Costa Calida 13 – 19 April 2023 Issue 1971

Golden Leaves: Pioneering expertise and reliability with a human touch

The Euro Weekly News travelled to the company’s modern offices in Javea to meet founder Tony Rowland, chairman Steve Rowland and Chief Executive Officer Barry Floyd, to learn the history of how one of only two regulated companies in Spain came into being and how this historic brand earned its cast‐iron reputation for professionalism, quality and innovation.

FIRST, we met the company’s founder Tony Rowland, an avid fundraiser and bowler. In 1974 (whilst already a highly regarded funeral director in South London) one of his many business ambitions was to build a quality brand that would support and care for the needs of both those who unfortunately passed away whilst abroad and for those who wished to plan their future end of life services in advance. It was no surprise when tour operator Intersun asked Tony to repatriate the body of a holidaymaker who died in Mallorca in 1974. He seized the opportunity, dealing directly with the insurance company, the airline and the other parties involved. So efficient was his service that he was soon responsible bringing all deceased Intersun clients home. His reputation for exemplary and compassionate service soon led to other tour operators like Blue Skies and Saga following suit. Gradually he broadened the company’s area of influence and reputation (inspired by US schemes) by developing and launching a new brand promoting prepaid funeral plans throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.

The humble beginnings of Tony’s creation, Golden Leaves, soon became a thing of the past as it launched itself into the sector. It’s evolution at the vanguard of championing best practice throughout United Kingdom and abroad would see it swiftly grow to be recognised as one of most respected brands in the sector. Its reputation for innovation and ‘client first’ business practices preceded it, as the Golden Leaves brand soon became a symbol of quality, reassurance, and dependable compassionate service to tens of thousands of new customers.

As the decades passed, Golden Leaves secured its place amongst the most respected companies in the United Kingdom and Spain by being the ONLY business to have both its Chairman and Managing Director appointed to serve as directors on the board of the Funeral Planning Authority (the UK regulatory body in place at the time). Eventually, as the Financial Conduct Authority moved to bring Funeral plans under their statutory remit and replace the FPA after instructions from HM Treasury and parliament, Golden Leaves were once again at the forefront of discussion and debate with HM Treasury and the FCA, providing essential detail to assist the creation of the new rule book.

On July 29, 2022, all UK funeral plan providers must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to sell or administer a funeral plan, these also include ANY International funeral plans (those sold in Spain) that can also be utilised in the United Kingdom if desired. Golden Leaves is one of only two companies selling FCA regulated funeral plans across the Spanish mainland and both the Canaries and Balearic Islands.

Next we met Golden Leaves’ Chief Executive Officer, Barry Floyd, who has had a long career with the brand having been managing director for nine years before taking the reigns as Chief Executive Officer. Barry steered the business though its lengthy journey from self‐regulation to gaining full Financial Conduct Authority authorisation.

Barry commented: “The last two years have been a truly gruelling experience. Gaining authorisation from the UK’s statutory regulator is a very long, demanding and often extremely challenging process. Requiring many hundreds of hours hard work from the board, the management team and our regulatory lawyers in addition to a huge number of informational and documentary requirements, even to the point of competence and strategy interviews with the FCA interview panel.

“Consequently, only the best past muster and so when you do eventually emerge on the other side with approval, customers can have concrete trust in the fact that you are a quality professional, financially solid and dependable brand.

“Obviously, this is of paramount importance when a customer is deciding to purchase a funeral plan. Primarily as you need to know the company you are buying from will be around to look after you potentially many years into the future.

“It is common knowledge these days that purchasing a plan from a non FCA regulated planning company, leaves you seriously open to losing all of your money.”

Finally, we were also joined by company Chairman Steve Rowland, who sets the company’s ethos and ensures that the executive board operates correctly. However, like Barry, Steve is passionate about the social aspects of the service and being of assistance to those who have lost loved ones with the Rowland Brothers Foundation, which provides free bereavement counselling. Like his father, who has received an MBE for his incredible work raising funds for good causes, he works diligently to ensure that the Company is always customer focused first and that the quality of support is exemplary.

At the end of the day, what could be more reassuring than knowing that a brand like Golden Leaves and its dedicated staff, with decades of experience, will be there to look after you and your loved ones during the most stressful of times?

Emma Quantrill and Tony Rowland

Steve Rowland

Barry Floyd Tony Rowland

POPULARITY SOARING

THE coast of Murcia has seen a rise in popularity these last few years with Skyscanner recording a 1,795 per cent rise in the number of people from the UK searching for holidays on the Costa CAlida since 2019. Now with extra ­ economic pressure, most people have to make their money go further. Murcia is a more economical destination and so becoming more and more popular with return flights available in August for £100.

Murcia is also a very accessible area for tourists from the UK with many of its airlines flying into both Alicante Airport and Corvera Airport. With some of the most beautiful beaches in Spain, Murcia has plenty to offer not just cheap flights. The two main cities, Murcia

City and Cartagena City are full of tourist attractions like the impressive Roman ruins, museums, bars, and restaurants.

The coast offers plenty of gastronomical gems as

well with some of the best seafood restaurants dotted all along the sandy beaches of the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean. Costa Calida is already a popular destina ­

tion with Spanish holidaymakers with many of them choosing the area for a second home. This gives the area a more laid ­ back, authentic, and less commercial feel.

€22 million for La Manga

TERESA RIBERA, the Minister for Ecological Transition announced the allocation of €22 million to renaturalise the Caleta del Estacio in the Mar Menor.

The plan is to dismantle the abandoned facilities of the Puerto Mayor (big port) project, which was intended to be the largest marina in the Mediterranean and will environmentally restore the Caleta del Estacio.

This failed project was due to have more than 900 moorings at the entrance of the Estacio channel from the Mediterranean in La Manga.

The aggressive urban project, which was also planned to include hotels and another golf course, was paralysed after the intervention of Greenpeace, ANSE, and the Minister for Environment and finally a court ruling. This new project to renaturalise the area includes restoration of the dunes, the elimination of invasive species, and

Turbulence at Corvera Airport

ACCORDING to statistics released by Aena, the airport service management company, Corvera Airport is still struggling to impress.

The figures presented in their report show Corvera Airport registering half the passengers compared to San Javier Airport. Corvera Airport has been running for four years now and the number of passengers checking in is declining. In fact, both the number of passengers and flights have reduced when compared to the same month in 2018 and 2019.

There were such high hopes for this airport and many thought it would attract more visitors from more countries to the Murcia region. While their post­pandemic figures did offer some hope, as they regained 77 per cent of their passengers, the numbers have diminished again.

Most passengers, even from Murcia, opt for Alicante Airport with more routes and destinations. How will the International Airport of the Region de Murcia (RMU) fair this summer?

the construction of elevated wooden walkways. At the announcement, Ribera discussed the fact that in just one year they have activated €100 million to recover the Mar Menor.

The minister also voiced her under­

standing of the frustration shown by the neighbours of the Cala del Pino who, as reported in the last edition of the EuroWeekly News , protested about the urban planning and construction in the La Manga area.

CORVERA AIRPORT: Failing to impress AENA.

COSTA CALIDA: The area gives a more laid-back, authentic and less commercial feel.

LA MANGA: A new project plans to renaturalise the area.

Cinema subscription Going local

IT is being described as ‘the Netflix of Cinema’ and it has arrived in Murcia. Cinesa, which has a movie theatre in the shopping centre Nueva Condomina, will launch its first subscription plan, similar to that of Netflix, for €15.95 per month.

This will be the first subscription of its kind in Spain and it begins in April. Cinesa will call this subscription ‘Unlimited Card’. It will allow the subscribers of Cinesa’s ‘Unlimited Card’ to access their cinema as many times as the

member wants. This subscription will be available in two models priced from €15.95. It is being described as an innovative move. How many

more cinemas will choose a similar route as the competition between platforms like Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Disney +, and the cinema battles on? Many viewers now opt to watch all the top movies from the comfort of their own homes with many viewers highlighting the cost of attending the movie theatres. Along with the fact that many films are now only shown exclusively at the cinema for a few weeks before being available on one of the many available platforms.

Car sales increase

FOR the first time since the pandemic the car industry has registered a total of 99,524 cars sold in a single month (March), which is 66 per cent more in Spain than in the same period last year.

In the region of Murcia specifically, we have seen

an increase of 36.6 per cent with 1,382 passenger cars registered in the month of March 2023.

Interestingly the data also showed a decrease in the number of diesel vehicles registered in the first quarter and an increase in electric and hybrid vehi ­

cles up by 30 per cent in the Region of Murcia. It is worth noting that the figures are still below the pre ­ pandemic figures by 19 per cent when compared to March 2019, but after a 2022 to forget, the increase certainly shows promise in the sector.

WITH local shops in a continuous battle with online companies San Pedro del Pinatar continues to promote and support its local stores with its new spring campaign. Nintety ­ seven businesses have signed up for the initiative which runs until May 19.

The businesses involved give out a ticket for every purchase over €5. At the end of the campaign, all the tickets get put into a raffle which takes place on May 22. Every business has a €100 voucher to give

‘Light of the Past’

MAZARRON Town Hall will exhibit Mazarrón ‘Light of the Past’ from the cartoonists Juan Alvarez and Jorge Gomez. You can visit the exhibition until May 13 and it shows the most emblematic corners of the town in its illustrations. It is located in the town hall and the

timetable is from Monday to Saturday from 10am until 2pm. The two artists are from Murcia and one of them Juan Alvarez is from Mazarrón itself. They use their art to publicise and promote the historical and cultural heritage of the Mazarron area.

away and these vouchers must be spent in the shop that gave out the winning ticket. This supports all the local stores involved and so with that in mind don’t forget to shop locally this spring!

New Eco Park Los Ramos

THE new Eco Park in Los Ramos, Murcia will occupy 2,600 square metres on the Carretera of Sucina. It is the third in the region and will cost €450,000, part of which has been funded by the EU.

The Eco Park will receive waste that cannot be deposited by the public containers.

The access will be by the RM 300 road. The timetable will be from 8am until 2pm and 4.30pm until 6.30pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays from 8am until 2pm.

CINESA: Visit as many times as you want on an ‘Unlimited Card’.

Nonagram 69

UNFORTUNATELY there was a small error in the Nonagram puzzle in Edition 1969 where the wrong letter was shown in the text and the centre of the puzzle. The correct letter should have been D. Apologies to all those who struggled to find the correct solution.

Events IFEPA

THE popular trade fair and exhibition centre in Torre Pacheco in Murcia, the IFEPA, holds a number of dif‐ferent events throughout the year. The next event runs from April 19 to April 22 and is the next edition of FAME INNOWA, Agricultural Tech‐nology and Agribusiness Fair of the Mediterranean.

Laughing gas

THE Local Police have ex‐pressed alarm at the in‐crease in the consumption of laughing gas among the young people of Murcia. They have seized so far this year 140 bottles of nitrous oxide. While this sounds like harmless fun this new trend can have unreversible effects on one’s health.

Ronald’s wife

DID you know Cristiano Ronaldo’s wife Georgina Ro‐dríguez hails from Murcia? Well kind of, the model and bussinesswoman was born in Argentina but her mother Ana María Hernández is from Murcia. Georgina’s fa‐ther Jorge Eduardo moved to Elche from Buenos Aires in 1984 and while in Spain he met Ana María. Even though Georgina spent most of her childhood in Jaca, Huesca, she did spend a brief period in the Murcia region.

Free events

THE festival is called ‘Somos Murcia’ (we are Murcia) and will run from April 24 until April 30 and will include all kinds of free events. There will be live music, markets, literature events, cinema, and fashion events held in different locations in the city centre.

New Clinic Lo Pagan

THE new Casa del Mar clinic by the port in Lo Pagan, San Pedro del Pinatar will have six general practitioners of‐fices instead of the four it has currently and will in ‐crease the two nursing of‐fices to five. The new clinic will also have two paedi ‐atrics offices, one more than at present.

The budget for the new clinic is €3 million and the work will begin this month.

CASA DEL MAR: Will have six general practitioners.

The Minister for Health Juan José Pedreño explained that “the new centre will offer better general conditions,

larger consultation rooms, waiting rooms and bath ‐

rooms and it will be pre ‐pared for possible future ex‐pansions due to an increase of population, etc.”

The ground floor in the new clinic will be 496 metres and the two upper levels will be 461 metres.

It will also have a parking area with gardens.

The population assigned to the Lo Pagán, Casa del Mar clinic is approximately 6,000 health cards which in‐creases during the summer months.

Tourism thrives on Costa Calida

SEMANA SANTA saw an influx of tourists to the region. The hotels have reported an 80 per cent occupancy for the holiday period and are hopeful that the summer will be just as suc ‐cessful.

It wasn’t just the hotels, bars, and restaurants along the coast that were

bursting with holidaymakers, but Mur‐cia City and Cartagena City received their share of tourists that packed the streets to see the many Easter proces‐sions that these cities are famous for.

The average daily spend in the ho‐tels was €130 and that is without the money spent in the bars, restaurants

Camposol dog park

THE canine recreation area for Camposol is now a reality according to the councillor for Animal Welfare Silvia García. The dog park was the second most‐voted proposal in the Mazarrón area. The new park is located in Sector A in the urbanisation of Camposol. Prior to the park the area was just a wasted green area, now there is a space where pets and their owners can enjoy the new canine recreation park complete with benches, lighting, pergolas, and of course an obstacle course for dogs. The obstacle course contains a jumping hoop, a walkway, a tunnel, fence jumping, etc.

Local products

BURGER KING has been applauded by the people of Murcia as it uses fresh produce from Murcia for its burgers to celebrate the ‘Banda de la Huerta’ spring festivals in Murcia.

Burger King chose the onions, lettuce, and tomatoes from Murcia for their famous hamburg‐ers and will use this fresh produce until Monday April 17 to coincide with the local fiesta.

STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Top towns

IF you fancy a day trip or a weekend away from the coast there are some beau‐tiful historic and rural towns you can visit in the Region of Murcia. One of the most fa‐mous is probably Lorca be‐cause of the town’s focal point Lorca Castle which of‐fers panoramic views. It also has an impressive cathedral, churches, monasteries, art galleries, and museums.

and cultural attractions. As figures re‐turn to those seen pre‐pandemic, posi‐tivity is in the air, the only issue now is staffing. Hotels, bars, and restaurants along the coast are finding it difficult to recruit the personnel they need for what they feel will be a very busy sum‐mer season.

World Book Day

Another popular town in Murcia is Caravaca de la Cruz. This town is known for being an important pilgrim‐age destination as the Car‐avaca Cross is believed to have healing powers.

Archena, another beauti‐ful Murcian town, is known for its thermal waters which have been used for thera‐peutic reasons since Roman times.

As well as its famous spa there are many other cultur‐al attractions in this pretty town like the Castle of Ri‐cote. If you are looking for a more rural escape Cieza in the Sierra Espuña and Moratalla in the Sierra de Segura offer stunning natu‐ral landscapes.

authors.

SAN JAVIER will celebrate World Book Day in the morning of Sun‐day, April 23 in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento with a book fair. It will include book readings, story‐telling for children, and book signings. It is a special fair that is dedicated to local authors, in fact they have asked for as much in‐volvement as possible from the locals asking them to participate in this fair saying they will have a stand to publicise their work. There will be other events in the lead‐up to the book fair in the local library and the week‐end after the fair there will be a storytelling event by the Rafa Puede Foundation on April 29.

Even better, our

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

BOOK FAIR: Dedicated to local

Bank Holidays 2024

THE bank holidays for the next year 2024 have been announced for the Murcia Region.

If, like me, you can’t keep up with all the bank holidays in Spain get your calendar out and make a note or even cut this out and keep it somewhere safe.

Monday, January 1­ New Year’s Day

Saturday, January 6

Tuesday, March 19 ­ Father’s Day (Spain)

Thursday, March 28 ­ Holy Thursday

Friday, March 29 ­ Good Friday

Wednesday, May 1 ­ The day of the worker

Thursday, August 15

Saturday, October 12

Friday, November 1

Friday, December 6

Monday, December 9

Wednesday, December 25 ­ Christmas Day

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

The best theme parks

WITH the perfect spring weather upon us in Costa Calida, bright sunny days with a cool breeze, now is the time to visit the best theme parks Costa Calida has to offer.

The first on the list is Terra Natura which is a wildlife park with more than 300 animals from 50 different species. It offers shows, entertainment, and a variety of restaurants. It also has a waterpark open during the hotter months.

Next, we have Peke Park in La Manga, it is an attraction park with Go­karts, a carousel, Crazy Golf, a boating lake, trampolines, and much more.

It has some pizza and burger restaurants too.

Third on the list is Parque de Tentegorra, a unique theme park that has zip lines, rope bridges, and a swimming pool. The highlight of this park though must be its famous maze which is the largest natural maze in Spain.

Then we have the Oasys Mini Hollywood theme park found in the Tabernas desert

Rice dishes

considered to be the only desert in Europe. It features cowboy stunt shows, can­can shows, museums, a zoo, a saloon bar, and a themed swimming pool for the summer.

Lastly, just in case the weather takes a turn for the worst you can find the Nickelodeon Adventure indoor family­themed park in the Commercial Centre Thader. It has fun rides and a 4D cinema.

PAELLA, the Valencian rice dish, probably the dish most associated with Spain, is one that combines rice, saffron, various types of meat, and seafood but in Costa Cálida, it is not the only rice dish on the menu. You will find a variety of rice dishes similar to paella but how do you know the difference and which one should you order based on your own taste?

The first dish I mention is Caldero. This is the most popular in this region, especially around the Mar Menor. Caldero is a rice dish named after the type of pot it is cooked in ‘the cauldron’. This is cooked together with different fish and seafood which accounts for its salty flavour but the difference about this dish is that the fish is usually served separately.

Another dish that you will typically see in this region is Arroz y Conejo (rice and rabbit). A rice dish often seen on menus is Arroz

A Banda, my personal favourite, it is a recipe that hails from Alicante but is very popular in Murcia also. This dish is like paella but the seafood it contains is peeled and chopped and mixed through the rice making it, in my opinion, easier to eat and therefore enjoy. It doesn’t usually contain meat.

The final two rice dishes are Arroz Mixto, mixed rice, so named as it contains chicken and shellfish, and Arroz y Marisco, rice with shellfish.

GO-KARTS: Feature in the Peke Park in La Manga.

“The quiet sow eats the food of the grunting one.”

This is a medieval proverb meaning, whilst you’re busy complaining about your lot, someone else will have enjoyed it.

28% of white collar workers’ time is spent dealing with emails.

Photo Credit Shutterstock: Tom Wang

San Javier Air Base

BELOVED airport and military base San Javier Airport is a military air base and former civilian passenger airport located in the hamlet of San Javier, Santiago de la Ribera, on the coast of the southeast of Murcia. It is owned by the Spanish Air and Space Force.

It was replaced by the new Region de Murcia International Airport when it opened in 2019. Everyone remembers this airport fondly, as you walked into San Javier Airport you could see through to the departure gates at the flights landing and taking off. It had a family­run feel to it as everyone knew each other from

the National Police to the airline check­in crew.

The airport was a military air base until 3pm and then a passenger airport from 3pm until 11pm when it returned to its military duties at that time. Passengers and staff alike awaiting the first flight of the day would often be treated with an air display as the military aircraft circled and created hearts in the sky most days.

That’s not to say the sharing of this airport was always idyllic as if a flight was delayed and could not make it before the cut­off at 11pm it would then be diverted to Al­

icante Airport.

The San Javier Air Base, Academia General Del Aire (General Air Academy) was founded in 1926 and is the teaching centre of the Spanish Air Force and headquarters of the famous Patrulla Aguila (Eagle Patrol). Since its creation, more than 6,500 students have passed through this military training centre.

It is a fundamental part of San Javier and the town and neighbouring towns come alive when they open their doors to visitors and put on magnificent air displays attracting tourists and aficionados from all over.

AIR BASE: San Javier was founded in 1926 and is now also a teaching centre.

Photo credit Shutterstock: David Acosta Allely

Tourism triumph

SPAIN is the place to be! That’s according to the country’s phenomenal tourism data for the start of 2023. Data released on Monday, April 3 revealed the country welcomed a whopping 8.5 million international tourists during the first two months of the year.

The data revealed that Spain smashed last year’s figures by more than 50 per cent. And in a further positive turn, tourists are spending more than ever before, with a staggering €5.33 billion spent in February alone.

Las Canarias had best tourism data at the start of 2023.

The Minister for Tourism, Héctor Gómez, is thrilled with the results and predicts that figures for this year’s Semana Santa will also break records for occupancy and spending.

In February, 4.3 million inter­

national tourists arrived in Spain, a 35.9 per cent increase compared to last year. The visitors spent €1.5 billion more on their trips than in February 2022, a 41 per cent increase.

The UK continues to be the top source of international tourists, followed by France and Germany, but other countries including the USA, Italy, and Switzerland have also seen significant increases.

Las Canarias remains the most popular destination for tourists, with 1.2 million visitors in February.

Worries over workshops

IN a move considered shocking to many, Spain is funding workshops on ‘sex toys’ and ‘trans identity’ in Latin America. It was reported on Friday, April 7 that the Spanish Agency for International Development and Cooperation (AECID) is financing workshops covering sexual issues, inclusive language, feminism, and gender ideology in 10 Latin American countries.

The Spanish government’s policies of gender and sexual liberation have made waves within its borders. However, perceived attempts by the

government to export its policies on the matter to Spanish­speaking countries, have sparked outrage in countries including Honduras.

What many Spaniards find most disturbing is that this practice, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has now spread to 10 Latin American countries, with funding for workshops on sexual toys, indigenous feminism, and ‘trans poetry’, among others.

The funding comes from taxes paid by citizens of the European nation.

The Expert

WE all have our cultural biases. We can’t help it. We can only view things from our learned experience. But when we travel, we expand those experiences and broaden our views ­ perhaps changing how we see the world. And how others see us.

I only understood that clearly when travelling in the Middle East in my 20s. A teenage girl was introduced to me at a luncheon. When she heard I was from California, she became excited.

“Do you know Madonna?” she asked.

As if I, of the 38 million Americans residing in California, was the

next ­ door neighbour of Madonna. But now, living in rural small ­ town Galicia, I am experiencing something similar.

We are well­travelled, especially in the US. I travelled for work a lot. And we travelled with our children for holidays to nearly every state in the union. So, I know a bit about each of them.

But the US is vast compared to countries in Europe. So big that there are varied cultural pockets where, while English is spoken, there are accents I can barely understand. But my fellow Gallegos don’t care.

It seems I am now the go ­ to person to consult when anyone in the area is travelling to the

US. Mothers, brothers, cousins, friends. It doesn’t matter. There will be a knock on my door. Someone I recognise will be there with someone I don’t recognise.

Let the travel consultation begin. I almost feel like a medium. Perhaps I should light candles or lay out some tarot cards.

“I see a tall, handsome stranger in your future trip to New York.”

I have begun recycling itineraries, and custom Google maps for these people. Finding I get excited about their adventures. Remembering my own and doing my part to broaden their horizons, one Gallego at a time.

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Photo credit: Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (via Facebook)

British buyers still rule

GOOD news for the Spanish house market as a new report, from leading international property portal Kyero, has revealed that British buyers remain the biggest overseas spenders when it comes to buying property in Spain, three years on from Brexit and despite a 17 per cent fall in enquiries from British buyers last year.

In an analysis of one of the largest data sets in the industry (consisting of buyers from 194 countries and 154,460 properties for sale with over 3,000 estate agents) it was found that the British, who have long played a significant role in the Spanish property market, have (just) managed to cling on to their number one spot.

This is despite losing significant ground to German and Dutch buyers since Brexit, but overall the number of international property buyers in Spain increased by 80 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019. British buyers continued to make up the largest proportion of overseas property spending in 2022 (12.54 per cent of the total market value).

However, compared to 2019 pre­Brexit figures, the increase in spending is one of the smallest of all nationalities.

Party on

SPANISH party resorts waging war against boozy Brits have been warned their efforts are “backfiring spectacularly” as demand for trips has since skyrocketed.

In what was dubbed the ‘Costa crackdown’, authorities in Malaga threatened rowdy British stags and hens with huge three figure fines if they stripped naked or brandished a blow ­ up p***s in public, while plans were even floated to install noise monitors in rooms.

Tougher rules were introduced in Ibiza and Mallorca, with drinks limits imposed to try and curb drunken bad behaviour.

They have been part of a wider EU wide crackdown, which came to prominence when stags and hens from the UK were urged to ‘stay

away’ from Amsterdam as part of a major campaign launched by officials in the Dutch capital.

However, the boss of Britain’s leading stag and hen do provider said the only thing the “crusades” had succeeded in is making groups more determined to party in these destinations ­ with Brits seemingly undeterred by threats from the Spanish authorities.

“Our Amsterdam stag do bookings are up 50 per cent since that campaign launched last week, so clearly the message to ‘stay away’ isn’t getting through,” said Matt Mavir, Managing Director of stag and party provider ‘Last Night of Freedom’.

And in the sunny Spanish party resort of Benalmadena, in Malaga Province, the company reported that bookings have increased by an astonishing 200 per cent since the new rulesaimed largely at stags and hens ­ were publicised last June.

“In Magaluf, bookings are up 60 per cent and it seems these rules are having absolutely no impact on people’s desire to party in Spain and the EU.

“That’s why we are seeing unprecedented demand for budgetfriendly Spanish resorts like Benidorm, and even though there are tough rules, that’s unlikely to put people off partying there,” he concluded.

PARTY RESORTS: Companies say bookings are increasing.

1st Helsinki has the cleanest air of all world cities.

Kindness exploited Four-day working week

Betty Henderson

RESIDENTS in Albox are warning others about a father and son who allegedly swindled hundreds of euros from local businesses and individuals, taking advantage of the community's kindness.

The pair arrived in the town claiming to be divorcees in need of a fresh start and established relationships with sympathetic locals who offered assistance. However, it later emerged that the men borrowed money from kind ­ hearted members of the community without any intention of paying it back.

Sums of money borrowed are said to range from approximately €200 to €800, while the pair also reportedly have outstanding bills with local bars. At least three denuncias (complaints)

have been made to the police, one of which the Euro Weekly News has had sight of.

Investigations by local residents suggest that these individuals may have a history of similar

fraudulent activities in other locations including Tenerife and Turre. Local resident, John Hillen explained “We are doing this to warn others and to put a stop to their activities if we can.”

While the allegations against the pair have yet to be proven, those affected are warning others to be cautious and have informed the appropriate authorities. The pair allegedly drove a Nissan Niro car with the registration plate PN70 NGZ.

STARTING on Monday, April 10, the city of Valencia began experimenting with the four­day working week. It coincides with three consecutive bank holiday Mondays after moving a holiday from January to this current month.

In a pilot project promoted by the city council, its objective is to test the impact of the application in the city of a four­day working week. It will analyse the subsequent consequences on productivity, leisure, mobility, the economy, and the health of the people involved in working 32 hours a week.

The scheme spans the four weeks of April 10, which includes Easter Monday, and April 17, which has the San Vicente Ferrer holiday. It also includes April 24, which becomes a holiday replacing January 22’s San Vicente Mártin celebration, and May 1, which is Labour Day in Spain.

Once the four weeks have ended, the city council’s Las Naves innovation centre will evaluate the results in order to have the conclusions of this test prepared by July 20.

Similar experiments have recently been conducted in other countries, including Lithuania, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Iceland, Portugal and Japan.

Residents are being warned to keep an eye out for two scammers who allegedly operated in the Albox region.

Photo credit: Maura Hillen (via email)

Betty Henderson POLAND has pledged to send more fighter jets to Ukraine as the country’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited its westerly neighbour on Thursday, April 5.

During the visit, the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, promised to send his country’s remaining fleet of MiG29 jets to Ukraine should they be required, demonstrating Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Duda also said that Russia must be punished for war crimes committed in Ukraine. In response, Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the support, which has been critical in Ukraine’s fight against Russia since the beginning of the conflict last year.

Poland’s pledge

Tensions between Russia and the West continue to simmer, as Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western intelligence services of being involved in terrorist attacks on Russia. Putin provided no evidence to support his claims, but asserted that third countries and Western intelligence services had plans to sabotage and com­

mit acts of terrorism against Russia. Meanwhile, the Polish Minister for Agriculture resigned on Thursday over an ongoing dispute and protests about cheap Ukrainian grain which has flooded the Polish market, slashing the value of Polish grain. An EU tax break on Ukrainian grain has exacerbated the issue.

End of an era

IT was revealed on Sunday, April 9, that Lasse Wellander, the guitarist who played on some of ABBA’s biggest hit songs, passed away on Friday April 7, at the age of 70. He performed not only on their hits but also during the 1970s and 80s, he was

was an integral part of the Swedish band’s huge concert tours.

“It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep. Lasse recently fell ill with what turned out to be cancer that had spread, and

Deportation delayed

THE temporary reprieve granted to Kathleen Poole, a 74 ­ year ­ old British grandmother with Alzheimer’s who was facing deportation from Sweden, has been met with relief from her family and the community.

On hearing the announcement of a pause on her deportation order on Thursday, April 5, Kathleen’s family have renewed their pleas for a permanent solution to the widow’s residency woes.

Kathleen Poole, who has been living in a care home in Sweden for 10 years, was told to leave the country after her application to remain after Brexit was rejected. Although her removal has

been put on hold until a new decision is made, her family remains fearful that the deportation could be ordered at any moment.

Despite being bedridden, having spent the last decade in a care home, and having no family in the UK, Kathleen’s application was rejected in September 2022. Her family has been left confused by the situation and has been seeking a resolution for more than a year now.

The family are currently exploring options including making a new application for a UK passport. Meanwhile, MP Hilary Benn has urged the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, to intervene.

early on Good Friday he passed away surrounded by his loved ones,” Lasse’s family wrote in a statement paying tribute to him.

“You were a fantastic musician and humble like few, but above all, you were a wonderful husband, brother, grandmother, and grandfather,” they continued, as reported by a news outlet.

When ABBA took to the road for a series of sellout concerts across the world in 1979 and 1980, Lasse appeared on stage nightly with the legendary members, Benny Andersson, Anni ­ Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, and Björn Ulvaeus.

Lasse featured on no less than 24 of the group’s studio recordings as well as every one of their eight albums. He was also involved with the 2021 album ‘Voyager’.

Crowds greeted Ukrainian President Zelensky as he met with the Polish President, Andrzej Duda across the border.

Photo credit: Andrzej Duda (via Facebook)

63% of Google searches are on mobile devices.

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Face the music

HEDGE fund trader Sanjay Shah, a British subject, will be extradited to Denmark, after a Dubai court threw out his final appeal. Shah, who was arrested in Dubai last June, is wanted in connection with an alleged €1.7 billion scam that helped companies defraud Denmark’s tax authorities.

THE NETHERLANDS

Beach stop

ALTHOUGH work on the station began in 2017, the Rotterdam metro made its first stop at the new halt on the Hoek van Holland beach only recently. The multimillion-euro station’s design takes into consideration its proximity to the sea, with specific measures protecting it against sand, wind, and salt.

BELGIUM

Dearer food

BELGIUM’S government needed to freeze the prices of 100 basic products for three months to ensure people can afford to buy basic products, said consumer-protection organisation Test Achats. Groceries were 20 per cent dearer in March this year than they were in March 2022, Test Achats said.

GERMANY

Success story

RYYA ALSHEBL, a 29-year-old who fled Syria in 2015 and is now a German citizen, was elected mayor of Ostelsheim (Baden-Wurttemberg) with an overall majority and 55.4 per cent of the vote. Alshebl, who worked for the council in neighbouring Althengstett, described his campaign as “overwhelmingly positive.”

FRANCE

Official help

THE town of Denain in northern France is handing out €50 to every resident, regardless of income, in a bid to combat rising inflation and soaring food prices. This is the second consecutive year that the town council, statistically one of the poorest in the country, has run the scheme.

NORWAY

Salmon tax

SHARES in Norway’s salmon-farming industry plummeted last September after the government revealed plans to tax the industry, the country’s largest source of national income. Six months later the government said it still would press ahead with a 25 per cent tax on the sector’s biggest producers.

FINLAND

Be prepared

FINLAND’S Ministry of Defence announced in early April that the country intended to spend €316 million of acquiring the David’s Sling long range missile defence system from Israeli armaments firm, Rafael. The official announcement arrived a day after Finland was accepted into NATO.

IRELAND

Pro-choice

IRELAND’S Health minister Stephen Donnelly, announced that 8,500 pregnancy terminations were carried out in the country last year. Abortion was legalised in Ireland in January 2019 after a referendum held in May 2018 in which voters repealed the pro-life Eighth Amendment from the Irish constitution.

ITALY

Free speech

FRATELLI D’ITALIA (Brothers of Italy), the right-wing party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, proposed a new law to “defend and promote” the Italian language by penalising the use of English and other foreign words in official communications. Transgressors would risk fines of between €5,000 and €100,000.

PORTUGAL

Polly stops play

A PORTUGUESE youth league match between the Estoril and Estrela da Amador teams was interrupted for several minutes when a parrot invaded the football pitch. Two men ran onto the field and used their jackets to try to catch the parrot which evaded them each time before finally deciding to fly off.

UKRAINE

Sleep well

UKRAINE therapists have received training from British psychologist Dr Justin Havens in helping those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) nightmares. He wanted to support people in Ukraine who suffered “a double trauma” during the day and in their dreams at night, Dr Havens said.

SWEDEN

U-turn

SWEDEN, formerly a pioneer in LGBTQ rights, has for the last year begun restricting genderaffirming hormone therapy for minors, which is now allowed only in very rare cases. In December 2022 it also limited mastectomies for teenage girls wanting to transition, citing the need for “caution.”

STAT OF WEEK €22.8 billion

was added to the personal fortune of Amancio Ortega, founder and principal shareholder of Inditex last year, thanks to the increased value of shares in parent company Zara.

BUSINESS EXTRA No energy FINANCE

Going down

SPAIN’S Industrial Production Index (IPI) fell by 0.8 per cent in February compared with February 2022. This was 2.2 points lower than in January, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on April 5, marking a return to negative year­on­year rates following January’s 1.2 per cent rise.

What goes up

TESCO chairman John Allan told a BBC interviewer that he could not forecast when food prices would peak. He countered claims that Tesco took advantage of higher prices to make bigger profits and said the supermarket chain’s 4p (€0.045 cents) in the pound margin was “slender” compared to other industries.

Time out

UNDER Spain’s recentlypassed Family Law, new parents may now take eight weeks’ leave, confirmed junior Employment Minister Joaquin Perez. Following pressure from the EU, the leave, which can be taken in one block or partially at any time until the child has reached the age of eight, will be paid.

Doing well

BANCO SANTANDER loans increased by 4 per cent so far this year and deposits by 6 per cent, executive chairwoman Ana Botin told shareholders. The bank was seeing a double­digit increase in earnings compared with the same period last year and had gained another million clients, Botin said.

Banks blanked

INSIDERS revealed that 4,000 of the UK’s 5,500 high street bank and building society branches could close between now and late 2024 as the sector refashions its services. Opening hours and, counter services will be drastically reduced and customers encouraged to use in­branch ATMs and machines, they predicted.

Brussels’ Orange alert

THE planned €18.6 billion merger between Orange and MasMovil can expect scrutiny from Brussels.

The European Union’s Competition Commission, headed by Magrethe Vestager, is launching an in­depth investigation that will assess all aspects of the Orange­MasMovil merger.

“The Commission is concerned that the transaction may reduce competition in the retail supply of mobile and fixed broadband services as well as of multiple­play bundles in Spain,” a Commission statement said.

Orange and MasMovil are respectively the second and fourth largest operators both at retail and wholesale level for fixed broadband and mobile services in Spain, the Com­

mission pointed out, citing Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, and MasMovil.

“There are also several mobile and fixed virtual network operators which use these operators’ infrastructure to offer mobile and fixed telecoms services to their consumers,” the release continued.

The Commission concluded that by

reducing the number of Spain’s network operators, the merger would also eliminate “innovative and significant rivals” which could then lead to higher prices and lower­quality telecom services for customers.

Once merged, Orange and MasMovil would have “the ability and the incentive” to restrict virtual operators’ access to the wholesale mobile network, the Commission said.

“This could reduce the ability of such operators to compete, and in turn lead to higher prices and lower quality of services for end customers in Spain.”

The Competition Commission now has 90 working days, until August 21, to come to a decision.

Long drawn-out privatisation

THE UK government has given itself more time to gradually sell off its holding in NatWest. The rescue of the former Royal Bank of Scotland Group cost the taxpayer approximately £46 billion (€53.4 billion) when the government acquired an 80 per cent stake in 2008.

UK Government Investments (UKGI), which manages the holding on behalf of the Treasury, revealed that the scheme to reduce its NatWest Group holding, announced in mid­2021 and

Worst award

MEMBERS of the consumer group FACUA have chosen CaixaBank as Spain’s Worst Company of the Year in 2022.

In the annual poll that was held between March 15 and 30 this year, 39 per cent of FACUA members put CaixaBank at the top of their list.

CaixaBank won the dubious honour on several counts, which included failing to return all of the excess fee that was erroneously charged on mortgage agreements. Interest on loans was described as “usury”, commissions were condemned as “abusive” while the bank was also criticised for refusing to return sums lost to phishing and smishing scams.

originally due to be completed by mid­August 2023, would continue until 2025. The government’s stake fell from 54.7 per cent to 41.5 per cent between 2021 and 2023.

Doubts have been raised

as to whether the UK government will be able meet its self­imposed 2026 deadline to fully privatise the bank, approximately 18 years after coming to its rescue during the financial crisis.

The government gave no reason for the extension to its trading plan but the decision was made in what has been a turbulent period for large banks, including NatWest, all of which were affected by the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank in March, followed by the

Down to earth

SIR RICHARD BRANSON’S Virgin Orbit filed for bankruptcy protection in the US after last­minute attempts to find funding for the struggling space firm came to nothing.

Its share price dropped 17 per cent to a new record low the same day, valuing the company at less than $60 million (€54.8 million), more than 95 per cent below its $3.5 billion (€3.2 billion) peak in January last year.

In January, when Virgin Orbit unsuccessfully attempted to launch the first­ever satellite from British soil, Branson’s LauncherOne rocket reached space but fell short of reaching its target orbit.

The mission was hailed as a milestone for UK space exploration and was intended to represent a leap forward in converting Britain into a world player, from manufacturing satellites to building rockets and creating spaceports.

THOUSANDS of small UK businesses said they risked bankruptcy now that the government’s energy support scheme has ended.

Companies prepare for huge increases as support for nonhousehold power bills comes to a close and fixed rate deals terminate.

Their combined impact means that bills for many companies could soar by up to 133 per cent, according to Cornwall Insight, which provides energy market intelligence and analysis.

The hospitality industry, still recovering from the pandemic, could be particularly hard­hit, with one publican admitting that he might consider selling his pub to a developer who wants to convert the building into apartments.

forced rescue of Credit Suisse by its Swiss rival, UBS.

“The recent banking sector turmoil has sent shares in NatWest down by more than 10 per cent over the past month,” Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, pointed out to the Guardian. “This complicates the picture for the government which is trying to offload its stake at a time when investors are feeling nervous towards the sector,” she said.

Seat near the top

CAR manufacturer Seat is reaping the benefits of an improved supply of chips.

The Spanish company was particularly affected by the semiconductor shortage because the Volkswagen Group, to which it belongs, had consistently allocated chips to its most profitable firms.

SEAT has now seen its registrations rise 52.1 per cent to 18,040 units during the first quarter of 2023, boosting it to second place behind Toyota with 20,749 registrations. As a result Seat is once again jostling for a top position in the Spanish market after a grim 2022 when its domestic sales fell 30.2 per cent, after enjoying four years as Spain’s most­sold make.

Outside view

SPEAKING recently in Barcelona, Professor Paul De Grauwe from the London School of Economics said the EU was better off since Brexit.

Had the British remained, it would never have been possible to launch the Next Generation Funds introduced to offset the effects of the pandemic, De Grauwe told the Cercle d’Economia business forum.

“Let’s be realistic, the British would have been opposed to it,” he said.

“The reason they were in the EU wasn’t to strengthen it, but to weaken it from inside. That’s been their strategy for centuries.”

Moving off

OKYO PHARMA has applied to delist from the London Stock Exchange. The departure of the pharmaceutical company, which specialises in medication for ocular diseases, was seen in the City as another blow to London’s reputation as an international financial centre. The decision was prompted by the expense of ‘negligible’ trading on the main market, the ophthalmology drug developer told its investors. Okyo also reassured shareholders that the move would not affect its American Okyo Pharma Depositary Shares, which trade on the New Yorkbased Nasdaq exchange.

Magrethe Vestager: Heads the EU’s Competition Commission.

NATWEST: Due to be fully privatised by 2026.

Photo credit: CC/European Parliament Photo credit: Flickr/Emily Alexander

DOW JONES

Picture that

BUSINESS EXTRA A bite of the apple

CINEWORLD will seek new funding as it an ‐nounced having dropped plans to sell its US, UK and Ireland businesses after failing to find a buy‐er. The world’s largest cinema chain said it had struck a $2.26 billion (€1.9) deal with lenders to restructure its sub ‐stantial debt and exit bankruptcy.

Gender gap

SPAIN’S National High Court in Madrid voiced gender discrimination concerns since cabin crew, 94 per cent of whom are female, re ‐ceive lower travel ex ‐penses than pilots. Air Nostrum rejected em ‐ployees’ claims, arguing that the groups were governed by different collective agreements and “did not perform work of equal value.”

APPLE’S principal subsidiary in Ireland, Apple Operations International Ltd, paid €7.7 billion in corporation tax last year.

At the same time, the com‐pany paid out $20.7 billion (€19 billion) in dividends to its California parent company, after reporting more than €63.5 billion in profits, a 2 per cent increase on 2021.

This meant the Cork‐based company and its subsidiaries delivered a daily pre ‐ tax €173.6 million over the 12 months to September 24 last year. Annual revenues rose

by $11.7 billion (€10.72 bil‐lion) to $223 billion (€207.92 billion).

It remains unclear which governments received the Irish company’s taxes, which

Outlook cloudy for many

FEW of Spain’s self‐employed have noticed an improvement in their economic situation.

This was the same or worse than a year ago, they said.

A survey by the Spanish Association of Self‐employed Workers (ATA) found that, compared with the first quarter of 2022, their finances had improved for only 21 per cent of the self‐employed.

It had remained the same for 46 per cent of Spain’s ‘autonomos’ while a further 33 per cent of participants in the poll main‐tained that their situation was now worse. Meanwhile, only 20 per cent believed their business interests would improve in the coming months, while 70 per cent calcu‐lated that it would remain the same or could even deteriorate.

Legitimate decision

amounted to 11 per cent of profits. Ireland charges a 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate, which would have resulted in a bill worth $8.7 billion (€7.9 billion)

Including deferred tax charges, Apple Operations In‐ternational paid a total tax bill of $11 billion (€10.1 bil‐lion) for the period in ques‐tion.

Apple has been present in Ireland since 198, currently employing approximately 56,600 staff, 6,000 of whom are based in Ireland.

In 2020, the European Commission ordered the Cu‐pertino (California) technolo‐gy company to pay a record €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland, on the grounds that it benefited from a sweetheart tax deal.

This amounted to illegal state aid between 2003 and 2014, Brussels said, enabling Apple to pay a maximum tax rate of just 1 per cent and as low as 0.005 per cent in 2014.

THE UK’s largest insurance bro‐ker warned of impending dis‐aster if the industry had to pay claims arising from Russia’s in‐vasion of Ukraine.

The sector was not designed as a ‘backstop’ for the costs of war, David Howden, CEO of the Howden Group, told the Sunday Telegraph. “We’d all go bankrupt,” he maintained.

Howden’s comments came as the owners of approximate‐ly 500 commercial aircraft seized by Russia shortly after the invasion prepared to sue Lloyd’s of London insurers who refused to pay out around £8 billion (€9.12 billion).

Their decision not to pay up was legitimate, Howden ar‐gued. War had never been something covered by insur‐ance, he said.

There was not enough capi‐tal in the insurance market to cover the impact of the con‐flict, he said.

“If policies were expanded the government would need to bail out bankrupt insurers,” Howden added.

APPLE: Irish subsidiary made €63.5 billion in 2022

Photo credit: Apple

Too much

RIO TINTO, which has raised its chief executive’s pay by 70 per cent, now faces a rebellion from shareholders at the next meeting. Jakob Stausholm took home £4.8 million (€5.48 billion) in 2022 after the FTSE100 mining giant made record profits on the back of soaring commodity prices.

Going down

SPAIN’S Industrial Production Index (IPI) fell by 0.8 per cent in February compared with February 2022. This was 2.2 points lower than in January, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on April 5, marking a return to negative year­onyear rates following January’s 1.2 per cent rise.

Holding on

MORRISONS said that cutting £700 million (€800 million) in costs over the next three years would allow it to reduce prices during the squeeze on consumer spending. The supermarket chain also announced a 0.1 per cent increase in samestore sales during the three months to the end of January.

RIP Josep Pique

JOSEP PIQUE, a Catalan politician, economist and businessman who headed several ministries between 1996 and 2003 during the governments of Jose Maria Aznar, died on April 6 in a Madrid hospital. The former president of Vueling, who was 68, had been suffering from cancer for some time.

Online flatline

UK customers return £7 billion (approximately €8 billion) of internet purchases each year, while more than a fifth of all clothes bought online are sent back. Increased returns owing to the cost of living crisis, were responsible for Boohoo’s 94 per cent slump in pre­tax profits, the retailer said.

It’s a tough job

Linda Hall

FOUR out of five UK companies and organisations still pay male employees more than females.

An analysis of the government’s report on wage inequality by the Guardian found an average pay gap of 9.4 per cent, the same level as in 2017­2018 when employers first had to publish this information.

The public sector’s gap has remained larger at 15.1 per cent compared with 8 per cent in the private sector. Both are similar to last year’s figures, the analysts found.

In practically half of companies and public bodies, males earned at least 10 per cent more than their female counterparts. In contrast, women

earned 10 per cent more than men in only 3 per cent of companies. Meanwhile, new research has found that women wanting to advance their careers must provide more evidence of their skills to reach leadership posts.

Alexandra Niessen­Ruenzi, head of

The next thing

the department of Corporate Governance at the University of Mannheim Business School (UMBS), and PhD candidate, Leah Zimmer, analysed the biographic details of 103,461 male and female directors.

Focusing on observable signals of professional and educational qualifications, plus past professional experience, the investigators established that women were consistently required to provide more observable skill signals. This was because employers found it harder to judge their unobservable qualifications for leadership, including emotional intelligence, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability, they said.

Chatting up Vodafone

BRITISH telecoms group

Vodafone has been approached by potential buyers for the operator’s business in Spain, market sources revealed.

While not officially seeking a sale, Vodafone would allegedly consider an offer if the price were right, added the same sources who were recently quoted in the Spanish media.

The company’s Spanish operation is estimated to be worth around €3.6 billion but although discussions are said to be ongoing it is not a foregone conclusion that these will result in a sale and Vodafone has declined to comment on the rumours.

Between 2018 and 2022, Vodafone saw its Spanish earnings dwindle by 16 per cent to approximately €4.2 billion and the company’s share of the Spanish market has undeniably gradually shrunk as it has had to face competition from Telefonica, Frances Orange and MasMovil.

Vodafone’s former CEO Nick Read, whose departure was announced last December, earlier failed to pull off the mergers and acquisitions that might have produced more competitive players.

Instead the company was completely outma ­

MOSCOW has approved the sale of Inditex’s business operation in Russia to the Daher group, which owns the Dubai Mall shopping centre. The Spanish fashion chain originally announced that the sale would affect 514 shops in Russia which had provided work for more than 9,000 employees. Nevertheless, Inditex explained when presenting its 2022 results

noeuvred when the proposed Orange ­ MasMovil merger was announced in July 2022.

In the meantime, Read’s successor, Margherita Della Valle has downgraded Spain ­ previously one of Vodafone’s principal markets ­ to a smaller group of lesser operations like Ireland or Greece.

Inditex exit

that only 245 shops would finally be affected by the sale, which was announced in October while still awaiting the Russian government’s definitive agreement. Inditex reported that it had lost €840 million on its Russia investment totalling €1.02 billion, with the €183 million difference

REPORTING a record annual profit of £870 million (€994.65 million, Next announced that it expected to raise prices more slowly as inflation eased.

The company’s profits rose by 5.7 per cent in the year that ended on January 31, while its total sales from trading of £5.1 billion (€5.8 billion) were 8.4 per cent up on the previous year.

The clothing and homeware retailer also warned that 2023 would be “very challenging” as its customers coped with the cost of living crisis.

In consequence Next said that sales were forecast to fall by 1.5 per cent, while it also foresaw that profits would drop back.

Real & unreal

corresponding to the sale of its shops via the recentlyauthorised operation.

According to an October 2022 report by the online specialist publication, Retail Detail, the Doher real estate group also owns the Inditex franchise rights in the Middle East and North Africa.

Saga losses multiply

SAGA’S losses soared last year amid stiff competition and regulatory changes affecting its insurance division.

Losses for the firm, which offers insurance, holidays and cruises to the over­50s, shot up to £259.2 million (€296.5 million) for the year that ended in January 2023, compared to £23.5 million (€26.9 million) in January 2022.

During the first six months of 2022 Saga took a £269 million (€307.6 million) good­

will charge after insurance sales dropped in the wake of Financial Conduct Authority rules. These were aimed ‘price walking’ where new customers pay less for the same services.

At the same time Kent­based Saga also reported returning to an underlying pre­tax profit of £21.5 milion (€24.6 million) owing to an upturn in overseas travel, which reduced losses in the firm’s cruise and travel divisions.

DEPARTMENT FOR

WORK AND PENSIONS (DWP) statistics revealed that 8.8 million UK residents earned more than £1,000 (€1,143) a week during the year ending in March 2022.

In real terms the average household income after housing costs was a weekly £565 (€645) ­ approximately £29,500 (€33,722) a year ­ according to the DWP figures.

The department’s statistics also showed that median incomes were 1.2 per cent, or £7 (€8) a week lower in real terms than when these were at their peak in the 12 months ending in March 2020.

More clout

IBERDROLA has sold 78 per cent of its Mexican business interests to one of the country’s publiclyowned companies for €5 billion. The sale follows regulatory problems ­ and what were described as confrontations ­ with Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The move will give the energy giant more financial clout and fits in with growth plans for networks and renewables in the United States and Europe.

It will also improve debt ratios while strengthening the company’s financial positioning, the group’s Chief Financial Officer, JoseSainz, said.

PAY GAP: Women have to work harder for less.

Photo credit: Pixabay/David Mark

VODAFONE: Share of Spanish market has shrunk.

Photo credit: Vodafone

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

I’VE never had much respect for politi‐cians. Back in the 60s I witnessed a number of the ‘Old Boys’ club mem‐bers with their trousers down, both metaphorically and in reality. Well I re‐member a prominent London MP rushing up to me at a Chelsea party.

Clad in a string vest and very ques‐tionable Y Fronts, he implored me to ‘take over upstairs’. Apparently the nu‐bile and extremely eminent London agent he was cavorting with had be‐come rather too much for him. I didn’t accept his offer I may add!

Another told me he thought smok‐ing marihuana was ‘such fun!’ No I’m afraid politicians in general have never impressed me much. Boris and Party‐Gate was a mere bagatelle!

There is one overriding problem with the elder male occupants of the Westminster power corridors. The ma‐jority went to public school. These male dominated institutions meant that its students never really learned to mix with the female of the species. Their only experiences with the oppo‐site sex were annual school dances and over bearing Nannies. This accom‐

Seeing the light

panied by the odd fondle of the slightly more promiscuous young ladies from the local ‘St Trinian’s’, left women re‐duced to nothing more than subjects of locker room humour and ribald ban‐ter in the dorms.

The outcome of this attitude, result‐ed in the total absence of respect for those of a gender they considered not only mere objects of sexual titillation, but also intellectually inferior and sub‐sequently had no important standing in the male dominated corridors of their future political ambitions.

Most of these elder statesmen on the benches fall into this category and still consider Westminster nothing more than an extension of their public school education and debating soci‐eties. As attitudes change, and more and more women are elected into the house, (over 50 per cent of the Labour party) these ex‐public schoolboys are slowly becoming the dinosaurs of the political arena.

Frankly, apart from serious offences, consistently raking up ancient knee brushings and somewhat innocuous schoolboys sexist innuendoes is a com‐plete waste of time and energy. (You

listening Ms Rayner!?)

Time to get back to more serious is‐sues, like running the country for ex‐ample! Thank the Lord the Labour Par‐ty has actually seen the light. At least they can use their female membership numbers against the Conservatives mere 24 per cent. Yet another weapon in their armoury of schemes and skull‐duggery to keep the government on the back foot till the next General Elec‐tion!

Picked up a lovely piece of terminol‐ogy in the news this week. ‘Non erotic cognitive distraction’. This is the condi‐tion of ladies having their moment of intense sexual arousal being spoiled by suddenly remembering they didn’t pay the milkman, or something of that ilk. Apparently sufferers of this unfortu‐nate malady are encouraged to ‘stay in the moment’. The moment? Personal‐ly I would recommend a change of partner!

Keep

Love

STRIKING OUT OUR VIEW

AT the time of writing, up to 60,000 junior doctors across the UK are striking for four days, delaying everything from routine appointments to vital cancer treatment.

Despite the obvious risks to health however, one poll found that 74 per cent of the British public supported the strike. Which begs the question, just how broken is the NHS that we support lives being put in danger ‐ by the very people who have taken an oath to do no harm ‐ to fix it?

It had always generally been accepted that doctors (par‐ticularly at the junior end) are overworked and underpaid. But the heavy weight that the pandemic put on those at the front line coupled with the resulting treatment back‐log and a cost of living crisis seem to have equalled a work environment for doctors that we can no longer accept.

Where did it all go so wrong though? Launched an as‐tonishing 75 years ago, the NHS brought universal health care to a population who, until then, may simply have died from a simple infection or injury because they could not afford to be treated.

The envy of the world for many years, the NHS also in‐spired many other great nations to roll out their own equivalents. We now regard free healthcare as one of the main marks of a civilised country.

Like anything though, a great concept only stays great if it moves with the times. And it’s fair to say that relying on a habitually underpaid, overworked workforce to simply put up and shut up forever is not a long term strategy.

Equally, with an ever growing population how long can we expect the NHS to roll on for without massive change before more wheels start to come off?

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

A RECENT report moves the spotlight on to the fire and rescue services just after the Met was found guilty as charged of institu‐tional racism, misogyny and homophobia in a similarly condemnatory report that showed public confidence in the force at rock bottom.

According to this latest scathing review, there may be ‘predators’ like Wayne Couzens lurking in the fire service’s shad‐ows as the toxic culture uncovered was ‘just the tip of the iceberg’. Examples of this ‘hotbed of racism, misogyny and ho‐mophobia’ included firefighters acting out a rape, expecting women to make tea and viewing racist language as ‘having a laugh’.

A ‘hotbed of racism, misogyny and ho‐mophobia’: seriously? Then we read that ‘some’ examples of unacceptable conduct were found in only 11 of the 44 fire ser‐vices. But, we are assured, this ‘could be’ the ‘tip of an iceberg’. So, no evidence was found in 33 out 44 services.

How on earth is that rampant? More likely it ‘could be’ a report determined to trash the reputation of the entire fire ser‐vice. And yet another lesson in how to de‐

Which will be trashed next?

ridiculous. There seems to be a growing appetite to label all our public services as racist, homophobic and sexist. Largely, it would seem, from those who like to feel morally superior while sitting safely behind their desks. God forbid they actually get out of their chairs and contemplate putting their own safety at risk for others (remem‐ber Grenfell?). And then they wonder why these services struggle to recruit and retain good people!

All our public services are being attacked one after another by the same band of people. It has to be stopped. This is a total waste of public money pandering to the politically correct and woke movement. Who next?

moralise the vast majority of firefighters, police officers etc who are honest and do a hard job very well.

Which British institution is going to be trashed next week? This is getting beyond

Firstly, firefighters do a difficult and dan‐gerous job ‐ nobody doubts this. Nobody says otherwise. Firefighters demonstrate bravery, courage, self sacrifice etc. They can be, and frequently are, saints, but that is not a job requirement. The willingness to run towards a fire when everyone else is running away, and to keep returning until everyone inside has been rescued and the fire extinguished, as well as a technical in‐sight into controlling fires from different sources, are the primary characteristics. We are fortunate that such men and wom‐en exist and put their lives on the line for us. They may not always behave as squeaky‐clean choristers, but they get the job done.

First it’s the Met, now it’s the fire and rescue services throughout Britain. Where will other revelations of racism, misogyny and bullying in sordid corners of British so‐ciety be exposed next? The NHS? The Coastguard? The Monarchy?

Good grief, are the justices of self‐righ‐teousness making it their mission to de‐nounce every last British public service as ‘hotbeds’ of bad behaviour? How pro ‐foundly demotivating for the many fine staff members in all our emergency ser‐vices.

How I love being told who to dislike ev‐ery week! Who do I get to hate next week?

Nora Johnson’s 12 critically acclaimed psychological suspense crime thrillers (www.nora‐johnson.net) all available on‐line including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Ama‐zon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

Supporting those in distress

THE British Benevolent Fund was founded over a century ago to provide assistance to Britons in Spain facing extreme financial hardship.

Financial difficulties is some‐thing most people face in their lives and whilst challenging can be overcome with thought and planning. Both of these are al‐most impossible when the per‐son has mental illness where making the right decision is diffi‐cult and where holding down a job is even more so.

In the case of John, a 34‐year‐old single British man who lived in Spain, having moved with his parents from the UK when they retired. His condition was such that social interaction caused distress and he lived in his room and his parents looked after him ‐ he had never worked and re‐lied on his parents for food, lodging and all life’s necessities.

Except that they could not cope ‐ they lived modestly off a small pension and had little to spare for their grown forever at home child who required con‐stant attention ‐ and medica‐tion. Then came Brexit and the realisation that the social service

support, medical cover and local help was at risk as they had nev‐er registered as residents ‐ and were no longer eligible.

They got in touch with a local charity for support to apply be‐latedly which would take some time to process ‐ however they were confident that having been settled here before the deadline date they were still in with a chance.

But in the meantime, the medicine costs were now high and beyond their small means.

The charity ‐ one of many at the Support in Spain website contacted the BBF to see if we could help.

The BBF mission is to support those in distress and with a child with needs we wanted to help. The issue for the BBF is that wherever possible we seek that any funds are used to overcome

a particular challenge ‐ not on‐going support. In this this case all revolved around their chances of being approved ‐ which if they were not would mean an unsustainable situation in Spain.

We agreed to provide a grant to cover the following six months of medicine costs which would be reviewed depending on the outcome of their application.

Thankfully within three they were given the green light and their application was approved meaning that all state support would be available as well as that they would be able to con‐tinue living in Spain.

The BBF can only help with your help. If you would like to support our mission for Britons in distress in Spain, please visit www.britishbenevolentfund.org

Thank

you.

Olaf Clayton, Chair BBF.

Nora Johnson’s

Nora’s latest thriller.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD

YOU can do it! How many examples have we seen of personal victory over adversity achieved through pure determination and courage? Throughout history, in many dif‐ferent fields, success has been attained against all the odds.

It’s no different in the world of music. Two of the greatest examples are from the un‐likely pairing of Beethoven and Sutherland. Each had to overcome huge obstacles to produce the pinnacle of their art.

Beethoven’s triumph over tragedy and his journey from adversity to eternal glorifica‐tion is one of the most inspiring in history. As a child he was bullied by his drunken father who was his first musical tutor and who beat him and locked him in the cellar when‐ever he made a mistake. From early child‐hood he suffered intestinal problems and was dyslexic ‐ unable to read or write prop‐erly. His beloved mother died a lingering death when he was young. At 24 he devel‐oped a lung infection and then started hear‐ing a buzzing noise in his ears. At 34 he had a fever for several months, abscesses in his jaw and finger and a septic foot.

For the rest of his life, his hearing suffered a gradual deterioration until he became

MUSICAL MIRACLES

ed and overcome so much suffering.

While Maria Callas is regarded as the greater operatic actress, Joan Sutherland was the Voice ‐ the greatest of all coloratura singers. She took bel canto to new heights.

Joan Sutherland, a kind and modest per‐son, was already, in her mid‐20s, performing at Covent Garden, despite suffering severe sinus and dental problems. In addition she had to battle against acute back pain. She then had to take the risk of sinus surgery to clear the nasal passages. She was not a natu‐ral beauty but, despite her back, became strikingly elegant. Apparently, when Fellini was touring Rome seeking attractive female extras for a film, he singled her out in the street.

Despite the setbacks, she wanted to suc‐ceed and she worked on her voice. At Covent Garden in February 1959, she took the music world by storm with her perfor‐mance of ‘Lucia’ and a global superstar emerged. The rest is history.

completely deaf by the time he was 46.

He became lonely and his love affairs were unhappy; he never married nor had children. But, despite this, he could transmit love and joy through music. In his last 10 years, totally deaf, he produced much of the greatest music ever conceived. At the pre‐miere of the monumental Ninth symphony,

Beethoven, in the front row, was unable to hear the thunderous applause behind him. He was motioned to turn round to face the rapturous audience.

His only opera, Fidelio, with the emotional depth of its own story of triumph over ad‐versity could only have been conceived and expressed by somebody who has confront‐

Many celebrities have moved upward from difficult beginnings. So have even more who are only known within their immediate circle.

For more from our columnists please scan this QR Code

Thank the Borgias

LINDA HALL

SPAIN has had three or four popes, depending on whether or not you in ‐clude the antipope Benedict XIII or Papa Luna (1328‐1423), born in Peñis‐cola (Castellon).

Little attention is paid to Damasus I, born around 304AD, whose Spanish parents might or might not have lived in Spain. That leaves the Borgias, Cal‐lixtus III (1378‐1458) and Alexander VI (1431 ‐ 1503) whose family name was Borja.

They were two Valencian boys done good who didn’t have a good press then and whose mention today still brings to mind corruption, ill ‐ gained wealth, poison and incest. Both were born in Xativa and met hostility and distrust in Rome, prompting grumbles that more Valenciano was heard in the Vatican corridors than Latin or Italian.

Ultimately, though, the Italians owe a huge culinary debt to the Borjas be‐cause they took with them the coca which Valencianos will tell you evolved into Italian pizza.

Admitted, the cocas you see in bak‐eries or those that emerge from a home cook’s oven have little in com ‐mon with the cheese ‐ heavy, sauce ‐laden pizzas we have come to expect outside Italy.

Traditional cocas are more austere and the base ‐ which at its best is light and airy but substantial ‐ will be dot ‐ted with sparing amounts of sausage, chorizo, a sardine or an anchovy if you’re lucky, plus modest additions of red and green peppers.

To someone who has never tried one, a word of warning: you will ei ‐ther like or hate it. Naturally, this de‐pends on the part of Spain where you are eating and buying coca, but new‐ly ‐ rich Mediterranean areas haven’t yet forgotten frugality.

Interestingly, Valencianos who emi‐grated to work in Algeria in the 19th and early 20th centuries took their cocas with them. Possibly it was not entirely a coincidence that the first time I ate pizza was in Benidorm in 1972 in a newly ‐ opened Italian restaurant that was owned and run by an Algerian couple.

I think the Borgias would approve of that.

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

Two incomparable but very different talents in the world of music overcame immense challenges.

Photo Credits: pinterest and roh.org.com (Royal Opera House)

Hello Leapy LETTERS

Further to your article in EWN this week, I presume that you are referring to Shoiba beach. I worked (for my sins) at the National Guard King Khalid Hospital in Jeddah from 1982 to 1984. When we first went to Shoiba as a BSAC dive group it was virgin, totally un‐spoilt. I went back in 1989 when the ragheads had found it and it was disgusting. Nappies, tin cans, rubbish everywhere. Ugh!!

Having said that, the diving in the early days was unbelievable! Probably the best in the world!

I attach some old photos for your interest. It was me who got the bus stuck in the sand!!

Best regards

Max Kite

Dear EWN

Just seen the article you posted about my art exhibition. Very grateful to you, as always. Happy Easter to all at Euro Weekly News.

Regards

Margaret Riordan x

Hi Bill

Bill took great care to avoid mentioning Nicola Sturgeon’s husband’s criminal activity; of course she will deny any knowledge of it and continue to bang on about Scotland’s ‘In‐dependence’.

Leaving Britain and joining the EU is NOT in‐dependence.

Good article about Semana Santa though Bill.

Yours sincerely,

Brian Johnston Benalmadena

Editor , please let me know if you still re‐quire our NIE and address etc in order to make a comment !

Yes I am from Scottish heritage ‐ the John‐ston clan in Dumfries !

Dear EWN

I recently had my teeth whitened by a den‐tist in Fuengirola at a cost of €150. Whilst there was no guarantee that it would be per‐manent. I was very disappointed with the re‐sults. I was advised to eat only white foods and no coloured drinks for three days, which I did. The results were far from white. Just to let people know before they part with any money to get a guarantee. I did go back to complain but was told that at my age what do you expect. I am 83. I should have been told that in the first place and I would not have had it done. I gave since used a toothpaste whitener with better results for €4.00.

Yours, Mary

Dear all,

Lux Mundi Torre del Mar would like to thank you for the excellent coverage you have provided in this week’s issue. Best wishes to you all ,hope you had a good East‐er.

Kind regards,

Patricia Rothwell

Hi Leapy

I am very sorry Leapy but I am going to hold you responsible for the state the world finds itself in.

Over 30 years ago I agreed with everything you said and asked you to take up the chal‐lenge and lead the world to a better future. You refused this challenge when you were ob‐viously the only person that was talking any sense, and making your views known.

I am shocked and bewildered every day by the decisions our world leaders make, and feel so sorry that we are leaving our grandchil‐dren such a catastrophic mess to deal with.

Thank you for agreeing with me on most subjects and it is good to know there is some‐one else out there with some common sense.

Keep up the good work.

Dangerous dogs

Kind regards, T

Wiggins

All these predatory breeds should be banned and current owners identified and told to surrender the dogs to the RSPCA. It’s time to get tough and protect ourselves and our families from people who feel the need to own these animals. Dog licences should be obligatory and priced to ensure that only gen‐uine dog lovers can apply to keep a dog.

Alan

Big game

All endangered species are carefully watched by thousands of scientists, vets, field officers, ecologists, rangers and other professionals. You cannot hunt endangered animals and still get a hunting permit and import permits. The South‐ern Giraffe is the most numerous trophy ‐ there are 30,000 and ranchers can raise as many as the market demands. They are not endan ‐gered. With rhinos, some private rhinos are of‐fered for hunts in order to raise funds for pro‐tecting the rest, while wild rhino hunts are restricted to older males who deny younger, more virile bulls access to the cows.

The whole subject is far too complex and im‐portant to listen to deceptive emotionalism from HSUS/ HSI, an organisation that collects $200 million per year but little of it gets to save the wildlife of Africa.

John Nash

Yurt glamping

DISCONNECT: From daily life’s hustle and bustle.

Top tips for camping

SPENDING time in nature, sleeping under the stars, and disconnecting from daily life’s hustle and bustle. If this all sounds idyllic then camping is for you, it is sure to help you destress. To make your trip as stress­free as possible here are some top tips to help you plan your trip.

1. Research the campsite/destination in advance. Make sure you check the weather forecast, the services available, and regulations and restrictions. For example, camping is not allowed in Spain’s national parks except in high mountains.

2. Don’t over­pack; if you

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are new to camping, try a one­night trip first and just take the essentials as a trial run.

3. Regardless of the weather forecast or destination, always bring warm clothes with you. For example a fleece or a windbreaker.

4. Bring the correct footwear. For example, if you are camping in the mountains wear boots that offer protection and stability.

5. Charge your travel lamp, GPS, mobile phone, and other electronic devices fully before you leave, and make sure to bring a powerpack with you, also fully charged!

AT LIBERTY SEGUROS they know how important it is for you to receive personalised attention and quality service tailored to your individual needs.

Thanks to more than 200 dedicated expat Brokers and Agents all over Spain who really understand your needs and speak your language, you will be able to receive a more bespoke, more agile and more tailored service, with firsthand expert advice ­ whether in person or by phone, email or WhatsApp.

They will not only recommend the most appropriate insurance for your current circumstances, but will also talk to you about the different covers that you can take out. Many coverages go unnoticed or are simply not asked about because it can be assummed that they will make the policy much more expensive; but this is not always the case.

In addition, whether you need to make a claim or want to modify or clarify a point in your policy, you can always speak directly with the

The main attraction

CARAVANNING continues to gain popularity year after year.

EXPERIENCE the latest trend in glamping with brand new wooden yurts at Daleacres campsite in Kent, England, from Experience Freedom.

Set in a pocket of grassy Kentish countryside close to sandy beaches in Hythe, the wooden yurts at Daleacres include comfortable rustic double beds and two single beds ­ one which becomes a sofa ­ ideal for couples and families, electricity and appliances to help prepare simple breakfasts and light snacks during the day.

After a long summer day at the beach or visiting the traditional market town of Hythe, glampers can enjoy a cosy summer ­ night settingwith fairy lights turned on to set the mood and

the fire roaring for some tasty campfire s’mores.

With the campsite’s proximity to Port Lympne Wildlife Park, guests fall asleep to the magical sounds of the park animals ­ giraffes, bears, rhinos and more.

During the cooler evenings or autumn

months, as the yurts are available until the end of October, a wood ­ effect electric heater can keep you warm inside for a relaxing escape.

To find out more about Experience Freedom or to book, please visit www.experiencefree dom.co.uk

First-hand expert advice plus great offers… That’s Liberty!

take out a new Car, Home or Life policy with LIBERTY SEGUROS will receive €50 Cashback. Whilst this offer is not available for renewals or replacements, there’s no limit on the number of new policies that can be taken out per customerand therefore, there’s no limit on cashback rewards.

The freedom of movement (today beach/morning mountain), without depending on weather conditions, without haste or timetables and in direct contact with nature continues to be the main attractions of a sector that is already consolidated in Spain.

The Spanish Association of the Caravanning Industry and Trade (ASEICAR) estimates that more than 100,000 motorhomes, campers and caravans will travel our roads over Easter in search of beach destinations, especially on the Mediterranean coast and in mountain areas.

Although it was still possible to find available rental vehicles, 90 per cent of them have been booked for weeks, many of them since the beginning of the year.

In addition to the 8,000 motorhomes and campers in the rental fleet, there will be more than 90,000 owned vehicles, including caravans.

breaks down ­ as standard, at no extra cost and book value plus 30 per cent compensation in case of total loss or theft for vehicles over four years old. Damages caused by collision with wild animals will be also covered, without the policy holder paying excess either.

With Home policies, LIBERTY SEGUROS offers extended cover for garden and terrace furniture, repair of white goods and TVs and cover for jewellery outside the home. When it comes to Life policies, with LIBERTY SEGUROS you can also opt for Level Term Life Insurance with no premium increase for 10 years, as well as international repatriation cover or cover for critical illness.

person that you dealt with in the firstplace; the person who knows your case and who will attend to you personally. For your Broker or Agent, you will never be a case number or just another client!

What’s more, LIBERTY SEGUROS looks to always make things that bit better with fantastic offers for both existing and new customers.

From now up until June 27, 2023, both new and existing clients who

There are many advantages of relying on a reputable insurer such as LIBERTY SEGUROS, which has high quality products that can be fully customised to your needs and at very affordable prices.

There’s more; you can get a courtesy car ­ even if your vehicle

It’s not hard to understand why LIBERTY SEGUROS has become in the preferred expat insurer in Spain with over 150,000 international clients.

With this in mind, there couldn’t be a better time to switch to LIBERTY SEGUROS for even greater savings with the very best cover for all your main insurances.

WOODEN YURTS: Experience the latest trend.

Image: Camping & Caravan Club

PETS

Caring for Nellie and Maisie

MANY of our pet owners find trusted pet ‐ sitters through our network be ‐cause the pets love the com‐pany. Nellie and Maisie have dog‐sitter Chloe to care for them while their owner is away on holiday. This collab‐orative arrangement suits ev‐eryone perfectly. If you are planning a trip later this year, register now to find pet‐sit‐ters 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 fol‐low 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 home ‐owner on HouseSitMatch.

com

2. Choose a Premium ac‐count (£89 per year) to en‐sure you can help online when needed

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

4. Post 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 an‐nual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets.

Trustpilot Testimonials ‐4.9 / 5 Excellent 10 out of 10 for housesit match.com

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

New Animal Welfare Law

SPAIN’S new Animal Wel‐fare Law has been pub ‐lished in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and the countdown to its entry in‐to force on September 29 now begins. In the mean ‐time, all guardians of dogs, cats, and other pets should inform themselves about the new legislation and make the necessary changes so as not to breach it when the time comes.

One of the rules brought about by this new legislation is the compulsory sterilisation of cats living in the home. It was announced a year ago that the new law would lead to greater sterilisation in general, but in the case of cats, it has been accentuated.

This measure is driven by the data on pet aban ‐donment in Spain that the Affinity Foundation prepares and presents each year. The latest re ‐port detailed that un ‐wanted litters were the

Can animals speak

SOME people say the best conversations they have are with their pets, they listen and sympathise with us, but here is the question do they understand us? Can we actually communicate with our pets?

The answer is yes. We communicate with our pets verbally and with facial expressions and gestures. Our pets then answer us with certain postures, and facial expressions, by barking and meowing, etc.. in fact, some animal experts have detected up to 21 dif‐ferent meows! Obviously, we cannot chat with animals in the same way we can with our friends and family, but it has certainly been proven we can understand each other

perfectly. Scientists have completed many studies to show that dogs can follow hu‐man communication. We all know that we can train a dog to follow certain demands like sitting, but a study also found that dogs interpret voices in the same part of their brain as we do. Not only that but it’s been shown that dogs use the left part of their brain to process the meaning of a word and the right side to interpret the tone of voice used also just like us and have been known to master words in the same manner as young human children.

So, feel free to continue chatting with your pets but maybe not in public!

main reason for abandon‐ment in our country in 2021 and the second in 2020.

This figure is related to litters of cats that are produced in an uncon ‐trolled manner due to the lack of sterilisation and the freedom that many owners offer their ani ‐mals to leave the home, despite how dangerous it can be for cats to wander around outdoors, as re ‐ported by a news source.

For this reason, one of the purposes of this law is the promotion of identifi‐cation and sterilisation campaigns, responsible

breeding and sale, among others. It is aimed at pre ‐venting animal abandon ‐ment and unwanted lit ‐ters.

Article 26, concerning specific obligations with regard to pets, establish ‐es that, in addition to identification by mi ‐crochip, it will be compul‐sory to carry out: “the surgical sterilisation of all cats before the age of six months, except those reg‐istered in the identifica ‐tion register as breeding animals and in the name of a breeder registered in the Register of Pet Breed‐ers.”

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PET SPEAK: Dogs can follow words.

Chloe the dog-sitter loves dogs and here she’s looking after Nellie and Maisie.

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Lexus ES300h Takumi - driving luxury

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

IT takes a lot of time, money and hard work to build a new brand, and many automotive giants have tried and failed over the years. One manufac ‐turer who succeeded is Toyota, with their luxury brand Lexus. Launched in the UK back in 1990 with the LS400, early second hand models with large mileages still fetch sur ‐prisingly good money. It was a car that was never going to set your driving senses alight but used the best quality materials and engineering and was supremely refined.

Although style is very subjective Lexus models have become less conven‐tional in their looks but continue to major on quality and reliability. The ES300 follows that theme with a drive train that’s

Decarb package

MEASURES have been an‐nounced to increase the use of electric vehicles, as well as the production of sustainable avia‐tion fuel in the UK.

The UK government has now launched the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastruc‐ture (LEVI) fund alongside an additional £15 million for the On‐Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).

Taken together, the funding will support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the country, in‐creasing EV infrastructure in every area and ensuring the UK’s charging network can support the increasing number of EV drivers.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Transport is one of the most important sectors for achieving net zero by 2050 and so we must accelerate our efforts to decarbonise how people get from A to B while growing our economy and supporting thousands of green jobs. From expanding our charging network to boosting production of cleaner aviation fuel, today’s announcement is a great stride forward.”

smooth, refined and eco ‐nomical, but not one to thrash across a twisting cross country road.

Priced from €45,561/ £40,000 the ES sits just below the largest Lexus offering, the LS, and has just one engine option of a 2.5 ‐ litre four ‐ cylinder petrol/ electric hybrid, mated to a CVT auto matic gear box. It’s a happier engineering union than a lot of CVT and double

Facts at a Glance

• Model: Lexus ES 300h Takumi

clutch transmissions. Changes are smooth and can be encouraged via flappy paddles. There’s a more noticeable rise in engine revs compared to

remain high until the speed catches up. Howev‐er, being a Lexus, every ‐thing remains pretty re ‐fined and quiet.

above a sporting drive. It’s a car that doesn’t par‐ticularly entertain, but is‐n’t designed to in fair ‐ness. The comfort levels

the seats are heated and recline. Other standard fare in the Takumi models includes, in a very long list, a fantastic 17‐speaker audio system, an electric rear sunblind, large multi‐media screen, head ‐ up display, powered tilt and slide sunroof, LED lights with corner ‐ing headlights and a veritable plethora of oth ‐er comfort, con‐venience and safety features. The interior as a whole is a very nice and impres ‐sive place.

• Engine: 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol-electric hybrid

• Gears: CVT automatic

• Performance:0-100kmh (62mph) 8.9 seconds. •

Maximum Speed 180kmh (112mph)

• Economy:5.3l/100km(53.2mpg) combined driving-WLTP

• Emissions:120g/km-WLTP

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

Price drop

UK fuel prices fell for the fifth straight month in March with an‐other penny coming off petrol and 4p off diesel, according to data from RAC Fuel Watch.

By the end of the month, a litre of unleaded was 146.5p (down from 147.56p) ‐ a price last seen at the end of January 2022, while diesel was reduced to 162.94p (down from 167.06p) ‐ its cheapest price since early March last year.

This means the price of petrol has fallen nearly 20p from 166p at the start of November, saving drivers almost £11 every time they fill up a 55‐litre family car (£91.3 in November 2022 to £80.57 ‐ March 31, 2023).

Diesel, however, has dropped 27.5p from 190.5p, saving drivers £15 a tank (£104.77 to £89.62).

While the diesel pump price reduction appears dramatic, the RAC believes it should have been far greater as its wholesale price was very similar to petrol for most of March.

In fact, diesel became cheaper than petrol on the wholesale market on March 23 and has stayed that way since.

The ES is at its best as a comfortable cruiser and definitely for drivers who value quality and comfort

feeling of quali‐ty wherever you look. The front seats have heating and cooling along with a substantial array of individual controls even in the rear where

At €64,202 / £56,365 the ES Takumi is‐n’t cheap but it offers a size and level of equip ‐ment that puts others to shame.

If you like your automo‐tive luxury, and want to be wafted along, then the ES should be on your shopping list.

Corsa in space

SPACE, the final frontier.

With space tourism becom‐ing increasingly likely, it is time to address the mobility needs of extra‐terrestrial exploration and Opel is once again pio‐neering this new era.

The Rüsselsheim‐based brand has just released ad‐vanced information and im‐ages of its new space mobility concept: the Opel Corsa Moon II.

The brand with the Blitz will be the first mobility provider to start to offer tourism on the moon as of mid‐decade, once again sticking to its credo of making innovations accessible to everyone.

Consequently, Opel’s lunar vehicle is based on the Ger‐man brand’s best‐selling bat‐tery‐electric Corsa‐e. The Cor‐sa Moon II is equipped with space‐age technologies to of‐fer the optimum balance be‐tween ride comfort, reliability and moon driving perfor‐mance.

Based on the extensive

knowledge gathered with the 1997 Corsa Moon concept car, the Opel R&D team identified solar energy as one of the best options for powering a lunar vehicle.

Built‐in solar cells efficiently will power the 500‐kWh bat‐tery of the Corsa Moon II in a sustainable way.

The Corsa Moon II can cov‐er up to 7,000 km in the ULTP (Universe‐wide harmonised Light‐duty vehicles Test Proce‐dure) cycle on a single charge of the battery.

FUEL PRICES: Have fallen for the fifth straight month.

Image:

SPACE TOURISM: Opel is pioneering this new era.

27% of Spanish drivers passed their test on the first attempt.

LUXURY: The interior is a very nice place to be.

ATP Challenger tennis

THE Real Murcia Tennis Club hosted the ATP Challenger Costa Calida tennis championship during Semana Santa.

The competition was watched by some im‐portant names from the world of tennis like Carlos Alcaraz and Feli‐ciano López.

Up‐and‐coming ten‐nis players Matteo Ar‐naldi and Croatian play‐er Borno Gojo who beat Spanish up‐and‐comer Pablo LLamas in the semi‐final played in a very competitive fi‐nal.

The young Italian player Matteo Arnaldi won the final and the championship by 6 ‐ 4 and 7‐6. Arnaldi after his win at the ATP Chal‐lenger Costa Calida is ranked 102nd in the ATP ranking. This is the third time to win the Challenger title having also won in Francavilla al Mare 2022 and Tenerife 2023.

Mar Menor

FC defeat

MAR MENOR FC lost 2 ‐ 1 away from home against Xerez DFC in the Segunda RFEF league (group 4). Both teams had a play ‐er sent off for a second yellow card. Mar Menor’s goal came from Francisco Cifuentes Martinez in the 90th minute. Gianluca Simeone and Erik Aguado both scored for Xerez. Mar Menor is in eighth position and will face Velez on Sunday, April 16.

UCAM Murcia CF who are in the same league and the same group stay in fourth position and the playoff positions with their win over Antequera at home in their stadium Estadio BeSoccer by one goal to nil.

Alcaraz loses the No1 spot

CARLOS ALCARAZ, hailing from El Palmar in Murcia, is probably the most exciting player in Men’s ten ‐nis in the world right now. Unfortu‐nately he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in the Miami Open semi fi ‐nals 6‐7 (4) 6‐4 6‐2 having spent just two weeks back as the world’s number one knocking the Serbian Novak Djokovic off the top spot af ‐ter winning Indian Wells.

The match between Alcaraz, 19, and another rising tennis star the Italian Jannik Sinner, 21, was anoth‐er competitive duel, many agreeing that their match at the US Open was the match of the season. Sin ‐ner who is currently ranked 11th in the world is guaranteed a spot in the top 10 possibly reaching sixth if he can beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.

Alcaraz spoke about his loss after the match saying “I don’t think about that I lost the number one, I lost the Sunshine Double. Of course it’s a shame, but I think I’m going to have more years to try to get it (win Indian Wells and Miami back to back). But all I can think about is to improve my level to beat Jannik.”

US Masters golf ball auctioned

A GOLF ball used by the legendary golfer Tiger Woods during the US Mas ters in 1997 sold on Sun day, April 9, for $64,124.40 (approx €58,723). During the final round of the tour nament at the world mous Augusta National Golf Club, the American star bogeyed the fifth hole.

Woods subsequently gave his ball to Julian Nexsen, who was a nine year ‐ old boy at the time. The player went on to win his historic first major that day, becoming the youngest player in history to win the famous golf tournament. In the process, Woods broke the pre‐vious record held by Jack Nicklaus by racking up a four‐day score of 270, 18 under par.

On March 27, Nexsen put the ball up for auction with the Golden Age Auction house. It start

ed with an initial bid of $500 (approx €457.89) but its price kept increasing

son for the auction house said: “Unless

Tiger himself or his caddie Fluff intentionally saved a ball from this historic final round (which we doubt), this may be the only con ‐firmed golf ball from the fi‐nal round of Tiger Woods’ first Major Championship

Many might doubt the authenticity of this ball but the moment when Woods handed it to Mr Nexsen was forever cap ‐tured in print the next day when the Washing ‐ton Times ran it on its front page. It wrote: “After making his first bogey in 36 holes yesterday, Woods stopped on his way to the sixth tee to give a ball to nine ‐ year ‐ old Ju‐lian Nexsen of Greenville, SC.”

REAL MURCIA moved into the third position and into the playoff po‐sitions after another definitive win away from home in the Sta ‐dium Gal beating Real Unión by five goals to one.

Real Murcia’s star player Pedro Leon, who previously played for Real Madrid, scored a hattrick. His second goal in the 17 minute came from a penalty.

Real Unión’s Alain Oyarzun got a goal back to make it 1 ‐ 2 in the 31st minute but Pe‐dro Leon quashed their hope only one minute later when he scored his third goal.

The other two goals came from Daniel Romera who scored a brace.

One of his goals was also from a penalty in the 45th minute with his second goal and Re‐al Murcia’s final goal coming in the 48th minute.

Real Sociedad B and Barcelona B both drew and so Real Murcia shot up to third.

They face Baleares on Sunday, April 16, and will hope to main ‐tain their spot in a playoff position.

Play-off position Playoff position Cartagena

FC CARTAGENA moved up to sixth position and into a playoff position with their win against Mirandes at home in the Cartagonova Stadium in the LaLiga2 Smartbank league. Their only goal came from Alfredo Or ‐tuno. FC Cartagena trav ‐el to Malaga next week ‐end to face the struggling Malaga CF who are in the relega ‐tion zone.

Alcaraz is from El Palmar in Murcia.

TIGER WOODS: His 1997 golf ball sold for €58,723.

Credit: Twitter@MalagaCF_en