Costa Calida 30 March – 5 April 2023 Issue 1969

THROUGH THE ROOF

MURCIA’S housing market continues to skyrocket, with the number of foreign buyers snapping up property in the region soaring.

The number of property sales among non ­ Spanish buyers rose by an astonishing 30 per cent in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.

In total, 19.1 per cent of all home in Murcia region last year were bought by foreigners, making the area the fourth most popular among non­Spanish buyers.

Foreigners alone were responsible for more than 900 property purchases in each of the three financial quarters between April and December last year. In contrast, only one quarter of 2021 saw sales exceed 900 transactions among the foreign market.

Spain has long been a favourite among home buyers from the UK and Europe, with Murcia region proving to be a particular draw.

While the news has attracted criticism from some quarters over the rising price of housing for Murcia natives, the rise in foreign purchases also brings with it a very welcome boost for the local economy.

With higher average salaries and generally higher disposable income, the rising number of Brits, Germans, Dutch, and other nationalities coming to the area also often means more business opportunities for local businesses and tradespeople.

Elsewhere in Spain, the number of foreign buyers is also on the rise.

Surprisingly, the inland community of Castilla ­ La Mancha is the area of Spain which saw the highest in ­

crease in non­Spanish property purchases, rising by 235 per cent.

According to experts, the boost is down to increased interest in the community’s best­known city, Toledo, where sales among foreign buyers increased by 495 per cent last year.

Expat favourite Andalucia also made the list, with an increase of 33.5 per cent and a whopping 16,063 properties bought up by foreigners.

Welcome to edition 1!

WELCOME to the first EVER edition of the Euro Weekly News Costa Calida­Murcia paper!

With an incredible 24 years serving news to the English­speaking community across Spain in our six further editions, the Euro Weekly News has expanded once again to cover this booming region.

From the beauty of the Mar Menor to the splendour of Cartagena’s Roman past, this vibrant part of Spain deserves its own spotlight. And the Euro Weekly News will be doing just that.

Following requests from clients and readers alike, we are giving the Costa Calida area a weekly paper all of its

very own; along with all the local and national news, columnists, puzzles and features you have come to know and love.

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We so look forward to seeing you each week!

THE Costa Calida is set for a hospitality boom over the Easter period, with hotels expecting even higher occupancy than last year’s impressive figures.

Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca’s hotels are already 50 to 55 per cent booked out and officials are predicting “unbeatable” levels of further reservations, bringing in an expected €50 million in revenue to the region.

Bartolome Vera, president of Murcia’s associa­

tion of hotels explained that after three years of Covid restrictions, “people really want to travel.”

He added: “Next week is going to be critical given that last­minute reservations depend on the weather over the coming days, which is looking increasingly good.”

His prediction is that “in the three central days of Semana Santa” hotel occupancy will reach a staggering between 90 and 95 per cent in the area’s larger areas.

COSTA CALIDA: Hotels expecting booming business.

MURCIA: Is attracting huge numbers of foreign buyers.

Film Commission Murcia Microtheatre at sea

AROUND 20 Murcian towns have pledged to convert their heritage sites into film sets to entice cinema and television producers to the area.

The Region of Murcia, inspired by Sevilla and its tourism renaissance brought on by the filming of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ there, has created the ‘Film Commission Region de Murcia’. This commission will promote and facilitate the pro­

MURCIA’S regional government has announced an impressive €360 a month in aid for young people to help them pay their rent.

Officials are also offering up to 10,000 grants of €150 each to help those aged 18 to 23 buy computer equipment.

The move is part of a drive to boost employability among this age group, as well to encourage independent living.

Additional measures in­

duction of movies and series in the region.

The hope is that it will en­

courage more tourists to the area to view the scenery they will watch in the pro­

Free cash

clude grants of up to €10,000 to buy subsidised housing, financial incentives to buy properties in towns with fewer than 10,00 inhabitants, and even vouchers of up to €100 to cover the costs of youth camps.

The president of the Murcia government, Fernando Lopez

Miras, explained: “We are the best region for young people to gain their independence.”

He added: “Access to housing is one of the biggest barriers for young people and in the Region of Murcia we want to make it as easy as possible.”

Lopez Miras said: “Young

ductions. Some areas have already experienced this with Netflix choosing Cabo de Palos and Portman to shoot their series ‘Red Sky’. Murcia boasts some very cinematic scenery like the Roman Theatre in Cartagena, ‘the badlands’ of Abanilla, and the Sierra Minera in La Union. The objective of this initiative is to open up new business possibilities, boost the sector, and create employment in the region.

people face many challenges in the current labour market and we are firmly committed to overcoming those obstacles so all of them have the opportunities they deserve.”

The regional government is also encouraging more young people to continue their education, doubling the budget available for the European Erasmus university scheme, and offering up to €450 to each student.

THEATRE at sea, yes you read that right. This event organised by the San Pedro del Pinatar Town Hall in collaboration with the theatre company Kimera Teatro from Madrid and La Higuera, the producer from San Pedro del Pinatar will take place from Friday, April 7 until Sunday, April 9 at the Playa Puntica.

This production is set to be extra special as the micro theatre shows will be held on classic fishermen’s boats.

Each production will last for 15 minutes and will cover a range of comedies, from romantic comedies to tragicomedies. This will be the first edition of the Microtheatre Festival in Fishermen’s boats from the Mar Menor. Tickets cost €5 and are available on the San Pedro del Pinatar Town Hall website. If you have a love of the theatre and the sea this will be the perfect opportunity to combine the two.

Caravaca Castle

THE town hall of Caravaca de la Cruz has announced plans to make improvements to the esplanade of the castle in Caravaca de la Cruz. The planned developments will improve the accessibility to the castle and will also include some aesthetic work for the castle and surrounding areas.

The work will begin in the second half of 2023 and they

plan to complete the reformation by 2024. The mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz, José Francisco García, highlighted that the materials used will ‘absolutely respect the historic environment’.

The project has a budget of €800,000 and it encompasses an area of 3,000 metres squared. The project also includes the creation of a rainwater drainage network.

Murcia boasts some very cinematic scenery.

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Hiking routes

RESTRICTIONS have been put in place on certain hiking routes through the Sierra Espuña in Murcia for the conservation of protected species: the owl and the eagle. Restrictions will be in place until June and will affect the following routes: Carmona­Cuevas Luengas y Solana de Pedro López.

Best Pie 2023

THE winner of the fourth Regional Artisan Meat Pie contest is Pastelerías Luis Miguel of Murcia City. The competition was organised by the Regional Association of Pastry Entrepreneurs of Murcia in conjunction with the General Directorate of Consumer affairs and Craft. The winner receives a plaque and a trophy for their business.

Student award

THE student Franciso José Alavardo Alcón, of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, won the 16th Future of Telecommunications Award. His work investigates how to reduce the carbon footprint of next­generation communication networks. His endof­year project was recognised as one of the three best in Spain.

Wine trail

THE Jumilla wine trail is situated in the northeast of the Region of Murcia and is an area with a great winemaking tradition. The objective of the wine trail is not only to heighten your knowledge of wine but also to introduce you to the culture, traditions, and customs of the area.

Sizzling spring

THE thermometers in Murcia City reached 34 degrees on Sunday, March 26. It was the highest temperature in Spain and exceeded the maximum record registered in 2017 by 1.2 degrees. It wasn’t only the capital that got up into the 30s with Lorca and Cieza registering 31.5 and 30.5 also.

Ready for tourists

THE beaches all along the coast of the Costa Calida are being prepped for the influx of tourists during the Easter Holidays ­ Semana Santa ­ with tourists arriving from all over Spain and further afield.

The beach bars or ‘chiringuitos’ are in place, the walkways and the footbaths are being installed and the sand mountains on the beach that residents now come to expect in the winter season are being flattened out and the sand returned to their normal state. The Cartagena coastal

In the finals

RICOTE in the Region of Murcia, has been named as one of the 10 finalists aspiring to be the Capital of Rural Tourism 2023. This Murcian town, with a population of 1,253 inhabitants, is competing against: Bocairent (Valencia), Campo Lameiro (Pontevedra), Candeleda (Avila), Cardona (Barcelona), Colemenar de Oreja (Madrid), Elche de Sierra (Albacete), Nalda (La Rioja), Segura de León (Badajoz) and Zerian (Guipúzcoa).

This is the seventh year this competition has been running and the candidates had to meet certain requirements to

enter. The population of the town must be less than 10,000 inhabitants, they must have rural accommodations, and they can not have been finalists or winners of any earlier editions. And of course, they must have a passion for attracting rural travellers.

More than 200 candidates applied to be the Capital of Rural Tourism, and that figure had to be whittled down to the 10 finalists listed previously. Voting has now begun and it will conclude on April 24. The winner will then be announced on April 27.

Good luck Ricote!

Help for self-employed

THE President of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras announced on Friday, March 24 a plan to help small businesses. The budget for this plan is €5 million and the application for this payment begins on April 1. It is directed toward businesses with up to two employees that suffered losses in 2022. They calculate that the payment will be €600 and will offer some respite to these small businesses that have been hit hard by the effects of inflation and the general economic state.

López Miras went on to critise the Spanish government, he feels they have turned their backs on this sector, and because of this 20,000 businesses have had to close their doors. It was also announced there will be financial help from the government of the Region of Murcia for mortgage holders. A one­off payment of €300 to help alleviate the pressure some are feeling due to the increase in mortgage rates. For more information consult the Instituto de Crédito y Finanzas Region de Murcia (ICREF).

region in particular has moved into high gear working with SEF ­ the unemployment office ­ to recruit 12 workers to clean and maintain the coastline for a period of six months.

Of these 12, nine of them are concentrated on the removal of biomass and three of the workers will be dedicated to gardening. The work began in La Cala del Pino and will finish at the Palmeral of Cabo de Palos.

STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Bus blaze

PASSENGERS were safely evacuated from a bus that was on fire on the Gran Vía, between Calle Almudena and Calle Acisclo Díaz, in central Murcia on Thursday evening, March 23.

The fire brigade, the National Police and Local Police arrived on the scene to secure the area and create a perimeter around the bus.

An ambulance also arrived quickly on the scene and even though the event occurred on one of the busiest streets in Murcia City nobody was injured.

Renovated plaza

THE works have now concluded on the Plaza Bohemia in La Manga, it has been widened to a 1,200metre squared area to create a large open space. The renovated boulevard will be used to host events like markets, artisan stalls, ‘street food’ trucks, etc…

There is also a seated area in a stand format for cultural celebrations. They have added trees and pergolas to create shaded areas and the pavements have a drainage system to prevent rainfall from building up.

The drainage system is set up in such a way that the rainwater will flow off the paths and into the green areas and flower beds.

The project is part of the European Strategy for

Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development, ‘La Manga 365’.

The amount invested in this project was more than €437,000, 80 per cent was provided by European Union funds, and 20 per cent was provided by the region.

The fire brigade was able to extinguish the fire quickly. The flames were reported to be as high as the nearby buildings and some shops in the neighbourhood were required to pull down their shutters and close due to the abundance of smoke that was entering the premises.

The cause of the fire was not reported.

Even better, our

online and in print is FREE and we promise to always keep it that way.

PREPARED: Shipshape Cartagena beaches.

LA MANGA: The area will be used to host markets and stalls.

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Oncology upgrades

THE radiation oncology service has been improved in the hospital Virgen de Arrixaca in Murcia with the addition of two new linear accelerators. These machines aim radiation at cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy sparing nearby healthy tissue.

The new LINAC machines will reduce the time and number of sessions administered which will cause fewer trips by patients and fewer side effects. The Minister of Health Juan José Pedreño visited the hospital facilities and highlighted the advantages of the new machines. He said “it means being able to attend to more patients and shortening waiting lists.”

The investment for these two machines amounts to about €6.8 million contributed by the Murcian Health Service, the Amancio Ortega Foundation, and Inveat funds.

Local market lowdown

THE local markets are a great source of fresh fruit and vegetables, sourced locally and usually more reasonably priced than the large supermarket chains. They are also a nice place to have a stroll, enjoy the small­town ambiance, and of course purchase a roast chicken (they are impossible to resist!). If like me you can never remember where they are and what day they fall on, I have compiled a list of some of the markets along the coast:

Águilas ­ C/ Reina Sofía, C/Antonio Salas, C/Inmaculada, C/Miguel de Cervantes,

C/Lope de Vega y Pza. Virgen de los Dolores ­ Saturday

Cabo de Palos ­ Comercial

Las Dunas ­ Sunday

Isla Plana­ C/del Elefante ­

Friday

Los Nietos ­ beside the football stadium (winter), in front of FEVE station (summer) ­

Sunday

PROVERB OF THE

Los Urrutias ­ C/ Unificación, C/ Ramos Carratalá y C/ Re­

verte ­ Thursday

Los Alcázares ­ C/ Leonardo

Da Vinci, C/ Pintor Pedro Flores y C/ P FranciscoBayeu ­ Saturday

Puerto Lumbreras ­ Rambla de Nogalte ­ Friday

San Javier ­ Avda Carrero Blanco, C/Federico Guirao ­

Wednesday

San Pedro del Pinatar ­ C/ Victor Pradera, C/ Libertad, C/ Batalla del Salado, C/ Delicias, Pza. Juan Ramón Jiménez, Avda. del Taibilla y Avda. del Pilar

Monday

New plan

A €2.5 MILLION investment is planned for the area of Condado de Alhama with plans for the construction of a football centre. The centre will have five training pitches and a main stadium to hold 3,500 spectators. Images of the plans have been presented and the centre will be called Alhama Arena. Fran de Paula the representative for the Alhameña town is also the general manager for the Pinatar Arena football centre in San Pedro del Pinatar. There are also plans to construct a hotel that will allow the football teams to stay on site. This is something that is not possible at present.

WEEK

“Where a woman rules, streams run uphill.”

An ancient Ethiopian proverb meaning that women are key game changers and can make wonderful things happen. There is struggle in an uphill endeavour, but a miracle in its very existence.

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Dog-friendly

DOG­FRIENDLY beaches in the Murcia Region 2023. One of the questions I hear most is: What beach can I bring my dog to? For those who live on or nearby the coast, there is no place better to let our four­legged friends loose to burn some energy and have fun. I went in search of the answer and have compiled a list for all of our pooches.

Please keep in mind that this can change from year to year so this information is for 2023 as mentioned above.

There are seven beaches assigned for dogs this year: three in Mazarron, and one in Aguilas, Lorca, Cartagena, and Los Alcazares. The beaches are the following:

• Mazarron

Playa de Cobaticas

Playa Sierra de las Moreras

El Gachero

• Aguilas

Playa de la Cañada del Ne­

gro

Storm tank Mar Menor

THE Regional Government of Murcia will invest €670,000 in the sanitation system of La Union, the Murcian town which pertains to Cartagena. The plan is to construct a storm tank that will have a capacity of 3,300 cubic metres.

The storm tank will have two functions: it will operate as a lamination tank that will prevent the overflow of the sanitation network from reaching the Mar Menor and it will generate new water resources for the farmers in the region, as it will collect and contain the rainfall. This new infrastructure is includ­

ed in the ‘II Plan for Water Sanitation and Purification Horizon 2035’. The work is planned to take six months. This is welcome news to all who reside in the Mar Menor area and everyone in­

terested in preserving this rare and special ecosystem. It is one step towards the recovery of the lagoon that has suffered so severely from pollution and the heavy ‘calima’ rainfall.

A Roman Discovery

AN excavation in Mazarron Port, between Calles Era and Corredera, has uncovered a tomb from the Roman era and medieval houses.

The archaeological excavation has discovered a burial site of late republican or high imperial chronology (first century BC ).

Two amphoras ­ containers used to transport wine etc ­ but in this case were used as funerary equipment was found on the same site and allowed the archaeologists to date

the tomb as they were in very good condition.

The type of ceramic used was produced in the Valle de Guadalquivir, this has made the finding very special as there have not been many discoveries of this ceramic. Starting from this first level they went on to find more layers from later stages from the third to the seventh century AD. All the findings have been documented and the pieces recovered have been moved to the archaeological room in the Port of Mazarron.

• Cartagena

Playa de la Calera

• Lorca

Playa Larga in el Garrobillo

• Los Alcázares

Playa de las Salinas

MINGO is San Pedro del Pinatar’s most famous flamingo in case you did not know and he is a great friend to all the children in the area. Mingo usually arranges lots of festivals and activities for the children of San Pedro del Pinatar and the next one is planned for the end of April. ‘Mingo Fest 2023’ is planned for April 29 and April 30. It will be held at the Recinto Ferial beside the bus station in San Pedro del Pinatar. With lots of activities, and shows lined up for these dates it is sure to be

Mingo Festival

the perfect family weekend. The lineup lists shows such as ‘Rock Star for Kids’, ‘The world of Disney’, and the ‘Pandilla de Drillo’everyone’s favourite crocodile. There will also be workshops, arts and crafts, show­cooking, face painting, and much more. The weekend will conclude with a parade of Mingo and his friends. Tickets are available from €8.

SANITATION: Working towards recovery of the lagoon.

EXCAVATION: A tomb has been uncovered.

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One woman hit maker

THE Song Writers Hall of Fame is dominated by men but Holly Knight is the amazing exception having written

some of the best ­ selling songs of all time. She started off as a pianist as a child, went through a

rebellious period, leaving home in New York as a young teenager before becoming a member of band called Spider which saw her compose her first minor hit.

Quite early on in her career she discovered that being a ‘rock chick’ and musician she had to fight enormous prejudice and sexism but went on to write or co­write hits for performers such as Aerosmith, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Chaka Khan, Cheap Trick, Heart, Kiss, Meatloaf, Ozzy Osbourne, Patty Smith, Rod Stewart, John Waite and most famously of all, Tina Turner.

In fact, Tina Turner has recorded no less than nine of her compositions, per ­

haps the most famous being The Best (originally recorded by Bon nie Tyler) which after a relatively slow start became one of the most played songs from the 1980s which is still hugely success ful today.

In her new book, I Am The Warrior she reveals all about her 40 plus year career which has seen her have two marriages and affairs with some of rock’s greatest stars including several members of KISS.

From the very beginning she recognised that she

would have to fight to be accepted as a musician and songwriter but was deter­

mined to do it on her own terms without having to use sex to climb the ladder. She admits that sometimes it appeared that she was in the right place at the right time and having managed to meet highly successful song writer and producer Mike Chapman who had hit it big in the UK writing scores of hits with Nicky Chinn for artists like Sweet, Racey, Suzi Quatro, Mud and Kim Wilde, before he moved to Los Angeles where Holly was taken under his wing.

Pretty soon though, they had co­written Love is a Battlefield for Pat Benatar and from there, working with Chapman and other writers and artists, the rock hits just kept rolling in.

Much of what Holly did was ideal for the newly opened MTV music station and she found more and more of her compositions being promoted both on radio and through videos on MTV.

Talking about the book, Holly said “I’ve been fighting my whole life for the things that mattered to me. It started when I was a child but as I got older, I was able to articulate in a more elegant and creative manner what was most important to me: independence, autonomy, expressing my own voice, anarchy in all its glory, and, essentially, telling people to **** off in a clever way.”

Summing up, Tina Turner said in the foreword to I Am The Warrior “It seems a lifetime ago that I first heard The Best.

“It’s not a song that I’ve carried ­ but rather a song that has carried me around the world. The energy it gave me on stage lifted me and the audience, a rare treasure ­ a universal anthem.”

Credit: Matthew Beard

Holly Knight dressed typically in black.

THE new Almansa Park in San Javier was unveiled on Saturday, March 25 after two years of hard work. Most of the talk was about the new theatre with room to seat 500 spectators. The new theatre is situated on the

Almansa Park San Javier Easter weather

ONE of the topics of conversation on every street corner at this time of year is the weather. More specifically the weather prediction for the holy week, Semana Santa (the Easter holidays). One of the most important religious celebrations in Spain.

The weather is so important as it determines whether or not certain processions can go ahead as huge painted wooden sculptures are carried in these processions. If there are high winds or rain some of the processions can not go ahead.

Unfortunately, a dramatic change in the weather is predicted. We have experienced summer ­ like temperatures and beautiful sunny days so far during spring. Many of the predictions indicate rainfall over the Easter holidays, some have even predicted the possibility of windy, stormy weather. We will have to wait and see if the predictions are correct, but just in case let’s enjoy the sunny weather while it lasts.

Family fun and music

32,000 metres squaredgarden grounds of Almansa Park.

Pau Batalla and Miguel Martínez are the architects that designed the space. They added more greenery, a play area for young and old, a sports area, and the previously mentioned theatre that also has a cafeteria and a central patio. Locals can now look forward to yearround entertainment.

The budget for the twoyear development was €3.5 million.

The remodeled summer auditorium built in 1985 will reopen its doors for the well­awaited Jazz Festival in the summer. The mayor of San Javier spoke about the new ‘green heart ’ of San Javier. He also discussed the removal of the parking area from the park and the added security to prevent vandalism. The inauguration was attended by the president of the Region Fernando López Miras.

WE can find ourselves looking for ways to entertain the family every weekend. On certain dates from April 2 until May 28, the dramatised family musical ‘Teo y el Sarcófago Magico’ (Teo and the Magical Sarcophagus) will take place in Cartagena City.

The musical will begin at the Augusteum Roman Temple and move on to the Museo Foro Romano Molinete. The musical is about Teo who begins a new adventure in Cartagena with his friend the mummy. Teo opens the book of the living in error and chaos ensues. Cleopatra and the evil Napolean are brought back from the dead and they try to conquer Cartagena. There will be singing, history, and fun for all the family. If this sounds like your cup of tea it sets off from the Augusteum Temple at

11.30am and it lasts for two hours. Tickets cost €15 and are available online from the Cartagena Town Hall website. There you can also consult the available dates in April and May.

Art Exhibition Cartagena

THE art exhibition of Alberto Márquez opened on Monday, March 20. It will continue until April 30.

If you wish to view his collection you can visit the Galeria Bisal located in the centre of Cartagena in plaza del Par 14. The artist Alberto Márquez is famous for portraying the

social scene of the ‘Terrazas’ of Cartagena City and this is in fact the title of the exhibition. He is described as an artist that creates a vibrant and colourful atmosphere in his paintings.

The unique fact about this art collection is the absence of people in the

paintings. It is said the reason for this is to allow the spectator to feel like they are part of the scene and to help them imagine themselves among the vibrant scenes created. If you love to wander the beautiful streets of Cartagena City this is an art collection you can not miss.

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Park is being redesigned.

New easier guide

A GAME-CHANGING guide is now published, aimed at those who dream of living in Spain but who are concerned they may find the process and regulations daunting.

Produced by Age in Spain, a Spanish charity which has supported English speakers in Spain for more than 30 years, Moving to Spain: a complete guide takes the reader step­by­step through all that is involved in making the move. It describes how Spain works: how to apply for the right visa, what to do when buying a property and how to bring your car or pet. The guide also explains why it is essential to plan ahead, especially for health care

and social services that might be needed later.

There’s guidance to help the reader decide where in Spain would best suit them to live, and an introduction to the culture of Spain that will be of interest even to those just visiting on holiday.

And because it’s an ebook, there are links to live interviews with people who have already successfully made the move, as well as links to public information websites which means the guide will stay up­to­date if regulations change.

It’s free to download from https://www.agein spain.org/moving ­ tospain.

President of Age in Spain, John Rafferty, a

Scot who has been living in Spain for 15 years, said:

“Spain is the most popular European destination for people who retire and want to enjoy all the benefits of a Mediterranean lifestyle. It’s also popular with younger families who want to live and work here.

“The guide is designed for UK citizens and the many others from non­EU countries who wish to live in Spain, but there’s lots of information that will be of interest to anyone who speaks English and is interested in how Spain works.”

The e ­ book has been produced with support from the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

ACCORDING to hotel reservation site Booking.com, accommodation in Spain will be 22 per cent more expensive on average this year than Holy Week 2022.

This means about €30 more per room, per night. According to Booking.com,

Easter increase

in 2023 the average price per night in April’s Holy Week will be €155, compared to the €127 it cost last year.

Director of Hosbec Va ­

Village life

THERE are 36 traditional Spanish villages in inland Malaga Province looking for people to move there.

Malaga, in Andalucia, is promoting its towns and villages to attract foreign buyers and staunch the exodus of Spaniards looking for work, the ‘empty Spain’ phenomenon.

The website ‘vente a vivi ra un pueblo’ (come and live in a village) showcases the beautiful tranquillity of rural life on the Iberian peninsula.

There are 12 areas where towns exist that are being promoted, from Andalucia, Aragon, Canary Islands, Castilla la Mancha, Castile and Leon, Madrid, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, The Roja, Murcia and Asturias.

On the platform you can explore work options, health care support, business plans, with the website featuring a town of the week, this week is Villarrodrigo (Jaén).

The website offers information on the number of inhabitants, educational centres, medical centres, internet access, public transport details and grants for entrepreneurs as well as work availability.

lencia, Alberto Galloso, explains that as particularly electricity and food prices have increased, that “hoteliers have to transfer these costs little by little.”

Sixty per cent of the visitors in Spanish hotels this April will be foreigners. Spain will be most popular with the British this Easter, followed by the French, Germans, Italians and the Dutch.

Booking.com said that the most popular Spanish cities with both domestic and foreign visitors will be Madrid, Sevilla, Granada and Barcelona.

50%

Less than 50% of working-age women are in the labour market.

Composer’s son dies

IN a video posted online on Saturday, March 25, the legendary composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber announced the sad death of his eldest son Nicholas. The 43­year­old had been battling gastric cancer and was recently moved into a hospice.

“I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital. His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft. Thank you for all your thoughts during this difficult time,” Sir Andrew said.

The composer has earlier posted a video message on Instagram saying that his son had been moved to the hospice: “I want to thank you for the outpouring of messages of support for my son, Nick. He’s now been moved into a hospice and he’s battling away.

“I’m going to go see Nick in a minute and I’m going to pass on all of the fantastic wishes that I’ve had for him from everywhere all around the world,” Sir Andrew added.

In 2021, Nicholas scored his father’s original cast album for ‘Cinderella’, which earned him a Grammy nomination.

Game show to return to TV screens

AFTER seven years, the iconic ‘Deal Or No Deal’ game show is set to make a triumphant return to British television screens. The new reboot will be hosted this time around on ITV, by Stephen Mulhern, according to a news source.

Its return was confirmed in a statement by ITV, revealing there will be new­look prize boxes. The format remains unchanged, as contestants attempt to beat the ‘banker’ and hopefully win a huge cash prize. Noel Edmonds fronted the original show on Channel 4, from 2005 to 2016.

Mulhern has already cemented himself as a top host on ‘Catchphrase’ and more recently, ‘In For A Penny’. Speaking about his new role, he said: “Wow what an opportunity, I’m beyond excited to be hosting the brand­new series.

“I’ve always been such a huge fan of the show. It looks so simple but it’s an incredibly compelling game for both those playing and the viewers. I can’t wait to get started,” he enthused.

The legendary gameshow regularly attracted huge viewing figures during its 11­year run.

Sir Lloyd Webber facing a difficult time.

Credit: Twitter@OfficialALW

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Back to work

COINCIDING with the announcement of plans to celebrate Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s 83rd birthday on April 16, court sources in Copenhagen confirmed that she hoped to resume her constitutional duties that same day, having recuperated from extensive but planned back surgery last February.

THE NETHERLANDS

Wildlife death

WK2, a wildcat tagged and monitored via GPS in 2014 and known to be at least 13 years old, died after it was run over on the N281 near Nijswillier (Limburg). This was the third time in five years that a wildcat was killed on this road, the Mammal Association said.

BELGIUM

Happy event

A RARE Rothschild's giraffe was born at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza zoo in the early hours of March 22. “The little one, whose sex has not yet been determined, weighs about 70 kilos, is 1.5 metres tall and is already eating well,” the zoo management announced in a Facebook post.

GERMANY

Joint approval

GERMANY is expected to introduce a bill which, if approved, would give the go-ahead to the consumption and sale of cannabis. Health Minister Karl said that after months of talks with Brussels, his plans, which complied with European law, had received “very good feedback” from the European Commission.

FRANCE

Roman des-res

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Rheims unearthed a Roman structure dating back to the Second century AD. The impressive building, which once had more than 20 rooms, its own bath house and a garden, was either the home of a very wealthy person or possibly a public spa, experts said.

NORWAY

Meltdown

MOST of Norway's glaciers will have disappeared by 2100 even if targets to limit rising temperature are met, experts warned. As the glaciers retreat, there will be more landslides and rockfalls once the ground is no longer frozen and it becomes more unstable, said Oslo University’s Regine Hock.

FINLAND

Further help

FINLAND will provide an additional €12 million in humanitarian aid to help earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria. Half will be channelled to Turkey through the Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations and the other half will reach Syria through the Syria CrossBorder Humanitarian Fund (SCHF).

IRELAND

Urban forest

VOLUNTEERS in Mulhuddart (Dublin) planted Ireland’s first Tiny Forest, a concept pioneered by Japanese botanist, Akira Miyawaki. Six hundred trees planted on a tennis court-sized plot will mature within 20 or 30 years instead of 200 or 300 thanks to special planting and ground preparation methods.

ITALY No way

ITALY will debate a bill that would criminalise partners who go abroad to have a baby via a surrogate. The proposed law, which would mainly affect same-sex couples, is part of the socially-conservative ideology of prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who has little sympathy for the LGBT community.

PORTUGAL

Custom built

ARCHITECT Tarek Shamma built La Folie, a tower in the seaside town of Melides, for luxury shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Inspired by India’s step wells and the Jantar Mantar Observatory, the unique structure was created solely as somewhere to read, meditate and host friends for drinks and parties.

UKRAINE

Match point

UKRAINE took on the UK in a solidarity chess tournament as Ukrainian champion Andrei Volokitin played his British counterpart Michael Adams in the House of Commons. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle organised the game to champion Parliament’s support for Ukraine.

SWEDEN

Northern lights

THE Swedish Institute of Space Physics recently created a light show in the night sky, releasing material from a sounding rocket to research the aurora borealis. The experiment was part of research to help scientists improve near-space weather forecasts to protect satellites and critical infrastructures.

FINANCE

Jobs query

million

($28.4 million) was paid in salary last year to the Barcelona-born Spanish businessman, Ramon Laguarta, who is the chairman and chief executive officer of the US multinational PepsiCo.

BUSINESS EXTRA Safe landing

THOUSANDS of jobs in the City are at risk following the emergency merger between the Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse. UBS has 6,000 London employees and Credit Suisse approximately 5,000, but neither bank has yet revealed how the rushed ‘shotgun marriage’ will affect them.

Not so sweet

SUGAR has been more affected by inflation than any other product in Spain, with a 52 per cent price rise. As the country does not produce enough sugar to cover its needs, it has been exposed to international events in general and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in particular.

Outward bound

SUPERDRY, whose shares fell sharply in January, sold its intellectual property assets in much of the Asia ­ Pacific region to South Korea’s Cowell Fashion Company for approximately £40 million (€45.2m). Cowell will own and use the brand in its home market before extending to other countries, including China.

Big money

ACCORDING to Bank of Spain figures, deposits in the country’s savings accounts amounted to €1,612 billion at the end of 2022. Santander, BBVA and Caixabank between them accounted for €935 billion ­ 57.5 per cent of the total ­ compared with 53.8 per cent at the end of 2021.

Booked up

JULIA QUINN, the American author of the bestselling Bridgerton series who has sold 20 million books in the US alone, said she was optimistic that human creativity would survive, despite bookwriting chatbots. Meanwhile romantic fiction sales in the UK have doubled over the past three years.

ECB reassures bondholders

Linda Hall

IN an unexpected twist, investors in Credit Suisse’s additional tier­one (AT1) bonds saw 16 billion Swiss francs (€16 billion) slashed to zero by the UBS takeover. As a relatively risky investment, the AT1 bonds known as contingent convertibles or CocCos are a type of debt regarded as part of a bank’s regulatory capital.

They are also described as ‘bail­in’ bonds introduced to avoid a repetition of the government bailouts required during the 2008 global financial crisis.

Holders can convert CoCos into equity or write them down in certain situations, for example when a bank’s capital ratio falls below a previously­agreed threshold.

The unconventional move of prioritising Credit Suisse shareholders is at odds with the usual practice of favouring bondholders over shareholders when a bank fails and recently prompted turmoil in the market for convertible bank bonds.

Credit Suisse shareholders have received €2.788 billion in UBS shares and giving them preference in the deal was

a departure from usual practice that was criticised in most quarters.

The European Central Bank, the European Banking Authority and the Single Resolution Board emphasised that they would continue to impose losses on shareholders before bondholders.

“This approach has been consistently applied in past cases and will continue to guide the actions of the SRB and ECB banking supervision in crisis interventions,” they said.

Meanwhile, CoCos issued by Spanish banks initially fell by an average 11.1 per cent but jitters subsided, although tension remains. Uncertainty also surrounds the way market will react when banks try to reissue these assets.

New headquarters for GBR

THE UK government has chosen Derby as the headquarters of Great British Railways (GBR) which will be responsible for the country’s trains, fares and timetables.

The announcement brings with it the prospect of more jobs and investment worth multi­millions after the city beat off competition from Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York.

“This not only a huge win for the brilliant city of Derby, but a key milestone for the entire rail industry across the

Gap rises

ENERGY SUPPORT pushed up UK government borrowing last month to its highest level for February since records began in 1993. The gulf between spending and income from taxes rose to £16.7 billion (€18.9 billion), the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced.

The ONS explained that this was largely due to this year’s outlay on energy schemes.

At the same time, the interest paid on government debt amounted to £6.9 billion (€7.8 billion) in February, £1.3 billion (€1.5 billion) less than in February 2022, owing to changes in the inflation rate that determines the interest the government pays on its debts.

country,” Transport Secretary Mark Harper said.

Derby has had one of the lowest concentrations of civil service jobs in the country

until now, a statement from the city council said.

The move to Derby would not only bring key jobs but it also meant that the city ­ already the centre of one of Europe’s largest rail clusterswould play an even more important role in the future development of the railways, the statement continued. Derby’s rich rail heritage and innovation culture were prominent in the city’s bid, together with its rail­related industries that employ more than 11,000 people in the

Just Eat on a diet

JUST EAT, the takeaway delivery firm, will cut 1,870 UK jobs following reduced sales.

The company experienced a 9 per cent slowdown last year once Covid restrictions were relaxed and diners could return to pubs and restaurants.

As a result, the firm will no longer employ its own couriers, using contractors instead and triggering 1,700 job losses plus 170 operational roles. Drivers and riders affected by the cut­down have received six weeks’ notice.

Unlike Just Eat drivers, couriers were classed as company employees, receiving an hourly rate, an uncapped bonus and benefits that included sick pay.

“We propose to transition away from the worker model for couriers,” a spokeswoman said. “This is just a small part of our overall delivery operations in certain parts of six UK cities,” she added.

SPAIN’S banking sector is in an ‘immensely’ stronger position than it was in 2008.

Financial experts pointed out that owing to regulators’ demands that were made in the wake of the previous financial crisis, banks have had to create an anti­crisis safety net.

This has been designed to protect the economy during a hypothetical financial catastrophe and to rule out the need for a bailout that requires public money.

According to their results made public at the end of last year Spain’s six principal banks can count on an anti­crisis safety net of €213 billion, €43 billion more than required by the European Central Bank.

area, and where trains are still designed and built at the Alstrom works in the Litchurch district.

The first indication that Derby had been successful in its GBR bid arrived last February with the announcement of plans to start major regeneration in and around Derby’s railway station. Another giveaway was city council approval of a £500,000 (€567,145) loan to acquire Midland House and the adjoining car park close to Derby’s Midland Station.

Come and go

MARIO VAZ takes over Vodafone’s Spanish division at the end of March.

This coincides with the exit of the company’s Irish­born CEO, Colman Deegan, following a series of poor quarterly results.

Vaz has had a successful track record in Portugal, which has many points in common with the Spanish market. These include a fully­developed market that combines telephone and data communication within a single network and aggressive competition from the entry of new low­cost operators.

Vaz now faces the challenge of returning Vodafone España to increased earnings and profits, as it faces competition from budget operators like the increasingly­present Digi.

No thanks

ONLY 9 per cent of Britain’s over50s who are retired said the Budget’s pensions giveaway could entice them back to work.

Measures included an increase in the annual pension allowance, eliminating the lifetime limit and hiking the amount that those who have drawn funds can put back each year, but the ‘back to work’ Budget did not sway retirees.

“For most, saving enough to breach the lifetime allowance or the annual pension allowance is a distant pipedream and for others little could induce them back to work,” financial experts agreed.

Down to earth

AENA has lost 90 per cent of the court cases that it has brought against rent defaulters.

Spain’s airports group had unsuccessfully hoped to be able to overturn new legislation affecting the rents paid by retail tenants, but 24 out of 26 sentences were entirely or partly in favour of claimants.

All had called for re­negotiated rents owing to the absence of passengers during the pandemic but the group considered that amendments to the law, obliging it to drop rents during this time, were unconstitutional.

ECB: Preference will go to bondholders over shareholders, the European Central Bank said.

MIKE HARPER: Transport Secretary announced Derby as choice for GBR headquarters

Photo credit: CC/DXR

Photo credit: CC/Richard Townsend

AstraZeneca focuses on Spain

BRITISH ­ SWEDISH pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will build an €800 million Research and Development centre in Spain.

The centre, which according to official reports will be located in Barcelona, is expected to create 1,000 new jobs over the next five years. The new hub will coordinate international projects centring on oncology as well as cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, respiratory and rare diseases, plus vaccines and immunotherapies.

“Spanish R&D is first class,” said AstraZeneca’s global CEO Pascal Soriot when he met Nadia Calviño, Spain’s vice­president and Minister for Economic Affairs earlier this month.

“We are committed to working with the government to harness the potential of innovative medicines and drive long­

term economic growth while investing in environments that are committed to innovation and development,” he added.

Soriot highlighted the importance of public ­ private collaboration in developing new medicines, citing the 300 clinical trials which were carried out in Spain in 2022 with the collaboration of more than 4,500 patients.

AstraZeneca invested

more than €93 million in different projects in 2021, of which €48 million were assigned to R&D.

By last year, the company’s investment in Spain had increased to €400 million, together with a 20 per cent increase in personnel, bringing a total of 1,300 employees.

AstraZeneca was one of the first pharmaceutical companies to create a Covid­19 vaccine although

All right for some

over the last year this was not used in Spain, which has been administering Pfizer­BioNTech and Moderna Messenger RNA vaccines.

POWER bill discounts reach only 30 per cent of the Spanish families with three or more children they are aimed at.

In contrast they are claimed by 55 per cent of

In orbit again

RICHARD BRANSON’S foundering Virgin Orbit project has been thrown a last minute multi­million lifeline.

The company was recently preparing insolvency plans following its much­publicised but failed satellite launch from Cornwall two months ago.

Instead, Virgin Orbit shares rose when it emerged that the company would be signing a £160 million (€180.9 million) deal with a Texan venture capital investor, Matthew Brown.

Talks between Brown and Branson commenced when Virgin Orbit announced that it was pausing operations and furloughing most employees while it sought financial support.

Brown, who has already invested in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Rocket Lab, will acquire a controlling stake in Virgin Orbit through his family firm, Matthew Brown Companies,

Virgin Orbit’s finances have suffered since a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger raised £186 million (€210.1 million) and not the £313 million (€353.6 million) that was expected.

large families earning medium­to­high incomes, found an EsadeEcPol thinktank survey.

Fewer than one in three large families amongst the country’s poorest 20 per cent of households are receiving the deductions, EsadeEcPol said. The percentage rose to 38 per cent for medium­tolow incomes, reaching more than 50 per cent for mediumto­high.

Unlike many other government measures introduced to counteract the cost of living crisis, the reductions were not linked to income and the EsadeEcPol analysists concluded that families with more time and information at their disposal were more likely to obtain them.

“The energy reductions have insufficient coverage, something which is especially serious for families that are structurally vulnerable. In their present form there is a misalignment between those who need the discounts and those who receive them,” the authors of the study said.

PASCAL SORIOT: AstraZeneca CEO praised Spain’s R&D.

Ice cap

MULTIPACKS of Magnums now contain three ice creams instead of four, following a reduction in size from 110 to 100 millilitres last year. Neither has there been a change in the £3 (€3.4) price, which manufacturer Unilever attributed to the skyrocketing cost of ingredients and raw materials.

Pay scales

SPANISH government officials earned more last year than its politicians, with most going to Belen Gualda, who heads the State Industrial Ownership Corporation (SEPI). She received a pretax total of €237,986 compared with the €87,814 earned by Pedro Sanchez, president of the Spanish government.

In fashion

MARKS AND SPENCER recently received upgrades from three City brokers as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and BNP Paribas raised share target prices and ratings. The latter described M&S as the “most improved brand since Covid” with analysts raising the target price from 140p ((€1.58) to 160p (€1.81).

Seat bonus

SEAT personnel at the Martorell plant in Barcelona will receive a €1,599 bonus thanks to the carmaker’s 2022 operating profit of €33 million, the UGT and CCOO trade unions announced. The employees will receive the bonus, the largest amount that Seat has ever paid out, on April 14.

Sell it

NOSTALGIA is pushing up the value of retro items like Pokemon cards, Casio watches and Polaroid cameras, which can sometimes fetch thousands of pounds at auction. Millennials and Gen Z could be sitting on a fortune, dealers said, as prices have risen by 200 per cent since 2019.

Centrica boss blasted

CHRIS O’SHEA’S £4.5 million (€5.08 million) take­home pay and £3.7 million (€4.18 million) bonus was greeted with outrage in the UK.

O’Shea is CEO of British Gas’s parent company Centrica and angry consumer groups told him to “examine his conscience” as millions of UK households struggled to pay for heating.

The CEO’s rewards were five times higher than the previous year although that time the Centrica boss waived his bonus owing to high energy bills.

The company announced record profits not long after the Times newspaper revealed that debt agents working for British Gas had been breaking into the homes of vulnerable customers to fit prepayment meters when they were unable to pay their bills.

These disclosures produced protests from consumer groups who had been campaigning for at­risk families to receive more support to help them with­

Visit to Brazil

stand the cost of living crisis.

Downing Street also prompted energy regulator Ofgem to open an investigation into British Gas’s treatment of struggling households.

Centrica’s remuneration committee failed to make any mention in its annual report of the British Gas prepayment scandal.

On the contrary, it defended O’Shea’s annual bonus, maintaining that he had delivered on his objectives of developing an ‘energy transition’ plan.

O’Shea had “successfully navigated challenging regulatory and political issues,” the committee said, at the same time “delivering shareholder value through new investment opportunities and portfolio­shaping.”

Ferrovial’s unknowns

FERROVIAL failed to factor in the unforeseeable when deciding to relocate its headquarters to the Netherlands.

The plan remains unchanged, but the Spanish multinational is watching its share price following Silicon Valley Bank and Silvergate Capital collapse in the US, and Credit Suisse in Europe.

Ferrovial will buy out shareholders voting against the Netherlands move at €26.0075 per share in the course of an April 13 meeting. This was arrived at by averaging Ferrovial’s share price over the three months prior to February 27, the day before it dropped its Netherlands bombshell.

At the time, the company contemplated few desertions and, assuming that these would account for a negligible percentage of its capital, fixed a €500 million maximum payout for shareholders opposing the relocation.

Despite the Spanish government’s opposition to Ferrovial’s relocation, the company was confident that this would be plain sailing, until the current financial situation produced fluctuations in its share price. This has since settled comfortably above the €26 mark.

Anything below that would raise shareholders’

FERROVIAL: Infrastructure multinational going ahead with Netherlands move.

doubts, although there is nothing to stop the company from renouncing the €500 million ceiling should enough shareholders decide to bail out.

But this possibility, Ferrovial sources insisted, would not be analysed “until the moment requires it.”

Not enough increase

AMAZON employees working in the UK are planning further industrial action.

The strike warning came as they dismissed a 50p (56.5 cents) pay rise, bringing the minimum hourly pay for warehouse workers to £11 (€12.42).

The company argued that with this latest increase an Amazon worker’s minimum pay will have risen by 10 per cent over the past seven months, putting it above the legal minimum rate of £10.42

(€11.77) an hour for the over­23s.

“We have listened to Amazon workers and the message is very clear,” said Amanda Gearing, a senior official from the GMB union which has backed workers at the Coventry warehouse in the first ­ ever strikes by Amazon’s UK employees.

“This new pay rate is an insult,” she declared. “In response we will be consulting over the next few days and announcing a new wave of action.”

Tous shines bright

JEWELLERY and accessories company

Tous closed 2022 with record sales and its highest profits in almost 15 years.

Ceasing operations in Russia following the Ukraine invasion had a negative impact of €7 million after Tous closed seven shops there and transferred 49 to its local partners. Nevertheless, growth was 17 per cent up on 2021 and 4 per cent above that of pre­pandemic 2019.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depre­

IBERDROLA chairman Ignacio Galan and Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently visited the company’s pioneering energy complex.

The €630 million plant, which is located in Paraiba, in the northeast of the country, will supply electricity to 1.3 million homes while preventing the emission of more than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, Galan said.

The complex consists of 15 wind farms equipped with a total of 136 turbines and an installed capacity of 471.2 megawatts, plus two solar plants with 228,000 panels and a 149.2 megawatt­peak capacity.

Doesn’t add up

SPAIN’S young are no longer attracted to a career in accountancy.

Multinationals and small firms worldwide have been warning governments for some time of a decrease of newlyqualified students choosing to become accountants or auditors.

This has become apparent not only at university when young people decide on the studies and future careers, explained a spokesperson for one of the Big Four accountants, Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG).

“It’s not only that fewer graduates want to become accountants,” they said. “Many decide to leave and go on to something different after working for two or three years.”

B&Q locals

B&Q could open at least 50 small and medium­sized stores across Britain. The DIY multinational is meeting the demand for accessible local stores where goods ordered online could also be picked up, B&Q sources said.

ciation and amortisation (Ebitda) grew 26 per cent year­on­year to €101 million and the Catalan company’s net profits rose 60 per cent to €35.7 million.

“In a complicated and changing socioeconomic environment, we have been brave and presented our new brand identity ­ which has been very well received ­ to stay ahead of the market,” said the company’s CEO Carlos Soler­Duffo.

The chain already has B&Q Locals in London and the group has earmarked locations for another 50 nationwide.

Medium­sized sites of between 4,000 and 5,000 square metres are likewise under consideration, in contrast to traditional B&Q centres occupying 12,000 square metres, while the new high street stores would range from 300 to 800 square metres.

CHRIS O’SHEA: Centrica CEO with former PM Liz Truss.

Photo credit: Flickr/Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street

Photo credit: Ferrovial

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

SO there we were; on a deserted Saudi beach, miles from anywhere, surrounded by a number of shabbily attired Arab tribesmen, all of them atop various small sand dunes, quietly staring and oozing menace.

For those readers who last week didn’t peruse the ol’ boys column, this situation had arisen back in the 70s, when I found myself bringing shows into Saudi Arabia, residing and working in the country for some eight years. One thing I had to accept was the utter inequality of the ladies.

In complete contradiction of Muslim law I’d secretly driven my British Saudia Airline hostess girlfriend to a deserted beach, some 50 kilometres from Jeddah. We’d parked the car near the sea and finally stretched out in the privacy of a secluded area we thought to be miles from any habitation. Wrong.

After some half an hour I opened my eyes and drowsily became aware this was indeed not the case at all. We were surrounded. Knowing the at­

Lucky escape

titude and laws of a country that considered all females second class citizens who were obliged to cover themselves completely, I realised that a beautiful white girl, clad merely in a bikini, was undoubtedly considered trash and easy pickings; while a white foreigner could be permanently removed with a minimum of problems. Time for some extremely diversive actions.

Without moving my head I quietly whispered the dangers to my now comfortably ensconced female companion. Due to her airline status, she was pretty astute and duly proceeded to follow my muttered suggestions. I told her to slowly get up and without lifting the towels or any picnic items, to move over to the car as though she was retrieving something we needed; I then told her to call me to help. This she did. When I heard my name I casually got up and moved leisurely over to the car.

On reaching it I opened my door and as she was already in the passenger side jumped in; quickly slamming both doors of

the American Chevy and turning the key, we basically took off. Not quite the take­ off she was used to, but one that was certainly necessary. In front of us streaming into the rough track and making wild gestures and shouting were about a dozen or so more Arabian tribesmen.

What could I do? I simply kept driving straight at them. Not fast enough to injure anyone ­ as long as they got out of the way, which they duly did. We plunged through the crowd and in clouds of sand and dust thankfully burst free. Believe me, had we not I wouldn’t be here to write this piece. (Hurray!) This is just one glaring example of female inequality in Muslim countries.

If this is the case why does the British left so strongly support Islamic communities and also encourage female equality? It’s impossible. They simply don’t mix and never will. Ask Mr Khan. Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expat radioscotland.com Mon and Wed.

TOO OFFENSIVE? OUR VIEW

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S novels have been a staple for decades, but this week Harper Collins announced their decision to edit what it deems offensive language from some of her classics.

The changes will affect some of Christie’s most iconic characters, including Poirot and Miss Marple, as well as the hugely popular novel Death on the Nile. But is this censorship or just a sign of the times?

One could argue that after the days of Bernard Manning and Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown the world was definitely due a change.

But has the pendulum now swung too far the other way? And are we

now just attempting to whitewash history by taking references to ‘nubians’ and ‘natives’ out of classic novels? After all, those were commonly­accepted terms at the time Christie wrote, and if we now remove them do we risk losing examples that could teach newer generations exactly how far the world has come, and why many have fought to change it.

A further risk in what could be seen as censorship is that by telling people what they shouldn’t be doing/reading/thinking, does this really encourage them to question their own view points? Or just alienate them further?

One thing is clear, the debate is far from over.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthe publishers,advertisersorsponsors.

Help support our mission

THE British Benevolent Fund was founded over a century ago to act as a charity of last resort for those Britons in Spain facing extreme financial hardship. A century ago, there were only handful of Britons who were able to come to Spain for leisure.

Today around 19 million Britons visit Spain on holiday.

The vast majority enjoy the warmth and hospitality that Spain has always shown to visitors and holidays pass trouble free. But not always.

A much misheld view is that the UK consular network can fund visitors to return home if this goes wrong.

Earlier this month we were contacted by a consular office about an urgent case of a divorced father who had come on holiday to Spain with his two young children. His former wife had given permission for the trip.

What transpired was that the father was a former alcoholic who almost as soon as arriving at the hotel started drinking. He didn’t stop ­ the hotel quickly re­

alised there was a problem with their guest and were concerned for the welfare of the children.

The manager ordered the hotel staff not to serve him but still he found a way.

The police were then calledit is of course no crime to drink but the safety of the children was now paramount.

The consulate were alerted to explain that the children would need to be put into care unless there was an immediate solution.

That’s where the BBF came in ­ the mother was aghast to find out the situation ­ but had hardly any resources ­ let alone money for a last­minute flight then return with the children. This we were able to do. She arrived the following day and was met by the hotel manager and waiting police for the handover to her of

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her children. With that, this appalling situation which could have so quickly taken on a nightmare for the children, was resolved and they were able to return safe and sound.

The BBF can only help her and other urgent cases with the generosity of others. If you would like to support our mission with a donation to help those who have nowhere else to turn ­ please visit www.britishbenevolent fund.org. Olaf Clayton, Chair British Benevolent Fund

WHY do we feel so much nostalgia for the 80s? It was such a stress-free decade with bold fashion statements and new hair trends. Remember mixing music on cassette tapes, recording your message on home answering machines, and not to forget how neon colours rocked with scrunched-up legwarmers over spandex tights. So satisfying.

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CHECK-OUT OUR POLICIES

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Call their English-speaking customer service staff on 952 147 834 or get a competitive quote now at lineadirecta.com

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

Hi Euro Weekly LETTERS

I thought your viewers would like to hear my experience with Spain’s bus services. My wife who had a stroke in July and now uses a wheelchair wanted to go to Fuengirola for the day on the bus. Local people said the bus was very good for disabled people, so we set off. The bus pulled up, driver said no and left without us. So I pushed the wheelchair into La Cala. The next bus driver also said no. I asked if I could use the ramp. He said not possible, so two unknown men offered to lift the wheelchair onto the bus. The driver said ok however the same thing happened on the way home. A man came over to me and lifted my wife onto the bus. What I can’t understand stand is why a bus has a disabled logo on the side then you are told you can’t use a wheelchair. Anybody had the same experience as us? My wife and I are both 76 years old.

Regards Jeff & Maureen Milner, Alcantara

Hi Leapy

Unfortunately I am back in the UK for a while due to this ridiculous 90­day rule because my lovely lady has Parkinson’s and thought she would be treated better in the UK. She wouldn’t sign up to being a Spanish resident although we had lived in Spain for circa 13 years and paid all our non­resident taxes and everything we were asked to pay, but I love her so much I agreed. Possibly a mistake, but as they say love is blind. Now I have a gallbladder full of stones, an enlarged prostate which keeps me going to the toilet all night and a hernia that has reappeared after 30 years like a duck’s egg sticking out of my groin. Of course when I went to my doctor’s surgery after paying my National Insurance non­stop since I started work at the age of 15 and on April 6 I will be 75, there wasn’t a chance in hell of it being repaired, so on the 19th I go in to a private hospital here to get it sorted and will leave hopefully ok, but £3,500 lighter. We have also spent a bloody fortune on private health care in Spain so we wouldn’t be a burden on the system but of course it is a repair so not covered. Had it been a new hernia I would have been straight in to San Carlos and it would have been sorted now. I am sure I have bored you beyond belief but actually the whole purpose of this email was for me to see if you could find out who signed off the paperwork to enable that vile scum Glitter to go straight in front of people who have been waiting for months if not years and have a private room and have a very expensive op (at taxpayer’s expense) to have his knees operated on. I myself feel he should have been so far down the waiting list that he would have been long dead before he was called up and hoped he had suffered more pain than those poor children that he abused, it just beggars

belief Leapy. Now I know as you say you get so many people contacting you that you can’t reply and I fully understand that but it would be nice to read in the EWN that at least you have voiced your opinion on this. Keep up the good work and although we are back in the UK for a little while we always check your opinions on line and 99 per cent of the time agree with you entirely.

Joe

Dear Sirs

I have just read with great interest your article on applying for a blue badge. I started the process for applying for a blue badge for my husband in February 2020 and he finally received it in December 2022, which is two months short of three years and nothing actually went wrong. Your article seems to imply that your doctor can declare you as having at least a 33 per cent disability. This is not the case. You have to have an interview at the Centro de Valoracion y Orientacion in Malaga. You have to apply for this interview submitting all of your relevant medical history. After submitting the application we waited for this appointment for over two years.

Then several months after the interview for them to award their decision, then we were able to start the process for applying for the blue badge. Never in all of this procedure were we asked to provide passport photos. I have actually heard that the process is now taking even longer. I cannot help noticing recently that there are many unoccupied disabled parking spaces. I presume this is down to the virtually impossible task of actually obtaining a blue badge.

Kind regards

Valerie Neal, Mijas Costa

Just a thought

Lanzarote’s president has a point. Spain’s tourist image is damaged by an irresponsible minority.

For many decades, excessive drunkenness by certain British tourists has been a problem in Spain. The consequences can range from loud, juvenile groups at the next table in a restaurant to fights, vomiting and vandalism in public areas.

This behaviour can ruin a night out or even a holiday for more mature holidaymakers and is an unacceptable inconvenience for local residents.

Other nationalities don’t necessarily drink less than these Brits; the point is that they generally handle it better ­ possibly because they are in better mental and physical health.

David R Worboys

PETS

Cat-sitters become playmates

YOU may have had cats yourself, and know cats that demand a playmate. Well Talisker is one such cat. His owners find pet­sitters to care for him at home and then leave for their holidays. What the unsuspecting cat­sitters don’t realise is quite how demanding this intelligent feline can be. Challenging and fun Talisker will always need new pet­sitters.

Our house­sitting and pet­sitting network can help pet owners meet great checked pet­sitters, and secure care for their pets, for free, no matter where they are!

If you are planning a trip later this year, register now to find pet­sitters in time. Even if it’s just a short trip, you’ll know that sometimes you just have to leave pets at home. Young and senior pets in particular benefit from staying in their own home, so they can follow their routines undis­

turbed. Let us help.

Choose Housesitmatch.com for affordable travel, home and pet care. These are the steps to take:

1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com

2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed

3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house

4. Post an advert for the

dates when you want to go away. Sitters apply and you choose.

How does it work?

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House­sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

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I have had nothing but good and helpful service from the people who run this site, and my experience has been excellent. Tristram Cosgrave ­ Dog and cat owner, Malaga How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com.

Do you need a housesitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and petsitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either housesitter or homeowner with a 50% discount using coupon code 20EWN – an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com

Keep dogs cool

ALWAYS make sure you and your dog are prepared for Spain’s impending hot weather.

Dog owners are well aware of how to look after their pets but need to take extra care as the weather starts to hot up. Providing plenty of fresh drinking water, water to play in, shade and a cool spot to lie down, always ensure you avoid the midday heat and even into the afternoon as temperatures start to climb. Early morning and later evening walks are preferable.

Frantic panting, extreme salivation, bright­red membranes, and laboured breathing are clear warning signs your dog is overheated. To keep cool at home, put them on a cool wet towel, cooling mat or place them in the breeze of a fan whilst drinking small amounts of cool water. You can pour cool water over their feet, ears and head.

If out and near a body of fresh water, let your dog take a dip to cool down. If you think your dog is suffering from heatstroke wet their coat or drench a towel in cool, but not really cold, water and drape it over them. This helps in lowering body temperature and is a crucial step in cooling down before getting them to the vets.

Finding a stray animal

WHAT to do if you find a stray animal in Spain

All pets in Spain by law should have a permanent identification (microchip) in case of loss, change of ownership or death of a pet. In Andalucia, the database that enrols pets is the RAIA (Registro Andaluz Animal Identification), owned by the Andalucian Council of Colleges of Veterinary.

If you find a stray animal, you can contact an authorised veterinarian, call the phone number or e­mail the RAIA, contact the competent service of the town hall (Environment or Health) or the Local Police or Guardia Civil.

Initially you could check if the animal belongs to any of your neighbours or take it to your local vet and they will check to see if it is microchipped. If it is then they will contact the owner. If it is not chipped you could take a look at the Lost Animal pages on social media or put up signs in your local area.

If this does not reunite the animal with its owner, inform the Local Police or the Guardia Civil so that they can proceed with identification and, where appropriate, temporary accommodation in a centre for abandoned and lost animals, until recovery by the owner.

Should I get a pet?

CHECK out the local Pet Rescue Centres if you are looking to get a pet. There are lots of things to think about if you want to get a pet in Spain. For a puppy, you might have to factor in the cost of vaccination, spaying and neutering, training and socialisation classes, and new equipment leashes, bowls

and toys. Puppies require a lot of stimulation and play, and also frequent naps. However, adult dogs are usually up ­ todate on vaccines and already spayed or neutered. They can have a grasp on basic commands and may have started some behavioural training. Adult dogs obviously have

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

exercise needs and require mental stimulation. It is important that you can keep up with them. If you are thinking about getting a pet in Spain why not look at the many varied animal charities and rescue centres rather than purchasing from a pet store or breeder. As well as being less expensive, good shelters and rescue groups will often work with animals in their care to teach them to be social and well ­ behaved.

For cats, many shelters evaluate cat characteristics, such as temperament, and they can help you select a suitable cat for your household, personality, and lifestyle.

Talisker loves company, and always trains his catsitters well.

Image by GaevoyB/Shutterstock

Let your dog take a dip to cool down in the heat.

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THE third Spanish BMX Cup was held in the sports complex of Mazarron on Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26.

There were 230 participants registered for the two days with participants arriving from all over Spain.

The presentation of the competition was made by the mayor of Mazarron Gaspar Miras, the deputy mayor Ginés Campillo, the local sports minister Francisco García, the president of the Cycling federation for the Region of Murcia Miguel Fernández and the president of Cronomur Enrique Belchí.

Miguel Fernández conveyed his gratitude to the Mazarrón Town Hall for their continued support of cycling. He also gave his support to the BMX competition. Mazarron is a pioneer in the Region of Murcia, installing their BMX complex and now it is a benchmark in all of Spain, commented the deputy mayor.

Mayor Gaspar Miras finished by remarking how much this sport and particularly this competition has helped the region during its low season.

THE Welsh under ­ 21s lined up against the Scottish under ­ 21s on Sunday, March 26, a beautiful spring day in a neutral stadium, Pinatar Arena Football Club, in the Costa Calida U21s week.

With young aspiring players from clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United, Celtic, Rangers, and Bayern Munich this was always going to be an interesting match. From the kick ­ off, you could see the rivalry between the two teams they certainly did not play like it was a friendly match.

Wales struggled to get possession for the first 25

REAL MURCIA drew 1 ­ 1 away from home in the Nuevo Estadio de Los Pajaritos against Numancia on Sunday, March 26. A disappointing fifth consecutive draw for Real Murcia which took them further away from their goal of reaching the playoffs. Real Murcia sits in sixth position three points behind the Barcelona B team and two points ahead of Logroñes. The goal for Real Murcia came from Armando Ortiz in the 40th minute. Numancia got a goal back in the 73rd minute with Jesus Tamayo Tapia scoring the equalizer. Real Murcia will be disappointed in their performance and with the fact that they had two players sent off Alberto González for a second yellow card in the 83rd minute and Ivan Casado Ortiz with a straight red card in the 94th minute.

Six more players received

yellow cards three for Real Murcia, Gracia, Lopez, and González, and three for Numancia, Toni Arranz, Zarzana, and Pol.

Tensions were high especially towards the end of the match as both red cards and three yellow cards came in the last 10 minutes.

Cartagena FC Victory

FOOTBALL CLUB CARTAGENA, who are currently seventh in the Spanish second division, beat opponents CD Lugo by two goals to nil with goals from Darío Poveda in the 55th minute and Franchu Fevillassier in the 88th minute.

The assists came from Jairo Izquierdo and Pablo de Blasis. Cartagena FC played at home in their stadium Estadio Municipal Cartagonova. This win puts them four points behind sixth place Albacete and one point ahead of Burgos. Although it is worth mentioning both teams have yet to play this weekend. Even so, it is an important win for Cartagena as it is their first win in their last three matches. Cartagena CF will play their next fixture away from home as they will face Leganés who sit in 14th position seven points behind ‘los albinegros’. Cartagena FC is nicknamed ‘los albinegros’ as it references the team colours of black and white stripes.

minutes but after their first goal in the 28th minute by Josh Farrell, from Spanish club CF Villanovense, they dominated the rest of the encounter. Wales went on to score their second goal in the 40th minute Joe Low of Walsall scoring leaving Wales 2 ­ 0 at halftime. Josh Thomas of Swansea City went on to score a third goal in the 51st minute for Wales.

Scotland’s frustration was clear to see as Josh Mulligan clashed with Liverpool youngster Owen Beck after a number of physical tackles in the dying minutes of the match.

Wales U21s-Scotland U21s Real Murcia draw

Clean sweep for Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE were victorious on Sunday afternoon, March 26, in both the Men’s and Women’s Gemini Boat Race 2023 against Oxford on the Thames at Putney in London, as announced on the Twitter Boat Race profile.

In this 168th edition of the Men’s event, Tassilo von Mueller won the coin toss and chose the Surrey station for Oxford. That left Jasper Parish with the Middlesex station.

Cambridge cox

Jasper Parish took a gamble ­ that ultimately paid off ­ in steering his team closer to the river bank to search for easier passage through the waters of the Thames in Fulham. This led to his rowers gaining a lead of around half a boat’s length. The Goldie boat subsequently crossed the line to take victory over Isis by 1.3 lengths, for the fourth time in five years.

One hour earlier, in the 77th edition of the Women’s Boat Race, Oxford took the Middlesex station, with Cambridge starting from the Surrey station. Cambridge were also victorious, with Blondie beating Osiris by 4.5 lengths in a time of 20m 29s.

BMC competition.

UNDER 21S FOOTBALL: The two teams didn’t play like it was a friendly match.

NUEVA ESTADIO DE LOS PAJARITOS: Tensions were high especially towards the end.

Annual boat race.