is bound to honour, but has undertaken not to buy any more oil from there or enter into any new contracts until the British government indicates this is possible. The company which has joint ventures with energy giant Gazprom as well as investments in liquid gas, an oilfield and an energy project told the BBC that the withdrawal would cost around £3.8 billion.
Meeting with the King in Rabat.
MOROCCO’S King Mohammed VI welcomed Pedro Sánchez to Rabat on Thursday April 7 as years of deadlock were put to the past. The main bones of contention between the two neighbours con‐ cerned perceived smuggling into the Kingdom from Spanish en‐ claves of Ceuta and Melilla and recognition of Morocco’s posses‐ sion of the former Spanish Sahara. Whilst those living there and who named the area the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic are complete‐ ly opposed to this recognition and the Spanish government has taken a pragmatic view that Spain will benefit from a closer relationship
with the Moroccans. By also agreeing the progressive recovery of full normality in the movement of goods and merchan‐ dise at the border crossings of Ceu‐ ta and Melilla, including the appro‐ priate customs and people control devices at land and sea level, Spain will benefit economically. Since the outbreak of the pan‐ demic, ferry services between Spain and Morocco were can‐ celled (although they were al‐ lowed between France and the Kingdom) which means that im‐ ports and exports will now be easier to arrange and the annual migration across Spain by Moroc‐
can nationals will return. This new relationship provides for the setting up of working groups for coordination in all those areas of common interest, such as the already existing permanent group on migration, the creation of others in the economic field, infras‐ tructure, education, professional training, culture and sport. “We are embarking on a new journey in our long‐shared history that should allow us to confidently face the challenges, but also the multiple opportunities for the fu‐ ture: A true partnership for the 21st century,” said Sánchez following his visit.
Chancellor’s wife non-dom status RISHI SUNAK’S wife Akshata Murty has denied claims that she’s a tax dodger and has defended her non‐ domicile tax status. The Chancellor has faced questions over his wife’s tax status as she holds a multi‐million‐pound stake in her fa‐ ther’s firm Infosyss, but most of Mr Sunak’s wife’s finances are based overseas according to the Treasury. The Treasury confirmed though that this was declared when the Chancellor took on the job, (accord‐ ing to the British press on Thursday April 7) although some have suggest‐
ed that the situation is similar to hav‐ ing a fox guarding the hen house. The simple explanation is that she remains an Indian citizen and there‐ fore is able to claim non‐dom tax sta‐ tus for 15 years after returning to the UK and therefore is only required to pay tax on her UK interests, not on any money earned overseas (al‐ though she may pay tax in India). Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has defended her non‐dom tax status and he believes that the criticisms against her are “completely unfair”. Speaking to BBC Breakfast he ex‐
plained: "I think she's been very clear, she's been very transparent, the Chancellor's been very transparent, and this non‐dom status has been part of the UK tax system for more than 200 years." Whilst what she is doing may be perfectly legal, there is no obligation for her to choose non‐dom status and presumably is doing so for tax reasons which the Labour Party find objectionable when she resides in the UK especially as her husband is re‐ sponsible for setting rules on taxa‐ tion.
Mighty Mercadona THE Valencian Institute of Economic Studies (Ivie) has said that Spanish grocery chain Mercadona generat‐ ed the equivalent of just over 2 per cent of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounted for 3.7 per cent of employ‐ ment in 2021. The report published by Ivie estimates that the su‐ permarket paid more than €9 billion in tax from a turnover of €27.4 billion a n d w h e n t a k i n g i n t o a c‐ count all operating costs including staff wages, pay‐ ment to suppliers and in‐ vestments in building and other support areas, it con‐ tributed €25.1 billion to the Spanish economy. Considering that this pri‐ vately owned company was only founded in 1977 as a small butcher’s shop, it has grown to be one of the largest in Spain in less than 50 years.
€35 billion for Russia THE EU has paid Russia €35 billion for gas and oil since the start of the inva‐ sion of Ukraine admitted Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, in an inter‐ view with PBS America on Thursday April 7 which compares with €1.2 billion given to Ukraine in emer‐ gency aid. In fairness, much of the payment to Russia has been frozen by banks in the EU and G7, but at some stage the money in hard currency will end up in Russia once some form of peace settlement is reached. In the meantime, the EU is banning the impor‐ tation of Russian coal, but the value of this is negligible when com‐ pared to oil and gas which is still needed by European nations.
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COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.362,50 1.383,50 Abrdn 207,10 208,50 Admiral Group 2.573,0 2.581,0 Anglo American 4.099,0 4.149,0 Antofagasta 1.708,00 1.712,00 Ashtead Group 4.626,2 4.710,0 Associated British Foods 1.652,2 1.684,5 AstraZeneca 10.783,8 10.950,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 634,40 642,00 Avast 557,00 565,40 Aveva 2.414,0 2.441,0 Aviva 429,05 430,30 B&M European Value Retail SA540,20 542,60 BAE Systems 751,98 752,58 Bank VTB DRC 0,010 0,010 Barclays 146,10 147,27 Barratt Developments 517,00 524,20 Berkeley 3.940,0 3.996,0 BHP Billiton Ltd 2.959,00 2.976,00 BP 390,55 391,90 British American Tobacco 3.269,2 3.302,5 British Land Company 532,84 535,00 BT Group 191,65 192,15 Bunzl 3.092,0 3.106,0 Burberry Group 1.580,0 1.598,5 Carnival 1.271,5 1.289,0 Centrica 81,14 81,74 Coca Cola HBC AG 1.587,6 1.619,5 Compass 1.628,00 1.645,00 CRH 3.030,0 3.049,0 Croda Intl 7.800,7 7.890,0 DCC 5.786,0 5.786,0 Diageo 4.007,5 4.023,5 DS Smith 308,44 309,99 EasyJet 526,44 530,40 Experian 2.853,9 2.897,0 Ferguson 9.830,0 9.903,7 Flutter Entertainment 8.500,0 8.586,0 Fresnillo 776,80 780,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.773,57 1.786,80 Glencore 532,80 534,10 Halma 2.472,6 2.519,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.005,50 1.026,50 Hikma Pharma 2.081,00 2.092,00 HSBC 530,50 532,20 IAG 133,58 135,02 Imperial Brands 1.675,43 1.677,50 Informa 614,00 619,00 InterContinental 4.866,0 4.927,0
% CHG. 1.361,50 205,90 2.551,0 4.044,0 1.670,50 4.611,0 1.648,0 10.782,0 630,40 555,00 2.400,0 424,40 538,60 739,71 0,010 145,09 514,40 3.923,0 2.939,00 387,60 3.262,0 528,80 190,70 3.077,0 1.567,8 1.251,0 80,44 1.581,5 1.625,50 2.987,5 7.724,0 5.736,0 3.991,5 304,98 514,00 2.854,0 9.838,0 8.332,0 773,00 1.770,80 520,40 2.469,0 1.001,50 2.061,00 528,50 130,60 1.660,00 608,80 4.846,0
NET VOL 95,97K 444,18K 36,04K 478,01K 115,90K 97,22K 204,21K 27,50K 243,56K 157,68K 69,28K 1,45M 173,72K 211,79K 0 2,38M 407,22K 15,29K 388,29K 5,40M 477,09K 108,80K 1,92M 89,04K 41,42K 120,40K 1,18M 121,59K 164,87K 201,47K 19,13K 7,78K 385,21K 124,45K 569,06K 210,59K 0,67K 74,80K 105,21K 1,10M 8,73M 38,39K 84,89K 50,02K 5,73M 4,23M 372,67K 281,82K 53,30K
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1.664,50 5.144,0 79,08 249,15 1.943,0 781,76 270,10 45,20 8.484,0 766,23 118,30 1.427,00 1.223,00 218,00 6.006,0 1,89 1.210,00 2.179,9 629,60 1.078,51 5.887,6 2.442,45 524,20 637,80 6.138,0 93,96 0,60 716,20 1.366,00 0,5000 3.200,0 948,55 1.362,00 3.078,0 2.162,7 1.225,00 1.424,50 12.509,5 1.788,00 1.419,50 510,60 132,04 271,30 236,08 3.508,7 1.149,00 131,14 2.811,0 973,60
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
1.694,50 5.188,0 79,52 253,40 1.962,5 788,20 273,00 45,49 8.546,0 770,60 120,05 1.431,50 1.232,50 219,80 6.068,0 1,89 1.246,00 2.202,0 632,18 1.099,00 6.010,0 2.454,00 528,40 647,60 6.156,0 94,62 0,60 723,20 1.374,00 0,5000 3.230,0 963,60 1.374,50 3.121,0 2.176,5 1.236,50 1.427,50 12.620,2 1.788,00 1.433,50 512,80 133,72 274,10 241,30 3.519,5 1.166,00 131,16 2.830,0 982,60
1.650,00 5.128,0 78,34 249,10 1.937,5 778,60 268,80 44,69 8.464,0 766,00 117,05 1.401,50 1.217,50 216,90 5.966,0 1,89 1.209,50 2.166,0 627,80 1.071,00 5.880,0 2.435,00 519,40 633,00 6.021,0 92,16 0,60 714,60 1.363,50 0,5000 3.202,0 939,80 1.355,00 3.078,0 2.145,5 1.219,50 1.406,50 12.455,0 1.739,27 1.407,50 507,00 131,22 271,30 232,00 3.479,0 1.147,50 129,14 2.784,0 968,40
44,89K 16,75K 1,83M 657,81K 114,22K 109,74K 1,85M 7,64M 69,82K 37,71K 1,29M 122,74K 550,09K 1,76M 52,41K 0 570,25K 163,82K 102,42K 912,90K 190,00K 25,71K 399,62K 178,47K 473,26K 8,46M 0 98,63K 3,63K 0 2,14K 1,06M 270,63K 69,47K 1,73M 300,34K 97,96K 1,46K 141,02K 109,57K 884,49K 640,80K 2,49M 339,58K 70,96K 171,13K 10,17M 32,75K 594,68K
1.19375
0.83723
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ........................................1.0904 Japan yen (JPY)......................................136.662 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0194 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4378 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................9.5405
currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 11
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 149,81 183,70 252,02 170,09 175,20 217,03 169,93 54,28 63,83 61,68 321,39 311,11 190,16 127,73 47,02 182,12 133,49 251,46 87,68 296,97 128,15 160,10 197,17 184,86 545,96 53,53 216,98 45,42 157,41 131,87
CHANGE 151,65 186,72 253,88 171,78 178,13 217,88 171,10 54,91 64,04 62,28 323,68 312,29 193,39 128,78 47,58 183,19 133,90 255,07 87,83 301,12 129,93 160,53 200,14 185,22 548,97 53,68 219,40 45,79 158,41 133,12
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 149,38 2,78M 181,93 3,07M 250,54 2,73M 169,20 75,61M 174,24 6,50M 214,03 2,41M 167,02 10,74M 54,01 17,85M 63,16 12,46M 61,32 3,91M 313,00 3,17M 301,28 5,63M 189,81 2,87M 127,27 3,11M 46,85 21,58M 180,43 6,94M 131,49 12,96M 250,92 2,53M 86,26 11,06M 296,28 23,70M 127,88 4,71M 158,92 5,93M 196,62 3,69M 182,16 1,12M 538,10 3,91M 52,50 24,75M 213,08 5,39M 44,75 6,14M 156,21 7,75M 130,63 6,42M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 11
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+159.18% +39.01% +24.54% +22.22% +21.30% +20.54% +19.79% +18.99% +18.52% +18.06% +17.98%
120.98M 194.34M 3.63M 5.23M 86.26M 1.26M 231.28K 334.19K 17.61K 831.79K 186.19K
-81.76% -69.23% -50.57% -45.56% -37.91% -37.81% -37.60% -37.51% -36.05% -30.02% -27.39%
18.46M 11.19M 10.89M 8.38M 452.77K 37.07M 2.17M 91.06M 2.35M 3.79M 75.39M
Most Advanced Phio Pharma Medavail Holdings Bicycle Therapeutics Lyra Aterian Eastside Distilling 9F Paysafe Zanite Acquisition TSR Pershing Square Tontine Holdings
Most Declined Kaleido Biosciences Genocea Bio C4 Rubius Therapeutics Axcella Health BioCryst Integrated Media Tech Sunshine Biopharma Singularity Future Tech Zentalis Pharma ENDRA Life Sciences
www.euroweeklynews.com
14 - 20 April 2022
Recovery funds SPANISH Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, confirmed on Wednesday April 6 that €9 billion of European funds to finance the Re‐ covery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) have already been dis‐ tributed (or will be shortly after being approved) to autonomous communi‐ ties and councils.
P&O Ferries THE fact that P&O Ferries suspended all of its Dover to Calais sailings after sacking all of its marine staff has added to the problems of import and export of goods, but sub‐ ject to inspection by the Maritime Coastguard Agency it hopes to have two vessels back in service shortly.
Saudi visit DURING an official visit to Spain, the Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning, met his Spanish counter‐ part Nadia Calviño on April 5 to discuss matters of common interest and ways to enhance econom‐ ic and trade relations be‐ tween the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Spain.
Recovering gold AFTER Gordon Brown when Chancellor made the colossal mistake of selling off much of the UK’s gold reserves at low prices, the Royal Mint has now announced that it plans to recover gold from the circuit boards of elec‐ tronic waste to use in making sovereigns.
Restaurant prices rise A PIZZA costs 10 per cent more to eat in a Spanish restaurant than in 2020 ac‐ cording to a report compiled by Barcelona based Artificial Intelligence company Delec‐ tatech. The CEO of the company Xavier Mallol suggests that the increase in raw materials has caused restaurant menu prices to increase, so, using the example of the pizza this has been borne out by the jump in price of dairy, flour and toppings. Setting aside running costs such as rent and utility bills, taxes and staff costs, the in‐ gredients for the average piz‐ za cost no more than €2 so the margin of profit is signifi‐ cant and the extra costs are certainly being passed on to the consumer. With inflation shooting up, particularly thanks to the cost of fuel and energy, the aver‐ age price increase in restau‐ rants is considered overall to be around 8.5 per cent, but
Credit: Delectatech Twitter
BUSINESS EXTRA
COMPANY CEO: Xavier Mallol with microphone at a recent industry fair in Madrid.
this doesn’t yet take the Ukraine effect into account. Consumers currently have less money to spend due to the same inflationary pres‐ sures affecting restaurants but because they were held back from eating out for so long due to the pandemic, there is still an urge to visit
restaurants more regularly. Add to this, the fact that due to the lockdown, more people started to order food for delivery and it can be seen that the hospitality industry can expect a reasonable year ahead, especially with the ex‐ pected surge in tourism in the Costas.
This is of course a double‐ edged sword as more staff will be taken on and leave the ranks of the unemployed, but due to new labour laws it will cost employers more to re‐ cruit kitchen and front of house staff, which in turn is likely to increase costs as well.
Morrisons to raise funds AMERICAN owners of Morrisons plan to sell property worth £500 million just months after the takeover. One of the undertakings that Clayton Dubilier and Rice (CD&R) gave in order to gain approval of its £7 billion takeover was that it wouldn’t sell off and then leaseback its valuable store portfolio at least in the early part of its ownership. The bid document said: “Bidco [the company formed by the firm to imple‐ ment the deal] recognises that the high proportion of freehold ownership of the Morrisons store estate is a particu‐ lar strength of the business which has been carefully preserved over many years and will continue to be a corner‐ stone of Morrisons. “Bidco does not intend to engage in any material store sale and leaseback
OFTEN seen as being on op‐ posite sides of the economic and political spectrum, Spain and the Netherlands present‐ ed a joint document to pro‐ mote the reform of European fiscal rules on April 4. Appearing with the Dutch Finance Minister, Sidrid
Morrisons profits take a dip.
transactions.” According to the British press, whilst bearing this in mind, CD&R are looking to appoint advisers to arrange the sale of many of its manufacturing and distri‐ bution facilities across the UK in a bid to recover some of its investment. In the meantime, a spokesperson for
Morrisons indicated that it experienced a fall in earnings in the three‐month pe‐ riod ending on January 30, with under‐ lying quarterly profits falling almost 10 per cent to £316 million due to infla‐ tionary pressures and this could be made worse by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Promoting fiscal reform Kaag, in Luxembourg, Fi‐ nance Minister Nadia Calviño agreed that it was important to the integration of finan‐ cial markets, by adapting the Stability and Growth Pact to
current challenges, the cul‐ mination of the Banking Union and the Union of Capi‐ tal Markets. “We must leave behind the divisive debates and build on
NEWS
Primark online PRIMARK shoppers can now check out available stock online in the UK as the company unveiled its new website on April 7. The new website comes with a traffic light system to help shoppers know when and where stock is available. The website also comes complete with improved photos and allows shop‐ pers to look for items by colour, size and style. Paul Marchant, Pri‐ mark’s chief executive ex‐ plained: “We know our customers love the expe‐ rience of shopping with Primark and the surprises they pick up when they come into our stores ‐ it’s what makes Primark spe‐ cial.” It is expected that the new website will soon be extended to its business‐ es in 13 other countries by September.
Bank of Spain Credit: Morrisons Press Centre
18 EWN
the basis of the strong exist‐ ing consensus on actions with priorities to strengthen the European economy and face the challenges of the present and future,” she said.
THE latest supervisory report from the Bank of Spain published on April 7 covers the situ‐ ation with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the direct exposure of Spanish banks to possi‐ ble default from Rus‐ sian borrowers. Ev e n t h o u g h t h e amount involved is considerably less than €1 billion, the Gover‐ nor Pablo Hernandez de Cos warned the commercial banks to keep a close eye on customers who did trade with Russia as their situation could become difficult. In addition, in order to cope with possible hardship caused by spi‐ ralling energy costs ex‐ perienced by industry and consumers in Spain, banks were ad‐ vised not to write down existing provi‐ sions at this time.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT WITH the British media’s almost fanatical fixation on interviewing minorities for their opinions on almost every subject under the sun, would it be too much to ask that, among all the disquiet and griping, they could select at least one or two that are happy with their lot and satisfied with their often adopted country of residence? Not much chance of that of course. The BBC in particular is hell bent on disproportionately promoting and inciting discontented minorities, purely because they are fully aware that by encouraging their dissatisfaction of the present government they may just garner enough votes to scrape a favourable left wing victory in the next election. It’s for the same reason they pander to the youngsters by giving maximum publicity to their antigovernment demonstrations and environmental protests. This left wing, woke infested bunch, actually set out on the campaign trail within months of Corbyn’s Marxist marauders rout in the last election. They were fully aware that the more mature and experienced indigenous population was never going to vote in a
14 - 20 April 2022
BBC HELL BENT party whose tenures ALWAYS ended in utter failure. The only reason Tony Blair was a brief success was because he was more right wing than many of the opposition, and even that term culminated with Brown selling off over 50 per cent of the UK’s gold reserves and hijacking the people’s pension fund! They know they need to court the youngsters and ethnic population who have never experienced the incompetence and failures of the left. They have blatantly honed in on the naïve innocents, those who have never seen the hypocritical bully boys of the unions smirking on the steps of Downing Street, or paralysing the country with their strikes and walkouts before returning to their multi‐million dollar villas on the Costas. Rest assured the economic policies and subsequent empty coffers of a left wing government would never have managed to provide the assistance and financial aid to companies and the public to get the country through the recent Covid pandemic. Margaret Thatcher was absolutely correct when she observed that the problem with socialists was that they always ultimately ‘ran out of other
people’s money’. And while we’re on the subject of filthy lucre, irrespective of the so‐called moral implications this latest furor over the wealth Rishi Sunak’s wife has created, it does bring to mind the old adage of stones and glass houses. While Kier Starmer is gleefully spouting off about the ‘arrogant hypocrisy’ of the Chancellor and his wife, perhaps he would also like to tell us all how he truly understands and feels the ‘pain’ of the ordinary man in the street as he appraises the £8 million fortune he has in the bank or relaxes in the £2 million luxury home he is driven home to every night! I’ve prattled on so much this week that I have no space to relate the ‘revenge’ of our much maligned ‘plastered’ bridegroom. Just have to linger another seven I’m afraid. Ah well, worth the wait I can assure you. Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland Mon. Fri. 1pm till 4pm. 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.
EWN 19
TV & Film Review by Laura Kemp
Now Streaming - Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story ONCE one of the UK’s most beloved television personali‐ ties, this Netflix true‐crime mini‐series delves into the bizarre and horrifying life of Jimmy Savile and how he in‐ filtrated the hearts of the public as well as politics and the royal family. This two‐part documen‐ tary exposes the frightening reality of how one of the UK’s most famous and well‐ loved TV personalities hid in plain sight and how show‐ business and the political es‐ tablishment allowed him to abuse hundreds of people over decades. This docu‐ mentary has an 86 per cent critic rating and a 54 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and, at times, can be triggering for some. The first part of the docu‐ mentary explores how Savile won over both the public and the ruling classes, ap‐ pearing on the BBC regularly, raising millions for charity, spending time with politi‐ cians such as Margaret
Thatcher and even giving ad‐ vice to the royal family. The second part of this mi‐ ni‐series explores how Savile used his charity work to prey on the most vulnerable peo‐ ple in society. Volunteering at hospitals and raising mon‐ ey for children gave him ac‐ cess to abuse these people behind closed doors, hiding behind his facade of blonde hair, shell suits and cigars. His victims were terrified to expose Savile, one of the most famous men in Britain who appeared on Top of the Pops regularly and made children’s dreams come true in Jim’ll Fix It. Throughout his career, Savile even hinted at his true self on camera and in public, but the huge red flags were ignored. This mini‐series is worth a watch for true crime lovers and those interested in delv‐ ing deeper into this disturb‐ ing tragedy, with some infor‐ mation released that has not been previously shared with the public.
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FEATURE
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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
LIKE an essential riposte to the contin‐ uing waves of appalling global events, crime novels have seen a sales boom since lockdown, a trend unforeseen even by hard‐bitten crime fiction de‐ tectives. Understandably anxious about volatility in the real world, read‐ ers now seek reassurance in stories where baddies get their just deserts. Crime writer David Baldacci said readers turned to his novels to see the good guys win. “When times are stress‐ ful and it looks like the bad is winning out over the good, along comes the genre of crime novels to put the bal‐ ance back in life. People inherently don’t like folks who do bad to get away with it. In real life they do all the time, because of a variety of factors. But in novels, evil’s punished, and the good guys mostly win, after solving the puz‐ zle.” People face many challenges in life and crime fiction lets readers forget
14 - 20 April 2022
EWN 21
The comfort of crime: Crime fiction sales boom is no mystery
LATEST NOVEL: Death in Windermere investigating a chilling cold case.
about their own struggles. They like a ‘formula’. There’s a death. A detective investigates. The perpetrator is un‐ masked in a plot involving cunning clues, red herrings and final justice. No mystery at all! In Death in Windermere, the latest in my own psychological crime thriller se‐ ries featuring investigative journalist Al‐ ice Myers, DI Barbara Forster is investi‐ gating a chilling cold case, but what at first seems an isolated child’s death soon becomes a conspiracy of secrets and lies. Within days, three young women are found dead in suspicious circumstances leaving behind suicide notes. But it is only when Barbara and Alice begin working together that the truth starts to emerge. And it is Alice who puts her life at risk going undercover in her search for the truth and justice for the victims confronting, amongst oth‐ ers, a famous TV soap opera star ‐ with harrowing consequences.
Murder and mystery, drugs and sex, secrecy and sensationalism, all unfold‐ ing against a background of small‐town ambitions and big‐time egos in a fraught tale of wrecked lives, family tragedy and moral consequences as the gradually building nightmare gathers steam, keeping you guessing right up to the explosive double twist climax. Nora Johnson’s other psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retri‐ bution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Cleram‐ bault Code’ (www.nora‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity. 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.
22 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
14 - 20 April 2022
FEATURE
IT’S A CRYING SHAME
DAVID WORBOYS IN the last few weeks, we have seen and heard countless heartbreaking situations in Ukraine. Innocent men, women and chil‐ dren weeping as they describe their or‐ deals, often in English. I have noticed that frequently they describe harrowing experi‐ ences with resignation, and occasionally even with a smile, while we TV viewers may be in tears at their plight. These are very brave and resolute people. There are also currently millions of peo‐ ple with serious financial problems caused by general inflation and increased fuel costs. The situation of many of them is tru‐ ly tear‐jerking. They have to choose be‐ tween eating and heating, there are no hol‐ idays or treats for the children and they face a complete change in lifestyle. Then there are Covid and climate change. In all parts of the world, we see truly tragic scenes of suffering and loss, depriva‐ tion and destruction. When interviewed on television, the victims often express their grief naturally by weeping. As they are of‐ ten too distressed to relate fluently their ordeals, is this not an invasion of privacy? Should they not be given the chance to communicate with dignity?
Both the causes and manner of crying are many and varied.
Seventy years ago, when there were two sexes, crying was associated with women and grief, rather than emotional joy or frus‐ tration. Except in the case of bereavement, separation or other tragedy, a man crying looked slightly unnatural and men were not expected to cry in public. Television was in its infancy. A friend in Germany said: “Englishmen meet for a pint; German women meet for a
coffee and Americans meet for a cry.” And, indeed, Americans do seem more prone to tears in public than most. And not just tears caused by a tragedy or a desperate situation. The tears may start flowing when they recall how proud they are to be American, when they look at an American flag or when their children achieve something to make them proud. If the thing a person can
feel most proud of is the accident of his na‐ tionality, does this suggest a life of success? But it’s not only Americans. Many of us will recall the spectacle of Roger Federer sobbing during the court interview when Rafael Nadal beat him in the final of the Australian Open of 2009. Since the advent of television, we regularly see intervie‐ wees, including sportsmen, crying with emotion of one sort or another. Crying may be of the ‘smoke gets in your eyes’ variety. Or there could be sniffling, weeping, sobbing, howling with anguish or roaring with rage. It is widely believed that ‘it’s better to let the grief flow than to hold it in’. But when interviewers probe with tactless questions and comments about a deeply tragic situa‐ tion, inducing their subject to break down in front of the cameras, this seems to me an unnecessary intrusion. They should in‐ terview with tact and, as far as possible, at the right time.
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.
CLAIRE GORDON FINDING BALANCE IN AN UNEVEN WORLD THERE is a famous saying by Holocaust survivor Martin Niemoller about apathy in the face of per‐ secution that unfortu‐ nately seems to be more
Coming for you relevant than ever cur‐ rently. “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out ‐ be‐ cause I was not a social‐ ist. Then they came for
the trade unionists, and I did not speak out ‐ be‐ cause I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out ‐ because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me ‐ and there was no one left to speak for me.” While he cut a contro‐ versial figure, these words cannot be denied. If people allow groups to be oppressed and say nothing, they are com‐ plicit in the maltreat‐ ment because they have not stood up for them. Then when the oppres‐ sors turn against them, there will be no one left to help protect them, and the oppressors WILL turn. People do not seem to realise that there are very few peo‐ ple that right‐wing fanat‐
ics actually accept, therefore there are many characteristics that will be suppressed under their tyranny. This week, the UK gov‐ ernment has been flip‐ flopping over a ban re‐ garding conversion therapy, a barbaric prac‐ tice that tries to ‘cure’ people under the LGBTQ+ umbrella of their sexuality or gender expression. At first, they assured that a ban would cover everyone, then changed their minds to exclude Trans people from the ruling. This decision comes amid a flurry of anti‐ Trans sentiment in the news and on social me‐ dia, which is not at all a coincidence. Due to pressure from LGBTQ+ groups, parliament has
now said they will look into a full ban once more. This is how people should stand up for each other when things such as this happen. For les‐ bian, gay and bisexual people to stand aside while Trans people are attacked is wrong, espe‐ cially as Trans people have done so much to advance the rights of LGB people in the past. It should be for selfless reasons that we stand up for each other, but even if that does not stir peo‐ ple to action, the thought that you’ll be next should. As activist Charlie Craggs has high‐ lighted, we are seeing the effects of people standing by while Trans people are persecuted in the high courts, the me‐ dia and the streets in
Hungary. With no one defending Trans people, their right‐wing govern‐ ment has moved on to attacking LGB people’s rights, banning same‐sex adoption and imple‐ menting a section 28 style law that prohibits the ‘promotion’ (men‐ tion) of homosexuality. If more resistance had been given in the first in‐ stance, it may not have gotten to this point. While my discussion this week is about LGBTQ+ rights, the senti‐ ment should not be held into that sphere alone. The more separation and discord oppressors can sow, the more they know people don’t have each other’s backs, then the more they will take away from us all. Before you know it, you’ll be losing too. 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.
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.
INCREASE AT THE PUMP From our Facebook
PETROL PRICES: There seems to be confusion and it isn’t what the government intended.
FILLED up with petrol today in Torrevieja. Guess what, the price per litre has been increased by the 5c per litre reduction in the last week. So all we are getting is the 15 per cent vat reduction. Is that legal? It certainly isn’t what the government intended. Tony
MESSAGE TO SOLDIERS Soldiers, tell your mothers of the truth in the Ukraine Tell them what you saw, the destruction and the pain
Tell them how a mother and her unborn baby died When the hospital was bombed and the world in sorrow cried How mothers and their children fled their land in fear Their homes no longer standing, losing all that they held dear Tell about the theatre that protected many more Until an air strike killed them as they sheltered on the floor Think of what you’re doing before you end up killing more There must be something you can do to end this dreadful war ©Tricia Gabbitas 2022
MASK OR NO MASK? A LOT of people were very excited about the fact that the wearing of masks indoors (except for public transport, medical centres and residential homes) was to be removed on April 19 in Spain. There is a slightly uncomfortable feel however that the government wanted to delay the implementation until after the Easter celebrations which suggests that it feared that there would be a sharp increase of infections if people were ‘unmuzzled’ at one of the busiest times of the year. There seems to be a real difference of opinion not just from the public at large, but from ‘experts’ about the effectiveness of masks in the first place as some believe they are the cause of different chest infections for those wearing them for a full shift. On the other hand, many believe that they do cut down the spread of Covid-19 infection and the
CORRECTIONS
Post Brexit My wife and I have lived in Spain for 15 years . We tried to get residencia but we don’t qualify as we are living on my state UK pension and don’t have enough money going into our bank account every month. Does anyone know what would happen at the airport if we tried to go back to England? Would we be detained at passport control for not having a TIE card? I would welcome any information. Many thanks, Peter
OUR VIEW
Junta de Andalucia wants to persuade the national government to allow employers to make the wearing of masks compulsory for staff if they want to. The reality is that whilst people have in the past been fairly scrupulous in wearing masks, the last month or so appears to have seen many become less rigorous, especially in small establishments. There are plenty of customers walking in and out of bars and restaurants who are not wearing masks and fewer people are wearing them when walking on busy streets. Certainly, for those who want to continue to wear masks, there is nothing to stop them and for those (possibly the majority) who don’t, they will be free to leave them off. Time will tell if there is a sudden spike, but we can only hope there isn’t.
COVID-19: Are you going to keep wearing your mask?
Jenny Church Can’t wait to go to Mercadona after masks are not needed. Mercadona customers seem to be most brainwashed, cleaning trolleys, hands, then plastic gloves etc. Even seen two people spraying everything in the trolley before putting it in their boot. I shall enter the shop smiling at last, mask free...
David Wardell I think it’s up to every individual as to whether they continue wearing masks. I would still wear mine in certain circumstances, better to be safe than sorry.
Sandra Russell Of course we were fed up wearing masks right from the start. But it made sense so we did it. The UK and Ireland incidents rose enormously when they stopped wearing masks, but I don’t know if the death rate did. I will stop gladly, but with reservations.
Dawn Veitch It’s personal choice. We still wear ours on the bus, taxi and supermarket. Being a bit lax last week in Weymouth resulted in both of us just getting over Covid. Both have had three jabs. Both will be more careful and keep our masks.
Helen Clark I will decide when and where to wear a mask, especially during flu months. For the last two years I haven’t had a winter flu.
Gill Reynolds Still wear one in shops and markets etc, but not in our local bars xxx
At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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Leave your pets with trusted pet-sitters IT’S been rather quiet for us for a year or so, but many people are beginning to make plans again for travel. Are you? If you are planning a trip later this year register now to f i n d p e t ‐ s i t t e r s . Ev e n i f i t ’ s just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young and senior pets in particular ben‐ efit from staying in their own home, so they can follow their routines undisturbed. Let us help. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sit‐ ters, whether your trips are already in the diary or a firm idea. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philoso‐ phy is that we are all in this together.
These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐ count (£89 per year) to en‐ sure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for next year’s holiday Covid permit‐ ting 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 annu‐ al fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sit‐
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Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either a house-sitter or homeowner with a 50 per cent discount using coupon code SUPER50 – an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HouseSitMatch.com. A NEW study at a Japanese university is once again backing up the age‐old cat lovers’ theory that felines are just as clever as dogs. Forty‐nine domestic cats were used for the study at Kyoto Universi‐ ty, which tested
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SMART CATS: May be just as clever as dogs.
cats, reported psycholo‐ gist Saho Takagi, ap‐ peared to remember exactly which bowls should still contain
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ROAD TEST by Mark Slack I T was one of the most eagerly anticipated launches in recent years, it follows on from a truly iconic predecessor that had a worldwide follow‐ ing and its history back in the immediate post war years. The new Defender had a lot to live up to, and there can be few who envied their task, when it was launched last year. It’s worth saying that this new Defender is nothing like its predeces‐ sor, it’s a whole world apart and better de‐ scribed as a modern in‐ terpretation of the iconic original. Since the new Defender launched it has met with almost universal praise and a short spell behind the wheel provides the explanation. Immediately visible in the new Defender are the heritage cues from the previous model. With short and long wheelbase models, known as 90 and
EWN 31
Land Rover Defender - object lesson in how to produce a car for all seasons Facts at a Glance Model: Land Rover Defender 110 D250 SE Engine: 3.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel with mild hybrid assistance Gears: 8-speed automatic with all-wheeldrive Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 8.3 secs Maximum Speed Petrol 188 kph (117 mph) Economy: Petrol 8.6 l/100km (32.8 mpg) WLTP Emissions: 230 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets. NEW DEFENDER: A car for all seasons and all occasions.
110 respectively, diesel and petrol engines with all bar one having mild hy‐ brid assistance, a 5.0‐litre V8 petrol and a plug‐in hybrid power unit, there is plenty of choice. Prices start from €54,667/£45,690 for the commercial Defender 90 Hard Top. The first thing you no‐
Fuel prices highest THE discount of 20 cents per litre came into force in Spain on April 1 for all con‐ sumers. Fuel prices have dropped on average by around 11.27 per cent this week as a result, but, it will still be the most expensive Easter on record for drivers. According to data from the European Union Oil Bul‐ letin, the average price of a litre of petrol has dropped to €1.613, its lowest level since the end of February. Diesel has fallen by 10.34 per cent compared to seven days ago, going back to €1.647 per litre, similar to the price at the start of March. Be‐ tween April 8 and 18, ac‐ cording to data from the General Directorate of Traf‐ fic (DGT), an estimated 14.6 million long‐distance jour‐ neys are expected in the country, 2.10 per cent less than in Easter week of 2019. For these dates, the aver‐ age price of petrol and diesel will be 22.2 per cent, and
14 - 20 April 2022
38.4 per cent respectively, more expensive than Easter 2021. Thus, filling a 55‐litre tank with petrol now costs around €88.71, which is €16.11 more than during Easter last year. In the case of refuelling with diesel, the filling of a 55‐litre tank amounts to about €90.58, about €25.13 more than last year. The price of unleaded ‘95 petrol in Spain is below the average of the European Union, standing at €1.855/ litre. In the eurozone, petrol is an average price of €1.918/litre. In the case of diesel, the average price in Spain is €1.861, and €1.891 in the eurozone. These lower levels of prices with respect to sur‐ rounding countries in the EU are due to the fact Spain, de‐ spite VAT, higher taxes, and levies on biodiesel, continues to have lower fiscal pressure, in general, than the commu‐ nity average.
tice climbing into any new Defender ‐ and you do climb in ‐ is visibility. It’s excellent! Looking for‐ ward you can see the front corners and it essen‐ tially ends at the back window. To help matters you have a 3D surround camera and 360‐degree parking aid. Moving to the standard EA S T E R is almost upon us, and many drivers are probably already planning their trips. The General Di‐ rectorate of Traffic (DGT) has announced its special operation to monitor the roads of Spain during this holiday period. An estimated 14.5 mil‐ lion journeys will be made throughout the national territory between April 8 and 18. This is only 2.1 per cent less than in 2019. The DGT will begin its Easter holidays monitoring operation at 3pm on Fri‐ day, April 8. It will end on Monday 18, at 11.59pm. This deployment will in‐ clude helicopters, drones, seat‐belt control cameras, and radars, among others.
EASTER HOLIDAY: A special operation will be undertaken to monitor the roads.
range prices start at €69,029/£57,695 for the 90 models and €70,234/£58,700 for the 110, with a plethora of optional extras. The stan‐ dard specification across the range is good and the interior looks and feels special. There’s lots of space, an open dash in‐ corporating a central
touchscreen and storage, and also buttons. Hallelu‐ jah! The touchscreen pro‐ vides near perfect clarity and is intuitive in its oper‐ ation, not something one can say about many such systems fitted in cars. The Defender is big! However its large size, es‐ pecially in 110 form as
tested, means it’s a sur‐ prise to find out just how easy it is to pilot it through any situation whether on or off‐road. Part of that ease is un‐ doubtedly the excellent visibility and on‐board as‐ sistance tech, however it’s also down to the steering and confidence inspiring ride. My 110 SE test model at €67,428/£56,355, and its 3.0‐litre diesel engine and smooth changing eight‐ speed automatic trans‐ mission proved immense‐ ly capable. Point the Defender in any direction, quite literally as roads not necessarily required, and it’s an impressive and comfortable cruiser, off‐ roader and load carrier. It should be, given the pricing, but the Defender is an object lesson in how to produce a car for all seasons and all occasions.
DGT Easter operation Top of the list for Guardia Civil traffic cops will inevitably be watching for speeding drivers. To as‐ sist with this, the DGT will have around 3,000 radars located on the roads around the country. Of this total, 1,887 are fixed, 545 mobile, 92 section, and the new velolaser, also known as invisible radars. Fines for speeding this Easter could be as much as €600. A map showing the ex‐ act location of its fixed radar devices on the road systems of Spain is made public to drivers, and is displayed on the DGT web‐ site. Drivers using applica‐
tions to check traffic are not committing any illegal‐ ity either, but, be aware that holding the mobile device in your hand can now incur a fine. However, what is not le‐ gal is to have radar detec‐ tors installed in the car.
Even more illegal are signal inhibitors that have the ability to cancel the speedometer, so that a radar does not register the vehicle’s speed. This in‐ fraction is very serious and carries fines of up to €6,000.
SPORT THE Euro Weekly News in conjunction with walking footy.com and the Hidro‐ master leagues, are offer‐ ing a free taster session at a walking football club of your choice! Simply cut out and present the voucher at the session at the club chosen! After successful recruit‐ ment drives by the Walking Dead, Benahavis WFC and Malaga WFC, the clubs in Axarquia are pushing for‐ ward with theirs. Lakeside club and current League champions Aston Viñuela are seeking players in both over 50 and over 60 cate‐ gories. Manager Julian Charter said “we welcome players of all ages to our club, our training nights are 8‐10pm on Thursday nights.” Torrox Tornadoes have gone from a standing start but are building their club in an impressive fash‐ ion, and are still recruiting. Manager Steve Lynton is keen to field two teams next year in the leagues. The other new team in Axarquia is Boca seniors
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to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com
TRY A FREE FIRST SESSION
TRAINING SESSION: The women of Competa.
based up the mountain of Competa, again recruit‐ ment has been excellent but continues. Lesh Brzuzy of Calahonda WFC is also seeking players to add to
his squad who have defied many pundits with their re‐ sults so far this season. There is also a club in Be‐ nalmadena and Nerja. WFS Benalmadena and Nerja Utd, who currently don’t compete in the league, but can be found on Facebook. If you would like to try walking football for free. See walkingfooty.com pinned post for details. On Saturday April 16, double
league leaders the Walking Dead take on Aston Viñuela in a double header at Finca Naundrup Calahonda, and on Tuesday 19 Malaga WFC take two sides to Benahavis to play their rejuvenated team in the scenic village, again in a double header in the Hidromaster leagues. The women are also pushing forward with their recruitment, they have ses‐ sions on Wednesday late afternoons between 4.30 and 6pm in Competa. There is no age require‐ ment for the women’s game all are welcome to train, and better still their training sessions are cur‐ rently free! Sheila Bell Clif‐ ford said “we are doing re‐ ally well and should be playing friendlies soon.” Benalmadena also has a ladies team. For all walking football news go to walkingfooty.com on Face‐ book.
Shock at Grand National SAM WALEY-COHEN rode Noble Yeats, a 50/1 outsider to vic‐ tory in the Randox Grand National at Aintree racecourse on Saturday, April 9. This was the jockey’s final race, and what a fairytale way to go out. In a thrilling climax, the seven‐year‐old Emmet Mullins‐ trained horse managed to fight off the challenge from Any Sec‐ ond Now, the 15/2 favourite. Delta Work finished third, with Santini filling the fourth position. Gordon Elliott’s Delta Work was pushing the pace but fell short when it mattered. This left Noble Yeats with a one‐on‐ one with Any Second Now. Early casualties included Rachael Blackmore, the defending champion, riding Minella Times. Snow Leopardess was anoth‐ er fancied runner that left the race in the early stages. “He ran for me! He couldn’t go the early pace and I just found a pocket to give him a bit of space to run into. As soon as I asked him, he went,” said an elated Waley‐Cohen after the race.
OUTSIDE WINNER: The jockey’s final race.