Costa Blanca North 10 - 16 November 2022 Issue 1949

€250,000 TO DATE

ON Saturday November 5,

Giving4Giving donated €1,000 to the AACC can cer charity which was ac cepted by Pamela Daw son Tasker.

This brought their do nations to local charities to €250,000.

Pamela received the very first donation of €500, eight years ago and it was only fitting to make the donation to this can cer charity when they reached this incredible milestone of €250,000.

Giving4Giving was started by Gary Burr in 2013 after losing many family members and friends to cancer and wanting to find a way to raise much needed funds for cancer charities.

Gary opened the first shop in La Nucia and after a long struggle he teamed up with Linda Yates who helped him make the shop a success and they went on to open the sec ond shop in Altea.

The charity now has shops in La Nucia, Albir, Altea, Villajoyosa and Benidorm and a furniture warehouse in La Nucia and are appreciative of any unwanted items that you no longer require and collection can be ar ranged for larger items or furniture.

If you are having a clear out before Christmas and have any clothing, shoes, handbags, jewellery, books, linen, china, toys,

or electrical items please donate these to one of the Giving4Giving shops.

Gary would like to thank the customers, the people who donate and a massive thank you to the fantastic team of volun teers, as without them it would not be possible.

Giving4Giving has no in tention of standing still and will continue to do nate to deserving causes and will make a large do nation at Christmas to

several charities.

Giving4Giving always needs volunteers at all our shops so if you can spare four hours a week, please call Gary on 603 137 697 and help make a difference.

COSTA

GIVING4GIVING: Donation received by AACC Pamela Dawson Tasker.

Image; Giving4Giving

Xmas glitz contest

ALTEA Town Council is en couraging its local business to fill the streets with Christmas glitz this year by organising a festive decoration competi tion with some attractive monetary prizes.

There are two categories, the first for retail stores, and the second for hotels, bars, restaurants and cafés.

There will be three prizes for the winners in each cate gory: a top prize of €500 to

spend in businesses in Altea and two weeks of free radio ads on Radio Altea worth €150, and second and third prizes of €300 and €150 re spectively.

The competition is open to all shops, cafés and restau rants who would like to take part.

To register, call the town hall’s Business Department on 965 841 300 or write to al tea.comercial@cv.gva.es be fore November 25 at 2pm.

The jury will tour the candi dates between December 5 and 7 from 4.30pm to judge the stores and businesses.

Clinton gets moving

Linda Hall CLINTON SUMNER, an ultra‐distance athlete, will raise funds for Denia’s Raquel Paya school with a 96‐hour sports challenge.

The South African sports man, who now lives in El Campello, embarks on his Move your Feet initiative on January 2. He will swim 20 kilometres in open water, complete 1,000 kilometres by bicycle and finish with a 168‐kilometre run, equiva lent to four Iron Man triathlons.

Clinton calculates that the three stages will take him four days to complete, with

THE good news for Benidorm is that tourists are still pouring in.

The hotel employers’ association HOSBEC has confirmed that the end of October brought “good data for the ho tel industry” in the Valencian Commu nity. On the Costa Blanca, there have been 10 points more occupancy in the last fortnight of the month compared to 2019.

periodic breaks of just 20 minutes.

The challenge begins on January 2 with a 20‐kilome tre swim between Alicante City’s El Postiguet beach and El Campello. From there he will set off by bike for Valen cia and Ciudad Real, before returning to El Campello, af

ter which he starts his run, following a mountain route, which will finish in Denia.

“I’ll suffer a lot, but I’m go ing to succeed,” he said on announcing details of the challenge at the Raquel Paya school on November 2.

He intends to raise cash for expensive rehabilitation equipment for pupils who attend the special needs school who have mobility problems.

To learn more about the school or to support Clin ton’s challenge, visit the Raquel Paya parents’ associ ation Facebook page, Ampa Raquel Paya Denia.

Busy in Benidorm

In Benidorm, with the long weekend of November 1, and the half‐term holi days in the United Kingdom, the aver age hotel occupancy has exceeded 78 per cent.

The international market continues

to be the predominant market (55.4 per cent), and this time it is the destina tion with the greatest variety of nation alities, with British tourists accounting for 14.4 per cent, Norwegian tourists 9.6 per cent and Irish 2.2 per cent.

CLINTON SUMNER: Fundraising for Raquel Paya special needs school, Denia.

Photo credit: Clinton Sumner

Travel plans

THE regional government has announced a €316 mil lion investment for Alicante Province. Speaking at the closing session of an Alicante University seminar on Thurs day November 3, Generali tat president Ximo Puig said this would be used to pro mote sustainable transport, including a Denia‐Gandia Tram link, while improving social and territorial cohe sion.

That’s rich

WITH a €3.7 billion fortune, Juan Roig, the Valencia‐born founder and principal share holder in the Mercadona su permarket chain, was named by Forbes as the fourth‐richest person in Spain, one place lower than in 2021.

New face

XIMO SEGARRA, Javea councillor responsible for Fi nance, Contracts, Old Town and New Technology, has now taken on Economic Pro motion after Marta Bañuls handed in her resignation. Segarra would continue working along the same lines already defined by his predecessor, he said, while proposing other ideas of his own.

Wrong way

A 24‐YEAR‐OLD seen driving 29 kilometres in the wrong direction on the AP‐7 be tween Pedreguer and Altea on October 1 was finally traced by Guardia Civil inves tigators to La Nucia on Octo ber 25. He now faces up to two years in prison and could lose his driving licence.

Air rescues

A FIRE CONSORTIUM heli copter was alerted twice within two hours on Octo ber 30, first to Finestrat’s Puig Campana mountain and then to the Cabezon de Oro in Busot. On both occa sions excursionists were in jured in falls while moun tain‐walking and were airlifted to the nearest hos pital for medical attention.

William’s sight saviour

Betty Henderson

A WELL‐TIMED opticians ap pointment saved a Javea resi dent’s eyesight! A committed team of opticians recognised the condition at William Koopman’s appointment in October.

Dutch national, William Koopmans has been living in Javea for the last six years and booked an eye test at Specsavers Ópitcas after noticing worsening sight and frequent headaches.

Dedicated optometrist, Ce cilia Navarro rapidly recog nised the dangerous condi tion, glaucoma, and gave William an urgent referral to Juan Carlos hospital.

Now on treatment, William’s eyesight won’t get any worse and his headaches

Linda Hall

AS usual, the Teulada‐Moraira Fishing Club visited the River Jucar in neigh bouring Valencia for their latest Winter League match.

“We fished Section B3, with air temperatures bare ly reaching 17 degrees at 9am, but eventually rising to 25,” said club secretary Jeff Richards.

have already gone, despite damage already done to his peripheral vision.

Speaking on Tuesday November 1, William ex plained “Although I have a family history of glaucoma, I wasn’t aware of what it could do to your vision and hadn’t thought I could be suf fering from it with so few symptoms.” He is now rais ing awareness to stop any one else suffering sight loss.

William is not alone in not knowing how to spot glauco ma, a recent UK survey found that 48 per cent of people didn’t know what it was.

Opticians recommend check‐ups at least every two years to avoid dangerous, ir reversible conditions like glaucoma.

Blue flags

GANDIA is at the forefront of European coastal policy, as a local representative at tended the International Blue Flag Congress in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Vicent Mascarell delivered a speech to the conference on November 3 on the town’s pioneering beach inclusivity policies.

Mascarell, Gandia’s councillor for Beaches and Tourism, addressed the conference about Gandia’s innovative accessibility ini tiatives. Leading figures in European environmental and tourism industries at tended the conference for talks, workshops and policy updates on the prestigious Blue Flag marker of beach quality.

Gandia was a crucial stakeholder at the confer ence as the proud owner of a Blue Flag since the concept was created, more than 36 years ago.

New green ferry

FERRY firm Baleàrea has ordered a new, improved version of the Eleanor Roosevelt fast ferry to add to its fleet. The new ferry will have more powerful, effi cient, green engines than its predecessor, enabling passengers to travel between the Balearic Islands and the mainland more sustainably.

The contract to build the new vessel has been awarded to Gijón boatbuilder Armon, based on a successful history of collaboration between the com panies. It will combine the most competitive features of the existing ferry with a series of design and engi neering innovations to make the travel experience more comfortable and convenient for passengers.

Like its sibling ship, the new boat will be 123 me tres long, 28 metres wide with space for 1,200 pas sengers and 400 vehicles, however, it will have an ex tra lounge in the prow and an outdoor bar on the poop deck. The Margarita Salas will be 10 per cent more powerful than its sister, with four 9,600 kw nat ural gas engines to reach speeds of 35 knots.

“B3 lived up to its reputa tion as it fished well, with everybody catching.”

There were 11 contes tants and the best total weight of the day, 27.1 kilos and 12 fish, went to Gra ham Sewell. The best fish of the day, which was caught by Frank Povey and weighed 5.4 kilos, was also the biggest so far this sea son.

Tourist guides

INTERNATIONAL tourists can enjoy Ali cante like never before with a progressive initiative of tourist information brochures in three languages. Announcing the initia tive on November 2, authorities said they want to make the city more inclusive for tourists with the guides about points of in terest around the city. The easy‐to‐read guides cover four topics of interest for tourists; religious sites, council and civil buildings, castles and maritime Alicante.

The brochures are available in Spanish, Valencian and English to appeal to both domestic and international tourists.

Experts from local tourism organisa tions created the guides using simple lan guage to convey interesting information, appealing to families, solo travellers, young people and elderly visitors. The text is also accompanied by pictures.

Jeff Richards came sec ond (10 fish and 14.7 kilos) with Mick Owen in third place (six fish and 13.2 kilos) and Frank Povey in fourth (four fish and 12.7 kilos).

In all, the anglers caught 63 fish, of which 48 were carp and 15 crucian carp, totalling 113 kilos.

“By far our best day’s fishing so far in this Winter League,” Jeff said.

For further information about the Teulada‐Moraira Fishing Club, contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or frankpovey1@gmail.com.

Another local beach, Playa de La Auir will also be honoured with a Blue Flag after meeting sustain ability targets earlier this year.

The Blue Flag is a sym bol of beach and water quality and safety.

Beaches must meet rig orous criteria to receive the flag, showing the world their commitment to provide excellent water quality, environmental management, accessibility and safety guarantees.

Opticians in Javea caught a dangerous condition when local resident, William Koopmans went for a check-up.

Photo credit: Shaw Marketing Services (by email)

BEST FISH: Frank Povey with a 5.4 kilo carp.

Photo credit: Jeff Richards

City of sports

REPRESENTATIVES for tourism in Ice land and Finland paid La Nucia a visit at the end of October. The Costa Blanca Tourist Board wanted to show the Nordic representatives some of the sports facilities in the province of Alicante and where better than La Nucia?

The Nordic representatives work with both amateur and professional sports groups and wanted to learn more about the sporting proposals of the province of Alicante.

The Tourist Board pointed out that this year Alicante‐Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport has 246 flights to Helsinki and 59 to Reykjavik during the winter period.

Head of Alicante’s Tourist Board Ali cante City & Beach, Mari Carmen Sanchez, stressed that “the Nordic mar ket is the second in the overall computa tion of tourism we receive in Alicante and is of special interest because of its high purchasing power.”

All aboard

CALPE U3A’s latest adventure on Octo ber 7 saw 48 enthusiastic members set off on a 15‐day Mediterranean Cruise. Departing from Barcelona aboard the Costa Diadema, members were able to get to know each other and make new friends in a thoroughly enjoyable envi ronment. The group is open to anyone in the community who is at least 40 and no longer in full‐time employment.

The Calpe U3A meet once a month to encourage and enable people to help each other to share their knowledge,

skills, interests and experience. U3A Calpe Travel is taking registrations for the upcoming day trip to Zenia Boule vard, Alicante on December 14.

For further information please con tact u3atraveltreasurer@gmail.com or for information on how to join the group www.u3acalpe.org. A reminder that the U3A Calpe Annual General Meeting will be held at 10.30am on November 17 at LAFMA, Edifico Santa Marta. Please note only current fully paid‐ up members of U3A may attend.

Dining top spots

THE Marina Alta is a foodie paradise with more than its fair share of Michelin‐starred restaurants, and the renowned gourmet guide is almost ready to reveal which restaurants it will add to its recommendations for next year. The names will be revealed at a gala event in Toledo to be broadcast live worldwide on Tuesday November 22. But to whet your appetite and while you wait for the winners, did you know that two restaurants in the Marina Alta earned the Michelin seal of recommendation this September?

Benissa now has three restaurants recommended by Michelin. These are Casa del Maco, which is set in an 18th‐century building on the slopes of the Serra Bèrnia, and Casa del Maco, with multiple rooms and a glazed wine cellar.

They have now been joined by Casa Bernardi in Benissa, which features the culinary genius of Italian chef Ferdinando Bernadino. The second newcomer is Volta I Volta in the old town of Javea, which serves a fusion of Mediterranean dishes with nuances of Italy and other parts of the world.

The Marina Alta already has Michelin‐starred and recommended restaurants in Denia, Moraira, On dara, Javea, Benissa and Calpe.

MED CRUISE: Members getting to know each other.

Charitable golfersProviding aid

ALFAZ Town Hall and its Social Welfare department continues to support Remar Valencia with an €8,000 allocation.

Founded in 1982, Remar initially began helping people with addictions and to help those in situations of social exclusion. Since then it has extended its field of action to become one of Spain’s principal non­government organisations that centres on international cooperation.

“With this aid, the town hall hopes to contribute towards helping this collective to meet the needs and demands of its ac tivities and programmes,” Alfaz’s Social Welfare councillor Marisa Cortes said.

Remar is now present in more than 58 countries, where the organisation identifies areas where, together with the commu nity, it works on long term projects of between 10 and 15 years. These attempt to stem the structural causes of poverty while strengthening the ties of community and solidarity.

Remar is also present and provides technical and economic help during emergencies, natural disasters, war and any other type of humanitarian disaster.

ON Friday November 4, Montgo Golf Society played a sev en­up Stableford competition at Oliva Nova Golf course sponsored by Stella Fox with a fine array of home cooked goodies. The seven­up competition was a new format for Montgo GS and consisted of taking individual players’ sev en best stableford points.

Most members appear to enjoy this format. The winner

BENIDORM’S Public Works councillor

Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate thanked the local population for their forbearance over the Avenida de Be niarda roadworks. Piledrivers worked through the nights of November 3 and 4, laying foundations for the underpass beneath the Tram track. This had to be while no trains were running, De Zarate explained, adding that the construction company was trying to minimise the in

this week was Helmut Pertler with 22 points.

Montgo GS had a busy month in October with a Captains Charity Cup competition which raised €225 (the donation was then matched by society member Sheila Skinner). The society invited Javea Cancer Care Charity along to the club house where Sheila Skinner had the pleasure to hand over €450 to Jayne Nuttall­Blake from Javea Cancer Care.

Sleepless nights

convenience to residents. While praising the local population, De Zarate lament ed the attitude of the regional rail oper ator, Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat Va lenciana (FGV).

“They don’t think about the town or residents, because they could have sus

pended the Tram service while this was done,” he maintained.

“They did that when they were work ing on the station and workshops, but not now. Instead, they are doing a dis service to residents, for which I apolo gise.”

Fighting gendered violence

A PACKED programme of events was announced in Teulada and Moraira to mark the International Day against Gendered Violence, which takes place on November 25. Events launched with a play on November 4, with eight more fascinating educational events to follow in the coming weeks.

Rosana Caselles, the councillor for Equality, presented the pro gramme of events highlighting the education focus saying, “This year we have focused the aware ness campaign on education against violence, instilling the most fundamental values of re spect and equality.

ALICANTE regional government has awarded Denia Council a grant of €21,000 to clear a hazardous illegal tip between the River Racons and the Pego‐Oliva Marjal, a valuable protect ed wetland area.

The tip is 15 metres from the motor way and 20 metres from the N‐332, so its impact on the landscape is obvious. There is also a significant risk of fire, as the area and the adjoining plots of land are covered by undergrowth and

“In this way, gender violence can be eradicated from the foun

dations of our society.”

Caselles encouraged the whole community to get involved in the programme of events and learn something new, saying “Only to gether can we end this scourge on society and turn November 25 into a day of celebration and not mourning.”

Events to mark the day include storytelling sessions in class rooms in Teulada, talks by lectur ers and researchers, a theatre and dance performance and a new council manifesto against gendered violence which will be presented to the public in a cere mony on Friday November 25.

Clearing dangerous dump

are abandoned, with the added dan ger that the land borders the gas com pression station.

According to the local environmen tal department, the dump in Amplius is the worst in the Denia area since it contains dangerous substances which are endangering the waters in the marshes, as well as being an eyesore

and a fire risk.

The project will consist of removing the waste, after which the area will be cleared of scrub and invasive species that have taken hold to prevent the risk of fire. Once the land has been re stored, it will be replanted with local shrubs, before being fenced off to keep the fly‐tippers out for good.

The International Day against Gendered Violence is being celebrated with an education focus this year.

Photo credit: Shutterstock,com/Tinnakorn jorruang

Alicante transformation

ALICANTE is undergoing a major facelift with more works ap proved.

On Wednesday, November 2, the city council confirmed the award of €2.5 million for pedestrian improvement and traffic calming works on Avenida Doctor Gadea, the last of the three Avenidas in the section.

The works on Avenida Doctor Gadea are expected to take place over a period of eight months.

The works are part of a wider set of four ambitious projects comprising of pedestrian improvements and access to Avenidas General Marva, Doctor Gadea, Federico Soto, and the section of the Cruz de los Caidos.

Alongside this, the city council continues to carry out impor tant measures that respond to the challenge of the new urban development, promoted to change the city model by prioritis ing pedestrians and with the aim of reducing vehicle emis sions. Alicante City Council is currently working on reducing emissions given the mandatory entry into Low Emission Zone Operation for cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. Much of the European funds made available after the pandemic have been directed towards social and economic recovery.

BENIDORM mayor Toni Perez proposed a wage freeze for lo cal politicians and their special advisers. During a November 4 meeting with spokespeople for the parties represented on the council, Perez suggested all members of the corporation and their personnel should for go the 4 per cent, central gov ernment‐approved rise.

Doing nicely

THE Oceanographic Founda tion based in Valencia City re leased 18 ribbed newts in a Benissa pond on November 2.

These newts, native to the Iberian Peninsula and Moroc co, are listed as vulnerable in the region’s catalogue of threatened species and have begun to disappear from some areas.

Bred at the Oceanographic Aquarium, the newts were re leased by pupils from the Josep Iborra high school into a pond which had been dug out by Benissa’s Anti‐fire Associa tion (ABAI). Also present were representatives from the El

No increase

The mayor announced the “outright rejection” of the in crease by the local govern ment team, all of whom be long to the Partido Popular.

“We hope this will be sec onded by all of the corpora

tion’s political parties,” Perez added. Town hall politicians and their advisers had re nounced the central govern ment’s salary increases in both 2021 and 2022, and 2023 would be the third consecutive

Palmar Fish Hatchery Investi gation Centre.

The Oceanographic Foun dation experts carry out peri odic controls to assess the evolution and health of the newts in different parts of the Valencian Community and this year were able to com pare their 2022 findings with last year’s. As each newt is mi crochipped in order to identify them and check their move ments, the biologists discov ered that they had repro duced over the past 12 months, underlining the suc cess and importance of the programme.

year their pay would be frozen, he said. “With runaway infla tion and energy prices at an all‐time high, many families and businesses are going through a very difficult time.”

Perez stressed that although politicians and advisers might reject the pay rise, the recom mended wage freeze did not apply to municipal employees.

RIBBED NEWTS: Successful breeding programme.

Image: shutterstock.com/Sergio Gutierrez Getino

TWO years after the pandem ic, Benidorm’s environmental department has brought back a campaign to make its local fiestas more environmentally sustainable. In collaboration with Ecovidrio, on November 13 and 14, two of the main days of the celebrations, two glass recycling containers will be installed in the Plaza de la Constitución.

Benidorm’s fiestas

This idea is for the groups that organise and participate in the fiestas ‐ the penyas ‐ to make an extra effort to care for the environment. The three groups which collect and recycle the most glass will

receive prizes consisting of baskets and local products.

The recycling stations will be equipped with scales for weighing the glass and will be staffed by educators who will explain the campaign and the importance of recycling. Bags will be provided in advance.

was run almost 10,000 glass containers were disposed in the containers.

The local authority and the groups of fiesta participants hope to break their previous record, and that this recycling effort will help to promote Benidorm as an environmen tally responsible destination.

TAX CUTS: Will help the local economy.

Pair found guilty Breathing space

The last time the campaign

THE Alicante High Court confirmed Emilio Mengual Serra’s sev en-month prison term imposed by a Benidorm criminal court in 2014.

Mengual, Justice of the Peace of the small inland town of Be nigembla (population 483) since 2020, was found guilty, along with Vicente Mallol Borrell, of killing a dog, Lola. They also wounded her eight-month-old puppy Kika while out shooting on the Castellet hunting reserve in Murla.

A local man was out walking the dogs, which belonged to his daughter, when they wandered towards the reserve where, in the words of the Benidorm judge, “At least Vicente, with the ap proval of Emilio” opened fire “in predatory mood” on the dogs.

Kika returned, but the distraught owners finally found Lola days later when they came across her half-buried body.

Both men must now pay the owners €171 to cover the cost of Kika’s veterinary care, €300 compensation for Lola and €1,000 for ‘non-material damage’.

THE good and rather sur prising news is that Teula da Town Council has ap proved lowering all taxes in the area which will come into effect from Jan uary 2023.

The tax cuts will include various taxes and should affect everyone including Property Tax, Vehicle Tax, Tax on Construction, In stallations and Works and Tax on Economic Activi ties.

The councillor for Fi nance, Veronica Martinez, confirmed that: “The aim of this tax reduction is to promote awareness and

respect for the environ ment and to be at the side of our neighbours, espe cially for the most vulner able groups. We consider it essential to do our bit to help the local economy, taking into account the current economic situa tion.”

The mayor of Teulada Moraira, Raul Llobell, pointed out that “this tax cut will allow our resi dents to increase their purchasing power and give them some breathing space in these difficult times we are living through.”

Image: Teluda-Moraira City Council

4 key benefits of effective tax planning

When it comes to your savings and investments, is your main objective to preserve your wealth, provide an income or generate growth? Or all of them? Whatever the answer, tax planning plays an important role in protecting and making the most of what you have.

While the tax tail shouldn’t necessarily wag the investment dog, there are numerous benefits to strategic tax planning. Here are four of them.

1.

A reduced tax bill for you

The most obvious advantage is reducing your overall liability for income tax, capital gains tax and any other taxes on your savings, investments, assets and pensions. If there is a more tax-efficient way to hold your capital and as sets, shouldn’t you explore if it could work for you? Yet many people fail to do just that and unknowingly end up paying more than they need have. This may include income tax on bank interest you are not even with

By Brett Hanson, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks

drawing, or capital gains tax when switching between invest ments.

Many expatriates are also caught out by not reviewing their arrangements for their life abroad. Once you are no longer UK-resident, certain assets that were tax-efficient back home, such as ISAs, become taxable in Spain. Meanwhile, you could be missing out on structures avail

able here that can legitimately re duce your tax liability as well as providing other potential bene fits.

2. Less taxation for your heirs

The less tax you pay in your lifetime, the more you have to spend or pass on to your heirs. But with some investment structures you may also be able to lower the inheritance tax lia bility for your family. A Spanishcompliant life assurance bond, for example, can be tax-efficient for estate planning purposes. Ide ally you want a solution that will limit inheritance taxes while also providing tax-efficient income and investment growth through out your lifetime, so explore your options.

3. More estate planning flexi bility

Strategic tax planning can also help make things easier for your family when you are gone. Many investment arrangements that provide tax efficiency also offer more estate planning flexibility

and control.

4. Maximising real returns

Effective tax planning also plays a part in helping returns outpace the cost of living.

Ultimately, what counts when assessing the value of investments are actual ‘real’ returns - after all tax, expenses and inflation are taken into account.

With investments, the starting point should always be making sure your portfolio is well diver sified and specifically designed to suit your situation, needs, goals, time horizon and risk tolerance.

But without suitable tax plan ning, returns can be diminished by taxes that could have been sig nificantly reduced.

There are various ways of hold ing your investment capital, so do your research and seek profes sional advice to choose one which is tax-efficient here in Spain.

How to get the best results

It is easy to get DIY tax plan ning wrong, especially with the

regulatory goalposts changing regularly. Expatriates have the added complication of having to deal with the tax rules of more than one country at a time when global tax scrutiny is at its high est.

For the best results, talk to an adviser with in-depth under standing of cross-border taxation, including how the Spanish tax regime interacts with UK rules. As well as offering peace of mind that your tax and wider financial planning is compliant in Spain, they can ensure it meets your in come needs and goals in the most tax-efficient way today, without burdening your family with un necessary tax headaches in the fu ture.

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

Shop of shops ‘Shabby Muchavista’ claims

SHOPPING fans will soon be in for a treat as the El Campello MarketPlace begins to take shape. The MarketPlace is being created with the aim of uniting all local businesses to pro mote online sales or to face the fierce competi tion of powerful firms that currently monopo lise the market. The councillor for Commerce, Marisa Navarro, confirmed: “It is a reality that Spanish society is becoming increasingly tech nological. Although everything indicates that in‐store shopping will continue for a long time, the reality is that online sales are growing at an exorbitant rate, due to convenience. In other words, a change in the relationship between

PROMOTING sports, moti vating and keeping young people involved in sports are the main objectives of Fines trat Town Council.

One of the most estab lished sports in Finestrat is volleyball and the Depart ment of Sports has confirmed that the Finestrat Volleyball Club will receive a financial contribution of €15,000 to carry on its good work.

The councillor for Sports, David Alarcon, confirmed that: “It is one of the most es

the customer and the retailer is already evi dent. Before, e‐commerce was very limited, but now the entire population and all produc tive sectors, including food, are joining in.”

Those interested can apply for registration by emailing fomento@elcampello.org

Keeping fit

tablished and consolidated clubs in Finestrat. It has around 150 players, mainly girls, who now account for 80 per cent of the total, and a growing pool of male players.

“In addition to the training sessions, there are also about 60 children in the extracurric ular volleyball classes that the club teaches. Therefore, we are talking about nearly 200

children and young people, from five to 30 years old, ded icated to volleyball in Fines trat.

“This motivates this town hall to continue supporting this sport and we do it with an economic contribution and also with new facilities such as the future beach vol leyball courts in the sports area of La Foia.”

Hall RESIDENTS in El Campello’s seafront Muchavista area have protested about its ‘neglected’ appear ance.

The l’Horta‐Muchavista and La Zenia residents’ asso ciations presented a written complaint to the town hall, claim ing that the entire area looked increas ingly shabby, and the Paseo Maritimo promenade in partic ular.

“An in‐depth visit would make clear that the municipali ty’s principal tourist attraction needs ur gent investment and attention,” the letter said.

The document also pointed out that El Campello Town Hall allocates only €200,000 to parks and gardens, although €900,000 was need ed.

“Residents are aware of a very no ticeable difference in maintenance and care between Playa de San Juan and Muchavista which share the same stretch of beach,” the letter pointed out.

“Alicante City Hall keeps its section of the promenade in far better condition, while Muchavista’s shortfalls are plain to see.”

Services councillor Rafael Galvañ said the associations were also aware that the town hall had already re placed 2,000 street lights in Muchavista and would be in stalling new lighting and signposting along the promenade.

“Residents know what has been done so far and they also know what will soon be done,” he added.

Linda

MARKETPLACE: Uniting local businesses.

Image: El Campello City Council

Community champions awards

COMMUNITY heroes are set to be recognised in a new ini tiative by Age in Spain to find the best neighbours in the country. The initiative was launched on November 5, with nominations staying open until December 5.

The organisation which provides support for older people living in Spain wants to acknowledge people who have a positive impact on

their local community. Age in Spain is asking for nomina tions of neighbours that have gone out of their way to help you or someone else.

Announcing the quest for the nation’s best neighbours, the President of Age Spain, John Rafferty explained, “A good neighbour needn’t live next door. It can be anyone who has gone out of their way to help you, to help

someone else, or to create a lasting benefit in your com munity.”

The winner will be hon oured with a letter of recogni tion from the British Ambas sador to Spain, Hugh Elliott and will be treated to a dinner for two to mark their special award.

Age in Spain is a communi ty support organisation work ing to help older, English‐

speaking people, irrespective of nationality.

To make a nomination visit the Age in Spain website: www.ageinspain.org/good neighbouraward, where a short form can be completed and submitted in just a few minutes. Those without easy access to the internet may get help by phoning +34 932 209 741 to make their nomina tion.

MIR creator dies

THE creator of the MIR training system for doctors, Cardiologist Fernando Alonso‐Lej de las Casas, has died at the age of 95.

According to a national news site, Alonso‐Lej died on Wednesday, November 2 at the Miguel Servet hospital in Zaragoza.

Alonso‐Lej who graduated with top honours in 1951, dedi cated over 45years of his life to medicine and improving the development of student teach

ing techniques.

The MIR training system was eventually adopted across Spain ensuring that doctors spent their first year learning the basics and gradually moving through the specialisms and up the ranks.

Alonso‐Lej’s system was based on a path of increasing re sponsibility and decreasing su pervision. The programme be gan in 1963 and in 1984 consolidated as the only legal route to specialisation in Spain.

Sticky protest

EXTINCTION REBELLION have struck again, this time protesting at the Prado museum in Madrid.

On November 5, two climate activists glued a hand to the frames of two paintings by Spanish master Francisco Goya, ‘The Naked Maja’ and ‘The Dressed Maja’. In a tweet, the Prado Museum said: “We con demn the protest that took place in the museum.

“The works have not been damaged but the frames have suffered slight blemishes. We are work ing to get back to normal as quickly as possible. We reject endangering cultural heritage as a means of protest.” They had also scribbled ‘+1.5°C’ on the wall between the two artworks in relation to the Paris Agreement target of capping warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre‐industrial levels. Both activists were detained after the incident on Saturday, police said.

Do you have a great neighbour who deserves national recognition? Age in Spain wants to reward them!

Photo credit:

THERE  is concern in Spain as the country recorded the second highest incidence of diabetes on the continent. The findings of a report announced on Thursday November 3 showed almost 15 per cent of the country’s popu lation between 20 and 79 suf fers from the condition.

The report commissioned by the IDF Diabetes Atlas showed that rates of diabetes in Spain

SPANISH lorry drivers have announced a new nationwide strike that will start from this Sun day, November 13.

Announcing the two‐day strike on Monday, November 7, the Platform in Defence of Transport

Alarming diabetes increase

exceed the European average of 9.2 per cent as well as rates in South America and South East Asia, where rates are 9.5 per cent and 8.7 per cent respective ly.

The report states that around five million people in Spain have diabetes, and shockingly up to

Truckers strike

said that the strike had been called to denounce those that expect them to work at a loss.

The ‘platform’ repre

sents small transport businesses and self‐em ployed drivers who were behind the strikes in March this year.

In response the Minis ter of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, told a national news outlet that the Ministry is preparing an inspection plan in the sector that will be an nounced in the “coming weeks.”

The last time Spanish lorry drivers announced a nationwide strike, some shortages were experi enced in parts of the country.

It did, however, result in a positive for all mo torists of the reduction in the cost of fuel.

This time the strike is to force the government to better police its own laws in protecting those in the industry.

1.5 million people are said to be living with the condition with out a diagnosis.

Within Europe, rates of dia betes are only higher in Turkey which recorded a similarly high statistic with 15.9 per cent of the population between 20 and 79 living with diabetes. Spain al

DINERS in a restaurant in the Poblenou district of Barcelona suffered a fright on, Sunday, November 6, when a man entered the premises, picked up a knife, and struck himself with it.

Two employees of the restaurant tried to disarm him in an attempt to pre vent the man injuring himself further. As ex plained to a local news outlet by eyewitnesses, the man was tall and well

SPANISH police have seized their largest‐ever marihuana haul worth over €64 million.

Guardia Civil officers have dismantled an organisation that had stored more than 32 tons of marihuana buds in Toledo, Ciudad Real, Va lencia, and Asturias.

Through a complex busi ness network, the organisa tion sent “vacuum‐packed marihuana throughout the national territory,” as well as to Switzerland, Holland, Ger many, and Belgium, among

so stands out against neighbour ing countries France and Italy with a much higher rate of dia betes.

Health authorities reacted with concern, encouraging any one with concerns about dia betes in Spain to visit a medical professional.

Diners shock

built and is a local resi dent.

On this occasion, the man reportedly entered decisively and quickly, grabbed a knife and be gun to attack himself. The owner of the restaurant and a waiter jumped on him, and, after a few mo ments of struggle, they managed to snatch the

knife out of his hand. Emergency services were quickly on the scene and they transferred the wounded man to a hospi tal.

They also helped pa trons who required assis tance due to the shock and stress caused by the event they witnessed first‐hand.

€64m haul

other European countries.

The Jardines operation concluded with the seizure of 32,370.2 kilograms of the drug ‐ not only the largest seizure of this substance in Spain, but also international ly.

Twenty people ‐ nine men and 11 women between the ages of 20 and 59 ‐ have been arrested as being part

of the organisation, which had offices in Toledo, Ciudad Real, Valencia, and Asturias, and controlled the entire drug production and distri bution process.

Police said the gang dried the marihuana plants, pack aged them, and sent them to parts of Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

Betty Henderson

Diabetes rates in Spain are some of the highest in Europe.

Photo credit: Proxima Studio shutterstock.com

WHEN it comes to paying tax es, it is essential to be expertly advised. Proper knowledge of the applicable exemptions and allowances can lead, depend ing on each case, to significant savings for the taxpayer.

One of the most relevant ex emptions established in the Spanish Personal Income Tax Law is the one known as ‘Rein vestment in main residence’.

Exemption

Personal Income Tax. General Directorate of Taxes. Legal advice.

Although its application seems quite simple, a Binding Consul tation issued by the Directorate General of Taxes last year promises to change our under standing of how this exemp

tion really works. In today’s ar ticle we explain the most im portant features of this exemp tion and the major difference we can expect from now on.

• In which cases can be ap plied? Capital gains obtained from the sale of the habitual res idence

Let’s illustrate this in a simple way. A person acquires a home for €150,000 and turns it into his or her main residence. Several years later, the property is sold for €200,000. The €50,000 gap between the purchase and sale price is considered, for tax pur poses, a capital gain. Logically, this amount must be declared to the authorities and will be taxed at a rate of between 19 per cent and 23 per cent.

However, there are several cases in which, by law, this capi tal gain is exempt. For example, those over 65 years of age who sell their main residence will not have to pay tax on any gain they may have made. The same will

apply to people who are in a sit uation of severe or great depen dency. The other main exemp tion, foreseen in article 38 of Personal Income Tax, is the so‐called ‘reinvestment in the main residence’. How does it really work?

• Reinvestment in main resi dence. How does it work exact ly?

To apply for this exemption, it is essential that the amount ob tained from the sale is reinvest ed in a new main residence. How? Either by acquiring a new home, or by using the funds to rehabilitate what will be our new main residence. The rein vestment can be made in a sin gle payment or in fractions, as long as it done in less than two years. Given that this tax is only applicable to tax residents in

Spain, until now it could be un derstood that the property ac quired or renovated had to be located in Spanish national terri tory. But is this really the case?

• Binding Consultation

V2910‐21 of the Directorate General for Taxation

As we previously noted in an other article, it could be against the law to require that the rein vestment is made in the same country. This was the judge ment of the European Court of Justice in its ruling of 26 October 2006, against our neighbouring country, Portugal. More recent ly, the Spanish Directorate Gen eral of Taxes has clarified that the habitual residence to be ac quired or rehabilitated can also be located abroad. However, it is essential that the vendor was a tax resident in Spain the year that the sale took place.

Returning to the example used a few paragraphs ago. A British expatriate sells his habit ual residence, located in Spain,

in 2021, for €200,000. After wards, he returns to his country. He will then use the funds ob tained from the sale to pur chase another home in the UK, in 2022, which he will turn into his new habitual residence. Would this British citizen have the right to benefit from the ex emption for reinvestment in main residence? The answer is YES.

If you are thinking of selling your property in Spain, do not hesitate to contact us. At White‐Baos we will study your case and offer you expert advice throughout the whole process. From the compilation of all the relevant documents, prepara tion of the contracts or signing of the deed at the Notary’s of fice, to the most advantageous taxation for you.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, it simply conveys information related to legal is sues.

Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 • info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2022 - All Rights Reserved.

for reinvestment in main residence located abroad. Is it possible to reinvest in a residence outside of Spain? Capital tax gains.

Civil war exiles nationalised

Betty Henderson

A MONUMENTAL memorial law is set to offer millions of Latin Americans citizenship in Spain. Long‐awaited legisla tion came into effect at the end of October which will of fer naturalisation for descen dants of those exiled during the Spanish Civil War and en suing dictatorship.

One Madrid‐based lawyer explained the law saying it offers any descendant of Spanish immigrants before 1985 a route to citizenship. Spain changed its nationality

law in 1985 as it began a na tional reckoning after the Franco dictatorship ended in 1975.

The opportunity to claim Spanish citizenship will even apply to some Latin Ameri

AS rural ‘depopulation’ affects much of central Spain, the oldest Spanish town is experiencing an urban resurgence.

After years of depopulation, authorities an nounced a change in Brañosera’s fortunes on Thursday November 3, recording a steady pop ulation of 270.

After becoming chartered as a town in 724, Brañosera is officially the oldest town in Spain. The town also became the most economically important town in the Palencia region during the 1960s due to mining activity.

Throughout the past 60 years, the town had been losing residents in droves due to changing

cans living illegally in the country. Applicants must provide proof that their an cestors were fleeing political persecution.

After becoming law, con sulates and lawyers offices in Spain were said to be flood ed with requests for informa tion and claims about the new policy.

The law makes striding ad vances on a 2007 law which offered up to 70,000 exiled Latin Americans and their de scendants eligible for Spanish citizenship.

Rural relief

opportunities, but this announcement reveals a change in the tide.

According to one report by the Bank of Spain, there are more than 3,400 towns at risk of completely disappearing, and among them are many notable places of historical and cul tural significance. The phenomenon is increas ingly common in regions in southern Europe as young people seeking better opportunities are drawn to cities by employment, healthcare, public services and social opportunities.

THE coveted Forbes Magazine released its list of the Top 100 Richest People in Spain on Thursday November 3, with movements up and down the list and even a few surprises. Here’s what you need to know.

Amancio Ortega held on to the top position on the iconic list. The biggest shareholder in the fashion company, In ditex clung on at the top, despite his company recording losses.

With a whopping fortune of around €53 billion, the businessman’s wealth is

Spain’s rich list Passing rocket

greater than the following 27 people on the list combined. Ortega is the richest individual in Spain and the world’s third richest person.

This year’s biggest movers were Car men and Luis Riu Güell, who had an as tronomical rise from 90th on the list to 45th after doubling their fortune in their Riu Hotels empire.

The magazine also reported an overall drop in fortunes by 7 per cent, partially due to the war in Ukraine and global economic crises.

Peter McLaren‐Kennedy

FLIGHTS were ground ed in Catalonia due to the possible fall of a Chinese rocket. The an nouncement by the Civil Protection authorities on Friday, November 4 said that a 40‐minute restriction in Catalonian airspace was due to the passing of a Chinese

space rocket that was falling back to earth.

Although the earth’s atmosphere will burn up most of the 20‐tonne vessel, the authorities felt it necessary to take the precaution.

The trajectory of the rocket will cross many countries in the Mediterranean before

heading out over the Middle East and into the sea somewhere south of the Indian sub‐continent.

Authorities have said the rocket poses little risk, but that the pre caution was the sensi ble thing to do, with less than an hour’s dis ruption.

Latin American descendants of Civil War exiles could be eligible for citizenship.

Photo credit: Everett Collection / shutterstock.com

Supportive

SPAIN’S Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares has travelled to Ukraine to pay respects to those that have lost their lives and to deliver 30 ambulances.

Albares arrived on Wednesday, November 2 with a busy programme that will seem him hold sev eral meetings with his coun terparts and other institu tions. He will meet with Dmytro Kuleba, his counter part and with the country’s Prime Minister, Denýs Shmyhal. Albares tweeted on his arrival saying: “I have just arrived in Kyiv to convey Spain’s commitment and support to the people and government of Ukraine in the defence of their sovereignty, peace and free dom; and support and thank the members of the Embassy of Spain in Ukraine for their work.”

He will also travel to some of the other cities in the country to learn first hand about the damage the war is having on the country.

Rowdy fans

CELTIC football fans have disgraced their team by leaving trash everywhere on Madrid’s Plaza Mayor.

In a performance worse than their team on the field, Celtic lost 5‐1, the fans left the square in an absolute and disgraceful mess on Wednesday, November 2.

Although the police and the city were expecting prob lems, with Celtic fans having a poor reputation, they were overwhelmed after more than 10,000 arrived in the city, although only 3,000 tickets had been sold.

That left around 7,000 of the Celtic faithful to drink, sing and generally get out of hand much to the annoy ance of locals.

The police did contain them in the square, which is the normal tactic as it allows them to be marshalled easi ly into and out of the Santia go Bernabéu stadium.

But that meant many re mained overnight in the square leaving a huge amount of litter never seen in the city. A small number also damaged bars and ter races around the square.

A TOTAL of 132 bottles of wine worth more than €200,000 have been stolen from the Coque Restaurant, a two‐star Michelin in the Madrid Province. The theft announced by partner Rafael Sandoval on Wednesday, November 2 occurred after thieves burrowed through an adjoining property. They are said to have then entered the courtyard shared by the restaurant and the neighbouring pharmacy, before breaking the glass window to enter the premises.

One‐hundred‐and‐thirty‐two bottles were tak en by the thieves, assuming that’s what they

Chocolate champion

THE king of chocolate title has gone to Catalan chef Lluc Crusellas, who has won the eighth edition of the World Chocolate Masters competi tion. The chef took the title on the evening of Monday, Octo ber 31 at an event in Paris, where he beat 17 chefs from around the world to take the title. He is the first Spaniard to be crowned as the World Chocolate Master.

He told the audience: “It has been an incredible journey.”

He continued saying all the hard work had paid off and that as a young man his ambi tion now was to make an

Vintage theft

could carry, leaving behind some 30,000 bottles. The police are investigating the theft, which they say targeted the wine collection. They say there is no evidence that anything else was taken or touched. They add that the people involved knew what they were looking for as the bottles they took were of a very high value. The theft was, however, not noticed until a day later as the restaurant was closed for the public holiday.

even bigger impression on the world of cooking.

Crusellas, just 26, said that his chocolate creation was in spired by the natural environ ments of the mountain and his love of cycling. His creation included unique techniques

that gave textures to leaves, providing an organic and natu ral touch to the dishes pre sented. Judges and colleagues praised his work and his tech niques in handling chocolate as he becomes the king of chocolate.

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Celebrity roundup

By Chris King and Vickie Scullard

CONTESTANTS on this year’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’ TV series gathered around the campfire in their new home in the Aus tralian jungle on Monday November 7 for the first time after a twist saw them split on day one.

But that wasn’t the only surpriseMonday’s episode of the ITV show also delivered the news that Love Island star Olivia Attwood was forced to quit the camp after only 24 hours for ‘health rea sons’, according to presenters Ant and Dec.

But she still played an integral part in the show’s first Bushtucker trial, along with Chris Moyles, Boy George, and Scar lette Douglas, who were previously ma rooned on an island together as VIPs (Very Isolated People). They were tasked with taking part in the series’ first trial where they won eight stars for camp be fore joining the rest of the celebs.

After the food package was lowered down, they opened it to discover their tasty offering was mud crab. Charlene decided she was going to be the camp chef, much to the annoyance of Boy George. He stuck with rice and mush rooms, later complaining to Chris that she hadn’t cooked the mushrooms

enough.

Meanwhile, former Radio One break fast show host Chris discovered to his amusement that Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner will believe anything he told him. Owen is now convinced that the radio DJ is a top dancer, and Chris has made it his mission to see how many more brazen lies he can get away with telling the gullible soap star.

Ant and Dec are back in the bush.

Image: Itv.com

A 59-YEAR-OLD Brit has been cured after 411 days of living with Covid‐19 in what is thought to be the longest case of someone being cured of the virus.

The case was published in the journal Clinical In fectious Diseases on Thursday, November 3 by medical staff from the Guy’s and St Thomas’

Trump’s Covid cure

Hospitals.

The unnamed patient tested positive in Decem ber 2020 and was unable to clear the infection and continued to test positive until January 2022. Genet

Brexit shift

THE growing majority of Britons think Brexit was a mistake, according to a new poll released on Thurs day November 3, suggesting that the Conservatives will not be successful at the next general election.

The data shows that 57 per cent of the British pop ulation now thinks that the UK’s departure from the European Union was a mistake, with 43 per cent say ing it was a good decision.

However, Professor John Curtice, president of the British Polling Council, said that it was too soon to say that polls have shifted decisively in favour of overturning the vote to leave the European Union.

Prof Curtice told reporters that the shift in opinion became clear in autumn 2021 when shortages of UK lorry drivers demonstrated to many the reality of ending the EU’s free movement of labour.

“Probably Brexit is now less popular than it has been at any point since June 2016.”

ic analysis determined that he had an early vari ant of the original strain that led to the world being shut down.

Once they had identified the strain, they used the

same cocktail of drugs that had ‘miraculously’ cured the American President Donald Trump, Regen eron. Although the cure did not work for everyone, as another patient who

Gifted learner

FOUR-YEAR-OLD Jamie Mohr, from Old Kil patrick, West Dunbar tonshire has wowed family and friends with his incredible language and math skills.

What makes this even more remarkable is that Jamie was born 12 weeks premature weigh ing just 1lb 8oz and spent 11 weeks in inten sive care with doctors fearing that his chances of surviving were unlike ly.

Jamie can count in En glish, Spanish, German,

Japanese, French, and Mandarin. He is ad vanced in addition, sub traction, percentages and fractions, as well as being able to read sev en-digit numbers.

Lorraine, Jamie’s mum told a national news outlet that his abilities were apparent at an ear ly age and added “I can’t wait to see if Jamie ends up winning a Nobel Prize one day.

“It’s a possibility - he surprises me that much every day with his abili ties.”

had tested positive for 505 days, died after being ad ministered the same cock tail of drugs.

Both are said to have caught the virus but were never re‐infected, a situa tion different to those with long Covid‐19 where the symptoms continue but the virus is no longer present.

A miraculous cure for Covid.

Credit: Alina Troeva/Shutterstock.com.

No December elections

ELECTIONS in Northern Ireland, which were due to take place following the failure of the par ties to form a government, may be on hold until after the Christmas period. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said on Fri day, November 4 that he will outline the steps which will be taken to resolve the issues in Northern Ireland in parliament, although he is legally obliged to call an election within 12 weeks of October 28, the deadline date for forming a new government. Heaton-Harris who met with the parties in Northern Ireland said that every

one had “sincere concerns” over the cost and the impact of elections now. A statement issued by the secretary said: “I can now confirm that no Assembly election will take place in December, or ahead of the festive season,” and added “My objective, what the people of Northern Ireland deserve, is the restoration of a strong devolved government. My duty is to create the right envi ronment for the parties in Northern Ireland to work together to restore the devolved institu tions and deliver on crucial issues impacting Northern Ireland’s people.”

Staff take paycut

STAFF are taking a pay cut at Britishvolt to stave off bankruptcy as the innovative company only has sufficient funding to see it through un til December.

Just nine months ago, it was announced that the government would invest £100 million in the business alongside other investors in order to see batteries for electric vehicles being pro duced in the UK rather than

being imported from China and other countries. It now appears that the British gov ernment has just refused to part with £30 million of that

which had been promised. In a statement, the com pany said on Wednesday November 2, “We have now secured the necessary near‐term investment that we be lieve enables us to bridge over the coming weeks. To further reduce our near‐term costs, our dedicated employee team has also vol untarily agreed to a tempo rary salary reduction for the month of November.”

NEW FACTORY: Britishvolt staff viewing the site.

Credit: Britishvolt

POLICE recruitment has come under the spotlight over vetting failures and reports that police offi cers accused of crimes, remain on the job.

An HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services re port said on Wednesday, November 2 that proce dures for recruitment were missing potential risks to the public.

The report said that there were cases where

FOOD theft has become an increasing problem for UK retailers as the cost of basic goods soars and people struggle to make ends meet.

Confirmation of those dif ficulties came when a na tional news outlet reported on Wednesday November 2 that leading supermarket Tesco had resorted to tag ging its reduced yellow stick er items.

Some items like pasta and vegetable oil have risen by almost two‐thirds, making them unaffordable for many.

The latest reports suggest that demand for reduced items has become so great that people are grabbing items out of the hands of staff before they can even put them on the shelf. So bad is the problem that they have taken to cordoning off an area while they add the reduced stickers.

The report comes on the same day that Iceland an nounced that it had intro

Not acceptable behaviour

criminal behaviour had been dismissed as a ‘one‐off’ and that officers had been employed despite family links with exten sive criminal records.

With the records of more than 11,000 police officers reviewed, the in spectorate found some

staff had criminal records, some had been involved in or alleged to have committed serious crimes, others had family links to serious crime and some had substantial undischarged debt.

Matt Parr from the In spector of Constabulary

Inflation bites

duced 1p meals this week in an effort to help those in need, although response to the launch has been mixed.

Crime in the UK is an in creasing problem, but food theft although not new, is becoming prevalent.

Bye bye bounty

IT was announced on Thursday November 3, that the cre ators of Celebrations have removed its least popular chocolate in a trial ahead of Christmas.

Mars Wrigley said that the most controversial chocolate, the coconut, chocolate covered, Bounty, will be axed from its festive tubs, after finding 39 per cent of consumers want it to be banished for good. To make up for the missing Bounty bars, the limited edition tubs will include a bigger selection of Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Galaxy, and Malte sers. The research also found that 22 per cent liked Bounty the least of all the tub’s options, while some 28 per cent were of the opinion that coconut had no place in a choco late bar at all. A whopping 58 per cent believed just finding Bounty bars in the tub would lead to a family argument.

The trial is rolling out across 40 Tesco Christmas Market locations, beginning at Baguley Extra in Manchester on Tuesday November 8 and ending at Gallions Reach Extra in London on December 18.

told a national news out let: “It is too easy for the wrong people to both join and stay in the po lice.

“If the police are to re

build public trust and protect their own fe male officers and staff, vetting must be much more rigorous and sexu al misconduct taken

more seriously.”

The report added that clearer guidance was needed on workplace conduct and what is ac ceptable behaviour.

SANTA CLAUS is making an early visit to the Costa Blan ca this year! HELP of Marina Alta charity organisation is hosting a festive Christmas gift fair on Sunday Novem ber 13 in Los Arcos in Pe dreguer.

With plenty of stalls offer ing exciting Christmas good ies, the festive fair is the per fect opportunity to get a head­start on your Christ mas shopping. As well as card and gift stalls, organis ers promise an exciting array of classic HELP Christmas ac tivities, a visit from Santa, dazzling Christmas costumes and delicious seasonal treats.

It costs €1 to enter the fair and proceeds from the

Festive fair

event will go towards HELP’s vital work in the local com munity. Restaurant Los Ar

Traffic laws

ARE you up­to­date with Spain’s traffic laws? A group of Span ish Traffic Police Officers are holding two talks for expatriates to learn about the rules and regulations and new laws on the roads in Spain.

The first talk is being held on Saturday, November 19, at 10.00am at the Casa de Cultura, Plaza Rey Juan Carlos 1, l’Al fas del Pi, 03580.

The second talk is also on Saturday, November 19, at mid day at La Senieta, Avda Madrid, Moraira, 03724.

cos will be the venue for the event, in Pedreguer. The fair will be open from 11am un til 3pm on Sunday Novem ber 13.

HELP of Marina Alta is a local charity organisation that works in the Denia area to provide assistance for the lonely, sick and elderly in Spain. Donations and pro ceeds from the Christmas fair will support HELP’s vital work this Christmas season, including bringing festive cheer to sick and lonely peo ple.

XMAS FAIR: Hurry to get a head-start on your Christmas shopping for a great cause in Pedreguer.

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com/ Ground Picture

Art lovers dream

THE Contemporary Art exhibition of the Valencian region is open until Decem ber 3.

Thirty­seven works from 2020 have now been added to the Contemporary Art Collection, making it a living collec tion, in constant growth, whose works are a reflection of the Valencian art of our time.

The balanced presence of artists from Castello, Alicante and Valencia stands out. The tour shows a vision of the pieces and the dialogues that are gener ated between them.

Time and memory, feminist approach es, frictions between the everyday and the technological, the binomial individu al and society, the culture of sustainabili ty or the tireless search for utopia, are some of the issues around which the works in this exhibition explore.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Satur day from 10.00am to 9.30pm.

The exhibition is closed Sundays, Mondays and public holidays.

Entry to the exhibition is free.

Location: Las Cigarreras Cultural Cen tre, Calle San Carlos, 78, 03013 Alicante.

Get ready to ride

JUMP on your bike and join in the fun on Bicycle Day in Villajoyosa.

This event, which be gan in April 1986 with the aim of promoting the dai ly use of bicycles among families, with the main objective to raise aware ness of road safety issues among bicycle users.

On this occasion, in

view of the forced ab sence of this event in re cent years and the signifi cant development of bicycle use in recent years, a large number of people are expected to take part.

Put a note in your diary for Sunday, November 27, for this event.

The councillor for

Sports, Jose Ramon Ucles, is very excited that fami lies and cycling enthusi asts of Villajoyosa can re sume this activity after a few years break due to the pandemic

He confirmed the date for the event but added he will soon have the in formation needed to reg ister.

Circus fun

IF you are looking for family fun then look no further than the Altea Circus Show & Mar ket, where the whole family can enjoy the great circus show plus traditional rides, magic and shopping on Satur day, November 19, and Sun day, November 20.

The councillor for Education and Trade, Miguel de la Hoz, confirmed: “We have pre pared a weekend of joy, fun and magic with this event called Circus Show & Market.

“It is an event that carries the philosophy of the classic circus in an open­air space, accompa nied by a show of jugglers, trapeze artists, forcers, pallas sos, among others; in addition to a market area and a gastro nomic area.

“The event aimed at all ages and families. Over two days a circus tent and ring will be set up in Avda. Comunitat Valen ciana, where performances will take place every 30 minutes from 11.00am until 2.30pm and from 4.00pm until 10.00pm.”

In addition, outside these hours, the gastronomic area will be open with food trucks and a food market offering dif ferent products.

“There will also be work shops, classic circus games, shows, puppets, marionettes, juggling, and much more. Ev erything we are used to seeing in a classic circus,” added the councillor.

Making music

THE Philharmonic Society of Altea ‘Societat Filharmonica Alteanense (SFA)’ has launched details for its 48th International Music Con test, which will take place on Saturday, December 10, between 4.30pm and 11.00pm at Palau Altea Cen tre d’Arts.

The SFA has already started

Juggling

A CIRCUS with a twist! Sinergia 3.0 is a contemporary cir cus show that combines the techniques of juggling and object manipulation, all choreographed with fascinating geometric flexibility and harmonic sensitivity throughout the show.

From wood to metal, from the acoustic to the elec tronic, from the natural to the complex, from individuali ty to cohesion to find Synergy.

The show is on at the Casa Cultura at Avda Masnou, 1 in Calpe. For more information call (+34) 965 839 123.

The event on Saturday, December 3 at 6.30pm, is free to enter, so get there early to avoid disappointment as once capacity is reached the doors will be shut!

selling tickets to attend the contest. They can be pur chased for €11 (or €10 if the purchase is made online at cimaltea.com).

Likewise, discounts are of fered to different groups such as students, retirees, pension ers, groups and members of the Philharmonic.

The SFA has confirmed that the concert will bring togeth er 200 musicians, 400 stu dents from the music school and 1,000 members and dif ferent sections of the Sym phonic Band, Pols y Pua Or

chestra, which belongs to the Federation of Musical Soci eties of the Valencian Com munity, an association that brings together 550 musical societies with 40,000 musi cians (50 per cent of Spain), 60,000 students and 200,000 members.

The winners of the Interna tional Music Contest will be rewarded with €6,000 and the ‘Societat Filharmonica Al teanense’ trophy.

For more information head over to www.cimaltea.com or www.sfaltea.com

Nutty for netball

ALFAZ Netball Team are on the lookout for new players. Any one over the age of 14 looking to score a few goals would be welcomed. All ages and abili ties wanted.

If you fancy a taster session pop down to the Polideportivo on Carrer d’Elx, 03580 l’Alfas del Pi on Tuesdays from 6.30pm until 8.00pm.

For more information What sApp Rachel on (+34) 609 733 774.

Musical contest.

Comedy is Tragedy plus Time

INTERVIEW with award‐winning comedian Nik Cop pin who when questioned admitted that the awards were for swimming and taking part in a football match against a lady’s team.

From his early days of working for Transport for London, Nik had always fancied being a comedian and took the plunge into stand‐up in 1998 and he has been making people laugh on a full‐time basis

since 2004.

Like many talented en tertainers, he is also a writ er and artist specialising in caricatures and spent part of lockdown enlarging his portfolio.

Comedy is his first love and it has taken him all over the world with perfor mances in much of Europe, parts of Asia, the Middle East, New Zealand and Aus tralia, where he takes part in three festivals every year.

Speaking about his trav els, Nik said “I enjoy Aus tralia and find that my style of banter works well with audiences there, although I did have a run‐in with a ra dio presenter who accused me for being a racist when I told him I supported an Australian Rules Football Club which used to be po litically incorrect, but now has more aboriginal players than any other team.

“I found it amusing as I couldn’t be less of a racist

as my mother is English and my father comes from Barbados, but when he called me a racist in writing and advised people not to go to my show in a local newspaper, part of the Murdoch empire, a lawyer friend advised me to sue which I did and won!

“One good thing to come out of that was my next show entitled Nik Coppin is not a racist.”

For some years now, Nik has been organising regular comedy stand‐up events in the Costa del Sol and it all came about because he stayed with a friend and met an aspiring comedian who insisted there was a demand for English lan guage comedy.

Sure enough, there is and he now organises three or four sessions each year bringing over various co medians from the UK and other parts of Europe, in cluding his close friend the German comedian Henning Wehn.

The next series of shows take place in December and details of those taking part, dates and venues can be seen at https://www.face book.com/standupcome dyspain/ (although one is in Gibraltar).

“I also run stand up com edy courses in La Cala as well as the odd show spe cially for children so there is plenty of reasons for me to keep coming back to Spain.”

Chatting about some of his other projects, it tran spires that he will be ap pearing in the UK at the Gaiety Bar, Southsea on November 27 at the invi tation of comedian Jim Davidson who is filming a new version of the old TV show The Comedians, with some of the originals like Mick Miller, Roy Walker and Bobby Davro together with some

‘youngsters’ like Nik. Commenting on Jim Davidson who he has worked with before, Nik said “He is a very nice guy but a bit like your favourite uncle who doesn’t always appreciate that what he is saying can be inappropri ate.”

If you can’t get to see the latest shows which are de scribed as most suitable for those aged 18+ (although they are certainly not too blue or offensive) then check out Nik’s latest book ‘Comedy World’ written during lockdown and with a foreword from Henning Wehn.

COMEDIAN: Nik Coppin on stage at Louie Louie, Estepona.

Credit: Nik Coppin

ACCORDING to a report by a national news outlet on Tuesday, November 1, Britain has been helping Ukraine de fend its networks from cyberattacks since the country was first invaded by Russia.

Leo Docherty, a Junior Foreign office Minister said that the damage would have been “very significant” without

Cyber assistance

British assistance, adding that the UK had been forced to strengthen its own defences because of “a very significant cyber threat from Russia.”

He said: “We’re already on the

Petrol power prohibition

A HISTORIC moment as the EU moves to ban fossil fuel combustion cars by 2035. The long­awaited an nouncement was made ahead of the United Nations COP27 climate summit, due to get underway on Mon day November 7 in Egypt.

The legislation will ban the sale of new fossil fuel combustion cars and vans in the European Union as part of the organisation’s ‘Fit for 55’ policy. The cata logue of policies aims to re duce global warming emis sions by 55 per cent by the

end of the decade.

The decision was made after data revealed that transport was the only sec tor responsible for increas

ing emissions during the past 30 years, with a rise of 33.5 per cent from 1990 to 2019.

In the announcement, representatives for the Eu ropean Parliament said it shows that the EU is serious about cutting emissions.

The body said it will now act to try and support the transition to alternative fuel sources, including by in stalling infrastructure in cluding charging points for electric vehicles, after a re port last year found current provision inadequate.

Prison for painting attack

CLIMATE activists have been a jailed by a Dutch court for the attack on famed ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ painting in The Hague. Protestors from Just Stop Oil Belgium were sentenced to two months in prison by Dutch authorities on Wednesday November 2. The Belgian climate activists were jailed for the attack on October 27, which saw one activist glue his hand to the glass covering the iconic 17th century ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ painting. The activists targeted the painting by Johannes Vermeer to draw at

tention to climate change demands.

Staff at the Mauritshuis Gallery where the painting is located said that it was not damaged due to the protective glass covering the paint ing. Protestors explained that they intended to emulate their feeling of loss at the climate change crisis with the loss the art world would feel at the paintings being damaged.

Climate activists have been adopting increas ingly drastic tactics in an attempt to make au thorities take action on climate change.

frontline… We are aware of the threat. We have raised our own preparations and our own defences.”

Ordinarily such activities, which have so far cost the UK around £6.35

million, would be kept secret, howev er, the suggestion is that Russia is aware of the UK’s involvement and therefore the need for secrecy has gone.

This is the first time the British have acknowledged the direct involvement of their spies in defending Kyiv from Russian cyberattacks.

The EU has agreed to ban fossil fuel powered cars by 2035.

Photo credit: Dimitrios Karamitros shutterstock.com

Show of support

POLAND has doubled down on its support for Ukraine by removing Russian commu nist‐era monuments from areas in the coun try. Authorities in Poland announced the de molition of four monuments that expressed support for the Soviet Red Army on October 27. The monuments which dated back to 1945 were demolished by construction workers with heavy machinery including bulldozers and diggers. Most of the four monuments removed were concrete slabs in locations in the south of the country.

The head of the Polish national history in

stitute, Karol Nawrocki, had issued calls for the removal of the statues, saying they rep resented a system that brutally murdered and enslaved thousands, including Polish na tionals.

“This is a monument to disgrace!” Nawrocki said, adding “In 1945, the Soviets did not bring liberation, they brought anoth er captivity. They captured Poland and treat ed it as plundered booty.” Many praised the decision, saying that the current brutality of Russian forces is drawn from the same spirit as the Red Army.

Frost-free October

Betty Henderson

THE coldest village in France registered a frost‐free October, breaking a record that stood for 140 years.

Mouthe, a small village on the Swiss border has previously always experi enced frost in October, since records be gan in 1884.

Previously, the town has registered up to 28 days of frost during the month of October, and this year’s lack of frost has taken residents and international ob servers by surprise.

Officials in the country’s meteorologi

cal agency, including François Jobard, ex pressed concern, saying that the record, along with unseasonably warm temper atures were proof of climate change. Jo bard explained that the weather in the last fortnight of October was warmer than weeks in August during the 1970s.

Officially, the town holds the record for the lowest temperature ever seen in France when it dropped to a shocking ‐36.7 degrees Celsius in January 1968.

French weather authorities said that October was the warmest ever record ed.

Frederiksen fights on

Betty Henderson

THERE were unexpected gains for the ruling cen tre‐left party in Danish elections held on Tuesday November 1. Prime Minis ter, Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrat party gained its best result in 20 years, passing the re quired 90 seats to form a government

After being forced to call an election over a controversial bio‐security policy during the Covid‐19 pandemic, PM, Mette Frederiksen’s gamble paid off, with the party even gaining two seats unex

pectedly.

The ‘red‐bloc’ of Social Democrats won 87 seats in mainland Denmark, one seat in the Faroe Is lands and were projected to win two more seats in the Danish territory of Greenland, securing their majority status.

Frederiksen now wants

to form a broader coali tion in government and will seek the permission of the country’s monarch to end her current govern ment and form a new one.

Frederiksen’s decision to cull the country’s entire mink population to stop the spread of the pan demic had sparked a furi ous backlash from promi nent members of the mink fur trade. The con troversy caused Frederik sen to announce the snap general election in Octo ber, months ahead of the planned election date.

Paintball protection

DRASTIC measures including paintball firing have been authorised by Dutch authorities after reports that overly tame wolves were returning to urban areas. The decision was made on Fri day October 28 after sightings were reported in the country.

One video widely circulated on so cial media showed a wolf passing a visibly panicked young family at close proximity in Hoge Veluwe National Park.

A representative for the local gov ernment announced that it had au thorised the use of paintballs by park wardens to keep wolves more than 30 metres from humans. They explained

that paintballs were chosen since they allowed authorities to see which wolves had already been targeted.

Around 20 adult wolves are be lieved to be living in the Netherlands, but have previously been wild, avoid ing contact with humans. One pack re sides in the Veluwe, another three pairs and 11 lone animals were re ported to live in the country according to a June report.

However, the birth of at least 16 cubs this summer and news of more than 372 sightings this year have prompted authorities to act over fears that the wolves could become aggres sive.

Mette Frederiksen’s party had its best election result.

Photo credit: 360B / shutterstock.com

PRESSEUROPEAN

DENMARK

Salt away

AS climate change continues, it is important to understand how to ensure bountiful crops and researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered how plants manage to react to avoid the intake of large amounts of salt which can badly affect growth.

THE NETHERLANDS

Train wars

THERE is a great deal of opposition from Dutch MPs across the political spectrum against European Union plans to open the Dutch railway network to foreign companies even on mainline services. The Dutch fear a worsening of the service to passengers if this happens.

BELGIUM

Ferry good news

SHIPPING company DFDS is reportedly considering reintroducing the ferry service between Belgium and Scotland which was terminated in 2018 following a fire on the Finlandia Seaways ferry. Initially for freight, but possibly passengers later, it would run from Rosyth to the port of Antwerp Bruges.

GERMANY

Dodgy donut

DRUG smugglers try all sorts of tricks to hide their stash but in a first, Bavarian border officials making routine checks on passengers on a train arriving from the Czech Republic were suspicious of a passenger’s donut and found it full of crystal meth.

FRANCE

Chinese police

AFTER the Dutch government was alerted to the existence of secret offices run by Chinese police, France has now become aware of two operating just outside of Paris and the Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that it is monitoring for any breach of the law.

NORWAY

Greedy MPs

IT’S not just British politicians who have been accused of ‘troughiteering’ as a scandal has broken out in the Norwegian Parliament with some MPs being fined for living in state owned properties, whilst renting out their privately owned accommodation for a profit.

FINLAND

Bright idea

A GROUP of enterprising Finnish students in Seinäjoki have come up with a novel way of raising money for a school trip by offering to change motorists’ summer tyres for winter tyres for €20 a car, whilst the drivers enjoy a coffee and snack.

IRELAND

Gate to Hell

MANY believe that the concept of Halloween can be traced to a cave in County Roscommon which for centuries has been known as the Gate to Hell and was the birthplace of the Festival of Samhain, where at the end of October the gate to another world opened.

ITALY

Ponte Vecchio

ALTHOUGH it is not suffering from any structural damage, the Florence City Council has announced that it will, for the first time in the bridge’s almost 700 -year history, spend €2 million to give the world-famous Ponte Vecchio bridge a face-lift to touch up the ravages of time.

PORTUGAL

TAP attraction

NOW that the Portuguese government has made it clear that it could consider some form of privatisation of its airline TAP, front runners of those who appear to be showing interest are IAG, owners of British Airways and Iberia, easyJet and the Air France KLM Group.

UKRAINE

Diverted shells

ACCORDING to a White House spokesperson, North Korea is allegedly helping the Russian military efforts in Ukraine by secretly supplying the Putin regime with artillery shells which are ostensibly due to go to the Middle East or North Africa, but get diverted en route.

SWEDEN

Spelling error

THE head of the Swedish Tourist Board is upset that foreigners interested in taking a holiday in the pretty west coast area of Halland are automatically being diverted by search engines to sites concerning not quite so pretty Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland.

Cutting down FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

Spanish pensions

THE elderly in Spain can ex pect an increase in their pen sion payments of 8.5 per cent next year, even though inflation dropped back to 7.3 per cent in November ac cording to an announcement by the Minister responsible, José Luis Escrivá on Thursday November 3.

Money talks

A UK subsidiary of mining company Glencore has been found guilty of paying bribes to officials in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria in or der to obtain rights to obtain oil and a Judge at Southwark Crown Court has fined them £182.9 million and confiscat ed £93.5 million.

Porn fine

GIJON‐based Spanish start‐up tech company Techpump Solutions, which amongst other projects, runs at least five porn sites has just been fined a total of €510,000 in a crackdown by the Spanish Agency for Data Protection (AEPD) for not adequately controlling access to minors.

Capital gains

AS reported in The Tele graph, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering raising funds in a manner which will be more acceptable than in creasing income tax, by cut ting capital gains tax relief which will be seen as hitting those with the most money.

Crumbs

AFTER initiating a review in June of this year, the UK Competition and Markets Authority announced on Fri day November 4 that it be lieves there could be compe tition concerns after Cérélia Group Holding SAS took over the Jus‐Rol business and therefore controls much of the home pastry market.

STAT OF WEEK €3 billion

€10 BILLION GREEN DEAL

SPAIN has struck an initial €10 billion green deal with Maersk to supply energy to fuel its new fleet of ves sels.

The Danish company plans to in troduce 20 new ships powered by green methanol starting in 2023/ 2024 and subsequently increasing the number of vessels, so that by 2040 it is completely green.

In order to achieve this aim, Maer sk needs to be able to ensure an in creasing volume of suitable fuel and its top brass have been in discussion with the Spanish government for several months over the possibility

of Spain supplying part of the supply.

On November 3, President Pedro Sánchez met with the CEO of the AP Møller‐Maersk Group, Søren Skou to announce that a deal had been struck thanks in part to Spain’s acces sibility, availability of renewable en ergy and commitment to the Green Hydrogen strategy.

To this end therefore, the two par ties have signed a General Protocol for Collaboration to explore the op portunities for large‐scale green fuels production in Spain.

The intention is to create two new production plants, one in Andalucia

and the other in Galicia and Sánchez said “This project is perfectly aligned with Spain’s strategy of reindustriali sation, fair energy transition and the green hydrogen roadmap, making progress in fulfilling the European Union’s common decarbonisation commitment.”

If all goes according to plan, the in tention is to create around 85,000 jobs within Spain to supply around 10 per cent of the shipping compa ny’s requirements with a total in vestment from the company and several national and international in vestors.

Black Friday bargains

LIKE many other marketing ideas Black Friday started in the USA and became popu lar, as the day after Thanks giving was when people start to think about their Christmas shopping and took the day off following the public holiday.

This year it takes place on Friday November 25 and will be followed by Cyber Monday on November 28, but with the current eco nomic crisis, specialist con sultancy firm Retail Eco nomics predicts that sales for Black Friday as well as Christmas will be measur ably lower than previous years, based on polls taken in eight countries including

the UK and Spain.

One major international online platform eBay has made a conscious decision to promote the circular economy and on Black Fri day will encourage shop pers towards purchasing

second‐hand items, espe cially clothing and guaran teed refurbished electricals, as it found in 2021 that there was a huge increase in these areas.

Amazon probably has the largest number of special

deals but these are initially aimed at subscription paying Prime Members, although there are without doubt many deals to be had from the company and their affili ates.

One problem however is that as some companies be gin to cut back on instore promotions due to large crowds, so it becomes more difficult to identify whether online price cuts are genuine or if the site posted a higher price on one day several months ago. Consumers can benefit from special promo tions and make savings, but should always do their re search in advance in order to find the bargains.

A SURVEY suggests that more peo ple want refurbished tech due to the global cost of living crisis ac cording to second‐hand mobile phone outlet SellCell.

Of the 6,000 people in America and the UK contacted, a surprising ly large 41.54 per cent indicated that they would be looking to re place existing phones and tablets with refurbished rather than new hardware simply to save money.

Some 28.7 per cent said they will be buying second‐ hand goods as part of an intention to help pro mote the circular economy.

In addition, almost 60 per cent in the UK confirmed they will be visit ing discount supermarkets.

Cheaper Netflix

IN the last year, streaming giant Netflix has lost around one million viewers worldwide and seen its shares drop accordingly. Worried that the current cost of living crisis is likely to see more people saving money by cancelling their subscrip tion or moving to rivals, Netflix is offering a reduced rate in some 12 countries, including Britain and Spain, whereby programmes will be interrupted by advertising.

The company expects that it will not only keep or even attract view ers who feel they can afford the re duced price, but hopes to make up the reduction in subscription fees by selling advertising space to ma jor brands.

Serbian trade

SPAIN’S Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maro to, visited Belgrade capital of Ser bia for meetings with President, Aleksandar Vučić on November 3.

She chaired an economic forum aimed at strengthening trade and investment relations between Spain and Serbia as well as signing two agreements concerning fi nancial and technical cooperation in infrastructure matters.

The agreement includes the identification and execution of pro jects that facilitate the transfer of technology and exchange of knowledge between the countries.

A further agreement concen trated on the financing of studies, consulting services and technical assistance by Spanish companies.

is the amount that the Box2Bit company intends to invest in building two macro data centres in Recas (Toledo) and Torija (Guadalajara)

Credit:

ENERGY SUPPLY: Pedro Sánchez flanked by Maersk executives.

Credit: Jose Cabezudo flickr

BLACK FRIDAY: Consumers benefit from special promotions.

3I Group 1.235,50 1.242,00 1.225,00 53,37K

Abrdn 176,95 177,35 173,30 584,28K

Admiral Group 1.909,5 1.966,7 1.868,8 23,28K

Anglo American 2.941,0 2.972,0 2.919,0 181,59K

Antofagasta 1.258,50 1.281,00 1.249,00 69,24K

Ashtead Group 4.820,0 4.866,0 4.785,0 73,56K

Associated British Foods 1.500,8 1.524,5 1.462,5 206,58K

AstraZeneca 10.652,0 10.652,0 10.576,0 112,71K

Auto Trader Group Plc 541,00 541,00 531,00 121,01K

Aveva 3.139,0 3.147,0 3.130,0 137,47K

Aviva 432,90 433,70 430,00 278,46K

B&M European Value Retail SA358,00 358,20 353,00 102,14K

BAE Systems 787,40 795,20 780,00 302,87K

Barclays 155,42 155,70 152,82 3,24M

Barratt Developments 377,40 378,80 371,10 1,36M

Berkeley 3.510,0 3.527,0 3.450,0 44,86K

BHP Group Ltd 2.276,00 2.295,50 2.267,00 206,14K

BP 493,35 498,25 492,15 4,41M

British American Tobacco 3.355,0 3.370,8 3.350,4 12,50K

British Land Company 375,70 379,20 375,50 469,25K

BT Group 116,20 116,60 114,90 1,36M

Bunzl 2.900,0 2.907,0 2.875,0 18,26K

Burberry Group 1.965,0 1.965,0 1.919,0 115,30K

Carnival 677,3 680,8 665,0 42,56K

Centrica 77,34 77,68 76,44 353,84K

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.986,0 2.007,0 1.960,5 202,79K

Compass 1.865,50 1.870,50 1.852,50 87,31K

CRH 3.189,5 3.219,0 3.186,0 35,90K

Croda Intl 6.486,0 6.504,0 6.414,0 11,42K

DCC 4.659,0 5.000,0 4.512,0 196,27K

Diageo 3.637,5 3.640,5 3.611,5 191,65K

DS Smith 296,90 300,60 296,00 429,84K

EasyJet 373,50 375,10 363,00 361,01K

Experian 2.700,0 2.705,0 2.669,0 47,35K

Ferguson 9.638,0 9.670,0 9.550,0 25,11K

Flutter Entertainment 11.625,0 11.810,0 11.595,0 36,57K

Fresnillo 770,80 776,00 763,00 45,80K

Glencore 521,80 527,20 518,00 4,92M

GSK plc 1.384,51 1.384,51 1.364,61 166,92K

Halma 2.165,8 2.169,0 2.129,0 44,88K

Hargreaves Lansdown 803,60 806,00 797,60 55,24K

Hikma Pharma 1.271,00 1.271,00 1.246,00 25,72K

HSBC 479,35 479,85 475,95 1,47M

IAG 128,20 128,34 126,16 2,26M

Imperial Brands 2.138,00 2.141,00 2.129,00 93,52K Informa 571,80 573,20 568,00 101,27K InterContinental 4.700,0 4.705,0 4.664,0 22,40K

Intermediate Capital 1.133,50 1.140,00 1.117,50 45,85K

Intertek 3.821,0 3.827,0 3.784,0 27,52K

ITV 72,18 72,38 70,36 1,06M

J Sainsbury 217,60 218,40 216,50 399,70K

Johnson Matthey 2.029,0 2.039,0 2.007,0 14,42K

Land Securities 584,20 586,80 582,60 108,25K

Legal & General 237,50 238,10 236,00 591,64K

Lloyds Banking 42,87 43,05 41,95 18,22M

London Stock Exchange 7.696,0 7.732,0 7.652,0 32,90K

Melrose Industries 123,15 123,90 122,15 514,38K

Mondi 1.528,00 1.533,00 1.518,50 82,62K

National Grid 968,40 971,00 956,40 629,03K

NatWest Group 240,20 240,30 236,70 1,03M

Next 5.276,0 5.300,0 5.212,0 29,56K

Norilskiy Nikel ADR 9,10 9,10 9,10 0

Ocado 659,40 670,80 657,40 155,31K

Persimmon 1.225,0 1.240,0 1.200,0 715,55K

Phoenix 546,80 549,60 546,00 355,86K

Prudential 900,00 904,00 889,20 291,37K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.638,0 5.644,0 5.588,0 66,81K

Relx 2.284,00 2.285,00 2.262,00 152,03K

Rentokil 531,00 532,20 524,80 357,60K

Rightmove 505,20 507,20 499,50 111,60K

Rio Tinto PLC 5.017,0 5.051,0 4.914,0 232,72K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 86,24 86,46 84,40 3,61M

Rosneft DRC 0,20 0,20 0,20 0

Sage 721,00 721,20 709,40 121,98K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.115,00 1.116,50 1.112,50 1,37K

Schroders 406,7 407,1 402,1 51,17K

Scottish Mortgage 744,80 746,80 734,20 233,05K

Segro 771,40 776,00 764,40 200,92K

Severn Trent 2.570,0 2.576,0 2.549,0 37,59K

Shell 2.464,0 2.483,0 2.460,5 1,06M

Smith & Nephew 1.037,50 1.043,00 1.029,00 158,41K

Smiths Group 1.559,00 1.561,00 1.548,50 63,21K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 10.930,0 10.985,0 10.865,0 0,16K SSE 1.571,00 1.572,50 1.550,50 97,10K

St. James’s Place 1.074,00 1.078,00 1.064,00 36,64K

Standard Chartered 560,80 562,00 554,00 370,31K

Taylor Wimpey 93,88 94,04 92,18 3,42M

Tesco 227,40 227,90 225,30 1,11M

Tui 138,95 139,45 137,60 222,75K

Unilever 4.032,5 4.036,0 4.009,0 117,89K

United Utilities 958,40 961,20 949,20 130,68K

Vodafone Group PLC 105,44 105,56 104,60 5,99M

Whitbread 2.525,0 2.530,0 2.501,0 20,89K WPP 808,40 808,80 792,20 405,36K

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3M 124,68 125,15 1,91M

American Express 146,98 147,54 143,76 2,85M

Amgen 277,02 277,48 267,75 2,92M

Apple 138,92 139,15 135,67 83,01M

Boeing 164,91 166,70 160,63 10,18M

Caterpillar 228,61 229,13 222,67 3,38M

Chevron 185,61 186,38 182,11 7,52M

Cisco 44,55 44,98 44,40 21,36M

Coca-Cola 59,49 59,77 59,24 8,83M

Dow 49,50 49,53 48,31 5,85M

Goldman Sachs 362,56 362,96 358,52 2,51M

Home Depot 290,27 291,70 282,84 3,06M

Honeywell 209,77 210,24 207,14 2,67M

IBM 138,34 138,70 136,51 4,02M

Intel 28,41 28,47 27,89 33,71M

J&J 172,98 173,85 171,44 6,23M

JPMorgan 131,37 132,29 130,48 11,96M

McDonald’s 276,41 278,08 275,07 2,84M

Merck&Co 100,07 100,36 97,67 8,29M

Microsoft 227,87 228,41 221,28 32,83M

Nike 93,44 96,87 92,67 7,75M

Procter&Gamble 136,50 137,19 135,06 6,72M

Salesforce Inc 144,59 144,93 138,77 7,22M

The Travelers 184,13 184,54 182,92 1,27M

UnitedHealth 545,02 546,95 535,47 2,43M

Verizon 37,19 37,44 36,98 19,68M

Visa A 200,10 200,44 197,17 7,81M

Walgreens Boots 38,59 39,13 37,70 12,45M

Walmart 142,45 142,97 141,26 3,59M

Walt Disney 100,43 101,56 98,99 11,30M

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Swedish Match AB (publ) +2.42 +29.95%

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Certara, Inc. +2.09 +19.58%

Syneos Health, Inc. +4.30 +16.73%

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. +3.79 +16.18%

LATAM Airlines Group S.A. +0.0538 +14.69%

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. +0.0500 +14.29%

Eurobank Ergasias Services and Holdings S.A. +0.1260 +14.25%

GDS Holdings Limited +1.32 +13.79%

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PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna Tbk -11.72% 65,610

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BUSINESS EXTRA

Closing down

HAVING taken over the failed McColl’s 1,160 stores, Morrisons has now announced that whilst it plans to convert the majority into small Morrisons Daily conve nience stores, it will close 132 as there is little chance of them ever be coming profitable, but will redeploy their 1,320 staff.

Dearer loans

THE Federal Reserve, America’s Central Bank has increased its lending rate by 0.75 per cent to range from 3.75 to 4 per cent, the highest figure since 2008 and this may encourage European Central Banks including the ECB to follow its ex ample.

Everyone out

THE Communication Workers’ Union has sug gested that its 115,000 Royal Mail members should choose Black Fri day (November 25) and Cyber Monday (Novem ber 28), two of the com mercially busiest days of the year to strike, after rejecting a pay offer of 9 per cent spread over two years.

GetGo coming

TESCO announced on November 1 as it opened its second GetGo store, which is in Islington, that it will expand the trial with additional stores in London and Birmingham.

The idea is that shop pers use an App to shop and pay without scan ning a product or using a checkout, although for customers who prefer to know exactly how much they are spending there will be the option of us ing a self‐service or at tended checkout if they prefer.

Staff will also be on hand to check the age of those purchasing alco hol.

Brits top tourists

BRITISH tourists are still the top spenders in Spain as the government confirms ever‐growing figures for both September and the first nine months of the year.

According to Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, during September some 1.8 million Brits visited Spain, spending €1.96 billion (an average of €1,185 per person).

The September overall number of visitors stood at 7.8 million which is 88.4 per cent of the number who came to Spain in September 2019, but their spend of €9.243 billion was 96 per cent of the September 2019 figure.

Reyes Maroto, said that “the data confirm that in September the re covery trend in tourism activity was maintained, cutting the difference

with 2019 even more than in August.

“Taking into account the current climate of general economic uncer tainty and high inflation, these fig

ures demonstrate the great re silience that Spain is showing as a destination, which continues to pre sent positive prospects for the re

UK interest rate hike

mainder of the year, as reflected by indicators such as airline schedules and reservations.”

The main destinations for tourists in September were the Balearic Is lands, with 1.9 million tourists; Cat alonia, with 1.65 million and Andalu cia with 1.1 million.

Cantabria, Castilla‐La Mancha and the Principality of Asturias received more international tourists in September than in the same month of 2019.

The number of British visitors in the first nine months was almost double that of the second and third placed countries, Germany and France and with the expectation that Spain could well be a great place for British ‘energy tourists’ this winter the figures are expected to continue to grow.

Inflation down

Credit: Bank of England flickr

ALTHOUGH core inflation in Spain re mains at 6.2 per cent in October ac cording to the initial forecast by the National Statistics Office (INE), overall, when factoring in food and energy prices there is a downwards trend.

The September inflation final figure was 8.9 per cent, but the INE expect the October figure to drop to a health ier 7.3 per cent, which will be the low est in eight months and is well below the massive 10.8 per cent recorded in July.

The October figure can be attributed to lower electricity costs as well as (to a lesser degree) a drop in the cost of gas.

More jobs

UK interest rates jumped 0.75 per cent to 3 per cent, the largest increase since 1989 in a bid to re duce inflation, which in Septem ber stood at 10.1 per cent.

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MCP) wasn’t unanimous in its decision an nounced on Thursday November 3 and although all nine members wanted to see a rise, one want ed 0.25 per cent and another 0.5 per cent.

To some extent, the MCP was following on from recent increas es by both America’s Federal Re serve and the European Central

Bank, but it was also making the decision without being fully aware of the contents of the Chancellor’s next budget which now falls on November 17.

The intention to increase inter est rates is to make borrowing more expensive and therefore see less demand from both con sumers and businesses which the MCP hopes will reduce the demand for certain goods and keep prices down.

The problem of course is that by reducing demand there is the risk of companies making fewer sales, investing less in growth

and development and if the country topples over into long term recession, then jobs will be at risk and the government will need more money for social sup port.

The reversal of the majority of the poorly considered tax cuts announced by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on September 23 has given the MCP some guidelines concerning the likely content of the November 17 statement, but it does not rule out further interest rate hikes if it considers the UK economy needs them.

OVERALL, the employment situation in Spain continues to be encouraging with a further 16,095 enrolled in social security in October, with some 20,240,450 in work which is 400,000 more than at the beginning of the year.

There have been more jobs for wom en as well as graduates and the num ber of unemployed has also fallen by 27,000 with the total of 2.91 million the lowest October figure since 2008.

The negative however is that unem ployment amongst those aged 25 or under, whilst still historically low com pared to previous years, stands at 212,118 and the figure continues to rise slightly each month.

TOURISM ACTIVITY: Minister Maroto at the opening of a new Parador Hotel.

Credit: Reyes Moroto Twitter

RATES INCREASE: Andrew Bailey Governor of Bank of England.

THE BBC’s editing of Sunak’s first ap pearance on Prime Minister’s ques tions was a positive disgrace. Even though I’m not too keen on this man, who has not been too commendable on his trip to the top, I am however a tremendous advocate of fair minded comment and opinion.

The BBC shows exactly the oppo site. To my mind Sunak was pretty compelling in his first appearance. Apart from a rather limp response with his reasons for reselecting the home secretary, his replies to Starmer were lively and pretty much on the ball. Not too difficult when you’re re plying to the hypocritical queries of a phoney politician.

The PM question time was followed as per usual by the BBC’s ‘Politics Live’, which had of course hastily edit ed the piece so they could immediate ly demean the new Conservative leader. With their usual barely con cealed hatred of the right, the editing woke mob had totally cut most of the new PM’s, often sensible answers to Starmer’s ridiculous demeaning ques tions. In the BBC news editions later

Woke editing mob

in the day however, they had of course subsequently readjusted some of their utterly biased editing to make a little more sense; a disreputable practice which they have been prac tising for years.

Some eons ago, I clearly remember getting up early one morning, and, af ter turning on the BBC news, wit nessed then PM Tony Blair giving an inconceivably miss‐directed speech that could have seen him completely hounded out of the Labour party. It was so bad that I actually woke up the wife and inveigled her to into get ting up, so we could watch the repeat on the next newscast.

Unbelievably, when it came on they had edited it so intently that all the damaging baloney had been eliminat ed; so much so that the wife and I had a bit of a tiff and she went back to bed! It’s time the BBC was replaced. The lefties and wokes all need sacking and it must be put up for sale to a re spectable ownership, one that be lieves in free speech and proper democracy.

The present licence needs to be re placed by one that contains strict reg

ulations. They should of course pre sent properly cast, non‐biased pro grammes to comply with all compos ite demands and non‐racist protocols.

Ol’ Elon Musk would be about right. His purchase of Twitter may be a good example of how a free speaking unbiased TV company needs to be run. Just this week he published the following quote. ‘At its heart, woke ness is divisive and hateful. It gives malicious people a shield to be mean and cruel. Armoured in false virtue’.

Let’s see how he goes. His directives for freedom of speech certainly get the thumbs up from this ol’ boy. If I had a few billion I’d put myself up. Still, at least I’m with a great publica tion that enjoys similar obligations.

Keep the faith.

Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. and Fri. 1pm till 4.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Well-being in retirement

HEALTH and well­being is crucial at every stage of life, but particularly in retire ment. After busy careers, it is understandable that re tired people want to relax and do less activity. But ex perts say that incorporating some physical activity into your daily routine can do wonders for your health and well­being, avoiding later health problems.

Physiotherapists say that older people should switch from sitting to standing as much as possible through out the day to avoid back problems. Sitting puts a lot of stress on the spine, so experts recommend stand ing and walking around more regularly throughout the day.

Try a fitness class. Re search says that over 65s should do 150 minutes of exercise a week to main tain a healthy lifestyle.

There are plenty of fitness classes available in Spain for all ages. Many gyms of fer varied programmes throughout the day includ ing gentle classes such as yoga, as well as more in tense exercises. Taking a fitness class is also an excel lent way to make new

friends and enjoy social time.

Spend time on an activity you enjoy. Retirement can be a good time to try a new hobby or spend time on an old pastime you love. Do ing activities that bring us pleasure is an excellent way to boost well­being.

Trust you are worth loving DISCOVERING EMOTIONS WITH

BETINA VON HOHENDORFF

TALKING about love changes nothing. Ex periencing it and talking about it changes everything.

Nothing is more transformative than knowing that we are loved.

To love is to give each new day a chance without always talking about past mis takes.

Sometimes in human relationships we look for reasons not to be at peace. We look for reasons to doubt.

The only power we have against unbelief is trust.

And trust is a decision.

It is knowing how to trust, knowing that we may or may not be betrayed.

Distrust generates emotional chaos, disharmony, doubt, disbelief, and insecuri ty. Not only for the one who does not trust, but much more for the one who suffers constant accusations of mistrust.

Love is not only to be given, but is also to

be received. Accept love without casting every conceivable doubt upon it. Love has to circulate in two directions, giving and re ceiving.

The hardness of old failed relationships has unsensitised us.

The fear of suffering prevents us from feeling and re­feeling love in us again.

Avoid harshness as it solves nothing and give rise to chaos.

Life is full of colours, and you must allow yourself to feel and see these colours.

You have had a bad relationship and you put up walls, you only believe more in black or white and live in grey.

Allow yourself to be loved and allow yourself to feel and remember the feeling of love. Allow yourself to trust your heart again.

My advice: Give you heart a chance to be open for love.

Trust that you are worth being loved again.

Love Betina www.mindovers.com 0034­699 327 363

STAY HEALTHY: Experts recommend doing things you enjoy during retirement to boost your well-being.

Photo credit: giuseppelombardo / shutterstock.com

Autumn nailcare

AS we head towards winter, many of us experience season al health and beauty changes. As with all seasonal changes, autumn and winter affects nail health. Here we give some top tips from beauticians on how

to keep your natural nails in tip­top condition year­round.

• Stay hydrated Staying hydrated is crucial to keeping your nails hydrated and maintaining growth throughout the winter. You

can also try taking a vitamin supplement such as biotin which boosts hair and nail growth. There are plenty of vi tamins which can naturally strengthen the keratin in nails.

• Moisturise

Skin and nails tend to get dri er and flakier with cooler weather. Moisturise your hands, paying ­particular atten tion to your nails after washing your hands to lock in moisture. Try using a cuticle oil daily to create a barrier between the nail and the outside elements.

• Strengthen

Invest in a nail strengthening serum. As weather gets cooler, nails become more brittle. A strengthening serum can pre vent breakages by replenishing moisture and reducing natural nail thinning which occurs in winter, building strength.

• Be gentle Resist the temptation to rip off or bite nails that break. In stead, gently use a nail file or pair of scissors to remove breakages while limiting your risk of infection.

By Clinica Britannia

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED) is when there is a persistent inability of getting and keeping an erection firm enough for sex. Ongoing ED problems are com mon and can cause a lack of sexual de sire which can have a negative affect on your self­confidence and personal relationships.

Surprisingly it is estimated that half of all men over the age of 40, will have at some degree suffered with ED, many of them in silence due to embarrass ment.

Keep in mind that problems getting or keeping an erection can also be a sign of an underlying health condition. Stress anxiety, tiredness, being over weight, depression or the excessive in take of alcohol can also be attributing factors.

Now available is a non­invasive Ex tracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT), this is a clinically proven method and has been used for treating

ESWT: A clinically proven method.

various medical conditions. ESWT is a treatment which works by producing a painless microtrauma in the way of shockwaves to the penis area enhanc ing the generation of new arteries, thus improving the blood circulation, enabling an erection. Making healthy lifestyle choices like taking regular ex ercise, drinking less alcohol, and stop ping smoking can help with ED.

Don’t suffer in silence and put un necessary strain on your relationship, contact your GP for more information.

Don’t suffer in silence with erectile dysfunction, there really is help available

By Clinica Britannia

Regular check-ups

WHEN I was younger my Mum always took me for a six monthly dental check, something which I have neglected to do since leaving home. Is it really so important?

Many of us only visit the dentist when we have a Dental Emergen cy, but by taking a pre ventative approach and having regular checkups, potential issues can be identified early enough to treat them before they become a problem.

Even the most fastidi ous person can fail to clean the hard­to­reach places in their mouth, with a good example be ing the back molars, which are notoriously hard to keep clean.

Remember that when preventing dental issues rather than having to cure them will work out more cost effective for you.

During your dental health check your den tist will thoroughly ex amine your mouth, pay ing particular attention to your teeth, gums and

tongue, looking for the warning signs of tooth decay and gum disease, which may be too subtle for you to have noticed for yourself. Sometimes they may need to take an X­ray to help check for these warning signs.

The whole process is quick and painless so please do not worry.

Your dentist will keep you keep you up­to­date on what treatment is necessary, fully discussing all the options available to you.

CHECK-UPS: Identify issues before they become problems.

FOLLOWING the hugely suc cessful inaugural National Camping Conference held in Malaga last year, the event re turns this month, from November 15­17. The event has become one of the most important weekends on the calendar for the up­and­com ing camping aspect of the tourism industry.

This year’s edition is set to be hosted by Asturias city, Gi jon and will see businesspeo ple from across the industry discuss all manner of camping experiences in the country.

This year’s conference will have a sustainable focus, con sidering eco­tourism and cy cling­tourism options to cater towards a changing market with an increasingly environ

Camping showcased

discuss the future of camping in Spain in fascinating talks, discussions, workshops and exhibitions.

Winter hot spots

mentally­oriented audience.

Conference hosts will also discuss economic strategy for camping experience hosts in cluding how to save on energy

A FASCINATING report has revealed the camping trends experts expect to be biggest in Spain in 2023. A leading camping website commissioned a re port to discover the latest styles in the industry, and there were some surprising additions…

Back to basics

Survival skills, foraging and wild cooking are just some of the experi ences campers seek. The pandemic and natural disasters like wildfires are encouraging people to leave

bills and campsite costs as well as attracting tourists who want cheaper holidays that traditional resorts experience. Industry experts will also

An exhibition space at the conference will serve as the perfect window into the in dustry for anyone who works in the industry, anyone who goes camping regularly or that would like to try their first camping experience. Industry experts will be on hand to showcase the most exciting camping activities available in the country, as well as tourist attractions and tantalising treats from diverse cuisines.

The latest trends

creature comforts behind. Retro glamour Nostalgic getaways including with retro caravans were a top pick, as people try to escape reality, off­grid.

Culture shock

More than 56 per cent of Spaniards want to leave their comfort zone, experiencing a dif

ferent culture. Virtual camping

Thirty­two per cent of Spaniards said they would consider a virtual break, with an online experience.

Wellness retreats

Mental health is a focus for many, searching for the balance between ‘mind, body and soul’

MYTHS, LEGENDS AND RUMOURS

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

I RECENTLY came across a story of vaguely green­coloured garments and human remains found in Nottingham Forest. The newspaper article shrewdly identified the remains as ‘believed to be those of Robin Hood’. Presum ably because everyone who’s seen the movie knows Robin Hood wore green. Frequented Not tingham Forest. And is dead.

And the photograph? A bleached white skeleton bearing a remarkable likeness to those in any biology class dressed re splendently in Lincoln green with all teeth in tact. This incredible find by a ‘Nobel­winning sci entist’ was originally pub lished in one of the UK’s tabloids.

Which made me wonder which other

myth simply doesn’t stand up to closer examination?

‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out’. Or: don’t break out the UK barbie until May’s over. Really? Apart from the past exceptional year, it’s more like July/Au gust before it’s warm enough to moth ball those winter woollies.

Basically, these ‘myths’ are just metaphors, never meant to be taken lit erally. Straight out of the ‘I saw you coming’ school of coffee table books…

Give me crime fiction any day ­ seeing the good guys win, loose ends tied up and final justice (as happens, fans assure me, in all my 11 thrillers).

Nora Johnson’s criti cally acclaimed psycho logical crime thrillers (www.nora­johnson.net) all available online in cluding eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, au diobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

As one end­of­season report found that more than 64 per cent of people in Spain planned to take another trip before the end of the year, camping remains a top choice due to sustained warm temperatures, long in to autumn. Here we take a look at some top destina tions for a camping trip in Andalucia before tempera tures drop.

El

Palmar

The town in Cadiz Province is a top choice with surfers and beach lovers, with warm temperatures lasting this year past the All

while camping.

Pleasure and Business

Unlike before when people took advantage of business trips to take a break, now travellers want to take advantage of business opportuni ties even while on camping holi days.

Budget breaks

As the cost of living crisis bites, many still want to travel but will now opt to do so on a tighter bud get.

SALLY UNDERWOOD POLITICAL ANIMAL

AS the fallout of Sir Gavin Williamson MP’s expletive­laden messages to exchief whip Wendy Morton rumbles on, it poses the question; do we need to wait until all the facts are out be fore we remove someone from public office?

Or is a serious complaint in itself enough to mean public figures should be ousted immediately?

Rightly, politicians face more scruti ny ­ at least from the press ­ than head honchos in many other sectors. It’s difficult to imagine the boss of, say, Waitrose being doorstepped by paparazzi in similar circumstances. But where’s the line between holding public figures to account and turning the whole process into a trial by me dia?

Certainly, if the leaked messages are true and there is a pattern of ag gressive behaviour, there is no place for a bully in cabinet or anywhere else.

But by making allegations like this public first, does it actually help the process of getting to the bottom of what’s happened? Or does it just add fuel to the already raging fire of pub

Saints’ bank holiday, and ex pected to continue. The town is perfect for family and friend camping trips, with plenty of accommoda tion choices available and beaches within walking dis tance. Don’t miss out!

Orgiva

Orgiva in Granada is the perfect autumn camping lo cation, with beautiful forests offering colourful orange and red seasonal hues. As well as being surrounded by stunning scenery, campers can take delightful walks in the Sierra Nevada National Park and take in gorgeous views.

Olvera

Also located in Cadiz Province, a distinctive An dalucian style is present ev erywhere in this town. Campers can soak up culture this autumn in the town with its whitewashed houses steeped into the hillside, rolling hills covered with olive groves, narrow winding streets, iconic church towers and stunning castle.

Bully boy?

lic contempt for politicians, even be fore all the facts have come out?

On the other hand, for any hard ened bullies, scoundrels, or other general miscreants lurking on the par liamentary benches, will the threat of public shame ­ whether found to be in the wrong or not ­ serve as a deter rent for potential misdeeds?

Maybe a better question is, given the current low opinion of politics in general, does the average person even care? Or has the time for view ing politicians as human beings ­ with all their flaws, frailties and frustra tions ­ already gone forever?

Time will only tell. But one thing is clearer; even if the former defence secretary ­ who has expressed “re gret” at the messages ­ isn’t found to have acted improperly and keeps his job, the public furore makes it diffi cult to see a meaningful way forward for him back into public graces any time soon.

Sally Underwood was previously an aide to several former cabinet mem bers and now contributes her news and views on the Houses of Parlia ment in her Euro Weekly News col umn.

EXCITING: The National Camping Conference in Gijon will exhibit the best experiences in the industry.

Photo credit: JGA / shutterstock.com

NoraJohnson’sopinionsareherownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

Nora’s latest thriller.

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: 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.

LEARN FROM THESE FACTS

IN reply to Susan Farrell Han nah’s complaint about Ger man nudists on the beaches in Mallorca, firstly, the Spanish Constitution permits public nudity, virtually anywhere, as long is there is no sexual activi ty or deliberate provocation to cause offence…

I am also concerned about your comment relating to ‘Germans’/’Men & Women’ being naked in front of chil dren… Interesting to note that Germany has a low sex crime rate and most of those are car ried out by foreigners.

Also, 70 per cent of USA sex crime prisoners admit that they were raised in a family environment where they were taught that the human body was something to be ashamed of and that nudity was immoral.

Perhaps we should learn from these facts that we need to re­educate ourselves and our children respecting other na tions’ more mature attitude to wards nudity and stop trying to connect it to sex / immorality.

Patrick Walker

No balanced view

Not only do I concur with A Fowles’ comments in EWN Issue 1947, but I won der why you allow the likes of Mr Lee to write such ab surd right­wing clap trap in support of the British Con servative party, without any other dissenting views to be published regularly as a bal ance.

Charles Markuss

Excuses excuses

Why has our attitudes changed so much. It doesn’t

seem like we are capable of taking responsibility for our ac tions anymore. There is a rea son or excuse for everything, why can’t the politicians or celebrities just take ownership,

if they screw up, as we all do, just put your hands up and say I was wrong or it was my fault, I just think that some people need to get a backbone.

OUR VIEW

NEXT Sunday, November 13 is Remembrance Sunday in the UK and is particularly poignant for a number of reasons.

It will be the first since the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and therefore as it is intended to honour those who have fallen, it will highlight once again that whilst we remember those who were killed in earlier wars, that there continues to be fighting in different parts of the world all of the time.

Secondly many will look back at the numer ous occasions that Her Majesty Queen Eliza beth II took part in the laying of wreaths over the decades and it is only when she was preg nant and in 2021 that she was unable to per form that duty, even though her presence was always felt.

This year however the King will lay a wreath in his own right as Britain’s monarch which will be different in design from that which his mother used to lay.

Whilst he will be accompanied by many mem bers of the Royal Family, both Prince Andrew and Prince Harry will not be taking part and it is reported that Prince Andrew was told prior to the death of the Queen that he will never be invited again to take part in any event as a member of the Royal Family.

The majority of other countries commemorate their losses on different dates but here in Spain, many branches of the Royal British Legion in ar eas with significant British residents will per form their own ceremonies and as usual there will be a major event taking place in Gibraltar which has been so connected with the British Armed Forces.

Standard of care in imaging diagnosis for animals

IN Ciudad Quesada (Rojales), El Centro Veterinario de Diag nóstico por Imagen de Levante (Veterinary Imaging Centre is equipped with the most cutting­edge imaging technologies, providing veterinarians with advanced ultrasound, 1.5 tesla MRI and 32­slice CT services.

Ultrasonography is helpful to evaluate soft tissue and fluid structures. Moving organs may be evaluated during motion, such as the beating heart, flowing blood and contracting in testines.

Computed tomography is a diagnostic procedure that uses special x­ray equipment to obtain cross­sectional images of the body. Split­Bolus Single­Pass Multi­phased Abdominal CT is used to visualize hypeiuand hypovascular tumours and vascular malformations. MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radiofre quency pulses and a computer to produce detailed images of organs, soft tissues, bones, vessels and virtually all other internal body structures.MRI is commonly used to examine the brain, spinal cord, muscles and soft tissues of the abdomen. These de tailed images allow radiologists to better evaluate and deter mine the presence of certain diseases that may not be assessed adequately with other imaging methods, including CT.

CT and MRI can help veterinary internists solve puzzles and enable surgeons to prepare operations with greater accuracy. www.resonanciaveterinaria.es

Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante C/Los Arcos 23, Ciudad Quesada Rojales. Tel: 609 779 109

Accessories for pets

NEWS that designer brand Hermès is launching a line of pet accessories, joining other brands that cater to pets including Pra da and Versace reignited a debate about what acces sories your pet really needs. Here we consulted some expert advice to find out what you need to con sider when buying pet ac cessories.

Firstly, experts say you should consider your pet breed and personality when deciding what to buy it. If you have a cat that sleeps a lot, you might not need to buy as many toys as if you have an en ergetic kitten. Similarly, with grooming acces sories, you should choose combs, shampoos and nail clippers that are appropri ate for your pet breed to help them look their best. Consider the purpose. While a dog coat might look adorable, it isn’t al ways appropriate for the weather. Think about how much use you will get out of accessories before buy ing them.

Evaluate the cost. Pet expert, Sharon Jones said it is worth choosing acces sories made from more durable and expensive materials such as a leather­based collar for your dog if you take it on walks often. The more ex pensive the accessory, generally the higher the quality, but it is not always worth it, if you won’t use it.

The world of pet accessories can be tricky to navigate if you don’t know what you are looking for.

Photo credit: New Africa / shutterstock.com

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LLIBER CASITA, LONG LET. One bedroom en suite, lounge, sepa rate toilet and shower, kitchen din er, patio and outside space, gas central heating, plus log burner. Parking. €280 per month, plus electric, Tel 620 767 964

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OTHERS

byMarkSlack

IF you have a limited bud get yet want an ‘interest ing’ car, what do you choose? There are many excellent super minis on the market, but arguably many are transport rather than some thing to raise a smile. Well, Hyundai may have the answer with the i20N. The N range is Hyundai’s sporting line up and as my previous test of the i30N proved they are incredibly quick, well han dling cars, yet retain the practicality needed for workaday usage.

Hyundai’s i20 prices start from €21,742/ £19,035 but the N, it’s a single model, with its 204PS, 1.6­litre tur bocharged petrol engine costs €28,839/£25,250. This pocket rocket will reach 62 mph in 6.2 sec

Hyundai i20N - a supermini sporting benchmark

fortable on the motorway and longer journeys. It feels very grown up inside and doesn’t show any sign of budget cuts to fund its performance. There are some hard and scratchy plastics, but it’s a much nicer interior than Ford’s Fiesta ST.

Standard equipment on the i20N includes keyless entry and go, heated front seats, high beam assist, auto dipping

rear view mirror, heated steering wheel, powered and heated door mirrors, air conditioning, the list is lengthy and comprehen sive.

I am fortunate to drive many different cars, but this little Hyundai is with out doubt one of the most enjoyable and memo rable. In terms of equip ment, performance and fun for your money it’s pretty much unbeatable.

Facts at a Glance

six­speed manual gear box. No automatic option here. There’s real sporting pedigree to Hyundai’s N range and the i20 makes for a highly entertaining drive. It’s a properly grown­up performance hatchback.

Launch control enables you to set up for the quickest standing start possible, it’s fun but in re

use on the road. Enter some track days, which you could with the i20N, and it potentially be comes a much more use able feature. A more onroad performance feature is Rev Matching, which is effectively double declutching, that makes smoother, more sporting gear changes.

There’s a limited slip

lent power to weight ra tio. However, even in ‘econ’ drive mode the ride is pretty firm, but you know what you’re buying into with this kind of car. This is not only one of the most entertaining cars for the money, but one of the quickest cross country hatches money can buy. Yet unlike many cars of this ilk it’s perfectly com

Model: Hyundai i20N

Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol

Gears: 6-Speed manual

Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 6.2 seconds/Maxi mum Speed 230 kph (143 mph)

Economy: 7.0l/100km (40.4 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP)

Emissions: 158 g/km (WLTP)

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment lev els and prices may vary in other markets.

SPORTY: In terms of performance and fun for your money, it’s pretty much unbeatable.

Emergency triangle going

AFTER a change to Spanish motoring rules last July, meaning that the emergency triangle is no longer neces sary, its replacement V­16 emergency light is becoming more popular.

Authorities announced that the V­16 will completely replace the emergency trian gle, becoming obligatory from 2026. Here we outline the change, so you can be prepared for any situation.

What is the V­16?

The V­16 is a small flashing light, used to alert other ve hicles of your presence. The

light, which is visible from more than 1,000 metres away, is placed on top of the car’s roof above the driver’s window.

Why is it replacing the tri angle?

Authorities are making the V­16 light obligatory for mo torists in Spain to reduce the risk of pile­ups and further crashes after an initial emer gency.

Unlike with its predeces sor, drivers only need to place the light on their car roof, rather than standing on a potentially dangerous

road, trying to set up a piece of equipment to warn other cars. It is also visible from further away.

When will it be compulso ry?

The Spanish Driving and Li

censing Authority, the DGT, announced that the light will be obligatory for drivers from January 1, 2026. By this date, drivers will have to ditch any remaining triangles and carry a V­16.

Photo credit: jordi.magrans / shutterstock.com

EMERGENCY WARNING: A new light will replace the triangle which was previously compulsory after it was described as ineffective and even endangering.

BARCELONA and Spain legend Gerard Pique announced in an emotional video on his official Twitter profile on Thursday, November 3, that he is retiring from foot ball after 14 years at Camp Nou. He re vealed that the LaLiga match on Satur day November 5 was his last.

Pique has had a trophy‐laden career with the Catalan giants, winning a total of 31 medals, while making over 600 ap pearances for the famous Spanish club. The 35‐year‐old defender has won the Champions League four times and picked up eight LaLiga winners’ medals.

“I have always said that after Barcelona there wouldn’t be another team and that’s the way it will be. This Saturday was my last game in the Camp Nou,” said Pique in his video.

SPANISH rider Augusto Fer nandez has become the new Moto2 World Champi on after Ai Ogura crashed in Valencia.

“And just like that, Au gusto Fernandez is the 2022 Moto2 world champion!”

wrote Freelance MotoGP journalist Simon Patterson on Sunday, November 6 fol lowing Ai Ogura’s crash.

The Mallorcan is the 24th

Barca legend retiring

“I will become a regular fan. I will sup port the team. I will pass my love of Bar ca to my children like my family did with me. And you know me. Sooner or later. I’ll be back. I’ll see you at Camp Nou. Long live Barca. Always.”

He joined Barca in 2008 after a spell in England with Manchester United. Pique was an integral part of the all‐conquering Spanish international team that won the 2010 World Cup, followed by the 2012 European Championships.

Between both club and country, Pique has collected a staggering 37 tro phies.

Spanish moto2 champion

Spanish world champion.

Fernandez was leading by 9.5 points and had enough points to claim the title with a third‐place fin ish, even if his Japanese ri

val won.

However, he did not need to cross the finish line to become champion, as on the eighth lap Ai Ogura crashed out.

Fernandez finished sec ond behind teammate Pe dro Acosta.

VR46 rider Celestino Viet ti was 59 points ahead of the Spanish rider as the championship leader after the Portuguese Grand Prix on April 24, however, Fer nandez’s excellent run of form and results means he ended up 106.5 points ahead of Vietti.

Sacked after 5 games

LALIGA side Elche FC have sacked their manager after less than a month back in the job.

The decision to sack their manager was announced on Monday, November 7 via a statement from the LaLiga side.

“Elche CF an nounces that Jorge Almirón has decided to step aside as coach of the first team. The Club sincerely appreci ates his work during this second stage in which he as sumed, with great professionalism, the responsibility of managing the first team at a delicate moment,” it said.

“The Club’s Technical Secretary, Sergio Mantecón, temporarily takes charge of managing the team to gether with the Club’s staff and coaching staff, and was in charge of managing the game on Tuesday November 8, against Girona FC.”

Almirón was sacked in 2021, but brought back after the Costa Blanca club sacked Francisco Vílchez last month.

Since his return, however, Elche have failed to win.

The side based in Alicante’s Elche drew twice against Espanyol and Valencia and lost to Real Madrid, Getafe and Real Valladolid.

Image: rarrarorro/Shutterstock.com

Spanish football legend Gerard Pique with the 2012 Euros Trophy.

LaLiga side sack manager after just five games in charge.