Costa Blanca South 16 – 22 March 2023 Issue 1967

START YOUR ENGINES!

SPAIN’S government has finally announced that UK licence holders in the country will be able to exchange their driving licence for a Spanish one without taking an exam from Thursday, March 16.

The period to allow Brits already living in Spain to do this will be six months. Anyone moving to the country after March 16 will also be given six months.

Announced by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, March 14, the news puts an end to travel misery for thousands of expats left in limbo after the Spanish government brought extensions allowing anyone who hadn’t exchanged their licence before December 31, 2020 to continue using their UK licence to an end last May.

Brits will now be able to ‘canjear’ (exchange) their UK licence with the DGT for a Spanish one. Existing category permissions (for example, ability to drive heavy goods vehicles or motorbikes) will also be honoured.

Spanish living in the UK will similarly be

ON Saturday, March 11, La Zenia Boulevard celebrated its Looking for Models Gala.

Over the past two months more than 1,500 people have participated in the campaign. The gala is being held to choose the models who will be part of the upcoming Zenia Boulevard photo sessions and communications.

Filipa Palhim, Head of Marketing for Zenia Boulevard confirmed: “This is an

able to exchange their licences under the agreement.

The government’s statement said: “The Council of Ministers has approved the agreement by which Spain and the United Kingdom will offer reciprocal recognition and exchange of driving licences as well as the exchange of information on traffic offences.”

The news means existing traffic offence information will also be exchanged between the two countries.

Those wishing to exchange their licence can now contact the DGT directly to arrange an appointment to do so.

They will first need to check they have their paperwork in order, including proof of residency, and take a short ‘psychophysical’ test. This includes basic health tests (including eyesight, blood pressure) a psychological test and a mobility test.

Model material

inclusion initiative and commitment to the real beauty of our shopping centre.”

“This campaign, organised every year by the centre, has as its main objective to encourage all those who have always wanted to be models and who have never had the courage to do so.”

Zenia Boulevard wants

its clients to have a positive relationship with their appearance, so it helps everyone, especially young peo­

ple, to gain self­esteem and discover their full potential. Located in Orihuela Costa, in a strategic position in the surroundings of Orihuela, it has more than 150 shops.

DRIVING LICENCE: UK holders can now exchange for a Spanish licence.

Credit: Yau Ming Low/Shutterstock.com

East European buyers

HOUSE sales in Alicante Province are spiralling among buyers from Eastern Europe as a result of the war in Ukraine.

The explanation is reportedly that increasing numbers of nationals from the countries surrounding the site of the Russian invasion are desperate to escape the area due to fears about possible future developments in the war.

Eastern European buyers

were said to be one of the main reasons for the exceptional year for property sales in Alicante in 2022, with 31,700 foreign nationals buying housing and setting a new record with an increase of nearly 50 per cent compared to 2021.

More than 6,200 transactions took place among nationals from the 10 countries in the area surrounding Ukraine, more

than double the number for 2021.

In other words, Eastern European buyers accounted for nearly 20 per cent of all property sales in Alicante last year. And more specifically, sales to Ukrainian nationals nearly tripled from 376 in 2021 to 1,036 in 2022.

As a result, Eastern Europe is currently the fifth main market for foreign property in Alicante.

Elche Half Marathon

ONE British runner sprinted to success at Elche’s Half Marathon on Sunday, March 12.

Ben Connor took home first place in the 21 kilometre race with an impressive time of just 1:05:09. Meanwhile, the Moroccan athlete, Hilali Siham, emerged as the winner of the women’s general classification with an incredible time of 1:17:27.

The 50th anniversary edition of the event, boasted 3,200 participants from 30 countries as well as participants from 95 per cent of the regions in Spain. The race is the oldest of its kind in the world, having started in 1968. However, the golden edition of the

marathon was marred by the tragic death of a 21-year-old participant who collapsed after crossing the finish line. Despite receiving immediate medical attention, the young runner sadly passed away in hospital. Elche City Council issued a statement expressing its condolences to the bereaved family.

The race was described as “extraordinarily tough” by Elche City mayor, Carlos González, who participated in the event himself. He explained that the extreme weather conditions, including high temperatures and strong winds, had made it difficult for both elite and amateur runners to perform.

NIBS EXTRA

Tourism treat

THE long­awaited opening of Orihuela’s new tourist information centre took place on Monday March 13. The state­of­the­art building was opened in a ceremony where tourism officials also formally delivered SICTED tourism quality awards to winners from last year.

Guys & Dolls

AN Elche golfing group has a fantastic end to the month of weekly golf competitions with 30 players taking to the green. Eileen Knight took first place in the Ladies Monthly Bull Competition while Dave Foster won the weekly competition.

Rising stars

AUTHORITIES in Orihuela announced that the city will provide two new classrooms for the youngest students in the region. Two local schools will offer new classrooms for children aged two to three years, bringing the total to 11 classrooms in Orihuela.

Singing success

STUDENTS in a Torrevieja youth choir were rewarded for their vocal talent as they were selected to take part in a music contest in Asturias. Torrevieja Symphonic Choir took part in the prestigious Certamen Marinera de Candás over the weekend.

Temp solution

ORIHUELA will begin the summer tourism season with portable toilet facilities available to beach visitors. The news is a welcome development for beach users who have been waiting for the reopening of the regular beach bar ‘chiringuitos’ with toilets inside.

Fake goods

POLICE seized 133,000 pairs of counterfeit designer shoes from two warehouses in Elche and Madrid. €76,000 in cash was also removed from the premises as 10 people were arrested.

Targeting the Germans

VISITELCHE attended the ITB fair in Berlin with the Elche brand to attract tourists from Germany. For the first time, Elche had its own space to show what is on offer in the city within the stand of Turespana. The fair, which this year celebrated its 56th edition, had the participation of 180 countries from five continents, with some 10,000 exhibitors spread over an area of 160,000 square metres and an estimated turnover of some €6,000 million.

Betty Henderson

SPANISH local elections are just around the corner ­ in May, and the Partido Independencia Orihuela Costa (PIOC), is on a mission to encourage residents in Orihuela Costa to get out and vote.

In an effort to engage with the English­speaking community and to ensure that they are informed and empowered, the PIOC will be holding a series of clinics at venues around the region, from Monday, March 20.

Several information sessions will be

ITB FAIR: Elche had its own space.

Germany is the third largest tourist destination for Spain, after the United Kingdom and France. The German

YOUR EWN HAS

tourist market is one of the most important in the world, with 77 per cent of its population taking at least one holiday trip a year.

Germany is the third country that spends the most on tourism in the world, behind China and the USA.

For the Valencia Region, the German market is also the third largest issuer of tourists in terms of volume of expenditure (€635.2 million) with an average expenditure of €1,083 per tourist and an average daily expenditure of €101.70.

Empowering Orihuela voters

held throughout the month. The schedule is as follows:

Di Stefano’s ­ Monday, March 20 at 1pm

Lime Bar ­ Tuesday, March 21 at 2pm

Lucky Lion ­ Tuesday, March 21 at 4.30pm

Rumours ­ Wednesday, March 22 at 2pm

Leeson Street ­ Friday, March 24 at

Wine exhibition

THE 3,000 years of Alicante Wine Culture Exhibition will remain on the Vista Alegre promenade in Torrevieja until May 8 where the vast winegrowing tradition of the area is recreated through contemporary illustrations.

The DOP Alicante is one of the oldest in the world. The ‘Alicante’ brand for wines made in this area has been known since ancient times, always associated with a certain quality and style. That makes the denomination own 90 years of recognition.

The verification of the existence of vineyards and wineries goes back thousands of years. And with them the fixation of a culture associated with this crop that together with the olive grove and the almond tree is the basis of an original Mediter­

148 STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Beat bobbies

SANTA POLA has plans to add 16 new officers to the Local Police force during 2023.

2pm

The aim of the sessions is to provide residents who are eligible to vote with all the information they need to make an informed decision when it comes to casting their vote in the local elections.

From the ins and outs of the voting process to the different parties and candidates that are vying for your support, the PIOC is here to answer all your important questions.

Well caught

ROUND one of the Carp­RUs Spring Series was fished on the Eden 3 stretch of the Rio Segura (upstream of the CV91 road bridge). Several members of the club had fished the stretch over the weekend and caught well and, with the weather predicted to be warm, a good day’s fishing was hoped for.

2.12kg caught on feeder and bread was Graham Booth and fourth, again with a single fish was Jeremy Fardoe with 1.68kg.

Further information about the club can be found on its website www.carp ­ r ­ us. weebly.com or on the Facebook page Carp­R­Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

The town hall confirmed that two new patrol vehicles will soon be added to the fleet, two motorbikes and two quads which will be used for the surveillance and security of the beaches.

The councillor for Security, Ana Blasco, confirmed: “The government team has been fully committed to reinforcing security, personnel and the material resources of the staff.

“We have incorporated bulletproof vests for the officers and we have introduced PDAs to facilitate the work of the officers.”

The councillor added: “There will soon be new developments in this regard, such as the incorporation of a drone for security tasks and services.”

In less than a month’s time, work is due to begin on the new Local Police station in Gran Alacant, which will be located next to the shopping centre.

ranean diet and today also protected.

Amphoras, boats, exports, popular culture, trade unions, the bourgeoisie and recognition: The Alicante wine tradition is marked out by these suggestive themes and important milestones at all times.

Some 10,200 hectares of vineyards, some 2,200 viticulturists and nearly 45 wineries today form the Alicante Denomination of Origin.

However, neither the weather nor the fishing turned out to be what was expected. Most of the day was overcast with a stiff breeze and the fish just didn’t seem to be interested in feeding.

The winner of the match, it’s good to see he’s finally remembered how to catch fish, was Roy Dainty who had 4.94kg on pole and bread. Second, and continuing his good run, was JohnPierre van de Cruysson who managed 2.50kg on his ‘winkle ­ picker’ and maggot. Third with a single carp of

Image: Elche City Council

Exhibition will remain.

Mother’s Day

UK Mother’s Day is this Sunday, March 19, so don’t forget the flowers, chocolates and extra goodies for your mothers this weekend. Mother’s Day takes place on the fourth Sunday of March, exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday.

In the UK a Mother’s Day tradition is that of baking a simnel cake, a light fruit cake with two layers of marzipan. As Mother’s Day falls in between lent this is known and represents a relaxation fasting rules tarditionally also known as Refreshment Sunday.

If you are unsure on what colours to wear this Sunday green is known to represent the protective nature of mothers, while yellow alludes to an optimistic outlook towards life for children.

Coincidentally the date for UK Mother’s Day this year is the same day as the Spanish Father’s Day. Spanish Mother’s Day is on May 7.

Rock Against Cancer

ON Tuesday, March 7, a group of local businesses held their first charity event at the Oasis Bar in Benijofar.

Rock Against Cancer would like to say a big thank you to Angie and her staff for keeping everyone fed and watered and for helping to organise the event.

The local businesses that joined in to help included Sandra Oracle readings, Pink Lake Creations, Bonita Olivia ladies and children’s clothing and Catanza Jewellery.

Dutch’s Rugby Store joined in the fun with lots of different items, from Rock Against Cancer t­shirts, mugs, bracelets etc as well as Hard Rock Cafe, Harley Davidson t­shirts and a lot more, with all of the money going straight to the cause.

As the first event at the Oasis Bar, it was a very successful day for all concerned and

Rock Against Cancer is looking forward to holding the event at the bar on the first Tuesday of every month.

Rock Against Cancer’s next charity event will be held on March 28 at the Stagger Inn in Rojales, followed by the Oasis Bar in April.

All the support they receive is truly appreciated.

Joining the dots

ORIHUELA is gearing up to host the annual congress of the European Network of Cultural Centres (ENCC) from Wednesday, March 29 to Friday, March 31. This year’s event has the theme, ‘Joining the dots. Practices and imaginaries for post­fossil cultures’ and will feature knowledgeable speakers from across Europe and beyond. The conference will explore sustainability practices and new cultural concepts, and will also include visits to local cultural space and is expected to attract representatives from around 3,000 cultural centres from 27 countries.

The mayor of Orihuela, Carolina Gracia, said that hosting the event is a great opportunity for the city to become known for its cultural heritage work and to participate in the ever­advancing world of digital technology and environmental awareness.

Hosting the conference is expected to lead to an increase in tourism and investment in the local economy. It is also a chance for cultural sites in Orihuela and the wider region to exchange ideas and learn about accessing funds from Europe Creative for cultural activities. Free registration is available for residents of Orihuela, who can sign up through the ENCC website.

A successful day for all concerned.

Meaning that the voice is an amazing gift, both a privilege and a responsibility that should be used. The origin of this proverb is unknown but can be dated to back to the time of Shakespeare’s Othello, The Speeches and Silences of Women.

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

129 million girls are not in school including 32 million of primary school age.

“A woman’s voice is meant to be heard, not silenced.”

A RECENTLY

formed group named ‘Walk and Talk’ is making great strides in offering a sociable gathering for members to meet up on a monthly basis for an informal chat and easy exercise. The members take part in a leisurely stroll along picturesque and easily accessible areas around Torrevieja and its neighbouring areas. The strolls vary in length but are not too strenuous, so anybody with mobility problems can usually still take part.

Walk and talk

fort break along the way before concluding in time for lunch.

The last meeting took place at Mil Palmeras on March 11, where 27 members enjoyed the sunshine and a well earned cuppa.

Fuller details of this particular group’s activities, as well as all the other activities available to the U3A members can be found on the Torrevieja U3A Facebook page or the association’s website torreviejau3a.org.

The walks are normally held on Saturdays, starting about mid morning and include a com­

CAMPOVERDE Amateur Theatrical Society (CATS) have performed their first production, which was a comedy play by Sue Townsend called ‘Womberang’. The performance took place in ‘The Madhouse’ near La Fuente Orihuela.

The play is set during the 1970s in a Gynaecology Clinic of a General Hospital.

Four of the cast are multi talented Sonrisas Harmony Chorus members. As well as starring in the play Susie Wyatt also directed this production. She was helped greatly by An­

First comedy play

nie Williams as Producer, Pete Wyatt as Stage Manager and David Lang as Stage Crew.

Mrs Lovett (played by Cheryl Jenkins) and Mrs Conelly (played by Jenny Wils) are sat anxiously awaiting their appointments. Lynda (played by

Lorraine Daw) arrives heavily pregnant with her due date in sight. The department Clerk played by Holly Thomson was very true to her profession, enough said! Dr Riley played by Bruce Boswell, poor man, was totally oblivious to the mayhem in his waiting room.

This play is well worth seeing if you get the opportunity, this was a sell out, so watch for details of the next production, or if you would like to join CATS contact Susie on susieba bieq@hotmail.com.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

The first production.

PHOTO CREDIT: CATS.

First event

INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day might be over, but in Orihuela, celebrations are still ongoing. Local mayor Carolina Gracia recently announced the first ever ‘Women and Sports Conference’, which is set to take place on Thursday, March 23 at the CAM auditorium.

Joined by the mouncillor for Equality, María del Carmen Moreno, and the mouncillor for Sports, Luis Quesada, Gracia proudly announced that the event is “groundbreaking for Orihuela and the Vega Baja region” and shared her hopes that it is “the first of many editions to come.”

The conference will cover a variety of fascinating topics including the benefits of sports in our lives, action needed to provide women with more opportunities to get involved with sports, and how to promote equality in the sports field.

The event is completely free of charge, but registration is advised.

Elche fights bullying

Betty Henderson

MORE than 5,000 schoolchildren in Elche have benefited from the anti­bullying and cyberbullying programme launched by the city council and the ANAR Foundation over the last five years.

Elche City Council held a press conference on Thursday, March 9 where they discussed the successes of the programme and announced it will now be rolled out to more schools in the area.

The initiative is aimed at promoting mutual understanding in primary school classrooms by fostering empathy, respect, and assertiveness among students. The programme also features workshops led by two psychologists and has received funding

IN a momentous moment for Orihuela, the expansion of the Vega Baja Hospital officially got underway on Monday, March 13.

City mayor Carolina Gracia highlighted the collaboration between her city council and the regional Valencian government which has allowed the project to begin on time. Joined by health authorities from the regional government and the city council, Gracia signed the plans for the expansion project, marking the beginning of a

from the Juan Perán­Pikolinos Foundation.

The programme also aims to raise awareness of bullying and cyberbullying, to help teachers, students, and families identify the different roles involved in bullying and support victims.

Local councillor for Education, María José Martínez, also highlighted that students rate the programme highly, with an average score of 4.3 out of five. Moreover, 100 per cent of them reported reflecting on the negative consequences of bullying.

The programme’s success is evident in the growing demand for it from schools and families, explained the ANAR Foundation’s regional Director, Teresa Martínez Peral.

Group keep on giving

THE sum of €1,000 was recently donated to San Fulgencio Cáritas, being proceeds from Rojales Pantomime Group’s last performance, Treasure Island. The donation will go to help the needy to buy food and help with lighting and electricity.

The Group’s next Pantomime, later in the year, will be Snow White and The Seven Christmas Elves. Auditions are to be held at the end of March, with rehearsals commencing at the end of April.

The Group are currently recruiting a Stage Manager and backstage crew to help with

Hospital hopes

new era in healthcare for the region.

Gracia praised the dedication of the regional government and thanked the city council for their action in helping to grant the necessary environmental and construction licences to get the project off the ground.

The Vega Baja hospital expansion project is a critical infrastructure de­

velopment that will have a significant impact on the healthcare of almost 200,000 people and has a projected investment budget of a huge €17 mil­

€1,000 was donated.

props and scenery, together with a Costume Manager to ensure that their next pantomime will be a huge success and raise lots of money for charity.

For further information email rojalespanto@ yahoo.com we would love to hear from you.

lion. Gracia went on to describe the project as a positive step for Orihuela and the entire Vega Baja region in providing modern and quality healthcare to all residents. The project will last for just over two years and will increase the hospital’s area by 40 per cent.

“I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.”

Beyoncé Knowles

AGE CONCERN, a non­profit making charity that helps and supports people over the age of 50 of all nationalities in Spain, has launched an urgent appeal for volunteers for their charity shop located at Calle Patricio Zammit, 42 in Torrevieja.

The ideal volunteer would be available in the mornings for shifts in the charity shop, selling clothing and items as well as sorting stock.

The shop is a large, airy space and has a buzzing positive atmosphere with an international clientele as well as a big, supportive team of other volun­

teers and co­workers. The charity is looking for both male and female volunteers to help run the shop smoothly.

The charity shop is a vital part of the organisation’s fundraising efforts which facilitates their work providing essential support to the community. The charity’s mission is to support and

empower older people to live fulfilling lives.

To arrange an interview, interested candidates are asked to get in touch by phone: 966 786 887 . The shop is open from Monday to Friday from 10am until 1.30pm. Age Concern is seeking volunteers who can commit to regular shifts.

Reviving traditions

BENEJUZAR is taking action to preserve its cultural traditions by hosting workshops to teach residents how to build the beautiful artisan floats that are featured in the annual La Pilarica festival and pilgrimage.

This year, Benejuzar Town Hall is coming together with local architect Sara García, to organise a series of workshops to teach the community how to construct the elaborate floats that are a hallmark of the La Pilarica pilgrimage. The goal of the initiative is to prevent the disappearance of

this age­old tradition, which has been a beloved part of the town’s history for generations.

Sara García explained she wants to pass on her expertise as an architect and skilled craftswoman, “As a Benejuzar resident, I’ve spent my whole life seeing and experiencing this tradition up close, and I don’t want to see this artisanal custom disappear over time”

The sessions will take place each Saturday from April 1 until April 29 in the town hall from 10am to 1pm. Sign up through the town hall website.

“It’s okay if you fall down and lose your spark. Just make sure that when you get back up, you rise as the whole damn fire.”

Colette Warden

THE Royal Naval Association Torrevieja Branch Annual General Meeting was a resounding success in March as their membership (Shipmates) swelled by 40 over the last year to 116.

Although many of the Shipmates spend time between the UK and Spain, there were still an impressive 57 Shipmates in attendance.

The Royal Naval Association (RNA) offers free membership and is a UK Registered Charity 266982.

Although primarily founded for serving and retired Royal Naval personnel with the motto ‘Once Navy Always Navy’, it also welcomes all serving

In the navy

or retired military veterans and civilians alike.

The local overseas branch in the Torrevieja area has a diverse mix of members, who are a friendly and engaging group of people who embrace their ethos of Comradeship, Loyalty, Patriotism & Unity while enjoying a variety of social events.

Why not join the fun?

Contact Chairman, Tony Jenkins at Chairman.RNATB@mail. com, call: (+34) 693 866 709 or WhatsApp (+44) 7576 117222

Or just come along and meet them on the first Wednesday of each month at 5.00pm at Lakeview Bar & Restaurant, Calle Toledo 16, Ciudad Quesada, 03170, Alicante.

Parrot seeks permanent home

THE Balaton group, one of the SAMM boat share groups, who operate four six metre keel boats on the Mar Menor have a pet parrot. Unfortunately it keeps getting moved from home to home as it is awarded, from time to time, to a Balaton member who somehow messes up.

Up until recently it had a comfortable home with Dennis but then was claimed by Julian who caught the group’s tender on the jetty while towing it, damaging the transom.

He only had it for a week before it was forced to move again, first to Keith for hitting the reef during the first race on a SAMM race day. Then an hour later on to Paddy, who hit the same reef in the second race the same day. Luckily, because of the very light wind no damage was caused to the boat.

These incidents are few and far between so, if you are interested in enjoying sailing and racing without having to home a parrot, contact Julian via www.facebook.com/thebalatongroup

“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

Hillary Clinton

Determining and proving domicile

Domicile is an important issue for British expatriates. You remain liable to UK inheritance tax on your worldwide assets for as long as you are domiciled in the UK. While it can be possible to change your domicile, it depends on your circumstances and intentions and should be a carefully considered and planned process.

The basic rule is that a person is domiciled in the country in which they have their home permanently or indefinitely – the country you regard as your homeland – ‘the place where you intend to die’. You can live in Spain for years and remain domiciled in the UK.

Domicile and inheritance tax

Anyone deemed UK-domiciled is liable to 40% inheritance tax (IHT) on their worldwide assets. Each individual has a £325,000 nil rate band plus a £175,000 ‘family home allowance’ if they meet certain conditions. Any balance not used on the first death can be passed to the surviving spouse/civil

By Jon Pemberton, Partner, Blevins Franks

partner.

While assets passed from one spouse/partner to another are generally not liable for IHT, this is only when both are UK domiciles. If this applies to you seek personalised advice.

Non-UK domiciles remain liable to IHT on UK assets.

Types of domicile

Domicile of origin – UK com

mon law ascribes a domicile of origin to every individual at birth. Generally the father’s domicile, or the mother’s if single.

Domicile of dependence – applies to women married before 1974, minors and legal dependents.

Domicile of choice – As HM Revenue & Customs explains, “any individual who has legal capacity can acquire a domicile of choice”.

To acquire a domicile of choice you must be physically present and tax resident in your new country and intend to live there permanently or indefinitely.

Since HMRC could look for indications you see Britain as your homeland and may return in future, you need to sever as many ties as possible. Electing for UK succession law to apply over Spanish succession law could also be a tipping point in combination with other UK ties.

In any case, HMRC may treat you as UK-domiciled if you were UK resident for 15 of the last 20

tax year; you return to UK for more than a year, or move to a third country.

Proving domicile

Domicile determination is a highly specialist area; you need professional advice to ensure you get it right. If HMRC determine you are a UK domicile at death, your heirs will face an unexpected tax bill.

HMCR could request detailed information during a domicile enquiry, such as your place and nationality at birth; information on all residences since birth or available for your use; clubs, associations etc that you are a member of; your wills and professional and personal advisers. You’ll need documentary evidence and perhaps personal correspondence, electronic records etc.

Remember, it may be your heirs and/or executor who have to deal with this, so leave the paperwork in order for them.

It is important to take profes

sional, specialist advice; which is very specific to your circumstances and intentions. Couples need to carefully consider if the surviving spouse may return to the UK after the first one dies.

Whether or not you have UK domicile status, there are tax planning arrangements available to reduce your liabilities. An expert in this area will help you establish your domicile status, how inheritance tax interacts with Spanish succession tax, and what steps you can take to minimise unnecessary taxes for your heirs.

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

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

Betty Henderson

MEET Thor, a fearless feline who embarked on a marathon journey that took him from Ciudad Quesada to La Marina. Thor’s adventure began when he disappeared from his home and was found exhausted by the side of the road by a concerned couple in La Marina urbanisation.

After taking refuge with them, the couple called Pets in Spain animal charity for help in trying to locate his owner using their network of volunteers and contacts. Despite the comfort provided by his rescuers, Thor had other plans in mind and headed back out.

Days later, Thor was

Marathon trip

charity, who were able to organise the happy reunion.

The relief of Thor’s owner, Esther, was palpable as she was finally reunited with her furry friend. Thor’s Swedish rescuer, Michele, was also present, happy to have played a role in reuniting the pair.

If you’re ever in a similar situation, the charity’s email is: info@petsinspain.com and their WhatsApp is: 645 469 253

spotted again, this time by a Swedish visitor. She immediately recognised Thor from a Facebook appeal from the Pets in Spain page. She contacted the

The charity also accepts donations, which are gratefully received. Visit www.petsinspain.com for more information.

“I think that we should recognise the potential in everyone and keep our minds open to how amazing people can be, in both the best and worst of times. We learn and grow not just from our own experiences as women but through those of others, too. Difference and diversity can be a force to unite us as surely as our gender, physical form and shared experiences as women do. There is no limit to what women can achieve in life, work and beyond. ”

Carol Wolstenholme, Operations Manager of Moneycorp Spain

VOTING is now open for the Alicante Trade Awards in which more than 100 companies will compete.

Your vote counts

Voting by the public is open until Sunday March 19.

All the companies that are candidates competing can be found and voted for in the vote for your favourite business section on the website https://premiosde comercio.alicante.es

This year the city of Alicante has broken records with a whopping 110 companies from the hotel and catering, trade, crafts and services sectors registered to compete for the 17 awards with prizes valued at €35,000.

The councillor for Trade and Hospitali-

ty, Lidia Lopez, has been very pleased with the response to the campaign promoted by the city council to “boost and recognise our local trade and business sector, as well as to achieve greater excellence and competitiveness in business, rewarding both their daily work, effort, and professionalism in the city.”

The councillor confirmed: “Please vote. In this edition, the economic prizes have been reinstated to recognise professionals and companies in Alicante that contribute to making the city more competitive and better, and with such important economic incentives to help them.”

Humanists of Murcia

THE first events of the year for the Darwinian Gardeners were two visits to the Goat Farm and Cheese factory in Tallante. The group had to have two visits as the event was very popular and the Factory could only accommodate a maximum of 22 people.

The Humanists met at the Restaurant Buen Descanso for a cup of coffee and then walked over to the farm

where they were greeted by Alfonso who gave them a great day.

On Wednesday, March 8, which was a beautiful, sunny day, the Humanists of Murcia Walking Group took a stroll along the beach from Blanca’s restaurant towards Isla Plana and back again.

The walk was followed by an excellent lunch at the Casa NoNo.

If you would like to join the

group for walks, gardening outings, games evenings and lots of lunches you can head to their Facebook page.

Alternatively, you can email humanistsofmurcia@gmail.c om or darwiniangardeners @gmail.com or call (+34) 603 205 649.

For personalised weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies without religion, you can contact the celebrant on (+34) 634 025 711.

Thor is reunited with his relieved owner Michele (left) after being found by Esther (right).

Photo credit: Pets in Spain (via email)

Getting out more

MOVING to our rural community in Galicia, we were more of a curiosity than anything else.

Americans move to the Costa del Sol or the Costa Brava, not the geographical centre of the rainy Spanish province tucked up above Portugal. As far away from the capital, Madrid, as you can get. Let’s face it, where we live isn’t sexy. No one is in a bikini getting a suntan or enjoying a fruity beverage under an umbrella on the beach in midMarch. Where we live is a work ­ a ­ day placefilled with farmers and tradesmen. And tractors.

Everyone here knows everyone else except us. And they don’t need to broaden their circle, especially to include linguistically challenged Americans who dress weird and are always smiling, as Americans are known to do. So, we had to find another way in.

After we moved to the farm, Jeff and I decided we wanted a dog. Our neighbourhood dogs visit regularly, but we wanted one of our own. Finally, a shelter responded to my inquiry, and we adopted our new Labrador, Fergus. And I began walking him on the trails in the area, through villages, and into town.

Barcelona to Amsterdam

At first, people were sceptical of the American woman and her little puppy. Then, they started to stop their chores to pet him. Soon, I began to recognise fellow dog walkers. I would get a tip of the cap or a barely discernible chin nod. Then, they would allow their dogs to interact with Fergus and chat.

Jeff and I were in town recently. A man smiled and nodded at me as we passed.

“Who’s the guy?” Jeff asked.

“Just one of my dogwalking friends. Fergus knows him.”

Jeff just laughed. But he really should get out more.

THE launching of a new sleeper train project has been confirmed by the railway company, European Sleeper.

The company confirmed that: “European Sleeper is very proud to be part of this ambition of the European Commission.

“For the new Dutch­Belgian railway company, the train to Barcelona will be the second route after introducing the Brussels ­ Amsterdam ­ Berlin night train in May 2023.

“The Amsterdam ­ Barcelona night train will strongly improve Europe’s quality of northsouth rail connections. Even more so because one travels efficiently while asleep on the night train, and distances are reduced to just a night away.”

European Sleeper added: “On the way between Amsterdam and Barcelona, European Sleeper is planning to call at Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels and Lille (connection from

THROUGHOUT the month of February the price of rent in Spain rose by 0.4 per cent. This represents a year­onyear increase of 8.7 per cent and the highest price reached in Spain. In the last quarter, the price has risen by 3.4 per cent while in the last year,

London) in the evening and Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Figueras and Girona in the morning.

“European Sleeper aims to start the new night train between Amsterdam and Barcelona in the spring of 2025.

“As a first step, the European Commission will invite all applicants to discuss the pilot projects in detail, agree on potential ways to support them, and further detail the planning.”

Rental prices

the increase is 8.7 per cent.

Thirty­seven capital cities have experienced rises in the price of rented housing over the last month. The most pronounced increase was in

Huesca, where rents rose by 9.6 per cent, followed by Zamora (3.7 per cent), Jaen (3.3 per cent), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (3.2 per cent) and A Coruña (3 per cent).

Leon is the capital in which the price of rent has fallen the most during the month of February (­1.9 per cent).

SLEEPER TRAIN: Planned for spring 2025.

Image: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com

From ice to ice cubes

POLAR air brought snow to the UK while temperatures were forecast to reach 30ºC in southern Spain. The whole European continent this week has seen marked contrast in the weather between the north and south.

From snow in parts of northern Spain last month and snow last weekend in Finland and the UK, the southern regions were much warmer. So far this month, temperatures have been more than 2ºC below average around the UK, and last Thursday parts of northern England and Wales experienced the heaviest snow of the winter. Temperatures also dropped to

SPAIN has the privilege of being the guest of honour at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival as the Marche du Film has invited Spain to be their next guest of honour.

Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of the Marche du Film, confirmed: “Spain is the second country to receive this privilege after India became guest of honour in 2022.

“We are very proud to have Spain as a guest of honour in this very special edition.”

“Spain will have a strong presence in the

Writing triumphs

16ºC in northern Scotland.

In contrast, across parts of south­east Spain temperatures reached the high 20s, and last weekend places such as Valencia and Alicante reached 30ºC or a little higher. For Valencia this is about 10ºC above the climatological average for a mid­March day.

Saturday’s maximums in Spain were predicted to be 26 in Barcelona, 30 in Alicante/Alacant, 25 in Granada, 21 in Madrid, 26 in Malaga, 31 in Murcia, 26 in Sevilla. By contrast, there were yellow weather warnings in place for the UK at the weekend, snow and ice predicted.

Guest of honour

Marche du Film programmes and is looking forward to sharing its ambitious plans to support international co­production and strengthen Spain as one of Europe’s leading audiovisual hubs with the entire professional film community.”

The Marche

du Film is the most important international professional meeting of the film industry.

The Cannes Film Festival will run from May 16 to 24, it brings together 12,500 audiovisual industry professionals in Cannes each year.

Betty Henderson INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY might be over, but there’s still plenty to celebrate, because March is Women’s History Month!

For years, women have been left out of the literary world, but that is all changing now. This month, we are celebrating the trailblazing women who have fought against patriarchal systems and societal barriers to make their mark on the literary world.

Award­winning Jewish author Corie Adjmi knows the power of women’s writing. She describes it as an act of rebellion, advocacy, and empowerment. Through their words, women build empathy, understanding, and connection with readers. They guide, inspire, and influence conversations and outcomes, shaping the literary scene with their unique perspectives and voices. Thanks to

21 injured

A TOTAL of 21 people received medical attention in Valencia on Friday, March 10. Most of them suffered burns as the result of a pyrotechnic accident involving a large firework which exploded. It would appear the firework landed on the ground and its explosion was delayed.

the tireless efforts of feminist movements and the increasing recognition of women’s contributions, women authors are now breaking down barriers, shattering stereotypes, and paving the way for future generations of female writers. So this Women’s History Month, let’s raise a glass to these incredible women.

It’s time to celebrate their triumphs and honour their contributions to the literary world. It’s time to read their works, listen to their voices, and amplify their messages.

The incident occurred during the celebrations for this year’s Fallas events in the city. According to Red Cross sources, none suffered serious burns. Eleven people were transferred to local medical centres.

Of the 16 people cared for by the Red Cross, eight were men and eight were women. In addition, another 21 people received treatment, most of them due to fainting.

March is Women’s History Month.

“ Always believe in yourself, have pride in yourself and don’t take no for an answer. ”

Lorraine Howard, Client Account Manager, Seagate Wealth Management

22% of Spain’s start up businesses are run by women.

THE minister for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sanchez, has confirmed that Renfe has already issued two million subsidised multi­journey tickets throughout Spain.

Consequently, the regional government has a budget of €2.832 billion for 2023, double the funds it was allocated in 2018, to strengthen infrastructures, improve mobility, decarbonise cities and help facilitate access to housing.

The minister said: “This government is allocating all the necessary resources to help those who need it most in the most difficult times.

Subsidised tickets

“We are aware by transforming our transport system, we are transforming Spain, and by investing in housing, we are improving the lives of Spaniards and kickstarting business activity.”

Raquel added: “For those who say the measures are not helping: in Sevilla, almost 87,000 passes have been purchased across Cercanías, Media Distancia and

Avant services since January 1. This figure is increasing to almost 280,000 multi­journey tickets throughout Andalucia.”

“In total, Andalusia has issued more than 271,000 free local Cercanias and conventional regional Media Distancia passes (over 83,000 in Seville).”

Tourists from China

MADRID and Air China are joining forces to work on the recovery of tourist travellers from China.

In 2019 tourism from China reached 200,000 travellers but almost all of them were lost as a result of the Covid ­ 19 pandemic.

The recovery plans, among other measures, involve increasing air connectivity between Madrid and Beijing, as well as resuming promotional activities for the destination in China.

Air China is the leading airline in China. Its main hub is in Beijing, where it offers fast and excellent connections to domestic and international destinations, linking all major commercial and tourist destinations in China. Since February 18 this year, the Madrid ­ Beijing frequency has increased from one to three flights per week.

In high season, Air China plans to increase the frequency by one more to four flights per week, which will allow the arrival of more than 3,000 passengers per month from China.

Air China was the first direct route created by an airline between Madrid and Beijing 17 years ago and is the longest ­ established route in Spain.

Tragic race

A 21­YEAR­OLD runner who died during a half marathon in Elche at the weekend was a Spanish soldier.

Fernando Ayala Collado collapsed when he crossed the finish line apparently due to a heart attack. After first being treated by the medical services at the race, he was taken by ambulance to Elche General Hospital, where he passed away shortly afterwards. It is believed the tragedy was due to the unseasonably hot weather registered at the weekend, with temperatures close to 30ºC.

Elche mayor Carlos González expressed his condolences to the family of the young athlete and called on the municipal medical services to clarify the exact reasons for the accident “on a day on which the race was marked by a strong heat that made it harder than usual on a course with hardly any difficulties.”

“One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time.”

Barbara Walters

Exhumation to go ahead

THE Spanish Supreme Court has given the final go ­ ahead for the remains of 118 victims of the Franco regime to be exhumed from the Valle de los Caídos, the huge sanctuary dedicated to the dictator on the outskirts of Madrid.

Work to unearth the remains of the former Republican fighters in the Civil War began two years ago but was put on hold following an appeal lodged by a pro ­ Franco association.

This week the Supreme Court finally rejected the appeal filed by the Association for Reconciliation and Historical Truth, enabling work to go ahead.

According to spokespeople for National Heritage, the government body in charge of the exhumation work, the authorisation will enable “ending the suffering that this situation was causing the victims' families.”

Controversy has always surrounded the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen). A major development took place in October 2019, when the remains of Francisco Franco himself were removed

Vote of no confidence

from the site and airlifted to Mingorrubio cemetery in Madrid.

The government’s aim was to stop the Valle from being a pilgrimage site for fascist supporters.

Third ‘narcosubmarine’

A THIRD ‘narcosubmarine’ thought to have been used by drug traffickers has been found off the coast of Galicia in northern Spain.

The vessel was located by a fishing boat sailing in the waters of the Arousa estuary, off the coast of Vilagarcía de Arousa. The alert mobilised the Guardia Civil, who inspected the boat in search of a possible abandoned shipment of cocaine although it was suspected that the traffickers emptied the submarine before abandoning it.

This is the third such vessel located in the Rías Baixas area of Galicia since drug traffickers made a first attempt to pick up a shipment from a mother ship a decade ago.

The second was seized in November 2019 with three tonnes of cocaine inside and, although the submarine was handmade, it managed to cross the Atlantic and reach the Ría de Vigo.

This week’s discovery coincides with the seizure of three other ‘narcosubmarines’ by the Colombian Armed Forces, an unusual event that highlights the increased use of this type of transport by traffickers.

SPANISH opposition party Vox has tabled a vote of no confidence against President Pedro Sánchez, set to be debated in parliament next week (March 21 and 22).

The vote is unlikely to prosper, as it does not have the support of any other political group and even the PP, who voted ‘no’ in Vox’s previous vote of no confidence in 2020, have announced they will abstain.

In fact, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo is not even expected to attend the sessions and has been very critical of the move, demanding that the far­right Vox “take Spain seriously.”

Meanwhile, the PSOE and Unidas Podemos coalition government believe this “absurdity” is only directed against the leader of the PP in an attempt to put him in a difficult position ahead of November’s general election.

Other critics believe the vote is simply a way

for Vox to be in the headlines again, as voting polls suggest a decline in support.

The candidate chosen by Vox to replace Sr Sánchez is Ramón Tamames, an 89­

year­old economist and former Spanish Communist Party member who appears to have done a Uturn on his previous political beliefs.

“Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.”

Margaret Sanger

DIFFICULT POSITION: Spanish President Pedro Sánchez.

Image by Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock

Prison for Murcia Region president

A FORMER Murcia Region president has been sentenced to three years in prison for corruption.

Pedro Antonio Sanchez (PP) led the regional government from 2015 to 2017, but before then he had been mayor of his home town of Puerto Lumbreras for 10 years.

It was during his time as mayor that a series of irregularities were committed regarding a project to build a municipal auditorium, which included awarding the contract to a local architect without going through

the official public bidding process in order to claim a €6 million grant from the national government.

A court heard this week that Sr Sanchez and his architect applied for the subsidy without having the project in place, forging the necessary documents and inflating the initial budget by 38 per cent.

The end result was an unfinished building, millions of euros lost and now a prison term for the mayor and the architect.

In addition, Sr Sanchez

has been landed with a €3,600 fine and a 17­ year ban to run for public office.

He has announced that he plans to appeal the sentence at the Spanish Supreme Court.

Foreign investment channels

SIGNIFICANT portions of investment in Spain passes through other countries, but the latest data from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism released on Wednesday, March 8 has revealed the biggest sources of Spain’s foreign investment.

The report found that 41.3 per cent of all corporate investment in Spain in the last five years was channelled through Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Together, the two countries have funnelled a whopping €64.9 billion into the country. Luxembourg, known for its generous tax incentives, is at the top of the list, having channelled €49 billion into Spain, while the Netherlands, currently in the news for Ferrovial’s decision to relocate its headquarters there, has concentrated €15.878 billion of investment in Spain. Germany is also a significant player, accounting for 12 per cent of the investment flow to Spain, totaling €19.494 billion, with most of the investment being direct.

Despite the significant investment that comes to Spain from countries that offer lower tax rates, such as Luxembourg or the Netherlands, tax avoidance remains one of the biggest problems for the Spanish Tax Agency.

Jobs for Spaniards

WANTED: Workers are required to fill various jobs.

GERMANY is offering several job opportunities to Spanish workers to come and work in their country.

According to a news source, Germany has launched a series of job offers aimed at Spaniards, most of which are in the service and industrial sectors and for which, in many cases, it is not necessary to know German.

The job openings have been posted on Spain’s State Public Employment Service (SEPE), where people can find different types of offers to fill jobs not only in Spain but also abroad.

People looking for these opportunities

need to go to the SEPE website and visit the job offers section, where they will find a notice that says ‘Germany is looking for workers’.

A starting salary of €2,800 per month with a permanent contract is also being offered in some cases. The openings include car rental sales agents, sports and children's entertainers, waiting staff, cooks, bus drivers, electricians, service employees and nurses with B2 German. Others include construction site managers, heating pump mechanics/adjusters with A2 German, production workers, food preparers and jobs in construction as well as other industries.

Struggling through

ONE third of Spanish people struggle to make it to the end of the month.

According to a new nationwide survey carried out among 2,000 residents throughout the country, 41 per cent of interviewees manage to save “very little,” while 36.4 per cent “just about” make it to the end of the month.

Among those who are worse off, 10.3 per cent admit having to use their savings to pay for monthly bills and nearly 6 per cent have been forced to take out loans to cover their living expenses.

In all, households in Spain have suffered a significant loss of purchasing power, with ever increasing electricity bills, mortgages and food bills, which are now nearly €900 higher a year.

“Extremists have shown what frightens them most. A girl with a book.” Malala Yousafzai.

Going once!

GET ready for an exciting event that will not only satisfy your shopping cravings but also help to make a difference in the lives of children in need.

On Saturday, March 18, Plaza39 located in Plaza Sierra Castillo in San Fulgencio is hosting a charity auction, and it promises to be a fabulous experience for all.

Starting at 12pm, guests will have the opportunity to preview the lots that are up for auction. Information about the lots will also be uploaded onto Facebook on the Plaza39

auction page where guests who can’t be there in person can also bid.

From home and garden essentials to electrical appliances, jewellery, tools, one­of­a­kind collectibles, and high­quality clothing, there’s something for everyone at this auction.

Once the preview is over, the real fun begins at 2pm when the auction gets underway. With a wide variety of items up for grabs, the bidding could get intense, so guests should remember to bring a competitive spirit and their wallets.

A portion of the funds raised will go towards Elche Children’s Home, whose vital work helps to fund the Baix Vinalopo Children’s Centre.

Items are still required for the auction, anyone interested in holding a table is asked to call: 865 756 119 or WhatsApp: 643 282 332.

Betty Henderson

SHREK THE MUSICAL is a beloved theatrical production that has captivated audiences around the world, based on the Dreamworks classic.

Now, the residents of San Fulgencio will have the opportunity to experience this magical show for themselves in a Spanish language version at the Teatro Cardenal Belluga on Sunday, March 19 at 7pm.

The theatre will play host to a free performance of Shrek the Musi­

Shrek: The Musical

cal, giving local families and theatre ­ lovers the chance to experience the magic of this beloved story in person.

With free entry until the venue reaches capacity, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce young ones to the joys of live theatre and witness a thrilling and entertaining production.

The musical follows the same basic story as the original film, with a few

tweaks and additions to make it work on stage. We meet Shrek, a solitary ogre living in a swamp, who suddenly finds himself on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a fierce dragon.

Along the way, he faces a series of challenges, all while learning the true meaning of friendship, acceptance, and selflove.

ARE you ready to jive the night away? If so, it’s time to mark the calendar for Thursday, May 4, because Posh Affaire is returning to the stage for another incredible musical fundraiser at the Centro Cultural Virgin del Carmen in Torrevieja.

The evening will kick off with the immense Posh Affaire, bringing classic hits from the 60s and beyond to the stage. With foot ­ tapping tunes from iconic bands like Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John, and Queen,

Big Band

the Big Band will have the audience grooving in no time.

Joining them will be Simon John and Claire Colton, two incredibly talented performers who will add their own unique flair to the night's proceedings.

The night isn’t just about the music, but is also a chance to support a great cause.

The event is being held in aid of

the AFA Alzheimer Torrevieja charity.

The Torry Army club of Englishspeaking supporters of Torrevieja Football Club are also thrilled to be supporting the event, making it a true community effort.

Tickets are available for a suggested donation of just €5, and can be purchased from the Torry Army office in San Luis, the Centro Cultural in Torrevieja, Big Radio offices in Ciudad Quesada, or by contacting Posh Affaire directly through their Facebook page.

People in San Fulgencio will have a unique opportunity to see Shrek.

Photo credit: Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons

Bank boost

IN 2022, the European Investment Bank (EIB) poured €72.5 billion into various projects around the world, with Spain receiving a significant chunk of that funding.

The country was awarded €9.961 billion, making it the second­highest recipient of loans from the EIB, just behind Italy, which received €10.090 billion. France came third with €9.960 billion in funding.The data released on Thursday, March 9 revealed that Spain’s investment from the EIB represented 0.76 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2022.

Spain accounted for oneseventh of the EIB’s total loans, a significant achievement. Over half of the bank’s loans to Spanish projects have been allocated to support climate action and environmental sustainability.

A record­breaking €5.182 billion was assigned to four key areas of action including sustainable cities and regions and small and medium­sized enterprises (SMEs).

Around €2.485 billion in funding was allocated to Spanish SMEs.

Gas supply dominance

Betty Henderson

AFTER a year of diplomatic tensions between Spain and Algeria over the issue of independence for Western Sahara, Algeria is back to being Spain’s primary supplier of natural gas.

According to figures released on Thursday, March 9, Algeria topped the list of Spanish gas suppliers for the first two months of 2023. The North African nation accounted for 24.2 per cent of Spain’s gas imports in the first two months of 2023 with its Medgaz pipeline.

Algeria surpassed the United States who supplied 21.7 per cent of Spain’s natural gas in January and February, down from around 40 per cent in parts of 2022.

Spain continues to receive significant amounts of gas from Russia, which accounted for almost 20 per cent of Spain’s demand

cent in the same period last year.

This shift is largely down to climatic factors, Spain experienced a milder winter than expected, resulting in lower demand for gas.

Digital reading

THE Spanish digital book market is growing at an unprecedented rate globally and the latest report released on Thursday, March 9 revealed that Spain is leading the charge. According to the Annual Digital Book Report by Libranda, Spain sells the most digital books out of the Spanish­speaking world.

Spain is responsible for a staggering 66.3 per cent of digital book sales in Spanish, followed by Mexico and the United States. The report also stated that the Spanish digital book market is thriving as a whole, with a 4 per cent growth recorded worldwide,

including a 5 per cent increase in Spain in 2022. The market reached a whopping €119 million in sales last year, with €79 million of that coming from Spain and €40 million from the rest of the world.

What’s more, nearly 7 per cent of books read in Spain are now read in a digital format, a figure which rises to 40 per cent for some titles. The majority of sales are made through international online platforms such as Amazon, Apple, and Google, though there was also a significant increase in sales for traditional bookstores and independent online platforms.

Tourist spending

in the first two months of 2023, up from just 8 per

The good weather conditions have resulted in underground gas storage facilities in Spain being 79 per cent full in February, a 43 per cent higher than February 2022.

JANUARY tourist spending in Spain reached €1.7 billion in the Canary Islands alone.

A total of 1.2 million international tourists arrived in the Canary Islands, spending a total of €1.7 billion, representing an increase of 58.5 and 50.9 per cent, respectively, indicating the figures have reached 2019

levels when no travel restriction was imposed. According to data by the Institute National Statistics Office (INE), 29 per cent of all tourists arrived in the Canary Islands, while 33 per cent of these came from the UK. The Canary Islands also represented a total of 32.7 per cent of total spending in Spain.

The Medgaz pipeline from Algeria was one of Spain’s primary sources of natural gas in the first two months of 2023.

Photo credit: horrapics / Wikimedia Commons

20%

Less than 20% of the world’s landowners are women.

Roof collapse

MEMBERS of the Special Actions Group (GRAE) of the Fire Department recovered the bodies of three geologists who died on Thursday, March 9. They became trapped in a potash mine in the Barcelona municipality of Suria in the county of the Bages, after a landslide.

The three workers were trapped at a depth of 900 metres after the collapse of a gallery and emergency workers, together with the mine’s rescue brigade, were initially unable to access the affected area due to access difficulties.

According to Patricio Chacana, the CEO of the Suria potash mine, the young geologists were evaluating the safety of one of the fronts when the roof ‘fell on them’.

“The ceiling collapsed and it is not known why. It could have been due to vibrations or an earthquake,” said a representative of the USOC union, as reported by a news source.

The victims were aged 28, 29 and 31. According to reports, two of the deceased were master’s degree students at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Manresa. The fatal victims were from Sant Joan de Vilatorrada in Barcelona, Colombia, and Alicante.

Spain’s prisoner plea

Betty Henderson SPAIN is determined to secure the release of Santiago Sánchez, a Spanish national who has been detained in Iran since October 2022 for taking photographs of Mahsa Amini’s tomb.

The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, gave a statement on Thursday, March 9 where he referred to the immense efforts by his ministry to release Sánchez for several months now. Albares explained he is unwavering in his commitment to bring Sánchez back home, but urged for discretion in the matter, since diplomatic talks are sensitive.

Alabares added that he recently spoke to his Irani­

The Spanish Chernobyl

an counterpart at the G20 conference, where he raised the subject of Sánchez’s imprisonment.

He also referred to the successful release of fellow Spanish prisoner Ana Baneira, a 25 ­ year ­ old backpacker who returned home to A Coruña on Thursday, March 2.

Sánchez was arrested last year after going missing during a backpacking trip where he hoped to reach Qatar in time for the World Cup.

He was detained for photographing the tomb of 22­year­old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was killed by Iran’s ‘Morality Police’ for not wearing a veil, which sparked protests and unrest in the country.

THE Spanish government is calling on the US authorities to remove the radioactive earth that still remains in the small Almeria town of Palomares following the nuclear accident of 1966.

Under a 2015 agreement, the North American Energy department pledged to clear 50,000 cubic metres of earth contaminated with half a kilo of plutonium from Palomares and transport it to the Nevada desert for its disposal.

But nothing has been done yet, and the hazardous waste still remains at the site of the January 17, 1966 plane crash, when two US Air Force planes collided during an in­flight refuelling operation and

dropped four thermonuclear bombs over the area.

Although none of the bombs exploded, they did leak an estimated three kilos of plutonium into the land, of which half a kilo still remains, making Palomares one of the six most radioactive towns in Spain.

This has led the town and neighbouring Villaricos, grouped together under the Cuevas de Alman­

zora municipality, to be burdened with a stigma that the local authorities are desperate to eliminate.

Regular radiation tests are still carried out in the area, with residents required to have regular health check­ups and large plots of countryside fenced off behind nuclear hazard warnings.

Facebook bounces back

FACEBOOK has bounced back from the pandemic slump in Spain, as the social media giant recorded a 37 per cent surge in sales, raking in €2.72 million in profits in 2021.

In data released on Thursday, March 9, the company reported a net income of €33 million, which is a 14.8 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The company’s earnings were up from a loss of €432,000 in 2020 when the pandemic caused widespread lockdowns.

The increase has also been attributed to the company’s structure.

its Irish parent company. Some of the data dates back to before the company changed its name to Meta. With plans to invest heavily in Spain, including building a data centre in Talavera de la Reina and hiring 2,000 people to work on its Meta projects, Facebook’s presence in the country is only set to grow. And while the company had to lay off 11,000 employees at the end of 2021, it is now poised for new job hirings and investment in Spain’s national economy.

his

Facebook’s primary revenue stream in Spain comes from the sale of advertising services from

Radiation tests still done.

Image by Milan Sommer/Shutterstock

Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares at the G20 conference in New Delhi where he spoke with

Photo credit: Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación de España (via Facebook)

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”

Michelle Obama

11.3% of the UK armed forces are women.

Illegal immigration in the Channel

THE United Kingdom said on Friday March 10 it would pay £477 million (€539 million) over the next three years as part of a deal with France to combat illegal immigration across the English Channel.

The deal was announced during a joint summit between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday.

This decision follows the controversial ‘stop the boats’ legislation announced last week by the British PM that will mean refugees are not granted asylum in the UK.

The new law has been criticised as racist, illegal and unworkable and has led to the widely publicised criticism from BBC star, Gary Lineker. The money will finance a new detention centre for migrants in France and the deployment of 500 French security and support officers “to enable the fastest detection of attempted crossings” by small boats, a joint statement from the two countries said.

The UK has seen an increase in the number of illegal migrants who pay human trafficking gangs to smuggle them

into Britain in small, non­seaworthy boats. Many of these boats have sunk, and people have died.

Rise in pensions

CONCERNED about a labour crisis particularly in the NHS, Jeremy Hunt will give middle­class workers a pension boost in a bid to encourage them to extend their careers into later life.

Whitehall sources said the Chancellor will use the Budget to unveil ‘significant’ increases in pension allowances that are blamed for driving doctors and other professionals out of the workforce.

The £1 million lifetime allowance on tax­free pension savings will see the first substantial increase for a decade.

The £40,000 cap on annual pension contributions will also be raised. Both moves are designed to tackle the so­called 'pension trap' which can leave some professionals facing punitive tax charges if they continue working into later life.

Tory former minister Sir John Redwood added: “I have been very worried about the loss of a lot of experienced doctors, who say that taxation of their pensions is one of the big issues driving them out of the profession.”

This move comes following the Treasury’s plans to water down the increase in the numbers of doctors and nurses in the NHS.

“One is not born a woman, but becomes one.”

Simone de Beauvoir

Jonathan Ross is back

JONATHAN ROSS will be back on the radio, after nearly 15 years since a scandal resulted in taking him off the air.

According to a news source, the star will be joining Classic FM in the UK as their new host for the show Saturday Night at the Movies.

Ross will be on air from 7pm to 9pm, to host his first radio show since he faced backlash after he last made an appearance on the Russell Brand show.

Both celebrities were criticised after they left ‘lewd messages’ on Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs’ answering machine.

The BBC had also faced a fine worth £150,000 (€169,000) by regulator Ofcom after the incident as Brand had to resign, while Ross, who was then hosting the Radio 2 show, was suspended for a period of three months.

Taking about his new show, Ross said, “If

UK

you love film scores and want to revisit the classics, then I hope you’ll make it a date to join me at the movies on Classic FM every Saturday evening.”

flood damage bill

CLIMATE change affecting Britain over the next century could see annual damage caused by flooding to increase by more than a fifth.

There are certain floodprone homes and businesses that could be impacted unless global pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met.

And experts say, even if pledges are met, capping temperatures to a rise of 1.8 degrees Celsius, south Wales

and the south­ east and north­west of England are going to experience increases in flooding.

Edinburgh, Manchester, Cardiff and London are all highlighted on the University of Bristol ‘flood risk map’ created by researchers at the University and Fathom, a company that assesses climate risk.

They used information about terrain, river flow,

rainfall patterns and sea level to build a detailed picture of how much flood damage there would be to people’s homes and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

They combined this with Met Office climate predictions over the next century.

The Association of British Insurers says the annual cost of flood damage across the UK is £700 million.

Cannabis plants discovered

POLICE have seized cannabis plants worth an estimated value of £200,000 (€226,000) from a farm in the UK after

the property was discovered.

The incident took place in a neighbourhood of Rochdale, as police teams received infor­

Eurovision in Liverpool

TICKETS for the nine public shows for Eurovision that will be staged in Liverpool in May went on sale March 7. Staff in Liverpool’s hospitality business who will serve Eurovision fans are undergoing safety training.

The You’re Safe Here scheme, first run by Merseyside Police 2021, will give advice on how to identify a hate crime and report it to officers. More than 600 staff from 70 venues are already trained. Training for new staff will take place over the next three months.

The scheme is designed to reassure the public they are in a safe place and staff will know what to do if they are a victim of a crime, need help, or are faced with intimidation or other unacceptable behaviour.

The sign for a ‘safe place’ is displayed on windows, tables and on posters inside the venues. The sign says, ‘You’re safe here. This venue is a safe place for everyone. We have a zero­tolerance policy towards hate or violence in this venue’.

mation that electricity was being bypassed at an address on Yorkshire Street.

After the officers arrived on the scene to investigate, the property was discovered and upon further investigation a substantial cannabis farm was found.

A press release issued by Greater Manchester Police said that “Officers discovered approximately 350 plants, spread over three floors, at different stages of cultivation.”

No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing as officers gather evidence that might identify those responsible for the cannabis farm.

“This is a significant find and fantastic work by all of the teams who worked together to locate and dismantle the farm,” said Chief Inspector Trevor Harrison.

RADIO STAR: Is returning to the air.

New UK military base

THE UK has announced the opening of a new military base in the far north of Norway built to bolster NATO’s capabilities in the Arctic. The newly established Norwegian site, called Camp Viking, will serve as a hub for Royal Marines Commandos, said Britain’s Royal Navy.

The base opens amid concerns fol ­

Economy is growing

lowing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. More than 1,000 commandos have been deployed to Camp Viking this winter.

The purpose ­ built base, located in Øverbygd, around 40 miles south of Tromso, will be able to accommodate all personnel from the elite commando­led Royal Marines force.

Lilibet will be a princess

PRINCESS Lilibet Diana MountbattenWindsor was christened on Friday March 3 in Montecito, at the Sussexes’ home, close to her second birthday.

Her parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have confirmed their two children will be known as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The children were referred to as ‘master’ and ‘miss’ on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.

The palace has confirmed the site’s line of succession list would now be updated to reflect the change, after a spokesperson for the Sussexes pub ­

licly referred to Lilibet as a princess when announcing news of her christening.

When Archie was born, he was the great­grandchild of a sovereign rather than a grandchild, so was not given the title.

However, when the Queen died and her son King Charles acceded to the throne, it meant Archie and Lilibet were entitled to be a prince and princess.

They are also entitled to use the HRH style ­ although Harry and Meghan retain their HRH styles, they no longer use them after leaving the working monarchy.

THE UK economy grew in January by 0.3 per cent according to figures released on Friday March 10, as the country manages to elude the forecast recession brought on by the pandemic and war in Europe.

Economists polled by Reuters had projected a 0.1 per cent monthly increase in GDP. GDP was flat over the three months to the end of January, the Office for National Statistics said.

“The services sector grew by 0.5 per cent in January 2023, after falling by 0.8 per cent in December 2022, with the largest contributions to growth in January 2023 coming from education, transport and storage, human health activities, and arts, entertainment and recreation activities, all of which have rebounded after falls in December 2022,” the ONS found.

Production output fell by 0.3 per cent in January after growing 0.3 per cent in December, while the con ­

49.58% of the world population is female.

struction sector dropped 1.7 per cent in January after flatlining the previous month.

Both the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility have forecast a five ­ quarter recession beginning in the first quarter of 2023, but the data has so far exceeded expectations.

Victorious Festival headliner

GRAMMY and Brit award winners Mumford & Sons will close the three­day Victorious seaside festival this summer. The folk rockers are the final headline act for the event in Southsea, Hampshire, during the August bank holiday weekend.

Kasabian and Jamiroquai have already been announced as headliners.

Other acts include Alt­J, Ben Howard, DJ legend Pete Tong performing his Ibiza Classic with the Essential Orchestra, Sigrid, Ellie Goulding, Natalie Imbruglia, Friendly Fires, Annie Mac, Blossoms, The Charlatans, Belle and Sebastian, Jake Bugg, Kaiser Chiefs, Hard­Fi, The Vaccines, The Divine Comedy, The Coral, The Enemy and Katy B.

Andy Marsh, lead booker at Victorious, said: “Mumford & Sons strike the perfect balance with the rest of our bookings and the show is going to make for a fantastic finale.”

Victorious is the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival featuring British indie­rock; it is a family­friendly event with huge free kids arena, markets and real food and ale.

France’s pension paralysis

FRANCE was once again rocked by major nationwide strikes as more than a million people took to the streets on Tuesday, March 7 to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age from its current age of 62 to 64.

The left­wing CGT union planned the strike which took place across several industries in the country, and said the number of protesters exceeded 3.5 million, although the official figure was placed at 1.28 million.

The strike is a culmination of months of unrest and organised protests against the unpopular pension reform, which has faced fierce resistance from labour unions and workers across the country.

Industries across the country were affected including fuel and supplies, transportation including national services, connections with other countries and the Paris Metro. Strike ac­

tion continued in many sectors on Wednesday, March 8. Despite opposition, Macron’s government is

hoping that the pension reform plan will be adopted by parliament by the end of the month.

Pipeline sabotage

THE uncertainty surrounding the Nord Stream gas pipeline bombings continues to deepen as investigators announce they searched a boat that may have been used in the attack. German prosecutors confirmed that a search had taken place in January on Wednesday, March 8, but warned against rushing to conclusions.

News reported by various sources claimed that a saboteur group of five men and one woman in a pro ­ Ukrainian group had attacked the pipeline from a rented vessel.

While the reports stopped short of accusing the Ukrainian government of involvement in the attack, there is concern that they could undermine Ukraine’s pleas for increased ammunition and arms supplies from western allies.

The German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius urged against preemptive conclusions before an official investigation has been completed. Investigators from Sweden, Denmark and Germany are looking into whether the attack was state ­ ordered or completed without Ukrainian government knowledge.

Nord Stream pipelines carry gas from Russia to Germany, making them a key strategic target.

Red-light controversy

PLANS to build a multi­storey ‘erotic centre’ in Amsterdam to replace the city’s iconic redlight district are facing backlash from the European Medicines Agency, which has a headquarters near to the proposed location in the Zuidas district.

The EMA, which moved its headquarters to Amsterdam in 2019 due to the UK leaving the EU, stated its opposition on Wednesday, March 8, saying it is concerned that issues in the red­light district would move with it. The medical association expressed its concerns about the “nuisance, drug­dealing, drunkenness

iconic red-light district as authorities look to move the strip due to concerns about safety.

and disorderly behaviour” that would come with the “erotic centre.”

The EMA is not the first group to reject the plans. The city’s mayor, Femke Halsema admitted she knows many residents do not want the infamous strip located near their

Data defence

TIKTOK, the popular social media app, announced a new data security plan known as Project Clover, on Wednesday, March 8 which aims to protect user information across Europe. The decision comes as political pressure mounts in the US to ban the app due to its links to China through its parent company, ByteDance, which is based in Beijing. On Tuesday, March 7, the White House gave its support to a bill that could allow the government to ban TikTok. Under Project Clover, user data

homes or places of work. The new facility would feature purpose­built rooms for sex services and entertainment spaces. However, Halsema appears committed to the move due to concerns about the rising crime rate at the existing red­light district.

will be stored on servers in Ireland and Norway with any data transfers outside Europe vetted by a third­party IT company. The use of the outsourced data servers are estimated to cost TikTok €1.2 billion each year. Project Clover will also anonymise personal data so that individual users cannot be identified without additional information by global TikTok employees who can access app data.

Tiktok has more than one billion users worldwide, 250 million of which are in Europe.

The end could be nigh for Amsterdam’s

Plane crash in Rome

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TWO pilots died after their military planes met with a tragic accident mid­air in Italy.

According to the press, the incident happened in the sky above Rome, as the planes collided and then crashed onto a street in Rome. The pilots were reportedly flying two U­208 aircraft and were killed instantly after they smashed into each other. Local reports suggest that the pilots had been flying over Guidonia Montecelio as a part of a pre­planned exercise. After colliding, both planes plunged and crashed near the Guidonia military airport. Two other planes that were also accompanying the aircraft safely managed to move away and were not involved in the accident. Official reports said two buildings were also burnt after the planes crashed next to them,

as people were evacuated from the zone.

Photos shared on Twitter by

THE Bezdan border crossing on the SerbianCroatian border was the site of a concerning incident on Saturday, March 6. Three Croatians were arrested after scanners detected a ‘serious amount’ of radiation emanating from their Audi car.

Border officials searched the vehicle, finding the head of a radioactive lightning rod in the boot of the car along with a device used to measure metal composition. Officials did not give any further information about the specific radioactive material found, but said that they had ordered border patrol officers at the crossing to discard their clothing and

Due diligence doubts

THE trial of four former banking executives in Switzerland began on Wednesday, March 8 and it is causing a stir in financial circles.

The three Russian nationals and one Swiss national worked at Gazprombank in Zurich and are accused of helping Russian musician Sergei Roldugin launder funds believed to have belonged to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The case began when it was discovered that Roldugin had placed more than €47 million in Swiss accounts at the bank between 2014 and 2016, while presenting as a cellist on a modest income.

The musician had achieved some fame, but admitted himself that he was not a millionaire. Further investigation found Roldugin to have close links to the Russian President, including supposedly even being the godfather of his daughter.

Prosecutors argue that the four bankers should have implemented greater background checks to confirm the source of Roldugin’s funds.

The verdict in the trial is expected on Thursday, March 30.

SA911 show the aftermath of the incident as the fire from the planes engulfed buildings.

Radioactive road trip

receive a medical check­up. Nuclear waste disposal experts from the Serbian Vinca Nuclear Research Institute said that the rod has been moved to a secure location.

Radioactive lightning rods have been installed in hundreds of sites worldwide according to the International Atomic Energy Agency as it was believed that they would reduce the risk of lightning strikes hitting other targets. However, the agency reported in 2022 that there is no evidence to prove this belief.

Warm winter woes

EUROPE is no stranger to winter weather, but this year’s season brought a change in the pattern. According to data released by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Wednesday, March 8, the continent just experienced its second­warmest winter on record. Throughout the continent, temperatures hovered at an average of 1.4 degrees Celsius above the 1991­2020 average. While the winter may have felt mild in some areas, it was anything but ordinary.

December and January’s weather was described as a ‘severe winter heatwave’, with record­high temperatures being recorded in countries including France. The Swiss town of Altdorf also saw temperatures soar to 19.2 degrees Celsius, breaking a record that had been in place since 1864. This is not the first time Europe has experienced a warmer winter. Scientists believe that the trend is a result of climate change, which is causing global temperatures to rise.

AFTERMATH: The fire engulfed buildings too.

Photos by Twitter

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Norse god

SCIENTISTS identified the oldest-known inscription naming the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc found in western Denmark in 2020. Lisbeth Imer, an expert in runes at Copenhagen’s National Museum in Copenhagen, said this was clear evidence that Odin was worshipped as early as the fifth century.

THE NETHERLANDS

Chips chopped

THE Netherlands confirmed new controls on exporting equipment for manufacturing microchips, following the US in preventing China from accessing specialised machinery. The government also wants to ensure that Dutch technology was not used in military systems or weapons of mass destruction, the Foreign Trade Minister said.

BELGIUM

Clergy lurgy

CATHOLICS criticised a 60-page booklet published in Belgium which argued that to abolish clericalism, “we must abolish the clergy.” It was written by nine people associated with the diocese of Liege, two of whom were priests, who declared it was time to “return the initiative to the communities.”

GERMANY

Fair dos

BERLIN’S outdoor and covered pools now allow women to swim topless following a complaint to the ombudsman. The Justice and Antidiscrimination department announced that establishments would apply regulations fairly, creating equal rights for all Berliners “whether male, female or non-binary.”

FRANCE

Bird flu

AFTER three foxes were found dead in a nature reserve in Meaux near Paris where gulls had died from highly contagious bird flu, one of the animals which was collected and tested was later found to have the disease. The virus also infected a cat in France in late December.

NORWAY

Don’t drive

BERGEN in Norway will inaugurate a 2.9kilometre pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the Lovstakken mountains on April 19. Linking the Fyllingsdalen and Mindemyren residential areas, the world’s longest purposebuilt tunnel of its kinds aims to encourage the public to walk or cycle instead of driving.

FINLAND

New life

FINLAND’S Immigration Service updated regulations regarding asylum applications submitted by Afghans and will grant refugee status to all women and girls. After the Taliban came to power the position of women in Afghanistan had deteriorated significantly along with their rights and freedoms, the government said.

IRELAND

Flower power

MORE than half of Ireland's native plants have declined in range and abundance, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) found. In contrast, 80 per cent of species that were introduced since 1500 have increased and in some cases, like Himalayan Balsam and rhododendron, overwhelmed native plants.

ITALY

Spy snared

AN Italian military court recommended a life sentence for Walter Biot, 56, a naval captain accused of passing documents to Russia for cash. After a police swoop in Rome, Biot was arrested and charged with accepting €5,000 for classified NATO documents while two Russian diplomats were expelled.

PORTUGAL

Big profits

PORTUGAL’S Food Safety Authority (ASAE) detected huge profit margins on basic food products on sale in the country’s supermarkets. These ranged from between 20 and 30 per cent for sugar, up to 50 per cent on eggs, oranges and carrots, and more than 50 per cent for onions.

UKRAINE

Donated cars

UKRAINE is receiving vehicles that the Latvian authorities confiscated from drunk drivers under a scheme introduced to assist the war effort. The cars were delivered to the Agendum group which delivered 900 donated vehicles to Ukraine’s devastated cities and frontlines in the first three months of the war.

SWEDEN

Pandemic riddle

THE number of overweight children in Sweden increased during the pandemic, a statistic that baffled Professor of Food Studies, Paulina Nowicka at Uppsala University. “Given that Sweden was one of the countries that did not have a lockdown during the pandemic, this increase is startling,” she said.

BUSINESS EXTRA Not flexible FINANCE

Driving force

UK car sales recovered further in February for the seventh consecutive month as registrations rose by 26 per cent with electric vehicles and plug­in hybrids accounting for almost a quarter of new models. Last month’s 77,441 registrations were only 6.5 per cent lower than pre­pandemic levels.

Pampered dogs

PET CARE company Artero, which specialises in dog grooming and cosmetics, had a turnover of more than €20 million last year, compared with €8.5 million in 2018, a 150 per cent increase. The group, which sells in 90 countries, now has plans to open subsidiaries in the UK and France.

Naughty step

TONY DANKER, who heads the Confederation of British Industries, took time out during an investigation into his conduct at work involving a female employee. The CBI said it took all matters of workplace conduct “extremely seriously” but declined to comment until the review was complete.

Serve yourself

SPAIN has 1,900 petrol selfservice petrol stations, accounting for just over 18 per cent of the total. This 49 per cent increase between March 2021 and January 2023 was accompanied by lower running costs, resulting in more competitive prices, said Aesae, the association representing the sector.

Fashion fiasco

MANCHESTER’S online fashion group In The Style is selling out to private equity group Baaj Capital for £1.2 million (€1.34 million) two years after it was listed on the stock market with a value of £105 million (€117.82). The company said the sale was necessary to avoid administration.

was paid out in dividends to the holders of stocks and shares in companies listed on Spain’s Stock Exchange in 2022, an increase of 32 per cent on 2021.

Not without a struggle

Linda

Hall

SPAIN’S government is looking to prevent multinational Ferrovial from moving its headquarters to the Netherlands.

Ministers believe it could be possible to use anti­takeover legislation to halt the planned merger between Ferrovial’s Madrid­based parent company and Ferrovial International, its Dutch subsidiary.

This law was introduced in early 2020 to protect foreign companies from snapping up strategic Spanish businesses as shares plummeted owing to Covid lockdowns and restrictions.

The law, extended last December, will be in force until the end of 2024

THE decision to close the UK’s Taxpayer Protection Taskforce could involve the loss of up to £5.1 billion (€5.7 billion) for taxpayers.

The £100 million (€112.3 million) taskforce was created to combat fraud in the Covid­19 financial support schemes that were administered by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) during the pandemic. More than 1,000 employees were assigned to focusing on recouping fraudulent and faulty claims.

A cross­party parliamentary committee voiced concerns on March 8 that HMRC’s plans to close the taskforce would now result in paying insufficient atten­

Grifols doubt

GRIFOLS CEO Steven F Mayer’s surprise resignation has disconcerted shareholders.

Mayer resigned from the pharmaceutical company that specialises in plasma­derived medicines at the end of February, citing “personal motives” five months after taking over.

This coincided with the presentation of the Barcelonabased multinational’s savings plan, created to demonstrate commitment to tackling its share price crisis and the €9 billion debt dogging the company since the pandemic.

Tactics include laying off 8.5 per cent of Grifols’ global workforce and measures aimed at saving an annual €400 million.

and legal experts are currently analysing whether activating it would require explicit Cabinet authorisation.

Nadia Calviño, vice­president and Minister for Economic Affairs pointed out on hearing Ferrovial’s announcement that the highly profitable con­

struction and services company had founded its fortune on public sector infrastructure contracts. During Pedro Sanchez’s time as president alone, Ferrovial was awarded €1 billion in contracts.

Calviño stressed that Ferrovial could not be “punished” via contracts but inside the construction sector the feeling is growing that the company would not be the best ally in coming months.

This was the opinion of the director general of a company listed on Spain Ibex­35. Many of the infrastructure giants would think twice before joining Ferrovial on big contracts, he said. Another agreed that at present, Ferrovial would not be the “best of companions” on short­term joint ventures.

Covid billions lost

“It would be unacceptable for HMRC to write off such a large amount of taxpayer’s money,” the committee claimed. “Too many companies claimed that shouldn’t have and now won’t give it back,” said Dame Meg Hillier, the committee’s Labour chairwoman.

GOLD is a traditional standby providing protection against uncertainty and inflation although prices can experience intense fluctuations, experts warned.

“I wouldn’t recommend this type of investment for someone wanting short term returns,” financial adviser Victor Alvargonzalez said.

Gold shot up at the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the Ukraine war but tumbled between March and October 2022. An ounce of gold fetched $1,824 (€1,728) in February, 11 per cent below the maximum of $2,067 (€1,958) it reached in early August, Alvargonzalez said.

“Gold isn’t meant for speculation, it’s more of a strategic investment,” added market analyst Javier Molina.

Rising sales

GREGGS will open 150 new shops and trial 24­hour drivethrough outlets after a rise in sales and profits despite increased overheads.

tion to chasing up the billions of public money lost.

The committee learnt that HMRC estimated that between £2 and £5.1 billion (€2.6 and €5.7 billion) of spurious claims have been made to the furlough scheme for

company workers, the support programme for the selfemployed and the ‘Eat Out to help out’ meal subsidy plan.

This was unlikely to have been recovered by 2023­24, the committee found.

Caixabank says no

CAIXABANK intends to lodge a formal challenge against Spain’s 4.8 per cent windfall tax.

The bank joins other Spanish lenders in objecting to the temporary tax announced by the government in December to finance the €6 billion measures introduced to counteract the cost of living crisis.

The group ­ in which Spain’s government still has a holding of just over 16 per cent via the 2009 Bank Restructuring Fund (FROB)has described the tax as “discriminatory, confiscatory and distorting market competition within the eurozone.”

Instead of settling the first advance payment of the windfall tax on net profits of more than €800 million due in February, Caixabank has opted to contest the levy.

Sabadell, Bankinter, Abanca and Kutxabank have joined, or will join, Cataloniabased CaixaBank in appealing against the tax.

HMRC said in January that the taskforce “has not given value for money” and announced it intended to close the unit in September 2023. The taskforce is likely to recoup between £525 and £625 million (€589.5 and €701.8 million).

Punishment

CONSULTANCY firm PwC was fined £7.5 million (€8.4 million) for serious breaches while auditing the accounts of engineering company Babcock.

These included faking evidence related to a sensitive government contract, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said, adding that it found infringements in every area of Babcock’s 2017 and 2018 accounts that were investigated. The independent regulator for the UK and Ireland maintained that PwC “repeatedly” failed to challenge management, gather sufficient evidence to confirm financial statements, or follow basic audit requirements. PwC’s succession of failures meant there was a risk that mistakes or misstatements in Babcock’s financial accounts could have been overlooked, the FRC said.

The chain renowned for its sausage rolls announced plans to resite 40 shops in larger premises and refurbish another 150 stores this year, as demand for its products remained buoyant, notwithstanding the cost of living crisis.

The London Stock Exchangelisted company reported that sales had risen by 23 per cent to £1.5 billion (€1.68 billion) in 2022, with pre­tax profits 1.9 per cent higher at £148 million (€166 million).

Tickets hiked

RAIL fares in Britain have experienced the largest increase in more than a decade despite record levels of poor timetable reliability.

Fares in England and Wales rose by up to 5.9 per cent on average, adding hundreds of pounds to the outlay for most annual season tickets, consumer groups said. The annual rise was the largest since the 6.1 per cent hike across the country that was announced in 2012.

Britain’s Rail minister Huw Merriman justified the increase which he maintained was “well below” inflation.

NADIA CALVIÑO: Economy Minister looking for ways to halt Ferrovial’s exit.

COVID SCHEME: HMRC admitted it received billions of false claims.

Photo credit: Moncloa Pool Photo credit: photopublishing.service.gov.uk

DOW JONES

BUSINESS EXTRA

Keep warm

THE National Grid put backup coal­fired power stations into action for the first time this winter as low winds reduced windfarm output and Britain prepared for the coldest night of the year. Two units at the West Burton plant (Nottinghamshire) began producing power on March 7 to meet the expected demand.

Passive ads

THE National High Court in Madrid pronounced broadcaster Atresmedia guilty of passive advertising by naming El Corte Ingles while promoting AtresPlayer Premium Subscriptions on January 2, 2022. The court confirmed Atresmedia’s €183,220 fine imposed by Spain’s National Markets and Competition Commission.

Not worth it

FEW childcare places and expensive nurseries are prompting mothers to question whether it is worth returning to work. Only 48 per cent of local authorities in England have sufficient childcare places to meet the demand of parents working full­time, compared with 59 per cent in 2022.

Stop and go

RENFE president Raul Blanco announced that Avlo low­cost trains will stop at all stations on Spain’s highspeed routes, while Renfe’s AVEs would make no stops at all or only in principal cities. Blanco confirmed that Avlos would eventually cover all AVE routes once the trains were available.

Pay ruse

PRET A MANGER will give staff their third pay rise in 12 months, following other firms including Tesco, in boosting wages to offset the labour shortage. The company said the rise, which begins in April, amounts to a 19 per cent increase in year­onyear pay for staff.

Wary EU suppliers

Linda Hall

TENSE EU relations are affecting the British economy, warned manufacturers’ group Make UK.

As the bloc’s suppliers grew more cautious about doing business with post­Brexit Britain, the trade body warned that the UK is lagging behind its peers and called for an urgent readjustment of political and trading relationships.

A survey of more than 100 leading industrial companies revealed that practically half said their EU suppliers had become more wary about doing business in Britain.

Almost a fifth had reduced

the number of their suppliers from the EU over the last year while the report revealed damage to the UK’s image and trading relationships was not limited to the EU. Suppliers from elsewhere were also

guarded about Britain, 35 per cent of firms agreed.

Speaking at Make UK’s national conference, its chief executive Stephen Phipson said the survey highlighted the need to build stronger post­

Upkeep blow

Brexit relations with Europe.

“We need to reset our political and trading relationship with the EU which has been marked by such rancour,” Phipson declared.

While applauding the British government’s positive approach, he also called for further progress after the Windsor Framework deal in Northern Ireland.

Prior to the Make UK conference, members had said that more than 40 per cent of manufacturers thought that last year’s political upheavals had damaged the UK’s image regarding direct investment, Phipson added.

Ethical diamonds in Trujillo

CALIFORNIAN company Diamond Foundry will open its second laboratorygrown diamond production factory in Trujillo, (Extremadura).

The 30,000­square metre plant’s 144 plasma reactors will start producing singlecrystal diamond chips in 2024, with total production eventually reaching 10 million carats.

While the plant will focus on producing industrial diamonds that can be used for semiconductors, it will also create traditional synthetic diamonds suitable for jewellery.

Martin Roscheisen, CEO of Diamond Foundry ­ one of whose principal shareholders is Leonardo Di Caprio ­ laid the symbolic foundation stone at a ceremony attended by the regional and local authorities as well as Territorial Policies minister, Isabel Rodriguez.

The Trujillo plant will cost a total of €245 million, €120 million of which has been provided by the Ministry of Industry’s Industrial Support Fund (FAIIP) with another €81 million provided by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The factory will be one of the world’s first industrial projects powered entirely by solar electricity which will be provided by a nearby 120­megawatt, 700­acre

MORRISONS have warned at least 83 property maintenance suppliers that their services are no longer required, endangering around 1,000 jobs.

The debt­laden supermarket chain, taken over in October 2021 by US private equity group Clayton Dubilier & Rice, will switch to a single provider for repairs and upkeep. Morrisons is also likely to lay off roughly 50 office staff who handle maintenance in Bradford and other locations.

The suppliers said they were warned their contracts might come to an end during a short video call in which they had not been able to ask questions.

Dual listing

solar energy plant supported by battery storage. This will be built in partnership with Spain’s leading solarpower provider, Powen.

Vitally important from Trujillo’s point of view, the factory will also provide 300 direct jobs, Extremadura’s regional president Guillermo Fernandez Vara said.

Abengoa solution

COX ENERGY GROUP presented an offer of €564 million to acquire all business areas of the Spanish energy and infrastructure company Abengoa.

The Spanish multinational, which specialises in energy transmission and distribution, has been in financial crisis since 2014 when its shares plummeted by 50 per cent.

Cox Energy, which is based in Mexico City and is present in Latin America and Spain, has indicated its willingness to as­

sume Abengoa’s €206 million of debt and guarantees for outstanding projects.

In addition, it would take on the engineering firm’s project financing debt of a further €252 million, as well as €22.8 million in outstanding Social Security quota, while guaranteeing payment of 100 per cent of Abengoa’s privileged credits.

A Cox Energy communique also pointed out that its offer guaranteed 9,500 jobs and would allow Abengoa to maintain its headquarters in Sevilla.

Ocado takes on Tesco

OCADO is now price­matching 10,000 Tesco items.

The online grocer’s announcement came as the company reported losses of more than £500 million (€561.6 million) in 2022.

Food prices began to surge last year after the war in Ukraine sparked a huge rise in energy costs and at the same time disrupted imported supplies of grain, vegetable oil and fertiliser. While prices at all supermar­

kets have risen during this time, the big chains are now in fierce competition to maintain their share of the market.

Ocado has price­matched Tesco in the past but had not done so recently. However, on March 1 it began comparing prices with 10,000 ‘like­for­like’ products on Tesco’s website and will give customers money off their next shop if their order would have been cheaper at Tesco.

SPAIN’S National Securities Market (CNMV) is analysing possible limitations for Spanish companies wishing to list securities in Spain and the US.

Rodrigo Buenaventura, CNMV president, explained that “numerous” Spanish companies traded on US stock exchanges via the American Depositary Shares (ADR) system of certificates deposited with a US bank.

“Some indexes, like Nasdaq, admit ADRs,” Buenaventura said. “Others, no.”

He stated that until now the CNMV has not received enquiries regarding the hypothetical difficulties cited by Ferrovial in listing a Spanish company in the US while registering shares in Spain.

Go ahead now

GOVERNMENT advisers want ministers to take control of the UK’s renewable energy system.

They needed to remove planning permission obstacles for Britain to meet net­zero goals, Chris Stark, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, explained.

The existing planning regime prevented construction of onshore windfarms despite official promises to remove barriers which, together with lack of investment, were delaying construction of connections to the national grid, Stark warned.

“It would be an enormous mistake to wait until the next general election to introduce new ambitious policy,” he added.

LONDON’S SILVERTOWN: Manufacturers aware of EU suppliers’ caution.

SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS: Guillermo Fernandez Vara welcomes synthetic diamond plant.

Photo credit: juntaex.es

IS YOUR HOME PHOTO READY?

REBECCA SERWOTKA ­ “We sell houses!

It’s what we do, it’s ALL we do!” Certified API Spain. Your favourite local resale property expert, of Inmobiliaria Real Estate Agents in Ciudad Quesada. Published author of ‘Moving Forward ­ 25 Essential Rules For Buying & Selling Real Estate Without Going Crazy’. Request your FREE copy! Prestige Award Winner for ‘Real Estate Agency Of The Year 2021/22 & 2022/23’.

Preparation is key to achieving the highest possible sale price for your property, so it’s important to resist the urge to have your listing photos taken before your home is properly staged for sale. Photos are a powerful tool that can

make or break a buyer’s decision to view your home. If your photos show a messy, unkept space, buyers may be deterred from scheduling a viewing.

To make sure your photos look their best, take the time to tidy up and stage your home properly.

First impressions are crucial, and you only get one chance to make a good one!

Unprofessional photos can harm your chances of a successful sale and prolong the time your property spends on the market. Don’t compromise on your biggest assetinvest the time and effort to prepare your home for sale and work with an expert Real Estate Agent who can guide you through the process.

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

TOLD you the left would never ease up hacking away at its rivals for the next year or so; how right I was. Still fully in league with the Union bosses, most strikes are still being kept rampant.

Pandemic errors, including drinks at ‘Drowning’ street and dodgy WhatsApp messages are still at the forefront. In fact the whole well foreseeable onslaught is positively nonstop.

Starmer is so convinced he will be the next prime minister, his speeches (which you notice keep getting extensive left wing media coverage) are absolutely crammed with the ingenious and (apparently) welcome ideas to get everyone out of trouble.

A veritable multitude of the ‘brilliant well­conceived steps’ his party has planned when they sweep into power.

His own pandemic soirees have of course conveniently been swept under the media carpet. It is actually so easy to rummage around other people’s problems and pronounce

Told you so

liberally what you would do to put everything right. The human race does this all the time. I do it, you do it; opposing politicians do it. It’s a walk in the park to state how you ‘need action’ to improve the neighbors fence or put on extra buses.

It’s actually fixing the problems that prevent you from ultimately solving the problems ­ which truly produces the problems ­ and frankly Labour are coming up with just about a workable zilch in this direction. Interestingly, in a Party, which already includes over 50 per cent of female membership, (go for it gals!) they have announced the appointment of Sue Gray as Chief of Staff.

The job comes just 10 months after this veteran civil servant was the senior staff member who led the official enquiry into Party Gate, an investigation which undermined and ultimately led to the resignation of Boris Johnson. Who better to be rewarded with a place of prominence in a possibly newly elected government?

Well, not only do I think the

OUR VIEW

RIGHT DECISION?

whole selection smells to high heaven, but is also a distinct flavour of things to come should they get into power.

To be quite honest I think Starmer comes over a bit weak and pretty easily dominated.

Hold tight Starmer, you may be in for a rough ride. Rayner is already licking her lips! She still has problems raising a smile.

Probably waiting to be posed on the steps of number 10. Personally I’m all in favour. Not of the left, but certainly putting the girls in charge.

History is full of female dominance. Amazons, Queens, Conquering Warriors, World Leaders, Ex Wives. In Africa whole tribes of female warriors have dominated large chunks of its warlike history. Now there’s an interesting thought! Come on girls. Let’s get it on. Chariots of fire an’ all that. You know you love it really.

Keep the Faith Love Leapy/ leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland. Mon and Fri. 1pm till 4

FOLLOWING a week of dramatic twists and turns in the fate of Gary Lineker’s career at the BBC, the question now is; was putting him back on air ultimately the right decision?

The BBC ­ known worldwide for its emphasis on unbiased news ­ is one of the UK’s longest ­ running and best ­ known institutions. In turn, Gary Lineker is one of the nation’s best ­ loved former footballers.

His decision to tweet his opinion on the government’s rhetoric around the immigration crisis is, clearly, something that any individual should be free to do.

But should that individual then be able to keep their job ­ and, crucially, high salaryif they fail to play by their wage payer’s rules?

After a presenterless Match of the Day where all of Lineker’s colleagues refused to go on air without him, the BBC said they hadn’t backed down by resintating Linker and much was also made of the fact that he is a freelance presenter, not an employee.

However, despite Lineker’s doubtless good intentions over immigration, his desire to have both the cake (his wage and the fame the BBC gig brings him) and eat by disregarding what the BBC stands for.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

No surprise there

IN an Australian trial, some people with moderate to severe depression who also had a poor diet were put on a Mediterranean diet.

They were also given seven sessions with a dietitian while another group received counselling from a trained researcher, also for seven sessions.

All remained on their usual medication, which included antidepressants.

After 12 weeks researchers at Deakin University found that a third of those on the Mediterranean diet were in remission from depression, compared with 8 per cent in the control group.

Linda Hall

ON March 26 we lose an hour’s sleep, although as it’s a Sunday most of us manage a lie­in.

But even a minor time change affects the health, especially for the elderly or those with chronic illnesses, health professionals say.

Interrupted sleep patterns are the biggest problem, skewing natural circadian rhythms, while hospitals note a significantly higher risk of heart attack during the two weeks after clocks go forward. Road accidents also rise.

Seniors suffer more than anyone else, doctors found.

SPRING FORWARD: An hour’s sleep lost when clocks change.

For the first few days they recommend going to bed and rising at the same time to keep the internal clock on time, while laying off caffeine

NOT everybody can get outside to exercise, however much they would like to.

Clocking on Don’t stand up

and alcohol. Work up a sweat walking or cycling and enjoy the spring sun which helps to regulate natural rhythms, they said.

Seasonal sense

INSTEAD of eliminating anything from your diet right now, eat what’s here for the asking this spring.

Start with strawberries, rich in Vitamin C, fibre, potassium, folate and the antioxidant anthocyanin. They help to balance blood sugar, with polyphenols that boost the immune system and healthy cell renewal.

Move on to asparagus, the slim dark green ‘trigueros’ whose season is just beginning. They are abundant in vitamin K, needed for blood clotting, heart and bone health and

cancer prevention, as well as copper, selenium, Vitamin D and the B vitamins. Also, add broad beans to your shopping list. One of the world’s oldest crops, they too are brimming with nutrients that include folate, phosphorous, manganese, magnesium and the B Vitamins.

That’s exactly why chair yoga, via free YouTube or Zoom sessions, can help adults ­ especially the over ­ 65sto enjoy all it has to offer in safety, however frail or lacking in flexibility they might be.

Benefits include loosening and stretching painful muscles, reducing chronic pain, decreasing stress, and

improving circulation.

Yoga also reduces anxiety, helps to lower blood pressure, protects joints and builds strength and balance. There are no hard and fast guidelines on how often to practise chair yoga, although doctors and exercise experts recommend two days a week as a good starting point.

Avocado to-do

PREVENTING avocados from ripening too rapidly by submerging them in water isn’t the great idea it might appear.

The trendy practice slows oxidisation but increases the amount of listeria and

salmonella bacteria harmlessly present on an avocado’s skin.

Nutritionist Toby King warned that washing the skin before putting it in water would not prevent the bacteria from spreading.

“'Some social media users believe it’s possible to protect the avocados from these harmful pathogens,” he said. “But listeria can infiltrate the avocado pulp in storage and disinfecting the skin in this instance wouldn’t help.”

Instead, wrap avocados in clingfilm or store with chopped onions, he recommended.

On-screen

THIS time of the year always poses a skin care challenge.

Even on a dull day, 90 per cent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can penetrate clouds and it’s easy to get sunburnt.

In March, sunscreen with a protection factor suitable your skin and needs is already essential, not forgetting that its number indicates that when used correctlywhich includes regular reapplication ­ it takes 30 times longer to turn red.

This applies to the face, too, so choose between moisturiser with an SPF or a specific sun protection product.

STRAWBERRY TIME: In Spanish shops now.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Eszter Miller

Vape warning

RESEARCHERS in the US concluded that vaping could cause cancer ­ linked DNA damage to the mouth at the same rate as cigarettes.

Vapers who regularly used e­cigarettes, believing them healthier than tobacco, saw as much damage to DNA in their mouths as smokers. Flavour pods in particular were the most dangerous, the researchers said, without specifying which they considered to be worse.

Canadian investigators also found that mice exposed to flavoured vapes consistently suffered cellular and molecular damage to their lungs.

Linda Hall

FALLING asleep in under five minutes could be an indication of sleep deprivation.

Dr Sophie Bostock, also known as the Sleep Scientist, explained in a recent podcast, that adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep, while children are advised to have between nine and 13 hours.

According to the NHS, most people take an average 14 minutes to drop off, Dr Bostock said.

“If you are falling asleep within five minutes of getting into bed, the chances are that you

NATURAL, raw wine requires organic grapes, no additions and no modifications during fermentation.

Filtering is out, as are sulphites, produced naturally during fermentation and sometimes added to

Dropping off

Versatile metformin

DIABETES medication metformin could be useful in helping to prevent long Covid.

Clinical trials found that metformin decreased the risk of developing long Covid by 42 per cent if prescribed while a person was infected.

could probably benefit from more sleep,” she added.

The raw truth

preserve freshness or minimise oxidation.

Raw wine advocates who

maintain that it produces fewer hangovers and an easier ‘morning after’ have been proved

wrong, however.

“There is absolutely no proof that your natural wine hangover will be any less severe,” said Andrew Waterhouse, professor of Wine and Food science at University of California.

This latest study has established another use for metformin, which is now taken for weight loss as well as diabetes in the US. It will soon be available for obese NHS patients following a recommendation from UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

9.5% of females under the age of 65 go without health insurance cover.

Photo credit: Pexels/Ketut Subiyanko

“How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants rather than to create it herself.”

Anais Nin

NODDING OFF: Under five minutes could suggest sleep deprivation.

It’s probably too good to be true

Scrap your vehicle legally

HAVING worked in the trade on the Costa Blanca for over 13 years the staff at Bradley Breakers could tell a horror story or two about people who thought they had scrapped their ‘old banger’ only to find that the car was still registered many months later. There are individuals who have faced large fines after the vehicle they thought they’d seen the back of was still driving around.

Unfortunately as long as your name remains on the document of ownership you are legally responsible for that vehicle. Here in Spain the system of scrapping a vehicle is far more complex than anything you are likely to face back in Ireland or the UK. There is now also the new Environmental Badges that came into force which means your vehicle is categorised based on its energy efficiency.

Bradley Breakers are experts in the field and they can make the whole process as simple and uncomplicated as you might wish. Simply make the call, they will make

you a cash offer for your vehicle and if accepted they will collect on a tow truck from your home.

They will leave you with the necessary legal documentation advising that they have taken ownership of your car and then following its scrapping, you will be issued with the official DGT Certificate (Baja). It’s important when selling/scrapping your car that you are provided with all the correct and legal paperwork, this is something you will always receive from Bradley Breakers.

It is very important to make sure you use a reputable company.

FRAUD in the British expat community appears endemic but much of it is hidden by the victims themselves who are reluctant to come forward to report it to the authorities.

This reticence only feeds an industry that lives off the savings and income of people who had hoped to be able to live the dream in Spain.

The dream often becomes a nightmare and for some that nightmare starts almost on arrival in Spain. Sometimes the fraud is so blatant that one is left in a state of bewilderment as to how someone had fallen for it ­ but they did, they do, and they will.

We were alerted to a couple whose dream move from Britain to Spain hit the rocks on arrival. They were in their mid50s, had been working all their lives, working people with a work ethic and were looking for a new challenge. They did their research too ­ this was no spur of the moment decision but one they thought through. They decided to buy a business ­ a going concern which had

premises and what they liked was an apartment upstairs where they would be able to live while they made it work.

They went to a lawyer, they checked Facebook groups and took holidays to get acquainted with the area and its population ­ their new customers and checked out a few social groups in the area.

In this they met a man who seemingly was connected and respected in the communityhe told them their idea was a great one ­ in fact they were onto something. He also mentioned that he knew someone who had a similar business with premises and apartment which due to a need for an urgent sale was at a bargain price ­ they had to hurry of courseanother party was drawing up the paperwork.

Out went common sense and in came the biggest mistake of their lives. They rushed through the sale ­ paid in cash at a notary ­ which later turned out to be a front and handed over all their life savings ­ in return for… nothing.

There was no business, no apartment and as quickly as he appeared he was off the scene. And as quickly their lives ruined and upended ­ the British Benevolent Fund were able to provide some emergency accommodation and a flight home. They filed a police report but as they left the country it wasn’t followed up.

The perpetrator is still out there ­ along with many others ­ if it’s too good to be true it really is… too good to be true. olaf.clayton@british benevolentfund.org

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

Make sure you use a reputable company.

A friendly, quality service

HELE N’S TRUCKS has been in business now for over 20 years and is based in Crevillente and they specialise in smaller loads and light removals, moving goods between the UK and Spain and vice versa. They are now utilising their newly acquired Spanish vehicle which has just been sign­written too and they are moving to new premises in April 2023.

They bring that personal touch to transporting your belongings from A to B. Helen and Kevin, who make up the team at Helen’s Trucks, along with Barry and Alan, have said, “People are looking to transport their possessions from small loads, right up to full households and that friendly first contact, is always a must.”

They also offer competitive storage rates, at their warehouse, which is fully insured and alarmed.

At Helen’s Trucks it is a personal, friendly, quality service their customers get. Helen and Kevin both believe it is very important to meet their customers face to face even when giving those initial estimates. “That way we can find out what the cus­

Making a difference

SALLY UNDERWOOD POLITICAL ANIMAL

YOU are what you eat is an often­used phrase, but in politicial terms perhaps it’s ‘you are what you think’ that matters most.

own policies more and more for their straightforward, time­saving logic.

The gov.uk website is one genuinely excellent example of this. Whether you want to submit your tax return at three minutes to midnight on deadline day, change a car’s legal ownership, or renew your passport, pretty much most paperwork can be handled with the push of a button.

tomer really wants and needs,” said Helen. That helps build up trust with their customers that they can safely leave their treasured possessions in safe hands

Wrapping and packing can be undertaken by Helen’s Trucks but if you prefer then they can supply all the necessary cartons, paper and tape for you to do the work yourself. Communication with their customers is another key element to success at Helen’s Trucks ensuring their clients are kept abreast of the situation. They will also help guide you through the new paperwork for Customs, going to the UK and also to Spain.

You can contact Helen’s Trucks on 965 400 616 or 667 815 081 and email at helenstrucks1@yahoo.co.uk. There is also a website at www.helenstrucks.com and on Facebook at Helens Trucks.

One of the things that struck me most when I moved to Spain seven years agoeven after a career working in Parliamentwas how much politicial decisions, both large and small, affect every single part of our daily lives.

On moving here I was immediately struck, for example, by how easy it was to park for free almost anywhere; just one small policy made by local government over how many free parking spaces there would be in each area.

This small decision of course has far­reaching consequences; the ability for pensioners, the disabled, and busy parents to be able to park close to banks, schools and shops. The ability for small businesses to attract customers.

Of course, not every decision is a win and in time I began to value some of the UK’s

And while Spain is glorious for many things ­ its weather, culture and stunning natural beauty included ­ making bureaucracy simple is not generally known as being one of those things.

Which raises the important point; it’s only by knowing that alternatives exist, that there is another way, that any sort of change is brought about.

Because we see something done one way repeatedly we begin to think of it as normal, yet that doesn’t have to be the case.

Perhaps what Spain’s plentiful free parking and the UK’s simplified red tape really shows then is how much governments seek to gain when they share ideas.

Those fundamental policy changes which make such an impact in everyday life may not be the easiest to push through, but they certainly make a difference.

Sally’sopinionsareherownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

HELEN’S TRUCKS: That personal touch.

What the universe has in store

HELLO my angels, the card I have pulled this week is ‘Play’ where we have been going through the changes of different vibrations. We are almost through to the other side, spring is approaching and this puts everyone in a better mood.

We should be starting to feel more positive and clearheaded as we are all heading in the right direction, this isn’t to say there are still bumps along the way, but this again is a test from the universe to ask us if we are ready for the next step, how is the manifestation going from last week?

You should have noticed some changes, even if they are small, keep going with it and the universe will keep showing you more ways, it’s time now for a bit of ‘me’ time, take yourself back to when you were younger, around about 20ish. Your whole life was ahead of you, again where you

were single and having fun, a young parent, or more on your career, it doesn’t matter.

You still had plans and goals set out in front of you, you had all the time in the world. Now I am not saying act like you are 20 years old again, or am I? Think about one time in your 20s where you felt free and happy.

Yes you might say, well if I knew then what I know now I might have done things differently.

However again everything happens for a reason so let’s not focus in the would or should or could haves, I bet you can find a time where you felt really happy laughing with your family or friends.

Take that moment and hold on to it, recreate that happiness in what ever you’re doing at the moment, because life is for living not just existing. Yes there are things in life that we have to take seriously, but when you feel happy and you come up against a problem, how do you react when it happens? A lot less negative because you were all ready on a

high vibration to begin with, and this in turn will help you with your journey of manifestation and getting in life what you’re on your path to do.

Now you can read this and think well I haven’t got time to be doing this or how is this going to help me? Well you do have time, this is just an excuse, your ego has told you, you can get up earlier like we have talked about before.

You can make time, there are 24 hours in a day, eight of those you sleep through, two or more are worries and anxieties, eight of those are working hours, two of them are travelling around, 2.5 hours are in your morning routine and evening routine, watching TV, chilling out, trying to switch off. So why can’t you spend 15 minutes or half an hour making some me time? It will better your life.

Write in and let me know how it is helping you change your mind set. Remember to set your little goals each day. You are doing an amazing job, keep going…

If you would like to know more or have a reading please go to my website to book your own personal private reading with myself you can find me on Instagram @theangelic.medium or visit my website. https://www.theangelicpsychicmedium.com sending lots of love, yours Emma.

My tarot card for this week is ‘Play, have fun, don’t be so serious’

Licensed & insured Real Estate Agents

AFTER launching the first legal, British family owned Real Estate Agents in Ciudad Quesada over 34 years ago, Inmobiliaria’s team have experienced first hand, all aspects of the Costa Blanca property market.

You would have seen their centre spread adverts in this newspaper, together with Rebecca’s weekly property articles, however allow us to reintroduce them to you.

From winning multiple awards for their outstanding customer service and care, to being recognised as the leading local Estate Agents dedicated to selling only resale homes, it’s easy to see why they continue to be the top selling resale agents in Ciudad Quesada and the surrounding urbanisations.

Buying and selling a property in the Costa Blanca is very different to that of the UK. Laws change quite rapidly. As a home seller, certificates you need now, were not required a few years ago. In ­

mobiliaria’s team pride themselves on consistently being “in the know,” when it comes down to giving advice to both buyers and sellers alike. This stops sales falling through.

“Keeping up­to­date with local and national laws in Spain is a feat in itself!”

Says Rebecca Serwotka, API Certified Real Estate Agent and co­owner of Inmobiliaria. “Even as agents, things are constantly changing. The latest law for the Comunidad Valenciana is having to be a “licensed and insured” API agent in order to qualify to legally sell new builds and resales or even rent properties. Not just anyone can freely sell or rent here anymore. Including online based agents. This is a huge turn in the right direction for Spain, especially as this industry deals with millions of people’s hard earned money every day, that is simply irreplaceable.”

With this latest new law and in order to continue to serve their community, Inmobiliaria are one of only a handful of local agents that hold this professional title of ‘Agente de la Propiedad Inmobiliaria’ ­ API for short. Recognised by the government of

Spain and more specifically, the Comunidad Valenciana, this registered API certification means they are not only licensed, but carry all required insurances too.

Not to be confused with AIPP (Association of International Property Professionals). The AIPP is based in the UK and bears no authorisation whatsoever on selling or renting properties on the Costa Blanca.

Buyers and sellers need the protection of an authorised API registered agent. They need to have the reassurance their money is safe and the guidance they are receiving from their agent has their fiduciary interests in mind.

Inmobiliaria has an incredible team of longstanding specialists that dedicate their expertise to the resale market only. With one main objective… to ALWAYS protect the needs of their buyers and sellers.

If your property is on the market with no offers, or you’re thinking of selling in the Ciudad Quesada or surrounding urbanisations, be sure to contact their licensed and award-winning team on (+34) 966 718 392 or email: sales@homes4u.es.

Top selling resale agents in Ciudad Quesada.

Recognition for Catalonia

SIX campsites in Tarragona Province (Catalonia) have been voted among the best in Europe by two leading associations. According to ANWB in the Netherlands and ADAC in Germany, Camping & Resort Sangulí Salou (pictured) is the ‘best family campsite near the sea’, while the Tamarit Beach Resort (Tarragona) is one of the 60 top campsites in Europe.

Playa Montroig Camping Resort (Mont­roig del Camp) and Camping Stel (Roda de Barà) have obtained the maximum score by ANWB ­ five stars ­ with Camping La Torre del Sol (Mont­roig del Camp) and Camping El Templo del Sol (L’Hospitalet de l’Infant) receiving the highly presti­

Advertising Feature

Which tent to choose?

gious Superplätze 2023 award by ADAC.

According to Mireia Sans, president of the Costa Daurada and Terres de l’Ebre Campsite Association, “these awards are like the Oscars for our sector, both associations have the highest reputations in their respective countries and many campers totally trust their recommendations.”

Campsites in Tarragona Province registered 7.5 million visitors last year, still 4 per cent less than in 2019 ­ before Covid ­ but an improvement on 2021.

“If there is no unexpected hiccup, 2023 will be the year of total recovery of visitors,” predicted Sra Sans.

THERE are as many kinds of tents as there are ways to go camping, and they range widely in price and features. To help you figure out the best tent for your next adventure, Wired.com has tested and ranked the best tents currently on the market under several categories.

The ‘Best Overall’ tent according to the US experts is the Coleman Dome with screen room

sonably cheap, available just about anywhere, and get the job done. They’re all you need, especially if you’re only camping for a week or two a year.

“This is our top pick for newcomers and the experienced alike. It’s easy to set up, provides good rain protection and three ­ season comfort, and the price doesn’t break the bank, although it has

Closure U-turn

jumped nearly £42 (€47) in the past year.”

For ‘Best family tent’, the site experts have picked the MSR Habitude (six ­ person): “The Habitude is strong and light. It fits easily on a canoe or paddleboard and is easy to set upthe design is simple and the poles are colourcoded. There’s plenty of floor space for two adults, two toddlers, and a large­ish dog.”

For more tent re

THE Isle of Man government has gone back on a controversial decision to close a popular TT campsite in Sulby this year. According to a news source, a meeting was held last week with members of the public and local politicians to decide what to do with the Sulby Claddagh site, which had been previously described as “unsustainable” after being hit by rising costs and was running at a “significant loss”.

But plans to shut it down resulted in warnings from local businesses that without visiting campers during the TT fortnight, tens of thousands of pounds in revenue would be lost.

The campsite will reportedly remain closed for the rest of the summer season but will now open for the race period following the government’s U­turn on the closure. A government spokesman said the move was to “help address the concerns of some residents, local business owners and MHKs and support local retailers and hospitality businesses.”

Helping you navigate the circle of strife

THEY do say that life comes round in cycles, and the team at Neater Heater are inclined to repeat a phrase that Derrick Trotter might say: “It’s Deja­vu all over again, Rodney.”

NEATER HEATER started life in the last cost of living crisis after the world’s economies were crashed by the banks in 2008. Primarily looking for ways to heat their kids’ bedrooms, Richard and Tony had both decided separately on electric heaters. However, when shopping around they had discovered that the ones on offer were either very expensive to buy, but not too expensive to run, or were very cheap to buy but cost a small fortune to run.

One thing they all had in common was that they were not very efficient. This story is told in detail on their website www.neatrheater.es but the gist is that through luck they discovered a Norwegian Convector heater that they could import at a reasonable cost and was cost effective to

run. It enabled them to heat a room for less money. It is not a magic solution, it is a solution borne of efficiency and effectiveness. It is like buying a more efficient car when petrol prices go through the roof.

your bills with a Neater Heater. They had a customer ­ let’s call him Geoff. Now Geoff had bought a couple of small oil filled

heaters from the ferreteria near him, but he wasn’t happy with them. He thought they were defective as his electrics frequently tripped when he was using them. He then called NEATER HEATER and told them the size of the rooms he wanted heating. Both small bedrooms at 9sqm. He was provided with two 600Watt heaters. When fitting these heaters Tony and Richard looked at the small ferreteriabought heaters and saw that they were each 2,200 Watts. In total 4.4 kilowatts. Geoff said that they just about took the edge off the cold. (He also only had a 5kW allowance, so when he put the kettle on the electrics tripped). Anyway, his bedrooms are warmer now, his electrics no longer trip, and he is saving 3.2 kilowatts every hour! In fact, possibly more as NEATER HEATERS have thermostats to further reduce consumption.

NEATER HEATER ­ Letting your money go further.

Neater HeatersA solution borne of efficiency and effectiveness.

Best family campsite.

The Coleman Dome tent. Image by Amazon.com

Image by Camping & Resort Sangulí Salou

Cat and dog relationship

LINDA HALL

VELAZQUEZ, like Mozart, did it all and he did it first.

And in Las Meninas ­ agreed to be one of the world’s best paintings, if not the best ­ Velazquez also did it first by illustrating Spanish attitudes towards cats and dogs.

Centuries ago he included a magnificent mastiff with a long ­ suffering expression in Las Meninas, which shows in detail the Infanta Margarita Teresa and her entourage.

Cut to Las Hilanderas and you see barefoot girls toiling in a workroom of the Royal Tapestry Factory accompanied by a common ­ or ­ garden tabby with a nice white shirtfront. The cat looks comfortable and well ­ fed but it’s lumped with workers, not a royal infanta’s entourage.

Spanish attitudes have changed since then, but in the early 1990s my own cats were not over ­ appreciated in rural Altea where we then lived.

That was because so many of our neighbours kept pigeons, either for the pot or racing. Some of those

The Haves & Have-Nots

competition pigeons were worth millions of pesetas and my heart was always in my mouth as our over ­ nourished cats were nevertheless merciless hunters.

So one evening when Jasper banged her backside on the door, demanding to be let in as usual, I was horrified and terrified but not surprised to see a dead pigeon in her mouth.

She was clearly bewildered by my lack of gratitude but all I wanted was to destroy the evidence as rapidly as possible. There were no racing pigeon’s markings, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t earmarked for a lucrative future.

I put the bird in a plastic bag which I wrapped in newspaper before putting it in another plastic bag, repeating the process so many times that the package was eagle ­ sized by the time I’d finished and put it in the dustbin, ready for collection that night.

Nothing was ever said, no neighbour complained of a missing pigeon but at least Jasper had been given the chance to prove her worth as a working cat.

TWENTY-EIGHTY-FOUR

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD

BY 1964 I had read all George Orwell’s novels, short stories and essays with the sole exception of ‘1984’. I left this for another 20 years, finally reading it in Luxembourgin 1984.

He wrote it in 1948 and much of what he foresaw had come to pass by 1984. Orwell predicted the loss of personal freedom to supervision by the state autocracy (Big Brother).

By 2084, the UK will have split into four separate republics of England, Wales, Scotland and Ulster. King Kevin has abdicated and briefly became interim President of England, before being replaced following a referendum. But let’s look at 2048.

King William V is on the throne. The Prime Minister is tattooed up to the nostrils. The Archbishop of Canterbury sports a ponytail and an Alice band. The Church of England gives its blessing to any man who wants to marry his dog or horse. Public lavatories no longer discriminate be­

tween the genders (male, female and not quite sure).

Proper written and spoken English is no longer considered necessary, as teachers have surrendered in the battle against Twitter and the media. And what about the year 2030?

After a film transmitted on television: “If you have been affected by any of the scenes of violence or any other issues in this film, you can obtain help and support which is available from the following organisations…” Yes, you’ve guessed it. The film is a classic Tom and Jerry cartoon transmitted in about seven years’ time, as our trembling society has degenerated further and lies in tatters.

Back in the late 20th century, ‘Spitting Image’ portrayed Margaret Thatcher clouting members of her cabinet round the head while, in ‘Fawlty Towers’, Basil inflicted slaps and kicks on the cringing Manuel. How on earth could such violence get past the censors in those days?

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

THE UK’s got on and off strikes all over the place, a government at war with itself, inflation through the roof, the NHS in meltdown, war in Europe, a vegetable shortage and nothing works any more.

And don’t get me started on flippin’ potholes. Or those intense bearded chaps doing nine­course tasting menus from reconditioned barns, celebrating ‘nature’s bounty’.

And then we read that a restaurant in Mayfair is selling the most expensive tins of seafood money can buy: £31 for a can of tuna or cockles for £56. Plus the Michelinstarred Welsh restaurant, Ynyshir, with its £350 tasting menu lasting five hours. With reservations reportedly snapped up immediately, most diners

stay the night in the restaurant’s attached rooms (from a further £145 a head).

My flabber’s never been so gasted!

Well, that’s all very well for the likes of Tristan and Jocasta Gallivant­Jodhpur, Jemima Moneybags­Cashpot and Sophia Excess­Capital but what about the rest of us?

I know the difference between the haves and have­nots is a minor problem compared to world peace, reality TV and why the slowest van’s always in front of you, but that’s seemingly how things are now in the worldsic Ford Transit gloria mundi...

Nora Johnson’s 11 critically acclaimed psychological crime thrillers (www.nora­johnson.net) all available online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

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Toxic alliance

CASSANDRA NASH

THE governing PSOE­Unidas Podemos coalition (UP) has always been uneasy.

Pedro Sanchez failed to form a government following the April 2019 general elections, although the PSOE emerged as the most­voted party.

He was reluctant to team up with UP, then headed by Pablo Iglesias and itself another uneasy alliance between Podemos and Izquierda Unida (IU).

Sanchez wouldn’t sleep easy, he maintained at the time to justify his decision to announce another election in November.

The PSOE was still the most­voted party the second time around but lost three seats, while UP lost seven. Frustratingly, the PP gained 27 and Vox won another 28 although Sanchez should have seen this coming, as the PSOE has consistently lost seats under his leadership. Worse still, his only option was a UP alliance, presumably less sleep­depriving than another election.

It has been an uncomfortable ride since then, although Pablo Iglesias did UP, if not Podemos, a favour by resigning and hand­

ing over to IU’s Yolanda Diaz.

Sanchez’s insistence on modifying Equality minister Irene Montero’s Right to Sexual Freedom Law ­ the Only Yes Means Yes Law – has now made matters immeasurably worse.

Replacing existing legislation, the new law was designed to protect victims who previously were expected to prove they were subjected to violence or intimidation if their aggressors were to be convicted of rape.

As has been explained ad nauseum, the law redefined prison terms for sexual offences but paradoxically 721 offenders have seen their sentences reduced, with some out on the street again.

The modifications were finally approved on March 7 to the disgust of Irene Montero who belongs to Podemos, which voted against the law and whose MPs made exceedingly inflammatory remarks about Sanchez, the PSOE and, naturally the PP and Vox, in the pre­vote debate.

Podemos is seething, IU is keeping quiet and the PSOE? Sanchez’s keeping his fingers crossed in hopes of riding out May’s municipal and regional elections and keeping afloat until the December poll.

Shoulder bag theft LETTERS

AS a resident of Spain for 35 years, 30 years as a CID officer in London and over 20 years working as a volunteer with the police in Fuengirola, assisting victims of crime, I know the crime rate is far lower here than in the UK, and intentional violent crime against members of the public extremely low.

The letter I believe gives a false impression. She does not say she was deliberately physically attacked. From my experience, it appears the 80­year­old lady was the victim of a bag snatch.

However she had a good quality shoulder bag, the strap of which did not break when it was snatched. The lady was pulled over with the force involved, banged her head and suffered a broken shoulder. The injuries she suffered were clearly not intended, albeit sadly serious.

John Carrington (80 years old)

No example

WE have just spent a week on Mallorca and picked up the last two copies of Euro Weekly Informative for the most part but horrified at the racialist tone of the Leapy Lee columns.

Our ‘non­white’ friends were clearly upset at the tone and implications of his writing. Our friends, like their parents, were born in the UK. How can it be they are not ‘an example of what the majority of UK districts represent’. Do we all have to look ‘white’ to represent our country?

The disclaimer you print under his column feels disingenuous. Freedom of speech yes, but publishing overtly discriminatory views should have no place here.

Joseph Williamson Sunderland

Driving rules

BILLY, Fuengirola, in a letter recently complained 70­year­olds renewing their Driving Licences will now be required to undergo a medical test every two years.

It appears Billy does not know that from one’s very first application for a DL in Spain, every renewal and exchange of a licence, one has always been required to pass a psychophysical examination at a Driver Recognition Centre.

For those 70 and over the test is free. So no big deal to ensure we are safe to drive

Elaine Gonzales (83 ­ year ­ old driver)

Hi team La Scala

ON behalf of our table of ladies I would like to thank and congratulate all the team at La Scala for putting on such an excellent day yesterday.

As usual the service we had from all your waiting staff was superb and the kitchen staff outdid themselves producing wonderful plates for so many diners.

We loved the decor and table gifts we received from Michel at Euro Weekly, and if you could please pass on our appreciation of such thoughtful words and flowers that would be great.

We enjoyed our little VIP booth and being able to see all what was happening around the room as well as having ringside seats for Johnny and the sax lady. It was particularly good to see all the beautiful clothes the models from Mapuchi Moda were wearing. A big thank you to Sara and her girls for adding hugely to the afternoon’s entertainment.

Finally to think enjoying ourselves so much could raise such a huge amount for Dementia Support was absolutely lovely to hear.

Thank you and Kind Regards

Jane Richardson

Hi Leapy,

I READ your recent column with a wry smile. I am a 6ft former prop forward and no softie having been married to my lovely wife for 30 years. We still kiss numerous times a day and hold hands at all times while out and about.

She recognises what you said about the present range of over aggressive females. What really winds her up is the current TV advert fashion of the need for young females to have explained to them the intricacies of their periods and products for dealing with them and secondly the impression given that the menopause, like periods, never used to happen when she was young. How on earth did females manage back in their younger days?

What is the matter with young people today ?

Best wishes and keep going, Paul

Dear Editor,

Gidney

I was appalled to read the letter from Unhappy, Torrevieja regarding the violence she was subjected to when her bag was stolen. Hopefully she is recovering physically, though it will have a lasting effect on her.

My husband had his bag stolen just over a month ago. It was a distraction theft and fortunately he was not injured but was shocked to be a victim after being so careful.

It would be interesting to know if anyone who has experienced this kind of theft has ever had any documents or personal possessions recovered.

Several friends and family members would also greatly appreciate the return of the Codeword in your newspaper!

Yours sincerely,

Glenda North Ciudad Quesada

Some guidelines to dog epilepsy

A DOG with epilepsy can enjoy a remarkable quality of life if given proper veterinary treatment. For this, it is important that some guidelines are followed.

1. Complete the clinical diagnostic protocol. Do all the tests to rule out other pathologies that can cause seizures.

2. Administer the appropriate medication.

3. Carry out medical check­ups every six months.

4. Stay calm during an epileptic seizure of your dog. Remember to videotape the attacks. The videos to see how the attacks happen provide the veterinarian with a lot of information.

5. Avoid stressful situations for the animal, which may put it in danger.

In the attached QR code you have an informative video about canine epilepsy.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Scottish veterinary crisis

THE veterinary sector in Scotland is facing a workforce crisis.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has published an action plan to tackle the problem, insisting that changes must be made to avert serious problems.

According to the organisation, the Scottish veterinary sector is struggling to cope with increased pet ownership during the Covid pandemic, the impact of Brexit on the workforce and the long­standing problem of a sector with a poor work­life balance.

Spokespeople warn of increasing danger of burn­out among workers, with fewer qualified vets and greater workloads.

Happy cat

In addition, pet owners are said to be becoming increasingly demanding, leading to many workers reporting growing cases of abuse and the threat of physical violence.

Scotland currently has two vet schools in Glasgow and Edinburgh, with a third set to open in Aberdeen later this year. The aim of the new vet school is reportedly to get students into practice early so they can experience life as a working vet earlier in their studies.

The plan is also to move away from all vets being straight­A students and encouraging a holistic approach to the profession, sourcing students from the highlands, islands and rural areas.

Gotta pay the cheese tax

A TIKTOK video about a dog’s love for cheese has gone viral.

As reported by Daily Paws, Matt Hobbs has written more than 150 tunes about his life with 13­year­old pups Marley and Leni as the founder of ‘Puppy Songs’.

His latest hit, the musical theatre­inspired Cheese Tax, has earned millions of views on TikTok. What began as a fun project has transformed into a relatable anthem for countless dog owners who expect their pet to materialise next to them whenever they open the cheese drawer.

‘Puppy Songs’ began in 2020 as a pandemic project for Hobbs, an opportunity for him to practise recording and mixing his own music while he was stuck at home.

He says the creative process usually begins when he catches one of his dogs doing something funny on camera or when he notices one of their interesting habits. In this case, it’s them appearing seemingly out of nowhere whenever Hobbs and his wife get the cheese out.

The song is original, though Hobbs says its groove is loosely inspired by Master of the House from Les Miserable. There are reportedly also some elements of Charlie Kelly’s music from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in there as well.

THERE’S nothing better than seeing a happy cat! There are a few clear signs that your cat is happy.

These include: An upright tail. If your cat’s tail is upright, sometimes curved at the tip, and they’re walking towards you, this is usually a greeting and means they are happy to see you.

Soft eyes. Eyes not open wide and alert. They might be half ­ closed (more of a rugby ball shape than a football).

Slow blinking. Cats will slow blink one another as well as people to show they are relaxed and being friendly. If you slow blink at a cat, then slowly turn your head away, this is a great way to show a cat that you’re not threatening.

Rolling onto their back. If your cat is happy and relaxed with you, they might roll onto their back and show you their tummy. This is a sign of greeting and trust and not an invitation for belly rubs!

If your cat does a little hop ­ up to greet you, they’re asking for a fuss and it would be rude not to oblige.

Basset Hounds’ DNA

THE UK’s Kennel Club has now approved a new official DNA test reporting scheme for Lafora’s disease.

Lafora’s disease is an inherited form of epilepsy. Affected dogs usually begin to show signs (jerking or fits) from around five years old and gradually become worse over time, eventually leading to ataxia (not being able to walk in a straight line), blindness and dementia.

While it can afflict any breed of canine, it seems to be most often found in the Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund, Basset Hound and Beagle breeds, with the Bea ­

gle breed seeming to suffer more severe cases of it.

The disease is described as autosomalrecessive. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected.

From August 2018, in the UK it is mandatory that the dog’s microchip (or tattoo) is recorded along with either the dog’s registered name or registered number on any DNA certificates.

Any test results issued after that date that do not carry these identifying features will not be accepted.

In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es

Image: SerPhoto / Shutterstock.com

HAPPY CATS: There are several ways to tell.

A new vet school is soon to open.

Image by 135pixels/Shutterstock

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CARE HOME

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life - damaging everything that is important to you. Englishspeaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aa-costablan ca.org (93323)

CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.com

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR

Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462)

CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.giving light.com.(10006)

CARS FOR SALE

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, Englishspeaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangelicalchurch.org (10005)

PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459)

PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www. pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009SG/A (95463)

ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org.uk. Tel:0044 800 018 2361. (238593)

the Royal Marines. For further details contact Hon Sec P S Wilkins Tel: 966 194 158 email: inkin spain@yahoo.co.uk (10004)

ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Anthony Jenkins +34 693 866 709, Vice Chairman Dusty Miller +34 711 006 670, Secretary Mike Cockman +34 670 224 822, Treasurer Carl Louden +34 678 518 202, email rnatorre vieja@aol.com (95455)

STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers, with rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 653 588 475 English and 620 907 474 Spanish or email strokesupportgroup@ hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesupport.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)

exchange ideas and information. The club is held at O’Briens Bar in El Raso, Guardamar del Segura (except July and August). For more details, contact Marion Smith on 711 008 250, or email: mari on.smith@amscb.org.es, or you can find us on Facebook : fb@movers and shakers www.amscb.org.es (295976)

MASSAGE

CARAVANS

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HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a nonprofit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456)

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Beniajan 16, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11.00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorre vieja.org (95476)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyh hvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishlegion.org. uk/branches/orihuela-costa - co vering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuela costarbl.co.uk. (95457)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran

Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.secretary@rbl. community

ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION

(Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to

CHARITY

THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465)

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461)

THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458)

THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information. (253807)

THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar meets at Hamilton’s Bake House, 62 Calle Vicente, Blasco Ibañez, Benijofar 03178. We hold a Sunday Sevrice at 11.30am. For further information: www.spiritu alistcentre-benijofar.com . Telephone 711 060 171. Email martin droute66@hotmail.com . Fiscal G54713789

MOVERS AND SHAKERS We are a non-profit organisation that supports people and their families with neurological diseases such as; HUNTINGTON’S, ATAXIA, MOTOR NEURONE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS and PARKINSON’S. Our MOVERS AND SHAKERS CLUB held every Friday @ 1pm – 3pm, is a chance for members to meet up socially, for a drink and a chat on a full range of topics and to

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WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 952 147 834. (200726)

MOTORHOME / Campervan wanted. Left or right hand drive. Cash waiting for right van. Tlf 650 722 905

PIANO, Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535

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GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, dewormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)

P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708)

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Nissan’s standardisation plans

NISSAN has revealed plans to standardise their hybrid and electric vehicles to reduce costs ­ and hopefully also prices. According to Motor.es, the Japanese firm has come up with a way to reduce development and production costs across its hybrid and electric range. They recently unveiled prototypes of a new engineering approach with greater standardisation and modularity, namely 3­in­1 and 5­in­1, with the results set to be made public before 2026.

Nissan has a two­pronged electrification strategy. On the one hand, there are the 100 per cent electric cars such as Leaf or Ariya, and on the other are the series hybrids with

petrol engines, although the traction is always electric, such as the Nissan e­Power, Qashqai and X­Trail.

Under the new system, the development of powertrain component packaging will take a new approach involving standardisation and modularisation of components common to both solutions.

Since e­Power hybrids have an electric traction motor, there is plenty of scope for standardisation of components, say Motor.es. In fact, there are three that are exactly the same in their function: electric traction

motor, reduction gear (the gearbox) and the inverter. But the most important industrial benefit is said to be the cost reduction. Based on what it used to cost to produce these core powertrain components, Nissan estimates that 30 per cent less will be spent by 2026, bringing e­Powers closer to price parity between e­Powers and today’s ‘dry­running’ vehicles by 2025.

This is expected to have a knock­on effect on prices for consumers, making these vehicles more affordable to the general public.

The Nissan Qashqai.

Image by Yauhen/Shutterstock

Polestar 2 - cool, trendy and capable

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

MENTION electric cars to even the least car aware person and it’s highly likely they’ll talk Tesla. It’s been the EV brand of choice and remained relatively unchallenged.

However, there’s a similarly cool, trendy and eminently capable rival in the form of the Polestar 2. While not carrying the sleek and smooth exterior of the Tesla, the Polestar, part of the Volvo stable, has a determined and muscular stance. Inside there’s a definite Scandinavian vibe with a range of stylish treatments from light wood and fabrics to Nappa leather and black ash veneers. It’s a very nice place to be seated.

A large central screen, which still doesn’t cut it over buttons in my view, is reason

ably intuitive with exception

ally clear graphics. Although

the interior is definitely minimalist there’s no loss of premium feel. As with the exterior of the car it’s the archetypal less is more effect that has been executed so well by Polestar.

Standard features across all Polestar 2 models includes automatic lights and wipers, heated powered seats, 19inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, high beam assist, adaptive LED rear lights, navigation, climate, keyless entry and start, auto lights and wipers, wireless charging, electric steering with three modes and Apple Car Play

and Google built­in ­ although having to say ‘Hey Google’ to execute commands is somewhat of a gimmick in this writer’s view ­ and one of the best standard in ­ car audio systems. Four extra cost option packs are offered depending on model.

On the power front you can specify a standard single motor, a long­range version and then a long­range dual motor. The range varies with the configuration, but 321 to 395 miles is the variance. In real world terms think of de­

creasing these figures by about 10 per cent and you probably would be about at your real­world range. In my experience the Polestar comes close to meeting its mileage expectations. As with combustion powered cars range depends on how you drive. These range figures aren’t quite up to Tesla standard, but they’re still very useable and, considering the weight and style of the Polestar, most impressive.

On the road the Polestar has a certain something

which makes it special. Power delivery is smooth and effortless with admirable insulation from road and wind noise. Unlike so many cars the safety tech, such as lane keep, is more progressive and less in­

terventionist when activated. With prices starting from €55,327/£44,950 it’s an EV that merits much praise and one which is an increasingly frequent presence on the road.

POLESTAR 2: An EV that merits much praise and is an increasingly frequent presence on the road.

New start and finish for Tour de France Barça in trouble

THINGS are getting complicated for FC Barcelona over the ‘Ne greira case’.

Almost a year has passed since the Public Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation into the payment of €7.3 million by the club to José María Enríquez Negreira, vice­president of the Technical Committee of Referees from 1994 to 2018, between at least 2001 and the same year in which he left the position.

The long process culminated on Friday March 10 with the formalisation of the complaint against Barcelona and former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep María Bartomeu.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses the club and the former directors of alleged crimes of corruption, disloyal administration and false documentation, considering that the club had a ‘strictly confidential verbal agreement’ with the former referee to guarantee ‘actions tending to favour Barça in the decision making of the referees in the matches they played’.

On Sunday March 12, Real Madrid announced its intention to join the prosecution against Barcelona, and on Monday March 13, the national government’s Sports Council also confirmed their intervention.

Current Barça president Joan Laporta has admitted the payments but refuses any wrongdoing, insisting that receiving assessment from acting referees is “a common practice among professional clubs.”

THE 2024 Tour de France will finish outside Paris due to the celebration of the Olympic Games in the French capital.

The tour will end in Nice with a time trial, something that has not happened since 1989. Thirtyfive years ago, American Greg Lemond won in the final time trial ahead of Frenchman Laurent Fignon by just eight seconds.

This time, it will be a time trial for climbers, with 35 kilometres starting in Monaco and including an ascent of the Col de la Turbie with its summit at 12 kilometres, before tackling a climb up part of the Col d’Eze.

Once at the top, the racers will have 17 kilometres of descent towards the sea, with the finish line in Nice, on the famous Prom­

enade des Anglais.

Next year’s edition of the Tour will also be special for another reason, with the race starting from Florence ­ the first time it has ever begun in Italy.

After Copenhagen in 2022 and Bilbao in 2023, the departure from the Tuscan capital will be the third consecutive time that the event will start from a foreign city.

Women’s cycling

AGAIN, this year, the Tour of Scandinavia: Battle of the North 2023 will be staged in Norway and Denmark.

The greatest women riders will sprint to the finish line in Haderslev on Sunday August 27 after racing for more than 700 km over six stages from Mysen in Norway.

The Tour of Scandinavia is a Scandinavian stage race of World Tour­level crossing through three countries: Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Spectators along the routes will have fun and festivities and the opportunity to once again experience the intense drama of

cycling, just like at last year’s edition and the start of the Tour de France in Denmark.

For years, Denmark has positioned itself as one of the world’s best cycling nations and destinations. With the Tour of Scandinavia this summer, Denmark stays in the lead. The race will showcase the Danish DNA of cycling from elite to cycling for all. The final stages are organised so both riders and spectators get the best conditions: flat, fast stretches, hills, and curves, and finally a mountain sprint, which could be decisive for the overall standings.

TOUR DE FRANCE: The tour will end in Nice in 2024.

Image by ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock

Current Barça president Joan Laporta. . Image by Christian Bertrand/Shutterstock