Costa de Almeria 4 – 10 May 2023 Issue 1974

FIRST VISIT

FOR the first time in history the Sea Cloud has paid Almeria a visit.

The emblematic 92 ‐ year ‐ old sail ‐ing ship is owned by the shipping company Sea Cloud Cruises, whose cabins, lounges and deck have wit ‐nessed the experiences of celebri ‐ties, the US Navy and, for just over 40 years, tourists who opt for exclu‐sivity.

The New York tycoon Edward Hut‐ton had the splendid four ‐ masted pleasure yacht, the largest in the world and named Hussar, built for his wife, Marjorie Merriweather.

The launching of the yacht took place in April 1931.

In 1935 the couple separated and Marjorie remarried Joseph Davies, who became the American ambas ‐sador to Moscow in 1937, and the Sea Cloud became a floating diplo ‐matic palace to which celebrities

ALMERIA’S mayor, Maria del Mar Vazquez, has highlighted the “efficient” use of water in Almeria in the face of the current drought situation.

Vazquez stressed that “Almeria cannot afford to waste a single drop of water, whether through water transfers, desalina‐tion or regeneration.”

She thanked the Junta de Andalucia for its re ‐

such as Queen Elizabeth of Belgium were invited.

In the late 1970s, a group of Ger ‐man businessmen took the Sea Cloud to Hamburg; in February 1979, it was towed to Kiel, to the shipyard

where it was built half a century ear‐lier. After nine months of work, the Sea Cloud set sail on her first cruise under a new flag.

In 2011 she was refurbished, look‐ing like a great jewel on the sea.

Almeria’s efficiency

ceptiveness in approving the Third Drought Decree which is a measure that will allow the 10 cubic hectometres to be con ‐served for agricultural ac‐tivity and a better quality of water.

This means Almeria can continue exporting “the best fruit and vegetables

to the whole of Europe.”

Vazquez also recalled that “Almeria is one of the areas of the planet where the most is made of a drop of water be ‐cause the level of use for irrigation exceeds 95 per cent.

“This is an efficiency that has allowed us to be

a scenario for the genera‐tion of employment, wealth and healthy and wholesome food.”

SEA CLOUD: Has paid Almeria a visit for the first time in its history.

Image: Sea Cloud Cruises

Deciding draw

DURING the act of signing the Mahou - ASHAL Collaboration Agreement, the draw for turns of participation in the very first Almerian Tapas Championship was carried out on Thursday, April 27.

Eleven brave chefs are set to compete in the competition. The Provincial Association of Hotel and Catering Businesses of Almeria (ASHAL) has launched the championship in order to select its representative in the next Spanish National Hospitality Championship of Tapas

& Pinchos AT Madrid Fusion 2024 or a similar contest decided by ASHAL.

All the chefs, who are from various establishments in the city, will compete against each other on May 15 in the Gastronomic Space of the Central Market Square in

Eleven

Almeria from 5.00pm onwards. Each contestant will have a maximum of 30 minutes to prepare and plate the tapa in full view of the public. For more information, head to the website: /ashal.es/ or email: adminis tracion@ashal.es.

AGOF members Walked for Life

MEMBERS of the Almanzora Group of Friends (AGOF) were present at the Walk for Life event held on April 29.

Walk for Life, a voluntary group based in Arboleas that is committed to helping people with cancer, organises the Annual Walk for Life, one of many initiatives that has raised more than €130,000 to date. “Well we did it in spite of the heat,” said Mike Witherspoon, the Group’s Press officer afterwardds. “Thanks for

all your sponsorship which we shall gather together next week.” The Almanzora Group of Friends was founded in 1998 as a means of sharing information and giving advice to people who had decided to move to the Almanzora Valley. Their Library and Information Centre is situated on Plaza San Antonio in Albox.

For more information about the Group, visit their https://www.almanzoragof.org website or their Facebook page.

Inside the Coronation

THIS first weekend in May will be full of royal celebrations as King Charles is set to be crowned alongside the Queen Consort at a grand ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

The long weekend will be filled with celebrations, from street parties to concerts, as King Charles becomes the oldest new monarch in history. Code­named Operation Golden Orb, plans for the much­anticipated event have been released over the past few months.

Starting on May 6 at 11am, the Coronation Service will kick off a weekend full of events following their Majesties’ crowning in the Abbey in London, in a service that will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The King’s Coronation will include many of the ceremonies that were seen in the late Queen’s service, such as anointing with consecrated oil, the delivery of the orb, the pledge to be “Defender of the Faith”, and the enthroning itself.

It is understood that the anointing will not be shown on television and is set to be hidden from the public, as it was for the late

Queen’s coronation in 1953.

During the ceremony, the King will be asked if he will govern the UK and the Commonwealth with law and justice, and if he will keep Christianity alive in the country.

He will sit in the Coronation Chair, also known as Edward’s Chair, holding the sovereign’s sceptre and rod to symbolise his power over the nation, as well as the sovereign’s orb to represent the Christian world.

After the Archbishop has anointed, blessed, and consecrated Charles, the crown of St Edward will be placed on his head, crowning him as King Charles III.

Countdown to Coronation

FOLLOWING the death of the Queen on September 8, 2022, King Charles became the king of the United Kingdom and the Com monwealth Realms. Born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, he is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Charles attended several schools during his childhood, including Hill House School in London and Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He later

King’s Coronation:

Where to watch

KING CHARLES III and Camilla will be crowned on Saturday, May 6. Before and after the Coronation service at Westminster Abbey in London, there will be ceremonial processions which will be aired live on national television, radio, and online, as well as exhibited on giant screens at locations around the country.

If you are planning on tuning in to the King’s coronation on television, here are all the details you need about channels and timings so you don’t miss a moment of this major historical event!

On Sky News, Coronation day coverage will kick off at 6am on Saturday, May 6. Live coverage will also be available to view on BBC and BBC iPlayer throughout the day, with mirroring coverage also available on ITV.

Although exact timings may change, the official ceremony is set to start at 11am at Westminster Abbey, with broadcasters’ promising live footage from multiple angles to give you a front­row seat, complete with a running live commentary.

Those outside of the UK can watch the events and coverage on CNN, NBC, Fox News and other major US stations, as well as YouTube live streams and live TV subscriptions such as Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV, Sling TV and FuboTV.

studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 and a Master of Arts degree in 1975.

Charles has been involved in public life for many years and has taken an active interest in a wide range of issues, such as environmental sustainability, architecture, and education.

He has also served as the patron or president of numerous charitable organisations including The Prince’s Wool Project, START, and The Cambrian Mountain Initiative.

In 1981, Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, who became known as Princess Diana. They had sons William and Harry before their divorce in 1996 and she died in 1997. Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, and she is now known as the Duchess of Cornwall.

Throughout his life, Charles has been known for his advocacy for environmental sustainability and for his interest in traditional architecture. He has written several books on these subjects, including ‘A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture’ and ‘Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World’.

As king, Charles is expected to continue his advocacy for these causes while carrying out his duties as head of state.

The Coronation Concert

THE day after the King’s Coronation, on Sunday, May 7, viewers can watch the Coronation Concert live on BBC and iPlayer. Taking place on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, exact timings are yet to be announced but the concert is set to start at 8pm and coverage is likely to start earlier in the lead­up to the event.

The star­studded musical show will feature performances from Take That, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli and Welsh singer Sir Bryn Terfel, amongst others. There will also be a performance from the Coronation Choir ­ a group of amateur singers and community choirs made up of refugees and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

‘Paddington’ and ‘Downton Abbey’ star, Hugh Bonneville will host the gig.

King Charles set to be crowned.

TAKE THAT: Just one of many performers taking part.

Charles married Camilla in 2005.

Image –Official Take That Facebook page

Image –The Royal Family Facebook page

TARA LASSEY is a British artist, born in West Yorkshire, who has lived in Mojacar with her family for the last two years and is now the proud winner of the Moors and Chris‐tians Festival poster competition.

Tara works in different styles and materials: water‐colour, pencil, acrylic or ink and new digital techniques. In her beginnings in the world of art, portraits of people or an‐imals mainly captured her attention, but it was when she arrived in Mojacar that she was captivated by its landscape and began to include other themes in her work.

Enveloped in the light of the town and mainly its sun‐sets, Tara wanted to reflect in her poster the beauty of the Mojacar sunset and capture the magical element of the town and of the Moors and Christians fiesta.

The Mojacar Moors and Christians fiestas will run from June 16 until June 18 and will end with the grand gala pa‐rade, as has been the case for more than 35 years.

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

Red Cross raffle

MAYOR, Maria del Mar Vazquez, has appealed for solidarity and is encouraging the people of Almeria to par‐ticipate in the Red Cross Gold Raffle.

The mayor said: “With a small gesture we can help Red Cross programmes con‐tinue to develop. We can con‐tribute to reducing poverty, promoting employment and improving access to educa‐tion.

“In the past year alone the Red Cross has served 75,000 people.”

The draw will be held on Ju‐

Means that a foolish person spends money too quickly on unimportant things. The phrase was used by poet Thomas Tusser in a poem he wrote called Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry in 1557.

ly 20 and more than 11,700 prizes will be distributed with a total value of €7 million.

The first prize is €3 million, while the second and third will receive €1 million and €500,000 respectively. There is also a fourth and fifth prize of €250,000 and €100,000.

Tickets are already on sale, they are priced at €5 and can be obtained by going to any of the volunteers who will be out and about on the streets of the city.

Anna Ellis

Photo fun Poster perfect

WALK 4 LIFE ARBOLEAS has now opened a photo compe‐tition for its 2024 calendar.

The charity is looking for photos of the local area.

The photos can be upload‐ed to the website www.walk 4lifearboleas.com or sent by email to judi@walk4lifear boleas.com

The photos should repre‐sent the area and need to be high resolution and wider than they are tall.

When uploading, please say which season they were taken in. Walk for Life is a vol‐untary group committed to helping people with cancer. It obtained Charitable Status on March 14, 2014.

The charity is located in Ar‐boleas in Almeria and has been operating for the past 10 years. The Walk for Life committee meets regularly and remains in constant touch with each other to en‐

sure they administer to the needs of their client base in a quick and conscientious man‐ner. All of the people the char‐ity help are dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

To volunteer email: claire.walk4life@gmail.com or telephone (+34) 644 602 249.

If you require help email: irenewalk4life@icloud.com or telephone (+34) 643 638 177.

53% of British tablet owners use an Apple iPad.

Helping serve the people.

Image: Cruz Roja Almeria Facebook

“A fool and his money are soon parted.”

Anna Ellis ROQUETAS DE MAR Town Hall has now put 28 vacant stalls of the Municipal Food Market out to tender for a total estimated value of €100,070, including taxes.

The deadline for applications is 23.59 hours on Monday May 22.

The concession period for each of the lots will be five years from the date of formalisation of the contract, which will be renewable from the sixth year onwards on an annual basis not exceeding 20 years, at the express request of the concessionaire and acceptance by the town council.

The maximum number of lots that may be awarded to the same interested party is two.

Those interested must present a Certificate of Registration with Social Securi-

Vacant stalls Bike Race

ty and a Certificate of Economic Activities Tax (IAE). They must also present a Declaration of Responsibility - with a list of the main services or work carried out in markets or similar stalls - and accredit a minimum of one year’s experience within the last five years.

Applicantes must also accredit economic and financial solvency and have Third Party Liability Insurance.

ALMERIA continues to be the setting for hosting major sporting events such as the third edition of the Mozarabe Bike Race, a cycling race that takes place in a historic and dreamlike setting.

The councillor for Sports, Juanjo Segura, confirmed:

“There are more than 300 participants from 18 provinces such as Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Barcelona, Madrid, Galicia, Ceuta and Melilla.

“There will also be international participants from seven different countries such as the United States, Poland, Italy, France and Belgium.”

He added: “This is a sporting opportunity that will also unite the fields of tourism and culture, which is why the Municipal Sports Board could not fail to support this event which will give a boost to our city and province abroad.”

The race will be held on May 13 in the couple modality, characterised by its maximum physical demand and will have a route that will exceed 220 kilometres in length, as well as 4,500 metres of positive difference in altitude.

Starting from the Alhambra in Granada at 6.00am, the participants will pass through 36 municipalities to reach the Los Angeles Complex in Almeria.

FOOD MARKET: There are vacant stalls to let.

Image: Ayuntamiento de Roquetas de Mar / Facebook

IF you enjoy Gastro‐Art or sim‐ply having a wander around a market, Artisan markets have something for everyone.

Three Gastro‐Art morning markets have been booked in Almeria during May. On May 6 a market will be held in Nicolas Salmeron Park, on May 7 in the Port of Aguadulce and on May 14 in Port Almerimar.

Expect more than 40 stalls with handmade products and unique and original designs that cannot be found in con‐ventional stores. Handicrafts, jewellery, clothing, artisan food products and much more.

Shopping at artisan markets is a way of supporting local producers and is an excellent way to experience the local

Gastro-Art

culture and learn more about the traditions and customs of Almeria.

You can try the local food, listen to live music and talk to the artisans to learn more

ALMERIA’S new car park is now open.

The car park has been built next to the in‐tersection of Calle Posito with Antonio Vico at the access to Cerro de San Cristobal. The execution of this project has had an in‐vestment of almost €200,000.

The result of this action comes to provide this part of the city with some necessary parking spaces, 45 in total, after tidying up a space that was totally anarchic a few months ago.

At the access to San Cristobal, the city has

about their products.

Head along to pick up a bar‐gain and enjoy a walk through a relaxed and cosy atmo‐sphere enjoying the company of friends and family.

Now open

now finally added a parking area of more than 3,000 square metres with a capacity for 45 parking spaces: 40 spaces for tourism, two spaces reserved for people with reduced mo‐bility and three spaces for motorcycles.

The work on the area has been completed with the landscaping of the surface and the provision of lighting.

ARTISAN MARKETS: With something for everyone.

AENA (the airport management group which includes Almeria Airport) achieved a net profit of €133.6 million between January and March 2023, compared to a loss of €41.7 million in the first quarter of 2022.

The number of total passengers for the Aena Group (Spain, Luton and airports in Northeast Brazil) recovered 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels (100.6 per cent of 2019 traffic).

At the airports in the Aena network in Spain, traffic volume reached 53.6 million in the first three months of the year, which is an increase of 41.6 per cent compared to the same period last year and 1.6 per cent higher compared to the first three months of 2019.

The total consolidated rev-

enue for the first quarter of 2023 increased to €1,026.7 million, which is an increase of 34.3 per cent compared to the first quarter of the previous year.

Aeronautical revenue was €523 million, 26 per cent higher than in 2022.

Flying high Feature film

Commercial revenue, supported by a growth in sales from commercial activities

Win for Carmen

THE team of the Nuestra Senora del Carmen de Cuevas School of Almanzora has been proclaimed Champion of the 21st School Tournament of Football 7.

The event was organised by the town council and took place on the Municipal Football Field.

The championship brought together 90 fifth and sixth-grade schoolchildren in the municipality.

Sports councillor Miriam Quintana was in charge of delivering the trophies to both the winning team and the rest of the participants.

Asensio School came in second place with Alvarez de Sotomayor School in third place.

The entire day was spent at the Andres Municipal Soccer Field Soler Guerrero on April 20 where players enjoyed outdoor activities.

This event is just one of the activities that promote sports and healthy habits among young people.

has risen.

surpassing 2019 levels, has reached €337.9 million, up 40.1 per cent from the first quarter of 2022.

ALMERIA Western Film Festival (AWFF) has opened the registration for films interested in partici‐pating in its 13th edition, which will be held from October 11 to 14.

International, national and Andalucian directors, producers and students will have until June 4 to submit their feature films and short films that will compete in the different official sections.

Registration will be done exclusively through the platforms Festhome and FilmFreeWay: https://film makers.festhome.com/fes tival/awff and https://film freeway.com/almeria westernfilmfestival

The complete rules of participation can be con‐sulted on the festival’s website.

AWFF will continue to encourage the dissemina‐tion and promotion of Western and neo‐western films that contribute to the knowledge of world cine‐ma.

Among its functions is the promotion of interna‐tional film production in Tabernas and its surround‐ings, as well as promoting tourism.

Feature films of Spanish and foreign nationality produced after January 1 2022, which may have pre‐miered at other interna‐tional festivals prior to the 13th edition of AWFF are not accepted.

Their exclusive premiere in Spain and, especially in the Almeria Western Film Festival, will be positively valued.

ALMERIA AIRPORT: Passenger numbers and profit

Image: Aena

THE travelling exhibition In‐visible Emigrants: Spaniards in the USA (1868 ‐ 1945) makes visible the disintegrat‐ed history of tens of thou‐sands of Spanish workers and farmers who sought a new life in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th cen‐turies.

The exhibition can be visit‐ed free of charge until June 25, at the Almeria Art Muse‐um.

The exhibition traces the vital and emotional journey that any of them could have made through more than

Language exchange

ARE you struggling to learn the lingo? Do you need to practise your Spanish?

The best way to learn is to practise with native speakers who in turn can practise their English with you.

Languages Exchange groups are held every Thursday at 8.00pm at the Cafeteria Clasijazz on Calle Maestro Serrano, 9, 04004 in Almeria.

For more information, head to the website: www.clasijazz.com or call (+34) +34 640 061 171.

300 images, documents, ob‐jects and audiovisual materi‐al from family albums and boxes of memorabilia be ‐longing to the heirs of this legacy.

After its success in Madrid and Asturias, where this fasci‐nating collective epic attract‐ed nearly 27,000 visitors, the exhibition is now coming to Andalucia, one of the regions from which many of the pro‐

tagonists of this diaspora de‐parted.

Fernando Prieto, promoter of the exhibition, confirmed: “We are delighted that An‐dalucia, and specifically the capital, Almeria, is giving us a new opportunity to share this history of the past charged with the future, pre‐cisely from those places from where the departure was sensitive and significant.”

Invisible Emigrants Paseo perfection

WITH a total investment of al‐most €900,000 and an execu‐tion period of nine months, the Almería City Council has now begun the works to im‐prove the environment and accessibility of the Paseo Mar‐itimo.

This action will be carried out in parallel to the works currently underway to im‐prove the cross ‐ section of Avenida Cabo de Gata.

With an area of 5,110 m², the works included in this pro‐ject have begun in Calle Sabi‐nal to progress towards Calles Isla Cristina, Coto de Donana, Miguel Naveros, Antonio Atienza, Sorrento, California, Costa del Sol and Plaza Cara‐bineros.

This work also includes the rearrangement of the El Palmeral car park to gain ap‐proximately 50 spaces.

Regarding the works to im‐prove the section of Avda. Cabo de Gata, the councillor for Urban Planning and Infras‐tructures, Ana Martinez Label‐la, explained: “The works aimed at expanding the pave‐ment in the southern area have practically been com‐pleted, these works are now being transferred to the area north, with the demolition of pavements.

“The works are currently focused on the area between Avenida Alhambra and Plaza del Zapillo.”

TRAVELLING EXHIBITION: Can be visited free of charge.

Image: Emigrantes invisibles. La exposicion / Facebook Paseo Martimo, Almeria.

Anna Ellis

THE regional minister of Development and Housing, Rocio Diaz, made a technical visit to the works on the second phase of the Mojacar coastal bypass last week.

The bypass is a continuation of the first section of the A-1203 road put into service in 2005, on the section between the roundabout with the AL5107 provincial highway and the Las Marinas area.

It is a two-kilometre section of road on which three roundabouts are planned, designed to give

Technical visit

between the A-370 and the A-1203, where work is being carried out to reinforce road safety at a point with heavy traffic, with a daily average of 13,269 vehicles per day, of which 11 per cent are heavy vehicles.

a direct exit to the various buildings scattered around this area through connecting service roads, and the residential com -

THE Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory in Almeria has become an international benchmark for research and technology in the field of astronomy.

The allusion to this infrastructure, with more than 50 years of experience, is therefore mandatory on World Astronomy Day, which is celebrated every April 29.

The facilities of this centre are a world exponent, both for the telescopes and cutting-edge instrumentation, and for the quality of the sky at its location in the Sierra de los Filabres. It

plexes in front of the coast in the final part of the section.

The regional minister then went to the junction

The work focuses above all on the elimination of the existing Tshaped intersection with central waiting lanes on the A-370, which pose a risk to road safety.

Alto astronomy

is located at an altitude of 2,168 metres, where 70 per cent of the total time is useful for astrophysics.

The infrastructure, which is the largest observatory in continental Europe, has become a unique centre for studies such as star formation in nearby galaxies or the search for exoplanets with conditions for the develop-

ment of life.

As highlighted by the Board in a press release, Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory has played a ‘crucial’ role in the progress of Spanish astrophysics in recent decades, which has served as the basis for numerous investigations, as well as for the training of its professionals.

SITE VISIT: Work is being carried out to reinforce road safety.

Image: Mojacar Town Council

ALMERIA has proven once again that it is a city of sport with a packed Palacio de los Juegos on Thursday April 27 when crowds visited to watch their team ‘Hispanos’.

With a packed house, the Palacio de los Juegos Mediterra‐neos witnessed the match of the Spanish Handball National Team, current European run‐ners‐up and world bronze medallists, against the also pow‐erful Denmark, triple consecu‐tive world champions, in match‐day 5 of the EHF EURO Cup 2024.

More than 4,000 fans sup‐ported the Spanish Handball National Team on their first re‐turn to the capital in four years in an intense and exciting match that finally went in favour of the Danes by a very tight 29‐31, al‐though Spain kept their qualifi‐cation aspirations intact.

Mayor, Maria del Mar Vazquez, confirmed: “The His‐panos have been able to train in one of the best municipal sports facilities in Almeria as is the Mu‐nicipal Sports Complex El Toyo‐Retamar, and today they have delighted us with one of the best matches that can be wit‐nessed in the world handball against Denmark.”

Packed Palacio

Crowds supported.

Lifeguard Plan

NIJAR is set to launch its Surveillance and Lifeguard Plan on the beaches from June 15.

The implementation of the Lifeguard Plan in the municipal area will cover almost all the beaches that are included in the Natural Park, from the Gabo de Gata lighthouse to Agua Amarga.

To serve this vast expanse of coastline, Nijar will have 29 qualified lifeguards, all‐terrain vehicles, semi‐rigid boats, watchtowers and aid posts. They will also offer a wide range of technical resources, including defibrillators to life‐saving roads, and even elements floating to facilitate the rest of practitioners of kayaking and other water sports.

Normal surveillance hours will be from 11.00am to 8.00pm.

The lifeguards will hoist the corresponding flag indicating the state of the sea at the start of the day.

The attendance display flags can be either green, indicating safe bathing sea conditions, yellow, indicating bathing with caution, or red, indicating bathing is prohibited or very dan‐gerous.

Image: Almeria City Council Facebook.

RICHARD LEWINGTON, Chairman of the Madrid branch of Conservatives

Abroad ‐ the internation ‐al wing of the British Conservative Party, has been confirmed as a can ‐didate in the upcoming municipal elections in Oñati, Guipuzkoa in the Basque Country on Sun ‐

A British first

day, May 28.

This marks a historic moment as Lewington will be the first British citizen to run for office in Spain’s autonomous Basque Country.

The 41 ‐ year ‐ old, origi ‐nally from Southend on Sea, Essex, is a former nurse who moved to Spain in 2007 where he lived in Oñati and worked as a freelance correspondent and En ‐glish teacher.

Lewington’s platform focuses on supporting ru‐ral businesses, enhancing public services for young people, promoting cross ‐cultural understanding, and supporting the

90/180 Days

town’s candidacy for UN ‐ESCO world heritage sta ‐tus.

“I am extremely proud to be part of Ricardo Guisado Balanzategui’s list and to be running for office in Oñati as a candi ‐date for the Partido Pop ‐ular. As someone who has lived and worked in the town, I believe that Oñati has the potential to be a model for other towns in the region,” he said.

A CAMPAIGN called ‘180 Days in Spain’ has been launched with the aim of en‐suring that every British per‐son living in Spain (whether full‐year or part‐year) has their pre‐Brexit rights as an EU Citizen properly protected and ring‐fenced.

In addition, it hopes to im‐prove and equalise the rights of all British visitors to Spain so that they get the same ac‐cess after Brexit that Spanish people do in the UK today.

As explained to Euro Weekly News in a statement from Andrew Hesselden, the Campaign Director and founder, the organisers of ‘180 Days in Spain’ are asking for some very simple require‐ments. Firstly, they want Brits who were living in Spain before Brexit ‐ whether living in the country for all or part of the year ‐ to receive equal treatment. Secondly, they are asking for the equal treat‐ment of British visitors to Spain, in the same way that

Spanish visitors to the UK re‐ceive. There are lots of ways that politicians could achieve these outcomes said Mr Hes‐selden, who hopes that the conversations being generat‐ed by the campaign are prov‐ing beneficial to British and European citizens every‐where. The campaign al‐ready has over 6,000 mem‐bers and continues to grow. Its Campaign Director col‐laborates and coordinates with other similar campaigns in France, Italy, Greece, Ger‐many and Cyprus as well as running a similar Europe‐wide campaign. Together these all account for a further 6,000 members.

“We already know that certain regions of Spain and France want to eliminate the 90‐in‐180‐day problem that Brexit has exacerbated, Mr Hesselden ‐ who has a home in Mallorca ‐ explained.

Visit https://www.face book.com/groups/180daysin spain to find out more.

Richard Lewington outside Oñati Town Hall.

Credit: Conservatives Abroad

Irritating foreigners

A BIT like wasps around a jam pot, the British me‐dia is buzzing with sto ‐ries about a so‐called se‐cret Spanish word for irritating foreigners which is Guiri.

This writer has owned a property in Spain for more than 20 years and neighbours have been calling him a Guiri for all that time, when they can’t think of anything more appropriate.

To the Spanish it im ‐mediately explains something about the person who may like to think of themselves as ei‐ther an expat or a holi ‐day maker, but in fact is a just a foreigner.

It isn’t always insult ‐ing, just describes who the person is and is prob‐ably less offensive than the British word Dago or Chilean word Godo (and there is another but that

is too rude to repeat in a family newspaper) to a Spaniard.

There are at least two songs which spell out the meaning of the word, Guiris (go home) by La Maquineria del Fango and Guiris by Los Ra ‐tones, but if you are British or Irish, don’t worry, it’s aimed at any foreigner who gets into a Spaniard’s sights.

So emotive is the word

that various Spanish newspapers have picked up on the ‘storm in a tea cup’ as can be seen from an article in La Van ‐guardia.

In this woke atmo ‐sphere we live in today, ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ may no longer be the case, but at least we stiff upper lip Guiris can learn to live with it.

Managing migration

Betty Henderson

IN an unprecedented move, the government of the United States announced a plan to send mi‐grants to third countries including Spain and Canada. The plan was announced on Thursday, April 27, as part of the country’s efforts to man‐age the flow of immigrants into the country.

The migrants’ applications for residency will be processed through legal processing centres set up in South and Central American countries including Colombia and Guatemala.

The move comes as the US seeks to reduce

SPANISH authorities sum‐moned the Russian Ambas‐sador to Spain on Friday, April 28 over a controversial tweet.

A tweet from the Russian embassy insinuated that Spain has troops deployed in

the number of migrants crossing the border with Mexico, with the suspension of Title 42, a contro‐versial policy allowing authorities to expel mi‐grants without first hearing their cases.

According to a statement by the Department of State and Homeland Security, the measures will be implemented in close coordination with regional partners including the governments of Canada, Spain, Colombia and Guatemala.

Under the plan, migrants will be evaluated at processing centres where they will be given ac‐cess to legal pathways for migration.

Twitter tension

Ukraine, something the Span‐ish government vehemently denies. Just days after pre‐senting his credentials to the Spanish king, the new Rus‐sian ambassador, Yuri Kli‐menko, found himself in hot water with the Spanish gov‐ernment.

The tweet showed individ‐uals wearing military gear speaking in Spanish, followed by a clip of the Spanish Minis‐ter of Defence, Margarita Robles. The montage insinu‐ated that Spain was playing an active role in the Ukrainian

conflict, a claim that the Spanish government has de‐nied.

In response, the Spanish Foreign Minister demanded that the embassy remove the post, which they did. The am‐bassador was subsequently summoned where he re ‐ceived a warning.

Despite this incident, Spain continues to play an active role in supporting Ukraine. The country has already pro‐vided tanks, missiles, and oth‐er supplies and plans to train more Ukrainian troops soon.

A bit of Spanish humour, Banksy it isn’t!

Credit: Dusty Dingo CC

48% of Britons wouldn’t go to space even if safety was guaranteed.

Popular property

Betty Henderson

SPAIN continues to be a highly sought‐after destina‐tion for homebuyers, as the country’s housing stock dwindles. According to a study released by European property portal, Idealista, on Friday, April 28, the number of available homes for sale in Spain has decreased by 5 per cent in the last year.

This drop is even greater than the 3 per cent decline seen in the last quarter of 2022. While this may seem concerning to some, it is a sign of the growing populari‐ty of Spain as a desirable lo‐cation for homeowners and is also set to boost property value.

Major cities like Barcelona have seen a decline of 11 per cent in homes for sale, while Madrid has experienced an unexpected 4 per cent in ‐crease in supply.

This trend is not limited to major cities, as even smaller towns have seen a decrease

in available homes for sale. However, this has not de ‐terred homebuyers, as Spain continues to be a popular destination for those seeking

a beautiful and comfortable lifestyle, and property sales have continued to soar.

It is clear that Spain’s prop‐erty market is thriving.

Pledge for Palestine

SPAIN plans to recognise Palestine as a state, but they want to make sure oth‐er European Union coun ‐tries also support this deci‐sion.

The Spanish Foreign Min‐ister, José Manuel Albares met with his Palestinian counterpart, Riad Al Malki to discuss this and other is‐sues on Wednesday, April 26.

Prior to his election, Pe‐dro Sánchez promised to recognise Palestine if he came into power, but is still waiting for the right mo ‐ment to do so. Currently, 10 out of 27 EU countries have recognised Palestine as a state.

The Palestinian territories

are currently occupied by Is‐rael, who are building illegal settlements and imposing a near ‐ total blockade on Gaza, severely restricting Palestinian people’s abilities to access essential items and services.

In the past, Spain has been criticised for not being strong enough in their con‐demnation of Israel’s ac ‐tions. However, the Spanish government assured the Palestinian Foreign Minister that recognising Palestine as a state is a priority for them.

Albares also met with the Israeli foreign minister, but it’s important for Spain to show support for Palestine, given the ongoing conflict and human rights violations.

€163 million for drought

ON Tuesday, April 25, the Governing Council of the Jun‐ta de Andalucia approved the third decree against the drought. It entailed the allocation of €163 million in hy‐draulic works and aid. The measure is forecast to pro‐vide some 184 cubic hectometres for supply and irriga‐tion and plans to benefit almost three million Andalucians.

The Andalucian Government revealed that this third decree brings the funding allocated in response to the lack of water suffered by the Community to €300 mil‐lion.There are also plans for the installation of irrigation pipes, the improvement of the water supply, the search for new water sources, the reduction of water losses, and the digitalisation of water management. It also in‐cludes a package of direct and exceptional aid for farm‐ers, ranchers and fishermen, amounting to €43 million.

Among these is direct aid of €10 million, plus €6 mil‐lion for the expansion of the line of drinking troughs. Subsidies for the construction of rafts, watering holes and connectivity infrastructures will receive €5 million.

Spain’s charm is driving property popularity.

Photo credit: Frigiliana (via Facebook)

Betty Henderson

THE Spanish Organisa ‐tion of Consumers and Users (OCU) recently conducted a survey to find out which Spanish cities are the cleanest and dirtiest. The results of the survey were re ‐leased on Thursday, April 27, and some of them are surprising!

A total of 6,863 resi ‐dents participated in the survey which found that the worst offenders when it comes to dirty streets are Palma, Ali ‐cante, and Sevilla, all of which are popular tourist destinations. San Se ‐bastián de los Reyes, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barcelona, and Madrid also made the list of the ‘worst’ cities.

But it’s not all bad news. Oviedo, Bilbao, and Vigo were praised by their residents for their clean streets. Pamplona and Albacete also re ‐ceived high ratings, with Albacete showing a sig ‐nificant improvement

from the previous sur ‐vey.

However, the OCU warned that overall the results are mediocre, with one in three cities receiving a ‘poor’ rating. The main issues cited by residents were dog mess

on the streets, litter out‐side of bins, graffiti, and dirty suburbs.

The OCU has called on local authorities to in ‐crease street cleaning and to crack down on dog owners who don’t clean up their mess.

AUTHORITIES in Madrid went into uproar on Wednesday, April 27 after a Chilean artist placed a provocative sculpture in the capital’s iconic Puerta del Sol square.

Nicolás Miranda’s sculp‐ture depicted former Span‐ish King Juan Carlos aiming a rifle at a larger statue of a bear, which is a beloved em‐blem of Madrid. The art ‐work is a clear reference to the disgraced monarch’s love of hunting, which has sparked controversy in the past.

Juan Carlos, who abdicat‐ed in 2014, has been heavily

Fierce controversy

the square by artist Nicolás Miranda and remained in place for just 10 minutes be‐fore authorities removed it.

criticised for his hunting trips, including one in which he allegedly shot a bear which was tamed using vod‐ka.

The sculpture, made from polyurethane, was placed in

TOURISM returned to positive figures in March in the city of Madrid, as reflected in the data from the National Institute of Statistics published on April 24. Tourists increased by 21.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, reaching a total of 819,000 travellers, of whom more than half were foreigners. This represents an increase in international travellers of 43.3 per cent compared to 2022.

In the accumulated calculation of the 12 months, the total number of travellers in the city was 9.1 million last year, which means an interannual increase of 55.8 per cent. In this same period, the growth of travellers through‐

However, it has caused a sensation on social media and in the Spanish press. Mi‐randa said that he studied CCTV footage of the square to choose the perfect mo‐ment to place the artwork.

The former king’s visit to Spain last week has also prompted renewed criti ‐cism, with prosecutors alleg‐ing that there are renewed issues with his finances.

Clean sweep Capital tourism

out Spain was 48.6 per cent.

As for overnight stays in hotels, in March they grew by 15.2 per cent and totalled 1.6 mil‐lion.

In this case, 60 per cent of the total corre‐sponds to overnight stays by foreign travellers, whose increase was 30 per cent.

The recovery of overnight stays in Madrid is now just eight points from 2019 when historic figures for tourism were recorded in the city and in Spain as a whole.

Photo credit: Lipasam Sevilla (via Facebook)

Photo credit: madridenacion (via Instagram)

Sevilla’s streets ranked low in terms of cleanliness.

Juan Carlos I in statue form fires a rifle at Madrid’s iconic bear.

BIRD fans will be pleased to hear that the Hanuman Plover has been reinstated as a species in its own right, after spending almost a century classed as a subspecies.

Plovers are a family of shorebirds that live all over the world, except for the very poles. They feed on invertebrates, but otherwise have a range of different habitats and lifestyle.

In the 1930s, the ‘diminutive Kentish Plover’, Charadrius Seebohmi, was merged into the Kentish Plover Charadrius Alexandrinus, as both species were considered to be the same.

Now a team of scientists, including co­author of the study and Principal Curator in Charge of Birds at the Natural History Museum, Dr Alex Bond, have

Splendid species

concluded that enough differences do in fact exist between the two to elevate it back to the status of full species and given it the name of Hanuman plover.

Dr Alex Bond confirmed: “Over a century ago, these

birds were considered to be their own species, so it’s not that these plovers have changed. Instead, it’s our understanding of what a species is, and how much variation is suitable to differentiate one, that is different.”

The UK in bloom

BLOSSOM Week is inspired by the Japanese tradition of Hanami, the popular custom where people of all ages get together to enjoy the transient beauty of cherry blossom.

Blossom Week has been designed as a natural peak to the campaign when the majority of the country will have some sort of blossom in bloom ­ from blackthorn and cherry, to apple and pear.

The National Trust hopes to encourage people across the UK to get outside to enjoy the fleeting beauty of this spring phenomenon either in their own gardens or local parks.

Andy Jasper, Head of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust said: “We are at the epicentre of a truly magnificent show of blossom.”

To encourage the public to visit their local parks and gardens and share their best blossom moments, the conservation charity is further hosting a blossom picture competition. Social media users can share their favourite nature shots using the hashtag #BlossomWatchComp for a chance to win a year’s worth of holidays with the National Trust (worth £6,000). The competition will run until May 12.

13.6% of Spain’s population goes to church every Sunday.

IF tongue­in­cheek light hack work is your bag, David Holman­Hill Waters is your man. Never taking any subject too seriously, his whimsical articles are designed to, and do, amuse and make you chuckle, sometimes out loud.

His first influences on the world of humour came in childhood, listening to the five­minute readings on the BBC Home Service, prior to Uncle Mac and his Children’s Favourites programme of the late 50s and early 60s.

David was smitten by these humorous readings from the likes of Basil Boothroyd, Dylan Thomas and Alan Coran. These, in turn, led to the joys of Punch magazine and the stories of P G Wodehouse.

The BBC also brought him Hancock and the work of Galton and Simpson and, with a Bakelite earphone snuggled into the pillow, the anarchic influence of the ‘The Goons’.

Since then, David has not just been taken by the writings of these wonderful humourists, but quill in inky hand, has tried, he says, to emulate their brilliant hu ­

Tongue-in-cheek

has also written, illustrated and published a children’s book, ‘Caradog the friendly Welsh Dragon’, a delightfully gentle tale of a friendly Welsh Dragon who, with the help of his Shepherd friend, tries to dispel the idea that dragons are fierce and frightening.

Along the way, he encounters a valiant but timorous knight, a bold blacksmith and the even bolder womenfolk of a small Welsh village. Not only a delightful read but an absolute world­beater. David informs me; at the last count having sold all of 15 copies worldwide!

derful therapeutic pastime. Both had been frustrated by their lack of contact and association with other writers, so taking things into their own hands they started The Written Word Group for writers of all genres, who currently meet fortnightly on Fridays from 10.00am until 1.00pm

at the Hotel Meson in Arboleas.

David does admit however that writing tends to be a rather solitary activity, where time evaporates as he enters a world of his own, something he says, to which his long­suffering wife will readily attest.

mour and the delight their work engendered.

Having physically, if not exactly mentally grown up, David has worked in advertising and design, whilst amusing himself and enjoying an

noying his few long­suffering

friends, many enemies and relatives with his whimsical, self ­ indulgent tongue ­ incheek takes on life’s absurdities. All to his great delight.

A Welshman, still passionate, despite their rugby team’s current quandary, he

Since retiring to Arboleas in Almeria three years ago, David has written numerous short humorous essays and is some 50,000 words into his first novel.

He has also teamed up with another author, Bernie Albrighton, to spread the word that writing is a won­

David Holman-Hill Waters will make you laugh out loud.

Image: David Holman-Hill Waters

Betty Henderson

GERMAN political sources accused the UK of delaying other European countries’ rescue efforts during the current crisis in Sudan on Thursday, April 27. German sources said that British attempts to evacuate embassy staff caused the Sudanese army to refuse access to the airfield, which was supposed to be used for the rescue of other European nationals.

According to the sources, the unannounced presence of British military personnel in Sudan without permission angered the Sudanese army, who then refused access to the airfield.

Negotiations to use the airfield meant that German rescuers ‘lost at least half a day’ during a crucial window of opportunity during the country’s ceasefire.

The UK Ministry of Defence denies these allegations, calling them “complete nonsense”. The MoD has stated that the UK had permission to land in Sudan and that their efforts did not delay any other country’s rescue mission.

However, German military leaders are still said to be “not

Sudan standoff

amused”, with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius even taking a dig at the UK government’s handling of the crisis.

German forces have ended their evacuation.

The German rescue mission has now ended, having airlifted more than 700 people to safety.

Links controversy

THE Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the most right­wing government since the Second World War, joined Italians in commemorating National Liberation Day on Tuesday, April 25. The annual event marks the end of fascism and Nazi occupation in 1945, but this year’s celebrations were marked by controversy. The Senate Speaker, Ignazio La Russa, a collector of fascist memorabilia, was criticised for saying there was “no reference to anti­fascism in the Italian constitution.”

La Russa’s links to Italy’s fascist past, including his home adorned with busts and mini­statues of Benito Mussolini, have caused controversy in the past. Meloni has refused to condemn him, but tried to distance herself from fascism.

The Prime Minister has sought to brand herself as a credible leader in Europe, but her efforts to display a moderate stance have been challenged by outspoken members of her party, including her brother­in­law, who was accused of white supremacy.

National Liberation Day is meant to bring Italians together, but Meloni has some way to go to make it a moment of ‘rediscovered national harmony’, as she said she wishes it to be.

Photo credit: Auswärtiges Amt (via Facebook)

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Viking treasure

METAL detectorists discovered a hoard of Viking silver near the ruins of the Viking castle Fyrkat, in Hobro, North Denmark. Their find contained over 300 items which included Danish, German and Arab coins, dating back to the 900s, when King Harald ‘Bluetooth’ united Denmark and Norway.

THE NETHERLANDS

Flower quandary

THE Netherlands account for 80 per cent of the EU’s flower exports and 60 per cent of global flower production, including those sent to Russia. Dutch growers said that flowers were not affected by sanctions but admitted they were faced with the dilemma of whether to stop exports on moral grounds.

BELGIUM

Fizz fuss

BELGIAN Customs officers crushed 2,352 cans of Miller High Life bearing the ‘Champagne of Beers’ slogan. The US shipment en route to another country was intercepted and destroyed in Antwerp after the French authorities issued a formal complaint regarding the infringement of Champagne’s protected status.

GERMANY

Chips are down

GERMANY could limit the export of the chemicals that are used to manufacture semiconductors as the government attempts to reduce its economic exposure to China, Bloomber said. Chemical companies Merck and BASF, who would be affected if exports were curbed, declined to comment.

FRANCE

Porn rules

FRANCE’S audiovisual and digital communications regulator Arcom could receive new powers to block websites not complying with age verification regulations. Under modified rules, Arcom would not require judicial approval to force telecoms operators and search engines to block access to Pornhub or YouPorn

NORWAY

Oslo fight

ASYLUM-SEEKER Andrey Medvedev, a Wagner mercenary who crossed into Norway from Russia in January, pleaded guilty to fighting outside an Oslo bar and carrying an air gun in public. He felt very ashamed, Medvedev said, but denied assaulting police officers in the Norwegian capital.

FINLAND

Snakes alive

ADDERS, Finland’s only dangerous snakes, will become a protected species in June. In future, people will no longer be permitted to kill them without reasonable cause or disturb them in their natural habitats, although Turku Animal Protection Association’s president, Britt-Marie Juup, foresaw “heated discussions.”

IRELAND

Too good

IRELAND has one of the highest rates of overqualification in the EU, according to newly released Eurostat data. Just under 29 per cent of the country’s employees were working in occupations not requiring a third-level degree despite having one, making the country's workforce the EU’s most educated.

ITALY

Free pill

ITALY will make free contraception medication available to women of all ages, a move applauded by women’s rights activists nationwide but condemned by anti-abortion advocates. The Pricing and Reimbursement Committee of AIFA, the Italian Medicines Agency now awaits approval from the agency’s board of directors.

PORTUGAL Stony broke

FORMER Banco Espirito Santo (BES) bank boss Ricardo Salgado, out on €3 million bail since 2014, owes more than €30,000 in court costs, which his defence team claims he cannot pay as his assets were impounded by the state. The costs mounted up in unsuccessful appeals to the Constitutional Court.

UKRAINE Looking ahead

UKRAINE lost a third of its economic output in 2022 as eight million people fell into poverty, creating a 15-year setback in poverty reduction goals. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development pledged that when the time came for reconstruction “people will be there, human capital will be there.”

SWEDEN

New fashion

DRUG busts involving designer drug 3-CMC increased dramatically in Sweden after gaining a foothold during the pandemic, the country’s media said. Between 2019 and 2022 Swedish Customs and the police seized quantities ranging from four to 104 kilos, saying 3-CMC was now more common than cocaine.

FINANCE

STAT OF WEEK €1.164 billion

was the amount of telecom company Orange España’s turnover during the first three months of this year, a 2.8 per increase on the same period in 2021.

BUSINESS EXTRA Telefonica’s Virgin

Coffee break

PRET A MANGER is increasing the cost of its monthly subscription service by a fifth to £30 (€33.9) for a daily five coffees but will give a 10 per cent discount on food and snacks alongside free drinks. The sandwich chain warned that the “inflationary challenge” was ever­present.

Payback time

RENTING state­owned Sareb’s 50,000 properties at affordable prices will repay taxpayers’ money, Spain’s Economy Minister Nadia Calviño, said. She added that after taking control of Spain’s “bad bank” the government’s “good management” was returning to society its contribution to the 2011 bank bailout.

Takeover bid

MEDICA GROUP is the latest London­listed business targeted by private equity buyers following IK Partners’ £269 million (€303.7 million) bid for the teleradiology provider. Medica’s board advised shareholders to vote for the deal, saying this would allow investors to recognise the business’s growth potential.

New post

GERMAN­BORN Miguel Angel Lopez Borrego, who has Spanish nationality, replaces Martina Merz as CEO of the German group ThyssenKrupp on June 1. Lopez Borrego, who is 58, and currently interim CEO of Norma Group, is a former director of Siemens Spain and a member of the Siemens Gamesa board.

Desert song

UMAR KAMANI, former CEO of the PrettyLittleThing fastfashion chain, sold 30,000 square feet (2,787 square metres) of undeveloped sand in Dubai that cost him £6.42 million (€7.3 million) for more than £27 million (€30.5 million). Kamani’s buyer is believed to be a member of the Saudi royal family.

Lifeline needed for landline

Linda Hall

TALKTALK, Virgin Media and SSE have been accused of overcharging landlineonly customers by almost €219 million (approximately €247.3 million).

Almost 600,000 UK landline­only customers were charged ‘excessive’ prices since 2009, maintained Fideres, which specialises in providing industry expertise for financial markets’ disputes.

The consultancy, which also aims to identify corporate wrongdoing, found that TalkTalk ­ and the now­merged Virgin Media and SSE ­ have between them overcharged consumers when their prices were compared with those of their rivals. Fideres pointed out that as well as a pricing abuse that possibly breached competition rules, the three

companies were also infringing equality laws since two­thirds of customers with landline­only deals were aged 65 or older.

In 2017, Ofcom published research showing that landline customers were getting ‘poor value for money’.

Providers had increased line rental charges by 25 and 49 per cent since 2009 even though the underlying wholesale cost of providing a landline service had fallen by 26 per cent.

As a result, BT, which accounts for about 80 per cent of the UK’s 2.9 million landline­only clients, cut charges by around 37 per cent, reversing the increases by returning pricing to 2009 levels in real­terms.

Ofcom said in 2017 that it expected other providers to follow suit as did the Post Office, unlike Virgin Media and TalkTalk. If providers rolled back their prices to match the 2009 levels, TalkTalk’s customers would have saved £103 million (€116.3 million) and Virgin Media and SSE’s customers £48 million (€54.2 millon), Fideres calculated.

Airports group flies high

AENA reported a net profit of €133.6 million for the first quarter of 2023, compared with losses of €41.7 million during the same period in 2022.

The total number of passengers in Spain, Luton and airports in northeast Brazil recovered 100 per cent of their pre­pandemic levels, state­owned Aena announced on April 26.

Traffic volume at Aena’s Spanish airports reached 53.6 million in the first three months of the year, a 41.6

Barça deal

FC BARCELONA finally secured funds for the Espai Barça project which includes renovating the Camp Nou stadium.

The club has now signed a €1.45 billion agreement with 20 investors, although this is €50 million less than it originally hoped for.

It has taken the club almost two months to obtain sufficient financial backing to start work at the Camp Nou ground. Setbacks that coincided with club president Joan Laporta’s funding mission included the scandal over Barça’s payments to football referee José María Enríquez Negreira and the hike in interest rates, followed the Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse banking crises.

per cent increase on the same period last year and 1.6 per cent higher than during the first quarter of 2019.

Commercial sales showed a 12 per cent improvement on their pre­pandemic lev­

els,. Total consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2023 increased to €1.03 billion, 34.3 per cent up on the first quarter of 2022.

Aeronautical revenue of €523 million was 26 per cent

Salmon tax

THE price of Norway’s farmed salmon could rise by up to 10 per cent, industry insiders warned.

Norway produces more than 1.5 million tons of salmon each year and the Oslo government now intends to slap a 35 per cent tax on their profits.

As a result, consumer prices are expected to rise by as much as 10 per cent or even more.

“We all know it is coming,” said Lance Forman, owner of London­based H Forman and Sons, which supplies leading restaurants and Harrods.

After fossil fuels, salmon farming is the country’s largest source of national income. It is also very lucrative, with operating profit margins of around 45 per cent.

Despite the salmon farmers’ efforts, the Norwegian parliament is expected to approve the measure in the coming weeks.

TELEFONICA has strengthened its position in the UK with a partnership between its strategic digital business subsidiary, Tech&I, and Virgin Media 02 Business.

Virgin’s customers can now be supported by Telefonica Tech’s cloud team of professional and managed services. Based in the UK this company currently employs more than 1,000 technology professionals following its takeover of CancomUK&I and Incremental.

This will enable Virgin Media O2 Business to offer enhanced services to medium and large organisations. These will range from local authorities wanting to unify data and processes, healthcare providers migrating sensitive data to the cloud and retailers looking to evolve e­commerce opportunities in the cloud.

higher than in 2022 while commercial revenue ­ again surpassing 2019 levelsreached €337.9 million, 40.1 per cent more than during the first three months of 2022. “The performance of commercial activity in the first quarter of the year is noteworthy, where pre­pandemic activity levels improved markedly,” Aena said. Aena’s gross operating result between January and March of this year rose to €368.6 million, representing growth of 153.2 per cent.

Light fantastic

NATIONAL POWER, owner of the Drax power station in Selby (Yorkshire), reported its highest ever annual profits.

Shareholders in the FTSE 250 company can look forward to a £150 million (€169 million) windfall, thanks to record electricity prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This had helped to increase the group’s annual profits for 2022 to £731 million (€824.7 million), up from £398 million (€499 million) in 2021.

Drax also announced that in the meantime it was putting on hold its much ­ debated £50 million (€56.4 million) carbon capture project, as it awaited details from the government regarding a possible subsidy.

Turned off

NETFLIX lost more than one million Spanish viewers in the first quarter of this year, consultancy company Kantar found.

Vetoing shared accounts was responsible for the plunge and the future looks even bleaker now that 10 per cent of current subscribers plan to leave Netflix within the next three months.

“Losing some users was to be expected,” said Mayte Gonzalez, from Kantar’s Worldpanel division. “But losing more than one million in so little time has major consequences for Netflix and will influence its decision to continue with this measure worldwide.”

Loud and clear

MARSHALL GROUP is more likely to increase its commitment to Britain than leave, its new owners said.

The family­owned amplifiers firm was bought by Swedish company, Zound Industries, which makes Bluetooth speakers, in a deal that valued the combined group at £325 million (€367 million).

All Marshall brands were acquired by Zound, for an undisclosed amount.

“We will preserve and probably enhance our UK presence even more, because it is so important to who we are,” said Jeremy de Maillard, who heads the new business.

LANDLINES: Users tend to be over 65.

AENA HEADQUARTERS: Spain’s airports group makes a profit.

Photo credit: Pexels/Rodnae Productions

Photo credit: CC/Gemmarz

DOW JONES

Family affair

SPAIN’S National High Court in Madrid is investigating Santiago Alarco, the former brother­in­law of ex­Cabinet minister Rodrigo Rato, for hiding money abroad. Alarco has been summonsed to give evidence on May 24 to answer charges of money laundering and creating a financial network to keep cash out of the reach of Spain’s tax authorities.

Deaf ears

HSBC’s biggest shareholder said that it was “extremely disappointed” in the bank’s refusal to consider splitting up and separating its Asia business, criticising its inflexibility towards restructuring proposals. Ping An Asset Management, which has an 8 per cent holding in the banking giant, would prefer to see a separate Honglisted business headquartered in Asia.

PM’S own goal

GERRY MURPHY, chairman of luxury retailer Burberry described axing VAT ­ free shopping for foreign visitors as a “spectacular” own goal.

“It makes the UK the least attractive shopping destination in Europe,” Murphy added.

The criticism came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to a Business Connect meeting in London when he was quizzed about the measure introduced while he was Chancellor.

The Burberry boss told

the prime minister that it appeared “somewhat perverse” that the VAT refund

for tourists was removed on the day the UK left the single market.

Powering up profits

IBERDROLA made a €1.48 billion net profit in the first quarter of 2023.

This was more than 40 per cent up on the same period last year, which coincided with the start of the Ukraine war.

Thanks to improvements in Spain and the UK, the group reported a marked increase in results despite the new 1.2 per cent windfall tax applied to energy com­

panies’ net turnover. This increased the group’s total tax bill by €200 million this quarter compared with the first three months of 2021. It has also been paid in full, announced Iberdrola, although payments have increased by 102.2 per cent to €1.18 billion this quarter, compared to €583 million in 2021.

Ocado relocates

“Leaving the EU has had a significant effect on trade,” Murphy said, claiming that the UK was experiencing “by far” the weakest recovery from the pandemic compared with other major economies.

A group of business leaders has now called for the reintroduction of tax­free shopping for overseas tourists.

In a letter to the UK’s Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, retail, hospitality and tourism chiefs maintained that reinstating the VAT concession would benefit both businesses and the taxpayer.

Tax­free shopping would bring a multi­billion­pound boost to the economy, they argued.

“The cost of 20 per cent VAT refunds would be outweighed by the enormous benefits of encouraging more visitors to Britain,” they said.

IN a move that will affect approximately 2,300 employees, Ocado plans to close its oldest distribution centre in Hatfield (Hertfordshire) later this year.

This centre accounts for a fifth of the online grocer’s weekly customer orders each week, but sources explained that Ocado now intends to shift towards robotic warehouses, transferring to a new state ­ of ­ the ­ art warehouse in Luton.

Logo no-go

LIDL won its legal standoff against Tesco.

A High Court judge found in favour of the German­owned chain which accused Tesco of “riding on its coat tails” by promoting its Clubcard deals with a similar blue and yellow logo.

Mrs Justice Joanna Smith made the ruling late last month after an earlier hearing between the two supermarket giants.

BURBERRY: Chairman Gerry Murphy lamented end of taxfree shopping for tourists.

Euro

EUR/GBP: Unchanged at £0.88

EUR/USD: Up from $1.07 to $1.09

Easing concerns over Europe’s banking sector initially helped the euro to firm at end of March, before these gains were swiftly eased by a weaker-than-expected Eurozone inflation print.

Hawkish comments from a European Central Bank (ECB) policymaker, put a spring back in the single currency’s step at the start of April, before rally sputtered out in the face of fresh tensions between Russia and Europe as Finland formally joined NATO.

The euro continued to waver into mid-April as a disappointing Eurozone retail sales reading was offset and the single currency’s negative correlation with the US dollar infused volatility into EUR exchange rates.

A stronger-than-expected Eurozone services PMI then lent support to the euro toward the end of April.

While the ECB’s next interest rate

BUSINESS EXTRA

Scot-free

P&O Ferries believe that the possibility of a fine arising from the 2022 mass sacking of 786 employees was “remote.”

The Dubai ­ owned ferry operator’s annual report maintained that sacking its entire UK­based crew without the prior consultation required by UK law was a “solution to gaining essential operational flexibility.

Good result

BARCELONA­BASED construction company FCC, controlled by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, earned €97 million in the first three months of this year, 14 per cent more than 2021’s first quarter. Revenue increased by 21.2 per cent to €2.03 billion thanks to increased activity and double­digit growth in most business areas.

Currency outlook: US dollar slumps amid fading Fed rate hike bets, Euro underpinned by ECB interest rate speculation

decision will undoubtedly be the main focus for EUR investors over the coming month, the potential start of Ukraine’s long-rumoured spring offensive could also inject some volatility into the euro.

Pound

GBP/EUR: Unchanged at €1.13

GBP/USD: Up from $1.22 to $1.24

The pound wavered over the past month as mixed UK economic data and a fluctuating market mood left the currency to trade without a strong directional bias.

At the end of March Sterling zigzagged in response to hawkish comments from Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey and a cautious market mood.

Thin trading conditions due to the long Easter weekend then left the pound trapped in a narrow range at the start of April. Before GBP exchange rates stumbled after UK growth was revised lower in the first quarter.

The pound then spiked on the back of the UK’s latest consumer

sale of Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty to Microsoft.

The CMA halted the $69 billion (€63.2 billion) deal - the biggest deal ever in gaming - on the grounds this would hinder competition in cloud gaming.

The regulator said on April 26 that Microsoft’s pledge to allow leading cloud gaming platforms to access Activision’s multibillion-dollar Call of Duty franchise had not allayed its concerns.

The company remained fully committed to the acquisition and would appeal the decision, Microsoft president Brad Smith announced in a statement. Activision in turn said it would “work aggressively” with Microsoft to reverse the CMA’s decision.

“This was not the news we wanted,” Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick told staff, “but it is far from the final word on this deal,” he added.

“We will reassess our growth plans for the UK,” the company said in a separate statement. “Global innovators large and small will take note that, despite all its rhetoric, the UK is clearly closed for business.”

price index after reporting domestic inflation remained in double digits in March.

The hotter-than-expected inflation print cement expectations for a May rate hike from the BoE, while also prompting some analysts to speculate rates could rise as high as 5 per cent by the end of 2023.

Looking ahead, the BoE’s May policy meeting could trigger a sharp appreciation in the pound if the bank signals it needs to take more action to bring inflation under control.

US Dollar

USD/GBP: Down from $0.81 to $0.80

USD/EUR: Down from €0.92 to €0.91

The US dollar trended broadly lower over the past month as an improving market mood sapped the appeal of the safe-haven currency. USD was supressed as we entered April, as USD investors were split on whether the Federal Reserve would pursue another rate hike in May.

The US dollar continued to be

CMA won’t play

To date this was the biggest deal between technology companies that the CMA has blocked and its stance was interpreted by insiders as proof

that the UK watchdog was ready to take on Big Tech.

It is now up to Brussels to reach a decision by May 22 on the Activision deal.

Tax breaks for all

ALL religions in Spain can now enjoy the same tax breaks.

The government has reached an agreement with the Orthodox Church, the Buddhist Union, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses who between them account for 1.3 million followers. Of these, one million belong to the Orthodox Church, half of whom are Romanian.

They will be exempt from paying IBI rates on properties that are used for worship and will no longer be liable for Corporation Tax. This will put them on an equal footing with the Catholic Church, the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities, the Federation of Jewish Communities and the Islamic Commission.

pressured through the first couple of weeks in April, as some upbeat US data releases helped to reinforce the cheery market mood. While a weaker-than-expected core PCE price index saw the odds of a May rate hike fall as low as 40 per cent.

USD exchange rates then struck new multi-month lows in mid-April after a dramatic cooling of US inflation and dovish minutes from the Fed’s last policy meeting further undermined rate hike bets.

However, the US dollar was quick to rebound from its worst levels after a worrying decline in US retail sales spooked markets and revived safehaven demand. While increased confidence in a May rate hike also supported USD.

Looking ahead, the direction of the US dollar over the next month will largely depend on the Fed’s forward ward guidance following its next rate decision. If the US central bank signals it might be done with its current hiking cycle, USD exchange rates may plunge.

Out of pocket

ASSOCIATIONS representing recruitment firms called for changes to existing legislation. The lower end of the supply chain of temporary workers faced unfair financial pressure, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo UK) and APSCo OutSource maintained.

Payment was often required between seven and 28 days of timesheet submissions, while end clients enjoyed payment terms of between 30 and 60 days, they pointed out. This meant the middle-supplier was out of pocket for an increasing length of time which was unsustainable in the current climate, causing undue financial strain on small and medium-sized businesses. They routinely footed the initial bill for large numbers of contractors without rapid reimbursement, Melanie Forbes, APSCo OutSource’s managing director explained.

They are now asking for an extension of Payment Practices and Performance regulations to reduce financial pressures.

Mercadona nears its target

MERCADONA continues to modify its growth strategy inside Spain.

The supermarket chain, with 1,637 stores here, is slowing down acquisition of premises and land for new branches. Instead it is switching to renting.

By the close of the 2022 financial year, it had allocated €76 million - almost 40 per cent less than in 2021 - for new stores, according to Mercadona’s annual accounts submitted to Spain’s Mercantile Registry.

The chain has tripled the number of its supermarkets since 2000, although Mercadona’s president and principal shareholder Juan Roig said when presenting the 2022 results last March, that the company planned to stop at 1,700 inside Spain.

APRIL: Stronger-than expected Eurozone services PMI lent support to the euro.

THE UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked the

ACTIVISION-MICROSOFT: Deal could hinder cloud gaming, CMA said.

Photo credit: Pexels-jeshoots

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

ONE of the real problems with the social media is that it allows the woke snowflakes and utter ec ‐centrics to seek each other out. Whereas, at one time someone with totally off the wall ideas would hardly come across any like‐minded individuals, they can now contact each other at the touch of a button. It stands to reason if you can air your views to millions, you are go ‐ing to find more supporters than standing on a street corner handing out leaflets.

Although there seems to be a pos‐itive glut of gaggle heads these days, there are in fact no more than they ever were, they are just a bit more linked up that’s all. Solo indi‐viduals have now been turned into ‘minority groups’, a part of the flavour that seems to get all the preferential treatment these days!

These latest ensembles are a glar‐ing example. Drunk with the power of getting national media coverage, they are now advocating that not only wolf whistling, but ANY praise by a male of the species, including

One-track

reference to articles of dress or at ‐tire be classed as a misogynistic hate crime. I suppose praise from a female is ok? We’ll be a bit careful lady, the woman admiring your hat at Ascot could be a gender bender; another load of codswallop dreamed up by these people.

To be honest I’m surprised most of ‘em even have the courage to walk out of their own front doors. They seem to have totally one‐track minds and, because they all appear to share complexes of utter inade ‐quacy, are completely unable to ac‐cept, or even listen to any other points of view.

One example is their ongoing in ‐sistence that babies, and young chil‐dren who show a tendency to play with toys or enjoy dressing up and indulging in the games of their op ‐posite sex, should be immediately and relentlessly encouraged to grow up in that sexual gender.

This was actually shot down by one eminent psychiatrist who, on examination of a young boy who had displayed a great deal of inter‐

FLYING HIGH OUR VIEW

est in feminine toys etc, discovered he had in fact a younger sister, who suffered a debilitating illness. This had led to the parents showing her more attention.

In the little boy’s mind he inter ‐preted this as favouritism toward girls. The lad thought that if he act‐ed more like a girl, he would attract the same attention as his sister. It had nothing to do with his gender whatsoever! This example also ex ‐poses some of the dangers present‐ed to children of same sex parents. Another ‘offspring impression ‐able’ situation I was actually wit ‐nessing as far back as the 60s. Not ‐ting Hill where I spent my youth experienced many progressions, in‐cluding a multitude of gay influence and of course the first of the Win ‐drush immigrants. I actually caught a lot of it many moons ago. And frankly have never been too happy to see how it’s all panned out. Keep the faith.

Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland.com Mon. Fri.

LAST weekend, we reported on our website, news of a massive fight onboard a plane travelling from Norway to Alicante in Spain. It appears that the fight was fuelled by the drunken behaviour of a number of passengers and when it arrived in Spain, no fewer than 15 people, all said to be Norwegian were arrested.

There was an unprecedented number of views of the stories and almost 100 readers felt that it would be help‐ful to make comments, for which we are grateful.

As often happens, some people simply read the title without taking in the content and rushed to blame boozy Brits abroad but on this occasion, they were completely wrong. It rather looks as if these idiots who are used to paying high prices for alcohol in their home country might have been taking advantage of cheaper in‐flight booze and overdid it!

No excuse and probably 50 per cent of the comments are calling for a ban on alcohol sales on all flights, 25 per cent want to see tougher checks before passengers are allowed on board or automatic travel bans if they are convicted of misbehaving on a flight. Roughly a quarter feel that it’s unfair to stop those who drink in modera‐tion from being allowed a beer or glass of wine to help them relax after the flight takes off but all want to see flight attendants try to refuse sales to drunks.

That may be easier said than done as the attendants themselves could leave themselves open to verbal abuse or physical attack, but it is clear that something needs to be done to ensure that the majority of trav‐ellers can enjoy (subject to leg room) their flight in peace.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

CORONATION QUICHE DOESN’T DESERVE ONLINE ROASTING

FOR some people, Coronation Quiche with its spinach and broad bean filling may seem a bit unexciting and unglam‐orous for such a grand occasion this weekend. On the other hand, it’s part of just the type of nostalgic, comfort food that’s currently enjoying a revival. Or maybe it’s to do with the UK being hit with strikes in multiple areas? Peo‐ple in the UK struggling on a daily basis with the increased cost of living and higher food prices, inflation and interest rates, let alone China flexing its muscles and war in Ukraine continuing to dis ‐rupt world trade. Who doesn’t remem‐ber the 70s, say, with nostalgia ‐ a time of relative peace and calmness?

And foods from that period inevitably bring back memories. Who made it. Who you ate it with. What your life was like at that point in time...

For me, it’s onion soup served in one of those made‐for‐purpose bowls with a little handle. Or perhaps cheese fondue ‐ wine, kirsch, bread. Anything smoth ‐

ered in bubbling hot melted cheese! What else? Prawn cocktail, steak Diane, peach Melba or butterscotch Angel De‐light with chopped banana and Bird’s Eye Dream Topping (eaten straight from the bowl given half a chance…)

Or toad in the hole, shepherd’s pie,

Mediterranean diet Mark II

LINDA HALL

SOME years back, a friend who hadn’t been here long grumbled that she’d put on weight thanks to the Mediter‐ranean diet.

Hardly surprising, because eating Mediterranean Spain’s food doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re follow ‐ing its rules. In fact you’ll usually be eating, and doubtless enjoying it very much, a Spanglish diet, which is noto‐rious for adding kilos you’d rather lose.

As I found when living in the rural outskirts of Altea my neighbours – el‐derly people who knew nothing other than the Mediterranean diet ‐ ate what they produced.

That meant killing it too.

We lived in the bottom half of a rambling house, some of it new, some of it probably a couple of centuries old. Each Friday Marcela, our landlady who lived on the top half, would se ‐lect a rabbit from the corral and kill it in a process that I was careful not to witness but couldn’t avoid overhear ‐ing.

It was brutal but rapid and in no

time at all, she’d skinned and gutted it, ready for the Sunday paella.

Pigeons, chickens, even turkeys at Christmas, met the same fate but who was I to shiver in disgust? Not when I bought the remains of dead animals that had lived in miserable conditions and were bred purely to satisfy the appetites of supermarket customers.

A couple of my neighbours were al‐so directly linked to the fish they ate and one day shortly after we’d moved in, Marcela’s cousin Teresa appeared with some mackerel so fresh that they shone.

Did I want any, Marcela asked me. As it happened, I didn’t as I’d bought fish that morning, which also hap ‐pened to be mackerel. Obviously there’d been a good catch the night before.

“Teresa often brings me some,” she said.

“I suppose she had some left over,” I remarked.

Marcela looked at me sternly. “Oh no. These aren’t leftovers. We share what we have.”

And there spoke someone who knew what the Mediterranean diet re‐ally meant.

lemon meringue pie and Arctic Roll ‐cake AND ice ‐ cream in one pudding. What more could you want? And as for snacks, what about jelly cubes eaten straight from the packet? Squashed fly biscuits (Garibaldi, weren’t they?). Or Wagon Wheels ‐ though should be re ‐named Trolley Castors thanks to shrink‐flation.

After all that, who’d feel nostalgic for Quinoa salad?

And as for the height of sophistication in my youth: Vesta Chow Mein with crispy noodles! Or oeufs Mornay ‐ a ‘posh’ starter. A boiled egg cut in half and smothered in a dodgy ‘sauce’ that invariably tasted like salad cream with a bit of wilted mint sprinkled over it. Also avocado vinaigrette ‐ half a rock hard or ridiculously mushy avocado with bitter vinaigrette filling the hole. And, in the more upmarket restaurants, a couple of sad ‐ looking prawns floating around in the liquid.

Actually, Delia Smith was way ahead of her time and her recipes are still in ‐credibly reliable crowd pleasers. They’ll surely long outlive the dreadful recipes you regularly come across these days where the ‘chef’ believes you can chuck anything together and just camouflage

the tasteless result with chilli. Yuk! But frankly, I’ve never understood this ‘comeback’ thing. If something is good, it’s good. End of. Do you stop eat‐ing a certain food (like the humble quiche), drinking a certain drink, watch‐ing a certain movie or reading a certain book (a suspense or crime thriller, like me?) because somebody else tells you it’s outdated, and that’s the thing to do?

Do you throw away all your clothes or shoes every year when some magazine tells you: ‘They’re so last season!’? (Clue: it’s a business ‐ that’s their job.) There’s absolutely nothing wrong with trying new things and being experimen‐tal, but it’s good to have the classics locked away too. After all, it’s the clas‐sics that are your gold standard for comparing quality.

So, in brief, all I’m saying is: Give Quiche a Chance...

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

We help to find solutions

THE British Benevolent Fund has over a century of providing emergency financial relief for Britons in Spain who have no other recourse ‐ to find solu‐tions for people who are in a desperate situation and who see no way out.

Money can’t by love but it can be an enabler for people who have found themselves in difficulties. Many of these cas‐es are triggered by illnesses, breakdown in relationships, loss of jobs and bereavement.

Into that mix comes Brexit, which for some Britons who have been living in Spain mean that if they are not resident un‐der the terms of the withdraw‐al agreement, they have to face the prospect of being classed as illegally staying in Spain. If that wasn’t enough ‐for vulnerable people ‐ many of whom are advanced in years means that they no longer have the access to Spanish state support and healthcare that they might have been eligible for before.

Which means some difficult decisions for those that need

care, housing, and support to return to the UK where many have not lived for years if not decades. Many are under the illusion that they will be auto‐matically entitled to UK bene‐fits including crucially access to housing. The UK’s welcome for returning vulnerable Britons is far from what extends to other nationalities. The Habitual Res‐idency Test means that a re‐turning British national may have to wait for up to three months before they can be eli‐gible. The BBF will help those who have no other resources, and we are increasingly being asked to help them in the UK whilst their applications are processed. These are people who have long lost touch with their networks at home and could face homelessness on ar‐rival without our support.

One such is Tom, a 60‐year‐old Briton who left the UK nearly 40 years ago and has been told by his local authority he can only apply for housing and other benefits when he ar‐rives. He has multiple medical issues which need continual treatment as well as aggres‐sive MS which will mean per‐manent disability ‐ he needs to get home for treatment ‐ but the Habitual Residence Test means he will have to over‐come an enormous hurdle with no income, savings or re‐sources.

We can only help people like Tom with your support ‐ if you would like to help him and others with a donation, please visit our website www.british benevolentfund.org. Thank you for any help you can give.

Olaf Clayton, Chair BBF

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

Nora Johnson’s

opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

Nora’s latest thriller.

Noraistheauthorofpopularpsychological suspenseandcrimethrillersandafreelancejournalist.

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

Cooling system

THERE’S no need to stop exercising in hot weather, especially if you start early before temperatures start to rise.

Remember, though, that exercise will increase your own body temperature and if you’re exposed to soaring temperatures for too long, your natural cooling system can start to fail.

That in turn could result in heat exhaustion, the debilitating fatigue that makes you feel that one more step will be your last. At worst, it could develop into heat stroke.

To avoid this and to keep cool, drink plenty of water every 20 minutes while exercising and more when you’ve stopped. At other times of the day, drink when thirsty.

On the other hand,

don’t make the mistake of drinking too much as overhydration can lead to hyponatremia or low blood sodium.

KEEP DRINKING: Hydration essential while exercising in hot weather

Sleep tight

MELATONIN, a hormone which is released by the brain as night falls to makes us sleepy, is a prescription medication in the UK.

Nevertheless, although serotonin supplements are available in Spain without a prescription, experts recommended that people consult their doctor before taking it.

The supplement does not address underlying health problems, like anxiety and sleep apnea, that may disrupt sleep and require treatment. Lifestyle changes including a cutdown on alcohol and regular exercise are more efficient at helping people to sleep better, they said.

Here comes summer

CHERRIES are a seasonal treat, with Spain’s best grown in Jerte (Extremadura) as well as inland in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia.

Drinking the juice of sour cherries is said to get you get a better night’s sleep and will also reduce post­workout pain. Meanwhile, the tarter varieties should help you to slim down, owing to their anthocyanin content which activates the molecules

CHERRIES: Give you a good night’s sleep and reduce blood pressure

that assist in speeding up fat burning and decreasing fat storage.

It’s on the cards

THANKS to the UK’s recently launched medicinal cannabis card, patients carrying the drug can prove they aren’t breaking the law.

The size of a bank card, it shows the holder’s name, photograph, date ­ of ­ birth and address as well as a QR code.

Some patients can access cannabis legally on the NHS after medicinal use was made legal in the UK in 2018 for patients with severe epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, as well as adults suffering vomiting or nausea due to chemotherapy.

Only specialist hospital doctors can prescribe it and even then, solely as a last resort.

The sweeter varieties of cherries have an abundance of potassium, a natural blood­pressure reducer, and are rich in beta carotene, vitamin C, anthocyanins and quercetin.

Photo credit: Pexels/Jopwell

Photo credit: Pixabay/Pasja1000

66% of British people feel they are in ‘good health’

That giddy feeling

THERE is a reason for the fleeting dizziness experienced on looking upwards.

Doctors explain that this is not a medical condition in itself but usually a symptom of inner ear problems.

This type of giddiness, which also occurs when changing the angle of the head, is known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, the most common type of vertigo

Frozen assets

and often seen in the over ­ 50s.

It happens when crystals within the inner ear, which help the brain sense the rotation of the head, are dislodged and float free.

Doctors recommend antihistamines to help with vertigo episodes together with what are known as Brandt ­ Daroff exercises with instructions available on the NHS website.

To eat or not to eat?

AN Edinburgh University study found that women aged over 45 who reduced calories for a month lost 10 per cent of their body fat.

Younger women following the same diet lost 8 per cent, while males aged under 45 lost more than the females.

The difference between sexes disappeared after 45, prompting the Edinburgh team to conclude that men found it harder to lose belly fat with age, hence their “beer bellies.”

Women, whose oestrogen levels steadily decline, probably lost more fat because they no longer needed to support a possible pregnancy, the research suggested.

CONTRARY to popular belief, frozen fruit is as good for you as newlybought fresh produce.

Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutrition expert from the University of Reading, explained that levels of vitamin C in fruit, which is essential for maintaining healthy skin and bones, fall by 50 per cent in just a couple of days.

The interval between picking and consuming fruit is usually even longer, he pointed out, while natural enzymes found in fruit can also cause nutrient levels to drop, resulting in loss of colour and flavour.

Freezing, in contrast, can preserve nutrients almost immediately, Professor Kughnle said.

First, the fruit is blanched by briefly exposing it to boiling wa ­

To-do list

DR RICHARD RESTAK, an American neurologist and neuropsychiatrist, maintains that dementia can be kept at bay.

Sleep a siesta to supercharge the memory, he said, eat more chocolate – dark for preference – and read a novel, not non ­ fiction.

Drink less alcohol, or preferably none, get on your feet and start moving.

Keep your mind on the move too, he advised, meet up with friends to reminisce and keep your memory sharp.

Wrong message

A TOP nutritionist criticised the NHS’s “soup and shake” diet hailed by experts for reversing Type 2 diabetes.

Professor Tim Spector told the UK media that the extreme 800 calories per day diet would assist “'a very small number of highly ­ motivated individuals” in reversing their diabetes.

It sent the wrong message to tell people desperately trying to lose weight that they could do so with ultra­processed substitutes, Professor Spector said.

ter or steam, which inactivates these enzymes, preventing nutrient loss.

FRESH FRUIT: Loses Vitamin C from the moment it is picked

Photo credit: Pexels/Joshua Woroniecki

Insurance help LETTERS

May I suggest that Gwendeline Ott ‐ley contact Staysure Insurance as they have no upper age limit. We have used them for many years and many trips around the World and find them excellent.

Regards

Same problem

Terry and Shirley

In reply to your correspondent Gwen ‐doline Ottley in edition April 27 to May 3, re lack of travel insurance for older expats, can I say that we have the same problem. My partner is almost 90 and is probably fitter than most 60 ‐ year ‐ olds in that there is nothing whatsoever wrong with him. Like Gwendoline, we like to travel, but contact insurance companies and they don’t ask anything about health, just your age. This is not fair, I wish some of them would realise this.

Last Christmas and New Year, we went on a Caribbean cruise, the only way to do this was that we booked through a British travel agent (but their office is in La Zenia) and because there is nothing wrong with us, we were able to take advantage of their insurance for €139 each (+€35 for Covid cover). This compared with the £1,400 wanted by another company. We have never claimed in 50 years of use.

We want to take a Danube cruise next spring, which was cancelled twice due to Covid, but it will depend on whether or not we can get insurance. Companies are missing a trick here.

So no help to the lady, but she has a lot of sympathy. We would like to know if she does eventually manage to get covered.

Kind regards,

Diana Wiltshire and Patrice Satur

Hello Leapy

We look forward to your candid com ‐ments in your column in EWN each week. We mostly tend to be in accord with you, although occasionally not so, but then that makes for good discus ‐sion between ourselves and friends.

Whilst trawling through family photo‐graphic archives and memorabilia this week ‐ end, my wife (Su) came across an amusing, relevant item. In a faded copy of the mag Fabulous’208, dated 21st December 1968 that she had unearthed from the piles of stored stuff, she was featured as a model in an article titled ‘Right Gear for a Rave Up!’. (During the late 60s and 70s she was a DJ on P&O liners and had modelling and promo ‐tion work.)

But, over the page in FabTalk, there was a piece about you ‐ ¡Leapy banked on it¡. Attached is a scanned copy ‐even though it mentions your damaged Cadillac, I thought you might like to see it.

Please keep up your comments and views in your articles ‐ someone’s got to voice it before the wokes take over the world!!

Kind regards ‐ David

M‐S

Bull dies

I read about the fighting bull that plunged to its death from a bridge dur ‐ing the Bou de les Penyes festivities in Ontinyent, Valencia. This is extreme an‐imal cruelty. These people are of no benefit to this planet. They’re relics of a medieval mindset. Pure evil at work here. They bring shame on their coun ‐try. It needs to stop.

Deborah Hall

Housing market

Spain has more space and a diverse landscape, however, one point to high ‐light is if the 90 ‐ day rule is not ad ‐dressed, this will have a significant im ‐pact on tourism and potential home ownership with properties tied to ser ‐vice charges. Time will tell…

Mark

Stars in Barcelona

After seeing that the Obamas, and Steven Spielberg and his wife were spotted in Barcelona, does Spain want these Warmongers in the country? Is Spain a bit white for the Obamas? Just saying, because of Michelle complain ‐ing. Have we forgiven Obama for forc ‐ing USA nuke ships in our harbours? Obama go home.

Michael Fisher

DAVID WORBOYS THINKING ALOUD

I LEARNED the facts of life at the age of nine or 10 but the world has moved on since the late 40s. Nowadays little boys are raping girls by the age of 10 and murdering them by the time they are 12. Not all of them, but in growing numbers. Guns and knives are pre ‐ferred nowadays to pea ‐ shooters and catapults, while playground scuffles have given way to shootings or stab ‐bings as a means of settling scores.

When I was five, I was attracted to girls in general (and Rosalind in partic‐ular) and enjoyed sitting next to them. I realised they were different from boys, who were perhaps more fun, but I had no idea about sexual communion nor how I arrived on planet Earth.

It was a schoolfriend who eventually told me, but he omitted to explain that the act normally took place in a hori ‐zontal position in a bed and normally between a man and his wife.

Hmmm. I had visions of perpendicu ‐lar liaisons between a mother and a fa‐ther, while (more or less) fully dressed and anywhere out of view. Perhaps behind the potting shed or in the

FACTS OF LIFE

teenage boys wore jacket and tie in restaurants, in many of which the menus were presented only in French. This meant that nine out of 10 cus ‐tomers hadn’t a clue what they were ordering.

The other 10 per cent were probably eating out fairly regularly ‐ not just on birthdays. Some men even put on a jacket and tie especially to go into a bank.

garage.

It was also a fact of life that, at the age of nine, I had been taught to raise my school cap on meeting a woman, and at 11 I would offer my seat on a bus to any woman or elderly man. The following members of society had to be treated with special respect: teach‐ers, policemen, vicars, friends of my father and fathers of my friends ‐ nor ‐mally addressed as “sir”.

We had fights at school but had to rely on our hands and, in extreme cas ‐

es, our fists ‐ but not our feet, let alone weapons. Things began to change in the 60s. Skinheads and bovver boots, followed by punk ‘music’ signalled the emergence of a less gentle society. The facts of life were clarified for the wider public when the Rolling Stones re ‐leased ‘Let’s spend the night together’. The culture of free love was born.

In the 50s many working people felt uncomfortable in banks and restau ‐rants, much the preserve of the more affluent or more educated. Men and

A friend pointed out to me that Par ‐adise was being a 20s‐year‐old hetero‐sexual male in swinging London in the 60s, when there was an inexhaustible presence of slender, elegant women of all nationalities. There was no political correctness but, by today’s standards, it was a harmless, if not innocent, world.

GO LOCAL

David

In the 50s a hand-catapult was considered a dangerous weapon. We have moved on since then.

Photo Credits: Dreamstime and Huffington Post

PETS

Dogsitter will mind your pets

A DOG-SITTER is a compan‐ion as well as a pet minder to your pets. It is good to find someone who will play with your pets, as well as look after them. Housesitmatch can help you find such a dog‐sitter and companion at very little cost.

If you’re planning a trip reg‐ister now to find pet‐sitters in time.

Whether your trip is short or long, you’ll know that sometimes you must leave pets at home.

Young and senior pets in particular benefit from staying at home, so they can follow their routines undisturbed. Join our pet and house‐sitting network, and the sitters come for free!

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

pets.

1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch. com

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

3. Create a profile with pho‐tos 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 annu‐al fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your ad‐vert saying when you are go‐ing 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 ex‐cellent. Tristram Cosgrave ‐Dog and cat owner, Malaga How do you join?

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

Need a pet or house-sitter? 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 house-sitter or homeowner with a 20% discount using coupon code 20EWN – Reader exclusive offer. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com

GEN Z Pets

ACCORDING to a recent study of 2,066 adults from Generation Z (adults aged between 18 and 26 years old) prioritise their pets over their partners and chil‐dren when buying a home.

This study showed that Gen Z pet owners would consider moving if their home no longer worked for their pets even if this did not suit their partners.

The study also showed that 60 per cent of Gen Z house hunters are prioritis‐ing fenced‐in outdoor space for their pets whereas be ‐fore an office or a children’s playroom would have been

Pet-friendly

TRAVELLING with pets can be difficult but so many ferry companies now have pet‐friendly cabins.

At the moment, the fol‐lowing companies in Spain offer well‐equipped pet ‐ friendly cabins: Baleària, Naviera Armas, Trasmediterránea, Grandi Navi Veloci, and FRS.

These cabins are thor‐oughly cleaned to ensure maximum safety for pas‐sengers and pets and are usually equipped with linoleum floors, anti ‐odour mats, pet pillows, and drinking troughs and can usually accommodate up to two small animals.

On board some vessels there are outdoor walking areas and designated play areas. Trasmediterránea and some other ferry companies are equipped

Ferries with pet-friendly cabins.

with first aid kits for pets and they also provide a 24/7 vet hotline.

Some of these ferry companies offer some useful tips on how to trav‐el with your pet. They rec‐ommend you bring famil‐iar items to help keep your pets calm on board.

It is essential to bring your own disposable bags, gloves, and cleaning prod‐ucts to clean after your

pet. You will also need to bring your own dog food and treats. Depending on the breed and behaviour of your pet they may be required to wear a muzzle on board. They also rec‐ommend checking out the EU guidelines for travel‐ling with pets to find out about what documents are needed and more in‐formation about border crossing with pets.

top of the list.

Fifty‐five per cent of Gen Z pet owners said a pet‐friend‐ly home was more impor ‐tant than a child ‐ friendly home. Gen Z adults are putting off parenthood choosing to start a family lat‐er in life but not pet parent‐hood. Thirteen per cent even admitted they would prefer to share the master bedroom with their pet in‐stead of their partners!

Real Estate agencies have stated they have already be‐gun to see these decisions impacting the market with pet‐friendly properties more in demand.

Photo credit: Shutterstock/ Javier Brosch

A dogsitter is also a companion to your

Gen Z prioritise pets.

Photo credit: Flickr Natasha

BOATS

FOR SALE Hurricane Catamaran, 5,9Mtr, complete with specialist trailer & launching trolley. €750 ono. Call +353 871 931654. San Juan de Los Terreros (303344)

BUILDERS

ALMERIA BUILDERS : Fully Legal, Fully Insured, All Work Guaranteed. 659 685 133 www.almeriabuilders.com (253556)

MOBILE homes & static caravans bought, sold and transported. +34 630 055 418 or elsyd7@hotmail.com (302142)

Anglican Chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Calida web page. Or contact Tony Noble 950 069 103. (10002)

TURRE EVANGELICAL

CHURCH

We meet every Sunday at 10.30. For worship.

We believe you’ll find us ‘relaxed’, welcoming’ and ‘informal’. Find us on Turre’s main street, towards the motorway at the far end on the left. To know more contact 617 914 156 (10021)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION -

DRAINAGE

MOTOR INSURANCE . For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 952 147 834, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 952 147 834 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

Ifyoucanreadit,socan yourclients.Contactus andhaveyourbusiness growat+34951386161

LOCAL ANGLICAN (C of E) church services at Mojacar

Los Llanos Del Peral and Alhambra. Communion every Sunday in Mojacar at 11am. Communion at Los Llanos every Sunday except the last Sunday in the month when there will be Prayer and Praise all at 11am. The services that were being held in the South American church Albox have now returned to the chapel and Communion is held on the second Thursday of the month at 11am. Priest in charge Rev Canon Alan Bennet telephone number 680 243 436. For further information, please go to The

Why not make this year the year you volunteer? Call and see how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvis its@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.britishle gion.org.uk/counties/spain

-north ZURGENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at La Parrilla Hotel Albox, for further details please email zurgenar blchairman@gmail.com(253989)

ABBOTT ELECTRICS . From a Light Fitting to a Full Rewire. Tel: 950 137 208 / 638 010 691 (303141)

VOSS HOMES are a professional, British family-run Estate Agents with an office in Huercal-Overa town. They specialise in selling and renting properties in the HuercalOvera, La Alfoquia, Zurgena & Taberno area. Andy, Anna, Jess, Adele, Hannah, Amy & Karen look forward to helping you buy, sell or rent your ideal property. Please call 678 002 006 for more information (283824)

WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbey gateinsure.com

LANGUAGE CLASSES

GOLD & SILVER Bought & Sold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

FOR SALE

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

INSURANCE

Male/Female viagra, cialis, kamagra jelly, mixed trial packs available, all areas mail order. 604 385 476. viagra4you19@gmail.com

OTHERS PETS

THE FIVE BONE HOTEL, TURRE. Little dogs €7.75, medium dogs €8.50, big dogs €9.25, cats from €7.00 a day. 630 234 556 / the5bonehotel turre@gmail.com fiveboneho tel.com (301372)

CLASSIFIEDS

PLUMBERS POOLS

PROPERTY FOR SALE

SOLAR ENERGY

KNOWLES PLUMBING No 1 for all plumbing jobs big or small. Central heating, solar hot water and water deposits. Tel: 606 807 797 or 684 143 560 (302581)

SOLAR WIND POWER SOLUTIONS. Over 20 years installation experience. Established 17 years in Spain. Call Phil for competitive prices on 636 261 240 or email info@sunergyalmeria.com (303112)

PROP FOR RENT WANTED

MINI CLUBMAN bows out with FINAL EDITION

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

IN 1969, the first Mini Clubman rewrote the rule book. It was an in ‐stant hit in the 1970’s automo ‐tive mar ‐ket with its long wheel ‐base, ex ‐tended shooting‐brake body, and character istic split doors at the rear.

Reimagined by BMW in 2007, the first modern MI‐NI Clubman delivered a contemporary interpreta‐tion; rear passenger seats were accessed through a rear hinged door, and un‐fortunately for the UK on‐ly on the right hand side of the car. With the third gen‐eration in 2015, the Club ‐

in length offering more space and two full ‐ size rear doors. Today, the MI‐NI Clubman Final Edition is a globally limited run of 1,969 units ‐ paying homage to the launch year of the original car.

Powered by a Cooper S engine that delivers 178 hp the Final Edition has a sin‐gle specification with a choice of three exterior

paint colours ‐ Enigmatic Black, Nanuq White or Melting Silver. Shimmer Copper details can be found on the surrounds and upper third of the radiator grille crossbar, side scuttles and Cooper ‘S’ blade on the rear.

The 18” Final Edition two‐tone alloy wheels are finished in a tinted clear

lacquer to give a copper hue, while exclusive ‘Final Edition’ lettering on the rear and ‘1 of 1969’ badge on the C ‐ pillar side com ‐pletes the exterior.

The interior features door sill trims embellished with ‘Final Edition’ lettering which are also found on the lower spoke of the Nappa leather steering wheel. Leather sports seats

‐ finished exclusively in leather ‐ offer sewn‐in edi‐tion‐specific badging, seat heating and adjustable thigh support. Anthracite‐coloured Piquet fabric in ‐serts, and blue contrast stitching further comple ‐ment the seat design. It’s a well worked mix of materi‐als and design. There’s also a Panoramic Glass Sunroof and rear privacy glass.

A dark dashboard trim is accentuated by trim strips finished in Sage Green and Shimmer Copper. On the passenger side, the trim is decorat ‐ed with a ‘1 of 1969’ badge which is also found on the floor mats. Graphic let ‐tering on the mod ‐el’s key cap com ‐pletes the design.

Based on the Ex ‐clusive trim, the Club‐man Final Edition of ‐fers a high level of specification, including an 8.8” touch display with MI‐NI Navigation System, Ap‐ple CarPlay and a Digital Dashboard.

Also offered is Comfort Access, Reversing Camera, Parking Assistant including Front Park Distance Con ‐trol and Harmon Kardon Surround Sound.

The MINI Clubman Final Edition is available to or ‐der now and is priced at £37,000.

All-New C3 Aircross

CITROËN has now revealed the All‐New C3 Aircross, a family B‐SUV that is tough outside and caring inside, and intelligently created with regional input to meet the specific needs of

customers in key markets of India, South ‐ East Asia and South America.

All ‐ New C3 Aircross is, above all, unmistakably a Citroën, and at the same time a pure B ‐ SUV which

will compete at the heart of each market by offering car buyers compelling val‐ue in a tailor ‐ made pack ‐age combining unique and muscular design, with Cit‐roën comfort signature and well‐being, plus versa‐tility for up to seven peo ‐ple.

This new SUV model and the already launched com‐pact New C3 represent key steps in Citroën’s interna‐tional growth strategy, un‐der which the brand is tar‐geting 30 per cent of its global vehicle sales to be in regions and markets outside of Europe by 2025. India, South ‐ East Asia and South America are high ‐ potential and fast ‐growing markets that will positively contribute to Citroën’s international am‐bitions. In 2022, the brand’s Asian and Asian Pacific registrations in ‐creased by 56.9 per cent compared with 2021 and those in South America rose by 21.2 per cent.

Kia comfort

THE Kia EV9 claims to offer superior cabin comfort even in the most extreme conditions.

Pothole problems

RAC patrols went to the rescue of 10,076 UK drivers who had fallen foul of potholes in the first three months of the year, a 39 per cent increase on the same period a year ago, new break ‐down data shows.

Damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels ‐ issues most likely caused by poor road surfaces ‐ accounted for more call‐outs than in any other three‐month period since January to March 2021.

In addition, the number of pothole ‐related breakdowns more than dou ‐bled from the 4,915 seen in the fourth

quarter of 2022.

The RAC also saw a 14 per cent spike in wheel changes compared to the same period last year.

RAC roads spokesman, Simon Williams, said: “The high number of call ‐ outs our patrols have attended in the first three months of the year ‐ and the enormous increase compared to a year ago ‐ is nothing short of scan ‐dalous.

“Drivers are telling us that the UK’s local roads are in a worse state than ever and it’s hard to disagree looking at some of the craters that litter so many of our carriageways.”

In the development pro‐cess, Kia vehicles are tested in extreme heat and cold to ensure ‐ among other things ‐ their heating, venti‐lation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are up to the challenge.

The thermal system of the all ‐ new Kia EV9 in ‐cludes a heat pump, cli ‐mate control system, and defrost and de ‐ icing fea ‐tures.

In addition, a new, user‐friendly climate control panel and improved roof vents offer customers max‐imum comfort and conve‐nience.

Engineers tested these features in wide ‐ ranging environments such as northern Sweden and southern Spain to ensure maximum performance and efficiency, even in ex‐

treme ambient tempera ‐tures.

“The all ‐ new Kia EV9

12.1% of total market share of electric vehicles is in Europe

proves customers don’t have to make sacrifices to be sustainable,” said Richard Peiler, Group Man‐ager HVAC & PT Cooling at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre.

“With these high ‐ tech features, the EV9 sets new standards in the e‐SUV seg‐ment, delivering all the comfort and convenience of a modern SUV with none of the emissions at the tailpipe.”

KIA EV9: The vehicles are tested in extreme cold.

POOR SURFACES: Local roads are in a worse state than ever in the UK.

Image: Kia

Leeds to sack Gracia

LEEDS UNITED’S problems continued at the week‐end when they lost 4‐1 to Bournemouth. Javi Gra‐cia’s team are without a win since April 4 when they beat Nottingham Forest at home. Leeds are 17th in the Premier League, above the relegation zone on goal difference only, with four games left this season. It won’t come as a surprise that there are reports that they will sack manager Javi Gracia and they are in talks with Sam Allardyce as his re‐placement.

Gracia was appointed in February as Jesse Marsch’s successor but has won only three games out of 11. Leeds are now reportedly looking to the ex ‐ Bolton, West Ham, and Everton manager to work his survival magic for one of the toughest rel‐egation battle run ‐ ins. Leeds are due to face league leaders Manchester City on Saturday, then third‐place Newcastle followed by West Ham and then finally they will face Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road to finish the campaign.

There are also rumours that the Leeds United Director of Football Victor Orta is also set to leave the club. Whatever they do they need to act fast as they need a reaction and the players need a boost with fans tired of the lacklustre perfor ‐mances. Will ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce be the one to re‐vive their fighting spirit?

Perez wins Azerbaijan GP

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S lead at the top of the F1 driver’s table was cut to six points after Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez took the chequered flag in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on Sunday afternoon, April 30. This was the Mexican’s second victory of the season and cuts the gap at the top of the driver’s table to just six points.

His teammate and current champi‐onship leader Max Verstappen had to settle for second place on the podium at the fast street circuit. The Dutch world champion was unable to catch Pérez who stretched his lead to three seconds as the race entered the final laps.

Charles Leclerc started this fourth For‐mula One race of the season in pole posi‐tion but quickly found himself being over‐taken by both Red Bulls.

The Frenchman managed to keep the Ferrari in third place despite constant pressure from Fernando Alonso in the As‐ton Martin who crossed the line just eight‐tenths behind him.

A safety car was deployed on lap 10 af‐ter Nyck de Vries shunted his Alpha Tauri into the wall at Turn 5. This allowed the rest of the field to bunch up with Perez taking advantage of the situation to pit. His decisive move saw the Mexican exit the pits ahead of the pack after the safety

car was removed.

Carlos Sainz brought the second Ferrari over the finishing line in fifth, followed by Lewis Hamilton. The Brit tried his best to pass the Spanish driver but his Mercedes simply could not find the extra power, even under DRS.

Lance Stroll clinched another impres‐sive finish in the Aston Martin to romp home in seventh position. George Rus‐sell failed to capitalise on some excellent qualifying sessions and finished in eighth.

The McLaren of Lando Norris took ninth with Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda

rounding out the Top 10.

An incident in the pit lane on the final lap involving the Alpine of Esteban Ocon could have ended badly. As he headed towards his garage for a tyre change, the Frenchman was confronted by a group of FIA officials and photographers crowded in the pit lane.

They had allegedly been mistakenly al‐lowed into the zone when it was still closed off while the race was still ongoing. An investigation was conducted by race stewards who apparently instructed the officials that this should never happen again.

SECOND VICTORY: Red Bull’s Sergio Perez after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.