Costa Blanca South 22 – 28 February 2024 Issue 2016

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Issue No. 2016

22 - 28 February 2024

Costa Blanca

• Issue No. 2016 • 22 - 28 Feb 2024

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ILMAINEN

GRATIS

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GRATUITO

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LIVREE

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GRATIS S

GRATUIT G

Image: Jane Cronin

Supporting MABS

FREI

Upcoming fundraiser for MABS.

IN times of dire need, unsung heroes emerge, and in the Costa Calida and Vega Baja area, MABS association volunteers are the hidden angels providing warmth and compassion to cancer sufferers. Acknowledging their selfless work, residents of Jacarilla are organising a fundraising event on March 22 at Butterflies Cafetería from 10am to 2pm.

The event aims to express gratitude to MABS

volunteers and ensure their vital work continues.

A bumper raffle featuring generous donations, including money vouchers for major stores, promises an exciting day. The organisers extend a warm invitation to readers to join the event.

Residents can contribute by donating money or prizes, with Butterflies Cafetería accepting contributions Monday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm.

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• Local News •

22 - 28 February 2024

Charity golf THE Antonio Pedrera Soler 10th Memorial Charity Pro-Am, held at Villamartín Golf, was a resounding success, raising a total of €6,213.66 for the Pedrera Foundation.

The event, which featured 33 teams comprising one professional and three amateurs each, attracted 132 players, including notable professional golfers such as Emilio Rodríguez, José María Buendía, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, and Bradley Dredge.

The funds raised through this event, supported by sponsors and enthusiastic participation, have been entirely allocated to the San José Obrero Diocesan Foundation of Orihuela.

This foundation focuses on integrating minors from disadvantaged family situations, providing personal, social, and family support to ensure they have a future of hope.

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Torrevieja, run! Shingle shot Image: Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja

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RACING AHEAD: The city is looking forward to the half marathon and 5K race.

Bob Marquess THE Sports councillor of Torrevieja City Council, Diana Box Alonso has shared the details of the upcoming Torrevieja Half Marathon and 5K race.

Set for Sunday, February 25, the event will wind through the streets of Torrevieja.

This year, the Test Record financial prize of €300 is a notable addition.

Starting and ending at Paseo de La Libertad, the event expects around 1,500 runners for both races.

The Royal Spanish Athle-

tics Federation officially approves the courses and caters to participants with functional diversity, including those with physical, auditory, visual, and intellectual disabilities.

Both races adhere to RFEA regulations, with specific maximum completion times: 45 minutes for the 5K and two hours and 45 minutes for the Half Marathon.

Participants must be at least 14 for the 5K and 18 for the Half Marathon, with no upper age limit.

The 36th edition of the

Half Marathon will draw runners from various nationalities, including European and non-European athletes.

Registration remains open until 30 minutes before each race.

Participants will receive a runner’s bag containing an exclusive technical t-shirt by JOMA, a commemorative gym sack, isotonic drinks, and sports supplements.

Finishers will also receive a commemorative medal, with the option for free engraving.

ROJALES Council has announced the commencement of the vaccination campaign against the shingles virus, herpes zoster, administered by the Ministry of Health.

This vaccination is specifically targeting individuals aged 65 and 80 in the years 2023 and 2024.

For further details, individuals are encouraged to visit the Centro de Salud in Rojales, located at Calle Ing. Juan García, 32, or call (+34) 965 290 255.

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection that leads to a painful rash.

It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus responsible for chickenpox.

After having chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body and may re-emerge later in life, resulting in shingles.

It’s important to note

Image: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com

Vaccination campaign.

that shingles itself is not contagious, meaning you cannot contract shingles from someone who has it.

However, direct contact with the fluid from a shingles rash can transmit the varicella-zoster virus and cause chickenpox in individuals who haven’t had it before.

The risk of spreading the virus is relatively low if the shingles rash is properly covered.

Additionally, individuals with shingles are not contagious before the appearance of rash blisters or after the rash has crusted over.

• Local News •

Marquess NIBS EXTRA THE Clot deBobGalvany natural area in

March finish

THE construction of the rainwater lamination raft adjacent to the N-332, in the Doña Inés urbanisation, Torrevieja, is set to be completed in March.

The raft covers an area of 4,533 square metres with an average depth of 3.2 metres. The project’s budget is €570,505.

Festival fever

THE end of Guardamar del Segura’s 2023 Cultural Capital Festival is set for Sunday, March 3, on Avda.

Los Pinos, beginning at 11.00am. Join in the fun and enjoy a day filled with various activities, including minigolf, music, and circus performances for all age groups.

No more waste

WITH the aim of reducing food waste, researchers from the University of Alicante are working on a project to prolong the conservation of these products by applying ultraviolet radiation. The project has been tested in cheeses, meats, creams and gazpachos.

On the rise

ELCHE’S reputation as a welcoming host for conferences is on the rise, leading to a steady increase in the number of events hosted in the city.

However, there’s growing concern about the limited availability of hotel accommodations, which is hindering Elche’s potential for further growth in this sector.

Fire fighting

ALICANTE firefighters swiftly responded to a call on February 16 reporting a fire on the N-340, Orihuela road. The incident occurred in the outdoor field of a heavy vehicle workshop.

Elche recently welcomed the release of 20 new grey teal specimens.

This marks a significant effort to protect this endangered species, which is Europe’s most endangered duck.

These birds originated from captive breeding at the ‘La Granja’ Fauna Recovery Centre in El Saler.

Since 2020, a total of 136 waterfowl have been introduced, with these 20 additions being the latest.

The primary aim of this initiative is to ensure the successful integration of grey teal into the area. To facilitate their adaptation to the environment, a large cage was installed in the ponds for a week before their release.

Additionally, supplementary food will be provided for a period to su-

22 - 28 February 2024

Wings of hope Image: El Clot de Galvany / Facebook

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YOUR EWN HAS

133 STORIES in this week’s edition

Focal point

CLOT DE GALVANY: Nests have been constructed in the water.

pport their transition.

Nests have also been constructed in the water to protect the chicks from potential predators, thereby enhancing their chances of survival and enabling reproduction in a na-

tural setting.

El Hondo currently serves as the primary refuge and stronghold for this endangered duck species, boasting the largest population not only in Spain but also in Europe.

Help in sign

Simply soaring

THE University Hospital of Torrevieja has launched a new video interpretation service in sign language, accessible via tablets, specifically for people with hearing disabilities.

This service is now offered in most public healthcare facilities under the Ministry of Health.

With this service, deaf individuals can communicate effectively with doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff using real-time sign language interpreters through video calls.

This move highlights the hospital’s commitment to inclusivity and ensuring equal access to healthcare for everyone, regardless of their hearing abilities.

The introduction of this technology addresses the communication challenges often faced by deaf individuals in healthcare settings, where clear communication is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Jorge Lopez, the head of Quality at the Torrevieja health department, stressed the hospital’s dedication to patient-centred care, saying, “This improves the quality of care and directly benefits the patient.”

IN January 2024, the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport set new records with a total of 958,088 passengers and 6,468 flights.

This marks a 20.5 per cent increase in passengers and an 18.8 per cent increase in flights compared to January 2023.

The growth is largely driven by international travellers, accounting for 805,602 passengers, up 22.1 per cent from the previous year.

The recovery of the British market in the airport area and its great connectivity with 20 airports in the United Kingdom, as well as the good performance of other international destinations during the winter months, have made it possible to reach this volume of travellers.

Among international travellers, the UK led with 287,555 passengers, followed by the Netherlands (77,631), Belgium (63,598), Poland (61,901), and Germany (56,392).

Even domestic travel showed significant growth,

THE Tourism councillor of Almoradí, José Antonio Latorre, along with Rafael Birlanga, a nutritionist from ‘ComeRb’, and two students pursuing degrees in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at the University of Alicante, introduced the inaugural gastronomic event titled ‘In the Mouth: Unveiling Innovation’.

Scheduled for March 1 in the Plaza de la Constitución of the town, the event will commence at 9.00am, aiming to showcase the advancements, efforts, and

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Garden gem culinary creations revolving around the artichoke, a prized gem of the region’s gardens.

The councillor outlined the diverse range of activities slated to take place before and after the much-anticipated ‘National Artichoke Congress’.

He emphasised that this initial gathering is tailored for aspiring professionals in the hospitality and tou-

rism sectors, as well as for gastronomy enthusiasts and cooking aficionados.

The ComeRb nutritionist highlighted the innovative nature of these sessions, projecting a forward-thinking perspective.

The event will feature six discussions led by gastronomy professionals who are prominent figures in the region and the province.

THE Crowned Virgin of Sorrows has been chosen as the focal point of the poster for Holy Week 2024.

Painted by Andalucian artist Pedro Castro, the allegorical composition in oil on canvas depicts the seven sorrows of the Virgin, set against the backdrop of the Castle of Santa Barbara.

Castro emphasised that the image of the Crowned Virgin of Sorrows is closely linked to the significance of Holy Week in Alicante. The predominant colour in the painting is white, symbolising purity, which is evident in the angels, roses, and the Virgin’s face.

The depiction of Alicante is represented by the silhouette of Santa Barbara Castle and the blue sky.

The painting, measuring 116 by 73 centimetres, draws inspiration from the techniques of renowned artists.

The Holy Virgin is positioned at the centre of the composition, surrounded by scenes depicting her seven sorrows, creating a circular arrangement.

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22 - 28 February 2024

2024 UFC winner

Expanding horizons Credit: Ilia Topuria, Facebook

Anna Akopyan

ILIA TOPURIA, the featherweight champion from Alicante, came out as the winner of UFC 198 on February 18.

Also known as ‘The Killer’, Ilia Topuria has Georgian origins but has resided in Alicante since he was 15 years old.

It was in Alicante’s Climent Club, where his professional training began, as he later moved forward to enter local competitions.

After his victory in the 2023 ESPN tournament (a Spanish sports television channel), he expressed his feelings of belonging in

Ilia Topuria with a Spanish flag.

Spain, stating to the ESPN Network, “I feel super Spanish and I also feel Georgian. It’s like having two

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children.”

Topuria continues to use his successes to invite the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) to be held in Spain, requesting a ‘home’ event in Alicante.

After beating Bryce Mitchell in London, he claimed: “I want the UFC to go to Spain,” and indeed, the sportsman upholds the flag of Spain in every one of his competitions, even though he officially represents his home country, Georgia.

THE port of Alicante is broadening its scope with the introduction of a new shipping route connecting it to Egypt.

This route, which is already operational, extends beyond Egypt, with stops in Genoa, Italy, and Misurata, Libya, before reaching its final destination of Alexandria.

Discussions are also underway for additional routes to North Africa and some sub-Saharan countries.

The route operates as a ‘ro-ro’ line, transporting vehicles and cargo directly onto ships. The inaugural trip from Alicante saw 61

moving parts, including tractor heads and trailers, loaded onto the vessel.

This new connection not only strengthens the link between Alicante and Egypt but also provides access to Italy and Libya through intermediate stops.

Initially, the service will operate monthly, with plans to increase frequency as maritime transport demand grows.

Romeu & Cía, a Tarragona-based company with global offices, including one in Alicante, is managing this service.

Specialising in ship consignment, the company represents various shipping

companies across multiple continents.

Apart from regular services, they also play a significant role in ferry operations and in the oil and gas sector.

This expansion of routes enhances Alicante’s port potential, which previously focused on destinations like the Canary Islands and Algeria. Connectivity with Algeria was strained due to diplomatic tensions, but as relations improved, port traffic increased.

Last year, 162,000 passengers and 41,432 passenger cars were transported, reflecting a notable rise compared to the previous year.

Image: saiko3p / Shutterstock.com

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Alicante port.

Culinary excellence

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DESPITE being closed for almost a year, Restaurante Paco Gandía in Pinoso continues to receive recognition and awards for its culinary excellence, particularly its renowned rice dishes, making it a standout establishment in Spain.

One dish, in particular, the exquisite rice with rabbit and snails, prepared with Monastrell grape shoots, has made a lasting impression on diners’ palates.

Paco Gandía and Josefa Navarro were honoured with the award for their gastronomic career, spanning over 30 years, during which they have excelled in preparing rabbit rice and snails with vine shoots.

The award was presented by renowned chefs Susi Díaz and Paco Torreblanca.

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22 - 28 February 2024

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On your bike Image: Ayuntamiento de Elche

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Anna Ellis THE Elche City Council has given the green light to a modified project aimed at expanding the Elche Public Bicycle Transport Service to four new stations in Torrellano.

This marks the first time BiciElx will extend its reach to the districts.

“Our municipal government is committed to improving mobility in all areas, and we’re delivering on that promise,” stated Inma Mora, spokesperson for the Local Government Board.

The four new stations will be strategically placed next to the Torrellano IES, the entrance to the sports centre, near the parish of the Inmaculada Concepción, and at two locations on Calles Purísima number 52 and Calle Figueres number 2, close to the district entrance.

NEW STATIONS: Improving mobility in the city.

Palm crafts THE 63rd Palma Blanca Crafts Contest for Palm Sunday 2024 in Elche has been confirmed.

The main goal, as stated by the councillor for Fiestas, Inma Mora, is to promote the Elche tradition of Palma Blanca crafts, support the conservation of this trade, and ensure its continued existence as an economic activity.

Additionally, the contest aims to enhance the celebration of Palm Sunday, an event of International Tourist Interest, by acknowledging the craftsmanship of local artisans.

The contest features six prize categories, including workshops, free designs, and lapel palm details, with a total prize fund of €7,950.

The deadline for submissions is March 8, and the jury will evaluate the works, to be exhibited on March 23.

22 - 28 February 2024

Pricey parking PARKING spot prices are going up, and it’s not just because it’s getting harder to find a spot in cities.

Other factors, like higher housing costs and interest rates, are making investors see parking spots as a good way to make money from their savings.

So, more people want them, and that’s driving prices higher.

According to data from Fotocasa, the average price of a parking spot has gone up by 14.7 per cent in the past year, reaching around €10,482.

But the prices can vary a lot depending on where you are.

In some places, like Alicante or Torrevieja, you might see parking spots going for over €90,000, especially if they’re double spots or right by popular spots like the beach or shopping centres.

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International harmonies Gastronomy week Image: Costa Blanca International Concert Band

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Gearing up for their first concert of 2024.

Nora Shephard THE Costa Blanca International Concert Band is gearing up for their first concert of 2024, following the success of its previous performance in San Miguel.

This time, they’ll be taking the stage at the Norwegian Church located at Calle Ravel 4, El Chapperal, Torrevieja, on Tuesday, March 5, starting at 7.00pm.

Audience members can enjoy an entertainment-filled evening

filled with a varied selection of music, including pieces from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Jurassic Park,” a medley of Beatles songs, “Les Miserables,” and many more.

The band, comprising musicians from Spain, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK, is excited to showcase their talent and entertain the audience with their diverse repertoire.

To join the fun, grab your €15 tickets by calling (+34) 966 789 296 or visiting the Norwegian

Church website at www.sjoman nskirken.no/Torrevieja.

If you’re interested in joining the band as a musician, they are always looking for new players to join their ranks. You can contact Graham on (+34) 711 056 343 or email him at robinsongra ham256@googlemail.com.

Alternatively, you can attend one of their rehearsals held downstairs at the library in San Miguel from 4.00pm to 7pm.

You will be warmly welcomed into the group.

STARTING on February 26, the second ‘Menjars de la Terra”’ (Foods of the Land) gastronomic week kicks off, following the success of its first event in Baix Vinalopó.

This time, the focus is on Vega Baja, known for its diverse cuisine that blends tradition with innovation.

Vega Baja’s food celebrates its Mediterranean roots, using fresh ingredients from both land and sea.

During this event, local and seasonal ingredients will be highlighted, showcasing the talent and creativity of the region’s chefs.

The opening day, hosted by La Galería de La Mirada restaurant in La Zenia, sets the tone for the week. Executive chef Miguel Ángel Montesinos praises the growing recognition of Alicante Province in national gastronomy and applauds initiatives like ‘Menjars de la Terra’ for boosting its reputation.

La Galería de La Mirada specialises in modern cuisine with traditional influences, featuring a menu that emphasises the region’s abundance of citrus and seafood. Chef Montesinos is thankful to the Menjars de la Terra team for the chance to showcase Vega Baja’s culinary excellence, seeing it as an honour to promote local gastronomy.

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Goats to the rescue Dolly display ELCHE continues its longstanding tradition of les Velles de Sèrra this year.

This contest involves creating satirical dolls that critique various aspects of current social or political life.

These dolls are then placed on balconies or doors of houses at dawn on the central Wednesday of Lent.

Inma Mora, councillor for Festivities, confirmed this ancient tradition was revived in the early 1980s by the Historical Artistic Board of Elche after being lost in 1940.

Today, Velles de Sèrra dolls are crafted using old clothes and household items and are accompanied by posters containing satire or criticism to engage the community’s interest.

Businesses, schools, and individuals all take part in this initiative.

Registration for the con-

Image: Ayuntamiento de Elche - Ajuntament d’Elx / Facebook

George Cunningham

Inma Mora, councillor for Festivities.

test is open until March 5.

The dolls, or ‘ninots’, must be displayed on balconies or doors at dawn on March 6.

To participate, fill out and register application form number A361 through the municipal electronic headquarters or at any OMAC office. On March 6, a jury will visit participa-

ting homes, schools, or establishments to announce the verdict. Three prizes will be awarded in each of the three categories: individuals, schools, and businesses.

Prizes range from €75 to €300 with additional rewards including a reproduction of the Lady of Elche.

A GROUP of 100 goats has been grazing inside the Rojales Botanical Park for a few days.

The park is huge, covering 400,000 square metres and enclosed by a fence made of 12,000 wooden posts, stretching 2.5 kilometres.

Originally, the park was meant to be both a botanical garden and a flood prevention area, with a pond to manage rainwater.

However, it hasn’t been developed much since it was built, except for the fence, which was quite expensive to construct.

Antonio Pérez, the mayor of Rojales says that the shepherd got permission to

THE age at which women experience their first pregnancy is progressively rising, a trend evident in both national and provincial data.

In Alicante, the average age for a woman’s first pregnancy stands at 31.09 years, based on the latest figures provided by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) for the year 2022. This trend has been observed over decades, as indicated by historical data collected by the INE since 1975.

Back then, women in Alicante typically had their first child at 24.94 years old. However, there has been a steady increase since then. By the 1990s, the average age rose by

let the goats graze in the park, and they’re considering letting more shepherds do the same.

The mayor believes it’s a good idea because it helps control weeds and is eco-friendly.

He also points out that having the goats around saves money because they do the job of clearing the land without needing expensive equipment or labour.

“The goats are doing well, they’re quiet, they don’t cause any trouble, and we save money by not using other methods to control the overgrown grass and weeds,” he said.

Age rise almost 10 per cent, reaching 27.21 years in 1992. Leading up to the real estate and financial crisis of 2008, the average stabilised around 28 years.

Yet, in the 2010s, the age surpassed the 30year mark for the first time, reaching 31.09 in the most recent INE update.

Despite this upward trend, Alicante’s figures remain below the national average.

Across Spain, women typically give birth to their first child at 31.57 years old.

22 - 28 February 2024

• Local News •

Checkpoint Charlie ON February 18, the Santa Pola Local Police officially inaugurated a new checkpoint situated opposite the Gran Alacant Shopping Centre.

At the inauguration,

both children and adults were introduced to the new security measures aimed at enhancing citizen safety.

These include a drone, smart cameras, a canine

service, and an emergency app.

The checkpoint is positioned on Avenida Finlandia, positioned between the access road to Gran Alacant from National Highway 332 and the shopping centre.

Its prominent location ensures visibility from all directions.

During the event, the Santa Pola Local Police showcased their latest technological tools, including a drone, intelligent surveillance cameras, and a new mobile app designed to facilitate emergency notifications from citizens.

Additionally, the event featured the presence of canine police officers.

Image: Ayuntamiento de Santa Pola

New checkpoint.

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WhatsApp scam George Cunningham ORIHUELA Local Police have issued a crucial warning to residents through social media regarding a rapidly spreading scam in the municipality.

They caution that if you receive a WhatsApp message from one of your contacts asking for a code or money transfer, you should be wary and avoid responding.

Ignoring such messages is crucial because hackers may gain access to your phone, initiating a deceptive scheme.

Several individuals in Orihuela have fallen victim to this scam, sending significant sums of money under the false belief that they were assisting friends or family.

The strategy of these cybercriminals involves sending a WhatsApp message to the victim, pretending to be a friend or family member.

They claim that their

Image: Alex Photo Stock / Shutterstock.com

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Ignore messages asking for money transfers.

account has been compromised and request the recipient’s phone number to receive a verification code.

Once the victim provides the code, the cybercriminals take control of their phone, accessing all contacts and groups.

They then exploit these connections to solicit money, often through platforms like Bizum.

This scam circulated in other parts of the coun-

try at the end of last year and has now resurfaced in Orihuela.

The peril lies in the theft of your account and identity, to the extent that attempting to alert others in WhatsApp groups may result in your messages being blocked.

This scam spreads rapidly by infiltrating one phone after another, creating an extensive network of compromised accounts and contacts.

THE streets of Alicante are witnessing a remarkable surge in the number of establishments dedicated to manicures, signalling a rapidly growing trend among the city’s residents.

What were once traditional shops selling clothing or groceries are now transforming into nail salons, reflecting the increasing demand for semi-permanent manicure services.

Areas such as those adjacent to Plaza Séneca, Plaza de la Muntanyeta, or Alfonso el Sabio, like Calle

THE Tourism Community of Valencia is set to showcase the very best of traditional Valencian cuisine through the Jornadas Platos de Cuchara (Spoon Plates Conference) gastronomy event.

This initiative celebrates classic Valencian recipes, particularly those served with a spoon.

Now in its sixth year, Jornadas Platos de Cuchara features 60 establishments from Castellon, Valencia, and Alicante provinces.

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Polished trend Calderón de la Barca, are experiencing this transformation firsthand, with the demand for these services constantly on the rise.

According to data from the Association of Beauticians, Makeup Artists, and Massage Therapists of the Province of Alicante (AEMPA), 90 per cent of beauty centres in the province now offer semi-permanent or gel manicure services.

María Salud Torrelló,

Spoon dishes Until March 3, these venues will offer special menus (starting at €20) featuring signature spoon dishes, highlighting the region’s culinary heritage.

The goal of these gastronomic events is to spotlight the rich food tradition and the high-quality dining ex-

president of AEMPA, notes the proliferation of these establishments, emphasising that they are now more visible than ever.

In terms of demand, semi-permanent manicures are gaining ground over traditional ones.

The president explains that clients are increasingly opting for greater durability and convenience, leading to a surge in demand for these services across stores.

periences available in Valencian municipalities.

By promoting local gastronomy, the initiative aims to strengthen the region’s identity.

The catalogue of the event features 60 diverse proposals, which can be explored on rutadecuchara.es website.

Each participating establishment has crafted a special menu for the event, offering visitors the chance to savour authentic Valencian cuisine.

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London to Leeds Image: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock

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Tourist offerings.

Anna Ellis THE Community of Valencia’s Tourist Board recently participated in the MICE Tourism Conference at the Spanish Tourism Office in London.

The conference targeted operators specialised in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism from cities such as Manchester and Leeds.

This inaugural event, designed with a roadshow format, aimed to showcase the MICE tourism offerings from various Spanish autonomous communities to English operators.

The Community of Valencia presented the tourist offerings and updates on the destination to nearly 40 specialised operators from the two British cities.

Manchester and Leeds, along with Bir-

mingham and London, serve as major hubs for MICE tourism operators in the UK. Given the nature of MICE tourism, which often involves groups from companies, organisations, and professional associations, specialised operators play a crucial role in organising such events.

The Valencian Community boasts excellent air connections with the UK, with over 20 British cities having direct routes to Valencian airports.

Additionally, factors such as the availability of facilities and accommodations, the favourable climate, gastronomic offerings, and complementary activities make the Community an attractive destination for British operators organising events, conferences, or incentives.

ON February 16, the mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolon, unveiled the latest plan for rennovating the port area alongside the new leisure zone being constructed within the Torrevieja port.

He announced 15 days for “public participation,” inviting residents to share their thoughts on the project.

This initiative, although not officially binding, aims to gather community input on this updated version of the plan, which spans 135,000 square metres of

ALMORADI, a town renowned for its culinary scene, attracts tourists with its diverse array of restaurants and talented chefs.

Among its culinary delights, the artichoke shines as a local treasure, earning it the title of Almoradi’s orchard jewel.

Each March, the town hosts the National Artichoke Congress, drawing food enthusiasts from across the Valencian Community.

One standout dish from

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Public participation the Torrevieja waterfront.

The proposed plan requires municipal funding of €45m, not including the €20m needed for renovating the premises and surroundings of the Salt Eras.

Information about the project’s progress is available on the municipal website.

The mayor clarified that after this consultation period and any necessary adjustments, the proposal will

be finalised, and a request for the concession of public space will be submitted, which falls under the responsibility of the Valencian Community.

The main goal of this initiative is to achieve full integration between the port and the city and aims to address traffic congestion issues, particularly during the summer, in one of the busiest vehicle and pedestrian areas.

Garlic soup this gastronomic haven is garlic soup, perfected by Bar Restaurante Quino.

To make this flavourful soup, gather 250g of bread, 500g of potatoes, two red peppers, four artichokes, two handfuls of garlic, and six eggs. Season with salt, saffron, roasted garlic, cumin, and parsley.

Begin by sautéing the bread until golden and setting it aside. Roast the pe-

ppers, chop them, and set aside.

Next, cook the potatoes, chopped artichokes, and peeled garlic until tender, approximately 20 minutes.

Add the roasted garlic, cumin, and parsley to the pot.

Five minutes before serving, poach the eggs.

To serve, place the sautéed bread on each plate, ladle the soup over it, and top with a poached egg.

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Pickleball passion Image: Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock.com

10 22 - 28 February 2024

Gaining momentum.

Bob Marquess MANUEL SIMON PALOMARES and Zayda Simon Palomares, siblings from Torrevieja, have jumped into the exciting world of pickleball, a sport gaining momentum in Spain following its rise in the United States.

But what exactly is pickleball?

Pickleball is a dynamic racket sport that blends elements of tennis, paddle tennis, badminton, and ping pong.

Initially, tennis enthusiasts, both Manuel (17) and Zayda (13) have caught the eye of Thirty-One, a new brand selecting them to represent the sport in pickleball tournaments across Spain.

They’ve already showcased their skills in the Spanish Pickleball Tour, securing impressive results, and are now preparing for the second Open Mediterranean Tournament at the Ferrero Academy in Villena from March 1 to 3.

Pickleball games are typically played in doubles, though singles matches are also an option, providing an even greater challenge that demands quick play and strategic thinking.

In pickleball, a specialised perforated ball is used, along with a net similar to tennis, on a court comparable in size to a badminton court. The paddles used are larger than ping pong paddles but smaller than those used in paddle tennis. Although pickleball has been predominantly popular in the United States, its growth in Spain has been remarkable in recent years, with the number of players tripling to approximately 20,000 nationwide.

Recognising this surge, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) has teamed up with the Spanish Pickleball Association to incorporate this burgeoning sport into its framework.

• News •

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Pizza perfection George Cunningham IS there such a thing as too much pizza?

Eric Decker, also known as Airrack on YouTube, has a knack for breaking records, especially when it comes to pizza.

In the past year, he achieved two remarkable feats: creating the largest pizza and visiting the most fast-food restaurants in 24 hours.

Teaming up with Pizza Hut, Airrack helped make a massive pizza at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. This pizza measured a whopping 1,296 square metres, breaking the previous record by over 34 square metres.

It was made with over 6,000 kilogrammes of dough, 2,200 kilogrammes of sauce, nearly 4,000 kilogrammes of cheese, and over 630,000 pieces of pepperoni.

This huge pizza celebrated Pizza Hut’s ‘Big New Yorker”’ pizza, reminiscent of New York-style pies.

Airrack’s love for New York-style pizza inspired his next adventure: brea-

THE discovery of a €750,000 ring, which had gone missing at the Ritz hotel in Paris, has brought relief to its owner, a Malaysian businesswoman who was staying at the hotel.

After filing a complaint with the police, suspecting theft, the woman’s ring was eventually found in an unexpected place - the vacuum cleaner.

Security guards at the Ritz stumbled upon the valuable ring lying among the dust in a vacuum bag, much to the surprise and

Image: Eric Decker / Instagram

12 22 - 28 February 2024

The world’s largest pizza.

king the record for visiting the most fast-food restaurants in 24 hours.

He specifically chose pizza places in New York City for his challenge.

Airrack and his team visited pizza joints across Manhattan at midnight.

They encountered some

closures in the early morning but resumed their quest later. By 4.00pm, they had visited 45 pizza places and picked up the pace to reach their goal of 100 before time ran out.

With determination, they achieved their target just in time.

Hoover drama delight of the guest.

The woman had initially travelled to London but returned to Paris specifically to retrieve her missing ring.

According to the businesswoman, she had left the ring on a table in her hotel room while she went shopping in the city for a few hours.

Upon her return, she found it missing.

This incident adds to a

history of jewellery-related incidents at the Ritz.

In 2018, the hotel was targeted by armed robbers who stole over €4 million worth of merchandise from a jewellery shop located within the premises.

Additionally, later that same year, a member of the Saudi royal family reported the theft of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery from her suite at the hotel.

14 22 - 28 February 2024

• News •

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Photos: Musei Capitolini

AT the Capitoline Museums, in the garden of Rome’s Villa Caffarelli, the impressive life-size reconstruction of the Colossus of Constantine now towers over visitors.

The statue, about 13 metres high, has been realised through innovative reconstruction techniques, starting from the original pieces from the fourth century AD preserved in the Capitoline Museums.

Of the entire statue, discovered in the 15th century at the Basilica of Maxentius, today only a few marble fragments remain: the head, right arm, wrist, right hand, right knee, right shin, right foot, left foot.

The project to reconstruct the colossal statue of Constantine started from these fragments. At the end of March 2022, a team from the Factum Foundation spent three days in the courtyard of the Capitoline Museums to scan the

Credit: Steve Photography/Shutterstock.com

Rome’s Colossus A farmer protests in the Netherlands.

Spanish farmers revolt The Colossus of Constantine.

fragments. Each fragment was modelled in 3D and positioned on the digital body of the statue created using other statues from the time as a guide.

Resin and polyurethane, together with marble powder, gold leaf and plaster, were chosen as materials to render the material surfaces of marble and bronze, while an easily assembled and removable aluminium support was

used for the internal structure.

The final result makes it possible to admire the Colossus in its original imposing size from February 6, in the garden of Villa Caffarelli. Romans are divided: there is no shortage of comments from those who believe that this operation accelerates the transformation of the capital’s historic centre into an amusement park for tourists.

THE agricultural unrest that has swept across Europe has reached a critical point, but is a compromise in sight for Spanish farmers?

A crucial meeting has taken place take place between Spain’s leading agricultural organisations and Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture. This pivotal dialogue aims to address the escalating rural conflict in Europe.

The backdrop of this meeting was the growing unrest among farmers, with tractors continuing to roll out in protest across Spain, voicing opposition to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), import competition, and soaring costs.

COAG’s primary demand involves simplifying and making the CAP more flexible, as Miguel Padilla, the organisation’s secretary general, highlights. “Even if there is a small drop, it is not enough. There

are prices that are below production costs and that is one of the concerns we have,” explains Padilla.

The group is also pushing for an import observatory to bring ‘transparency in this issue that concerns us.’

Further, COAG advocates for the strengthening of the Food Chain Law. “It is an instrument that we have defended and defended but it does not fulfil the functions that we would like and the majority of productions do not,” Padilla states, emphasising the need for improvements to ensure prices cover production costs.

ASAJA’s focus is on international relations, particularly responding to criticisms from French farmers.

The words of a reporter from the BFM channel went viral this week, who went on to describe Spanish mandarins as ‘disgusting,’ ‘inedible,’ of ‘poor quality.’

16 22 - 28 February 2024

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Lord of the ring Pelican not golf term red during archaeological research in the basement of the Danish Tower, the Wawel Royal Castle has announced. According to the researchers, the found monument is unique due to its decoration, depicting two faces.

“Wawel Castle constantly surprises us. An extremely rare discovery has recently been made in the form of an early medieval gold ring,” - the Wawel Royal Castle announced on social media on Monday. The relic was found during archaeological research in the basement of the Danish Tower and is dated to the 11th to 12th centuries.

According to a study by Jerzy Trzebinski of the Wawel Royal Castle Archaeology Department, “only a few early medieval gold rings are known from the whole of Poland.

Ornaments of this type were usually completely devoid of ornamentation or contained geometric ornamentation. The specimen unearthed at Wawel is unique because of its ornamentation. It is the only example where human images are depicted on an early medieval ring from Poland.”

Credit: Den Bosch Animal Ambulance

AN elaborately decorated medieval gold ring, likely to be from the 11th or 12th century, has been discovered buried beneath Wawel Castle, the former seat of Poland’s kings in the city of Kraków. It is the only one of its kind ever found on Polish territory reported Notes from Poland.

The ring was discove-

• News •

John Smith GOLF appeals to many people, but those out on a golf course in the town of Vught in Holland often dreamed of making a birdie or even an albatross but never a pelican!

They were surprised to see a healthy looking pink-backed pelican take up residence on the golf course in early February and it could be seen that it had a ring around its leg so had clearly escaped from somewhere.

Members of the Den Bosch Animal Ambulance Service confirmed that it had been spotted in different parts of the country prior to its arrival at the golf course and several days were spent trying to lure it with the offer of juicy cuts of fish.

Eventually, they were successful and after snaffling it whilst asleep the pelican calmly allowed them to give it a ride in a golf buggy before it was

The pelican at home on the golf course.

transferred to a secure site for a health check.

Information from the ring on its leg told experts that it had been a resident of Lithuania, lived in a Dutch zoo until 2019 when it was transferred

to a Belgian zoo and it was from there that it made its escape several weeks earlier.

Once rested and fed, it was returned across the border to its unnamed Belgian home.

• News •

18 22 - 28 February 2024

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Wind over gas Credit: chaiviewfinder/shutterstock.com

CAN Europe turn its back on fossil fuels for good?

The recent surge in renewable energy across the European Union suggests it might just be possible.

In 2023, a ground-breaking report by the energy think tank Ember revealed a significant shift in the EU’s energy landscape.

Fossil fuel generation plummeted, marking a decisive move towards renewables, with wind and solar energy leading the charge.

This change was particularly notable in Spain, which set a precedent by generating more than half of its electricity from renewable sources. In 2023, coal usage dropped by 26 per cent to a record low, accounting for only 12 per cent.

Gas saw its largest annual decrease since at least 1990, falling by 15 per cent. This reduction in fossil fuel use led to a 19 per cent decrease in emissions from the electricity

Credit: One Billion Rising/Petr zewlakk Vrabec

One Billion Rising in Prague.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Wind turbines.

sector.

Sarah Brown, European programme director at Ember, emphasised, “Coal is on its way out and, as wind and solar grow, gas will be next to go into terminal decline.

“However, this is not the time to rest on its laurels.

The EU needs to focus on rapid deployment of wind, solar and flexibility to create a system free of the risks of fossil fuels.”

Photovoltaic solar energy also saw impressive

growth, with over 5,000 new MW installed.

Despite the overall decrease in electricity demand by 3.4 per cent in 2023, the future looks electric.

The transition to electrification, driven by among other things, heat pumps, and electric vehicles is expected to increase electricity demand. Renewables will need to keep up with this growing demand to meet emission reduction targets.

One Billion Rising John Smith PRAGUE saw a flash demonstration on February 14, as part of a worldwide call to action by the global organisation One Billion Rising which exists to fight gender based violence.

It was launched on Valentine’s Day, 2012 with the intention of alerting the world to the incredible fact that it is believed that one in three women on the planet will be beaten or raped during their lifetime.

So with an estimated seven billion people alive now, this equates to more than one billion, hence the name of the orga-

nisation.

The demonstration also embraces those who are cross or trans gender and are equally vulnerable to attack and the hope is that eventually males in particular will recognise that everyone is entitled to be treated equally and with dignity.

Although this one event took place in Prague on Valentine’s Day, similar events, some with huge gatherings occurred throughout the world especially in countries in Africa and Asia as well as across the European Union where freedom of speech is so much easier to practice.

• News •

Moczydlo Park in Warsaw , Poland.

Climate neutrality THE mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, has set up a Climate Team aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and climate neutrality in 2050 - these are Warsaw’s main climate policy goals and also one of the main pillars of the city’s development strategy.

Warsaw wants to set trends in climate action.

The capital is already a member of international organisations active in this field.

The city has also adopted a Climate Change Adapta-

tion Strategy and a Green Vision for Warsaw, ie a roadmap for achieving climate neutrality and the main document setting the directions and objectives of the capital’s climate policy.

It is all about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. One of the actions is further investment in Warsaw Public Transport.

The metro is being successively developed, new tram routes are being built and the rolling stock is also becoming greener.

The city is also inves-

ting heavily in renewable energy sources. There are photovoltaic installations on over 200 municipal buildings. Similar solutions are also being used

by Warsaw’s water supply companies, although the company’s main renewable energy source is biogas produced by sewage sludge fermentation.

In addition, there is the greening of public spaces.

Last year alone, the municipal teams planted around 100,000 trees. Increasingly, vegetation is also replacing concrete pavements.

22 - 28 February 2024

19

No sex, we’re French DESPITE allegedly speaking the language of love, a recent survey has unveiled a shocking downturn in sexual activities in France, especially among the youth.

This revelation came from an Ifop study commissioned by the sex toy brand Lelo and reported by France Inter, which has challenged the longheld belief in France’s legendary romantic culture.

The research highlighted a sharp drop in sexual intimacy among 18 to 24-year-olds.

Twenty-eight per cent of young adults, who have had sexual experiences, reported no sexual intercourse in the past year, a significant rise from 5 per cent in 2006.

The decline is not restricted to the young, in those aged 50 to 59, 35 per cent confessed to a year without sexual activity, up from 10 per cent in 2006.

Across the board, there’s been a 15 per cent fall in sexual activity in the last year compared to 2006, with only 76 per cent of sexually active individuals engaging in intercourse.

The study suggests a growing separation between love and physical

Credit: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com

Wikimedia CC / Tommek

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A couple share a romantic moment.

intimacy, with over half of adult women and 42 per cent of men open to a non-sexual cohabitation.

The digital era is partly blamed for the reduced intensity in sexual relationships, with online engagements competing for time traditionally spent with partners.

‘Sexual time’ is now rivalling screen time, which satisfies social and sexual needs while diminishing in-person interactions.

IN the summer of 2024, Paris is set to host the Olympics, marking 100 years since its last turn as host.

The organisers are pulling out all the stops to make it a memorable event.

There will be a total of 5,084 medals given out, and each one will have a

Eiffel triumph piece of the famous Eiffel Tower incorporated into it.

The medals will contain 18 grams of iron sourced from the company that

• News • maintains the Eiffel Tower.

One side of the medal will have a hexagon shape, representing France.

The other side will feature a detailed design of the Eiffel Tower, along with images of the Acropolis in Athens and Athena Nike, the goddess of victory.

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Street art Image: Paavo Arhinmäki / Facebook

20 22 - 28 February 2024

The deputy mayor publicly apologised.

Bob Marquess THE tale of Paavo Arhinmäki, the deputy mayor of Helsinki who engaged in urban escapades by painting graffiti, took an unexpected turn with his arrest last summer on charges of vandalism related to spray-painting the underpass near a railway section in his city.

Mr Arhinmäki’s rebellious streak, while adding thrill to his leisure activities, ultimately led to legal consequences.

Recently, a district court ruled that he must pay a fine of €2,520 for his act of vandalism.

Despite the attention garnered by his graffiti, which featured the phrase “world domination and great career moves,” it did not attain viral fame like Banksy’s artworks.

Authorities swiftly removed the graffiti a few days after its creation, reportedly costing around €3,000 to clean up, exceeding the fine imposed.

In response to his arrest, the deputy mayor publicly apologised for his actions and pledged to bear any ensuing fines.

• News •

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Airport anguish IN 2023, air travel faced various challenges, from strikes to system disruptions and adverse weather conditions.

For many passengers, the idea of holiday travel might bring feelings of apprehension.

While some factors contributing to air travel stress are beyond passengers’ control, they can choose airports wisely to improve their journey experience.

A study by VisaGuide.

World surveyed 1,642 air passengers from 53 nationalities who took at least two international trips in 2023.

They were asked about aspects of air travel that caused them stress, such as high passenger volumes, crowded airports, frequent delays, and distance from the city centre.

Based on these factors, the study ranked the most stressful airports in the world.

AIR TRAVEL: The most stressful airports.

London Gatwick, the UK’s second-largest airport, has been identified as the most stressful airport globally. Despite handling fewer passengers compared to other airports, Gatwick scored high in passenger density and annual delays.

Claiming second place is Turkey’s Istanbul Airport, which is Europe’s busiest airport with over 64 million passengers in 2022. Its vast size, spanning over 76 million square metres, often presents navigation challenges for travellers.

In third place is Germany’s Munich Airport,

Image: Andy Soloman / Shutterstock.com

22 22 - 28 February 2024

which handles half the passenger traffic of Istanbul Airport but is significantly smaller in size.

Denver International Airport in the United States ranks fourth, followed

by Heathrow Airport, Europe’s second busiest airport, despite being smaller in size than Munich Airport.

Other airports in the top ten include Los Angeles International Airport, Rome-Fiumicino International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and O’Hare International Airport.

Safest country to drive in John Smith NEW research has revealed the safest and most dangerous European countries to drive in, with Norway coming out on top of the safety list.

The study by Vignetteswitzerland.com analysed the latest data from the European Transport Safety Council (2022 figures) to see which countries had the lowest and highest number of road deaths per million inhabitants.

The study found that Norway is statistically the safest country to drive in in Europe as in 2022 it only had 21.38 deaths per million inhabitants, the lowest of any European country.

Compared to 2012 data, this is a 26.48 per cent drop within the decade, with 2012 having 29.08 deaths per million inhabitants.

Sweden comes second on the list of safest countries, with just 21.72 road deaths per million inhabitants. Compared to 2012 data, this is a drop of 27.74 per cent from when the country had 30.05 road deaths per million inhabitants.

Coming in third place is the United Kingdom, which comes in with 25.89 road deaths per million inhabitants.

The change in road deaths is less

Credit: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Crash test dummies at work.

significant than other entries on the list, with a drop of just 9.51 per cent from 2012, where road deaths sat at 28.61 per million inhabitants.

Denmark takes fourth place, with 26.22 road deaths per million inhabitants and in fifth place is Switzerland, with 27.58 road deaths per million inhabitants.

Spain didn’t do too badly sitting at 10th place with 37.08 road deaths per million inhabitants which is a 9.8 per cent improvement on the 2012 figure.

In fact it’s the Balkans which are the most dangerous with Romania followed by Serbia, Bulgaria and Croatia but somewhat surprisingly, statistically the fifth most dangerous place to drive is Portugal with 62.30 road deaths per million inhabitants

• News •

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EUROPEAN lawmakers are taking Spain to court along with several other member states for not adhering to EU water directives.

In a significant move, the European Commission has escalated its concerns to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), challenging Spain, among other nations, for not adhering to essential water management directives.

This legal action, which was first announced in February 2023, targets Spain alongside Bulgaria, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, and Slovakia.

These countries have been under scrutiny for not updating their water and flood risk management plans, a critical step mandated by the European Union’s water and flood directives.

The European Commission’s decision to proceed to court stems from the countries’ incomplete submissions related to their hydrological and flood risk management strategies.

Spain, Malta, and Portugal, in particular, have failed to fully report on their third basin hydrological plan and their second flood risk management plan.

These plans are crucial for maintaining the health of Europe’s water bodies, aiming to mitigate pollution and

Credit: Rob Wilson/Shutterstock.com

Spain in court

Flags of Spain and the EU.

balance the needs of human and wildlife populations. The Water Framework Directive is a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, seeking to ensure the qualitative and quantitative well-being of European aquatic ecosystems.

It sets out a comprehensive approach to reduce pollution and manage water resources sustainably.

Member states are required to regularly update their river basin management plans, which include measures to ensure the good condition of all water bodies.

The failure of Spain and the other nations to meet their obligations not only risks the health of Europe’s water systems but also demonstrates the challenges in aligning national practices with EU-wide environmental standards.

Photo of Borutta: Facebook / Comune di Borutta

24 22 - 28 February 2024

BORUTTA: At risk of depopulation.

Green light for energy SILVANO ARRU is 57 years old and for 12 years has been the mayor of Borutta, one of the many villages in Sardinia at risk of depopulation. He has chosen to return to live there with one task: to project the village of his parents into the future.

“Most of our land is destined to depopulate,” he told Today.it, “so we tried to create something that could curb this trend.” The idea is to make Borutta a ‘green’ village. But the story of the small village is also a symbol of the delay Italy is experiencing in the transition to clean energy.

The first idea was to build a wind turbine: “We wanted to produce green energy to sell to (electricity company) Enel and use the proceeds to make residents’ bills zero, but the authorisations took so long that the incentive was lowered and it was no longer viable,” the mayor explained.

They are now focused on photovoltaics and Borutta has installed panels to provide energy self-sufficiency for all public facilities through a smart grid with intelligent sensors that optimise energy distribution and now, the municipality’s

bill is practically zero.

They would like to extend these benefits to residents: the creation of a real energy community, a project that is unfortunately going slowly, grinding its way through the labyrinth of Italian bureaucracy.

And the Sardinian town is not the only one waiting.

The creation of more extensive energy communities got the green light from Brussels at the end of 2023.

But to date, there is still no decree from the Italian Government so many projects, like the one in Borutta, are on hold.

• News •

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Powerful passport Anna Ellis

SPAIN has taken the crown as the world’s most powerful passport, surpassing Singapore, according to a new index released by VisaGuide.

World.

This marks a departure from the Henley Passport Index, where Singapore held the top spot previously.

In VisaGuide.World’s index, Japan is the only non-European country in the top 20, securing the 15th position.

The top ranks are dominated by European nations, with Germany following Spain in third place, followed by Italy, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czechia, Portugal, Hungary, and Luxembourg.

Austria ranks 16th, with Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, and Poland completing the top 20.

Both the Henley Passport Index and VisaGuide.World’s Passport Index assess the number of destinations passport holders can access without a visa.

Image: JJFarq / Shutterstock.com.

Spain has taken the passport crown.

While Henley’s ranking is yet to be released, VisaGuide.

World considers various factors beyond visa-free access to create a ‘destination significance score’ for each country.

This score takes into account entry policy, GDP, global power, and tourism development. Visa-free access to countries with a higher destination significance score earns more points in the index.

As of December 2023, Spanish passport holders can travel to 160 countries and territories without a visa.

While Singaporean passport holders enjoy access to

164 countries, Spain’s points are bolstered by its ability to visit numerous places with just an ID card under the European Union.

Though Singapore grants visa-free access to 15 countries not accessible to Spain, the reverse is also true for Spain, which has visa-free entry to 11 countries and territories not available to Singapore.

While Germany shares visa-free access to the same 160 countries as Spain, Spain benefits from visa-on-arrival facilities in Papua New Guinea and Togo, which Germany does not have.

22 - 28 February 2024

25

26 22 - 28 February 2024

• European Press •

IRELAND

EUROPRESS

THE Central Statistics Office (CSO) added air fryers, gin and disposable vapes to the basket of items and services used to calculate the annual inflation rate. Landlines, swiss rolls and digital cameras are amongst newly-excluded goods “as they no longer play a significant a role in consumer spending,” the CSO said.

No comment INTEL, which employs 4,600 people in Leixlip and 300 in Shannon, plans to raise at least €1.86 billion to fund a semiconductor factory in Ireland, sources close to the California-based company said. An Intel representative later declined to comment on reports that it was sounding out possible investors.

NORWAY

PORTUGAL

Photo credit: Recirosa Lda

Phased out

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Viral Clio A RENAULT Clio became famous in Portugal for the wrong reasons after it was seen driving on the A28 in Viana do Castelo with its back end entirely destroyed.

Photos of the car went viral although it has finally ended its days at a scrapyard which recently announced that the Clio “can now enjoy a well-deserved rest.”

Fashion riches ACCORDING to the annual estimated wealth and assets assessment compiled and published each year by the US business magazine Forbes, businessman Stefan Persson is Sweden’s richest person. Persson’s $16.87 billion (€15.66 billion) fortune is based on the H & M fashion chain in which he holds a major stake.

Jailhouse blues SWEDEN’S Prison and Probation Service is creating a management team to deal with the increasingly urgent cell shortage.

The service has said that the lack of space means the problem can only get worse and before long it will be difficult to accommodate those on remand and as well as those serving terms.

JOURNEY’S END: Clio at the scrapyard.

ITALY

SWEDEN

FRANCE

DENMARK

Marmite okay

Iraq gift

Fair dues

Cliff breakup

NORWAY’S English-speaking media came to the recue of Marmite recently after Anglican vicar and author Richard Coles claimed that it was banned. Not so, The Local, stated, clarifying that the love-it-hate-it yeast extract spread needs special authorisation in neighbouring Denmark as it is fortified with added vitamins.

ITALY presented Iraq with a replica of the Ninth Century BC, five-metre-tall Bull of Nimrod which Isis terrorists destroyed in 2015 by bulldozing the archaeological site 30 kilometres from Mosul. The statue was recreated by Italian artists who consulted images and video footage to copy the monument using 3D-printing technology.

A FRENCH court ruled that funeral homes must pay royalties for music played during services and ordered OGF, one of the country’s largest funeral companies, to pay €80,000 and €37,000 to two copyright associations. Applauded as ‘a win’ for artists, critics said the measure was “an insensitive money grab.”

A SECTION of the white limestone and chalk Mons Klint cliffs, a popular tourist spot on the island of Mons, broke away on February 13 after a period of prolonged and heavy rain. This was the second incident in the area so far this winter, following a more serious landslide at the beginning of January.

Bumpsadaisy

Call up

That’s rich

Rainy season

AN aircraft bound for Stockholm was slightly damaged after its wingtip hit a fence when leaving the gate at Oslo airport on February 14. Although no-one was injured, this was the third incident in a fortnight after a plane clipped another aircraft’s wing on February 13 and a third collided with the same fence on February 2.

THE European Union should create an army to prevent conflict and oversee peacekeeping missions, declared Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, a former president of the European parliament. Other EU members were less keen with Spain, Denmark, Poland and Slovenia labelling the proposal ‘unrealistic and unnecessary’.

MORE than 50 per cent of France’s 34 government ministers, including the 34-yearold PM Gabriel Attal, are millionaires, researchers found after scouring data made available to the public under transparency laws. A quarter of the ministers also belonged to the one per cent of the population classed as ‘super-rich’.

DENMARK experienced its wettest February in more than 10 years with 59 millimetres falling during the first half of the month. This was 29 per cent more than the usual monthly figure of 50.3 millimetres but lagging behind 2020 when the country’s weather stations recorded an unprecedented 135 millimetres.

FINLAND

GERMANY

BELGIUM

NETHERLANDS

Cashing in

Spy game

Strike-stricken

Mystery wall

SHOPS may no longer refuse cash under recent legislation although Unizo, which represents small and medium-sized businesses, described the decision as “bullying” and attempting to solve a non-existent problem. The legislation is in line with EU regulations and means that business which repeatedly refuse cash can be fined.

THE NETHERLANDS’ Ministry of Defence revealed that Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) discovered hackers working for China had infiltrated a military network in 2023. Advanced Chinese malware used on Fortigate systems from the Californian company, Fortinet, had made this possible.

INLAND’S spate of strikes over the last two months has cost the economy approximately one billion euros, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) calculated. The latest stoppages affected bus-drivers and petrol station employees on February 14, followed by dockers on February 15 and 17.

INVESTIGATORS from Rostock and Christian-Albrechts universities discovered a one-kilometre section of stone wall off the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeria coast estimated to be more than 10,000 years old.

Built when the area was above sea level and densely wooded, experts believe its purpose was linked to reindeer hunting.

Big Freeze

Wotcher cock

No change

Ocean wave

THE Belgian government told the EU and the G7 that Ukraine’s financial problems could be helped by allowing it to raise funds from private sector lenders by using Russian central bank assets currently frozen by sanctions. Belgium suggested the strategy because most of these assets are held in Europe and G7 countries.

ANIMAL welfare organisations in the Rotterdam area asked the city council to tackle the problem of abandoned poultry after its animal collection service failed to pick up a cockerel abandoned in a hotel room. Police later collected it and took it to Zwerfkip en Zo, which finds homes for abandoned animals.

MOST Finns are satisfied with the country’s alcohol laws, with 57 per cent seeing no reason to change them, although 11 per cent told a recent survey that they would like to see regulations tightened up. Forty-four per cent said they would like to buy wine in shops instead of the state-owned Alko monopoly.

THE next Ocean Race Europe sets sail on August 10, 2025, from Kiel, the finish port of the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002 and hosted the 2022-2023 Ocean Race’s penultimate leg. The route will begin in the Baltic, continuing through the North Sea, English Channel and Atlantic before finishing in the Mediterranean.

• News •

28 22 - 28 February 2024

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Job satisfaction

IS it fair that numerous British expatriates have had their state pension payments frozen based on the country they have relocated to? This could affect half a million UK expats.

A debate about UK residents living abroad, highlighted a policy that impacts those who retire in certain countries, like Canada and New Zealand, by freezing their pension payments at the rate they were when they left the UK. Recently, the UK Pensions Minister Paul Maynard addressed MPs, confirming the government’s decision to maintain the status quo.

An estimated 500,000 senior Britons are denied the full state pension benefits they would have received had they remained in the UK or retired in countries that are eligible for pension increases.

Roberts argued, “Following our withdrawal from the EU, we are rightly able to move closer with our partners in the Commonwealth and one of the ways we can do that would be to confirm that all

Credit: chrisdorney/Shutterstock.com

Frozen pensions

Department for Work and Pensions home page.

British citizens that live in the Commonwealth should be entitled to the appropriate uprating of their state pension as if they were still in the UK. “Will the minister meet with me to discuss the practicalities of making that happen and restore some much-needed common sense to a needlessly complicated situation?

“According to the latest estimate, based on data from March 2022,

uprating the state pension where we do not currently do so would cost about £0.9 billion a year if all UK state pensions in payment were increased to current UK levels.’

The issue has garnered public support, leading to the initiation of a parliamentary petition by Robert Lloyd Crutchlow, which reads: “We believe the freezing of UK citizens pensioners is discriminatory, unjust and immoral.”

WHICH European city offers its staff the highest level of job satisfaction?

The European Commission recently released its Report on the Quality of Life in European Cities, revealing the top 10 cities in Europe with the highest job satisfaction rates.

Topping the list is Rostock, Germany, with an impressive 85 per cent job satisfaction rate. Luxembourg City and Reykjavik, Iceland, closely follow, both boasting an 84 per cent satisfaction rate.

Other cities making the top 10 include Geneva, Switzerland; Dortmund, Germany; Berlin, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland; Aalborg, Denmark; Malmo, Sweden; and Hamburg, Germany.

These cities scored between 82 and 81 per cent in job satisfaction.

The survey highlights that larger and capital cities generally offer more job opportunities and better pay, which contributes to residents’ overall well-being and attractiveness to job see-

kers.

About 74 per cent of employed respondents expressed satisfaction with their jobs.

While cities in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia reported higher satisfaction levels, cities in Greece, Italy, Hungary, and Spain reported lower levels.

Interestingly, there were minimal differences in satisfaction levels between capital and non-capital cities within countries, except for Italy and Turkey, which showed significant intra-country variations.

Overall, satisfaction levels remained relatively stable from 2019 to 2023, with minor fluctuations observed.

Some cities saw improvements in job satisfaction, while others experienced declines.

Notably, Heraklion, Greece, scored the lowest at 54 per cent, followed by Athens, Greece; Skopje, North Macedonia; Belgrade, Serbia; and Podgorica, Montenegro.

euroweeklynews.com

• News •

22 - 28 February 2024

29

Lemon surprise No scrolling and strolling Linda Hall

THE story of the centuries-old desiccated lemon that fetched an impressive £1,400 at auction is truly remarkable.

Discovered in the bottom drawer of a 19th-century chest during a household clearance in January, this ancient citrus fruit captured the imagination of bidders.

Found by chance while sorting through their late uncle’s belongings, the sellers stumbled upon the lemon tucked away in the back of a drawer.

What made it even more intriguing was the inscription on the yellow rind, dating back to 1739 and mentioning a Mr P Lu Franchini gifting it to Miss E Baxter.

This raised speculation about its origins, possibly as a unique romantic gesture from colonial India to 19th-century England.

Despite its small size and complete desiccation, the lemon retained its shape and some semblance of preservation, adding to its mysti-

que. Unaware of its presence within the cabinet, the sellers decided to include it in the auction with a modest estimate of £40-£60, expecting it to generate some

amusement.

However, the bidding for the lemon quickly escalated, attracting 35 bids in total, with a British collector ultimately winning the auction.

Eiffel mayhem RICHARD PLAUD, a 47-year-old Frenchman, spent eight years and 4,200 hours crafting a model of the Eiffel Tower out of 706,900 matchsticks, aiming to beat the Guinness World Record set by Lebanese Toufic Daher in 2009.

However, despite his towering creation reaching 7.19m (23.6ft), his Guinness application was rejected.

Guinness stated rules required matches available to the public, without red tips, and unaltered.

Plaud bought matches initially but was tired of removing red tips, so he bought unprocessed ones from a French manufacturer, unintentionally disqualifying himself.

Plaud expressed frustration on social media, highlighting the sticks he used were essentially matches and questioned Guinness’s criteria.

Although disappointed, he showcased his model to 4,000 people in Saujon.

Looking ahead, Plaud hoped to display his creation at the Paris Olympics but was informed of insufficient space.

Responding to the controversy, Mark McKinley, director of central records services at Guinness World Records, acknowledged: “It’s the job of our records management team to be thorough and meticulous in reviewing evidence.

“However, it appears we may have been overly stringent in this case,” he added.

IF you visit Seine-Port, try not to walk down the street with your nose in your phone.

This picturesque village with a population that barely reaches 2,000 recently voted in a mini-referendum to restrict smartphone use in public places.

It’s time to return to face-to-face communication and reduce the amount of time that people, and particularly Seine-Port’s children, spend on their phones, villagers decided.

Whether the vote entirely represented local thinking is open to doubt, as only 277 people - approximately a fifth of those on the electoral roll - actually voted.

Of those, 54 per cent were in favour of the proposed Screen-free Charter.

Seine-Port’s mayor Vincent Paul-Petit is currently setting out the new guidelines, recommending that phones and other devices are not used while waiting at the school gates, inside

SCREENTIME A French village hopes to wean the young from their smartphones.

shops, strolling down the street or at large gatherings.

The police cannot stop or fine people looking at screens in the street as there are no nationwide laws regulating smartphones.

The Seine-Port charter is simply guidance for limiting their use and encouragement to scroll less.

Villagers also supported a charter on mobile use for children, with no screen time at all in the morning and none in bedrooms, before bed or at mealtimes.

Meanwhile, the town hall will provide what is now known as a ‘dumbphone’, used only to make calls, for children whose parents sign a written agreement not to give them a smartphone until they reach 15.

“It’s not about banning all phones,” Paul-Petit told the media. “It’s about proposing that people abstain from getting out their smartphones to scroll through social media, play a game or watch a video in public places, which we want to preserve for social life.”

euroweeklynews.com II SOCIALSCENE

32 EWN 22 - 28 February 2024

BEST Way Group is organising its third manga culture event, the Manga Fair, featuring a wide range of activities, workshops, and talks tailored for young people aged 12 to 30.

The fair will be held on the last weekend of February, at the CCCE L’Escorxador.

The event will run from 11.00am to 9.00pm on Saturday, February 24, and from 11.00am to 8.00pm on Sunday, February 28.

Councillor, María Bonmatí, highlighted that attendees will have the opportunity to indulge in various manga culture-related activities.

Attendees can also enjoy judo and Aikido exhibitions by the Algal sports club, as well as Ninjutsu workshops by Bujinkan Sen no Kaze Dojo.

Participants can capture memorable moments by wearing traditional jumpsuits with a giant Super Mario backdrop.

Tickets are priced at €4 and can be purchased online through instanticket.com or at the Gran Teatro box office.

The hall will remain open at noon to ensure attendees can fully enjoy the event, with a dedicated restaurant area offering a gastronomic selection related to Japanese culture and cuisine.

IF you are looking for something to entertain you on Easter Monday, why not head down to the Stray Sod Easter Fayre on March 28 from 11am until 3pm.

Expect a day filled with music, family fun, and plenty of goodies!

There will be something for everyone to enjoy: Live music

Image: Ayuntamiento de Elche

Manga Fair

Quiz with a twist LA Marina Street Cats is excited to announce its upcoming quiz with a twist!

Join the fun at the Twilight Bar located at Calle Luis de Gongoral, 2, Local 4, 03177 on March 7.

The quiz will kick off at 3.30pm, so be sure to arrive by 3pm to get settled.

Gather your friends and put your

knowledge to the test, the winning team will be awarded a special prize.

Tickets are only €3 per person, and every penny of the ticket price will go directly to supporting La Marina Street Cats and their mission.

In addition to the quiz, there will also be an exciting raffle with great prizes to be won.

Don’t miss out!

Bay City Rollers

Councillor, María Bonmatí

ROCKERS in Orihuela, get ready for a blast from the past with Rollermania!

Join The Legendaries, Les McKeown’s touring band, as they play the classic hits of the Bay City Rollers on May 9. The party kicks off at Restaurante Los Cucalos with dinner from 7.00pm to 9.00pm, followed by the main event.

The opening act starts at 9.00pm, leading up to the main show, with music to keep the party going afterwards. Don’t miss out on this nostalgic night of music and fun! Restaurante Los Cucalos is located at Avenida de Montezenia, 1B, 03189 Orihuela. Visit the website: rewindspain.es for more info.

Easter Fayre and entertainment, delicious food and drinks, exciting games and activities and a raffle with fantastic prizes.

There will be a variety of stalls offering a wide range of items,

including wax melts, handbags, shoes, clothes, CBD products, household items, Avon products, wood gifts, tarot readings, jewellery, cakes and bakes, and personalised gifts.

All the money raised from this event will go towards supporting Help at Home Costa Blanca and the Blue Lagoon Food Bank, two worthy causes in the community.

The Stray Sod Irish Bar is located at Avenida T. Pichon, Villa Costa 2B, 03189 Dehesa de Campoamor.

euroweeklynews.com II SOCIALSCENE

E ASTER’S COMING!

E

ASTER traditions vary around the world and the EWN brings to you some of the stories behind Easter, the myths, the familiar figures, not forgetting the Christian roots of the festival. As we run up to the Easter celebrations in Spain we will bring you information on what is happening in your area. As with many festivals the roots go back further than Christianity alone.

Image: Vaska211 / Shutterstock.com

THE world’s most expensive Easter eggs are not your ordinary chocolate treats but art treasures crafted by Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé.

Commissioned by Tsar Alexander III in 1885 as an extraordinary gift for his wife, these eggs became an annual tradition, persisting under his son Miklós II. The inaugural egg, fas-

Stations of the Cross MANY of us expatriates here in Spain come from different traditions, especially when it comes to religion.

You might have wondered what the significance is of the ritual of the Stations of the Cross. Also known as the way of the cross this is a Christian tradition commemorating the events of Good Friday. It represents the journey of Jesus Christ from his condemnation to his crucifixion and burial. The practice typically involves a series of 14 stations, each representing a significant event along this path. The stations are marked by images or statues and believers participate in devotional exercises. It’s traditional to walk from one station to the next while meditating on the biblical events. This devotional practice is especially Christian symbol of the cross. common during the season of Lent, particularly on Fridays and during Holy Week. The ritual serves as a way for Christians to reflect on the passion and suffering of Jesus Christ and is practised to gain a deeper understanding of Christian faith. It’s common in Spain for chapels and local churches to be built at the summit of a hill, and often the stations of the cross are placed at intervals on the way to the top.

Credit: Jonathan Borba: https://www.

34 EWN 22 - 28 February 2024

Opulent eggs hioned from solid gold and adorned with white enamel, held a hen’s nest encrusted with rubies, crowned by a miniature replica of the tsar’s crown.

This set the stage for a series of more than 50 stunning eggs, with 43 preserved to this day.

The most renowned egg dazzles with over 3,000 diamonds, reflecting Fabergé’s dedication to perfection.

Despite their rarity and value, Fabergé eggs are rarely sold.

In 2014, a forgotten egg surfaced in the cellar of a

country house, selling for a fraction of its true worth.

Initially mistaken for a mere golden egg, it was later revealed as a Fabergé masterpiece worth £20m which saved it from the fate of being melted down for its gold.

Easter’s pagan roots 8th century derived it from the Anglo-SaEASTER, widely regarded as Christianity’s xon spring goddess Eostre.’ principal celebration, intriguingly merges • Hot cross buns. The tradition of hot religious fervour with an array of secular cross buns, linked to ancient rites, illustratraditions. tes the fusion of pagan customs into Easter Why do symbols such as hot cross buns • Easter eggs. These too, carry ancient and Easter eggs share the stage with the significance, stemming from pagan theoresurrection of Jesus Christ? ries where the egg symbolised the univerEaster’s timing, aligning with spring’s rese’s origin. The Easter egg could magically newal, invites a blend of Christian and pagan bring happiness, prosperity, health, and traditions. Pagan practices were introduced protection. into the Christian observance of Easter at an • The Easter bunny. A symbol of fertility early age... the New Year and the creation of that links directly to pagan traditions. The the world were celebrated in ancient times rabbit serves as a symbol of fertility, a traby an exchange of gifts (Easter eggs) and by dition passed down from the ancient rites generous hospitality to friends, to the poor, and symbols of spring festivals in and so forth.’

Europe and the Middle East, rooThe very name ‘Easter’ itself ted in pagan beliefs. traces back to pagan origins. An Easter’s rich tapestry weaves to18th-century Catholic scholar, a gether threads of ancient fertility Benedictine monk, noted, ‘Easter rites, theories about the cosis a word of Saxon origin; and immos, and Christian beliefs, ports a goddess of the revealing a fascinaSaxons. ting interplay ‘The English between name ‘Easter’ pagan trais of uncerditions and tain origin; the celethe Anbration of glo-Saxon Christ’s resupriest Venerarrection. ble Bede in the Credit: Ventura/Shutterstock.com

SOCIALSCENE II euroweeklynews.com

ALTEA has a reputation for arts and culture and this is showcased in an event which begins in the week before Easter.

‘La Ruta de les Ermites’ (The Route of the Hermitages) is a cycle of concerts that has been taking place in Altea for more than a decade. The cycle travels all over Altea area, visiting seven hermitages, each one dedicated to a saint.

The concerts take place every year, running from the Saturday before Easter until

the following weekend. They attract lots of music-lovers from the local area, as well as visitors. Keep an eye on Altea Town Hall web pages and notices for details!

For the people of Altea, the hermitages are a part of a heritage which is steeped in ancient tradition. The history of hermitages in Altea is a part of the region’s rich cultural and religious heritage, dating back centuries.

These secluded sanctuaries served as places of retreat, meditation, and worship.

Lent in Spain HAVE you noticed things are a little quieter at the moment in Spain? Yes, it’s February but it’s not just winter which accounts for the change. As a Catholic country, much of Spain still observes religious traditions. Lent is a solemn and spiritually significant period leading up to Easter. This 40-day period begins on Ash Wednesday and is marked by reflection, repentance and abstinence.

Religious traditions in Spain remain culturally important. In addition to restrictions of diet and church attendance, many Spaniards observe Lent with personal acts of penance, prayer and self-discipline.

EWN 35

BARC Easter spectacular celebration THE Alicante charity or-

ganisation, BARC (Buscot Animal Rescue Concern) is holding an Easter celebration on March 30 in Cinco Hermanos restaurant.

Beginning on Saturday at 19.30, BARC invites guests with purchased tickets to enjoy a three-course menu with wine, live music, raffles and an Easter bonnet competition. The live music will include a variety of Spanish and English songs by Laura Marco and Juan Taramcon. Cinco Hermanos offer a great selection of Mediterranean and traditional Spanish dishes.

BARC is an animal rescue centre in Alicante, Costa Blanca. Over the last six years, they have rescued and provided homes and rehabilitation to over 1,000 animals in the region. The organisation centres on rescuing, caring for and rehoming lost,

abandoned or abused animals. With this Easter event, the community emphasises the impor-

tance of animals in our lives and reminds us not to take them for gran-

Birds not bunnies Bob Marquess

TRADITIONS change over time, and nowadays, they mix up all around the globe.

Switzerland follows this trend, embracing foreign customs like Halloween.

Yet, the locals still hold onto their original traditions, especially Easter.

The Easter Bunny is a big deal in Switzerland, especially since Lindt started making those yummy chocolate bunnies.

In lots of places, kids believe the bunny hides eggs in the garden for them to find on Easter Sunday.

ted. Come and celebrate Easter, with the chance to win prizes and support the local animal shelter.

Image: Lindt / Facebook

Altea Easter

22 - 28 February 2024

But things weren’t always like this.

Religion has had its say in switching up older customs over time.

In some Swiss regions, it used to be the Cuckoo bird that delivered Easter eggs. The idea came from how these birds often lay eggs in other bird’s nests.

In French-speaking parts of Switzerland, the tradition comes from neighbouring France. Legend has it that church bells fly to Rome on the Thursday before Easter and return on Sunday with the eggs.

Of course, it is a little more complex than that, but that is the gist of it!

FINANCE Not enough

A SURVEY for the Resolution Foundation think tank found that 11 million people of working age in the UK did not have savings of at least £1,000 (€1,170). Many of the British faced a “triple challenge” of insufficient savings, inability to cope financially with major life events and inadequate pensions, the Foundation said.

Idealista deal

SWEDISH private equity company EQT has engaged Morgan Stanley to sell the Spanish property website, Idealista, four years after acquiring a majority stake.

The company is valued at approximately €2.5 billion, Reuters reported, but the process is still at an early stage with the sale unlikely until the second half of 2023.

On time

AUSTRALIAN company Q-CTRL and UK firm Oxford Quantum Circuits are developing a supercomputer enabling the Department of Transport to overhaul train timetables and ensure that they run punctually. Q-CTRL has also been awarded part of a £15 million (€17.6 million) computing fund to finance its work.

Jobs lost

EIGHTY-FIVE employees will be made redundant at the Coca Cola plants in Madrid and Barcelona, the company’s total staff reductions in Spain is now 100. The company intends to restructure jobs, grouping together all customer services, human resources and business operations in Bulgaria, union officials said.

Aldi ploy

ALDI is spending £550 million to attract more customers, with plans to open 500 stores in town centres and suburbs.

Although the German discounter is the UK’s fourthlargest chain, its market share fell from 10.2 per cent in September 2023 to 9.3 per cent in January this year.

euroweeklynews.com • 22 - 28 February 2024

STAT OF WEEK

€11 billion

destined for Iberdrola’s called-off purchase of US power company PNM Resources will now be invested in the Spanish multinational’s distribution network.

Inflation holds steady

Linda Hall THE UK’s annual inflation rate remained at 4 per cent in January despite rising energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the expected rise failed to materialise, despite Bank of England predictions of a slight increase while City economists polled by Reuters anticipated a climb of 4.2 per cent increase.

Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, remained unchanged at 5.1 per cent, while services’ inflation rose to 6.5 per cent in January, up from 6.4 per cent the previous month.

Photo credit: Rishi Sunak

JANUARY INFLATION: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed latest figures

“I absolutely believe that the economy has turned the corner and we’re now pointing in the right direction,” Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak told business leaders during the first meeting of his 2024 Busi-

Duke sells up HUGH GROSVENOR, Duke of Westminster, plans to sell Spanish assets worth €300 million.

Grosvenor, the Duke’s property company is currently disposing of direct assets throughout Europe, hoping to sell four office blocks in Madrid that include the headquarters of gas supply company Naturgy and the Unicaja bank.

The 33-year-old Duke’s fortune, which the Times Rich List put at £9.878 billion (€11.58 billion) in 2023, makes him the eleventh-richest person in the UK and it wealthiest under-35.

ness Council on February 14.

“Hopefully that’s something that you’re seeing in your businesses, but inflation has been more than halved from 11 per cent down to 4 per cent,”

Some of Britain’s oldest money is based on one of the most important property portfolio in London that boasts exclusive prime sites in Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Covent Garden and Soho.

Grosvenor investments in Spain have ranged from shopping centres to luxury developments, but after marketing its residential investments the group is now focusing on the Madrid buildings.

According to sources quoted in the financial daily Cinco Dias, Grosvenor has wanted to sell the four office blocks

he said.

Last month’s better-than-predicted cost of living news is set to be followed by inflation falling to the government’s 2 per cent target by spring.

January was the first time it dipped to this level since July 2021, after which it rose to 11.1 per cent in October 2022 before beginning a gradual decline.

The latest ONS figures could pave the way for a cut in the current 5.25 per cent interest rate, which has risen 14 times between December 2021 and August 2023.

The hoped-for reduction would help to boost personal spending and, in turn, the economy.

Photo credit: naturgy.com

BUSINESS EXTRA

36

NATURGY: Madrid office block belongs to Duke of Westminster

since 2022 although so far offers have been too low owing to the effect of high interest rates on investments.

Sales of offices have also been affected by the switch to working from home that was introduced during the pandemic.

Shot in the arm

Huge Basf plant

Talking the talk

HEPATITIS B drug Bepirovirsen produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been fast-tracked by US regulators and will now reach the market sooner.

The medication “addresses an unmet medical need”, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in yet another boost for the UK-based pharmaceutical giant whose strong results enabled it to upgrade its growth forecast from 5 to 7 per cent in January.

GSK sales rose 5 per cent to £30.3 billion (€35.5 billion) in 2023 with an operating profit that increased by 12 per cent to £8.8 billion (€10.3 billion).

EUROPEAN multinational Basf, the world’s largest chemical producer, will spend €500 million on a car battery recycling plant in Tarragona.

Once completed, the installation will be the biggest of its yet built in Europe to recover nickel, cobalt, lithium, copper and manganese on this scale. It is also expected to provided jobs for 200 people.

Basf has received at least three packages of public money totally €125 million but although the company has not yet disclosed the sums involved, a company spokesperson confirmed to the El Pais newspaper that the future operation was going ahead.

Sources close to the Basf project, who preferred not to remain anonymous, revealed that the project had grown since its inception and that the €500 million investment was likely to be closer to €700 million.

VIRGIN MEDIA O2, owned by Telefonica and Liberty Global, are again in talks with TalkTalk.

The Telefonica subsidiary negotiated in 2022 to acquire Talk Talk in a £3 billion (€3.5 billion) transaction but failed to reach an agreement.

Talk Talk has approximately four million UK customers and 2.4 million fibre connections, and a deal would strengthen Virgin Media 02’s position as a rival to BT, which traditionally dominates the British market.

At the same time, Telefonica faces competition from rivals and insiders commented that a formal offer for Talk Talk would increase pressure on Vodafone, which could launch a counterbid.

Talgo deal A HUNGARIAN consortium confirmed on February 9 that it hopes to take over 100 per cent of Spain’s Talgo.

No agreement has yet been reached, although according to media reports Magyar Vagon would pay €5 per share for the emblematic rolling stock manufacturer.

The Hungarian company admitted that the bid might not be successful although the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) lifted its trading ban on trading Talgo shares on February 12.

Magyar Vagon first needs approval from the Spanish government as well as Talgo’s principal shareholders, Pegaso Transportation (40 per cent) and the Torrblas investment company (5 per cent).

Gove challenge MARKS & SPENCER launched a High Court battle on February 14 against the government’s decision to block plans for its Marble Arch store.

The chain is arguing that “inconsistent” Housing Secretary Michael Gove has “misinterpreted and wrongly applied planning policy” for M&S’s multimillion revamp of the Art Deco landmark.

This entails demolishing and replacing the 1929 building with a 10-storey block “to bring it up to modern standards” while allocating only two and half floors to retail space.

In the meantime, similar projects across the UK have been put on hold as developers await the outcome of the M&S case.

In the bag EXCLUSIVE shoe and bag maker Tod’s is delisting from the Milan stock exchange.

It has agreed a deal to sell a 36 per cent stake to private equity group L Catterton, which is a partnership between another luxury group, France’s LVMH and the family investment group belonging to its founder Bernard Arnault.

Tod’s will receive €43 per share, an 18 per cent premium on the closing price for the company’s shares on February 9 which puts a value of around €512 million on the company.

38 EWN 22 - 28 February 2024

euroweeklynews.com II FINANCE

LONDON - FTSE 100

Closing Prices 19 February

Company

Price(p)

Change(p)

% Chg.

Net

3I Group.....................................2.447,60.............+19,60........... +0,81%......... 249,13K Admiral Group.............................2.574,0................ -7,0..............-0,27%........... 68,79K Airtel Africa.................................. 97,75................. -1,75.............-1,76%............1,02M Anglo American...........................1.820,0...............+53,0............ +3,00%......... 936,32K Antofagasta................................1.745,50.............+56,00........... +3,31%......... 313,15K Ashtead Group............................5.322,0...............+72,0............ +1,37%......... 157,05K Associated British Foods.............2.283,0................ -2,0..............-0,09%.......... 197,43K AstraZeneca................................9.962,0..............+136,0........... +1,38%......... 484,92K Auto Trader Group Plc................ 717,84................+5,64............ +0,79%......... 193,52K Aviva........................................... 431,20................+1,20............ +0,28%......... 839,92K B&M European Value Retail SA... 512,30................+4,50............ +0,89%......... 391,51K BAE Systems..............................1.235,00.............+10,00........... +0,82%......... 887,97K Barclays...................................... 146,62................+3,20............ +2,23%...........8,17M Barratt Developments................. 474,79................ -0,91.............-0,19%............1,24M Beazley........................................ 586,00................+3,00............ +0,52%......... 209,35K Berkeley......................................4.700,0...............+32,0............ +0,69%.......... 24,28K BP............................................... 470,80................+2,05............ +0,44%...........5,80M British American Tobacco...........2.395,0............... -27,0.............-1,11%.......... 936,29K BT Group.................................... 107,40................+1,10............ +1,03%...........5,06M Bunzl...........................................3.191,0...............+10,0............ +0,31%......... 107,51K Burberry Group...........................1.331,0...............+17,0............ +1,29%......... 157,44K Centrica....................................... 140,35................+4,15............ +3,05%...........5,20M Coca Cola HBC AG......................2.455,0...............+15,0............ +0,61%......... 241,65K Compass....................................2.191,00..............+3,00............ +0,14%......... 546,43K ConvaTec Group......................... 243,00................+1,60............ +0,66%......... 723,92K Croda Intl....................................5.048,0...............+24,0............ +0,48%.......... 37,08K DCC.............................................5.696,0...............+38,0............ +0,67%.......... 35,77K Diageo.........................................2.924,5...............+26,5............ +0,91%...........1,68M Diploma.....................................3.386,00.............+54,00........... +1,62%.......... 40,90K DS Smith.................................... 326,94................+4,04............ +1,25%...........1,85M Endeavour Mining......................1.307,00.............+15,00........... +1,16%.......... 54,79K Entain.......................................... 938,43................ -0,37.............-0,04%.......... 251,42K Experian......................................3.381,0...............+26,0............ +0,78%......... 233,37K F&C Invest.................................. 988,95................+4,95............ +0,50%......... 133,94K Flutter Entertainment..................17.065,0.............+195,0........... +1,16%.......... 68,42K Frasers........................................ 836,50................+9,50............ +1,15%.......... 53,84K Fresnillo...................................... 488,60................+9,70............ +2,02%......... 113,61K Glencore...................................... 399,85................+8,85............ +2,26%...........9,17M GSK plc......................................1.662,00.............. -1,00.............-0,06%............1,24M HALEON...................................... 322,70................+2,25............ +0,70%...........2,64M Halma..........................................2.226,8...............+30,8............ +1,40%......... 116,75K Hikma Pharma...........................1.985,50.............. -1,50.............-0,07%........... 46,22K Howden Joinery.......................... 801,40................+1,60............ +0,20%......... 310,51K HSBC.......................................... 633,60................+7,00............ +1,12%...........7,37M IAG.............................................. 146,80................+0,40............ +0,27%...........1,95M IMI PLC......................................1.730,14.............+26,14........... +1,53%......... 102,75K Imperial Brands..........................1.832,50..............+2,00............ +0,11%......... 547,34K Informa....................................... 812,20................+1,20............ +0,15%......... 349,44K InterContinental..........................7.702,0...............+20,0............ +0,26%.......... 48,02K Intermediate Capital...................1.836,00.............+29,00........... +1,61%......... 124,28K

Company

Price(p)

Change(p)

% Chg.

Net

Intertek........................................4.415,0...............+67,0............ +1,54%.......... 35,38K J Sainsbury................................. 253,90................+2,90............ +1,16%...........1,67M JD Sports Fashion....................... 112,00................+2,15............ +1,96%...........1,55M Kingfisher.................................... 227,20................+2,10............ +0,93%......... 982,79K Land Securities........................... 643,60................ -0,60.............-0,09%.......... 183,60K Legal & General.......................... 238,40................+1,00............ +0,42%...........2,16M Lloyds Banking............................ 42,58.................+1,00............ +2,39%..........48,09M London Stock Exchange..............8.852,8............... -51,2.............-0,58%.......... 162,89K M&G........................................... 223,83................+0,83............ +0,37%...........1,07M Marks & Spencer........................ 236,50................+4,80............ +2,07%...........2,05M Melrose Industries...................... 603,80................ -7,00.............-1,15%.......... 543,75K Mondi.........................................1.379,00..............+6,00............ +0,44%......... 145,42K National Grid..............................1.012,08..............+3,08............ +0,31%......... 953,40K NatWest Group........................... 228,30...............+14,00........... +6,53%..........18,91M Next............................................8.434,0...............+34,0............ +0,41%.......... 27,23K Ocado.......................................... 533,80................ -5,20.............-0,97%.......... 399,00K Pearson....................................... 966,00................ -3,00.............-0,31%.......... 271,37K Pershing Square.......................... 48,75.................+0,60............ +1,25%........... 3,74K Persimmon.................................1.427,5................+7,0............. +0,49%......... 129,53K Phoenix....................................... 504,40................+3,20............ +0,64%......... 326,52K Prudential.................................... 834,40...............+26,80........... +3,32%...........1,39M Reckitt Benckiser........................5.702,0.................0,0............... 0,00%.......... 260,57K Relx............................................3.365,00.............+51,00........... +1,54%...........1,17M Rentokil....................................... 419,20................+3,70............ +0,89%...........1,30M Rightmove.................................. 555,20................+5,60............ +1,02%......... 232,23K Rio Tinto PLC..............................5.499,0..............+171,0........... +3,21%......... 655,46K Rolls-Royce Holdings................. 316,90................ -3,10.............-0,97%............3,23M RS PLC....................................... 784,20...............+13,60........... +1,76%......... 243,69K Sage...........................................1.169,50..............+7,00............ +0,60%......... 467,29K Schroders.................................... 407,4..................+3,6............. +0,89%......... 208,34K Scottish Mortgage....................... 801,46...............+12,66........... +1,60%......... 701,00K Segro.......................................... 839,80................+6,40............ +0,77%...........1,08M Severn Trent...............................2.547,0................+4,0............. +0,16%.......... 83,32K Shell............................................2.487,0...............+23,0............ +0,93%...........2,27M Smith & Nephew........................1.114,33..............+5,33............ +0,48%......... 274,29K Smiths Group.............................1.622,16.............+17,16........... +1,07%.......... 81,70K Smurfit Kappa.............................3.236,0...............+36,0............ +1,12%.......... 59,67K Spirax-Sarco Engineering..........10.340,0.............+105,0........... +1,03%.......... 19,02K SSE............................................1.588,50..............+3,00............ +0,19%......... 400,29K St. James’s Place........................ 642,40................+7,40............ +1,17%......... 169,14K Standard Chartered..................... 598,47...............+17,67........... +3,04%......... 911,22K Taylor Wimpey............................ 146,45................+0,75............ +0,52%...........2,49M Tesco.......................................... 277,00................+0,80............ +0,29%...........1,94M Unilever.......................................4.016,0...............+35,0............ +0,88%...........1,03M Unite..........................................1.000,00..............+2,50............ +0,25%......... 151,14K United Utilities............................1.040,50...............0,00.............. 0,00%.......... 199,31K Vodafone Group PLC.................. 66,240............... -0,330............-0,50%...........15,38M Weir Group................................1.842,50.............+41,50........... +2,30%......... 115,23K Whitbread...................................3.510,0...............+27,0............ +0,78%.......... 79,39K WPP............................................ 779,00................+8,80............ +1,14%......... 362,54K

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on previous page 0.85558

1.25861

Units per € US dollar (USD)...................................1.0769 Japan yen (JPY)...................................161.83 Switzerland franc (CHF).......................0.9489 Denmark kroner (DKK)........................7.4547 Norway kroner (NOK)..........................11.323 currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES

Closing Prices 19 February

Company

Price(p)

Change(p)

% Chg.

Net

3M............................................... 92,38.................+1,47............ +1,62%...........3,81M American Express....................... 212,53................+1,63............ +0,77%...........2,57M Amgen........................................ 289,07................+1,25............ +0,43%...........2,90M Apple........................................... 183,86................ -0,29.............-0,16%...........61,94M Boeing......................................... 205,33................+1,95............ +0,96%...........5,03M Caterpillar.................................... 323,07................+6,36............ +2,01%...........2,31M Chevron...................................... 154,46................+5,08............ +3,40%...........8,90M Cisco............................................ 49,06................. -1,22.............-2,43%...........42,16M Coca-Cola..................................... 59,40.................+0,11............ +0,19%..........13,65M Dow............................................. 55,17.................+1,59............ +2,97%...........4,41M Goldman Sachs........................... 385,42................+7,38............ +1,95%...........2,20M Home Depot................................ 361,08................+2,85............ +0,80%...........2,56M Honeywell................................... 197,95................+3,08............ +1,58%...........1,93M IBM............................................. 186,87................+3,30............ +1,80%...........4,71M Intel.............................................. 44,05................. -0,14.............-0,32%...........40,67M J&J............................................. 157,92................+2,18............ +1,40%...........6,78M JPMorgan................................... 179,87................+3,84............ +2,18%...........8,60M McDonald’s................................. 291,86................+3,69............ +1,28%...........2,23M Merck&Co................................... 126,54................+0,72............ +0,57%...........5,67M Microsoft.................................... 406,56................ -2,93.............-0,72%...........21,59M Nike............................................. 106,05................ -0,28.............-0,26%............7,02M Procter&Gamble......................... 157,01................+1,38............ +0,89%...........5,97M Salesforce Inc............................. 291,94................+2,79............ +0,96%...........3,62M The Travelers.............................. 219,02................+2,40............ +1,11%...........1,29M UnitedHealth............................... 520,88................+3,94............ +0,76%...........2,29M Verizon......................................... 40,59.................+0,44............ +1,10%..........10,49M Visa A.......................................... 280,98................+3,42............ +1,23%...........4,82M Walgreens Boots.......................... 22,29.................+0,75............ +3,48%...........8,13M Walmart...................................... 169,29................+0,69............ +0,41%...........5,63M M - Million Dollars

NASDAQ

Closing Prices 19 February

Company

Change Net / %

Volume

Most Advanced Pegasystems Inc..............................................+35.67%.........................3.391M JFrog Ltd..........................................................+28.44%........................10.397M Tomra Systems ASA........................................+27.11%......................... 18,157 Shake Shack Inc...............................................+26.04%.........................6.068M AppLovin Corporation......................................+24.81%........................16.004M Sylvamo Corporation.......................................+24.08%.........................1.024M Alkermes plc....................................................+16.33%..........................5.47M Lyft, Inc............................................................+16.11%........................90.698M BridgeBio Pharma, Inc.....................................+14.14%.........................3.671M Blueprint Medicines Corporation......................+14.02%.........................1.629M M - Million Dollars

Most Declined Fastly, Inc......................................................... -30.59%........................23.522M Twilio Inc......................................................... -15.39%........................19.018M West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.................. -14.08%.........................3.118M PENN Entertainment, Inc.................................. -13.84%.........................20.95M YETI Holdings, Inc........................................... -13.84%.........................6.792M Manchester United plc..................................... -13.40%.........................1.814M Iridium Communications Inc............................ -13.04%.........................3.441M Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.......................... -10.19%.........................5.427M Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.......................... -8.13%.........................96.155M KOSÉ Corporation............................................. -7.94%.......................... 80,691 Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc................................ -7.72%..........................2.812M M - Million Dollars

FINANCE II euroweeklynews.com It’s a gas

BRITISH GAS 2023’s operating profits soared from £75 million (€87.7 million) in 2022 to £751 million (€878.2 million).

Centrica, British Gas’s parent company, explained that changes to gas and electricity regulator Ofgem’s energy price cap allowed them to compensate for costs sustained during the pandemic and by taking on the customers of failed competitors.

Ideal site

POWERCO’S €3 billion gigafactory in Sagunto (Valencia), which will produce an annual 500,000 batteries for electric vehicles that are produced at Volkwagen’s (VW) Martorell and Pamplamo plants, will use desalinated sea water. It was Sagunto’s coastal location that made it perfect for the new factory, the VW subsidiary explained.

Romantasy pays LONDON-LISTED Bloomsbury Publishing upgraded its revenue and profit forecasts amid growing demand for “romantasy” novels.

The London-listed company expects a full-year revenue of £291.4 million (€341.1 million) and pre-tax profits of £37.2 million (€43.5 million) compared with £264.1 million (€309.1 million) and £25.4 million (€29.7 million) in 2023.

Shares have also risen by a record 11.5 per cent.

Photo credit: sarahjmaas.com

BUSINESS EXTRA

22 - 28 February 2024

BEST SELLER: Sarah J Maas boosted Bloomsbury Publishing’s revenue

Out of service INFRASTRUCTURE development company ACS is selling its services subsidiary Clece.

The company hopes to raise €700 million from the sale and concentrate on its construction and concessions business.

Analysts said that ACS is following in the footsteps of competitors and returning to its origins by divesting itself of its services companies.

Ferrovial, for instance, sold Infrastructure Services to Madrid-based Portobello Capital in 2021 and its Environmental Services company to PreZero that same year. In 2019 its Australian services business went to the Ventia Services Group and a UK subsidiary, Amey, was sold to One Equity Partners, in 2022.

Sacyr, in 2023, sold Valoriza Services to Morgan Stanley for €734 million.

Bloomsbury, which publishes the Harry Potter books

by JK Rowling who is now worth more than £1 billion (€117 billion, has enjoyed buoyant sales since the pandemic lockdowns re-awoke an interest in reading.

The company is now profiting from a growing taste for romantasy - a combination of romance and fantasy - whose authors include Samantha Shannon and Cixin although Sarah J Maas is arguably Bloomsbury’s leading provider of the genre.

Her latest book, which was released at the end of January 2024, has reached the Number One spot in the UK, the US and Australia.

Bloomsbury’s chief executive Nigel Newton has described Ms Maas, as a “publishing phenomenon”, who has produced 15 books and is under contract to provide a further six. “We are very fortunate to have signed her up with her first book 13 years ago,” Newton said.

EWN 39

Inflation up SPAIN’S inflation rose from 3.1 per cent in December 2023 to 3.4 per cent in January after IVA added-value tax on electricity rose from 5 to 10 per cent as the government phases out concessions for small consumers. If fuel prices had not dropped slightly, January’s inflation would have been still higher, the National Statistics Institute (INS) said.

Fallen icon THE BODY SHOP, acquired by private equity group Aurelius in November 2023, went into administration on February 13, endangering the future of 100 of its 200 shops and putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk. Trading will continue during the process, according to the administrators who said they were considering “all options” for the former high street favourite.

• Feature/News •

Back to flower power LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT IT’S all too much ennit? I wanna go back to flower power, the overwhelming presence of peace and love; a blissful time, when our young lives were spiritedly enlightened by wispy joints, a cheap bottle of wine and the occasional ‘upper’.

The nearest you ever got to politics was the sporadic glimpse of an amicable politician, enjoying a bottle of bubbly and surrounded by young beauties in a popular local club. No chance. I’ve just been listening to youngsters presenting their news programme on TV. Young, ill-informed lives who have been totally brainwashed by the left, virtually appearing to blame Israel for every move against the Palestinians and completely ignoring Hamas, a terrorist organisation who actually began this present conflict by killing and beheading the young and elderly Israelis as they were relaxing in the comfort of their own homes. On it all goes.

Even the 50s and 60s gangsters kept problems within their own environments. Not anymore. World leaders have changed all that. Putin is of course your classic gangster. He is undoubtedly an ego maniac. He is surrounded by thugs, hit men, bent politicians and ‘financial advisers’.

He rubs out or ‘subdues’ any opposition as a warning to others, runs a money laundering operation on a gigantic scale and, although it appears to be waning, most of the general public within his domain still consider him a hero. You don’t get more classic than that. Of course, that is where the resemblance ends. He makes the Capone Gotti’s and mafia dons of this world look like pussies. Throughout all this dangerous and worrying era we can however all console ourselves with one fact; Putin won’t attack the West, nuclear or otherwise.

Why would he? He still earns most of his ill-gotten gains from the West.

He’s not involved in skullduggery from a view of patriotism or communistic ideals. He’s in it for the power and the money. Despite its opposition, taking out the UK would be like

Al Capone destroying Chicago. He definitely doesn’t want to obliterate a future golden egg of our magnitude.

I do however still consider a nuclear war could be a possibility. I truly believe that the world is closer than it has ever been, even during the Cuban missile crisis. At least in those days the USA and the USSR pulled just about all the strings. Both of these powers were fairly stable and had reasonably sane leaders. Now they are all at it. And a number are nowhere near predictable or, in my opinion, particularly sane. Kim Jong Un with North Korea, run by a man boy who thinks he’s playing video games.

Iran, ruled by a paranoid regime who believe that the more you take with you the more virgins you get in the afterlife. China, who peer at the world through ever more narrowing eyes. And the two bill toppers, a megalomaniac who assassinates his political rivals and another who should be put out to graze. Peace and love to y’all out there? Some chance.

Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com

Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

euroweeklynews.com

Brussels smallest house WHAT is believed to be the smallest house in Brussels has been put up for sale at an asking price of €195,000.

Having an internal dimension of just 60 square metres, it still manages to offer two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and shower room but even the agent agrees that it needs modernisation.

They try to put a positive spin on this unusual property which is sandwiched in between two other larger houses by stating on their website “A unique property that is ideal for anyone that is looking for originality, charm and something that is exceptional”.

At just 2.15 metres wide, the door takes up much of the frontage and it is clear that it has been

Credit: Trevi Estate Agents

40 22 - 28 February 2024

The front of number 242, Brussels’ smallest house.

built on to at the back and into the roof as some of the rooms are much larger than might initially be expected from first sight of the exterior although it does supposedly have a landscaped garden.

Although it is in a much sought after and expensive area, the agents admit that there have only been four viewings so far but with typical estate agent’s bravado suggest that it would be an ideal purchase for an architect who could prove how skilful they were in making the most of limited space.

euroweeklynews.com

• Feature •

INTERVIEW

The climate is best BORN in Krefeld, Germany, Wilma Fone has lived across the globe, including Jordan, England and the United States. But having moved to Spain 20 years ago, Wilma finds it is Spain she wants to stay in: ¨I absolutely love it here and I wouldn’t like to be anywhere else.”

WILMA had initially moved to Moning to life in Spain was easy: “I don’t raira and then to Calpe, find myself really missing having bought some anything. I understand property with her and can speak the family. It is here basics of Spanish. she decided When I have to to spend her go to offices or retirement, do paperwork, having enjopeople are very yed the Spanice to me. As nish culture long as you and nature. try, it is easy to “Spain’s climac o m m u n i c at e te is the best! I and get things love the people done here.” here and the reEven though laxed way of life,” Wilma learns the says Wilma. language from her Her daily life reSpanish friends, she Wilma Fone. mains vibrant and busy: explained that she is “I take care of my garden, I swim in surrounded by people of all nationathe pool and go out for meals with my lities: “I have English and European friends. Here in Spain, I’m just living friends: quite a lot of nationalities. and enjoying it.”

Even when I look at my family, it’s Wilma revealed that the transitiovery international and I love that.”

22 - 28 February 2024

41

• Feature •

42 22 - 28 February 2024

euroweeklynews.com

Discover the open road with Hispavan: Your gateway to adventure ADVERTISING FEATURE NESTLED in the picturesque locale of Antas, Almeria, Hispavan stands as a beacon for motorhome enthusiasts.

With a decade of experience under our belts, we are not just a business; we are a cornerstone of the motorhome community, offering an unparalleled blend of rental, sales, and workshop services. As the official dealers of Dethleffs and Sunlight, we pride ourselves on a range of services that cater to every aspect of motorhome living.

Our expertise spans beyond just providing vehicles; it encompasses a comprehensive service that includes sales, expert repairs, and rentals. What sets Hispavan apart is our unwavering commitment to excellence, a trait that resonates with our national

To learn more about our offerings or to take advantage of our services, please reach out to our dedicated teams: - For rentals, contact Leo at 671 498 031 - For sales inquiries, reach out to Sid at 687 845 768 - For workshop services, call 950 047 033 or 687 845 730

and international clientele.

Our workshop and sales department are celebrated for their quality, a fact echoed in the hundreds of positive reviews from our satisfied customers. Located conveniently at the foot of the highway, visiting us is as effortless as it is inviting.

At Hispavan, we understand that the allure of

the open road knows no bounds, which is why our services extend across national borders to cater to a diverse array of customers.

Our foundation in this industry is solidified by more than 10 years of dedicated service, during which we have continuously evolved to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients.

Our commitment to pro-

viding value is evident in our seasonal campaigns and special offers, ensuring that your dream of motorhome ownership or rental is within reach.

Whether you’re looking to embark on a rental adventure, purchase your very own motorhome, or require expert service in our workshop, Hispavan is your trusted partner.

Our doors are open from Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 3.00pm, ready to welcome you to the Hispavan family. For further information, visit our website at www.hispavan.com, email us at info@hispavan.com, or connect with us on social media through Facebook at caravanas autocaravanas Hispavan and Instagram at Hispavanautocaravanas.

At Hispavan, we don’t just offer motorhomes; we offer the freedom to explore, the comfort of a home on the move, and the assurance of unparalleled service. Join us, and let the journey begin.

HEALTH & BEAUTY II euroweeklynews.com

Fabulous feet CREATING a DIY foot spa at home is a delightful way to relax and pamper your feet, bringing a touch of luxury to your routine without leaving the comfort of your living space.

Begin by filling a basin with warm water and adding a generous amount of Epsom salts, known for their muscle-relaxing properties.

For an aromatic experience, include a few drops of your favorite essential oils such as lavender or peppermint, which can soo-

the and rejuvenate tired feet.

Soak your feet for about 15 to 20 minutes, allowing the warm water to ease any tension.

Following the soak, gently exfoliate your feet with a home-made scrub made from a mixture of sugar and olive oil, removing dead skin cells and softening the skin.

After rinsing, apply a rich moisturiser to hydrate and lock in moisture, and for an added touch of spa-like indulgence, finish by massaging your feet, boosting circulation and relaxation.

This simple, yet effective DIY foot spa ritual can transform your feet, leaving them feeling refreshed, soft, and reck_2250591171.jpg PHOTO shuttersto vitalised.

22 - 28 February 2024

EWN 43

Nineties revival PHOTO shutterstock_1456518419.jpg

ICONIC ERA: The bold resurgence of vibrant blue eyeshadow.

THE ‘90s are making a striking comeback, not just in fashion, but in the beauty world too. Makeup trends from this iconic era are resurfacing, blending nostalgia with modern flair. The bold and experimental spirit of the ‘90s is reflected in the resurgence of vibrant blue eyeshadow, dark lip liner paired with lighter lipstick, and the unmistakable glitter that once adorned every

party-goer’s face.

This revival isn’t just a repeat of the past; today’s looks are infused with contemporary techniques and high-definition products. The ‘90s comeback is also seen in the return of matte skin, replacing the dewy look that dominated recent years.

Celebrities and influencers are embracing and updating these trends, showcasing how to

blend them seamlessly with current styles.

A dab of gloss here, a hint of sparkle there, and the dramatic outlines of the eyes or lips are making their way into everyday make-up routines, proving that the ‘90s aesthetic has a timeless appeal that transcends decades.

The comeback is a celebration of self-expression, allowing a new generation to apprecia-

te the boldness of ‘90s makeup while making it distinctly their own.

euroweeklynews.com II HEALTH & BEAUTY

44 EWN 22 - 28 February 2024

Preparing for spring AS the seasons transition from the cooler darker winter days to the vibrant, lively spring, it’s crucial to adapt your skincare routine to embrace the change.

Preparing your skin for spring involves rejuvenating and protecting it to reveal its natural radiance.

Start by exfoliating gently to shed the winter’s accumulation of dead skin cells, enabling your skin to breathe and regenerate.

This step is vital for

promoting a smoother, more even complexion.

Hydration is key during this transition.

Switch to a lighter moisturiser that balances moisture levels without overwhelming your skin, as the air becomes warmer and more humid. Incorporating a hydrating serum rich in antioxidants can also boost your skin’s defense against environmental stressors, enhancing its glow.

Sun protection becomes increasingly

important in spring. A broad-spectrum SPF should be an integral part of your daily routine to shield your skin from harmful UV rays, preventing premature ageing and maintaining skin health.

Lastly, don’t forget to update your skincare products to suit your skin’s changing needs, opting for formulas that nourish and protect.

By following these steps, you’ll ensure your skin is beautifully prepared for spring, reflecting the season’s freshness and vitality.

PHOTO shutterstock_559549843

SKINCARE: Adapt your routine to embrance the change.

PHOTO: shutterstock_2148945955

Botanical boost BOTANICAL supplements have surged in popularity as natural allies in enhancing wellness and complementing nutrition. Derived from plants, these supplements are sought for their potential to support various aspects of health.

For instance, turmeric, with its active compound curcumin, is renowned for its anti-inflammator y properties and is often used to combat joint pain and boost cognitive function. Echinacea is another popular choice, hailed for its immune-boosting capabilities, particularly during cold and flu season.

Lastly, milk thistle is esteemed for its liver-protective qualities, aiding in detoxification and liver function.

These supplements, when used responsibly and under professional guidance, can offer a more holistic approach to health management, harnessing the power of nature’s bounty to support the body’s natural healing processes.

However, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare provider before adding any new supplements to your routine to ensure they are appropriate for your individual health needs.

HEALTH & BEAUTY II euroweeklynews.com

22 - 28 February 2024

THE pixie cut, a classic hairstyle known for its short, audacious crop, has stood the test of time as a symbol of confidence and chic simplicity.

It’s a versatile look that’s easy to maintain and can be styled to suit any face shape or personality.

The pixie cut’s appeal lies in its effortless blend of edginess and elegance, making it a favoured choice for those seeking a significant yet stylish change.

Adopting a pixie cut can also be a liberating beauty move, freeing one from the often time-consuming care long locks demand.

It accentuates facial features and can be tailored, from textured and tousled to sleek and smooth, to amplify individuality.

The pixie is more than just a hairstyle; it’s a statement of self-assured femininity.

This hairstyle’s trans-

PHOTO: shutterstock_459792643.jpg

Short and sweet

PIXIE CUT: A timeless tribute. formative nature can also inspire a minimalist approach to beauty, encouraging a focus on bold makeup choices or statement accessories.

The pixie cut isn’t just a fashion statement; it’s an embodiment of personal revolution and a timeless tribute to those who wear it with poise and panache.

EWN 45

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

57

48 22 - 28 February 2024

• Feature •

euroweeklynews.com

• News Across The Regions • Costa del Sol Cudeca needs help

Almeria Rare egg stolen

CUDECA fell some €120,000 short of the target it had set itself during its Sunflower Movement campaign. The charity needed to raise €250,000 to be able to continue funding its two home help teams, but with the funds raised it only has enough to maintain one.

After three months of campaigning, it has managed to raise almost €130,000 with donations from public institutions, entities, partners and individual donors, to whom the NGO is grateful. These funds will enable a team to care for some 200 people in their homes and offer support and help to carers, estimated at 400 people.

Although the Movimiento Girasol fundraising campaign has ended, Cudeca is keeping different avenues open to continue raising funds. For information visit the website: movimientogirasol.org.

THE very first egg laid by the female of the incredibly rare pair of red-necked ostrich was stolen from the zoological reserve at the MiniHollywood Oasys in Tabernas on Sunday February 18.

Now extinct in the wild only 40 male and less than 38 female red-necked ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) are known to exist on the entire planet and all are part of a Captive Breeding Conservation programme in zoos around the world.

The arrival of the first egg was considered a triumph when the female, named Carlota laid the egg but within a matter of hours it had disappeared, presumably removed by a member of the public who must have jumped into their enclosure and made off with the egg.

Axarquia Award-winning care

Costa Blanca North Shattering records

IN a groundbreaking achievement, the ‘Unidad de Día Pediátrica CUDECA’ (CUDECA’s Paediatric Day Unit) project has been honoured with the Rada Nadal Foundation Award in Health and Well-being. This recognition celebrates the project’s commitment to providing non-medicalised care to children facing incurable diseases.

The Paediatric Day Unit, an initiative

by CUDECA, stands out for its innovative approach to paediatric care, offering compassionate support to young patients and their families. The Rada Nadal Foundation’s acknowledgement underscores the significance of initiatives dedicated to enhancing the well-being of those dealing with challenging health conditions.

With gratitude, CUDECA extends heartfelt thanks to the Rada Nadal Foundation for championing initiatives like theirs that make a positive impact on the lives of children.

ACCORDING to data released mid February by the Valencian government, in 2023, the Community saw a record number of international tourists.

Figures show nearly 10.5 million visitors and spending reaching €12.6 billion.

The British market remained the top source of tourists, contributing 24.8 per cent of foreign visitors, totalling over 2.5 million tourists.

The data from surveys conducted by INE highlight significant increases in tourism from France and Germany, with 27.6 per cent and 18.7 per cent growth, respectively.

Nuria Montes, Tourism councillor, emphasised the importance of these figures, underscoring the Valencian Community’s standing as an international tourist destination. The government will further promote the region in 2024, with over 150 promotional activities in 20 markets.

Mallorca Tomorrow’s champions

Costa Calida Magical night

THE Consell de Mallorca’s 11th Serra de Tramuntana Children’s Race Circuit kicked off at Raixa on Saturday, February 17.

The races, designed for children, youths, and adults, saw about 250 participants taking part, with distances ranging from 150 metres for the youngest runners to 4,500 metres for adults.

This year’s events will extend to 10 municipalities, including three new locations at Esporles, Estellencs, and Pollenca, all have been designed to showcase the beauty of Mallorca’s landscapes.

Llorenc Galmes, president of the Council of Mallorca, emphasised sport as ‘an essential tool to learn about the values that have made the Serra de Tramuntana World Heritage, as well as promoting noble causes such as camaraderie, respect, and healthy habits’.

MABS San Javier Cancer Support Foundation extends a helping hand to cancer patients in the region, providing essential support services. The organisation offers counselling, translators, equipment, drivers, and complementary therapy to enhance the well-being of those facing the challenges of cancer.

MABS San Javier presents a delightful fundraising evening on April 20 at Marios in Sucina. The event promises a magical touch with magician Graeme Mykal, followed by live music with Sean Holsgrove and Tapas. Tickets are priced at €15 and can be obtained from MABS San Javier or by contacting Maxine on WhatsApp on 633 467 108.

For those seeking more than just entertainment, MABS San Javier invites you to explore their furniture sale at their store.

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PETS

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Cat cuddles

CUDDLING your cat offers a multitude of benefits, both for you and your feline friend. This simple act of affection strengthens the bond between you, promoting a sense of security and trust in your cat. Physiologically, cuddling releases endorphins in both humans and cats, reducing stress and creating a calming effect.

For humans, it can lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart disease, while for cats, it reinforces their social bonds and helps socialise

Shutterstock.com Julija Sulkovska

Cuddling nutures both the cat and the owner.

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them further. Moreover, these intimate moments of closeness allow owners to detect any unusual signs in their cat’s health early on.

Regular cuddles contribute to a cat’s overall well-being, making them feel loved and valued, which is crucial for their emotional health.

In essence, the power of a cuddle goes beyond mere physical warmth, fostering a deep, empathetic connection that nurtures the well-being of both pet and owner.

Join HouseSitMatch and find free checked trusted pet-sitters online KEEPING your pets at home when you travel can give you real peace of mind. Our house and pet-sitters can also entertain your pets and keep them company while you are away. We’re rated 4.9 / 5.0 on TrustPilot.

When you know the sitters are checked and come from House SitMatch you know we have your back. What is more, they won’t charge you a cent! Our house and pet-sitting works as an exchange of services. You offer free accommodation and the pet-sitters house-sit for free! You review each other at the end.

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Naughty nibbles PUPPY mouthing is a natural behavior where puppies nibble on hands and objects as part of their exploration and play. It’s crucial for pet owners to address this behaviour early on to prevent future issues, understanding that it’s not aggression but a learning phase.

Puppies learn bite inhibition from their interactions with littermates, a lesson that owners must continue through positive reinforcement. Redirecting their mouthing towards appropriate chew toys instead of hands or household items teaches them acceptable behaviour.

A firm ‘no’ or a yelp when bitten too hard, followed by a brief period of ignoring the puppy, can effectively communicate the consequences of rough play, mimicking the feedback they would receive from their littermates. This helps puppies understand the limits of play and the strength of their bite.

Consistent training and providing plenty of chew toys are key to guiding your puppy through this phase. Early and positive training methods are essential for developing a well-behaved adult dog, ensuring a lasting and harmonious bond between pet and owner.

Provide plenty of chew toys.

Shutterstock.com Vera Aksionava

Pet care revolution THE veterinary field is experiencing a significant evolution with the increased incorporation of specialists into clinics and hospitals, fundamentally enhancing pet care.

Traditionally, the limited availability of specialists within veterinary practices led to extended wait times for diagnosis and treatment, as referrals to external experts were often necessary.

This process delayed care and added stress for both pets and their owners.

However, the trend of hiring in-house specialists, including dermatologists, surgeons, and other professionals, is streamlining the delivery of veterinary services.

This approach drastically cuts down on wait

times, enabling pets to receive specialised care more promptly.

Specialists bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in their fields, offering advanced treatments and a more comprehensive approach to health issues.

This strategic move towards integrating specialists directly into veterinary practices marks a leap forward in pet healthcare.

It ensures that pets have quicker access to expert care, improving the quality and efficiency of their treatment.

This development not only reflects an advanced standard of veterinary medicine but also deepens the bond between pets and their owners.

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Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. w w w. a a - c o s t a b l a n c a . o r g (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www. givinglight.com.(10006)

J & J PAINTERS. Inside outside - clean - fast - low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (1296232)

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

CARE HOME PRIVATE CARE HOME Full Board and Care. Also, Dementia care. British Owned near Alicante. Luxurious Villa. €1,200 per month. Call 747 438 225 (305146)

CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life damaging everything that is important to you.

English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535;

FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca?

There are various Lodges meeting up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@ glpvalencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477) HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja. com and also on Facebook.

You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja. com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456) INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Beniajan 16, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11.00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www. icatorrevieja.org (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English-speaking church. For more information, including

56

details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangeli calchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information.

(95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org. uk. Tel:0044 800 018 2361.

(238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@ 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

CHARITY

22 - 28 February 2024 is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches. britishlegion.org.uk/branches/ orihuela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl. co.uk. (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch.

For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant. secretary@rbl.community ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details contact Hon Sec P S Wilkins Tel: 966 194 158 email: inkinspain@yahoo. co.uk (10004) ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Anthony Jenkins +34 693 866 709, Vice Chairman Dusty Miller +34 711 006 670, Secretary Mike Cockman +34 670 224 822, Treasurer Carl Louden +34 678 518 202, email rnatorrevieja@aol.com (95455) STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and

their carers, with rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 653 588 475 English and 620 907 474 Spanish or email strokesup portgroup@hotmail.com, website: torreviejastrokesup port.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support.

(95473) THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188.

(95461) THE BAKER Foundation Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca.

Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458) THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information.

(253807) THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar meets at Hamilton’s Bake House, 62 Calle Vicente, Blasco Ibañez, Benijofar 03178. We hold a Sunday Sevrice at 11.30am. For further information: www.spiri t u a l i s t c e n t r e - b e n i j o f a r. com. Telephone 711 060 171.

Email martindroute66@ hotmail.com.

Fiscal G54713789 MOVERS AND SHAKERS We are a non-profit organisation that supports people and their families with neurological diseases such as; HUNTINGTON’S, ATAXIA, MOTOR NEURONE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS and PARKINSON’S. Our MOVERS AND SHAKERS CLUB held every Friday @ 1pm – 3pm, is a chance for members to meet up socially, for a drink and a chat on a full range of topics and to exchange ideas and information. The club is held at O’Briens Bar in El Raso, Guardamar del Segura (except July and August). For more details, contact Marion Smith on 711 008 250, or email: marion. smith@amscb.org.es, or you can find us on Facebook : fb@movers and shakers www.amscb.org. es (295976)

MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge.

698 320 434 (294487)

FOR SALE/WANTED WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

HEALTH AND BEAUTY PERSONAL TRAINER, WEIGHT LOSS, TONING, RESULTS GUARANTEED. CERTIFIED WITH 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE. FORMER US KICKBOX CHAMPION. CALL 747 438 225 (301319)

HOME IMPROVEMENTS BATHROOM & KITCHEN Conversions Costa Blanca, contact 698 320 434. (294648)

INSURANCE FED UP OF NOT BEING SENT YOUR RENEWAL? CUT YOUR INSURANCE COSTS AND STILL HAVE 100% COVER. YOU HAVE TRIED THE REST NOW TRY THE BEST WITH SOS INSURANCE. WE CAN EVEN INSURE YOU FOR UP TO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHATSAPP TO) OR VISIT www.sosinsuranceinspain. com or email tracey@sosi nsuranceinspain.com (304724) BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English. BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes.

Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (WhatsApp) info@bene ficialinsuranceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com for online quote.

(304738) STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insurance Call 971 277 455 For your security www. abbeygateinsure.com

MASSAGE

ELECTRICIAN FRENCH, ELÉGANTE, slim, Sophie, 3 languages spoken.

Experienced in a large variety of full body massages. Villamartin apartment or can travel to all areas. 693 357 526 (302439)

CARS FOR SALE

If you can read it, so can your clients. Contact us and have your business grow at + 34 951 386 161

EXPERIENCE the best with a 1hr unique massage with Veronica. Shaving or permanent hair removal available. For appointments call 679 292 678 (303934)

CLASSIFIEDS II euroweeklynews.com MAGIC TOUCH, French, speaks 3 languages, professional masseuse, tantric. Apartment in Villamartin and home visits. Tel 693 357 526 (303833)

MOTORING

KAMAGRA Gold 100mg plus Kamagra Jellies. Collection or Delivery. Roy- 613 584 915 (295447) tp

CLASSIC MATURE SPANISH LADY, Playa Flamenca area, private premises, all massage services from 50€. Ana 657 603 495 (303952) TORREVIEJA centre 5 Spanish and Colombian girlfriends, transvestites, very affectionate and dominant masseuses 24 hours a day Call outs . 613 664 558 (304917) LOVELY slim lady, 46, offering a pleasant massage. Mil Palmeras.

In your home or hotel. Contact leilapuss@yahoo.co.uk for more details (303843) TORREVIEJA Unique Massage Experience. Slim Masseur. Relax for 1 hour and enjoy a distresful massage. My name is Tina FROM BRAZIL and I am Mulatto 44yrs and perfect body. Incalls & Outcalls - Tel. 603 301 635 (305224) LA ZENIA English lady for masseuse. Full body relaxing massage, in own apartment or 10 kilometres from La Zenia WhatsApp 711 041 330 (304963)

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

OTHERS

EDS? We have the solution, Kam agra pills & jells, Cialis, Sidenafil, over 7 products for men & ladies, mixed trial packs.Available by mail-order. WhatsApp or call 603 117 394 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)

MOTORHOMES MOTORHOME / Campervan wanted. Left or right hand drive.

Cash waiting for right van. Tlf 650 722 905

MUSIC FOR SALE 2 brand new Grundig Hi-Fi speakers 50watt, 26 x 18cm. €25. 699 321 591 (304542)

MUSIC TUITION PIANO, Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (302201)

PERGOLAS TAILOR-MADE in durable canvas, pergola covers, sails, umbrella, spa and CAR COVERS. 10% off Cushions. Mazarron to Costa Blanca. RETIRING SOON DON’T MISS OUT Google: KrugerCanopies.com WhatsApp: 667 879 399 krugercanopies@ yahoo.co.uk (302053)

PETS BEAUTIFUL & Healthy BICHON FRISE puppy available from responsible breeder.

Contact 653 757 768 (305310)

PET CHARITY EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorsecare.net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 (95706) GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying

22 - 28 February 2024 wild cats in the community.

Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709) P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www. pepaspain.com (95708) SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting rehoming. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama. org and view our new blog at www.spama-safor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

PET TRANSPORT PETS BACK HOME Family pet transporters Spain/UK. Travel with your pets for free. All air conditioned vehicles (no vans) w w w. p e t s b a c k h o m e . c o . u k Removals also arranged in other vehicles Tel: UK (0044) 01256 244657 (302827)

PLUMBERS MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge.

698 320 434 (294487)

RADIO

POOL MAINTENANCE POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 w w w. p o o l t e c h s p a i n . c o m (294206)

PROPERTY FOR RENT VILLA FOR RENT in ORIHUELA COSTA – Long Term Rent Villa on a 1,000m2 plot & house of 250m2. 4 beds, 3 baths, private garden, private pool & garage.

Only 3 minute walk to the beach and close to shops, restaurants and golf course. For info email caroblo@yahoo.es (305157)

REMOVALS COSTA LESS EXPRESS, small removals and deliveries. Spain/ UK budget prices. Urgent jobs undertaken www.costalessex press.co.uk Pet transport also arranged in our air conditioned pet/people carriers. Telephone: UK (0044) 01256 244657 (302827)

SPAS AND JACUZZIS

EWN 57

58 22 - 28 February 2024

• Motoring •

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Electric: Pros and cons THE debate surrounding the future of transportation often centres on electric vehicles (EVs).

As the world grapples with climate change and seeks sustainable solutions, electric cars are frequently presented as a beacon of hope. Notably, Spain lags behind its European counterparts, with disappointing sales figures. Statistics show the electrified vehicle market share at just 12 per cent of new car sales. However, there are valid arguments on both sides. Euro Weekly News looks at the reasons why electric cars could be the way forward and their drawbacks.

The most compelling argument for electric cars is their potential to reduce carbon emissions.

Electric cars are generally cheaper to operate than their gasoline-poweIN an effort to combat the high number of fatalities, a distinctive new road marking has been introduced on the A-355 road near Coin, Malaga, close to Marbella.

This unmistakable initiative was unveiled by the Junta de Andalucia, and marks the first of its kind in the region, aiming to enhance driver awareness

Credit: Basilico Studio Stock/Shutterstock.com

Charging an electric vehicle.

red counterparts. Electricity, especially from renewable sources, can be less expensive than petrol, and electric motors are more efficient and have fewer moving parts, leading to lower maintenance costs.

The push for electric vehicles drives technological advancements in battery storage, energy efficiency, and renewable energy integration, contributing to broader applications beyond transportation.

Malaga’s deadliest road and reduce accidents on what has been dubbed the ‘highway of death.’

The large red line, painted to separate the two lanes over a four-kilometre stretch, serves as a no-overtaking

The environmental benefits of electric cars are somewhat offset by the energy-intensive and polluting processes involved in battery production and disposal.

Mining for lithium, cobalt, and nickel has significant environmental and ethical concerns, and the recycling of batteries is not yet fully sustainable.

EVs shift the source of pollution from exhaust pipes to power plants.

In regions where electricity is primarily generated from coal or natural gas, the environmental benefits are diminished.

Despite lower operating costs, the upfront price of electric cars is typically higher than conventional vehicles.

The future of electric cars hinges on addressing these challenges while capitalising on their benefits. indicator, replacing the traditional continuous white line.

This safety measure will be further enhanced by the future installation of four educational radars to remind drivers of the speed limits and the importance of safe driving.

In the past 12 months, the A-355 has seen 10 fatalities.

euroweeklynews.com

• Motoring •

22 - 28 February 2024

59

Toyota Yaris GR Sport - with sporting looks ROAD TEST

By Mark Slack THERE was a time when if presented with a small car and an automatic gearbox you would probably opt for a taxi. They weren’t great, but small automatics have moved on and Toyota’s Yaris GR Sport is one of the most fun small automatics to drive and a great place to start singing the praises of such cars.

Priced from €26,475/ £22,630 there is a single powertrain across the line-up, except for the rally inspired GR, a 1.5 litre, three-cylinder hybrid petrol/electric driving through an e-CVT automatic transmission.

There is also the Yaris Cross, a pseudo SUV, and the rally inspired GR. The focus of my attention is the Yaris GR Sport, which has the standard

powertrain but a more sporting look inspired by the rally bred GR. Four other trim levels are on offer and the GR Sport shares top billing in the range at a not inconsiderable €34,421/£29,420, but does come with a generous range of standard equipment.

Toyota has tweaked the chassis of the GR Sport additional underfloor bracing for increased structural rigidity, reduced aerodynamic drag from revised wheel-arch liners, and retuned shock absorbers and springs. The tyres are also slightly wider than you get on other models.

Standard equipment is excellent with privacy glass, dual zone air conditioning, smart entry and start, auto lights and wipers, powered and heated door mirrors, adaptive cruise control,

LED lights including high beam assist and particularly comfortable front sports seats. Fitted with 18-inch alloys wheels and in my

test car’s case the extra cost, but wonderful looking, pearlescent Scarlet

Flare maroon/red paintwork.

The new Yaris has a presence! It doesn’t look like your average small urban hatch but on the other h a n d hasn’t

A terrific little car.

Facts at a Glance

• Model: Toyota Yaris GR Sport • Price: €34,421/£29,420 • Engine: 1.5-litre petrol/electric hybrid developing 116bhp • Gears: e-CVT Automatic • Performance: 0-100 km/h (62 mph) 9.7 seconds/Maximum Speed 173 km/h (108 mph) • Economy: 4.4l/100km (64.2 mpg) Combined driving (WLTP) • Emissions: 99 g/km (WLTP) Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

adopted that overly aggressive look which, in many people’s eyes blights so many otherwise good cars.

With GR badging and a sporting stance the GR Sport rides on 40 profile tyres, so although the ride is firm it’s not uncomfortably firm.

It may not be a hot hatch but it is dynamically well sorted and great fun on twisty roads.

The CVT transmission is actually very good, not always the case with CVTs, and even under enthusiastic acceleration it makes tidy progress.

Super comfortable seats make this a really good long distance car if needed, and returning over 60 mpg it’s not going to cost either.

This is a terrific little car and combines the best of sporting looks with economic and comfort bonuses.

60 22 - 28 February 2024

Rugby’s meteoric rise IS rugby in Spain on the cusp of a transformation?

The Royal Spanish Rugby Federation (RFER) has announced a record budget for 2024, signifying a pivotal moment for the sport’s history in Spain.

The president of RFER, Juan Carlos Martin Sanchez Hansen, recently unveiled a budget exceeding €11.5 million for the year 2024.

This announcement was made from the federation’s headquarters, marking a substantial increase from €5.4 million in August 2022.

The federation credits its remarkable growth to a strategic focus on enhancing revenues from sponsorships, event organisation, and contributions from the Higher Sports Council (CSD) and World Rugby.

As a result, sponsorship and related revenues have seen a 21 per cent increase, with expectations of further growth.

‘With the generation of these new income, the

RFER has invested in creating an operational structure with more people, new processes and an organisational culture that has made this Federation capable of aspiring to grow as an organisation at the service of Spanish rugby,’ the federation highlighted.

This financial injection has enabled better preparation for national teams, a significant increase in training days, and the introduction of new teams, including the Women’s M20 and Emerging 7 women’s teams, alongside three Iberians teams.

The RFER’s ambitious budget reflects a strategic vision aimed at not just financial growth, but also at nurturing the sport’s development and accessibility in Spain.

By reallocating resources and focusing on strategic growth areas, the federation is paving the way for a more vibrant and sustainable rugby ecosystem in Spain.

• Sport •

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Ferrari F1 car unveiled FERRARI has become the latest team to launch their 2024 F1 car, with the covers being pulled off the SF-24.

After teasing fans with footage of their new challenger being fired up for the first time at Maranello recently, the car has now been revealed to the world ahead of the upcoming season.

The SF-24 is the 70th single-seater built by Ferrari to take part in the 75th Formula 1 championship. Above all, it is the first studied, designed and built entirely under the management of Frederic

The new car has now been revealed.

Vasseur, who inherited Mattia Binotto’s job a year ago.

It is a car that follows the 2023 Ferrari however, the team say it is a radically different car, with most of the secrets under the bodywork.

The aim is to improve balance, reduce tyre wear, and above all increase the drivability, which had been one of the problems the drivers had been struggling with.

“Ferrari is my life, I love this team and I will do

everything to make them win the World Championship.

Seeing the new single-seater is always a unique feeling after all the work done during the year,” said Charles Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz said: “Mine is not a normal situation to start the season, but the moment I put the helmet on I only feel the desire to go as fast as possible. Seeing the SF-24 is very special.”

The public had already gathered from early morning on the Fiorano bridge, waiting for the new red car to be christened on the track but the real test will be on March 2 in the first of the 24 Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula 1 championship.